Journal

Brand Thinking



Brand Strategy

From Frivolous to Fruitful: Agency Challenges in Promoting B2B Brand Characters

We recently had an agency debate about which brands had the best brand character. Over the course of a week, we voted on different options and Captain Birdseye won. (A fine choice, don’t you agree?)

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Brand Insight

Does evolving your brand always mean changing your identity?

The short answer is no.

Good to know

The Power of Simplicity for B2B Tech Brands: Less is More

Exploring the why and how of B2B tech's fear of simplicity

Brand Architecture & Naming

What to do when your sales team stop selling

Let's start by setting the scene with a couple of assumptions.

Good to know, Brand Insight, Brand Strategy

Why do Private Equity firms ignore the role of brand in creating value?

This is the question that’s been keeping me up at night. I’m slightly scared to ask it publicly, but I’m genuinely struggling to answer it.

Good to know

Reflections on a 10 year client partnership

Agencies aren't partners with their clients unless they share in the commercial risk of the enterprise.

Brand Analysis

Brand mistakes made by B2B Tech firms

These mistakes may not be brand killers, but they could cause yours to bleed value and equity and feed the competition's business.

Brand Insight

Helping B2B understand why it should invest in brand

I think that outside the realm of B2B marketing, clients generally have a poor understanding of brand and why they should invest in it. I also think that’s because we (agencies) do a bad job of explaining why.

Brand Strategy

ESG has a brand problem

We don't claim to be experts in ESG but we do know a thing or two about brand. And as more and more clients come to us with projects that include an aspect of ESG, we’re seeing the two worlds collide.

Brand Strategy

B2B Tech Firms must dig deeper to differentiate

It feels like every other B2B tech firm I look at conforms to the same visual and verbal convention.

Good to know, Market Research, Trends & Innovation

Why the status quo is the real competition

Even if we offer customers something new, better and cheaper it’s not necessarily the case that they’ll jump at it straight off the bat.

Good to know, Website Management

Tips for a good brand homepage

One thing we’re always telling clients is that the clarity and coherence of their organisation needs to come through in the first contact with the brand. Often, this first contact comes via a company’s website.

Good to know

Tips on how to run a brand workshop

I had an experience recently that forced me to boil down the essence of a brand workshop to its constituent parts, so that we could be through it in an hour. This wasn’t particularly easy, given that we usually run these sessions over a half day period.