Can I name drop here?

Not long ago I had lunch with Direct Marketing Hall of Famer, Seth Godin. 

Admittedly there were about 1,499 others at the Business Chicks lunch (yes, they even let some lucky men in, too) but I felt like Seth was talking to me and we were getting along famously. I was a member of his "Tribe". Coincidentally (not!), Tribes were what Seth wanted to talk about that day.

For those lucky enough to be at the Mumbrella360 conference in Sydney last week the "must- see" session was Amir Kassei's keynote speech on "Brands of Influence".

Kassei is DDB's Worldwide head of Creative. So why am I, a niche agency* principal, giving him airtime?

Simply because the concepts he advocates as well as the work he showcased were inspirational. And, in a world where we need more inspiration, his presentation was a breath of fresh air.

We've been helping Freedom produce sales-boosting, award-winning catalogues and content for over 30 years. While it is probably way too early to pronounce the demise of the printed catalogue per se*, online catalogues have certainly become an increasingly significant part of the catalogue landscape.

Content Marketing Sydney was the mecca for Australian content marketers last week as the Content Marketing Institute's founder Joe Pulizzi brought together a raft of international and local speakers for Content Marketing World Sydney.

With the number of delegates almost double that of last year it was clear the message was getting out to marketers that this was no quick fad. In fact, many of the central thoughts have been around for quite a while. 

Bringing those all together, making them the focus of a marketing strategy and giving them business structure, however, is something new.

While the era of the phone/digital camera might suggest that anyone can take a picture, when it comes to producing photography that sets you apart, talent and experience are what top consumer marketers rely on.

That, and strategy.

LVMH and Alfred Dunhill have been using "Shoppable videos" online to appeal to their exclusive audiences without seeming to "sell". Viewers are invited to click on products that appear in these high end video productions - LVMH's latest features Saddlers Wells dancers. The audience is then able to review and click through to purchase products they have seen in the videos.