Chloe Franses (Founder of Franses) & Andrew Thomas (Digital Transformation Coach)

This week Stu is joined by two PR and Marketing experts; Chloe Franses and Andrew Thomas. Chloe's experience extends from working as head of creative relationships at Amnesty International to building authenticity for brands such as Formula E, and individuals such as Idris Elba. Andrew is a commercial marketer and works in transformation, helping individuals to thrive in the new digital economy.

The three look at how marketing and PR has changed over time - the world that Saatchi & Saatchi were working in, the persuasion that was used, and how different the world is now with more transparency, and more competition for attention.

They also discuss how the aims of PR has changed, from helping brands and organisations to 'not look bad' to showcasing how they create real social value not only for commercial profit for themselves but to genuinely benefit the community. Using examples of the oil & gas and fashion industry and how audiences are more challenging of brands, and trends like 'greenwashing' led to the need to demonstrate better values.

Chloe shares her experience of the power of celebrity endorsement and how it can tap into people's identities in a way that organisations cannot. Andrew expands on this notion of identity, driving brand loyalty throughout life.

When looking at what healthcare can learn from marketing across industries, they explore that health messages are explained in a rational way even though people are often irrational in decisions around their health. They examine how this can be better aligned through simplicity and a focus on who delivers the message. For example, the difficulty in undoing the glamorised imagery of smoking (even with the Suffragettes and torches of freedom) in order to encourage people to quit for their health.