ENGINE In Conversation With: Danny Barrasso (Esprit) on Transforming Retail

Transforming retail organisations from the inside out The retail industry continues to feel the pressure of the changing customer with declining sales, rising costs and intense competition. What better way to understand the significance of improving operational effectiveness than to look at a brand that’s done just that. Tune in to hear Suzi Bentley Tanner (Strategy Director at ENGINE Transformation) in conversation with Danny Barrasso (Esprit’s Regional CEO - Europe & Americas), to hear about his experience of transforming the European fashion house and his views on the future of retail.

From cricket to women's football and rugby to American favourites, 2019 has been a bumper year for incredible sporting events. With so much going on, what have been the highlights that will stand out in the future? Our favourite ENGINE Sport duo, Matthew Fletcher-Jones (Head of Comms) and Tom Gladstone (Head of Strategy), are back again to look at the big sports business moments of the year and weigh in on what's in store for 2020.

From a bit player on the fringe of the Epstein scandal to the star of a full-blown crisis – Prince Andrew has had quite the week. But how did he manage to turn a simple interview into a full-on car crash? We pull back the curtain on the infamous Newsnight interview to see how the Queen’s ‘favourite son’ failed to follow crisis comms basics and what’s next for the Crown’s PR strategy. Tune in to hear Barnaby Fry, Head of Crisis and Risk at ENGINE MHP, and Keith Gladdis, MHP Director and member of the Strategic Media Unit, share their perspective on what went wrong and what should have been done.

Faced with more data than we know what to do with and consumer expectations outstripping the ability to respond, the marketing mix continues to fragment. Are marketing departments properly equipped to deal with mounting demands - and are they doing enough to ensure they're fit for the future? Bree Throssell, ENGINE's Head of Comms, chats to ENGINE Transformation Strategy Director, Suzi Bentley Tanner, to discuss marketing transformation programmes and what brands need to do to adapt and thrive - not just survive.

This weekend the Rugby World Cup concludes. Ahead of the final, Matthew  Fletcher-Jones, Director of Comms at ENGINE Sport, and Tom Gladstone,  ENGINE Sport's Head of Strategy, are back from Tokyo to discuss all things Japan ’19 - from sponsors to shirt sales and typhoons to Tbilisi trips. Tune in to hear their thoughts on what’s next for rugby and is it time to say goodbye to the Haka?

The influencer is dead. Long live... the influencer? Despite claims that the influencer marketing industry is dead, we're not convinced. Predicted to be a £10 billion industry by 2020, there's no sign of brands slowing down on their spends - and while there's plenty of change, we think the form is stronger than ever. Tune in to hear two industry veterans - Gemma Glover, ENGINE's Head of Influencer,  and Ellie Wilcox, Social Media Manager at Next - discuss their experiences and they think is in store for the future.

Let's be honest; despite adapting to increasingly complex demands and requiring a broad skill set, marketing still has a bit of a reputation as being a department for colouring in. So how can the industry shake off this perception once and for all and prove that we deserve to be at the top table? We sit down with marketing legend, Mark Ritson, at the 2019 Festival of  Marketing to discuss the heavyweight side of the practice and how it can make a real difference when it comes to organisational success.

The words 'influencer marketing'  are perhaps the most contentious in our industry today. Whether you love  or loathe them, these popular figures have an undeniable place in the  world of marketing.  And given the statistics – 63% of brands plan to  increase their budget for influencer marketing; by 2020 influencer  marketing is expected to be a $10bn industry; in the past 3 years Google  searches for ‘influencer marketing’ grew by 1500% - it's clear that  influencer marketing is a force not to be ignored. Our recent  panel event brought together industry leaders to discuss how brands can  harness the power of influencer marketing and how to avoid potential  pitfalls. Chaired by Gemma Glover, Head of Influencer Strategy at  ENGINE, our guests included: Karl Loko – Influencer Adrienne Herbert – Influencer Zoe de Pass – Influencer Eleanor Wilcox – Social Media Manager, Next Louise Cole – General Counsel, ENGINE

We are living in a golden age of entertainment, in which anything and everything is at our fingertips and is increasingly available to enjoy free from unwanted brand intrusions.  However, we're also living in a time where our social feeds are increasingly curated by commercially-driven platform algorithms which prohibit organic exposure, forcing brands back into an ad-centric cul-de-sac. To relook at the way brands approach storytelling, our panel discussion, ‘Setting Stories Free: New adventures in storytelling beyond the spot’, brought together industry thought leaders to understand the power of stories, the channels available to contemporary storytellers, and the opportunities that exist for forward-thinking brands. With: Dave Roberts – Chief Content Officer, ENGINE Will Storr – Author, The Science of Story Telling Adam Harris – Director of Custom Solutions, Twitch Megan Wastell - Podcast Director, Global Entertainment Connor Boals - Supervisor Producer, Great Big Story

So you've invested a lot in the  latest marketing tech, but have yet to see any real value come out of  it. Sound familiar? If implementation is taking too long to demonstrate a  tangible ROI and you want to gain continuous results, our approach  might just be the answer to your problems. Tune in to hear from  ENGINE's CDO, Will Lowe, and Senior Consultant, Matt Tilling, to learn  how to avoid the 'Dip of Doom', ride the 'Sawtooth of Success', and get  the most out of your Martech.