Being a global brand creates great pressure on marketing teams to maintain the core brand's market position, or indeed achieve growth.

One of the most successful marketing strategies that the world has seen, which has been employed by professional service firms across the world for about 100 years, is called 'Thought Leadership'.

Of all marketing concepts, customer service remains perhaps the easiest to grasp yet hardest to deliver. The business case is self-evident and well documented. Repeat purchase costs less than a conquest sale.

Research shows that in the UK 67% of the general public and 42% of business journalists agree that industry and commerce do not pay enough attention to their social responsibilities.1 The research goes on to identify that, when forming a decision

An important element of this case study is how involved the employees became. Doing the right thing can have an impact well beyond the initial goals, a view echoed by Andrew Marsden, Category Director, Britvic:

"The analytical fog surrounding CSR provides a smokescreen for companies that proclaim their adherence to it while failing to adopt appropriate principles for the conduct of their core business."

From human rights and labour practices to the environment and sustainable development, corporate policy and conduct is on the public agenda.

Thank you for the opportunity to meet and talk with you. Especially since I'm in the wrong business and you're in the right business, at least if the current generation of graduates are to be believed.

The jungle that is UK retail is getting tougher. Consumer debt, stealth taxes and new necessities, such as mobiles, Sky TV and second holidays, are all taking their share of wallet.

There seems to be a widely held and virtually unchallenged belief that, thanks to the internet, the nature of mass communication has changed both radically and irrevocably. Well, yes, it has. And there again, no, it hasn't.