Promises are easily made but delivering on them is a constant challenge for any brand. One of the biggest tests for a brand is not in making the sale – it is in how they respond when the customer has a problem.
How you treat customers and how willing you are to make amends can be the difference between not only losing a customer but also using the opportunity to create a brand advocate.
Just a week after I last wrote about The Rise and Potential Fall of the Tom Waterhouse Brand, Tom publicly apologised for excessive use of advertising. In the same breath that he apologised he justified the former over use of his advertising campaigns because of the need to keep up with overseas players in the market and that competition is good for punters. He went on to say “Because I stand up as the bookmaker, and do not present as a faceless corporation, I also have, somehow, become the public face of the entire Australian gambling industry.” An obviously intelligent young man, it’s surprising that Tom didn’t see this coming.
The wedding industry is a fairly unique retail category, with short-term customers who, whilst being ultra-committed, are generally inexperienced in the area and unlikely to bring repeat business. Brands in this sector are notorious for exploiting these short-term relationships by overcharging and often under-delivering. Read the rest of this entry »
Behind Every Great Agency Is…
Often we are asked what makes our branding studio ‘chug’ along like a well oiled machine? Our agency is no different from any other well run business, the secret to our success is organization, systems and processes. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 tips for best practice in a creative practice to share with you.
The Dutch do not have to market to me. I love Amsterdam and I love the confident and friendly demeanor of the people living there. But for the Americans who have not been touched by what Holland has to offer, the launch in May of the campaign ‘Holland: The Original Cool’ is sure to stimulate some attention. Read the rest of this entry »
The Australian skincare label Aesop continues to be innovative in the retail arena with it’s beautifully considered instore sensory installations. Last weekend I happened to be walking down Gertrude St Fitzroy and came across a floor of Autumn leaves in the local Aesop store. Not only were the leaves eye catching and a celebration of the present season, they made me want to walk into the store and jump and stamp my way noisily through. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week Ford in Australia announced its intention to halt car manufacturing in October 2016. After 88 years of making cars in Australia Ford’s decision to pull out reflects some poor decisions (persisting with bigger vehicles and a domestic centric right hand drive platform), high costs and a high Australian dollar. Ford as a manufacturer will in a few years simply be something for the history books. However, with potentially 10,000 jobs being impacted the pain felt will have an enduring dimension to it. Read the rest of this entry »
Starting a new business venture is pretty tricky at the best of times, but if you’re a creative-thinking right brainer, you may find the logical side of business more mystifying than most. Cue the lovely, multi-talented and evidently very busy Clare Bowditch. Mum of 3, ARIA Award winner and Rolling Stone’s “Woman of the Year”, Bowditch has added an altruistic feather to her very full cap with her new undertaking, Big Hearted Business. Read the rest of this entry »
Spending a part of this last weekend in Paris I was once again reminded of the power of rituals to generate an emotional charge. The ritual in Paris, which seems to be growing each year, of fastening a lock to a bridge over the Seine as an expression of love. Couples head to the river with a lock and their declared love for each scrawled on the lock. For visitors it cements a piece of history for them in Paris. Each time they return to the city and they can visit their personal monument to love. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently the ceramic manufacturer Wedgwood, has been rebranded with a new identity, campaign and packaging designed by BuroCreative. Wedgwood has had a number of reincarnations over the last 254 years, most recently it was affected by the global financial crisis and placed into administration and subsequently purchased by the private equity firm KPS in 2008. One of the challenges of staying in the business of tableware for a brand as old as Wedgwood is to remain relevant and desirable to the next generation of consumers. Read the rest of this entry »
