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Chief storyteller and serial entrepreneur, Harjiv Singh is the founder and CEO of Gutenberg, a digital integrated marketing communications firm with offices in the U.S., U.K. and India, where he works extensively with clients across a diverse range of industries and organizations. Gutenberg recently announced their rebranding and launch of its expanded suite of services making it a one-stop shop for complete integrated marketing communications needs for brands. Gutenberg’s integrated marketing services offering will expand from PR to include digital, content, video and mobile.

This week, I sat down with Harjiv to discuss the next phase of PR growth, how to send a message across multiple platforms, and the importance of encompassing paid, owned and earned media.

Congratulations on the rebranding of Gutenberg – formerly Gutenberg Communications. What motivated your launch of expanded services? Could you articulate a bit more what this will mean for your clients and the services your organization offers?

Thank you for your wishes. Gutenberg’s rebranding was a well-planned move that is very critical to our long-term positioning and growth as a company. The strategy behind the rebranding was to expand our client offerings to include service lines with rapid growth across all our geographical markets. Through this rebranding we have accomplished three things:

• We have built a full range of capabilities to address contemporary challenges faced by any Chief Marketing Officer
• We have integrated our offerings to focus on delivering measurable ROI for clients through analytics
• We have also expanded our addressable market to US$227 billion, by broadening our service offerings to include digital, mobile, video and content in addition to our core strength in PR and storytelling

In this way, we will now be able to work with our clients to help build their brands through an integrated approach and provide a wider array of marketing strategy, tools, and ideas to help our clients reach their target audiences.

Why is it important to have integrated digital, PR, video, content and mobile all in one place? How is PR changing and how does this keep you on the cutting edge?

Integrated marketing has been around since the 1990’s. What has changed is the landscape and tools available today. If Facebook was a country, it would be the largest country based on its active user base of 1.9 billion by the end of 2016. More people access Facebook on mobile than they do on a laptop or PC. The fastest growing area of content consumption both online and on mobile are videos. Marketers need to watch these changes closely to ensure their brand messages are relevant and resonate with their target audiences. For example, the US$1 billion acquisition of the “Dollar Shave Club” by Unilever underscores how a digitally savvy start-up completely upended the traditional razor blade industry. Dollar Shave Club launched a monthly subscription service in 2012 with a simple yet brilliantly researched YouTube video that crashed their site. The video has garnered nearly 24 million views since it launched and took the revenue of the company to US$150 million in a short span of four years until it was bought by Unilever last year. Digital is changing how companies target audiences and drive revenue growth and marketing needs to keep pace or stay ahead of these changes. Gutenberg will help our clients navigate these exciting developments with our new approach.

How do you see the future of PR and what do brands need to continue doing to stay at the forefront of those changes?

I am excited and optimistic about the future of PR as long as folks in PR understand that we are in a new era for marketing that requires a multi-dimensional view to storytelling. This new era started with the marketing view of paid, owned, earned and will now evolve into combining these three for driving ROI.

Your organization works with a variety of clients in a multitude of different sectors. What are some of the differences in building a PR strategy for a large company versus a small non-profit? What stays the same?

At Gutenberg, we strongly believe that each client has a unique story to tell. It is important to have a clear understanding of a clients’ business, their industry, competition and their target audience. Based on understanding these, we formulate a communications and PR strategy for our clients. Larger companies have more resources to deploy across all paid, owned and earned media where smaller companies tend to focus more on earned and owned media. It is critical to start with an overarching strategy of what marketing objective we are trying to solve and then choose the appropriate tools available to address those objectives.

What are some of the key components of successful strategic communications? Can you also speak about how analytics drive a PR strategy?

The key components of a successful communication strategy are to clearly identify the target audience demographics and what is the core objective of the communication plan. Based on these you can choose the right combination of paid, owned and earned media, mapping it against your marketing funnel. Analytics is very important today as it can provide a measurement of a clients’ PR and marketing efforts. Increasingly with social and digital campaigns both organic and inorganic, you can compare reach and engagement.

To craft a presence in the marketplace, it’s increasingly important to shift between paid, owned and earned media, as you’ve mentioned. How do you use each type of media? Do you find one more effective than the others? How do you advise your clients to use each format strategically? Any other advice?

The combination of paid, owned and earned to use is based on a clients’ strategic marketing objective, the target audiences, and resources. Early stage start-ups and smaller NGO’s may focus their effort more on owned and earned. But a combination of all three for larger companies is more impactful.

What advice do you have for those looking to begin a career in this field?

This is an exciting time to be in marketing. This shift to digital is upending the traditional offline advertising business and the industry needs people with a multidimensional perspective. For anyone starting today in this industry, I would suggest that they research and understand their own industry, tools and also the client’s industry. Most importantly, for anyone entering any career, invest in building and nurturing relationships. In the long run, your ability to blend your expertise with strong relationships will define your success.

Rapid Fire Round:

1. The best gift I have ever received is… my three children are the best gift ever.
2. If I was a superhero, my powers would be…  to make the world slow down to “smell the coffee” and enjoy what nature has given us.
3. If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be…. Mutton Curry with basmati rice.
4. My favorite book is…. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.
5. I’m motivated to work hard by… my team who strives each day to do its best for our clients.
6. My proudest accomplishment is…. to see my teams achieving their potential.

Truman Marketing, an online marketing agency in Brittany, Louisiana, is highlighting their new reputation marketing service. They have targeted local businesses in particular with this service, because maintaining a positive reputation has been found to be vital to overall success. Those interested in the services are requested to enter their contact information on the company’s website to get started.

Joel Gray from Truman Marketing says: « They say that a company’s most valuable asset is its staff, but I would like to stress that its reputation is just as important. Unless people think positively about a company, they won’t shop there, no matter how good the staff is. This is particularly important for local businesses, who have to manage not just online reviews, but word of mouth reviews as well. Our new page for reputation management ensures that they can maintain and improve their reputation in a proactive way. »

The new service, which is known as the Marketing Leader Package, is designed to go above and beyond reputation marketing services. It includes unlimited professionally designed images, a monthly 60 second review video commercial, website and blog review marketing, social media review marketing, image review marketing, video review marketing, video syndication and search engine optimization, and reputation marketing analytics. Put together, these services have been designed to ensure that a positive reputation is highlighted every step of the way, and that negative reviews are identified immediately so that they can be addressed.

« Managing an online reputation is hard work, » adds Joel Gray. « Warren Buffett himself said that it takes years to build up a reputation, but only an instant to destroy it. Our services are there to make sure our clients’ reputation is maintained to the highest possible standards at all times, and we are very proud of what we do. »

Besides offering the Marketing Leader Package, Truman Marketing now also offers reputation marketing training. In so doing, they aim to teach their clients what they can do themselves to maintain their positive reputation and possibly enhance it, how to identify what is being said about them online, and how to respond. Gray explains: « You need to know how to respond to comments, whether they are positive or negative, and our training explains all of that. »

###

Contact Truman Marketing:

Joel Gray
225-773-6539
trumanmarketing@gmail.com
Truman Marketing
P.O. Box 27
Brittany, Louisiana 70718

WASHINGTON The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to near a 44-year low last week, pointing to further tightening of the labor market even as economic growth appears to have remained moderate in the first quarter.

The stronger labor market and rising inflation could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this month. Several Fed officials have in recent days suggested the U.S. central bank could increase borrowing costs soon.

« The jobs market is strengthening and we are near full employment. The Fed is worried that the jobs market will overheat and that is fanning the discussion of a March rate hike, » said Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in Westchester, Pennsylvania

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 223,000 for the week ended Feb. 25, the lowest level since March 1973, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

It was the 104th straight week that claims remained below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labor market. That is the longest stretch since 1970, when the labor market was much smaller. It is now at or close to full employment, with an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent.

Economists had forecast new claims for unemployment benefits dipping to 243,000 in the latest week. The government reported on Wednesday that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index jumped 1.9 percent in the 12 months through January, the biggest gain since October 2012. The PCE price index increased 1.6 percent in December.

The core PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, increased 1.7 percent, still below its 2 percent target.

With more voices joining the chorus of Fed officials signaling further monetary policy tightening soon, financial markets have almost fully priced in a rate hike at the central bank’s March 14-15 policy meeting.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen could offer more clues on Friday when she speaks on the economic outlook in Chicago. The Fed raised its benchmark overnight interest rate last December and has forecast three rate increases for this year.

The dollar .DXY rose to a seven-week high against a basket of currencies after the data, while prices for U.S. government debt fell. Stocks on Wall Street slipped as investors took profits after a huge rally on Wednesday that propelled the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI above 21,000 for the first time.

LABOR SHORTAGES

The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 6,250 to 234,250 last week, the lowest reading since April 1973.

A survey from the Fed on Wednesday showed the labor market remained tight in early 2017, with some of the central bank’s districts reporting « widening » labor shortages.

« Workers are not being laid off in large numbers, » said Rob Martin, an economist at Barclays in New York.

The labor market strength comes despite signs the economy struggled to gain momentum early in the first quarter after slowing in the final three months of 2016. Data this week showed tepid growth in consumer spending in January, weak equipment and construction spending, and a wider goods trade deficit.

The Atlanta Fed is forecasting first-quarter gross domestic product rising at a 1.8 percent annualized rate. The economy grew at a 1.9 percent pace in the fourth quarter.

Thursday’s claims report also showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid increased 3,000 to 2.07 million in the week ended Feb. 18. The four-week average of the so-called continuing claims edged up 750 to 2.07 million.

The continuing claims data covered the survey week for February’s unemployment rate. The four-week moving average of claims fell 21,500 between the January and February survey periods, suggesting an improvement in the jobless rate.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao)

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The mobile marketing industry is ever-changing, and that applies to the people as much as the technology. Movers Shakers is a regular feature following the hottest hires in the industry, so you can keep track of who’s joined which company, and what they’re doing there.

(Clockwise from top left) Mark Zander,  Mike McElhatton, Adam Graham, Don Elgie, David Tomchak, Karen Griffiths, Natalie Stanley

Teads Sweetens its Position with Mars Chocolate’s Media Director
Outstream video advertising firm Teads has announced that Marc Zander, former global media director of Mars Chocolate, has joined the company as global video president of client partnerships, where he will lead Teads’ efforts to work more closely with advertisers.

“We are thrilled to have someone with Marc’s experience join our team,” said Bertrand Quesada, CEO of Teads. “His knowledge of global clients and agencies will be invaluable in helping us accelerate the growth of outstream video and reinforce Teads’ position as the number one player in this category.”

Zander is a 25-year veteran of the ad industry, with extensive media, marketing, innovation and brand activation experience in top FMCG companies across multiple categories. He spent five years at Mars Chocolate, and prior to that held key roles at Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé and Swatch.

“I am really excited to be joining the progressive and dynamic Teads team,” said Zander. “I see tremendous opportunities for both Teads and their clients to further leverage outstream video to better meet brand objectives and drive real growth from media.”

SpotX Continues to Build Demand Team for Europe
Video inventory management platform SpotX has added three new members to its buy-side demand team for the UK and Southern Europe as the area continues to grow. The new additions will advise buyers, including brands, their agencies and DSPs on inventory in SpotX’s platform.

Natalie Stanley will serve as demand facilitation director, bringing five years of mobile advertising experience from Millennial Media to the role, while Tom Purcell puts his seven years of ad industry experience towards his new position of client development manager. Hannah Asante will use her background in telecommunications as demand operations coordinator.

All three will report to Ian Harman, who was appointed last  year by SpotX to act as the new head of demand for the UK and Southern Europe. The demand team supports buyers in identifying inventory opportunities for video campaigns, as well as advising on connected TV advertising.

“Having worked in mobile advertising for many years, I could see that more and more demand was being generated by the programmatic teams, with increasingly sophisticated buying requests,” said Stanley. “Brands are benefitting from the increased effectiveness and efficiency of programmatic mobile advertising, and I look forward to working at the forefront of advertising technology.”

TMG Fills Board with Marketing Heavyweights
Don Elgie and Mike McElhatton have been appointed to the board of The Marketing Group (TMG), with Elgie serving as non-executive chairman and McElhatton becoming chief financial officer for the global marketing company.

Elgie brings a wealth of top-level experience in the marketing sector, including 13 years as a FTSE chief executive at Creston PLC, and three years as chairman of AIM listed Crossrider PLC.

McElhatton formerly acted as chief financial officer at Havas and WPP, and brings extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, from both buy and sale side. The appointments come at a pivotal point for TMG, as it attempts to evolve and mature following a year of rapid growth.

“Don and Mike’s appointments to the TMG board mark the next chapter in our evolution as we emerge from our initial start-up phase and hit the ground running with 17 wholly-owned subsidiaries covering 30 officers in eight countries,” said Adam Graham, CEO of TMG. “With Don and Mike on the board, I feel we have an incredibly robust structure in which to continue to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit that we want to maintain at TMG.”

David Tomchak Becomes Digital Director for Editorial at Evening Standard
Seeking to rapidly accelerate its growing digital audience and commercial offering, the Evening Standard has appointed former head of digital for the Prime Minister David Tomchak as its digital director for editorial.

Tomchak joins from Number 10, where he led digital marketing communications for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Officer, and served as deputy director for the Government Communication Service. Previously, he spent almost a decade at the BBC as a journalist and digital specialist.

Reporting to managing director of digital Zach Leonard, Tomchak will assume responsibility for all Evening Standard digital editorial and production staff, and will work alongside the newspaper’s editor as part of an ongoing investment and product development plan for the publisher’s digital properties.

“David’s expertise in broadcast, social media and audience development will bring brilliant new skills to the Standard‘s digital journalism,” said Leonard. “The dynamics of digital publishing call for provocative and engaging ways to gather and report news, which complement the successful formula of the newspaper, but also go beyond, to meet the demands of 24/7 mobile consumers, increasingly reading and sharing on devices and often through visual and video media.”

Lebara Find New Chief Financial Officer in Karen Griffiths
Specialist telecoms operator Lebara has named Karen Griffiths as its new chief financial officer. Griffiths brings more than three decades of financial leadership and senior management experience to the firm, having most recently served as chief financial officer at Acision.

She has also held financial leadership roles with Ingram Micro Europe and The Coca-Cola Company, where she spent 18 years in a variety of positions.

“I am delighted to welcome Karen on-board,” said Yoganathan Ratheesan, chairman and CEO of Lebara Group. “She brings with her a wealth of valuable experience that will ensure we can continue to serve the needs of the global migrant community, enabling more families, friends and colleagues to connect both at home and abroad.”

“I am excited to join such a dynamic team at Lebara as it continues to innovate, bringing quality products and services to migrant communities,” said Griffiths. “It is a fast moving marketing and while much of my experience will help me hit the ground running, I also look forward to what I have to learn in this market segment and its evolving opportunities.”

Video marketers need reliable video metrics, and a partnership between Brightcove and HubSpot puts those numbers to work.

Thanks to a just-announced integration between the two companies, customers can import video analytics from video cloud services company Brightcove into the HubSpot platform. HubSpot provides support for inbound marketing, sales, and customer-relationship management (CRM).

The partnership came about because video is increasingly important to marketers, notes HubSpot chief strategy officer Brad Coffey.

Citing recent Cisco data, Brightcove notes that video will make up 82 percent of consumer internet traffic by 2020. Analyzing video viewing data helps marketers target, prioritize, and track prospective customers.

The video data involved in this partnership lets marketers associate viewing information with contacts, leading to better lead scoring. Marketers can also use this to capture leads. HubSpot notes that one customer tracked how much of a video prospective customers viewed, then sent a follow-up email to those who watched 75 percent of it. The operation resulted in improved conversion rates.

“Video viewership data is unique to every other type of content marketing data in one incredibly important way—it is consumed over time and therefore lets marketers know exactly how much of their message a viewer was exposed to,” notes Nathan Veer, a senior product specialist with Brightcove. “This lends itself naturally to marketing automation.

“With this integration, HubSpot marketers now have detailed viewership data automatically attached to contacts, allowing them to be granular and targeted in their marketing. For example, if data shows that the contact watched 20 percent of a video and was exposed to only one of three key points in that video, marketers can follow up with point number two, picking up the conversation where they left off in a natural and personal way.”

Marketers looking for more information can watch the video on this integration page.