Embarking on a reflective journey through their careers, Giorgio Casella and Sam Biggins delve into the pivotal moments that have shaped their professional lives in the latest episode of People Over Pixels.

With two years of running a digital agency under their belts and a combined two decades in marketing and tech, they share valuable insights and lessons learned along the way. The discussion revolves around the importance of perseverance, curiosity, and the willingness to embrace mistakes as crucial components for personal and professional growth.

They candidly recount their own missteps, emphasising that acknowledging failures can lead to significant learning and improvement. The episode highlights the necessity of hard work and dedication, urging listeners to invest time in their own development, whether through personal projects or continuous learning. It’s a powerful reminder that success is often built on the foundation of past experiences, mistakes, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.

The festive season brings with it a unique marketing phenomenon: Christmas ads.

Becoming a cultural phenomenon that spark both nostalgia and skepticism, they continue to raise questions about their true effectiveness. While some may fondly recall the Coca Cola truck or the emotional narratives of brands like John Lewis, others roll their eyes at what feels like obligatory holiday marketing.

Hosts Giorgio Cassella and Sam Biggins engage in a spirited discussion about the effectiveness of these ads and their ability to create emotional connections with consumers.

They analyse the balance between heartwarming narratives and the expectation of commercialism, questioning if the financial investment in these campaigns yields tangible results. They further examine the changing landscape of media consumption, suggesting that as younger generations gravitate towards digital platforms, the traditional TV ad may not hold the same power it once did.

Together they explore the importance of aligning brand values with advertising messages, positing that without this alignment, even the most beautifully crafted ads may fail to resonate or drive sales.

The central debate revolves around whether these ads genuinely impact a business's bottom line or foster long-term brand loyalty, or if they are merely a tradition that brands continue out of expectation rather than strategy.

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Takeaways:

• Christmas ads evoke nostalgia and emotional responses, but their effectiveness is debated.
• While brands spend heavily on Christmas ads, their impact on sales remains questionable.
• The expectation of Christmas ads creates a cultural norm that brands feel pressured to follow.
• Smaller brands entering the Christmas ad space must carefully craft messages to resonate with audiences.
• John Lewis's annual Christmas ads highlight the tension between creativity and business impact.
• Long-term brand loyalty may not be significantly influenced by emotional holiday advertising.

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💭Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

Are you looking to get your business award entries noticed, shortlisted and hopefully, to win!? In this episode of People Over Pixels, Giorgio Cassella and Sam Biggins share their top tips for crafting compelling award submissions based on years of experience and numerous wins. 

Crafting compelling award entries can feel like a daunting task, yet it is essential for any business looking to gain recognition for its team’s hard work. With insights into the details that matter, the gents discuss how to present your achievements authentically, including both the ups and downs of your journey.

The discussion highlights the importance of narrative in award submissions, urging entrants to weave a cohesive story that not only showcases their achievements but also engages the judges. With a wealth of experience in this arena, the hosts share critical insights gleaned from years of trial and error, including their own successes and setbacks in the award circuit. 

Tips include the power of a structured approach - summary, objectives, strategy, and results - as well as the necessity of including both quantitative and qualitative metrics to provide a comprehensive view of a project’s impact. 

Ultimately, the conversation fosters a mindset of continuous improvement and resilience, encouraging listeners to embrace both the challenges and triumphs inherent in the award submission process. 

Tune in for a wealth of strategies that will help you elevate your award entries and increase your chances of recognition in the competitive landscape of business awards.

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Takeaways:

• Crafting a compelling narrative is crucial for engaging judges during award entries.
• Include both quantitative and qualitative metrics to support your award submissions effectively.
• Use supplementary information and visuals to enhance clarity and impact in your entries.
• Detailing the ups and downs of your projects showcases resilience and authenticity.
• Ensure your entries highlight the unique aspects that set your agency apart from competitors.
• Do not take negative feedback personally; focus on continuous improvement and learning.

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✨Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

💭Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

In this episode we’re sharing the amazing journey we took to deliver a phenomenal web project for Roundabout, a Sheffield-based youth homelessness charity; and how that project launched a 1000-mile trip to Munich, two-laps of the Nürburgring in a 20-year old Peugeot, singing Disney princesses and raised over £150,000 to support Roundabout’s work!

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✨Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

💭Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

As we have more and more conversations with other business leaders, we realised that a lot of things we considered to be standard fare were actually pretty awesome benefits that should be talked about a lot more.

In this episode, Sam and Giorgio chat through a variety of the concepts, benefits and policies introduced at Evoluted to enhance the employee experience - essentially, what are they doing to make Evoluted an effing awesome place to work!

Ranging from small but mighty actions like providing sanitary products and fresh food at the office, right through to amazing parental leave benefits, involving teams with making impact, and financial benefits beyond basic salaries; this episode should leave you with plenty of inspiration on how to up your game when it comes to creating a great place to work!

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✨Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

💭Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

From a little meetup in the back-room of a pub on the platform of Sheffield station to a thriving community of thousands of marketers across the UK…

Six years ago we started a small evening meet-up to bring local marketing professionals together for an evening of laid back knowledge sharing and socialising over our mutual love for the marketing profession.

Fast forward to today and we now have a wonderful, growing community attending bi-monthly events in Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester; as well as our annual conference - DMXL.

In this episode of People Over Pixels, Sam and Giorgio retrospectively reminisce on the DM events journey so far. 

Together, the gents chat about the values and ethos behind starting the events and how that continues to this day, attendee feedback and how this gets worked into the business strategy behind the events, and they do a live critique of their most recent DMXL conference and both the personal and professional challenges faced.

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🎟️ Fancy attending DMXL 2025? Grab a ticket with 25% off using code PEOPLE-OVER-PIXELS over on Eventbrite:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/949739064107/?discount=PEOPLE-OVER-PIXELS

🗓️ Join the DM community in Sheffield, Nottingham, and Manchester (more locations coming soon!) by following us on Eventbrite, LinkedIn, or booking a ticket for upcoming events

🧡 Sheffield DM: Eventbrite | LinkedIn

💚 Nottingham DM: Eventbrite | LinkedIn

💜 Manchester DM: Eventbrite | LinkedIn

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✨Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

💭Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

Transparency around positive impact is swiftly becoming a core part of business communications. With CSR high on the agenda, customers, shareholders, and many other stakeholders in your business want to know that they’re supporting a business that cares.

Impact Report’s are a crucial part of positive impact comms strategies, providing the opportunity to share deep insights into everything from governance processes to carbon offsetting, and pay equality to anti-corruption. They’re also a great way to simply celebrate the amazing work your business does and share your ideas with the world!

On this episode of People Over Pixels, the chaps debate whether Impact Reports should be used as marketing tools, how they measure different aspects of Evoluted’s impact, and more as they discuss the process of writing their first ever Impact Report documenting and evaluating the agency’s positive impact over the past financial year.

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🌿 Read Evoluted’s FY 2023/24 Impact Report here:

https://www.evoluted.net/resources/evoluted-impact-report-fy-202324

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✨ Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes!

💭 Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

It’s one of the biggest projects a company can undertake: launching a new website.

Whether you’re creating an entirely new domain or overhauling your existing site, it’s incredibly important and difficult to get it right - because between brief and execution things can easily go off-piste. Success starts with a well-considered website spec that clearly maps out the site’s purpose and core functionalities, but it’s easier said than done.

Following the conversation on project discovery workshops in the last episode, on this episode of People Over Pixels we’re talking all about how to write effective project specifications.

We’ll be discussing the Dos and Don'ts of writing a specification for your next web project; how to make sure the spec is aligned with your goals; the importance of not skimping on the details; and how to tackle the dreaded budget conversation.

Giorgio, importantly, also learns the importance of why your project specs benefit from being living documents before being continuously berated by Sam.

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Often see website specs that are misguided or rushed, dooming the project to avoidable delays, spiralling costs and fundamentally, a website that doesn't meet its original aims. Here's how to give web developers and designers what they need to create the website of your dreams!

Download our guide on How to Write the Perfect Website Spec today: https://www.evoluted.net/resources/how-to-write-the-perfect-website-spec

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Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

Ever had a project that’s suffered from significant scope creep, snowballing costs, and unclear objectives? Yep, we have too. It’s a nightmare situation both for clients and their agencies, and often it’s a symptom of ineffective project discovery.

In this episode of People Over Pixels Sam and Giorgio cover the importance of discovery workshops, how to structure discovery conversations, and the immense value you can get from having these discussions before starting new projects.

This episode is oozing with practical tips and techniques Evoluted uses to align the vision for new projects, for understanding the real problems behind project briefs, and some best practice guidelines developed over 18-years in the business.

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Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

Want to send us your thoughts on the pod? Message us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/

Evoluted is now a Certified BCorp! As one of only 6 certified companies in Sheffield, less than 50 in the entirety of Yorkshire & the Humber, and only 2000 in the UK; it’s a prestigious group to be counted amongst with a rigorous and time consuming process to achieve.

But despite the BCorp movement growing to globally pivot business towards becoming a force for good, thousands of businesses and their customers are still unaware of what it means to be a BCorp.

In this episode of People Over Pixels Sam and Giorgio explore the overarching BCorp movement, sharing how the assessment and certification process works, and giving insights into how they spent 18-months meeting the incredibly high standards required to be certified.

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Enjoyed listening? Leave a rating or review and subscribe ready for new episodes.

Want to send us your thoughts on the show? Find us on LinkedIn:

Find Giorgio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjcassella/ 

Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-biggins-b88b763b/