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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…

The power of listening: Transforming brand critics into advocates One of my clients, Sally, called me yesterday to tell me that she had received some negative feedback about her brand imagery. The complaint came in the form of a harshly worded hand written note and…

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…

L-R Zac Prior(Tomorrow Man Facilitator), Tom Harkin (Tomorrow Man Founder), Emma Ferris (Art with Heart Event Manager) Paige Harkin (Tomorrow Woman Facilitator) and Tom Bell (Tomorrow Man Facilitator) We had the great privilege of handing the amazing team at Tomorrow Man a large cheque for…

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…

Brand collaboration reinforces Hotel Indigo’s brand difference. Hotel Indigo and leading global fashion brand Asos have partnered to create fashion inspired travel discovery. It’s a smart brand collaboration that finds another way to leverage the hotel’s one of kind boutique hotel experience. The Hotel Indigo…

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…

Diageo Plc to acquire Casamingos brand for $US 1 Billion. In four years, Clooney and Co have managed to create impressive brand value. Sure, they’ve achieved massive sales growth but take the people out of the brand and what are you left with? Diageo might…

Swedish home furniture brand Ikea continues to be at the heart of affordable stylish urban living. We always solute brands who continually look for interesting ways to engage and add value for the lives of their customers. That’s why we love this clever idea from…

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…

  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…

Following Australia’s lead, the UK introduces plain packaging laws for tobacco All advertising and branding of cigarettes is now banned in the UK. This follows similar laws introduced in Australia in 2012. For big tobacco brands, this is a massive challenge. They’ve effectively had almost…

A brand narrative that’s built around Orchard Thieves’ simple worldview that if you start bold, you’ll end bold. Heineken’s cider brand, Orchard Thieves keeps true to the brand’s mantra of ‘Be bold’ with it’s latest ad. The story follows a group of friends on their…

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…

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…

Global beer brand forced to defend its iconic red star and perceptions of it promoting communism. Dutch brand Heineken is recognised globally for its green cans and bottles. Another core brand asset is the red star. Unfortunately for Heineken, the red star is also seen…

Fragrance brand bucks category norms to standout in highly competitive fragrance category. Demeter continues to defy the age old art of using sex, glamour and mystique to sell fragrance. Instead, the brand uses everyday experiences as their inspiration. The US fragrance company has just released…

Game Changers branded content perpetuates the perception that the government is out of touch with most Australians During the past few days, The Australian Government’s Department of Finance has managed to create their place in history with a stunning fail in government advertising. In an…

‘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…

Moët & Chandon continues to flirt with their vending machines to extend the brand’s accessibility but does it cheapen the brand? The Moët vending machine has been making appearances in London bars and even Selfridges, now it’s popped up in a Vegas Hotel. You can now enjoy a Moët…

Multinational soft drink giant introduces its new brand architecture strategy to Australia. After decades of establishing more niche brands, Coca Cola has shifted back to what they call the ‘one brand’ design. Essentially, they are now refocusing on creating a stronger master brand, with more…

Yellow Tail uses Aussie humour and cliches to promote their wine brand to Americans. Aussie wine brand Yellow Tail is making headlines as an outsider buying up big on the US Super Bowl. It’s also the first wine brand to air a Super Bowl ad…

Grass Roots campaign clearly differentiates and revives the brand Iconic Australian footwear brand Volley’s ‘grassroots’ campaign is doing wonders for the brand. Until recently, Volley was perhaps one of those brands that you might have questioned whether it still existed. Not any more. Volley are…

Planning your budgets for 2017? Here’s what the experts are predicting in ad spend. Business Insider recently released a report that collated prediction findings from the big media houses for 2017. They found that Ad spend will increase in absolute terms, but year-on-year growth will…

D-Day approaches as Southern Cross Austereo (SCN) rebrands regional radio as Triple M or Hit. Next week, most of SCNs regional stations will get a new name and identity to align with the company’s city stations. This is largely a corporate brand architecture approach to…

Can an image change brand perception? McDonald’s recently introduced a Nutella Burger in its Italy restaurants. However, among the excitement of the new burger was a one image that was souring the publicity. A picture of the Nutella jar showing what is actually inside, has…

While most brands were trying to compete with the biggest discounts to standout over the Black Friday weekend, Patagonia continued to use its brand to guide true differentiation. Black Friday, Cyber Monday combine to be one biggest consumer shopping events of the year and it’s…

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…

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…

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…

The once iconic photography brand is back with new products and its 1971 brand icon. After more than decade, Kodak are hoping to revive some brand nostalgia and engage a new generation. As a counter trend to the digital evolution, just about anything analogue in…

Target gives up on brand differentiation and becomes another Kmart The remarkable turnaround of Kmart in the past few years has left its competitors scrambling to compete. The strategy has achieved its goal of killing Big W. However, in the fight, Westfarmers has also severally…

Iconic Aussie surf brand gets $US600m refinancing approval from US Court and makes big brand plans. With its finances now under control, Quicksilver is planning to turn around fledgling brand with ‘boardrider’ stores that showcase the true brand experience.

This Australia Day Meat and Livestock Australia has outdone themselves in their ‘Operation Boomerang’ campaign, with some help from their biggest critics. While many brands have tried to milk national pride and celebration for brand benefit, it’s hard to go past the dedication of Meat…