Blog

Have Apple overstepped the mark and caused more harm than good to their brand? Apple has files a notice of opposition with the US Trademark office, against a start-up trying to trademark a logo based-on a pear. The developers of Prepear, an app that helps…

  A fitting brand gesture. To mark the final Boeing 747 swansong for Australian airline Qantas, the pilot en route to drop the jet to storage at a boneyard in the Mojave Desert flew a flight path that sketched-out the airlines iconic brand mark of…

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t – A challenging brand management dilemma. Following-on from our recent article out the re-branding of the Washington Redskins NFL team in the US, this recent announcement (among many) about Mutual of Omaha, a Fortune 500 insurance and…

Brand Finance ranking of the most valuable brands for 2020 has just been released. Amongst the Australian brands, Woolworths has reclaimed the top spot, overtaking Telstra, after recording a 5% uplift in brand value to AU$11.8 billion. The study also showed that Woolworths has eclipsed…

Lingerie giant celebrates major brand shift with plus sized and transgender models. Victoria’s Secret has learnt the importance of ‘never say never’ as they attempt to reverse decades of criticisms of their stand on beauty means. The brand appears to finally understand that the world,…

Local bank and insurance brands lead the way in customer excellence. KPMG’s Customer Experience Excellence Report shows that six of the top 10 local CX brands are in the banking and insurance sector, but none are the big 4. On the back of a series…

The case for increasing the focus on branding in your business. Watching a video by US brand educator Chris Do recently I came across this simple illustration that captures the concept of the brand circle of behavior. Many brands, especially for start-up, early stage and…

Doritos Clever Thinking Only Outsmarts Themselves. Doritos is set to launch an ‘anti-ad’ campaign to appeal to Gen Z, who is research tells us are averse to traditional advertising tactics. The snack food brand plans to ditch its logo, replacing it with a recognizable triangle…

Branding for Start-Ups – A critical challenge. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting across the table with a founder of a start-up. The energy, excitement, vision and optimism are often at their peak in the excitement of launching a new enterprise. Over…

The new brand strategy, architecture and identity helps Australian steel builder reflect their true industry leadership and provides a framework for future business growth. A highly successful business, the rebrand now reflects the true image of the company, one that is continually evolving with its…

A place branding guide for the worlds greatest business cities. Brand agency Saffron have just released their City Brand Barometer for 2019 which explores which cities around the world have built the strongest brands to attract businesses and investors. The report gives an insight into…

Fund the How Now Milk Brand Our friends Cathy and Les from the Ethical Dairy Company owner of the magnificent How Now Milk Brand are chasing funding for the next stage of the ethical milk journey. It’s a great opportunity to put some money behind…

StartOut is an inspiring not-for-profit organisation who match young people with role models to help build resilience, self-acceptance, help break negative self-image and to help navigate their sexuality. We worked with StartOut to create a brand that was inclusive of all diverse sex, sexuality and gender…

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…

Spot the difference: Neither of the leaders has an engaging or distinctive personal brand. While the polls have consistently pointed towards a narrow win for Labor, they also highlighted very small differences in whom Australians prefer as their PM. The last Newspoll before the election…

‘Unpacked’ photos remind us that brands need to take more responsibility for their impact. Recently I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with several purpose-led and social enterprises. Helping create and shape brands that are not just great products but will truly make a positive…

In branding, doing is more important than saying. How do you build a unique and valued dimension to your brand proposition, one that connects your values with those of your core audience? You walk the talk, demonstrating your beliefs through remarkable brand gestures. It’s not…

New study shows smashed avocados are not to blame for millennials struggling with housing affordability Our friends at the Millennial Report have once again highlighted the importance of not over-generalising this generation. The study highlights how millennials (or Gen Ys) are just as careful with…

Ouch! When brands crash to earth. This week Nike suffered a high profile wardrobe failure when the shoe of one of their star college athletes imploded mid-match, sending Zion Williamson tumbling, shortly after followed by the Nike share price. A challenge for all high profile…

Redefining one of Australia’s favourite shoe brands to appeal to new generations. Truly Deeply builds on Homyped’s comfort heritage to reposition the brand as smart solutions for healthy feet. The new brand identity leverages the product’s technological and medical credibility to create a more aspirational…

Creating the best mix of colours has never been so daunting. From print to digital, books to apps, the decision to finalise a particular colour palette for your project can be overwhelming at times. Colour combinations are a tricky business so why not gather the…

Few brand purchase decisions we make are as strong a reflection of how we see ourselves as consumers and how we wish the world to see us as  choice of the car we drive. Even those who claim to not care what brand of car…

Delta Airlines and Coke apologise after napkins offend Delta and Coca Cola have canned their inflight match-matching brand gesture after many label it creepy. What was intended a bold and fun has potentially caused brand damage. Far from inspiring hook-ups, it has potentially also fractured…

Popular UK restaurant chain, Wahaca, has rebranded to appear more like its independent competitors. When I first visited London in 2005, I was shocked to find a chain café or restaurant on almost every corner, and struggled to find a local independent option. Fast forward…

Polly Waffle chocolate bars set to return to Australian shelves Following a social campaign from nostalgic brand fans, the Polly Waffle is set to be revived. Fans of the Polly Waffle united on Facebook and achieved 55,000 likes. This helped convince Adelaide based manufacturer Robern Menz to…

We wanted to share a great pic from our client Yarra Trams. A part of their annual celebration to show their appreciation, our client had these delicious and beautifully branded cupcakes baked. A feast for the eyes, heart and tummy.  

EU agreement standoff as Australian producers fight to keep using traditional and logical names to describe their products. As part of the $100 billion EU trade agreement, Greece and Italy are trying to extend Geographic Indicators to a range of common food styles including wines…

A strong case for the growth power of B2B brand marketing. Over the summer break I caught up on some reading (the best part of six months worth of recommended articles sitting in my email Inbox). One of those articles was sent to me by…

Where did 2018 Go? We had a great year, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes to create new propositions, launch new products and refresh brands across more than fifty different categories. We captured just some of that activity in this 12 second vid.…

Brand strategy, naming, design and packaging for Gen Z skin and hair care range. Innovative, all natural and eco-friendly, Umii is a new range of body and skin care products specifically designed for girls and guys aged 8-18. Real, assertive and bold, Umii doesn’t tell…

Insights from APBN, who are the Asian millennials? Following my trip to Seoul, South Korea for the Asia Branding Conference, here’s some insights on Asian Millennials. Each country presented insights about their millennials and it was interesting to learn about some of the differences and more…

Recently our Director of Brand Strategy, Michael Hughes presented at the APBN conference in Seoul, South Korea. The conference was exploring trends in marketing brands to Millennials and the similarities and differences throughout the Asia Pacific region. Michael was invited to present insights on the…

Branding‘s big pay-off. We often hear the sentiment that branding is a ‘soft’ business investment. It’s considered a ‘nice to have’ and ‘hard to measure its value’. Having spent the last 28 years working with clients to build their brands, our experience over hundreds of…

Michael Hughes joins our Asian agency partners to discuss branding to Asian Millennials Truly Deeply is excited to be part of the Asia Pacific Conference on today and tomorow in Seoul, South Korea. The conference is the first from the Asia Pacific Branding Network (APBN). Organised by…

  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…

Truly Deeply is proud to see Immediation, a brand we created, gain traction. Immediation is a brand that is set to redefine access to justice. A online platform, it brings together legal experts to help resolve commercial disputes and provide an alternative to courts. Simple,…

We’re always looking for inspiration on creativity as I enjoyed this talk from author Austin Kleon, writer of Steal like an Artist and Show your Work. It forms the basis for his new book Keep Going. He talks about 10 ways to keeping moving forward,…

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…

  Maker Park is a proposed adaptive reuse park that will revitalize an unused industrial site on the waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Conceived by a group of community activists, the initiative will transform the seven-acre site formerly known as the Bayside Fuel Terminal into a hub for…

The Value of Good Advice. Recently I re-read Confessions of the Pricing Man by Hermann Simon, arguably the best book ever written on the subject of pricing. I’ve always seen the subject of pricing as directly connected to branding. As Simon says: “People have asked…

No longer true blue, Aussie pollies are being shaped to ‘fit’ the party image and narrative. The role of personal branding has been impacted significantly by the shift towards more populist politics. In the past, political leaders like Whitlam, Hawke, Menzies and even Howard stood…

The strategic brand thinking at the heart of every successful brand. Over the weekend I was having a conversation for the thousandth time with the owner of a relatively new, fast growth business who I realized was hearing it for the first time. The conversation…

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…

Today’s post is an article written by Brandhook, good friends of ours and the sharpest brand research and insights agency around. Apple recently announced the introduction of a new software tool to help wean people off their devices, offering users a ‘digital detox’. There’s a…

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…

Toy brand introduces first sustainable pieces It’s the only plastic toy that gets a thumbs up from most sustainably minded parents I know. It’s great to see it making a move to becoming a sustainable brand. Lego has introduced it’s first sustainable pieces as the…

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…

A branding article filled with good intent. I was initially thrilled to see an article on the CPA’s blog titled; ‘Why your accounting practice brand is more than a logo’. The CPA is one of our countries most trusted and respected associations, representing an industry…

The Founder-Led Branding Dilemma. I recently caught up with the news that global pizza chain Papa John’s is set to remove the image of their founder from company branding. Papa John’s Chairman and founder, John Schnatter made a racist remark during an internal training session…

Study suggests most Australian businesses are not recognising the value of brand. A new Deloitte study of 300 marketing professionals found that most believe that digital and social media are the best channels for building a brand. This is despite strong evidence that shows brands…

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…