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A glimpse into the
quality of our thinking.
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4Thinking
In the pages that follow, you will gain a glimpse
into the quality of thought-leadership we have here
at FutureBrand as the bloggerati in our network
of employees share trends and technologies,
observations and predictions, reflections and insights,
across a gamut of branding, innovation and design.
You’ll be rewarded with not just a wealth of
knowledge that enriches your decision-making
ability to bring tangible bottom-line benefits to your
business, but also an understanding that the inherent
power of creative strategy and expression is what
transforms brands and fuels peoples’ relationships
with brands, through loyalty, attitude, belief and even
a cultural identity.
and take your time to savour the feast of information
contained within these pages.
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5
The brands of the future will help
you consume less
Why Branding is not Advertising,
and Advertising is not Branding
Iconography in Branding: The
importance of getting it right
Driving brand performance
through creating desire
How hard is your brand
management tool working?
Managing v#content –
Owned brand and consumer
brand management
Five things all brand managersshould know!
The power of the inner crowd:
Building brands from within
3 brand lessons to learn from
#fitchthehomeless
Top 10 brands “twentysomethings”
cannot live without and why
American spirit in brand
identity design
Tackling the war for talent
Lessons in mobile marketing
Managing resistance to change
Partnership Branding:
A growth strategy
When humans – not tech, are put
at the centre of the experience,everyday problems get solved
The NINJA Generation and how
they’re changing the world
4.
10.
14.
20.
24.
28.
32.
38.
42.
46.
52.
56.
60.
66.
70.
74.
Innovation sparks… innovation?
By 2014, your postman could
be an astronaut
The hi-tech weddings of the future
Disconnect to reconnect! –The 1.0 holidays of the FUTURE!
In the future, our home will be
a Fashion accessory
In the future, we’ll go back to school
without schoolbags, but we’l still be
making pasta necklaces!
Ebb & flow: How maps and big
data can help us understand how
diseases spread
FutureBrand at Tent London 2013
Cannes 2013 – A post-modern
approach to creativity after 60 years
FutureBrand wins prestigious CLIO
award for American Airlines
Corporate Philanthropy:
Now more than part of the agenda
Davos 2013: How companies can
create a better future
The 22nd century will be the African
century (and other predictions)
Future Brilliance! New brands
for Afghanistan and the world
ONE way to change the world
Congratulations Solar Impulse
78.
82.
86.
88.
92.
96.
100.
104.
108.
112.
118.
122.
130.
126.
134.
138.
142.
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6 Thinking
“Instead of trying to blindly
increase penetration and frequency, future brandswill help consumersunderstand how muchthey consume, and what
this means for their health,wealth and happiness.”
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7
The brandsof the futurewill help you
consume less
by Tom Adams
Right now, companies get by through
pushing more and more stuff we don’t need.
But with data and personalization, they
might earn our loyalty and dollars by giving
us exactly what we do.
It is an article of faith in mass marketing that more
consumption is good. Marketers focus on increasing
penetration and frequency – selling to more people,
more often – as ends in themselves, and research
consumer attitudes to everything from packaging
design and pricing to the position of products on
shelves to do it. Brands help them to do this more
effectively by making things attractive and easy to
identify and playing on unconscious desire.
So we quite often consume more than we need of
the wrong things, which wastes money, time, and the
world’s resources. For example, it is estimated that
Americans throw away 20 pounds of food per person
per month, restaurants in China throw away enough
food to feed 200 million people a year and we send
hundreds of millions of mobile phones to landfill
annually. Not just that, but potato chips and sweetened
drinks, among other convenience foods, make us
more fat than any other products. So unthinking massconsumption, and the brand marketing that drives it, has
to change before stuff runs out and we end up floating
around in hover chairs like the future humans in Wall-E.
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8Thinking
What if brands were able to help us
consume less, not more?
In the future, brands will still sell dreams, but will
also provide tools for a better reality. We have the
technology today to track exactly what we consume,
when we consume it and how much it costs –
individually and collectively. Branded products and
services are increasingly connected, as are the people
that use them, so individual brands and the companies
behind them can learn how they are being used.
Retail banks now offer services that allow you to trackyour history and see exactly how you have spent your
money, which provides an unprecedented level of
insight for the banks and builds customer loyalty. Fitness
ecosystems like Nike Fuelband and Fitbit track and
share your levels of physical activity on a real-time basis.
Insurance companies have been offering telematics to
peg premiums to actual usage for years in car insurance.
Major organizations now report exactly what
environmental and social impact their manufacturingprocesses and products have on the world – from CO2
emissions to waste and use of resources. And the major
global retailers that provide most of the things we buy
every day know exactly what they sell and who to, often
building sophisticated loyalty schemes around that
data. But, as you would expect, they tend to use it to
recommend more consumption to us, not less.
This fragmentation will soon be a thing of the past
and consumers will increasingly be able to join uptheir diverse personal data sources – levels of activity,
spending, location, consumption – to create lifestyle
“As you would expect, brands tend to useour personal data to recommend moreconsumption to us, not less.”
dashboards that provide real-time information on
what they are using, where it is from and the impactit is having on the world around them. I will be able
to measure how many soft drinks I have, how much
sugar they contain, and what this means for my calorific
intake. Combine this with basic measures of health
and well-being – my blood pressure, cholesterol,
weight, family medical history and levels of activity and
my consumption choices will start to be framed not
by marketing, but by a real understanding of how my
consumption affects me and everyone else. Not just
generally, but at the point of purchase and consumption.This data then becomes an asset to the consumer that
they can optimize and sell to service providers.
N i k e F u e l b a n d . < w w w . i n s i d e r . n i k e . c o m >
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Where do brands t into this?
Instead of trying to blindly increase penetrationand frequency, future brands will help consumers
understand how much they consume, and what
this means for their health, wealth and happiness.
My favorite pizza brand will know how many times
I have enjoyed its meat feast this month and let me
know if I should try a healthier alternative when I
reach my pre-agreed limits.
Instead of allowing me to overspend on my monthly
mobile phone tariff every month, my mobile brandwill calibrate my bill to my actual usage in real time,
reducing as well as increasing the amount I spend
based on personal activity not averages. My gym
brand will only charge me when I use its facilities,
but also find ways to help me exercise more based
on my personal location, levels of activity and health,
as well as connecting me to other members who can
encourage me to visit more frequently – attending
to my overall fitness and wellbeing, not just my hours
using its equipment.
“Loyalty will earn insights and a better
holistic life, not just discounts thatencourage more consumption.”
My favorite retail brand will build a personalshopping cart for me based not only on what I
have bought in the past, but how much food I
have thrown away, whether food is in season and
available from local sources, as well as showing
product alternatives bought by similar customers
who have my desired body weight or health profile.
It will also help me to reduce my household waste
and environmental impact by recommending
products with less packaging and brands that have
a lower carbon footprint.
Loyalty will earn insights and a better holistic life, not
just discounts that encourage more consumption.
My favorite car brand will allow me to access any
model I like when I need it and only pay for the time
I use. And because ownership will shift from me as a
consumer back to the automotive company, it will take
care to fully recycle its machines – reusing the raw
materials that made it to create new cars, rather than
committing them to landfill.
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10Thinking
Less will build loyalty
Brands have always been a promise of quality and
addressing personal needs and this is how they build
loyalty – people want to recreate previous good
experiences and brands help them to do it easily.
In the future, this quality of experience will depend
on helping people to understand and manage how
much they consume, not just offering pleasure,
efficacy and consistency. As they do this, not only will
they deliver the great experiences we want, they will
also help us to reduce waste, improve our health andbe more conscious of the impact our consumption
has on the world around us.
This will make us more loyal to brands, not less,
because we will depend on them as vital inputs
to our quantified selves. And it will make sure that
corporations continue to make money and grow
sustainably by providing things that genuinely improve
our quality of life, rather than just selling us too much
of stuff we don’t need.
Because it costs them more to sell things that are
wasted, and they might find that people are prepared to
pay more for less, saving them money on raw materials,
packaging and distribution that simply are not necessary
– “concentrated” washing detergents being the prime
example in mass market products today.
But the key to this future is the creation and
management of the dashboard itself. Who will we
trust to aggregate this information, interpret it andstore it on our behalf? For example, would I allow
a food brand access to my health or financial
information so it can design better food for me?
The unspoken contract between people and the
brands they love will need to be more explicit – I trust
you with my data and you have my best interests
at heart in return. If you don’t, the contract breaks
down and brand loyalty is broken. The most obvious
candidates for this kind of trust are the current
“Who will we trust to aggregate thisinformation, interpret it and storeit on our behalf?”
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11
aggregator brands – the search engines, the multi-
brand retailers, the software service providers – brands
that exist to help us get access to multiple products,
services and information, we depend on every day,
and are increasingly personalising their services around
individual customer needs and data.
So what will our future consumption look like?
Supermarkets will deliberately sell us fewer products
in smaller packages. Automotive brands will stopselling us cars and start selling us access to mobility
services. Financial services brands will help us to spend
less money within our means. Soft drinks brands will
sell us fewer sparkling beverages. Insurance brands
will charge us lower premiums based on our individual
behavior, not actuarial tables. All in the interests of
building the loyalty that comes from being understood
and not trying to manipulate us into using more
than we want or need. And one brand will bring it all
together to drive the balance.
The question is, which brand will you choose to do it?
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“A brand is used in
business to differentiategoods or services fromeach other and to helpcreate associations inthe minds of consumers
which lead to awareness, preference and ultimately,choice or purchase.”
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13
Why Branding isnot Advertising,and Advertising
is not Branding
by Chris Nurko
As the Super Bowl in the United States fades from
memory, and clients pay their bills for the mega-
spend on their ads (estimated by the AP to be $4
million for 30 seconds and exposure to an audience
of 112m viewers), it seems an appropriate opportunityto remind everyone why Branding is not Advertising,
and Advertising is not Branding. I want to make it clear
that I am not “Advertising bashing” ; in fact I am a huge
advocate of Advertising in all of its forms as both a
strategic and tactical means of creating effective brand
interest, awareness, desire and sales. However, unlike
the proverbial “chicken vs. egg” discussion, Advertising
is only effective if the brand and its strategy have
been established first and it is subservient to the brand
strategy at all times. As the debate rages over what the“best” or “most effective” ads were for the Super Bowl –
my question is, which brands used the Super Bowl and
Advertising to the greatest effect for their overall Brand
Strategy? Before I can answer that, let’s just be clear
about what the difference and relationship is between
Brand Strategy and Advertising.
Branding 101 – defined. Branding is the term for a
company, product or service that can be recognised by
the following key ingredients: a unique name, a uniquelogotype/marque or visual identity, and a distinctive
value proposition or “offer” . A brand is used in business
to differentiate goods or services from each other and
to help create associations in the minds of consumers
which lead to awareness, preference and ultimately,
choice or purchase. Brands are strategic assets that
on their own or across a portfolio, help to create
customer loyalty and advocacy thus generating apredictive model for future income. By measuring
brand choice (today’s sales, market share, loyalty, etc.)
a brand’s owner can project future sales with a degree
of certainty and thus value. This future value of a brand
is thus dependent upon a brand being both consistent
in terms of delivery and “offer” while remaining
relevant and salient to consumers. A brand strategy
is therefore all about being consistent and ensuring
that existing and potential brand audiences are familiar
with, and interested in, the brand’s offer. Keep inmind, when it comes to brands, consumers expect
consistency and a strong current and future brand
is reliable for its unique and defined set of qualities
and attributes that appeal and sustain a consumer’s
attention. If it is successful, a brand establishes an
image in consumers’ minds that creates awareness
and hopefully a “position” that makes it distinct,
differentiated and desired by the target audience.
In order to remain relevant and salient to consumers,a brand must continually reinforce its “position” (versus
the competition) and build awareness and preference
amongst its audience targets.
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14Thinking
To this end, a brand strategy is the sum total of how
the brand and its physical attributes (identity, product,
packaging, services and experiences) are associatedand identified with a set of emotional and mental
attributes (brand image, values, associations, and
unique selling points) that leads to sales. The brand
strategy is the means by which a brand as an asset
is linked to an offer of value that consumers are
willing to pay for and repeatedly purchase over time
so as to create demand. In this way, a brand strategy
for a company, a product or service is executed
and linked to the financial performance of a brand
owner. In order to be successful, the tools andmethods of how a brand communicates its salience
and relevance must be uniquely determined and
leveraged. This is the Brand Communications Strategy
and it is most often made up of Advertising, Media
or Channel Planning, Public Relations, Point of Sale
and Digital/Social or Direct Marketing. Each of these
communications disciplines must work both on their
own and in concert to create an effective “Campaign”
for a brand. This in itself means that a single theme
or series of messages related to a brand is effectively
communicated to audiences to create awareness,
recognition, preference and ultimately, choice for
the brand. A Marketing Strategy is the allocation of
resources required for a brand to be effective given
sales and marketing challenges or competitive activity.
To reinforce my point, a Brand Strategy must come
before the Brand Communications Strategy and it
must be linked to future sales and growth.
So, isn’t Advertising just the TV Ads? No, the TV ads are
only part of the equation – albeit the most expensive and
highest profile aspect of the medium. Advertising hascome to mean the collective use of all forms of Above
the Line (ATL) and Below the Line (BTL) communications
tactics and disciplines. Advertising tends to be “Campaign”
oriented so as to reflect both the shopping/buying
cycles of consumers in any given year, and it reflects the
product or category innovation development of brand
owners. When these two
aspects are brought together, a Brand Communications
Strategy can be developed. A single “theme” or “set of
messages” are developed based on the Brand Strategywhere the objective is to raise awareness and aid
recognition of the brand and link this to the action
of purchase and recommendation.
A strong campaign helps to promote a brand’s relevance
and salience by tapping into the
consumer’s conscious and unconscious mindset.
Ideally, the campaign’s goal is to help create stronger
associations and interest in the brand, the product/
service/experience or category so as to “position’” the
brand for future consideration and purchase by the
consumer. Advertising that is well conceived and well
executed is the ultimate means of bringing a brand
“to life” for consumers by creating a link between the
consumers’ needs and wants, which in turn drives
purchase consideration and behaviour. Often, the
strongest Ad Campaigns create additional elements
of a brand’s narrative or story via campaign imagery, story
lines, slogans/jingles, mnemonics and
associations (including celebrity endorsements).
Ultimately, it prompts the consumer to choose and buy
the product, service or experience either for the first time
(trial and consideration) or for repeated times (loyalty/
advocacy). If a “campaign” is well integrated and executed
using a brand’s unique and memorable attributes, it
creates additional elements that strengthen recall and
preference, a brand gains in strength. Brand strength
means that advertising not only delivers awareness and
recall (aided and unaided) but consumers attach the
specific brand attributes to the communications which
derive from the brand’s core values, attributes and unique
selling points. A strong brand therefore is able to generate
future growth and value.
P e p s i . < h a l f t i m e . p e p s i . c o m >
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What happens when the Advertising
becomes the Brand Strategy?
Ok, so finally i get to my point! If anadvertising strategy becomes the brand
strategy, a few things can occur:
A brand becomes associated with a “Campaign” and
by its very nature – the “Campaign” begins to take on a
life of its own. This often leads to the awareness beinghigh and recall strong (usually because the campaign
elements become cultural signifiers, mnemonic icons
or vernacular catch phrases) but this often fails to
translate into actual sales or differentiating product/
service or experience benefits. The brand experiences
a spike amongst consumers of media and the client
becomes hooked on levels of marketing spend which
need to be continually reinvested so as to maintain
the brand’s profile. This can often occur with total
disregard to either developing the product or serviceexperience or without truly engaging the consumer(s)
of the brand. The brand either becomes a “generic” for
the category, or becomes invisible as each campaign
becomes “wallpaper” . Often seen in the background
but simultaneously ignored. There are frequently no
discernible or unique aspects to the “ad” and one
could easily substitute any brand for the storyline as
long as the storyline stays the same. Conventional
wisdom also says that when the storyline becomes too
familiar, the audience begins judging the storyline ofthe plot against previous “episodes” or versions of the
storyline – and this results in comments like… “it wasn’t
as good as the last ad”. Forgetting about the brand and
focusing on the ad story is never a good thing.
The campaigns often are characterised by advertising
that is disconnected to the actual product, service or
experience. They become victims to advertising thatplays to either a) stereotypes and archetype narratives
which are category generics (thus not differentiating),
or b) they become indulgent set-pieces in bizarre,
humorous or surreal executions which often leave
the consumer or viewer wondering what the ad was
about and with no connection to the product, service,
experience or brand at all. In many cases, the “creative”
metaphor is one of extreme yet familiar storylines so
that it either “shocks” or “grabs attention” yet fails
to connect with any aspect of the brand that is uniqueor part of the user experience. Often these ads are
funny in the short term, but do they make you go
out and “buy” the product, or feel “better” about
the brand itself?
So, with this in mind… make up your own mind about
the 2013 Super Bowl ads… and use this as a guide
for whether the ads are good for the brand or not.
Hint – if you can’t remember the brand, or there is no
discernible difference between the brand, the productand any other competitor – maybe it’s time to re-think
the Brand Strategy and Communications Strategy link.
Bravo to the brand strategy directors and marketing
teams who recognised the value of putting a strong
storyline linked to brand assets (icons, symbols and
unique attributes) into an emotive promotion. For
these brands, the future is one of stronger recall,
positive associations and reinforced attributes.
1 2
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“The iconography of a
nation is representativeof culture, patriotism,history and pride.”
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Iconographyin Branding:
The importanceof getting it right
by Chris Nurko
B a n k o f C a n a d a . < w w w . b a n k o f c a n a d a . c a >
Let’s explore three interesting and topical brand issues
in the news that underscore the power and importance
of Branding, national identity and design and the
powerful role they have in communications. All three
are examples of national identities derived from, and
integral to, the flags of their respective nations.
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18Thinking
Canada and
Currency
First of all, Canada has introduced a new
currency note that uses a maple leaf designas part of the security feature across the
denominations of Canadian Dollars.
The new design includes what has been
described as a “representative” leaf as
opposed to an “actual” leaf (meaning –
a stylised interpretation of what a maple
leaf looks like based on no specific variety
of Maple Tree). However, Botanists and
Canadians are not letting this one get “spun”
– why? Because it does not look like thetraditional native Canadian sugar maple leaf,
but rather looks like an imported species of
maple tree (the Norwegian maple leaf).
One could be forgiven if the differences
were subtle, but anyone familiar with
Canadian symbolism and iconography
knows – the leaves are different and the
sugar maple is the definitive representation
of all things Canadian. So, why and howcould this happen? At the end of the day
(as suggested in the BBC news report), the
role of design is one of interpretation, and
therefore sometimes a designer needs to
take the liberty of interpretation for variousreasons. In commercial enterprise, theatre
and/or entertainment – this is acceptable
and encouraged. However, when it comes
to government, business or any aspect of
society in which a degree of trust, familiarity
or citizenship is involved it is better not
to stray too far from convention. The
iconography of a nation is representative
of culture, patriotism, history and pride. The
symbolism of a flag or coat of arms is almostsacrosanct and needs to be treated with
respect and care, and it needs to be accurate
to previous and historic convention. I would
argue, in the case of currency – that this is a
base requirement. So – kudos for retaining
the maple leaf design as an integral part of
the currency, and embracing technology to
allow it to be integrated as a security feature
(a see through window). However, nil points
for mistaking an imported leaf species or“stylistically blending” the Norwegian variety
with the familiar, iconic and truly native
Canadian sugar maple leaf!
T h e F l a g S t o r e . < w w w . t h e fl a g s t o r e . c a >
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Cuba and the
Union Jack
The second example is the report out of
Havana that Cubans are going “loco” for
anything Union Jack. The “bandera inglesa”
(English flag) is a popular design icon for
everything from clothes, to bags, and
tattoos! Technically – the flag is the British
flag (made up of the English Cross of
St George alongside the Scottish Cross
of St Andrew and the Cross of St Patrick).It is officially the Union Flag but in common
parlance is referred to as the “Union Jack” .
But we are splitting hairs… to young Cubans,
it represents a cool design feature which is
now very “on trend” because of the London
2012 Olympic Games. When asked in the
BBC feature as to why they like it or what
they associate it – a young Cuban answers
that because “the country is beautiful, the
people are friendly and the women are
pretty.” Introduced last summer, the effect
of the Olympic Games and the coverage of
London 2012 has had an impact which has
translated into a commercial opportunity
for vendors in Havana. Suffice to say,
the “Cool Britannia” of the Union Jack is
evident around the world and in Britain as
well – but, to the extent that an avowed
Communist state and its people embrace
a symbol of the United Kingdom versus just
a nice piece of red, white and blue design
depends on their associations. And, in this
case – it is one not of politics but sport
and the cultural coverage from The Games.
R e - t i q u e d b y R a e B
o n d . < r e - t i q u e d . b l o g s p o t . c o m >
D
a i l y M a i l O n l i n e . < d a i l y m a i l . c o . u k >
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20Thinking
Therefore, one cannot approach the task
lightly. However, I believe the new American
Airlines design gets it right for several reasons.
The iconic elements of the
silver fuselage, red/white/blue,
and “eagle” have all been retained,
contemporised and incorporated
into one system that is easier
to implement and facilitates
brand recognition.
The tailfin is both dynamic andexpressive with a strong reference
to the “flag carrier” concept yet it
is abstract and not literal.
The “flight symbol” is a strong
stand-alone element that unifies
all of the components into one
that aid recognition and ownership,
making it distinctive.
The symbols of America are enduring
and strong, but also ubiquitous and to
create something which stands apart is a
tough challenge. Judging by blog forum
discussions and overall press, the consensus
is that American Airlines needed a “new”
breath of fresh air into its design and visual
identity, and whether you like it or not –
for the brand and the business it was the
right thing to do.
Preserving equity and iconic status is a
challenge, and for an airline it is vital. The
new American represents a 21st century
America and will stand the test of time!
American
Airlines and
the new American
The third example is that of American
Airlines. We at FutureBrand spent two years
investigating and understanding everyelement of the American Airlines identity as
well as what represents “America” in terms
of symbols, icons, graphics, colors, type and
associations. The result is the new identity of
American Airlines. (You can read more about
it on the futurebrand.com web pages and
indeed, in the press).
You can make up your own mind about it
from a subjective or objective point of view.My point in this article is to merely highlight
that when a branding or design firm is
asked to leverage symbols and icons of a
commercial enterprise (and one in which
there is history, equity and pride) you have
to be careful!
Plus, if those elements are also part of a wider
narrative or cultural symbolism (e.g. that of
the nation) you have to be extra vigilant. Inthe airline business, logos and tailfins are
the glamour elements and the icons that
enter into the social and cultural vernacular.
1
2
3
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“Building a structure
within the business toencourage creativityrequires the right people, processes andtools. Having these
three components in place is vital in ensuringcommunication iscentralised and teamsunderstand the stages
of an approval process.”
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23
Driving brandperformance
throughcreating desire
by Simon Jenkinson
So what makes our brands and organisations tick?
Most would agree that it’s our people who are
responsible for driving success of the business.
Surely it’s one of the oldest corporate challenges
in the book – “How do we motivate our employees
to perform better?”. From team building days,
hanging upside down on obstacle courses to the
good old fashion cash incentive. There have been
hundreds of solutions to encourage staff to be more
productive with a view to increasing productivity
and the bottom-line.
With over 13 million Google results – who has the right
answer? Or is there even one model that fits all?
One approach I came across was coined by Whetten
and Cameron, who discuss the link between
performance and motivation by referring to the
following equation (I added the last part in the mix):
Performance = Ability × Motivation
where Motivation = Commitment × Desire
and where Desire = Creativity × Autonomy
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24Thinking
Admittedly, this equation could go
on forever, however by using this
model it suggests that employeesmust first and foremost have
desire – and to create desire,
individuals must feel a degree of
independence and/or freedom
(Autonomy), coupled with being
involved and leading challenging
and engaging tasks to achieve
shared goals (Creativity).
Dan Pink suggests a similarapproach, his book Drive
highlights: “The secret to high
performance and satisfaction
– at work, at school, and at home
– is the deeply human need to
direct our own lives, to learn and
create new things, and to do
better by us and our world.”
He also goes on to suggest that
cash incentives don’t provide anindividual with the desire to be
creative on a daily basis.
Giving individuals the freedom
to do what they please, including
making critical business decisions
sounds like a dangerous theory!
But how about allowing such
individuals to be creative with
a degree of validation from senior
members – a little more easy
to digest? Building a structure
within the business to encourage
creativity requires the right people,
processes and tools. Having these
three components in place is vital
in ensuring communication is
centralised and teams understandthe stages of an approval process.
So to summarise, if you want your
employees to perform better and
the business to thrive, start at the
bottom of the equation and create
the desire by:
Ensuring aspects of your
employees’ roles arecreativity, challenging
and satisfying and provide
them with the tools to
foster collaboration
Give individuals the
freedom to make their
own decisions – with a
level of oversight from
the top – but not toomuch bureaucracy please
So as opposed to empowering
teams (which is really another
word for control), provide them
with enough scope to take control
of their own working lives and give
them purpose in fulfilling what
they already know as their role.
The outcome could quite well be
increased productivity, enhanced
satisfaction, unforeseen innovation
and in-turn creation of greater
quality products and services
for your consumer.
1
2
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To disseminate
the above
even further:
performance motivationability
motivation commitment
creativity autonomy
desire
desire
N
It is about feelingaspects of freedom
and self-control over
ones own direction.
A u t o n o m y
N
It is all about
putting in effort.
C o m m i t m e n t
Refers to their
drive to succeed.
M o t i v a t i o n
It is about beinginnovative, challenged
and engaged.
C r e a t i v i t y
Seen as the level of
competence to fulfill
the role an individual
has chosen.
A b i l i t y
Seen as enthusiasmfor doing a task.
D e s i r e
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“Businesses demand
more from any tool(s)they invest in, andrightly so, many toolsonly provide a singlesolution to a problem
though companies todaydemand that a singletool solves a plethoraof business issues.”
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27
How hard is your brand
managementtool working?
by Simon Jenkinson
When I researched the market to compare brand
and asset management solutions about 5 years ago,
I found that a lot of the web-based solutions looked
like they’d been built in the 80s, primarily because they
were created by tech houses with little or no design
thinking applied to the interface. Of course, underlying
technology plays a key role here, but should not be
the prime focus. In order to be successful, user
adoption must be at the top of the list, meaning –
first and foremost, the intended end-user must be
able to easily use and adopt the tool with no training.
When we introduced our own brand management
tool at FutureBrand, the initial intent was for managing
and sharing brand assets and communicating one-
way brand thinking and best practice to our global
network. Shortly after launch, the adoption of the
Creative Workflow feature fell into place. The workflow
component allows for team collaboration, review and
approval of materials produced across regional/local
teams. The uptake of the tool really filled a gap around
multi-way communication; it reduced the amount
of in-bound emails and enhanced project team
alignment. Managing branded assets and guideline
materials in today’s market is a given, but having a
centralised tool that tracks performance of review and
approvals, artwork production and content publishing
really brings great insights to the table while delivering
brand consistency.
Businesses demand more from any tool(s) they invest
in, and rightly so, many tools only provide a single
solution to a problem though companies today
demand that a single tool solve a plethora of business
issues. Brand management tools are no different;
they need to satisfy more functions and departmental
requirements than ever.
From experience, other requirements typically fall
into the following areas; managing multiple brands,
creating & tracking campaigns, localising artwork,
product management, material ordering, publishing
and monitoring social network content and providing
one-to-one support to the network.
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28Thinking
MGetting the right stakeholders on-board
at the start of the process will ensure
adoption at the end, plus gaining insights
from Marketing, Advertising, Legal, IT and
Management teams will ensure the toolserves the purpose of the whole business.
1
2
3
Involve the right
people at the start
Make it easy to use
Make the tool relevant
in getting the job done
So here are my top-five considerations when
implementing a brand management tool:
As discussed above, the easier the
tool and the more benefits it provideson a daily basis, the better.
Managing a whole workforce to adopt new
brand strategies and visual identity systems
is all about change management. Equipping
teams with the tools, training and knowledge
they can digest in their own time will help
alleviate the challenges they face.
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29
4
5
Centralised
engagement
Measure, measure
and measure
Teams and individuals can engage with
others on many different levels and in
various ways. Providing a centralised
location to foster collaboration is key;
not just to make their lives easier but
also for corporate compliance reasons.
By identifying the current state of play
at the start of the project will allowbenchmarking success later down the line.
Tracking the performance and measuring
retention, usage, adoption, operational
processes and learning and growth metrics
can provide streamlining opportunities
and justifiable Return-on-Investment.
To conclude, if you have a brand asset
management tool, that is just that, “asset
management” , perhaps it’s time to thinkabout what other business benefits a brand
tool should be satisfying; one that provides
efficiencies to teams, fosters collaboration,
retains brand value and provides insights
into overall brand performance.
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“Connecting both real-
world physical productsand digital content withthe consumer experiencehas, and will extend theopportunity to build
brand loyalty withexisting customer...”
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31
Managing v#content– Owned brandand consumerbrand management
by Simon Jenkinson
As we all know, the role of marketing was once
focused on one-way communication to consumers;
the 4 Ps evolved to 7 with the 8th arguably being
“personalisation” , 9th – “problem” , 10th – “peer-to-
peer” … You get the idea. Today it’s the consumer
that predominately promotes products and brands
between themselves. According to a recent report
by Forrester*, some 70% of U.S. online adults trust
brand or product recommendations from friends and
family and 46% trust consumer (written online) reviews,
while just 10% trust ads on websites and 9% trust text
messages from companies or brands. Technology
has accelerated this change and word-of-mouth
has opened up personal opinion globally.
N e u s t a r . < b l o g . n e u s t a r . b i z >
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32Thinking
to combat tomorrow’s v#content
brand management challenges.
Solid rules and
foundations of a “Brand”.
Flexibile, scalable,
relevant and high
performing “Assets”.
Adaptable and compliant
“Workflow” processes.
Having these foundations
in place will allow for brands
to be successful; set, create,
approve, publish, protect and
measure the standards of owned
and consumer based campaign
branded v#content.
Of course, v#content should not
just be restricted to digital formats,
real-world products also need to
evolve… And they are… Recent
innovations in mobile and sensor
technologies allow for creating a
digital representation of almost any
physical entity and its parameters
over time at any place, deemed as
“Smart Products.^”
Technology alone is not the
solution – consumers still need
to be put at the centre of the
experience, with technology as a
supporting role, Adriano Galardi
sums this up well with the article
“When humans – not tech, are put
at the centre of the experience,
everyday problems get solved”
at page 77.
Yesterday brand management was
simply about managing assets,
PDF guidelines, self diagnosis,
decentralised touch-point silos
and logo Police. Tomorrow, the
role of brand management is
about asset performance, “Just-in-
Time” approvals and centralising
efficiencies of owned on- and
off-line branded content and the
life-cycle of such content when
adopted and personalised by
consumers. FutureBrand classifies
this type of content-collaboration
as v#content (virtual content).
I believe that the tool(s) used in the
brand management process need
to consider three key components
The challenge now becomes:
How do brands manage
owned brand contentand consumer created/
personalised brand content?
1
2
3
Brand
Assets Workflow
Effectiveness & Efciencies
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33
The plot thickens… Let’s consider
that branded content comes
in two forms:
Physically, such as
product packaging.
Digitally, such as owned
and consumer hashtag
and/or image and
video content.
Connecting both real-worldphysical products and digital
content with the consumer
experience (via RFID, QR Codes
and AR) has, and will extend the
opportunity to build brand loyalty
with existing customer, while
providing a platform for said
1
2
Sources:
* Forrester (2013) report based
on a survey of more than
58,000 respondents^ Wikipedia “Smart Products”
customers to mobilise, connect
and activate their affiliation
with family and friends in anon-brand way.
So, future brand management
needs to consider not just the
physical, but also virtual and social
aspects of marketing consumer
connections and the process and
tools used to create, distribute,
manage and measure the way
consumers adopt and personalisev#content. The output will
provide greater connection and
engagement between products,
brands and the consumers’ voice.
And potentially reduce your
marketing spend while retaining
brand equity.
1
1 0 1
0 0 1 0
1 01 11 0 1
01 1 0 101 11
0 10101 01010
1110 01001011
0100011010110
Physical products
Digitalcontent
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“A brand must drive its
category forward incontinually providingrelevance and benets for its consumers. Ideally, by innovating
and continuallyimproving where, what,and how consumersexperience and derivevalue from the brand.”
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35
Five thingsall brand
managersshould know
by Chris Nurko
Managing a brand is a tough job today. Not only are
there continual pressures to manage budgets and gain
more for less from your agency partners but there is
also the added complexity of managing your brand in
real time with metrics coming in from multiple on-line
sources, communities and daily web traffic reports.
Needless to say, Agency campaign results whether
ATL, BTL or Digital can be confusing – and, when
the “Boss” (insert Brand Director, Head of Strategic
Marketing, SVP Marketing or even CMO) emails you
to ask, “How is the Brand doing?” , you may be forgiven
for either wondering if your response may be a career
defining/limiting answer, or a chance to dazzle with
the expertise and data points that will demonstrate
your brilliance and importance. Either way, all too
often the responses can be either poorly constructed
or lacking in depth.
So, here I offer my top 5 action points for all brand
managers to keep on hand and know at all times
about their brand. It goes without saying, that these
5 key points should be aligned to the 5 key things that
a brand should always have at the heart of its strategy.
Of course, there could be more – however, this is my
list so feel free to add and expand! I hope it is useful for
those at the “front lines” of brand marketing and sales.
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36 Thinking
Market share is a key indicator of business
performance as it measures the “units sold” of a
product/service as a % of the total market sales.
It can also be measured in revenue, or “dollar/euro/
pound/etc market share” . It enables brand managers
to understand the competitive situation in relation
to the market’s growth, stagnation (flat line sales)or decline. If a key target or strategic objective is
to achieve or protect “share” , a brand manager must
know the dynamics of the market and how his or
her brand is performing. This will drive the choice
of tactical brand marketing strategies and executions.
Marketshare Sales gures(and sales trends)
For any FMCG brand or retail brand, knowing the sales
figures is critical to assessing performance across a set
period of time. Whether that be weekly (most common
in retail) or monthly/quarterly (consumer goods), the
Net Sales figures give an accurate indication of what
consumers are buying and at what price, which allows
a firm to calculate its revenue.
Gross sales are useful to know, however they may
not be accurate due to goods being returned or
coupon/discounting. Therefore, from an accounting
point of view Net Sales = Revenue, and for a brand
this, combined with market share gives the most
accurate indication of performance. The sales trends
are the longer term history of a brand and category
performance which involves tracking a brand, and
identifying when and where consumer buyingbehaviours changed or were influenced by any
external events or marketing campaigns.
1 2
$
%¢÷
+
+
+
+
=-
+
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37
Awareness (aided and unaided)scores by target audience Advocacynumbers
This measure is literally the number of “advocates or
fans” whose contact details, addresses or “permission
based marketing” approvals you have to engage in
1:1 dialogue. There are different means of gauging
advocacy for a brand, but the most reliable is based
on Permission Based Data (often held by the CRM
function in a firm). This translates into consumerswho have purchased and “liked” your brand enough
to give you their permission to engage in dialogue or
marketing promotions.
Whether this is on-line or via telephone/direct mail,
this data is the reservoir of advocacy from which
a brand can further engage and interact with its
consumers. Increasingly, as part of the social media
landscape, these communities and databases can be
segmented and further defined giving more detailedand granular data about who, why, when and how
often a brand “fan” is buying or using a product,
service or experience. The use of Facebook and
Twitter often falls into this category for many brand
owners, however I would suggest that the strongest
advocacy metrics are related to those in which the
consumer has not merely “liked” or become a “friend”
or “tweeted” , but rather engaged in permission-based
data marketing linked to an actual sale or purchase.
One of the critical factors for a brand manager is to
understand and know whether their brand is “top-
of-mind” amongst target consumers and/or opinion
formers or influencers. This information forms the
basis of the Advertising and Marketing strategy
which influences the degree to which a campaign
is effective in translating into sales. The ideal andprimary objective is for a brand to have strong
unaided awareness so that when asked to name a
brand in a category, or associated with a particular
set of values or attributes, the brand is spontaneously
offered and named by consumers.
Aided awareness is recall that is prompted by imagery
or associations in order to stimulate a brand’s
familiarity with consumers. Often, this is with the
category or product/service reference in researchtechniques. Aided awareness scores are positive for
a brand, however it begs the question of category
relevance and differentiation depending upon the
brand’s strategy. It often reveals that the category
is either of low interest or the brand is only relevant
in the context of the category associations. Brand
managers with a strong brand name that is only
associated with a category must be careful, for as
powerful as it might seem to want your brand to be
the “defining” brand of the category – this often canlead to becoming an industry generic or a category
limiting boundary which restricts the brand’s “stretch”
and growth potential. Often this is referred to as the
“Kleenex” or “Band Aid” mindset, as both of these
brands have high awareness and brand recall, but
have become industry generic terms and have had to
truly fight hard to expand beyond the initial product
and category attributes.
3 4
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38Thinking
Core brandvalues
Finally, the fifth most important thing a brand manager
must be aware of and intimately familiar with is the
core brand values of their brand. It seems obvious
to state, however that the core values of a brand are
the words that define what the brand is and what it
stands for, irrespective of the attributes of the category,
marketing campaigns and/or competitive pressures.
The core brand values are the bedrock upon which
the brand’s story and narrative for consumers are
constructed, and as such it needs to be clearly defined
in a short set of words or descriptions.
Many brands use credo and manifesto statements,
and they combine precise adjectives with action verbs
to define exactly what and how the brand provides
“value” and “benefit” to its consumers and advocates.This is critical for a brand manager because the brand
values direct and guide all aspects of a brand’s visual,
verbal and experiential performance. The core values
and the visual identity equities together become the
benchmark and guardrails for the brand’s image and
identity. When combined with strong advertising, the
brand’s awareness and recall can be strengthened in
relation to consumer preference and choice.
Many a brand manager has come unstuck bycreating too much elasticity and interpretation
of a brand’s values and visual identity thus leading
to a “schizophrenic” brand persona and ultimately
consumer confusion. Brands are built upon the notion
of consistency and reliability, as well as unique points
of differentiation. In order to maintain and build a
brand’s future growth plan, the core values must be
continually reinforced and guarded from erosion or
misinterpretation. When someone says something
is “off brand” , what they are really saying is the corebrand values are either missing, misrepresented
or misinterpreted.
5
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39
Has a compellingvision for the future
So, those are my 5 suggestions for what every brand
manager should know and be aware of… and, it might
be a good idea for more senior brand leaders to keep
in mind as well! It always surprises me how some of
these basic elements are ignored or misunderstoodwhen considering a brand’s performance or relevance
to consumers.
As I mentioned, these 5 elements must always work
and align to the 5 things a brand should always have at
the heart of its future (and present) strategy. They are:
Builds a strongemotional connection
Redenes thecategory
Delivers sustainablebusiness value
Creates engagingexperiences atevery touch point
Makes people’slives better
1
4
5
2
3
A brand must have a unique point of view on
the future and be able to articulate it for all
stakeholders. This is often referred to as thebrand vision or brand idea.
A brand must drive its category forward in
continually providing relevance and benefits
for its consumers. Ideally, by innovating and
continually improving where, what, and how
consumers experience and derive value from
the brand.
By doing the two points above, a brand istruly making people’s lives better. After all,
why would anyone want a brand that
did the opposite?
If a brand is consistent at every touch point
where it engages with its consumers and
stakeholders, the brand reinforces all of the
rational and emotional reasons why the
brand is chosen or preferred.
Ideally, this then leads to the brand narrative
being seen as an “emotional” benefit and
connection for consumers and generates
advocacy and loyalty from preference.
These 5 key elements lead to a final outcome
and ingredient in creating and sustaining a “future
brand”, and that is superior commercial or financial
performance by providing value.
At the end of the day, a brand is an asset and if the
above key elements are in place, and a brand manager
understands how they relate to the task of creating,
measuring and maintaining brand strength – then, the
value of a brand is delivered and measured by the hard
numbers of market share, sales/revenue and advocacy.
Ultimately, this translates into future demand, growth
and success.
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“To simultaneously
create better, moreauthentic brandswhile overcomingalignment challenges,crowdsourcing
internally andco-creation withemployees itself iscritical to all futurebrand creation.”
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41
The power ofthe inner crowd:
Building brandsfrom within
by Sarah Reiter
We have pioneered new branding practices including
reinventing traditional brand strategy and identity
methodologies by incorporating customer co-creationand embedding crowdsourcing with employees.
The Power of the Inner Crowd is the new approach
to brand creation – one that addresses the challenges
in branding today and ultimately creates great brands
by building the brands from within.
N I K A D A . < i s t o c k . c o m >
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42Thinking
Here is a list of the many benefits in
harnessing the wisdom of employees:
Achieve a sound congruence
between brand promise and
corporate reality
Create a strong brand
relevancy based on a diversity
of ideas and perspectives
Empower employees and
increase staff motivation,morale and commitment
Better integrates staff with
corporate goals and values,
through recognition of their
contribution to these
Recognises the important
work that staff do and
therefore harnesses theircommitment to the business
Discover compelling brand
stories that are ideal for
external activation and
internal alignment
Engage employees to
make them identify with
our brand and become a
desirable employer
Manage cultural variation
by building brands around
a shared purpose and
corporate culture
Develop sustainable
brands that speak of the
people and company they
proudly represent
Branding traditionally creates
static personas that bear little
resemblance with reality. It assumesa top-down approach in which
no truth is being told and thus falls
short of achieving proactive internal
support. As a result, most brands
do not grow organically, detached
from the organisation, with
little momentum.
In contrast, future brand creation
needs to assume a holisticperspective on building brands
based on internal strengths, core
truths, customer centricity and
experience design. And, branding
must become strongly integrated
in business strategy, product and
internal operations.
The involvement of internal
stakeholders often leads to thediscovery of hidden strengths
since employees are a rich
source of insights and ideas.
Hence, building brands on the
basis of culture and core internal
truths is more credible and
effective, and it allows the brand
to be created organically, reflect
the corporate spirit and grow
with business.
In short, to simultaneously create
better, more authentic brands while
overcoming alignment challenges,
crowdsourcing internally and co-
creation with employees itself is
critical to all future brand creation.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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43
1
2
3
5
6
7 8 9
4
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“It matters to us that our
favourite brands aremanaged by businessesthat care about theirrole in the world beyondsales and prot.”
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45
3 brand lessonsto learn from
#fitchthehomeless
by Tom Adams
There are 5,711,249 reasons why Greg Karber’s
#fitchthehomeless video on YouTube should be taken
seriously. His attempt to readjust the Abercrombie &
Fitch brand by donating its clothing to the homeless
in LA has provoked universal outcry. Most of it againstAbercrombie for comments on exclusivity made by its
CEO Mike Jeffries in 2006, and some against Karber
himself for exploiting homeless people to attack a
billion dollar brand.
Jeffries has taken to Facebook to set the record
straight, including a defence of the realities of
managing an aspirational brand, and asserting the
strong values of the business he runs, particularly
in relation to diversity and inclusion. But consumersdon’t seem sympathetic to this.
The short-term reputational impact of this consumer
backlash looks severe. Time will tell whether it
significantly affects sales, or changes the way
Abercrombie & Fitch is run in the long term. But the
whole affair teaches us three simple lessons about
how to manage a major brand today.
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46 Thinking
Have a clear organisational purpose Connect your purpose to the value chain
Part of the challenge Abercrombie faces is that it
doesn’t seem to have a clear organisational purpose
beyond helping young people to look great. Or at least
one that can be seen from the outside. Increasingly,
consumers want to know about the business behind
the brand, and this is often best articulated through
the spirit and commitments of its leadership, CEOincluded. This goes beyond values like diversity and
inclusion – both of which are increasingly obligations
rather than strategic choices – towards a sense of your
broader role in the world and why this is important
for society as a whole. When you dig into the business,
they are clearly making some broader commitments
to helping communities and giving back – through
their mission, vision and corporate philanthropy
initiative – but this doesn’t seem to be guided
by an overarching sense of corporate purpose.
American Apparel, although much smaller, is another
international US fashion brand. And it is explicitly
cause driven. Its “vertically integrated manufacturing”
idea is strongly connected to its brand, product and
organisation – they talk about being “sweat-shop free”
and are proud of making all of their clothes in the USA.
They are also now showing growth year on year(4% to April 2013), indicating that this commitment
does not mean sacrificing commercial success. The
more closely you can connect your purpose to your
people, supply chain and product, the more likely you
will be taken seriously by consumers when things go
wrong – which they have for American Apparel and
often do in complex businesses. Other brands like
Unilever , P&G and Virgin also embed a bigger purpose
into their operating approach in a way that is consistent
with consumer willingness to choose brands thatdemonstrate they offer some kind of social good –
improving lives, building enduring organisations or
simply doing the right thing.
1 2
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47
Prepare to be hijacked
Activists hijack powerful brands to promote their own
cause. The bigger the brand, the bigger the target.
And it doesn’t necessarily matter what the truth is.
Abercrombie & Fitch is a major global brand, with
over 1000 stores worldwide, 85,000 associates and
over $4.5billon in net sales in 2013. They also make
a significant effort to help their communities anddemonstrate their social responsibility. But this story
gets lost if it’s buried in corporate reporting, and if it
feels somehow separate from the main business
of the brand – i.e. “we are a fashion brand, but we
also do good.”
Social channels make it possible for anyone with
a smartphone and access to YouTube to attempt a
brand “readjustment” of the kind managed by Karber,
and engineer the type of instant global reach thatcould only have been dreamed of by activists a
generation ago. And it’s been happening for a while –
think Axe vs. Dove from Rye Clifton as early as 2007.
The key is to know what you are going to do when
it happens, make sure that your public statements
reflect your broader purpose, are evidence driven,
and that you are making an attempt to reconcile
the contradictions that naturally occur in complex
multinational organisations. That way, you can even
use it as a platform to build your brand, rather than just defend it.
Above all, this is a good reminder that brands are
no longer just about great advertising, product and
experiences. People want to know what’s going on
behind the models and the storefronts. It matters to
us that our favourite brands are managed by
businesses that care about their role in the world
beyond sales and profit. And when that is already the
case – as it very likely is for Abercrombie & Fitch –we need to see it in every aspect of the brand. In the
end, it’s increasingly “cool” to genuinely care.
3
Karber, Greg.
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48Thinking
“As generation Y evolves
and utilises multiplemedia formats to educateand entertain ourselves,YouTube offers us anabundance of content
with 100 hours of contentuploaded every hour.”
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Top 10 brands“twentysomethings”
cannot live withoutand why
by Bradley Walsh
Facebook1
Facebook has grown under the influence of
Generation Y. Facebook was released to a worldwide
audience in 2005, and reached 100 million users by
2008. The public reception and acceptance of the
social networking service has made it an internet
phenomenon. Facebook wouldn’t be what it is without
its users – 1.15 billion of them and 699 million are daily
active Facebook users.
Facebook’s attraction to users is in how it links an
individual’s life and friends into one social circle
platform. The site has continued to innovate by
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repeatedly adding more features in order to keep
users engaged and, more importantly, in order to keep
them active and returning. Facebook’s mobility is alsoa factor in its popularity as it is available on all mobile
web browsers and operating systems. 62% of the UK’s
internet users are Facebook users signifying the impact
Facebook has had on our population.
YouTube
YouTube is the provider of the most popular site for
user uploaded videos. Generation Y knows all too
well that YouTube is a great way of killing some spare
time. Whether it is watching video after video of your
new found favourite subject, or a humorous video
link which has been sent between friends, YouTube
entertains. As our Generation Y evolves and utilises
multiple media formats to educate and entertain
ourselves, YouTube offers us an abundance of content
with 100 hours of content uploaded every hour.
Granted, some may not be worth the individual’s
time, however, with the opportunity and size of the
catalogue available, there is surely something for
everyone which makes it one of the most visited
websites online.
Wikipedia
Put the books away. What is it you would like to find out?
Type it in to Wikipedia and have the answer in seconds.
It really is that simple for Generation Y. Wikipedia has
brought information to our fingertips in an online
encyclopaedia which, best of all, is free for everyone.
Wikipedia is funded by donations from its users.
Wikipedia educates many people daily with its
extensive content. As the saying goes, “Knowledge
is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we
know where we can find information on it.” Wikipedia
gives Generation Y great knowledge as a source
of information.
2
3
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4
5
If Wikipedia doesn’t have the answer, Google will. The
ability for Generation Y to simply type in any query and
search for the answer is nothing short of remarkable. Even
as Google expands its services, its search bar still remains
its defining feature. Generation Y is adept at saying the
phrase “Google it” when confusion looms. Google as a
resource tool is fantastically convenient for users.
Intelligent “doodles” (interpretations of the Google logo)
celebrate holidays, anniversaries, the lives of famous
artists, pioneers, and scientists; another example of the
innovation Google provides its many appreciative users.
Google does not stop at producing interesting logos:
they are relentless at providing their users with useful
applications to make people’s lives easier. Google’s
tagline is “Don’t be evil”, which is a nice touch from
one of the most influential brands of the time.
Xbox/PlayStation
Xbox and PlayStation are the most popular game consoles
on the market for consumers. Although many consumers
are forced to choose between them at the point of
purchase, deciding between the two is very much up
to personal preference. In many ways comparable to
voting Democrat or Republican; you get two very similar
products wrapped up in different coloured boxes. Soinstead of labouring the argument between which console
is best, what must be said is that these game consoles
have played a large part of a millennial’s existence.
Generation Y have grown up through the
advancements in gaming technology. Gaming has
been one of the catalysts of the technology race with
gamers demanding the best quality gaming experience.
The highly anticipated release of the Xbox One and
PlayStation 4 will, as before, have customers forming
seemingly endless queues at “ridiculous o’clock” for
the chance to get their hands on one of these decade
defining consoles in time for Christmas.
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“ When we design for
a global Americancompany, it’s importantto know these associationsand take advantage ofthem. America’s sense of
optimism, especially, canbe a strong selling point for any American brand– no matter where it goes.”
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Americanspirit in brand
identity design
by Sven Seger
I’ve noticed a strong shift in the associations people
around the world make when they think of America.
Our research indicates that, today, the world
values America for its technology, social media,
entertainment, optimism and its cheerful serviceculture. Other countries love these new-American
qualities and values.
When we design for a global American company,
it’s important to know these associations and take
advantage of them. America’s sense of optimism,
especially, can be a strong selling point for any
American brand – no matter where it goes.
This is the American spirit that the world loves, and itshould be emphasised over the old post-war themes
that associated America with size, politics and power.
Today those old associations can tend to make others
see America as over-aggressive or bullying.
Many companies manage to very successfully
incorporate and live the new-American spirit,
including Harley Davidson, Apple, Nike, Facebook
and Levi’s. Each finds ways to communicate America’s
sense of freedom, opportunity and optimism in itsbranding and advertising.
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There are even people in politics who manage to
accentuate these new-American ideals, in spite of the
strong pull of old-American associations in the politicalworld. A good example of this is Michelle Obama.
While she is not an elected or appointed official, the
world sees her as part of the American political scene,
and she is seen as accessible, inclusive and optimistic.
Even her fashion sense has become an emblem of the
new-American spirit.
New-American associations point the way to a huge
opportunity within the branding and advertising worlds.
While many seem to think that American companiesneed to appear to be “beyond a country” in order
to make themselves more attractive in the world
market, there are strong American themes that are very
credible in the global market that can give an American
company a great competitive advantage.
When the personality of the company is a match, the
right competitive approach may well be to incorporate
these new-American themes into the brand. Given
how highly so many people in the world value thesequalities, the American origins of a company can now
be a highly positive differentiator in the global market.
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The number one strategic
issue regional CEOs andleaders cite to me is “thewar for talent” as theyseek counsel for how theirorganisations can attain
the coveted status of“employer of choice”
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Tackling thewar for talent
by Sarah Reiter
“The Singapore Ministry of Defence’s attempt
to attract female recruits to the service
by sending out army green eye shadow
attracted the wrong attention. Recognising
the challenge of War for Talent, what
MINDEF needs is a more relevant,
meaningful and sustainable strategy.”
The campaign by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF),
advertising the 2013 Army Women’s Seminar, took a
surprisingly tongue-in-cheek approach in order to
gain traction with young women in Singapore. And
while there is a time and place for levity in campaigns,
dealing with military recruitment most probably isn’t
one of them.
In protective services, such as military, intelligence,
policing and security, women play an equally critical
role, often providing unique insights and skills
necessary for these types of organisations to be
contemporarily effective. When servicing the country,
society and community, accenting facial features is
certainly not a female officer’s main concern but this
is how the campaign from MINDEF sends the wrong
message from the outset – painting an improper
image of the role women play in protecting the nation.
M a r k e t i n g . < m a r k e t i n g - i n
t e r a c t i v e . c o m >
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Singapore’s protective services are facing an uphill
battle in attracting and retaining high-performing,
values-driven employees — regardless of theirgender. Recent research, as conducted by my team
in Singapore, has revealed that young Singaporeans
search for professional opportunities where they can
pursue their passions, develop professional skills that
are in high demand, as well as achieve recognition for
the unique individual contributions they make.
In fact, the number one strategic issue regional CEOs
and leaders cite to me is “the war for talent” as they
seek counsel for how their organisations can attainthe coveted status of “employer of choice” . Through
our work with many top organisations in Singapore,
we have identified universal principles to becoming
an employer of choice. They are:
Strong & accessible
leadership
Develop careers & individuals
Strive beyondcategory standards
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Engaging workplace
Nurture a healthy lifestyle
Reward fairly & recognise creativity
Whether operating in the public or private sector, each
principle requires full organisational commitment, for
delivering long-term outcomes of effectively attracting,optimising and retaining top talent.
Needless to say, to give meaning and distinctiveness
to candidates and employees, how organisations
follow and apply these principles should be directly
driven by a brand strategy — developing a clear and
distinctive employee value proposition that addresses
the needs of both the employee and the organisation.
Choosing a career is a life-changing decision, and inthe context of providing protective services, it is often
a “life or death” decision. Many officers and employees
put themselves in harm’s way to protect our nation,
our communities and our people. Therefore, a
respectful understanding of their needs and ambitions
are simple hygiene factors.
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Think about your
smartphone for amoment. Of all the appsyou have downloaded,how many are “branded,”i.e. mobile apps created
by a brand you likeor admire? Now askyourself something else:in the last three monthshow many of these apps
have you used more thanonce? Does the answersurprise you?
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Lessonsin mobile
marketing
by Dan Dimmock
The importance of mobile as a marketing channel
has experienced substantial growth recently but its
effectiveness as a means for brands to create valuable
and lasting relationships with customers has, to date,
been utilised by only a few. By following several key
strategic steps, some brands have discovered ways of
using mobile technology to deliver real customer value,
building brand loyalty.
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Recent statistics indicate that while the landscape of
mobile applications is indeed vast, the usage rate of
each of these apps is much lower than expected.
This not only speaks volumes about the lack of
customer value provided by these apps but also paints
a poor picture for the brands that are trying to build
a consistent relationship with their customers.
The size of the mobile app market is indeed impressive
when you look at the statistics. In June this year, Apple
celebrated 50 billion downloads on Apple App Store.
In addition, their largest competitor, Google Play,
recorded a higher number of downloads in the last
quarter achieving a 10% margin over Apple for the
first time in history.
Looking a little deeper at the Apple App Store, we
can draw some conclusions about the competitive
landscape of the mobile apps industry. Presently, there
are over 500 million active Apple App Store accounts.
Therefore with 50 billion downloads, we can then
assume that each user has downloaded approximately
100 apps, on average, onto their mobile device (in
the case of Apple). For both the Apple App Store and
Google Play, games dominate the share of