Room Unlocked, Alex Payne: Authenticity and purpose in influencer marketing

Alex Payne, Room Unlocked's co-founder, discusses the future of influencer marketing and how it can successfully form part of an overall marketing strategy.

Could you tell us a little bit about what the company does?

Well, several of our clients have described us as a cross between Tinder and LinkedIn, which we quite like. Room Unlocked facilitates partnerships between interesting brands and celebrities and influencers - but our point of difference is that it is all mutually...

12 September 2022 | Advertising

VidMob raises $110 million in Series D investment round

A close up of a dollar bill.

VidMob, a platform for Intelligent Creative, has raised $110 million in a Series D investment round led by Shamrock Capital, with strong participation from a leading group of new and existing investors.

VidMob’s Intelligent Creative platform provides an end-to-end solution to help brands optimise the performance of their creative advertising assets by unifying data and analytics with creative production, delivering improved marketing performance and business results across all...

4 September 2022 | Branding

Student Beans launches tech to connect brands with 5 million potential customers

Student loyalty network Student Beans has unveiled a new brand in its audience verification technology - Beans iD.

The newly-launched tech will enable brands to provide securely gated discounts and incentives to verified members of six key in-demand consumer groups:

• Students (through Student Beans)• Graduates (through Grad Beans)• Healthcare professionals• Military and Armed Forces• First Responders• Teachers

In the UK, there are over five million...

4 August 2022 | Branding

System1 helps brands innovate and profit with ‘Test Your Idea’ platform

A glowing light bulb.

System1, a marketing decision-making platform, has launched its automated Test Your Idea functionality, which provides predictive insights on product prototypes, names, logos, packaging, straplines, promotions and more to help brands maximise profit potential. 

Test Your Idea reports highlight respondents’ emotional responses to concepts as well as their predicted acceptance of ideas and decision speed. Brands can also discover what respondents view as the main advantage of...

15 July 2022 | Branding

Capgemini acquires brand design agency Rufus Leonard

French IT services firm, Capgemini, has acquired Rufus Leonard, a London-based brand design and experience agency.

It is hoped that Rufus Leonard’s capabilities in building category defining brands through design and technology will enhance the group’s customer-first services in the UK.

Rufus Leonard is a 70-person agency that aims to transform service brands by turning complexity into brilliant, engaging experiences. Its client base, including World Wildlife Fund...

8 June 2022 | Branding

Primark steps up role of digital with launch of new website

Primark Website Launch - Homepage Hero Shot.

Primark has unveiled the latest stage in its digital strategy with the launch of its new website.

Created to better connect the journey between searching online and then shopping in store, the new site features thousands of products from across Primark’s best-selling ranges, as well as a fresh design, enhanced navigation and a new feature that allows customers to check stock availability in their local store.

Launching first in the UK, before rolling out to...

25 April 2022 | Branding

Serena Williams’ venture fund invests seven figures In British martech platform

Serena Williams at a press conference.

OpenSponsorship (OS), a sports marketing tech start-up founded in New York by British entrepreneur Ishveen Jolly, has secured a seven-figure investment from Serena Ventures to help the business expand into the UK.

OpenSponsorship has partnered athletes with campaigns from brands such as Walmart, Foot Locker and Levi’s, was launched in the USA in 2015 after Ishveen – who was then a sports agent – realised and then grew frustrated with the obtuse and restrictive way in which...

20 April 2022 | Branding

CHILI publish raises €10 million to help firms scale on-brand graphic production

A bundle of red chilli peppers.

CHILI publish, a creative automation software specialist, has raised €10 million to accelerate solution and community development, attract new talent, and boost the company's go-to-market and sales operations in Europe and the US.

The cash injection was led by Connected Capital with participation from existing investors Group MC, Pamica and PMV.

CHILI publisher is a cloud-based Creative Automation platform that enables brands and agencies to create, edit, and share...

30 March 2022 | Branding

TikTok adds Vamp to the TikTok Marketing Partner program

A Tik Tok profile on a smartphone.

Global influencer marketing and content creation platform, Vamp, has been badged as an official TikTok Marketing Partner.

This means its customers now have access to first-party data that will make running campaigns with TikTok easier and more effective, helping brands get the most from the world’s most downloaded app.

Brands that work with Vamp can now obtain TikTok creators insights in a more automated and scalable way. They can now identify relevant creators within...

3 March 2022 | Branding

Setting the bar as a trusted brand

A pole vaulter.

The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is a tough one. Highly competitive, crowded, and frequently driven by price. Now producers are being put under even greater pressure, as consumers increasingly only want to buy from brands that they feel align with their own values.

With people becoming more aware of what they are putting into their bodies the focus on health issues is intensifying, coupled with sustainability and inclusivity being taken more seriously (particularly by...

15 February 2022 | Attribution