We work across many industries, each with their own brand challenges, but it can also be interesting to look beyond the sector for a fresh perspective.

That’s why I was interested when I heard a successful restaurateur had some tasty tips for the real estate industry.

Property and hospitality might seem very different worlds but both can be extremely cut throat and there’s a winning recipe that needs to be shared.

In a recent interview, Chris Smith from Inman News, spoke to Danny Meyer, New York City restaurateur and best selling author, about what the real estate industry can learn from the restaurant industry.

For some time, we’ve been saying that doing things the way you’ve always done is virtually guaranteed to get you less than you always got – but it’s not about just about doing something different.

Danny believes that the explosion of the digital world means that even great ideas are not enough; as the world is moving so fast it is forgotten before you’ve had time to claim it.

The real differentiation comes from how you make your customers feel.

“The more high-tech we get, the more high-touch companies need to get”, explains Danny.

Danny Meyer Interview (click here for external link to interview)

For me, this is a bit of reality check. Short-term attention grabbing tactics can actually dilute your message. While it is important to continue find innovative ways to deliver your message through digital (and traditional) channels, everything you do needs to deliver a consitent and compelling brand experience that your customers will cherish.

In a tough market, such as the one we’re currently experiencing, making sure you have the right brand expertise to ensure your brand continues to cut through but also truly connects emotionally with your customers is more crucial than ever.

Michael Hughes
Director of Brand Strategy

Yet again, Coles and Woolworths are set to battle it out in a price war. This time its fruit and vegetables with Coles trying to steal the “fresh food” crown with its new campaign; ”There’s no freshness like Coles freshness”.  Woolworths, badged “The Fresh Food People”, is expected to counterpunch in the coming days to protect its brand.

As Chief Executive Mr O’Brien said, Woolworths had worked hard over the past 25 years to become the market leader in fresh produce and ”We’re not going to let it go”.

The price war is becoming all too familiar to Australians, with prices constantly getting slashed across the supermarket shelves.

This new battle began on Monday when Coles announced it would reduce the cost of selected products by up to 50 per cent.  If Woolworths follows suit, fresh produce will become the latest product to be heavily discounted by the supermarket giants, following price cuts to milk, bread, toilet paper and washing powder by both companies in the past year.

During the coming weeks, Coles shoppers will see weekly “super specials” on five to 12 items across the fruit and vegetable section.  The specials will involve slashing regular costs by up to a half.  The latest stoush comes as shoppers cash in on the best fruit and vegetable supply in a decade.  Superb growing conditions after years of crippling drought, flood and cyclones has driven down prices for many goods in recent months.

In true PR form, the General Manager for fresh produce at Coles, Greg Davis, said the company had worked closely with growers to transform their fresh fruit and vegetable prices, investing in new growing techniques, quality control, store displays and now lower prices for customers. A spokesman for the company, Jon Church, said it had invested millions in the campaign but had worked with suppliers on an agreed price.

However, according to Nicky Phillips’ article posted today in The Age, the peak body representing vegetable growers, AusVeg, said the announcement was ”concerning” because, while an oversupply of produce this season meant some growers would benefit in the short term, it was unclear what impact the price reduction would have on the industry over time.  ”By giving growers a commitment that we will take as much of their crops as we possibly can we have provided them certainty that they have a market for their product,” he said.  But a spokesman from AusVeg, William Churchill, said the push by the major retailers to capture market share would put pressure on other growers who did not supply Coles, as competitors tried to replicate the offer to their customers.  ”We can see that the supermarket wars have well and truly arrived in the fresh produce industry and this fight will get savage,” Mr Churchill said.

A spokeswoman for Woolworths, Claire Kimball, would not comment on whether Woolworths would follow its competitor and drop its prices, but said fruit and vegetables had been depreciating for the past 12 months due to the volume of product on the market. She said the lower prices would continue for some time.  Woolworths will announce its second-quarter sales today, and analysts from Goldman Sachs expect the company will report lower growth in food and liquor sales compared with Coles, which will make its announcement on Thursday.

With Coles and Woolworths determined to compete with each other on price at levels unsustainable for their smaller counterparts, it is imperative that smaller retailers and suppliers look at their brand and work out how they can add value.  They need to offer something unique, something that will make consumers choose them despite the price difference.  Are they better quality? Do they have a unique brand story that can be leveraged? Are they Organic? Whatever their unique value proposition is, they need to make sure the market knows and understands it.  It’s not worth having a strong brand asset if no-one knows about it.

If you want help determining how best to market your brand, why not give us a call?

Nikki Williams
Director of Brand Projects 

Brand Envy Pure and Simple
Yeah I know we bang-on a bit about Lego and the extraordinary level of loyalty, even obsession the brand creates. But we wouldn’t if there weren’t so many great examples of passion for the brand, a level of passion most businesses can only stand-by and admire with envy.

A US film maker has recently created a Lego stop-animation film to… you guessed it – propose to his girlfriend.

Walt Thompson has spent 22 hours shooting 2,600 pictures along with unmentionable hours of editing to create a Lego inspired marriage proposal for his girlfriend of four years. Like all good love stories, the film captures the moment they first met, as well as highlights of their time together, and reportedly depicting the couple in Lego outfits which match the clothes they were dressed in when they met.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Of course the short film concludes with a wedding ceremony. Notable guests actors include in the film include Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo in carbonite, on hand to officiate the nuptials. The big question is, was all the work worthwhile? Reportedly, the answer was ‘yes’ and the couple plan to get hitched in 2012.

Can there be a much higher tribute to a brand than to be woven into the most important and valued moments of our lives?

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Creator of Brand Obsession
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A Proposal in stop motion by Firepit Productions
Music; ‘Don’t wait too long’ by Madeleine Peyroux
Spotted on cnet and Design Boom.

The 26th of January each year represents Australia’s official national day and marks the anniversary of the first fleet sailing into Sydney back in 1788. For many it brings great joy, largely because it provides a day off work to share time with families and friends, not to mention the odd cold beer – and if Sam Kekovich and the Meat and Livestock Authority get their way a good feed of Australian farmed lamb. Given we are in the midst of a lovely summer, and for a sports mad community enjoying the Australian Open tennis and a test cricket match against India, along with the fact that most Australian’s have a job to return to the next day (with unemployment running at about 5.2%) one could be forgiven for feeling pretty good about life down under.

However, if you did choose turn off the cricket and put your cold beer down for a moment, and ponder what you believe will underpin the prosperity of the next generation of Australian’s, what would your answer be? We all have an awareness that we are currently living in a two speed economy where the resources sector is booming and the rest simply limping along. We have a strong dollar riding the wave of this resources boom and as a result an export sector that is struggling and many domestic businesses doing it tough against imports. Amongst this we have raging public debates about whether the Government should or should not be subsidising the automotive industry, while Toyota goes about dumping 10% of its labour force in Australia. We are seeing an ever greater dependency on our employment being derived from the services industry as companies simply seek to have their manufacturing done in lower cost developing economies. The world is getting smaller by the day and the the level of interdependency between countries around the globe more and more intertwined. We are all watching the dramas surrounding sovereign debt issues play out in Europe, all the time understanding if there is a defaulting country somewhere out there, we will feel the ramifications. Our world is changing and we have to change with it.

So what is our future? Commentators like Alan Mitchell, Economics Editor for the Australian Financial Review (24/1/2012) believes the answer resides with Australia making better use of its highly educated work force. That we should continue with the mindset of the Hawke and Keating Governments of the 70’s and 80’s when they opened up Australia to the withering blast of international competition and hoped industry would rise to the occasion, which it did. Mitchell suggests that instead of concerning ourselves with imminent job cuts and plant closures we should rejoice in the prospects of better paid jobs in businesses that have yet to be formed, producing goods and services yet to be developed, for customers still to be identified. I get Alan’s point, but we do not have to face such a vague future.

Surely, we do not have to leave the future of Australia’s prosperity solely in the hands of market forces. We could choose to adopt a brand mindset, and proactively determine what our proposition is to the world and disproportionately invest in driving that proposition to shape our destiny. We need to shift our paradigm of nation branding from one that is largely image and tourism based, to one that is founded on defining the economic and social endeavours that will fuel our prosperity. We need to commence an enlightened and imaginative national dialogue around what Australia’s future will be built on.

Peter Singline
Brand Scientist

For monthly updates of our thinking, click here to receive our free Brand Newsletter

Australia day is here for another year, along with painted faces, flag flying, boxing kangaroos and, of course, companies trying to leverage patriotic feelings for their brand’s benefit. Coles and Woolies are fighting it out to prove who is ‘more Australian’, Vegemite has renamed their famous spread to ‘Australia’ and Lamb has again released their annual Lambassor, Sam Kekovic, for another ripper viral session – this time trying to get him the number 1 on the pop charts.

But this year, it is Wine Australia that has caught my attention with their idea to ‘de-stride’ those drinking foreign vino.

Aussie Wine is suffering. The Australian Dollar combined with the fledgling European economies has caused a flood of cheap imports, making European wine cheaper than ever.

It seems quite ironic, after years of investment to dispel the image of ‘cheap plonk’ and ‘wine casks’, Australian wine has a reputation of being ‘too expensive’.

Aaron Brasher, Regional Director of Wine Australia, believes Australian wine brands, like many Australian made products, are under attack. Australia Day is the perfect opportunity to get us to rethink what we drink.

“It makes sense to drink Australian wine while eating Australian produce, watching Michael Clarke and the Aussies do battle with India and wearing as many boxing kangaroo emblazoned items of clothing as possible,” Brasher said.

Wine Australia’s PR convinced The Age and Sydney Morning Herald to sell their message and they were impressed by the ‘campaign’.

“Wine Australia wants Australians to stick to Australian wine on Australia Day and, if they catch someone drinking an offshore drop, to ”pull down their strides” reports Ben Butler and David Fickling.

What a ballsy idea! Eager to see how this has been executed, I trawled through various media, including Wine Australia’s website, twitter and Facebook pages.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But all I could find was a very safe and uninspiring promotion for “A+ Australian Wine Celebration”. Unfortunately this just lacks any of the Aussie wit and cut-through of the ‘de-striding’ idea.

Finally, after searching their Facebook site I found an image for the ‘five tips if you catch someone drinking French, Italian or (even worse) Kiwi wine on AUSTRALIA day’ – which includes the clincher in point 4; “pull down their strides”.

Not exactly a campaign! What a missed opportunity to really get their message out there in a truly Australian way.

Maybe they got a little shy and were worried about really dropping their pants.

Enjoy your Australia Day!

Michael Hughes
Director of Brand Strategy

With the usual Aussie rock suspects will be being played to death at many barbies, I thought I’d get in first. I know it is un-Australian to admit it, but I was never a fan. However, I couldn’t pass the thought of Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel belting out “Cheap wine” at the very parties where people will be ‘de-striding’ those quaffing overseas wine.

Click here to view the embedded video.

‘Summer Wine’ ad from 1983 – hence the ‘cheap plonk’ reputation!

Click here to view the embedded video.

2012 will continue to be a tough environment for retailers. Consumers have no reason to throw off their new found sense of caution and propensity to put saving ahead of spending. If anything 2012 may produce even more reasons for them to retreat with some recent news of the financial services sector spruiking the need to lay off workers, and a sense that flat retail sales is placing huge pressure on retailers to reduce costs.

Retailers will need to re-think everything. At the top of the list will be how they deliver value. This needs to extend beyond simply running sales events. It requires a wider gambit of thinking that includes the sort of retailer experience shoppers are exposed to, product selection and where possible the merchandising of exclusive products, finding the sweet spot at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds etc. It means re-thinking what your value proposition is and why it is or is not compelling. At its heart it is seeking ways that move beyond discounting as the foundation for delivering value. If regular discounting is to be your mantra then it will only make sense if you are positioned at the low end of the market and your operations are geared to deliver a sustainable outcome.

But yes, I agree, nothing new in the above comments. In fact like a lot of things easier said than done. However the retailers who have been inspired to reinvent their value chain are reaping the rewards. Think Ikea (stylish flat pack furniture). Think Zara and Top Shop (fast fashion). Think Bunnings (first mover in box format hardware in Australia). I suggest you at least explore the possibilities by deconstructing your value chain and appraising it against your competitors to determine how it may be reconfigured or amped up to provide yourself with a more differentiated value proposition.

In addition to having a rethink in terms of the value you offer, every brand should also be consciously determining the values it seeks to express. Phillip Kotler in his recent book Marketing 3.0 notes a growing trend in society, whereby consumers are now not only looking for products and services that satisfy their needs but also searching for experiences and business models that touch their spiritual side. Supplying meaning is the future value proposition in marketing. He sees the values-driven business model as the new killer app in Marketing 3.0. Marketers need to identify the anxieties and desires of the consumers to be able to target their minds, hearts, and spirits. In the globalization paradox, the generic anxiety and desire of many consumers is to make their society—and the world at large—a better, perhaps even an ideal place to live. Brands need to share the same dream with consumers and make a difference.

When you consider the Australian retail sector I challenge you to identify a major player who distinguishes themselves by being known for their social conscience. In most categories the competitive dimensions remain entrenched in product, service and other functional attributes. Seeking to build social equity by being a values driven branded organisation represents a fertile territory for retail brands to ponder, particularly if we find 2012 to be a year where economic confidence remains shaky and Governments struggle to craft a reassuring narrative of the future.

Peter Singline
Brand Scientist

The ever-changing digital reality for Brand Communications – 60 Seconds on the Net
Recently a friend emailed me this iconographic of what’s happening every 60 seconds in the online world. The numbers are seriously noteworthy, especially for someone who works in the brand space day-in and day-out. What was equally of interest was how these numbers have changed since we last looked at them just six months ago.

The way in which brands connect into the ever-changing behaviour of consumers in the digital space needs to be front on mind as brand strategies are developed for 2012 and beyond.

The stand-outs for me in the current infographic are:
• First and foremost the most significant impression I get is Integration. No longer is the digital world just about web sites, blogs, etailing and social media. More than ever before the digital world is seen in a broader context of customer behavior. Whether you work in retail, B2C or any part of B2B, you must get your head around the way your customers and clients integrate digital into their consideration, selection and buying decision making process.
• Love it or hate it, PayPal is becoming the standard for non-direct online payment. The perception of security through an additional layer between buyer and seller continues to resonate with customers online.
• The way we communicate has reached the tipping point. The days of phone, email and face-to-face communication have evolved to also include facebooking, SMS and Instant Messaging of all sorts.
• Welcome to the concept of e-Waste – yup, even the internet has an impact on the global environment. Those businesses who position themselves as being environmentally conscious will need to get and understanding of the concept of e-Waste before it sneaks up and bites them in the brand.
• The more than 1000 smart phones and device sold each seconds is another powerful indicator of the way we are absorbing information – another challenge for brands of every shape and size. And with around ten times the number of smart Apple devices sold over Blackberry, the post-Jobs tech brand is set to continue its role as major influencer of the way we interface our lives through technology.

And here’s the graphic from just six months ago:

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Designer of Brand in the Digital Space and Beyond
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Boxed and labelled Two – New Approaches to Packaging Design
Our packaging design work for Gelati Sky and for EO Melbourne’s Easter event invitation have been featured in the latest publication from international design book publishers, Gestalten.

The publication features the best packaging design from studios from all over the world and for clients across virtually every category and product type.

Packaging embodies such magic and fascination. Its central element is the pleasure of the conquest; all formal, functional, and aesthetic qualities cannot compete with this notion of the pleasure associated with the unpacking experience, which reaches its ultimate climax in the attainment of the object of desire.

Our Brand Design work featured in Big Brand Theory
Our brand identity project for Spudbar has been featured in the recently published Big Brand Theory, an international publication of inspiring brand design from around the world, by Chinese publisher of international design books; Sandu.

Big Brand Theory presents a discriminating selection of the highest-profile and most clever branding campaigns and serves as an invaluable resource for those wishing to understand the key elements of building brand awareness.

Our design work sits amongst the cream of the world’s brand and design agencies with clients including adidas, Converse, Starbucks, Nike, Issey Miyake and Levis. Nice company to keep if we do say-so ourselves.