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Can Political Incorrectness ever be a valid brand communication strategy? OK, so this may be skirting the boundaries of sensitivity and taste, but sometimes the most interesting strategies are found where others fear to tread. When it comes to political correctness, most clients want to…

A brand narrative that’s built around Orchard Thieves’ simple worldview that if you start bold, you’ll end bold. Heineken’s cider brand, Orchard Thieves keeps true to the brand’s mantra of ‘Be bold’ with it’s latest ad. The story follows a group of friends on their…

Being in the creative industry we’re always considering how we bring balance to our work and the world of design. We also love to look at things from different angles and points of view. We recently came across this artist Rocky Byun who takes the…

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared he will “bring the school funding wars to an end” in a stunning policy turnaround. Malcolm Turnbull’s surprise announcement that the Coalition have decided to adopt David Gonski’s needs-based funding model for schools at a press conference yesterday accompanied…

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…

Global beer brand forced to defend its iconic red star and perceptions of it promoting communism. Dutch brand Heineken is recognised globally for its green cans and bottles. Another core brand asset is the red star. Unfortunately for Heineken, the red star is also seen…

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…

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…

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…

For those yet to see the footage, confusion hit the stage at this year’s Academy Awards when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the incorrect winner of the Best Picture award as ‘La La Land’, not ‘Moonlight’ after they were given the wrong envelope on…

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…

How after sales contributes to brand reputation After sales is often non-existent, designed to minimise costs, or simply not a priority for many brands – but it should be. With more and more consumers reading reviews online before purchasing, after sales service is becoming an…

Can you believe it’s that crazy time of year again? Once again the big brands are fighting to stay top of mind and relevant. For retail brands, this is the key time of the year where they need to enhance their connection with their customers…

Air New Zealand uses a talking duck to reposition the brand. Air New Zealand and a talking duck has been all over Facebook in past few days. Judging on the amount of friends who shared the airline’s latest campaign, it’s off to a great start.…

Enjoy Our Nature’s explosive Icelandic condom packaging. As a brand agency with differentiation at our core, we’re always looking for unique ways to help brands standout from the pack. We salute brands who see the world differently, so we couldn’t go past this brand packaging…

Applying for a design job can be a big task when your starting out! We have put together some tips to help students, grads or anyone trying to get themselves out there in the design industry. When I was starting my design career I had a…

The trend of minimalist branding We’ve had some recent discussion with clients and in turn in the studio about the relevance of minimalism in brand identity or logo design. Some point to a trend of recent rebrands like Pentegram’s work for Mastrcard, wondering if there’s…

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…

Asshole or hero? Donate Life takes boldly different approach to organ donation. We often talk about the importance of brands being brave and different to truly standout and that’s just what Donate Life America has done with its latest campaign. The World’s biggest asshole dials…

Optus is the second largest telecommunications provider in Australia offering mobile, fixed, and broadband services to consumer and business customers. It has repositioned itself in the market with a flexible rebrand. You may remember their recent rebrand back in 2013 that received many mixed reviews and…

Not a smart branding idea in hindsight When it comes to marketing and brand building, McDonald’s are about as savvy as they come. With huge departments of marketing specialists and many years in the game, you’d think they’d know how to navigate the tricky waters…

A style guide is important in maintaining a successful brand story. Clarity, consistency and longevity is key. Why is a brand style guide is so important? Think of a time when you purchased a flat pack from Ikea, came home, tried to put it together using the instructions…

Once again Telstra’s public relations team is frantically working to deal another brand attack, this time from Choice. The problem for Telstra is their network performance is not just core to the brand, it is really everything the brand stands for. Telstra needs to urgently…

Second Life Toys, a Japanese organisation hoping to raise awareness about organ donation, has come up with a brilliant concept. A unique and creative way of communicating the difficult of issue of organ donation to sick children, capturing global attention.

Influencer marketing is a powerful way to share your brand’s message with a targeted audience. One of the strongest marketing trends to emerge in recent times is influencer marketing, which involves recruiting influential social media people to promote you through their blogs, Youtube channels and…

Need to get your brand noticed but don’t have the resources to get the word out by traditional means?  The Challenger Project in the UK is published by eatbigfish, a strategic brand consultancy with a single focus: challenger thinking and behavior. I love the way these…

The Sleep Revolution – A book all about the Zzz’s. We all know the effects of a bad night’s sleep. THE SLEEP REVOLUTION is a newly released book by author Arianna Huffington written to educate people about the benefits of sleep and how often this is overlooked.…

The Brand Strategy of Stand Out Personality In the world of retail and hospitality, so many businesses get caught-up in the operational whirlwind of attracting, serving and delivering product to their customers that they find it challenging to take a breath, step back and assert…

Automotive giant, BMW celebrated it’s 100th birthday in March this year and to mark the centenary have launched their vision for the next 100 years, to further instill their core ethos of ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ to their customers. They aim to make their fascinating driving experience even…

Sponsors using Sharapova’s news to kill two birds with one stone. Choosing not to stand by Sharapova because of recent events? Or was it just the perfect excuse to move on without facing public backlash? Nike, the same company that stood by Tiger Woods and…

Not-for-profit providers pushed to market The National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS, was designed to support a better life for Australians with a significant and permanent disability, and also their families and carers. But the implementation of it, is having far reaching and costly implications for the not-for-profit…

Meeting crazy demands from clients, software problems and frantically working to ridiculous deadlines are just some of the stuff designers have to put up with on a regular basis. Most of the time, the struggles go unnoticed outside the studio, so wouldn’t it be nice…

The embargo has been lifted, so what’s next for brands wanting to enter Cuba?  When the US embargo was first placed on Cuba in 1960 (a whopping 55 years ago), it was referred to as “the blockade”. The embargo restricted trade and exports to Cuba, except…

Hot sauce brand Sriracha has made the remarkable move of licensing it’s brand to internet startup Sriracha2Go. While licensing food brands and production isn’t anything new (think beer brands) this seems like a risky move for a growing and thriving brand. 

What should my branding cost? So you’re at start-up/running a growing business/recently merged/feeling the heat from new competition/just stepped into the big chair and you’ve got a sense that your branding isn’t working. No matter how clear-minded you are at leading your business, the task…

Ode to the creative truck/bus/taxi ad As a branding agency we spend most of our lives living, breathing and dreaming of ways to communicate brands in ways that have relevance and value to the lives of our client’s consumers. As the world changes, we surf…

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…

A High Class Brand Problem So what do you do when you’re the global market leader? When your brand and packaging is recognized in almost every corner of the world? When your product and brand already command a premium price? What on earth do you…

All Brands Have Meaning Whether carefully and strategically considered or by default, all brands hold associated meanings in the market place. Well considered brands establish a competitive brand proposition (their brand strategy) with layers of meaning to both differentiate themselves from their competitors and to…

The hidden code All brands project an image through the visual language of their brand identity. Customers and markets use the code contained within their visual language to make logical and emotional associations that drive their responses to trust, lust, aspire and desire the brand……

Like all new frontiers, social media is a lawless place where anything goes, especially when it comes to brand. Everyone seems to have moved into these boom towns with a population of more than 12 million people projected for Twitterville alone this year. It’s a on-line,…