The famous Australian cartoon Bluey and hardware superstore Bunnings, is an inspired collaboration that benefits both brands. For February, Bunnings has rebranded several of their stores to Hammerbarn, the name of the fictional hardware store that Bluey’s family visited in the TV show. The Bluey…
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Banksy captures the true spirit of Christmas Reminds me of a time when street art was graffiti and graffiti had a purpose which was to make social comment. In these days of fleeting content it’s heartwarming to find thoughtful, considered art. Dave Ansett David is…
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Beautiful and Provocative Information Design. The Economist has recently released an issue focusing on global climate change; an issue that is timely, pertinent and cuts across almost every topic of relevance to their readers. Working with climate scientist Ed Hawkins who is known for his…
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A branding project to change the world. Every so often we come across a project that seems like our destiny to work on. It’s not every day that we get to create a brand with the potential to have a significant and enduring impact on…
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The art of branding meets the world of film. When we think of the classic films from our childhood, we often just as powerfully can picture the title design – especially those iconic titles such as Star Wars, Pulp Fiction or Vertigo. Effectively the title…
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Never make a brand promise you can’t keep. A three-year-old TVC has gone viral recently, as social media users have enthusiastically shared it as much for its beauty as for the disconnect between the ad and the brand it represents. The stunning film was made…
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THE:5TH – A watch brand worth watching. We’ve recently begun working with next gen watch business THE:5TH. For those not familiar with the brand (which makes you over 35 and not fashion savvy) THE:5TH is a stellar example of new businesses disrupting old categories –…
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Could ‘Appear Here’ be the saviour for retail? In the digital world, having a physical brand presence is more important than ever. Nothing beats the opportunity to share and interact with your customers in the flesh. However, the costs of finding and maintaining traditional retail…
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What stronger way to use globally recognized branding than to make it disappear? In another example of brands tapping into the growing consumer trend of social and environmental activism, Lacoste has created a bold social brand campaign to raise awareness and funds to help threatened…
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The dual benefits of brands behaving responsibly. It’s not by good fortune that Uber has become one of the world’s most recognizable brands. From it’s earliest days, Uber and UberEats have demonstrated an effortless ability to weave branding gold whilst retaining the edge of a…
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Marketing Strategy Madness or Branding Genius. In a marketing strategy that sounds lifted from a Vegas comedy about three guys on a bachelor party, Australian corporate AV company Scene Change invested their entire marketing budget for two years to buy and run a private jet.…
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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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An accidental brand ambassador John Lewis is the name of big UK retailer but it’s also the name of a guy from Blacksburg, Virginia. Since 2007, the lecturer from Virginia Tech University has been using the twitter handle @johnlewis and he often receives tweets meant for…
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Although it’s still only October, Carnaby Street, located in the heart of London, has already unveiled its 2018 festive light display, with another amazing and creative design. It is always exciting to see what fashionable Carnaby Street will do. The theme tends to be …
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Today’s post is a thought piece written by Zander Nethercutt, a really interesting brand thinker from Chicago Il. with a brilliant grasp on how brands work and the role they’ve come to play in our lives. What Apple, Samsung and Starbucks learned from Pepsi The…
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Having recently returned from living and working in London for 3 years I’ve been keeping up to date with the happenings, particularly in one of my favourite areas, around London Bridge. Working almost next to The Shard, I was able to spend many lunch…
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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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New proposition, name and identity for leading ultrasound educator and trainer. The new brand proposition provides Zedu with a compelling new brand story, messaging, personality and a new inviting tagline that encourages their learners to “see the difference, be the difference”. This was further reinforced…
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Bright idea highlights incredible women and rewrites history After a disgraceful week of politics, we’ve lost another Prime Minister but perhaps the real loss in the fallout is Julie Bishop. So it’s quite fitting that I came across this campaign from Stabilo Boss. Created by…
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Aston Martin has announced the ultimate collectors toy with the news they are going to make 28 Goldfinger DB5 reproductions. Aston Martin is working with EON Productions and Chris Corbould the special effects wizard whose resume includes Star Wars, Batman and all the Bond movies…
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Beautiful lettering created by Pellisco An art form that was heavily used during the early centuries in illuminated manuscripts, hand lettering is still strong on the design scene and hopefully here to stay. You probably walk past hand lettering on a daily basis, from artisan chalkboards…
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Harley focuses on product development and growth but disregards its long held brand beliefs As a brand strategist I have often admired and held up Harley Davidson as great example of a powerful brand. Not because I own or want to own a Harley (so…
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New Bonds ‘Originals’ brand messaging on female stereotype’s in their recent ad campaign ‘The Queendom’ is an inspiring piece of brand communication strategy and a refreshing change in women’s underwear marketing. Powerful and playful, the ad is set in remote Australian ‘bushland’ known as ‘The…
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Don Wagyu leverages premium positioning to stand-out in a crowded food market. I recently read about a new fast casual Japanese Sandwich concept from New York called Don Wagyu. The article I read spoke about their hero product, The Ozaki, a wagyu beef sandwich that…
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The Power of Brand Storytelling on Film. Goodwin & Goodwin are a creative sign company based in North London. They recently worked with film makers; Reuben Armstrong and Jamie Neale to create a short promotional film about their business. In this short film we get…
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Brand identity, naming and packaging for handmade Italian leather flats. Working collaboratively with the brand’s designer, we unlocked Camminos true differentiation. A unique blend of Italian provenance, quality leather and artisan craftsmanship is at the heart to the value proposition. This was then brought to…
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Just as summer here finally ends Magnum has revealed a European wide campaign for the Summer that achieves a kind of sophistication the brand has always reached for but never quite got. Mainly due to the simplicity and style of the illustrations of Thomas Danthony, which…
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The Brand Value of Customer Service. Just ask Apple, the best retailer in the world in terms of $ sales per square meter (and is there any other metric worth measuring?), customer service is still where the rubber hits the road. New Apple retail customer…
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A stylish brand that helps One Early Education Group stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Built around the essence of ‘The Thriving Child’, One creates an environment where infants and children can thrive in their daily interactions. The brand proposition drives a powerful platform…
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The differentiating power of brand authenticity When best-selling author, entrepreneur and marketing guru Seth Godin spoke with Brandchannel editor Shirley Brady about what brands need to do to stay relevant, authentic and innovative at the Brandemonium 2017 conference in Cincinnati, his view on the role…
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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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More of the best Christmas brand story telling. Here’s some more of the best ads of the season from the usual suspects and a few others. Check out the different brand approaches to make us laugh, cry and potentially buy from them. Boots – Show…
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Air New Zealand’s sweet Christmas ad. Just about every brand is trying to leverage Christmas and stay top of mind. The big retailers are all trying to outdo each other with their Christmas TVCs. It’s also the time of year when many of us are…
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When doing the right thing is the right thing for brands. With 350 stores throughout Texas and Mexico, H.E.B. is one of the largest grocery chains in the region. Nearly a quarter of the 112 year old retailer’s stores are located in Houston, in the…
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Celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the House of Dior, the National Gallery of Victoria is currently showing The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture, a unique collaboration between the NGV and the House of Dior, featuring more than 140 stunning Dior garments. Exclusive to Melbourne,…
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All Beer Brands Are Not Born Equal. Researching this new craft beer brand from the UK I came across an interesting stat. The fresh bread consumer trend that has swept the globe has led to more than 40% of the bread baked daily around the…
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Unhealthy is the New Healthy We spend a fair amount of time talking to and working with hospitality businesses from start-ups to chains who are all looking to nail the perfect customer proposition. Owning a small chain of three pasta bars myself, I’m all too…
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Creating easy escapism for hipsters, Unyoked is all about easy disconnection in the wilderness. Unyoked is a simple yet smart brand story, built on some solid brand beliefs and brought to life with beautiful styled eco-cabins set in stunning semi-remote locations. The Unyoked brand philosophy…
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What if we could start from scratch and re-design everything in our lives so that they were good for people, for the planet and for business? What if every product and service had an overhaul and it was developed not only with this thought but…
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For Mother’s day 2017, KFC US released a romance novella called Tender Wings of Desire. Interestingly, Mother’s Day is KFC’s best-performing day of sales in the year (sometimes truth is stranger than fiction). The book features Harland Sanders as the story’s love interest and seeks…
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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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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…
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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.…
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‘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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Everything you ask Google sounds a lot more stupid when you actually ask Google. A common phrase around the office is ….. “just google it!” This great little Youtube 5 part series brings to light some of the silliest & funniest google searches. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 …
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Smart Pop-Up Marketing must be on brand and buzzworthy. The payback for investing in a pop-up experience for brands really kicks-in when the concept has an element that powerfully connects with the brand’s strategic positioning, and doubly-so when the concept is news and viral worthy.…
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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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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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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…
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For brands obsessed with branded content Burberry has just upped the ante significantly. English fashion brand Burberry has released a three-minute trailer for an epic but non-existent movie about the brand and it’s fabulous. Burberry takes brand storytelling to another level. The faux trailer promotes…
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Australia’s national carrier just launched its refreshed brand identity. It’s being positioned as “a new era, same spirit”. The Qantas rebrand is being linked to the airline’s new fleet of Dreamliner aircraft. It follows a series of service and product improvements. “This is not just…
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Apple’s ‘Made in China’ Brand Messaging Maybe I’m a little late to the party, but on the weekend I notices for the first time the small print on the back of my iPhone 6 which says: ‘Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China’. I…
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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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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…
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Less Car Showroom – More Inspiring Brand Experience On my trip this month to Paris I was struck by a new addition to the glitzy end of the Champs Elysees shopping strip – Car Galleries. Within a few blocks of this uber expensive retail real…
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For all brands authenticity is one of the real hot buttons in their efforts to connect with consumers and build highly engaged relationships. Brands are telling their story at every opportunity, spruiking provenance, craftsmanship and history – regardless of whether they’re a start-up or a…
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Are you distracting your customers and deterring them from buying what they really want on your site? For the holiday season, the team at Google Analytics thought it would be helpful (and fun) to demonstrate how missteps on the digital shelf play out in real…
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