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.
As with all designers I have a soft spot for info-graphics, something that pares down a topic to the salient points and presents them with great visuals to better explain what could be a comlicated topic. So naturally I love this beauty by Linda Dong. She explains the issues with Fracking, a very poignant topic in Australia at the moment, in such a simple and economic style, it’s beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
The Power of Storytelling and Imagination
As a brand designer working in Melbourne, I constantly search for inspiration, unique experiences and creativity that keeps my mind fresh and active. In a world where we are so used to our routines, financial concerns and limited daily time, I see it important for everyone to sit down and re-evaluate what they are really doing everyday. As we go about our busy days, with everything we have and everything we have to do, we are often blinded to the wonderful things around us.
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.
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.
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.
