My Writing - Mike Stopforth

#BrandSchizo – My Book Is Out! (And Free Stuff)

Mike · Aug 15, 2014May 1, 2020

I’m thrilled to announce that my book, #BrandSchizo, is finally out in print! I have been talking about brand schizophrenia for some time now and worked with the wonderful Amy Heydenrych to compile those blog posts, talks, and interviews into a single coherent work. It was published with the help of Jacana Media and the design …

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5 Things I Learned When I Lost My Desk

Mike · Jul 31, 2014Apr 30, 2020

I haven’t had a desk at Cerebra for just over five months now. Cerebra’s offices have a very open plan design to start with, and Craig and I deliberately resisted the temptation of closed-off offices (more about that here). I had, without much intention, occupied a desk in the far corner of the office behind the kitchen …

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The Customer Always Comes Second

Mike · Jul 7, 2014Apr 29, 2020

“The shoemaker’s children are poorly shod.” One of the toughest and arguably most important lessons of the entrepreneurial journey – especially for those of us running agency businesses – is prioritising the needs of our own companies over those of our clients. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had friends who run …

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4 Sensible Stages for Social Media Strategy

Mike · Mar 27, 2014Apr 29, 2020

“Social media strategy” There are a great deal of agency practitioners selling, and corporate clients requesting, social media strategy. It’s a line item on reams of involved proposals and quotations. Type “social me…” into Google, and the first autocompleted result is “social media strategy”. The same goes for search results on Slideshare, and when you …

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4 Big Myths About Social Media Community Management

Mike · Feb 23, 2014Apr 29, 2020

Ten years ago, the job description Community Manager did not exist. Today I get more emails from companies looking for outsourced community management as a service or for candidates to be recruited into that position than anything else. A Community Manager is best described as someone who builds, engages, and activates online communities around brands. …

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7 Things I Learned in Seven Years at Cerebra

Mike · Dec 10, 2013Apr 29, 2020

We recently announced that WPP acquired a majority stake in Cerebra. This exciting development is the culmination of years of hard work and preparation, and we’re confident that the timing was perfect for such a partnership. Ok. Enough of the PR blab. I doubt you want to read more of that. This is my personal …

Mike Stopforth at the 2013 Otter Trail Challenge

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6 Tips for Making the Most of Your Otter Trail Race or Challenge

Mike · Oct 2, 2013Apr 29, 2020

First disclaimer: I am not a pro athlete. This article intends to help weekend warriors like me who want to give something like the Otter their best shot. I hope these tips will help demystify this “Grail of Trail” and answer some of the questions I know I had at the beginning. I’ll assume you …