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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…

Brand ambassadors hidden in plain sight. Influencers have become the newest weapon in the super competitive battle for brands to stand-out. Finding the right celeb or online tribal leader to espouse the benefits of your product has become the new holy grail for brand marketers…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Recently I spent the day at PWC’s Melbourne Office for a business planning retreat. It was the first time I’m been to visit their new digs and was immediately struck by the first impression provided by their foyer and reception. For a consulting firm with…

Things were remarkably different at Wimbledon last week when Roger Federer stepped onto centre court for his first appearance of the tournament, surprising us all by wearing new sponsor Uniqlo. Swapping his signature RF brandmark and ‘swoosh’ for the Uniqlo red squares in a lucrative…

The Amazon Brand Effect It seems when Amazon sneezes, the financial markets of the world catch a cold. Interest in what Amazon announce they are set to do, or what they don’t announce, or even what others speculate they may or may not announce is…

  I remember sitting on the brown leather couch in my parents ‘den’ watching Goonies on our Rankarena television. It was the 80s and we had a shag pile rug on the floor, mission brown with green striped curtains and circular patterned orange cushions. The…

A glance into the future of retail. Global Retail real estate business CBRE has produced a forward-looking market research, perspectives and industry insights piece called The Future of Retail 2030, an interesting piece of futurist thinking with some well considered suppositions. The retail industry is…

Digital agency rebrand brings to life a passion to create ambitious, purposeful digital products that amplify human potential. Working closely with the Squareweave team, Truly Deeply unlocked their compelling truth and created a new internal mantra of ‘purposeful solutions amplify potential’. This was then supported…

Repositioning the Royal brand so it remains relevant is no doubt a strategy the British Monarchy are comfortable pursuing if the recent wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and her presence in the Royal Family is any indication to go by. I was one…

The digital revolution is a bonanza of new brands. The web does two amazing things at the same time, it provides a seemingly infinite number of sites, information and social platforms whilst at the same time intuitively sorting them so we are only exposed to…

It’s been a busy month for new business in Truly Deeply, which we’re all loving. Lots of new clients, new projects and interesting branding challenges for us to tackle. But one new business meeting in particular stands out at the moment, not because the size…

Brand Thinking in the Big Chair at VW. Volkswagen Group recently confirmed it will be replacing CEO Matthias Müller with Herbert Diess, the car maker’s current head of brand at Volkswagen. Diess will also be in charge of vehicle IT, Group development and research. Diess’…

When Brands get it Wrong. It never ceases to amaze me the way in which brand-consumer relationships continue to play-out in the same way as regular human relationships. This is no-where more apparent than when brands get it wrong. And there’s no doubt brands do…

The power of the brandmark McDonald’s Canada has proved the value of a good brand mark with it’s playful ‘Follow the Arches’ campaign by Cossette. The campaign consists of four simple billboards that crop the golden arches to provide freeway direction signage that goes beyond…

Today’s post is an article written by Brandhook, good friends of ours and the sharpest brand research and insights agency around. Two mornings in a row, I have been handed direct advertising materials at Richmond station.  One for Uber Eats and another for Pet Circle;…

Now more than ever consumers are turning their everyday purchases into a form of protest or demonstration of ideology to create change, sending strong signals to brands by using their purchasing choices as votes. How a brand produces and delivers its goods and who they…

First of all, lets start with this disclaimer. If you can’t be bothered to keep up with yet another social media app then there’s no need to find out more about Vero. Because that’s exactly what it is, but apparently ‘with a twist’. Vero is the…

Did retail set itself-up for disruption? In Australia we’ve heard alot of talk over recent years of how tough life is for retail brands. There’s no doubt the category is under pressure as competition increases and consumer behavior and expectations shift. In a recent interview,…

The Uber brand pivots like a tech start-up. In 2016 Uber launched uberMOTO in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, allowing riders to catch a ride on motorcycles. Uber have always been clear that they are not a ride share business, not even…

Taking a stand to stand out. The New York Times’ recent campaign has created something of a storm on social media where this clip has had more than 37 million views alone. A newspaper taking the high moral ground for truth in such a complex…

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…

Dockless bike sharing is an innovative and profitable new market place for tech-savvy start-ups but what happens when technology and good intentions meet the real world? The generosity of bikes appearing across cities throughout the world to help us get from A to B, improve…

  People are living more hectic lives, where being busy is now a competitive sport. This can cause stress, and stress boosts cortisol, turning us to fight or flight mode. So, to create some peace in the daily grind, Grolsch decided to do a music-fuelled…

Today’s post is an article written by Brandhook, good friends of ours and the sharpest brand research and insights agency around. This latest opinion piece by BrandHook CEO Pip Stocks was originally published in CEO Magazine. We intuitively know that customer experience is what keeps clients…

The Power of a Brand Apology There’s something about politics and brand management that creates a powerful aversion to apologising. There may have been a time when if a company did something wrong, the best policy was denial and steamroll at full speed until the…

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…

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,…

Friday Funny – Signs with a sense of humour. The business of business is enough to make most people lose their sense of humour, but there are some wonderful souls who keep their smiles-up through the rough and tumble, and when that humour is allowed…

Hyde Park July 1st, 2017 Green Day are the headline act to a sold out concert. Over 65,000 fans wait in anticipation… Queen’s 1975 hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, starts to play, and the audience creates the most spine tingling sing-a-long… an iconic song, over 40 years…

E for Excitement… and Brand Extension. Brand Extension isn’t always about launching more products with great sales potential in themselves. Sometimes the smartest brand extension plays are those that reinforce brand excitement and the values that made the brand loved in the first place. Uber…

Brand proposition and identity design creates powerful differentiation for specialist RTO advisory firm Truly Deeply developed a brand proposition and identity that brings to life the idea of ‘where success breeds success’. This is a powerful brand promise highlights a compelling and differentiated offer supported…

  Building on a tradition to create a vibrant aged care brand for future The new brand identity builds on Fronditha Care’s strong reputation within the Australian Greek community to create a leader in the provision of aged care services for a multicultural audience. Zoe…

Of Show Business & Branding A good mate of mine sent me an email this morning with a link to the trailer of The Greatest Showman, the first feature film of her great friend Michael Gracey. She was proud as punch and so she should…

In a fast changing digital world, we often get asked if business cards are still a necessity for your brand. While some people may see them as old fashioned, you would be surprised at how many people still like to carry cards and how important…

No More Late Night Trips to the Pharmacy Coined a ‘digital pharmacy’ Capsule’s brand strategy is about adding simplicity and convenience to their category. Capsule launched in New York last year and  although only based in NYC currently, the business model provides an insight into…

It doesn’t matter how much you spend on strategy, branding, creative, media or reputation if there’s something wrong with your culture. As Uber is currently proving. It’s impossible in today’s society to mask an internal culture with brand. Sooner or later the truth will out…

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…

  With the average person spending around 1842 hours at work per year we believe happiness and a healthy work culture are an imperative part of day to day operations. Happiness at work has become serious business these days with more and more workplaces wanting…

What is it about motorcycle brands? Harley Davidson has long been held-up as an example of branding at its finest. There’s something about the emotional connection between people who love to ride motorbikes and the brands who effectively tap into that emotion that adds a…

Feel like staying home this weekend? curling-up on the couch under a cozy rug in your PJs with candles burning, a glass of red from Vino Mofo, dinner from UberEats and a movie on Netflix?  Turns-out you’re not alone, but part of the global consumer…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…