Archive for the ‘Thinking’ Category

03.28.13

Saving the Day? Our March article for The Melbourne Review

brand strategy consultancy

Why entrepreneurs might just be the saviors we’ve been waiting for.

March 2013
Peter Singline & David Ansett

For some reason the term entrepreneur has a slightly tarnished sheen to it, a little less grubby than a used car dealer, but only slightly. Entrepreneur is a description I avoid, despite having started-up my fair share of businesses. Yet I believe that when our children and their grand children look back on history, it just might be the entrepreneurs of the world who they praise for saving the planet.

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03.22.13

Bicycled – A Cycling Brand with a Higher Purpose

Bicyled1

A Bold reason for Being
There’s a reoccurring theme been playing out in recent posts, which is the recognition of brands who have clarity around their higher purpose – a reason for being that goes beyond the commercial transaction they have with client and customer. The concept of a higher purpose is one we typically associate with not-for-profit brands such as The Livestrong Foundation we wrote about yesterday, but that perspective ignores the impact the same mindset can have on any brand in any category.

Lola Madrid are an ad agency based in Spain. They are a professional services firm in a super competitive environment who have got their head around the concept of a higher purpose. In their case it is a project called ‘Bicycled’ where they set-put to create the perfect, sustainable cycle.

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03.21.13

Not-For-Profit Brand Management – The Livestrong Foundation Loses Lance

not for profit brand agency

Livestrong’s Bold Re-branding Strategy
In the competitive world of not-for-profit, the rules of brand apply just as they do in the corporate universe. As cycling’s black sheep Lance Armstrong continues to discover his personal brand, tarnished by drug cheating, continues to be cut-loose from the organisations who previously leveraged it so enthusiastically. The most recent, most graphic and I’m sure most heart rending for Armstrong has been the re-branding of his own Livestrong Foundation, which has seen his name removed from the brand.

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03.15.13

Gangsta Gardening – Ron Finley makes gardening cool

Gangsta Gardening

For many years, I’ve felt the need to defend my passion for veggie gardening, composting and general foraging.  At best, my friends found this pass-time a quaint little quirk, and at worst, an embarrassment. I struggled to spread the word on how cool gardening really is. Fortunately, American artist, designer, collector and all-round gangsta, Ron Finley, is doing a way better job than me.  ‘If you ain’t a gardener, you ain’t gangsta’ is Finley’s proclamation, asserting that inner-city gardening is ‘the most therapeutic and defiant act you can do’. Read the rest of this entry »

03.12.13

The New Business Acquisition Power of Social Media for Business to Business Firms

online marketing strategy

Proving the Digital Experts Wrong
Much has been written over the last few years about the role of digital marketing and social media for business, yet the subject remains one viewed by most executives with skepticism bordering on derision. Like any other new channel to market, there are plenty of myths and equal measures of hype surround the subject, with an as-yet poorly defined roadmap for how companies might navigate the medium for commercial benefit. This conundrum becomes less clear again when applied to the B2B categories and professional services firms in particular. Our own experience four years ago was consistently sage advice from the experts that social media simply wouldn’t work as a driver of new business inquiries for a professional services firm in our field of brand strategy and design. There was a firm view expressed to us that the nature of the projects we worked-on, and the investment required which is typically in the tens of thousands of dollars meant that there was little benefit in investigation the resources and budget required to implement an ongoing social media strategy. Thankfully we had a firm belief that this commonly held view was incorrect, and our experience with social media as a business acquisition tool has proven to be a positive one in every sense of the word.

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02.25.13

Unconventional love – brands capitalising on Valentines Day by doing it differently

MC-Valentines-Day-header

Valentines day, a day of worldwide polarisation, singles vs couples. A day when my Facebook newsfeed is hijacked by proud photos from those who have cleaned up in the V-Day stakes, and bitter statuses from those who haven’t. Come on guys, you aren’t fooling anyone with your ‘so glad I’m not in a relationship today’ and ‘I hate roses anyway’ posts. But regardless of whether this day brings you blissful reminders of your loved-up happiness or seems to be spitefully rubbing your face in the fact that you’re going solo, you have to admit it can definitely be a little cringe-worthy at times. So, in a refreshing move to bring Valentines Day back from the brink of being nothing more than a tacky cliché, some brands are breaking the mould and trying to capitalize on this commercial extravaganza in new and unconventional ways.

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02.15.13

The power of packaging design

power of packaging efficient packaging

As a brand designer I’m often on the look out for more efficient, creative and resourceful ways to package my daily necessities (coffee, beer, food, ie all the good things in life). This is a personal and professional fascination of mine, and I think it’s something worth looking at, not only from a current design perspective, but also from a historical anthropological one. In the interest of word limit I am going to concentrate on the more contemporary understanding of convenient packaging, and perhaps take a historical look at the subject in my next entry on the topic. Read the rest of this entry »

02.06.13

M&A Rebrand fail: ING Direct becomes Capital One 360

ING Direct becomes Capital One 360

If you ever doubted the real value of a brand name and identity, try taking it away from your loyal customers and watch the reaction.

In the USA, ING Direct is no more – and Capital One is finding out the hard way that brand equity is real. Migrating customers to a new name and identity is not a simple task – especially when you try and force the wrong brand on them.

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01.29.13

Porsche’s targeted brand presence

porsche_header

While attending one of our global E3 agency network meetings in Boston USA in the later part of 2012, I was exposed to a really targeted brand presence initiative by Porsche. During a post afternoon session I was out for a quick walk and happened past a bustling Four Seasons hotel. A busy doorman working the car traffic and keeping people happy. But sitting along the action was three brand new Porsche cars. All stunning beasts, the sporty 911 Carrera, the rather exotic looking Panamera and the masculine Cayenne.

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01.25.13

How 3D printing will change the world of branding.

Branding and packaging changed by 3D printing

3D printing has recently moved beyond infancy and is being used in various industries for more than just prototyping. Few people have a grasp of what this technology is capable of and its potential for revolutionising industries. Already 3D printing is utilising materials as diverse as porcelain, chocolate, resin, nylon and recyclable plastics. As the list of options grows – so too does the potential for this process. Read the rest of this entry »

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