Blog

By Category


Brand reputation – you’re only as good as your weakest link

One of the real tests of a brand’s reputation comes post purchase. With cars, the service experience is a critical influencer of brand perception, customer loyalty and retention. For many auto brands this can be extremely hard to manage. Local dealers are often franchised and…

Read more »

McDonalds releases burger scented candles

Branding Madness or Genius? As part of its Quarter Pounder Fan Club, McDonald’s have released a set of candles that smell like the ingredients of a Quarter Pounder, including; 100% Fresh Beef, Ketchup, Pickle, Cheese, Onion, and Sesame Seed Bun. Before we claim this as…

Read more »

RACQ is the top Australian brand in CX survey

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…

Read more »

Why engaging your harshest critics makes good brand sense.

Brands that see criticism as all bad are missing the message. For brand owners and managers it can be tough to receive critical feedback. However, behind the criticism is often an opportunity to transform a critic into a powerful advocate. As tempting as it is…

Read more »

Is Remarkable Customer Service the Greatest Act of Branding?

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…

Read more »

Melbourne Cup Carnival Marquees – A brand investment or ego-driven indulgence?

I have to admit I love this time of year. As the Spring Racing Carnival hits full swing, Melbourne turns into a town of glamour and excitement where it seems everyone is a racing aficionado, and dressed accordingly. As the center of the Carnival universe,…

Read more »

AFL Footy Fever, Brand Loyalty and Team Culture

It’s been footy fever here in Melbourne over the last few weeks, in the lead up to the grand final being played on the weekend. With the Australian Football League (AFL) having it’s origins in the Victorian Football League (VFL), the game of ‘Aussie rules’…

Read more »

Email still best for brand offers but it must be relevant and informative

Key insights from Adobe’s third annual consumer email survey, essential reading for brand marketers. The survey shows that email significantly trumps direct mail, mobile apps and social media as the best way to deliver offers to consumers. However, there is still a great degree of…

Read more »

Nestle fights to save Poland Springs brand

Poland Springs brand authenticity and reason for being under attack Nestle is facing a lawsuit in the USA that claims they have misled their consumers into paying a premium for normal ground water. For a brand that’s positioning and differentiation is all about the purity…

Read more »

United Airlines boycott highlights a deeper brand crisis

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…

Read more »

21% of consumers boycott brands and most don’t come back

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…

Read more »

From Bandwagon To Brand Wagon?

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…

Read more »

Fitbit after sales builds positive brand differentiation and loyalty

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…

Read more »

Brand love: Cafe 51 to reward inked fans for life

Melbourne burger brand, Cafe 51 is giving away free burgers for life to anyone who tattoos their burgers to their body. Making a lifetime commitment to any brand is a big ask. Apart from Harley, there aren’t many brands can claim to be so loved…

Read more »

The 6 Reasons Why Brand Loyalty is King

  Don’t Underestimate the Value of Brand Loyalty Research in the US on brand loyalty has identified that more than 50% of consumers would pay a 20-25% premium for their favourite brand before price sensitivity would see them switch to another, competing brand. In some…

Read more »

Why branding’s the most powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal

Tough to argue with this kinda science!!! Dave Ansett David is the founder of Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in the creation of high engagement brands that attract the…

Read more »

Tactics for protecting brand reputation – A very real challenge for business

Managing brand reputation is becoming increasingly challenging A plumber in the US state of Texas is suing a car dealer for US$1m after a truck he traded-in appeared in a propaganda video from Syrian rebels in an attack on the city of Aleppo. When he…

Read more »

Evidence that Woolworths Rewards has damaged the brand

One year on, evidence that Woolworths Rewards has caused brand damage and impacted the bottom line. When Woolworths relaunched their rewards programme in 2015, we commented that had the potential to alienate loyal customers and cause brand damage. Now, a Fairfax media report shows how…

Read more »

Uber releases brand refresh targeted at different countries

Uber has just announced a brand re-fresh to align with their current brand strategy and philosophy but more than that they have engaged their audience by communicating their brand story and the reason for change. On their website Uber said “We’ve always felt there was a cognitive…

Read more »

The Power of One – Brand engagement starts with a single customer

Do you have a Single Customer Engagement Mindset? We were talking brand engagement with a client recently and I was reminded of this You Tube clip from the Sasquatch Music festival back in 2009. The clip starts with a single guy entranced by the music…

Read more »