Suggestions
James Hickson
Account Director at Brand Hackers, powered by Copy Club
James Hickson is the Account Director at Brand Hackers, a company that builds fractional marketing teams for ambitious brands.1 He describes himself as an "FMCG nerd" and "Marketing Genius".1 With a background in Politics and International Relations from the University of Southampton, James has extensive experience in the marketing and beverage industries.1
Key aspects of James Hickson's career include:
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Head of Brand Hackers: James leads Brand Hackers, which offers services such as setting brand and marketing strategies, retail listing activation, social media leadership, e-commerce sales growth, and Shopify development.1
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Co-founder of Just Add Milk Ventures: This company focuses on helping entrepreneurs launch businesses through a six-week sprint programme.1
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Previous roles: James has held positions at notable companies, including:
- Founder & Managing Director at We Brought Beer (August 2014 - January 2024)
- Retail Development Manager at BrewDog (January 2012 - January 2015)
- Commercial Account Executive at innocent drinks (January 2010 - December 2012)1
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Advisor: He serves as an advisor for Bloody Ben's, offering strategic advice on branding, new product development, and routes to market.1
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Community involvement: James leads Copy Club, a community advocating for better marketing practices.
James Hickson's diverse experience in the FMCG and marketing sectors, combined with his entrepreneurial ventures, positions him as a knowledgeable figure in brand development and marketing strategies.1
Highlights
How to bring DTC thinking to a retail listing... (a best in class example from SURREAL)
When offered secondary space, most brands just pack it full of product and hope for the best.
Surreal have built their gondola end (that's the name for the shelving unit here) like a DTC landing page.
Here's how:
✅ Big impactful 'above the fold' headline with their hero benefit "high in protein" ✅ Other key benefits listed alongside the product as you come down the shelf ✅ DTC style social proof to round it all off at the bottom ✅ [Bonus] Nicely designed using eye catching colour blocking
VERY hard to walk past this without being intrigued to take a look.
Secondary space in retail ain't cheap.
This is great inspo on how to make sure it's working hard for you.
👏 Jac Chetland (and sorry I stole your photo!)
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