The Real Winners of The Great British Bake Off

There’s much more to winning the Great British Bake Off than just a cake stand, some flowers and the prestige of baking glory. Since becoming one of the nation’s favourite programmes after its launch in 2010, winning a series of the show is just the icing on the cake. As this year’s series gets off to a flying start, drawing over 10.8 million viewers in its first week, the bakers are beginning to build a personal brand that could be cooked to perfection by the series’ end. 

 

Although GBBO may be much sweeter evening viewing than other reality TV counterparts, the show has become a career launching platform which offers contestants the chance to craft lucrative careers from scratch. 

 

A famous example of Bake Off success is series 6 winner Nadiya Hussain. After her successful stint on the Bake Off, Nadiya has gone on to present numerous cookery shows for the BBC, signed publishing contracts covering baking to fiction, and made it to Debrett’s list of the 500 most influential people in Britain. Nadiya’s success probably isn’t news to you. With an Instagram boasting 627K followers, she’s become a household name.

 

It’s not only winners, however, who benefit from taking on the Bake Off. Bakers who charm the nation often succeed without winning the coveted Bake Off cake stand. Contestants such as Ruby Tandoh, Kim-Joy and Liam Charles have all gone on to enjoy success after competing on the show. All three have written columns for the Guardian and published their own baking books, with Liam also presenting his own programme Liam Bakes on Channel 4 in 2018. 

 

It just goes to show that the proof is in the pudding. Although the official Bake Off prize may seem initially underwhelming, the much loved show gives its contestants a platform to build their brand, show off their bakes and begin a piping hot career that’s fresh out the oven. 

 

Two episodes in, it’s all to play for. This year at PFM, we’ll be following this batch of bakers to see who comes out on top on social. Our social scoreboard will show how competitors are performing online by tracking who’s gaining the most Instagram followers throughout the series. 

 

Although Pantomime Producer Lottie Bedlow (@lottiegotcake) currently leads the pack, having gained almost 7000 followers since appearing on the show, we’re waiting to see who ends up on top. We’ve already seen upside-down cakes knocked to the floor this year, and there could always be another #BinGate

 

Have you picked your favourite baker yet? Whatever happens, get ready to see a lot more of our digital winners after the competition has ended. 

 

Making the most of Micro-Moments in 2020

In today’s evolving online landscape, it’s more important than ever for brands to create meaningful connections with their customers. Upon successful optimisation of their digital approach, brands can build these connections in as little as a micro-moment.

What is a micro-moment?

A micro-moment is a moment of intention when a consumer turns to their technological device to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something or buy something. Or, as Google describes it, the four ‘game-changing moments that really matter’:

The concept of micro-moments is game-changing for marketers. Traditional marketing tells us that the consumer decision journey is linear, as it travels through the awareness, consideration and decision phases. However, as we move through a digital world where consumers are never far from a wealth of information on their smartphones, the consumer decision journey is more dynamic than ever as it is fragmented into hundreds of micro-moments.

As we act on our needs in these micro-moments, our expectations are high and our patience low. This means that the quality and relevance of marketing is more important than ever. In order to compete in these moments of unpredictability and get the most out of micro-moments in 2020, your brand should:

 

  1. Identify your customers’ micro-moments

In the era of ‘shopping never sleeps’, mobile phones have reshaped micro-moments. Consumers are now able to turn to their phones in search of immediate answers to questions like “how to make a chocolate cake” instead of rifling through their gran’s old cookbook. In using digital to deliver against consumer needs, brands should utilise keyword research tools and social listening to help better understand when, where and how their consumers are researching and making purchase decisions. This understanding then allows brands to optimise products and services in real time to align with consumer needs. 

 

  1. Show up in these moments 

Once you have figured out where and when your customers are showing up, you need to be there too. By creating a comprehensive strategy that works across multiple channels, you can show up for your audience when and where it’s important in order to successfully win over consumers. An effective approach to leveraging micro-moments involves being available, responsive and supportive in these moments.

 

  1. Deliver relevant content 

Simply being there is no longer enough: you need to create content that provides answers to the questions your customers are asking. Building relevant content involves creating a 2-way conversation between you and your customers. Consumers today are seeking a deeper level of engagement, which can be a challenge for brands. In overcoming this challenge, marketers can take advantage of technology platforms which integrate all marketing functions, including data integration, integrated platform analytics and campaign deployment, such as Social Bakers

 

  1. Make it easy for consumers to make their purchase

Simplify your purchase process to as few clicks as possible. Automating the customer journey allows brands to minimise the chance that consumers will drop off before reaching the purchase stage. However, it is key that you establish a strategy to regain the attention of those consumers who do drop off – for example, through retargeting campaigns and personalised messaging. Furthermore, brands should acknowledge that the consumer journey does not end at the purchase stage. In fact, a study by Autopilot found that brands who stay in touch with consumers every two to four weeks generate twice as many leads as brands that don’t. 

  1.  Measure every moment that matters 

The path to purchase is now fragmented and unpredictable. Therefore, it’s key that you evaluate your results to reflect this by measuring across every touchpoint. 

Sephora is just one example of a brand which has realised the power of their consumers’ I-want-to-buy micro-moments. The brand has successfully understood how they can show up for their consumers across online and in-store touchpoints as they reach the purchase decision stage. At the decision stage, consumers shopping in-store would turn to their smartphones to read product reviews in order to decide between products. Sephora responded to this by creating an app which allows consumers to easily access product reviews and tutorial videos simply by scanning a product when in store. Through this medium, Sephora has successfully answered questions that consumers didn’t even know they had. 

Micro-moments, and the new dynamic consumer journey, are gaining momentum. Therefore, it’s key that your brand integrates these behaviours into a reconstructed marketing strategy in order to remain competitive in today’s online landscape. 

Wondering how your brand can effectively utilise micro-moments?

 

If you’re looking for digital marketing support, we’re here to help – so get in touch today!

 

Pilot Fish Media has a New Captain

Welcome to our new Head of Agency, Daniella Karaoglan. A letter from our Founder, Stephen Gorman.

 

Since founding Pilot Fish Media in 2013, I’ve been thrilled to see it grow and evolve into the vibrant social media agency we are today, with an array of different clients and exciting challenges to develop and master. From our humble beginnings I couldn’t have imagined how quickly we would blossom into an all-encompassing digital agency. The team has expanded, new expertise has been added and our portoflio has grown considerably.

I too have had various parts of my life multiply, both in business but also with new additions to the family. With all that in mind, I made the decision that in order to give our ever-expanding list of clients the top-quality professional experience and content they deserve, Pilot Fish Media would need to appoint a new Head of Agency. It is therefore with great pleasure I can announce that our very own Daniella Karaoglan has been promoted to ensure our lengthening list of brands will continue to get the care and expertise they should.

Daniella (affectionally known as Dan) came on board as the Campaign Director for the past year and was already been going above and beyond bringing all hands-on deck in an incredible effort that has seen our portfolio triple over that period. Part of this success can be put down to her focus on creative as well as the data, to provide the complete package to brands from all fronts.

Growing up between Denmark and Brazil, Daniella moved to Scotland to study International Business. She fell in love with the country and, after various other social media and digital marketing positions where she more than learnt the ropes, Dan found herself landing at Pilot Fish Media. Since then her focus has been on making waves with outstanding creative and disruptive digital, helping our brands go from strength to strength. This coupled with always running a tight ship with an ethos of transparency, honest reporting and exploring how to gain optimal performance through collaboration, both within the team and with clients, has led to long standing and fantastic working relationships with treasured brands.

It was therefore not a hard decision to appoint Dan our new Head of Agency – a position which I know she will not take lightly. Already implementing a new strategic plan over the course of the next few months, Dan’s main aims will not only be to continue providing our clients with a first-rate service but optimising the team internally. This includes some new additions of staff and expertise, improving the team’s welfare (especially during such a long period of working remotely) and developing the brand as a whole, to put Pilot Fish Media at the fore of social and online as we move through an always changing digital landscape.

This isn’t to say I won’t continue to be involved of course, think of it as Pilot Fish Media having a new energetic and adventurous captain at the helm, with an old sea dog ready to give words of wisdom to her along the way.

 

Stephen Gorman – Founder, Pilot Fish Media

Marketing during the pandemic – social media advertising advice

The global pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we do business, as every company under the sun has been affected. Consumer behaviours have changed considerably and with all the talk of a new ‘normal’, things won’t be going back to the way they were any time soon. Now that the way we market to consumers must change, here are some key points to consider for social media advertising.

How We Make Working From Home Actually Work

The Pilot Fish Media team are no newbies to the working from home rodeo brought upon us all by Covid-19. People all over the world are having to rethink their routines, boost their productivity with a never-ending supply of Netflix (and snacks) at home, and work around bad makeshift desks and loud family members. So, we thought we’d rally our crew to give their best tips for making working from home work for you – even if you’ve never done it before.

Coping with Coronavirus: Make your Marketing Count

The spread of coronavirus has become a source of worry for both individuals and businesses. While public health remains the foremost concern, with safety measures currently being taken to delay the spread of the virus, businesses of all sizes are anticipating a loss in revenue and an increased strain on their finances. In this period of uncertainty, we’re looking at the ways businesses can cope with changing consumer habits as coronavirus necessitates self-isolation and social distancing.