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Another Retail Disruptor Gets Physical. US online retailer; ‘Brandless’ made waves this week when it opened it’s first physical pop-up in West Hollywood, LA. The proposition of this retailer is an unbranded (plain label) $3-everything approach, taking the private label mindset and disrupting it. Brandless…

Should your brand identity design include a symbol? Working on a project currently we have a client keen to steer the creative process of their brand identity design in the direction of a logotype, that is a brand mark made-up of the word only without…

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 behavior. Founded by Adam Morgan after he wrote Eating the Big Fish – the book that popularised the term ‘challenger…

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’…

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…

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…

A beautiful Brand Gesture The Lake House in Dayelsford, Regional Victoria is one of my favourite places to retreat from the hustle and bustle of life, enjoy amazing local produce and of course get a little pampering action. So for my recent wedding anniversary we…

A Brilliant Inaugural Winner. Our client The Susan McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne have awarded their inaugural McKinnon Political Prize for political leader of the year to Liberal Senator Dean Smith. The Susan McKinnon Foundation is a non-partisan body established to find practical…

Today’s guest post is an article written by brand marketing expert and writer, Victoria Greene. Having a credible online presence is critical for brands of every shape and size — but your brand messaging needs to be on point if you’re going to actually engage…

A little recognition It’s always nice to get some external recognition of the something we are so passionate about. We’ve been channeling our insights, interest and love for all things brand design into our blog since 2009. We have built a community of almost 200,000…

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;…

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…

Nothing like being schooled on marketing by our own clients. Talking with a client this week he replayed of a conversation he’d had with another client I’d introduced him to. “You’ve gotta get that guy to shoot a testimonial video for you” he said, “he’s…

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,…

Imagine a world without brand design. Watching the opening round of AFLW over the weekend I spotted a sponsor sign that took me back to my childhood. The match was being played on a suburban ground in Adelaide and the huge metal sign was promoting…

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…

Branding from the creative and business hot spot, Seoul, Korea. Today we’re featuring a branding and packaging project created by our Korean partner agency; Metabranding, a brand consultancy in many ways similar to Truly Deeply. Our partnership is part of an ongoing focus for us…

Are banking brands finally getting ahead of the consumer curve? Reading an article this week about Chase Bank in the US, I noted for the second time in a week a services brand seeking to be “the apple genius bar” for their category. Not surprisingly,…

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…

Don’t throw the marketing baby out with the bathwater. This recent ad for Tiffany & Co. reminded me of the power of media placement. As the brand world continues to evolve and become more complex, it’s useful to keep in mind that some of the…

Creating a viral campaign with moments of nonsense and fun. If you’ve come across the “Dilly Dilly” movement on social media recently, you can thank Bud Light for turning the phrase into a catch-cry for the end of 2017. In a recent interview with Business…

Krone Organic Pilsner – A deliciously refreshing drop of beer branding. Norwegian brewery; Norbrew have released a new Pilsner called ‘Krone’, which is Norwegian for ‘Crown.’ The product is brewed using just four organic raw ingredients. This simple brewing recipe is reflected in the packaging…

Westfield acts to level the playing field in this increasingly Amazon dominated marketplace. The world of retail has been shaken by the emergence of Amazon as the world’s leading platform like no other development in my 25 years of branding. If retailers aren’t kept awake…

Who’s afraid of the big, bad, Amazon? Amazon soft launched in Australia this week to much anticipation. National radio network TripleM spoke to Truly Deeply Founder and creator of brands; Dave Ansett to get his view on what their arrival meant for Australian retailers. You…

A Unique Brand Soundtrack. I was out for a run recently (paying for it today) and as my path took me through a beautiful patch of suburban Melbourne I was greeted by the faint strain of bagpipes. The sound was at once foreign and charmingly…

Six Tips for Shopping Center Brand Activation. Westfield London created this brand activation with Lindt Chocolates in the UK. The magic meadow and maze enchanted children and families who engaged with several giant, iconic gold Lindt bunnies and Master Chocolatiers. Designed to drive sales throughout…

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,…

The world of retail has changed. Online shopping, online product and brand comparison, and the new shopping habits of consumers have significantly changed the retail landscape. Retailers, shopping strips and shopping centres have had to get agile in evolving the way they connect with and…

KFC Creates a Halloween Costume of their Iconic Colonel Sanders. Over the last two decades, fast food retail brand KFC have invested in an increasingly focused manner on bringing their founder Colonel Harland Sanders into the branding spotlight. They have reprised his image and locked-it…

Amazon Builds their House of Brands. New’s this week that Amazon has been advertising for brand managers to create  a private label of Sportswear Apparel is another indicator of the online retail giants ambition to become an owner as well as a seller of brands.…

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…

Experiential Marketing for Brands There’s as much mystery around experiential marketing for brands as there is interest and curiosity. Whether you’re planning a pop-up or a mobile brand taste, experiential can be a very effective way to engage consumers with your brand.  How much will…

The Greatest Barrier to Creativity. I recently read a great short article on Creative Review where three of the UK’s creative pioneers were asked their view on the greatest barriers to producing creative work. The article interviewed Caroline Pay, Joint Chief Creative Officer of Grey…

Brand Identity Design I Love. Located in London, The Bridge Theatre will be the official home of the London Theatre Company, an independent producing company focusing on new shows, as well as staging the occasional classic. This simple but powerful identity for the new theater…

Poor Government brand policy will prove costly. With the exception of creating a brand to attract tourism to our shores, the various layers of Government in Australia have never shown an understanding of the value of brand. When compared to the Governments of Europe and…

In a category devoid of innovation and brand engagement, this supermarket concept in China breaks the mold. Located in the city of Harbin, China, Home Park Food Store is a high-end retail food concept spread over 7200 square metres. Similar in concept to the Eataly…

The days of the casserole dish wedding gift are done. Global wedding registry site Zola has partnered-up with Airbnb to offer Airbnb gift cards as part of their offering. The move makes perfect sense to me. The experience economy shows no sign of weakening with the…

More disruptive thinking from Uber differentiates their brand offering. Ride sharing brand Uber and retail center behemoth Westfield have partnered to create waiting lounges for shoppers. Uber continue to think and act in a manner that is anything like their taxi brand competitors. When talking…

AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) is set to launch their 2017 Mentoring Program. The AGDA Mentoring Program is dedicated to bringing together experienced designers with those that are seeking help, advice, and/or experience. The program aims to promote and nurture the sharing of real-world skills…

So you build an amazing company… You invest in branding to grow awareness and value in your brand over many years – Congrats, you’ve made the grade. But after all your hard work comes brand fatigue. Consumers start turning to the newest brand on the…

The Big Changes in Branding. In my time working in the design and branding industry (some 25 years) the internet has been the single greatest thing we’ve seen. At the start of my career Apple launched their first Mac computer, the first step in a…

A growing tourism market with rich potential. There’s never been a better time to dust off your Mandarin textbook and shake the dust off of your Chinese New Year Dragon, because the number of Chinese visitors to Australia continues to grow rapidly and opportunities abound.…

Building Broader Brand Relationships is Good for Business. Many years ago, back when Apple was a personal computer business, Steve Jobs had a vision for Apple to play a valued part in more of the 1440 minutes in every person’s day than any other brand.…

Much more than brand spin – hopefully. Air France have announced to launch of Joon, an airline positioned for the European Millenial market. So what does that mean exactly and why should we believe this is more than just another low-cost airline brand entering the…

A Masterclass in New Retail Brand Mindset Following-on from their first collaboration in 2016, Alexander Wang and adidas have again steered clear of a standard retail approach. Last year’s collaboration was released through pop-up trucks in New York, London and Tokyo. Staying true to their…

The cost of a poorly designed brand identity. Parked at the traffic lights last week my attention settled on the kerbside branding for a new Snap Fitness gym that had recently opened in our neighborhood. I was immediately struck by the poor quality of their…

The power of design to beautifully deliver branding. Compared to most staff uniforms, flight attendants typically look pretty stylish, but with the bar being set at a high level, Chinese airline; Hainan is differentiating with haute courture. The airline brand’s new uniforms by designer Laurence…

Head of Salmat eCommerce, Ben Popplestone recently attended the Magento Imagine 2017 event in Las Vegas which brought together 2500 eCommerce experts from 45 countries to discuss the latest in online retail.  A hot topic at the event was the expansion of Amazon into new…

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…

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…

  Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and now the world’s second wealthiest man once said; “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff’s clearly a visionary business leader who gets brand. But for most CEOs re-branding is…