Matthew Leopold

I love brand marketing, communications & public speaking. Tell a story, make people laugh, add value. It's a pretty simple formula.

PR, comms, branding, brand strategy & sponsorship are my specialties. The importance of brand messaging on consumer purchasing decisions is often undervalued. Brand is often seen as the "fluffy" part of marketing. But fluffy I am not. Here's why:

I believe in outcomes not outputs. Just doing the work, ticking the boxes and hitting KPIs (whilst important) isn't showing success. What really counts is the end result - changing a behaviour or an opinion.

I believe in measurement to improve, rather than measurement to justify. Nothing's perfect. So research, measure & survey to find ways to get better instead of proving you are doing the right thing. Insight is key.

I believe the concepts of relevance & connection are core to all brand marketing and communications. Customers care about things that are important or relevant to them. Sounds obvious, but it has taken me a long time and lots of research to reach this simple conclusion! Relevant brand storytelling can bring brands to life - be it in social media, advertising, PR or content.

Whilst marketing is my day job, I am also an ambulance volunteer (yes, driving on blue lights to 999 calls), a non-exec director, a charitable Trustee & school Governor. It's amazing how much I have learnt from doing "non-work" stuff. Managing a large team of paid staff is tough. Managing teams of volunteers requires a whole new set of skills.