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Grids, rules, order, harmony — qualities that typically define ‘good design.’ What happens when all of this is thrown out? When chaos is embraced and celebrated? It’s called brutalist web design and it’s taking the design world by a storm. In this post we will take…

How do you lead, when everyone’s their own leader? Recently I read an article on the Design Business Council blog by Greg Branson about how CEOs are adapting to changing employee attitudes. In the article Greg talks about a Wolff Olins report that revealed a…

Why the right level of investment in your branding and packaging is critical. Every week we speak to a number of people who have an idea for a new product, have a product ready for market, or have a product in market that’s failing to…

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…

The bumpy road for brands launching into China Recently Airbnb Co-Founder Brian Chesky announced via Twitter that his company has a new Chinese name; ‘Aibiying’. Aibiying is a clever localized brand name which sounds like the Western original, but translates in Mandarin to “to welcome…

Last week we shared a report on the impact of brand boycotts. The same day, United Airlines had a PR crisis unfold after they forcibly removed a paid-up passenger from their plane. What impact is this latest boycott having on the United brand? It was…

It would appear MasterChef Judge and restaurant king George Calumbaris has tarnished his personal brand when it was recently revealed nearly 200 staff at his restaurants have been underpaid $2.6 million. George Calombaris’ company underpaid 162 of the 430 current staff at his restaurants including…

We live in disruptive times for brands and business. You might have missed the news coming out of the US on Monday this week that saw the share value of Elon Musk’s Tesla brand continue to rise strongly. If there’s been a noteworthy trend in…

YouGov’s ‘Inside the Mindset of a Brand Boycotter report’ gives us some insight into consumers who boycott brands and why they can’t be ignored. Just about every week a major brand is under attack from consumers. Last week it was Pepsi, the other week it…

A Guide to Choosing the Right Branding Agency. So you’ve worked-out the business benefits from branding, re-branding or designing new packaging for your business, products or services. You’ve worked through the business imperative, budgets and brief, now comes the tough task of sorting through all…

As a marketeer I have recently started to notice the increase in meaningful marketing and the extent to which brands are seeking to create meaningful experiences that consumers can connect with and move people emotionally. Thank goodness, a change has been in the air for…

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.…

Understanding the Brand Value Equation We work on a daily basis guiding the brands for businesses of all shapes and sizes across almost every conceivable category. The thing they all have in common is an understanding of brand value and how to leverage it to…

We’ve recently been working with VicSuper, a 16 billion strong profit to member superannuation fund who has over 240,000 members and – 22,000 participating employers. Over the last 6 months we’ve been working with the brand on some development work, nothing nothing that we can…

Reading through the articles about the upcoming ALDI rebrand I’m struck by what seems to be an inability for people to grasp some of the strategic rational behind this rebrand and rebranding in general. Everywhere ALDI has opened, they taken on established supermarket brands and…

Today’s guest article has been penned by the very smart people at eatbigfish. eatbigfish is a strategic brand consultancy with a single focus: challenger thinking and behaviour. Founded by Adam Morgan after he wrote Eating the Big Fish – the book that popularised the term ‘challenger…

How should a brand react when a campaign gets this kind of backlash? Budweiser’s 2017 Superbowl commercial features the story of the beer company founder’s ambitious journey from Germany to America in pursuit of his dream: to brew the ‘King of Beers’. The story combines…

Fragrance brand bucks category norms to standout in highly competitive fragrance category. Demeter continues to defy the age old art of using sex, glamour and mystique to sell fragrance. Instead, the brand uses everyday experiences as their inspiration. The US fragrance company has just released…

With International Womens Day last week I thought it would be interesting to shine a light on the positive impact that brands can have in the the female equality and empowerment space. Business and brands are demonstrating that they have a role to play in shaping…

The gold medal for the longest running strong economy goes to… On April 1st Australia is to to achieve a truly remarkable milestone, and one that most of us will be floored to discover. Australia will likely be able to lay claim to the title…

Samsung’s new ad in India is a masterclass in localization for global brands. As more brands look to the huge markets in China and India with a mix of enthusiasm and consternation, Samsung’s latest ad campaign created for the Indian market is hitting the mark.…

It is not every day you get to hand over a rather large cheque for $27, 812.16 to the beneficiary of Art with Heart 2016, however that is exactly what we had the great pleasure of doing yesterday when some of the team from Truly…

Linx brand connects with the 21st Century Man One of the most significant trends for any brand marketing to males under 30 is the blurring and fragmentation of what it means to be a man in the 21st Century. Long held stereotypes of muscular, masculine,…

Game Changers branded content perpetuates the perception that the government is out of touch with most Australians During the past few days, The Australian Government’s Department of Finance has managed to create their place in history with a stunning fail in government advertising. In an…

Today’s post is an article written by Brandhook, good friends of ours and the sharpest brand research and insights agency around. At BrandHook we talk about the 7 ways consumer behaviour has changed but after attending last week’s Mumbrella Retail & Marketing Summit it was…

‘The Big Deal’ shifts the conversation and ignites the brand message of #EqualLove A short film for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is quickly becoming a powerful campaign for marriage equality in Australia. During the weekend, ‘The Big Deal’ video and #EqualLove started to be…

Getting it right in China. Our good friends at Adsmith China have put together a list of the four most important things for Western brands to consider when entering the Chinese market. For all but the most informed brands, China is a market with great…

  The NRL’s ongoing collaborative superhero campaign with comic brand Marvel continues with their new jerseys for 2017! Wether your a fanatic fan of Marvel AND/OR the NRL sport, you can’t deny it is a compelling campaign and shows the power of collaboration between two forceful brands…

Unbelievable Brand Messaging. It’s a Sunday night at our place and the new Samsung ad comes-onto the TV, kicking off with the statement: “At Samsung, safety has always been our priority”. It’s not often an ad is met with the instant derision to the extent…

I recently had the once in a lifetime experience of seeing David Attenborough in Melbourne and hearing him the has left me feeling touched, moved and inspired and wondering what role brands can play in protecting the natural world for generations to come. David Attenborough…

Moët & Chandon continues to flirt with their vending machines to extend the brand’s accessibility but does it cheapen the brand? The Moët vending machine has been making appearances in London bars and even Selfridges, now it’s popped up in a Vegas Hotel. You can now enjoy a Moët…

All brands have meaning in the minds of their market. Whether carefully and strategically considered or by default, all brands hold associated meanings in the minds of the market place. Well considered brands establish a competitive brand proposition (their brand strategy) with layers of meaning…

I recently came across this pic in my Facebook feed; it’s of a label sown into garments produced by a small U.S. brand for sale in the French market. The translation from French says: Wash with warm water Use mild soap Dry flat Do not…

AFL Women’s League An Untapped Brand Sponsorship Treasure Chest. If  last Friday night’s opening game of the AFLW is any indication, the belief that there’s no interest in women’s sport is fading fast. Even the AFL themselves were not prepared for the crowds that came…

Calvin Klein’s Instagram account announced over the weekend that the brand has decided to “return to the spirit of the original” and acknowledge “the founder and foundations of the fashion house” by launching their new logo to mixed reviews. With the new appointment of creative…

It’s Super Bowl time again folks and a perfect opportunity to sit back put your feet up and watch some of the most expensive advertising of 2017. We’ve put together an assortment of ads features in this years Super Bowl as always there is a…

Introducing Trump Bold, a new typeface from Truly Deeply founder; Dave Ansett. Inspired by The Greatest Donald of our time (with apologies to Sutherland & Duck), Trump Bold is designed in his image; Bold and Distinctive. Trump Bold works well alone and is kind of…

No doubting that the Superbowl attracts the big boys with the biggest budgets. And they don’t come much bigger than Mercedes-Benz and The Coen Brothers. Like a match made in first class on the red-eye from New York to Tokyo, this luxury auto brand and…

Yellow Tail uses Aussie humour and cliches to promote their wine brand to Americans. Aussie wine brand Yellow Tail is making headlines as an outsider buying up big on the US Super Bowl. It’s also the first wine brand to air a Super Bowl ad…

Booze with a Conscience Sparkke Change, has come to my attention in recent months as a refreshing challenger in the beer category. The brand shot to fame through a clever use of a Pozible crowdfunding campaign that went viral, sparking much needed awareness and interest…

Interesting times for brands as the Chinese market evolves. Global sports brand adidas have launched a new and noteworthy ad campaign aimed at the Chinese market. The last two decades are choc-a-block with beautifully shot, inspiringly heart-racing ads from all of the brands in this…

Welcome home Vegemite – Back where you belong. With Australia Day around the corner, the recent announcement that publicly listed (and Australian owned) Bega Cheese is set to purchase Vegemite and a hand-full of other Kraft brands in a $460 million deal made my day.…

  When you’re reading this, Donald Trump will be president of the USA… is this real life?  Today bands of calibre feel the need to really think innovatively on their album launch strategy since the era of streaming and downloading. Radiohead pioneered the trend of dropping an…

Introducing a new display font called Quinse. Inspired by the style and character of French directional signage, Quinse is a confident and bold signature font perfectly suited to brand mark design, packaging design, headlines for publications, print and digital campaigns as well as retail point…

Why thank you Mr President Over the Christmas break I remembered us shooting this little testimonial from The Donald (or someone who looks a little like him) at an Entrepreneurs Organisation event a few years back. At the time Trump was a slightly maligned reality…

Swedish home furniture giant Ikea’s commuter bike, ‘Sladda’ is another brand reputation proof point. Ikea has built their reputation on providing affordable stylish urban living. However, in the past couple of years, the brand has stepped up its product development to extend its dominance in…

Social Media has already transformed consumer expectations of brands There’s no denying the way people discover and buy things online has dramatically changed and continues to do-so. Only ten years ago we were talking about how online and Google were changing the way people buy.…

Setting the colour trend for 2017 Annually global colour standard; Pantone release their trend prediction for the colour of the year, a color that reflects the current cultural climate. The colour of the year is a symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we…

Planning your budgets for 2017? Here’s what the experts are predicting in ad spend. Business Insider recently released a report that collated prediction findings from the big media houses for 2017. They found that Ad spend will increase in absolute terms, but year-on-year growth will…

Custom Apple accessory maker 12 South has created a ‘New Mac Smell’ candle for this Christmas. While it’s got plenty of headlines for obvious reasons. For me it raises the question: What do sensory branding do you do? We’re all aware of brands that have…

Is the age of the Goliath brand over? Author Ben Zifkin’s book The Rise of the Craft Brand, set’s out a compelling case for why smaller, craft-focused brands are set to become a force in the changing world of commerce. The world of brands and…