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.
Retail Magic in the Hood
Recently I came across a great example of retail driven urban renewal. As a branding agency we have a particular soft spot for retail brands and the role they play (good and bad) in the lives of community. For me POPUPHOOD reflects the very best of the role retail can play in re-invigorating urban communities.
Has The battle for Brand Differentiation Gone Too Far?
As brands and branders struggle to cut through the information-flooded lives of their customers, the search for new and different ways to connect with markets is becoming more and more extreme. Automotive brand Mini recently took the innovative step of sponsoring the weather – a cold front in Europe to be exact – with disastrous consequences.
Design is the Secret Ingredient in Successful Green brands of the Future
My attention was hijacked recently by marketing images of this new concept car from VW. Concept cars pop-up at every motor show, and alone the sleek lines of the next big auto-thing is not usually enough to tickle my fancy, but this one hit my sweet spot. The new ‘e-bugster’ from VW is not just the beautifully designed evolution of the famous ‘VW beetle’ – but it’s also ‘green’.
More then ever, honesty is vital for brands as consumers become more switched on, less naïve and ready to boycott those brands they don’t trust. Brands have the ability to have relationships with their audience and like any good, successful relationship, they should be built on trust and honesty. Brands are built on perceptions. You can’t just say that your brand is honest in the hope that the public will believe it. You need to earn this trust in every transaction, interaction and experience your audience has with your brand.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A friend of mine was trying to purchase a new smart phone. With great anticipation of acquiring a new gadget (that he had to have), the experience soon soured as he became confused and then frustrated. Eventually, he just gave up and left without buying.
This made me think, instead of making the choice easier, are some brands actually over-complicating the buying experience and causing decision fatigue?
