IVAN PALMER
WOM STRATEGIST
Response & integrated marketing specialist. Winner of over 50 UK and International marketing awards garnered from a career spanning Copywriter, Executive Creative Director and Integrated Marketing Planner.
Formed his own agency Palmer Morrish Patrick in the mid-90’s and became one of the founding board members of the Joshua Agency.
Passionate about the potential of Word of Mouth since 2002 as a result of studies into consumer-centric planning. Pioneer of innovative marketing techniques to enable brands to create, manage and measure word of mouth as a new marketing medium.
Word of Mouth speaker at various trade body conferences and seminars including WOMMA and DMA.
BRIAN BIRKHEAD
WOM DATA & ANALYTICS
After taking a first in Mathematics and a Masters in Operational Mathematics, Brian spent a number of years as an academic, first at Warwick University and later at University College London. He taught statistics to undergraduates, supervised post-graduates and was Deputy Director of a Department of Health funded research unit into the evaluation of cancer treatment protocols.
In 1987 he joined TSB Group as Senior Consultant in a newly formed technology and analysis practice, from where he was enlisted to become Deputy Managing Director of IFM Ltd., a database bureau and consultancy company.
Having seen the potential to apply the best available statistical methods to great effect in a variety of marketing applications, he established Macon Consulting Ltd in 1992. The company, which he ran for over ten years, built an enviable blue-chip client list across all sectors and a powerful reputation as one of the UK's leading analytic services providers.
Brian now heads the Data & Analytics Division in Wildfire and having developed commercial relationships with Experian and Dunnhumby, he has developed proprietary methodologies for identifying and recruiting WOM Influencers and for tracking and evaluating WOM programme effectiveness.