Steve Ballantyne

How to Build Authentic Marketing That Works. The simplest (yet most ignored) concept. Caring. It’s the greatest marketing (and life) strategy. There are a million different tactics out there, but when you genuinely care about your audience, you’re already ahead of the game. → Care about your audience Give them something they actually want. → Care about the product Believe in what you’re selling. → Care about the process Be human and show empathy. Put in the effort. Show up. Listen. Solve real problems. It might not be the flashiest marketing trick, but it’s the one that builds the strongest relationships. So today, ask yourself: Are you caring about your audience? Are you giving them what they need, not just what you want? Before launching any campaign, ask yourself: “Am I solving a real problem or just pushing my own agenda?” The best marketing isn’t fancy tactics or complicated funnels, it’s about genuine human connection. Who else swears by authentic marketing? Repost ♻ to your network to make sure they know. Follow Tom Pestridge for more posts like this

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I have long advocated for transparency. It’s in my blood and I really don’t care who I offend or upset along the way. But this past week, I’ve realised the problem in our industry goes deeper than transparency. The problem is Duplicity and it runs deep in the Advertising Industry. The advertising industry prides itself on creativity, innovation, and building meaningful connections between brands and consumers. Yet beneath this glossy veneer lies a troubling culture of duplicity that undermines trust at every level of the business. Duplicity - deliberate deceptiveness - has become so normalised in advertising that many no longer recognise it as problematic behavior. This week alone, I witnessed 3 distinct examples that illustrate how pervasive this issue has become. 1. The Information Manipulation Game. In a post-campaign analysis, I watched senior executives deliberately manipulate data to paint a rosier picture than reality warranted. Cherry-picked metrics and selective omissions transformed mediocre results into apparent success stories. This wasn’t creative interpretation - it was calculated deception. 2. The Commission Game. During a project handover, the lack of transparency around costs and commissions was staggering. Clients were presented with neat budget breakdowns while the real deal - including undisclosed markups and hidden fees remained buried. This deliberate obfuscation turns what should be a partnership into a predatory relationship. 3. The Data Blackout. Most damaging of all is the widespread practice of withholding data under the guise of “internal legal requirements” Teams deliberately limit access to ad accounts, not to shield clients from complexity, but to avoid scrutiny that might reveal incompetence or poor strategy. This fake “client first” mentality actually puts agency interests above client success. Why This Matters: This duplicitous culture doesn’t just harm business relationships, it corrodes the entire industry’s credibility. When deception becomes standard practice, it attracts individuals comfortable with ethical compromise while driving away those who value integrity. The irony is profound: an industry built on persuasion & trust systematically undermines both through its internal practices. How can we expect consumers to trust our messages when we can’t even be honest with our own clients and colleagues? The Way Forward: Change requires acknowledging that duplicity isn’t clever business strategy - on the contrary, it’s a fundamental failure of professional ethics. The most successful agencies I’ve encountered operate with radical transparency, treating clients as true partners rather than marks to be managed. The advertising industry can choose to be genuinely creative and genuinely honest. But first, it must admit that duplicity has become its most consistent creative output & decide whether that’s the legacy it wants to leave.

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Why Your “Perfect” Legal Article Still Lives on Page 2 (and exactly how to fix it) Great prose isn’t enough. To rank and sign clients, you need: ✅ Verified search demand ✅ Content that matches user intent ✅ Real authority backlinks & E-E-A-T proof ✅ Tight on-page SEO + Core Web Vitals ✅ Fresh updates every quarter ➜ Swipe through the seven hidden blockers and steal the quick fixes. 📬 Liked this post and want to go deeper Follow Matthew Khorsandi for more tips.

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The big fear: can content marketers and copywriters survive in the age of AI? Can writers stand out in a sea of sameness? Who is actually reading what AI writes? Bridget Holland of NoBull Marketing gave some insight into „Content Marketing in the age of AI“ at BNI BIZ MASTERS Macquarie Business Park today. She reminded us that „Excel unlocked speed and accuracy for accounting but the accountant still have to know what they‘re doing.“ This is what I noted from her talk: 1. Content Marketing is about valuable and engaging content to attract, inform and build trust - focus on building relationships instead of a quick sale. 2. Good content marketing converts via landing pages into #emailmarketing (no surprise, my favourite topic). 3. When AI replaces humand writing, we readers will miss the human element in empathy and transformation. 4. Bridget is using AI tools for an efficient way to facilitate crafting better content, not to replace her own writing. Or in a nutshell: „We should use AI to create better content instead of posting bad content faster.“ How do you use #AI in your #contentmarketing?

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While everyone fights for festive attention with bigger budgets, smart brands are quietly dominating with this approach: Many festive campaigns fail to deliver impact, but not for the reason you think. It's not about having a bigger budget. It's about being able to show the right message to the right audience with the right frequency. This is only possible with programmatic advertising, where holistic campaign impression and frequency can be looked at. Here are top reasons to use programmatic advertising that makes campaigns impactful. The third point will also make your CFO very happy, because it tracks what actually matters for business growth. This festive season, precision and measurable impact should be your focus, not just brand awareness. Have you started leveraging programmatic yet? #programmaticadvertising #festivecampaigns #marketing

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In 5 years “going out” will mean sauna & plunge not shots + nightclubs. The future of Social Club is Social Wellness Club. Here’s why 👇 From hangovers to health spans. Socialising is evolving. Wellness isn’t a niche anymore. →It’s a $6.3 trillion economy, projected to hit ~$7.3T in 2025 and nearly $9T by 2028. And it’s rewriting how we socialise. A bit of context: → Interest in cold-water therapy surged 600% globally in the past 5 years (+633% UK, +475% US). → The ice bath & cold plunge market was valued at $350M in 2022, expected to reach $500M by 2028 → The European sauna market was valued at $335M in 2024, set to reach $479M by 2030 and $578M by 2033. → Europe already holds ~37% of global sauna market share. Traditional saunas still dominate, but infrared models are the fastest-growing segment, attracting a younger, wellness-first audience. This isn’t a fad. It’s infrastructure. What it means for hospitality: The traditional spa model has always been transactional: a guest books a massage, a sauna session, or a facial. It’s about services and relaxation, mostly consumed alone. But the emerging wellness club model is relational and communal. Guests (and locals) join because it gives them membership, rituals, and community. They’re not just buying a 60-minute massage, they’re buying into a place they return to, connect in, and feel they belong. That shift opens a new playbook: →Heat ceremonies (guided sauna rituals, Aufguss performances, sound-infused sweats) →Plunge parties (group immersions, timed challenges, live DJs) →Morning resets (breathwork + sauna + intention-setting before workdays) →Membership models (weekly passes, “friends of the spa,” locals-only tiers) This is a once-in-a-decade chance for hospitality brands to: - Increase retention (guests return for community, not just relaxation) - Monetise memberships (turn spas into recurring revenue hubs) - Build brand equity (wellness = cultural relevance, not just a luxury add-on) The spa is no longer just a department. It’s the third place where your next generation of loyal guests will gather. 👉 Which hotel brand do you think could pioneer the first global Social Wellness Club? Credit to the video: Krabholm on Intagram

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SMEs reckon they’re saving a few bucks by putting off marketing leadership. Truth is, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. Most owners park the role for later. They tell themselves it is a “nice to have.” Something they will sort out when revenue grows. When the budget feels bigger. The obvious cost is slower growth. The hidden cost is culture. Without marketing leadership, you miss more than targets. You miss the chance to give your people a story worth backing. Here’s what slips through the cracks: → Teams working in silos, no unifying voice → Sales chasing quick wins without any brand backing → Employees can't explain what the business stands for. → Talent walking away because they don’t feel connected to the bigger picture Revenue is visible. Culture is quiet. But it’s culture that decides whether your people show up with energy or just show up. A strong marketing leader doesn’t just run campaigns. They set narrative. They give language to ambition. They make sure the inside of the business feels as inspiring as the outside pitch deck. Leave it too long, and you pay for it twice. First in money. Then in momentum. And eventually, in the belief people have in the business.

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