NDA has launched a new series, Marketing the Marketers, talking to the marketing and comms leaders behind the success of our leading companies. Next up is Lucinda Kingham, Mindshare UK’s Marketing Director. Prior to joining Mindshare, Lucinda was a communications specialist working across healthcare, tech, entertainment and media.
What exactly does your job entail?
I am responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the overall marketing strategy to drive brand awareness and promote Mindshare’s Good Growth positioning in the UK.
My role is broad and varies from developing the UK’s strategic marketing plan to covering most marketing activities including internal and external communications, event management, thought leadership, awards, social media and prospecting.
What campaign or piece of marketing/communications are you most proud of in your career and why?
It has to be running Mindshare UK’s flagship event, Huddle.
When I stepped into the role as Marketing Director, I inherited the task of organising Huddle, our festival of creativity and innovation – an event that had, at the time, an 11-year history (we’re now into our 13th year!).
Both our clients and people benefit greatly from Huddle, so ensuring its success was imperative. But I didn’t just want to continue on the same trajectory, I wanted to make sure that Huddle evolved to be even more beneficial and impactful for those that attend.
So, for starters we moved Huddle from December to September. This move was to encourage our people to embed learnings from Huddle into annual planning. We also started to focus more on content, bringing a mix of panels, keynotes, debates and workshops (there’s nothing worse than panel fatigue!).
To ensure we reach as many as possible, we’ve also made the event hybrid. Using an app / online platform that livestreams all the sessions allowing our clients that aren’t London based to be able to experience the amazing speakers we have on offer.
Having just managed my third Huddle in September with 800+ attendees, 120+ clients, 30+ media partners and 25+ sessions, I’m proud that Huddle continues to be significant milestone in the calendar year.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your career to date and why?
I’ve been lucky in my career to work with some truly brilliant and inspiring people, but I have to mention the wonderful Claire Walker, founder and group CEO of Firefly Communications Group.
Aside from being a wonderful human, Claire is a powerhouse in the communications world and built pan-European comms agency Firefly, from the ground up.
Not only is Claire passionate about comms but she also champions the use of strong ethical practices in PR, supported by her being the chairperson of the PRCA Professional Practices Committee.
I worked with Claire for nearly four years at Firefly. What truly sets Claire apart is her unwavering commitment to her team. She leads by example, fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. Her dedication to nurturing talent and empowering her colleagues is a hallmark of her leadership.
I also couldn’t miss giving a huge shout out to Mindshare UK’s MD, Fleur Stoppani. Fleur drives positive change in everything she does and is a truly inspirational leader. She consistently works hard to challenge stereotypes and bias, demonstrated by leading our Womxn+ employee resource group.
Fleur is always there to listen and support, and she continues to be a wonderful person to work with and learn from.
What is the biggest challenge in your sector and how is your company helping to address it?
A lack of differentiation. There are a tremendous number of media agencies out there for brands to partner with and setting ourselves apart is the challenge.
This is why we launched our Good Growth ambition.
All agencies will promise clients growth, but with this approach, Mindshare delivers the difference between flash in the pan growth and Good Growth – growth that is enduring, diversified, and more sustainable over time because it aligns business ambitions with the views and values of consumers.
What is the biggest opportunity in your sector and how is your company helping to make the most of it?
The biggest opportunity for media agencies today lies in adapting to the rapidly evolving media landscape and harnessing the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence for more precise targeting and personalised content.
We’ve grasped this opportunity by developing a suite of machine learning products that aim to help brands better understand humans and how to connect with them in media by taking empathy data and connecting it to precision data.
How important, and why, are the following in helping your promote your ow company:
The press – Press coverage is essential in keeping our business front of mind for our clients, people and the wider industry. By working with journalists, we’re able to raise brand awareness and build our reputation.
Events – Events can be a powerful way to get clients, prospects and industry peers together to share learnings, experiences and network. We run a number of events during our calendar year showcasing new research, thought leadership, media partnerships and more.
Your company’s owned media – Social media plays an important role for our business and it’s where we can really have fun! It gives us the opportunity to share our culture and people in an authentic and engaging way through video, gifs and impactful imagery. We also use social media to showcase our clients and champion the great work we do together.
