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Branding Lost In Translation

IKEA prove that even the branding experts occasionally stuff-up. They say to err is human, and the branding folks at IKEA Bahrain have given us a refreshing reminder of how true that really is. IKEA as a global brand has a reputation for being well…

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In-N-Out Burgers launches branded kicks

The Holy Grail of Branding. When designing a brand identity for any brand, but especially a consumer brand, we look to develop visual brand assets than can become instantly recognizable to their loyal fans. These assets allow a brand to be creative in what it…

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The Future of Retail Branding for 2020 & Beyond

The changing face of consumer behavior raises a red flag for retail brands. When I think back even just a decade ago, the demands of retail customers were not so different from the decades before. Essentially most retailers could add a functional web site and…

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‘Tis the Season for lovely Christmas Brand Ads

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas (well a little at least…) This Christmas season John Lewis has teamed-up with Waitrose (a member of their brand family) to create their festive commercial to play on its social media chanels. The charming piece of brand communication…

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Apple’s store design beautifully integrates branding and product.

The power of a beautiful design idea. Wander round Apple’s iconic 5th Avenue store in NY and you’ll come across this brilliant piece of retail brand design. Whilst the easy solution would have been a wall full of product (after all the beautifully simple Apple…

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A Lesson in Retail from Hanoi’s Shoe Street

Is this the toughest retail environment on the planet? On a trip to Vietnam this month I spent a couple of days sweltering through the streets of Hanoi Old Town. The mercury hit 37 degrees and the humidity was thick enough to cut with a…

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Social Media platforms are disconnecting from Brands.

No more sharing the love. In a move reflecting a growing frustration among brand owners and manager, global beauty brand Lush announced it will be shutting down its social media channels in the UK. For a brand as popular as Lush in a category where…

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Retail Brand Whole Foods Trials Convenience Format in NYC.

Retail Leader Tweaks Brand to Stay in Front. Recently US retail brand Whole Foods launched a new convenience format of their grocery store model. Since Amazon bought the business the upmarket grocery retailer has been active in trialing new formats aimed at different niches to…

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How Rebranding Transforms Retail Street Appeal to Drive Increased Sales

Measuring the positive impact of rebranding. One of the challenges for many businesses looking to rebrand is establishing hard metrics to measure impact and return on investment. We always like our clients to come to a branding project with clarity on what these metrics may…

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Tiffany Co shows the value of brand – and then take it too far.

The web is ablaze with ‘social commentary’ on Tiffany’s ‘Everyday Object Collection’. At first sight the US$1500 Tiffany 18k gold paperclip is a brilliant example of the power of brand. After-all, anyone can head down to the local stationery store and pick-up a regular gold…

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Ball and Chain Shoppers – A challenge for retail brands

Finding the hidden opportunities for retail branding. An interesting piece of the puzzle for retailers is managing the reluctant customer. So much focus goes in to setting up the store design and merchandising to cater to the customer whose interest brought them into the store.…

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Retail Brand Innovation – Self Select Customer Service

An engaging way to deliver the service experience your customers want, when they want it. Understanding when to provide service to the contemporary consumer and when to leave them to shop under their own steam is a challenge for retailers. Bug them with unwanted offers…

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s – A brilliant brand collaboration

A Delicious Brand Partnership. A branding strategy that is underutilized yet regularly pays dividends is brand collaborations (especially when it comes to food). When co-branding is envisaged strategically and executed with brand sensitivity, the result can be an extraordinary brand experience – introducing new customers…

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All Hail the Pantone

  Everyone in the design industry is aware of the Pantone name and most probably even have a Pantone swatch mug gifted to them one xmas. The perfect gift for their “designery” friend or partner. Pantone is the universal language of colour which steers the…

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Retail Brand Hack; Rethinking the butcher store with vending machines

Applestone Meat Co. turns old tech into a new convenience brand proposition. Applestone Meat Co. is a butcher brand with two outlets in NYC. They are butchers who use their philosophy as a brand differentiator. As they say on their web site: The meat industry…

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Brilliant Brandertainment from John Lewis & Partners + Waitrose & Partners

Wonderful Brand Story-telling. The UK retail landscape has recently welcomed a notable rebranding with launch of the new John Lewis & partners and Waitrose & Partners. Complex architecture and relationship between the two brands aside, the brand design work and typography are stunningly elegant in…

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Adidas shoes are garbage

The UltraBoost sneaker from Adidas’ Parley ocean plastic collection   After the recent controversy with Coles supermarkets back flipping twice on providing single use plastic bags for free, here’s some good news stories on brands getting it right when it comes to the issue of sustainability.…

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Your most powerful brand influencers might be right under your nose

Brand ambassadors hidden in plain sight. Influencers have become the newest weapon in the super competitive battle for brands to stand-out. Finding the right celeb or online tribal leader to espouse the benefits of your product has become the new holy grail for brand marketers…

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Ruby Red chocolate hits town: KitKat leads the frenzy

I’m a self-confessed chocoholic. Like most sane people I love chocolate. In Melbourne, we are spoilt with chocolate shops, chocolatiers and chocolate cafés just as common as bakeries. Even the shopping strip near my home in the suburbs contains a chocolate café amongst only a…

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Global shopping centre giant Westfield’s vision for the future of retail

The future of shopping centre retail – A disruptive view. Global entertainment brand Cirque du Soleil announced their plans recently to launch a family entertainment concept inside a Canadian shopping centre. The move reflects the shift in retail thinking as consumer continue to evolve the…

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Has Amazon become the world’s most influential brand?

The Amazon Brand Effect It seems when Amazon sneezes, the financial markets of the world catch a cold. Interest in what Amazon announce they are set to do, or what they don’t announce, or even what others speculate they may or may not announce is…

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8 Predictions for the Future of Retail in 2030

A glance into the future of retail. Global Retail real estate business CBRE has produced a forward-looking market research, perspectives and industry insights piece called The Future of Retail 2030, an interesting piece of futurist thinking with some well considered suppositions. The retail industry is…

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A lesson in Branding from online retailer Brandless – #ironic.

Another Retail Disruptor Gets Physical. US online retailer; ‘Brandless’ made waves this week when it opened it’s first physical pop-up in West Hollywood, LA. The proposition of this retailer is an unbranded (plain label) $3-everything approach, taking the private label mindset and disrupting it. Brandless…

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Food Delivery Vs Supermarkets – Woolworths CEO first to get the UberEats threat in Australia.

The Ultra-Convenience Consumer Trend Disrupting… Everything. So much has been written about Amazon’s launch into the Australian retail market (we wrote about it ourselves recently) that it has created its own ecosystem of disruptive buzz. There’s no doubt a business the size of Amazon with…

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Why Amazon is forcing retailers to finally pay attention to their customers.

Did retail set itself-up for disruption? In Australia we’ve heard alot of talk over recent years of how tough life is for retail brands. There’s no doubt the category is under pressure as competition increases and consumer behavior and expectations shift. In a recent interview,…

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Customer Centric is the new brand strategy for banks.

Are banking brands finally getting ahead of the consumer curve? Reading an article this week about Chase Bank in the US, I noted for the second time in a week a services brand seeking to be “the apple genius bar” for their category. Not surprisingly,…

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The 8 ways online has changed the way we shop and what traditional retailers should do about it.

  Intel’s global head of retail Jon Stine recently spoke with a group of Australian retail managers ahead of the National Retailers Federation’s annual expo in in NYC. Given Stine works with Intel, he has a pretty strong view on the future of online retail,…

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Merry Christmas from Truly Deeply (and UK retailer John Lewis)

We’ve continued the tradition of sharing our favorite Christmas TV commercials. The festive season is not only an important time for brands to reach-out to their customers to garner their pre-Christmas purchasing, but it’s also a time that audiences are more open to emotionally connecting…

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Old branding lesson in a new world from Tiffany & Co.

Don’t throw the marketing baby out with the bathwater. This recent ad for Tiffany & Co. reminded me of the power of media placement. As the brand world continues to evolve and become more complex, it’s useful to keep in mind that some of the…

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Amazon’s Australian launch – A radio interview with Truly Deeply Founder; Dave Ansett

Who’s afraid of the big, bad, Amazon? Amazon soft launched in Australia this week to much anticipation. National radio network TripleM spoke to Truly Deeply Founder and creator of brands; Dave Ansett to get his view on what their arrival meant for Australian retailers. You…

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Online and offline become one but brands still slow to adapt

The end of the digital offline divide is in sight or it should be. FSFK’s Future of Retail 2018 outlines how companies can transform their stores into experience centres that extend their supply chain and digital commerce platforms, creating mutual value with a focus on…

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A delicious Easter shopping center brand activation for Lindt

Six Tips for Shopping Center Brand Activation. Westfield London created this brand activation with Lindt Chocolates in the UK. The magic meadow and maze enchanted children and families who engaged with several giant, iconic gold Lindt bunnies and Master Chocolatiers. Designed to drive sales throughout…

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Death of the Shopping Mall – The changing landscape of retail

The world of retail has changed. Online shopping, online product and brand comparison, and the new shopping habits of consumers have significantly changed the retail landscape. Retailers, shopping strips and shopping centres have had to get agile in evolving the way they connect with and…

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Home Park Food Store in China reinvents the supermarket

In a category devoid of innovation and brand engagement, this supermarket concept in China breaks the mold. Located in the city of Harbin, China, Home Park Food Store is a high-end retail food concept spread over 7200 square metres. Similar in concept to the Eataly…

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Uber and Westfield partner to offer customer waiting lounges

More disruptive thinking from Uber differentiates their brand offering. Ride sharing brand Uber and retail center behemoth Westfield have partnered to create waiting lounges for shoppers. Uber continue to think and act in a manner that is anything like their taxi brand competitors. When talking…

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Adidas & Alexander Wang second collab breaks the retail rules

A Masterclass in New Retail Brand Mindset Following-on from their first collaboration in 2016, Alexander Wang and adidas have again steered clear of a standard retail approach. Last year’s collaboration was released through pop-up trucks in New York, London and Tokyo. Staying true to their…

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Moby Mart – A Disruptive Convenience Retail Model

From the same crew who brought us Wheely’s bike cafes, comes Moby Mart. A few years back we wrote about Wheely’s an organisation looking to disrupt the cafe market with their new model of pedal powered, solar powered, low on carbon footprint, high on smarts…

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Why physical stores are still so important for retail brands in the digital age

Global Retailer Aldo  – Bricks & Mortar Believers Global footwear retailer Aldo has seen amazing growth to more than 2,600 stores in 100 countries. Senior Vice President of Aldo Group, Nick Martire co-founded the Aldo Product Services division which generated $1 billion in retail sales…

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New Brand set to disrupt the Pharmacy Category

No More Late Night Trips to the Pharmacy Coined a ‘digital pharmacy’ Capsule’s brand strategy is about adding simplicity and convenience to their category. Capsule launched in New York last year and  although only based in NYC currently, the business model provides an insight into…

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What Amazon’s Australian launch means for local retail brands

With Amazon’s launch into the Australian market around the corner, the picture of what that means for Australian consumers and retailers is becoming clearer. For Australian consumers, Amazon is likely to wind-up offering everything from fresh and non perishable groceries, beauty products, wine, clothing and…

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How personal brand is the foundation for building your business brand

Simple Personal Branding is great for Brand Building Recently I bumped-into a friend of mine; Graeme Goldman at a business event. Graeme is one of Australia’s brilliant entrepreneurs quietly going about growing impressive businesses and brands. His retail watch business, 8th Avenue Watch Co is…

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Our branding for Sooma memory foam mattresses and pillows

Sooma is all about simplifying the mattress buying process, designing the perfect mattress and caring for the planet. The Challenge. Our client is a manufacturer of high quality foam. They wanted to sell mattresses direct to the public but they couldn’t use their B2B brand.…

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H&M’s wonderful new Christmas ad shot by Wes Anderson

  Come Together – A Christmas Brand Gesture As the ‘content as entertainment’ train continues to gain momentum, Global retail brand H&M have teamed-up with film maker Wes Anderson to create a Christmas ad that is as quirkily cinematic as it is retail oriented. True…

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Patagonia continues to differentiate by living their brand beliefs

While most brands were trying to compete with the biggest discounts to standout over the Black Friday weekend, Patagonia continued to use its brand to guide true differentiation. Black Friday, Cyber Monday combine to be one biggest consumer shopping events of the year and it’s…

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IKEA brand taps into a higher purpose to support the Red Cross in Syria

  Meaningful branding builds deeper customer loyalty An unwritten law of commerce is that we do business with those we like. This applies equally to B2B sales as it does to B2C where it’s often about how much we like the brand rather than the…

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KolesWorth – Revealing the layers of successful SME branding

There’s more to branding than meets the eye Recently a small, independent supermarket opened at our local shopping strip. I was immediately drawn to the name and brand identity which are  naively unethical and amusing in equal measures. It turns out this is the fifth…

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lululemon continue to differentiate with community

Why lululemon is the new breed of brand A few years back I recall seeing a former Nike VP of women’s wear speak. She was asked what was the biggest change she’d seen in that category during her time at Nike. Her answer was the…

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Re-imagining Retail Design – A truly differentiated brand space

Fresh New Retail Design from Japan Tokyo has rightly earned the reputation for a city that thinks outside the square. Japanese design culture is often fresh, innovative and disruptive, and this retail space designed by Nobuo Araki/The Archetype is a bold example. Following-on from The…

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Woolworths free fruit for kids campaign builds on their differentiated brand proposition

Deliciously Good Brand Differentiation Australian Supermarket brand Woolworths have teamed up with celebrity endorser and fresh food campaigner; Jamie Oliver to introduce their latest in store brand initiative – fresh fruit. Launched in-store and driven by an above the line TVC campaign, Woolworths have come…

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Retail Brand Theatre – Buenos Aires beautiful bookstore

Brand theatre proves the perfect differentiator for this Buenos Aires retailer. Found in the Barrio Norte neighborhood of Buenos Aires is this stunning bookshop called El Ateneo Grand Splendid. The bookshop is the latest incarnation of the Grand Splendid Theater, which was built in 1919.…

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Wearing mental health on your chest

A creative new range of creative T-Shirts have been developed to combat mental health.

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The 4 critical numbers to understanding changing consumer behavior for brands

Customer Evolution – The Important Numbers for the Future of Retail Brands Recently I attended a presentation on Global Trends in Retail put on by PWC. One of the speakers was Dr Violet Lazarevic from Monash Business Schools ‘Australian Consumer, Retail, and Services’ Research Unit…

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Apple takes their retail store brand experience to the next level.

Apple Just Picked-up Their Brand Game… Again. There are few things more admirable than someone at the top of their game relentlessly pursuing a way to do things better. Apple have for several years been the number one retailer globally in terms of sales per…

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Australian Retailer Target loses $2b of Goodwill and Brand Value

Brand irrelevance leads to evaporating brand value Australian retailer Target has struggled in recent years to maintain a valued, differentiated consumer proposition in the market.  As competitive pricing has become a table stake rather than an active brand differentiator, mid-market retailers like Target (and the…

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Disruptive online retailer the surprise buyer of Dick Smith brand

Ruslan Kogan to Revitalize Dick Smith Retail Brand It’d be tough to find two hotter topics in the world of brand and marketing than ‘new thinking brands disrupting’ and ‘old thinking brands imploding’. The latest move by Australian online retailer Kogan combines both. The move…

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Veganz Vegan Supermarket – The Engaging Power of Brand Focus

How Brand Focus can be the best Brand Strategy One of the most powerful truisms of branding is; ‘You can’t be all things to all people’. Yet when we think about the supermarket category, and even the innovations in this space of convenience stores, mini-supermarkets…

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IKEA Chief believes we have reached ‘Peak Stuff’ – What does that mean for consumer brands?

Has the West has reached it’s peak of Consumerism? During a recent interview with NPR in the US, IKEA’s Global Chief Sustainability Officer, Steve Howard opined: “If you look at things like oil–well, actually, oil sales have peaked in the U.S. and Western Europe. Beef sales have pretty…

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Quiksilver rescued with plans to rebuild the brand

Iconic Aussie surf brand gets $US600m refinancing approval from US Court and makes big brand plans. With its finances now under control, Quicksilver is planning to turn around fledgling brand with ‘boardrider’ stores that showcase the true brand experience.

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Bland Identity – Microsoft Launches their New Brand Identity Design

A Branding Challenge for market Leaders Microsoft has launched the latest evolution of their brand mark at the opening of its new store in Boston. The task of keeping a brand’s visual language fresh and relevant to the market is critical (we recently wrote a…

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Nike Masters the 80:20 Rule of Branding

Not all brand activities are born equal. This is a brand principle that Nike know better than most brands as the recent release of the ‘Nike sole’. The Nike sole has been developed to fit onto the ‘flex-run’ prosthetic running blade, designed for by Nike…

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