We’re Hiring: Digital Designer!

Are you an Adobe wizard and a keen Digital Designer looking for some new challenges? At Pilot Fish Media, we’re looking for a Digital Designer to join our talented Edinburgh-based team.

 

About Us

We are a social media and digital marketing agency with a varied client portfolio of quirky and elegant brands, from long-standing family businesses and startups to global companies.

We’re entering the teenage years of Pilot Fish; saying hello to new clients and colleagues more than we ever have before. We’re a small but mighty team, and it’s an exciting time to join the agency.

 

In Brief

We’re looking for a super ambitious and talented full time designer to join our expanding creative team and help us support our clients through beautiful creative (illustrations, stills, videos and everything in between), initially at a 6 month term. Work at Pilot Fish Media is, like most agencies, fast paced and exciting, and no one week will look the same; we work closely together as team, to come up with exciting, creative and trend-setting new ways of doing digital for our clients; and you’ll be a key player in that.

 

What would you be doing?

  • Ideally, having a good time while providing some great work.
  • Be in charge of the creation of visual aspects for assigned clients’ content calendar; this will include full ownership over the creative aspect, both imagery/video and sometimes maybe even copy (it’s a plus if you have a writer somewhere in you!)
  • Brainstorming with the rest of us – to make sure we all keep our work fresh, beyond ‘client boundaries’.
  • Working on ad sets and imagery for delivery towards specific KPIs
  • Campaign ideation; we provide our clients with exciting new ideas which, combined with digital targeting expertise, help them reach new heights with their digital.

Working closely with your account manager and other creatives on a regular basis.

 

What type of team-mate are we looking for?

  • You love everything to do with design, especially creating engaging digital content
  • You have a very good understanding of designing for web
  • You have a real eye for detail and layout alongside strong art direction abilities
  • You’re a whizz at Adobe Suite – this is key
  • You love presenting your work and are passionate while doing it
  • You work quickly and can handle the pressure and hectic pace of our delivery schedule
  • Ideally, you’ll have worked in an agency for the last 2+ years (but if you’re the right fit, this isn’t essential!)
  • You are a team player and relish the challenge of an all-hands on deck approach
  • You like to push yourself and be pushed out of your comfort zone
  • You have an opinion and are not scared to make suggestions or take constructive criticism

Experience in display advertising, motion graphics and social media would also be very handy.

 

What we can offer you

A competitive salary based on your experience.

Central Edinburgh office.

A fantastic team to work with. We work hard but a fun, positive atmosphere is very important to us as well.

The opportunity to work on big global brands as well as smaller local companies and start-ups.

The opportunity to develop your career and move up the ranks as we grow and expand.

Regular team lunches/get togethers. (Once restrictions allow)

 

HOW TO APPLY

We’re not asking you to have 20 years (or even 2 years) of experience. However, we do wanna see some of your work. So instead of writing out a long cover letter, show us what you have done or what you can do – be as creative as possible. Whether that’s a video application, a cool graphic or a fake content calendar (or something we haven’t even thought about), send it to us on [email protected] along with your CV.

Ps; we’re a small super collaborative team, so at the moment, we are limiting our search to individuals who are based in or can commute to Edinburgh (once our office opens back up, anyway!)

Applications will be open till the 3rd of February, after which we will review all applications and get back to you in due time.

How to switch off from social media when you’re online 24/7

Now that so many of us are spending the majority of our time at home, we’re all relying on social media to stay in touch with the world, and this is resulting in us getting a bit too much screen time. 

Linked to increase risk of anxiety, depression and a feeling of loneliness, our Head of Agency Daniella, reveals her top tips to switch off from social media and stop us ‘doomscrolling’:

  • Gradually start to limit how much time you spend on social media each day

“The key to breaking a bad habit is making sure you create a gradual transition. Going cold turkey and jumping from spending hours on Twitter and Instagram to nothing probably won’t work in the long run. Instead, make a conscious decision to reduce your social media consumption by 30 minutes each day until you reach a comfortable amount of time online.” 

  • Physically remove your phone from your presence

“It may sound simple, but out of sight, out of mind is a real thing. We’re so used to having our devices as an extension of us and in arm’s reach that by simply removing our phone prevents us from mindlessly checking our socials. Try putting your phone in another room when you’re watching a film or when cooking and eating a meal and dedicate yourself to just one activity at a time. Most importantly make sure your phone is away an hour before bed – you may need to put it in another room or in a drawer to avoid temptation.”

  • Schedule in more meaningful interactions 

“While you may be overhauling your social media use, your friends and family may not, so it’s important to make sure you stay connected with them. Where it’s not possible to see your loved ones in real life, make sure you schedule a phone call. You don’t need social media to stay updated on their life – and you’ll probably leave the call much more fulfilled than just looking at their Instagram story. Better yet, take the time to write them a letter which will not only be a lovely surprise, but a keepsake.”

  • Keep your mind occupied with mindfulness before bedtime

“It’s so easy to sit in bed and lose hours watching the latest Tiktok trends before we actually go to sleep, but the last hour before bed is key to step away from all of your devices. While your phone is away, this is a great time to reflect with some meditation or a gentle form of exercise, such as yoga, to calm the mind and release any tension from the day, which will also help with a restful night’s sleep.”

  • If you’re used to having something to hand, keep them busy

“We mostly pick up our phone because we’re bored and resort to refreshing our social media pages to pass the time, so keep your hands occupied! Journaling has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and is as simple as picking up a pen and writing whatever comes to mind. It will help you process your thoughts and experiences of the day and give you a medium to articulate and understand your feelings.”

  • Turn your notifications off 

“If you’re struggling to remember when to turn off, try setting a time limit to the apps on your phone. Handy features like ‘screen time’ will give you the option to set app limits to certain – or all – of your apps, so you’ll know when it’s time to give the scrolling a rest. Turning off notifications from socials altogether is another easy way to stop getting distracted and unnecessarily picking up your phone.” 

  • Spend your time online wisely

“If limiting the amount of time you spend on social media is proving a bit of a struggle, then make sure what you are consuming is worthwhile. Go through your following list and take some time to evaluate which accounts have a positive impact on your life, and which aren’t so fulfilling. Unfollow any account that won’t benefit your mental health and fill your feed with what brings you joy – no matter what that may be.” 

 

Facebook Advertising After iOS14.3: How-To Get Ready For Apple’s Shake Up On Privacy

The marketing world is abuzz with Apple’s iOS 14.3 update and the impacts it will have on digital marketing, and especially Facebook Advertising. If you’re out of the loop – allow us to give you the lowdown, and what you can do to get ready. 

Essentially, Apple is rolling out an update to its iOS14 (the latest operating system for iPhones and iPads) that will allow users to control how they share their data, as well as who they share their data with.

Apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube etc. will have to ask users for permission to track data on them, and Apple users will have the option of opting-out of sharing data – that will look a little like this “Pal About” example shown.

Facebook has come out, guns blazing, opposing what they dub as disruptive changes, which makes sense, as it will directly limit their ability to receive and process conversion events for users who have opted out. 

While we don’t know how many users will opt-out, Facebook has advised that they will be adapting their Ads Manager platform to align with these regulations regardless – meaning that as marketers we will lose some functionality even if a user opts-in, or is an Android user, for example. 

So what exactly does this mean? Less data and visibility for marketers, and less personalised ads and experiences for users. 

 

To make it clear about what’s to come, we wanted to break down some of these key changes below:

 

Pixel Conversion Events Capped At 8 Per Domain – Verify Your Domain Now!

The Facebook Pixel, a crucial element of tracking your Facebook Ads performance, will now be capped at 8 events per domain. While previously you could essentially create unlimited pixel events and custom conversions, you’ll now have to cull these down to just 8 per domain. 

Another added element to this is how Apple classifies a domain. For multi-national brands with subdomains, only sites with .uk, .us, etc will be classified as separate domains. For brands that opt for /uk /us websites structures, this will be classified as ONE domain – limiting your pixel events even further.

The impact here will be felt on reporting on full-funnel activity, and we’ll likely see under-reported conversions on the events that don’t make the cut. This doesn’t mean they aren’t happening, but under-reporting can affect how we measure the success of campaign activity and allocate budget across the funnel.

We recommend jumping on and verifying your domain ASAP via Facebook Business Manager to prepare yourself for the change. Check out this Guide to Domain Verification for instructions on how to do this. After that, it’s important that brands rank their 8 events in order of importance to the business.

 

No Reporting Breakdowns, Attribution Windows Reduced To 7-Day-Click, 1-Day-View

With the reduction in data collected from users, we will no longer access reporting breakdowns of key demographic info, such as performance by age, gender and placement. This will limit marketers ability to utilise these insights to scale what’s working and optimise what’s not. 

Another key change being implemented is to Facebook’s attribution windows. Currently, the default in Facebook is to report on 28-Day-Click, 1-Day-View – which means marketers have visibility on any action a user takes 28 days after clicking an ad, or 1 day after viewing an ad. This will be moving to just 7-day-click, 1-day-view, meaning that window for attribution will be decreased significantly.

With the attribution window change, expect overall conversions (and revenue, for eCommerce brands) to drop when this rolls out, as Facebook will no longer have visibility on any action after that timeframe. We recommend brands to shift their focus to reporting holistically, using a combination of Facebook Ads as well as tools like Google Analytics as their source of truth.

 

Audience Lists Decrease, Impacting Prospecting & Remarketing Efforts

The final, and potentially biggest blow, will be on Facebook’s targeting capabilities. Any user that opts out will not go into a Custom Audience or Lookalike audience list, which will reduce the reach and efficacy of these audiences and campaigns. This will also impact the accuracy of Lookalike audiences – bread and butter for any good advertiser – as Facebook cannot build a profile on these users, and thus can’t find more like them.

Dynamic Remarketing will also take a hit, as opted-out users will not be able to be dynamically retargeted with the products they’ve interacted with. As personalisation is the key in digital marketing, this could negatively impact bottom-of-funnel conversions.

Instead, marketers may shift back to broader targeting, and there may be more of a focus creating highly engaged creative that can be split tested to resonate with a wider audience to provide similar cut through without a highly targeted audience. 

 

A Look To The Future – Will In-App Interactions & 1P Data Be The Key?

If you’re still with me, you might be spiralling a bit with all of these disruptive changes to come into play! But deep breath – it might not be all doom and gloom. As you can see below, Facebook iOS users in the UK equate to 11 million (roughly 25% of all users). And – we can only speculate on how many of these consumers will actually opt-out. However, it definitely marks a bit of a turning point with Paid Advertising and will certainly flip some marketers best practice’s on their head. 

As all of these changes impact what happens to users data post-click, we may see a shift to optimising for more in-app interactions. With the launch of Facebook Shop, eCommerce brands may be able to mitigate this loss of data altogether, by keeping the user in the app instead of driving them to their website to purchase. For non eCom brands, we may rely more heavily on retargeting to social engagers/video-viewers/followers – again, all data we can gather from in-app interactions. 

Additionally, this pushes the news for all brands to have an effective 1P data collection strategy in place. If we can’t rely on pixel events to remarket to users, how can we collect user data at an earlier stage in the funnel? The key here is for brands to offer a value exchange – what benefits or value can you provide to a user to offer this willingly? And most important – how is your business set up to effectively nurture these customer journeys across different platforms such as Email Marketing?

One thing is for sure – a focus on protecting user’s data isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Brands and marketers alike need to be agile and future-proof their marketing activity to help weather the changes to come. 

 

If you’d like to know more about how PFM can help you mitigate the issues cause by this rollout, get in touch with the team today. 

 

The secret to productivity at PFM – we reveal our favourite productivity apps!

Productivity and effective time management is key to staying focussed, making the most of the hours in the day and checking off your to-do list. Time is valuable, especially when working from home where we are surrounded by seemingly endless distractions – from the snack cupboard to the dog barking at the neighbour through the window.

At PFM, we pride ourselves on dedicating our time to producing high quality work for our clients. Our team have shared the productivity tools they find most helpful when it comes to getting the most out of their working hours. They may even help you find your new favourite to help you get the most out of your day!

 

Ben (Creative Lead)

As a member of the creative team, I am always on the lookout for resources which help me find that happy balance between time management and creative inspiration. That’s why I stand by Noisli as my favourite productivity tool. Noisli is a digital space which allows me to create the perfect sound environment that enhances my creativity and focus. Building my perfect sound environment allows me to quickly get into the ‘zone’, reduce stress and block out those distracting noises.

 

 

Zoe (Junior Account Manager)

When it comes to maintaining productivity when completing longer tasks and projects, I swear by the Pomodoro technique. If you haven’t heard of it, this technique breaks work up into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between. This method helps me maintain focus and productivity for 25 minutes and use those 5 minutes in between to move around, grab a cuppa, and come back refreshed and ready to tackle another 25 minutes of focus. My favourite tool for this is the Focus To-Do app which combines the Pomodoro technique with task management so you can clearly organise your to-do list and build lasting habits!

 

 

 

Matt (Paid Ads Director)

In terms of time management, my Google calendar is a reliable tool in helping me stay organised as it allows me to plan my to-do list around client and internal team meetings. I am able to easily share my calendar with others, set reminders and even sync it with my phone to streamline my organisational processes. When it comes to task management, Trello has been an unwavering favourite of mine for a few years now. It’s a free, easy to use, collaborative and visual tool which allows me to organise my to-do list and ensure I effectively manage my daily priorities.

 

Daniella (Head of Agency)

When it comes to organising my daily list of tasks and maintaining my productivity throughout the day, I value the integrated workspace app Notion. The platform allows you to organise your to-do list like never before, as Notion allows you to personalise and bring clarity to your to-do list through minimalist design and streamlined templates. A close second on my list has to be Flora, the productivity app based on virtual gardening. We can all relate to how distracting our smartphones can be – with notifications popping up every few minutes from the plethora of apps that (somehow?) ended up on my phone, it’s hard not to get distracted. Flora is the one app which actually rewards you for putting your phone down – through virtual tree planting. It’s a great concept which helps you stay focussed on your tasks and helps you build positive habits.

 

 

 

Freya (Creative Content Writer)

If you haven’t already, you need to introduce the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace into your daily routine. For me, being my most productive self involves taking on tasks one step at a time and giving myself room to pause and clear my head between tasks. This is where Headspace is an amazing tool. Not only does the app make mindfulness and meditation both simple and accessible, it gives you the tools to train your mind and address the fundamentals of increasing your focus to get more done in less time. If you really want to make the most out of the hours in the day, I’d definitely recommend giving it a go. My personal favourite productivity meditations on the app are the focus and creativity meditations.

 

Paul (Junior Designer)

At PFM, we use Monday.com for daily task management, account management and communication. Monday.com has transformed remote working for me and that is why I put it at the top of my list of productivity tools. It allows me to clearly visualise and plan out my week, easily communicate with the rest of the team and keep focussed and accountable on each and every one of my tasks. It has also significantly reduced the number of emails that pile up on my inbox each day, which is definitely a bonus!

 

 

Angus (Midweight Account Manager)

Despite the seemingly endless productivity tools available, I have a firm favourite when it comes to concentration and getting in the ‘zone’ and that is Spotify. As an app which many of us already use on a daily basis, over the past few years I have used the service to create a personalised playlist which includes tracks that improve my mood, reduce stress and help me focus. A much-loved artist of mine, which I recommend to you all, has to be Kid Cudi and his neo-psychedelia which always helps me concentrate. Spotify have their own selection of pre-built playlists which are tailored to helping listeners focus. I recommend their Lo-Fi Beats playlist as a great starting point, but it’s always fun to experiment with different tracks and figure out what works best for you.

 

 

Breaking the Rules – The Brands with the Most Complained About Adverts

Advertisements are always evolving and pushing the boundaries to try and get their message across, whether that’s on TV, in print, or across the many digital platforms that are at our fingertips these days.

But sometimes, things go a little too far, whether that’s an advert that’s in poor taste, culturally insensitive, or just misleading and factually incorrect.

And if anybody wants to complain about an ad, they head to the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency). But which brands have fallen foul of the ASA the most often?

To find out, we’ve analysed the last five years of ASA rulings (note that not all of these rulings were necessarily upheld by the authority).

Most Complained About Brands

  1. Roofoods Ltd (Deliveroo)

Complaints – 323

Rulings – 3

The brand which drew the most complaints across the last five years was Roofoods (better known as Deliveroo), with 323 complaints across three different rulings. The most notable ad which people weren’t happy about was their ‘magic bag’ TV advert. The ad saw a woman collecting a Mary Poppins-style bag containing meals from numerous different restaurants, which, as anyone who has ordered from Deliveroo before will know, isn’t actually possible on the app.

 

  1. Amazon Europe Core Sarl

Complaints – 299

Rulings – 8

In second place was Amazon Europe, with the majority of the 299 complaints relating to the one-day delivery service offered as part of Amazon Prime. Customers complained that their packages didn’t arrive within a day, with a significant number of Prime items not being available for the next-day delivery.

 

  1. Omega Pharma Ltd

Complaints – 222

Rulings – 4

The brand in third place might not be as recognisable as Deliveroo or Amazon, but they still clocked up a hefty number of complaints over the last five years. Omega Pharma saw 222 complaints, which related to promoting an unhealthy body image, particularly amongst young girls, as well as using actors under the age of 18 to do so.

How Many ASA Complaints Are Upheld?

We analysed a total of 1,935 complaints made to the ASA over the last five years or so – of which, the vast majority were upheld to some degree.

1,379 rulings were fully upheld, as well as a further 136 which were partially upheld, meaning over three-quarters of the complaints were dealt with in some way, while it was deemed that no further action was necessary in the case of 420 rulings.

 

The Most Commonly Complained About Topics

The topic which drew the most complaints from the public was food, drink and supplements, with 757 complaints across 92 rulings. This included the misleading Deliveroo advert mentioned earlier, as well as an advert for Philadelphia which suggested that men were incapable of caring for children and a KFC poster which landed them in hot water for using the word ‘cluck’ in place of an expletive.

Other topics which were commonly complained about include ads relating to health conditions (676) and holidays, travel and motoring (554).

The Most Commonly Complained About Media

While we increasingly consume media through the internet, it seems that the adverts which rile people the most are still on TV, with just over 40% of rulings applying to TV ads.

Some of the most complained about TV ads included Deliveroo’s ‘magic bag’ ad (300 complaints), a Photobox advert which the RSPCA complained was harmful to a dog featured in the ad (a ruling which wasn’t upheld), and a Department for Education ad which it was claimed misrepresented how much you could earn by training as a teacher.

Following TV, the most complained about ads featured on brands websites (1,698 complaints) and social media (576 complaints).

 

Methodology

All data was sourced from the ASA, analysing each ruling from December 9th 2015 to December 12th 2020.

Note that not all rulings listed were necessarily upheld and that when analysing the most complained about topics and forms of media, the topic and/or media weren’t always noted in the ruling.

 

The Real Housewives of Instagram

For nearly 15 years, we’ve been following the Real Housewives of the world as they have dished up drama, scandals and glamour on our TV screens. As one of the most iconic reality TV shows, the Real Housewives franchise is a great guilty pleasure to sink yourself into.

However, which housewives from the various series are pulling in the most cash from their Instagram accounts? From Beverly Hills to Cheshire, we’ve looked at the social following of each of the Real Housewives to reveal who are the richest real housewives of Instagram.

The Housewives Making The Most From Their Insta’ Posts

Known as the most dramatic instalment of the Real Housewives franchise, the Real Housewives of Atlanta stars appear in seven of the top ten spots, making them the most lucrative housewives of all of the series.

So who took the top three spots for the most cash made from Instagram posts? Check out below!

1.   Kandi Burruss

Region: Atlanta

Instagram Followers: 8.2 Million

Estimated Instagram Earnings Per Post: $27,243 / £21,030

Taking the top spot for the highest earner on Instagram, Kandi Burruss can earn $27,243 / £21,030 for each post she creates for her 8.2 million followers. Appearing on 12 series of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi has provided fans with a lot of drama over the years.

 

2.   Porsha Williams

Region: Atlanta

Instagram Followers: 5.9 Million

Estimated Instagram Earnings Per Post: $19,808 / £15,291

Coming in second is fellow Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams. Boasting a respectable 5.9 million Instagram followers, the American TV personality is set to make  $19,808 / £15,291 from her social media profile.

 

3.   Eva Marcille

Region: Atlanta

Instagram Followers: 4.2 Million

Estimated Instagram Earnings Per Post: $13,938 / £10,759

Despite only appearing in three seasons of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Eva Marcille takes the 3rd spot on our list. Eva can bring in $13,938 / £10,759 per post of her flashy lifestyle to her 4.2 million followers.

 

The Top 50 Real Housewives of Insta

Despite only appearing in one season, the Real Housewives of Miami star Larsa Pippen made quite an impression on her series. Since being on the show she has amassed 2 million Instagram followers, meaning she could earn $6,689/£5,163 per post.

In comparison to our US counterparts, the Real Housewives of Cheshire who represents the UK branch of the franchise don’t rank as highly. Coming in at place 50, Tanya Bardsley is the highest British earner, raking in $2,620/£2,023 per post to her 527,000 followers.

It seems that not all Housewives will find their fortune on Instagram however. A number of wives from various different series, including Cindy Barshop (New York City), Tammy Knickerbocker (Orange County) and Dina Manzo (New Jersey), may have a few thousand followers but will not make anything from their posts.

Check out the full table below to see if your favourite Real Housewive appears on our list!