Brand Building

Marketers don't need lectures on short-termism; they need solutions. Here's ours.

In this year’s Super Bowl commercials, Amazon’s Alexa lost her voice. In the real world, she’s louder than ever. The Amazon Echo, and other voice-activated home assistants like Apple’s iPod Home, are enjoying a surge in sales. Mass adoption isn’t quite there yet, but it looks likely, if not inevitable.

This time last year, almost nobody was talking about a “plastics crisis”. This year, it’s the hottest of topics. But how did the plastic waste issue finally get onto the public radar, and what lessons can communicators learn from it?

We often talk about the 3 qualities that make for great, profitable brands: Fame, Feeling and Fluency. If your brand comes to mind easily (Fame) it’s a good choice; if your brand evokes positive emotion (Feeling) it’s a good choice; if people recognise your brand and its assets quickly (Fluency) then it’s a good choice. But how to nurture these qualities in your communication?

We pose the question: Does a strong brand mean a company can get away with being downright average when it comes to advertising effort?

The latest wave of our automotive tracking study shows the emissions scandal still clouding VW's German prospects. What does it mean for the future of German cars and alternative technologies?

How do you launch a new brand? We answer one of our most frequently asked client questions. A look at early stage brand growth through a Fame. Feeling and Fluency lens.

How McDonalds is using its golden arches to add a creative twist to Brand Fluency.

Budget airline Ryanair has a history of courting controversy and thumbing its nose at received branding wisdom. Founder Michael O’Leary’s business strategy has always been to go on the offensive, mock critics and brazen out problems, and he’s been highly successful. So Ryanair’s latest crisis – around the sudden cancellation of hundreds of flights this autumn and winter – hasn’t been accompanied by many predictions of doom.

In order to create profitable, brand-building campaigns, marketers should look to long-term campaigns that drive System 1 decision-making.