Reading Time: 4 minutesCulture change models, in our view, are best achieved by the right mix of emotions, intent and order. Emotions, because they are such powerful motivators for change. Intent, because everyone wants to know where they’re going. And order, because structure brings surety. Stepping up to a Principled Culture is no exception. Fit is the f […]
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Perspectives
11 elements to include in your brand strategy framework
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe goal of a robust brand strategy framework is to bridge now and an agreed point or points in the future. Without this reference it is too easy to get distracted and sidetracked. A successful brand strategy acts as a roadmap for cultural alignment, for long-term storytelling, for investment and for divestment. Your brand strategy […]
Long Arc is our brand storytelling workshop
Reading Time: 5 minutesAt any given point in time, you are somewhere in the story of your brand. You may be starting out or on the cusp of huge change. Your brand may be continuing something you started years ago. There may be plenty to share right now. Or plenty to come in due course. Our brand storytelling […]
Should your brand commit to a deliberate strategy?
Reading Time: 10 minutesA deliberate strategy is one that locks your brand into an approach for the foreseeable future based on clear data and harnessing the resources of the organisation to make that happen. It is a highly intentional strategy – motivating people to come together and work, in harmony, to accomplish defined goals. But is it the […]
Refreshing your brand promise
Reading Time: 6 minutesIf you need to change how you are seen in the market, refreshing your brand promise (and committing to what it now requires) could be a powerful and effective solution. It’s tempting to believe that great products will sell themselves. Or even that having a great product is enough. Producers and entrepreneurs sometimes believe their […]
Know thy brand enemy
Reading Time: 7 minutesIt’s healthy to adopt a brand enemy. Handled well, having such an adversary works for your customers and your culture. Brand enemies are a powerful source of motivation and focus. It’s human nature to be united by the things we have in common and those we want to see change. But choose your enemy carefully […]
Strategic goal setting, water and bicycles
Reading Time: 4 minutesHere’s a salutary little tale about strategic goal setting. It’s no news that there is a global water crisis and that large corporations, which consume 40% of all the water used in the developed world, have an important role to play in being part of the solution. Which brings us to the dichotomy. On the […]
Taking the time to build a sustainable brand
Reading Time: 10 minutesOn the face of it, building a sustainable brand looks relatively straight-forward. After all many brands already claim to be doing this. That’s both good news – and misleading. Taking the time to build a sustainable brand requires patience, focus and an ability to rethink priorities. It’s inspiring to see brands addressing their environmental impact, […]
Why linking brand strategy, culture and stories matters
Reading Time: 5 minutesIt’s tempting to ignore linking brand strategy, culture and stories. After all they seem like different things, and address different aspects of bringing a brand to life. At first glance, strategy focuses on where the business needs to get to. Culture talks to how you bring out the best in people. Stories are how audiences […]
How to identify and meet unmet customer needs
Reading Time: 10 minutesMany people believe that an innovation will sell itself; that if they present a solution that is well crafted, brimming with features and solves the problem they have identified, then they will enjoy success. But catering to unmet customer needs, while potentially lucrative, is nowhere near as simple as just presenting buyers with something new. […]
The invisible language
Reading Time: 3 minutesMark’s friend Simon used to be a designer. One of his favourite lines was “Great kerning will save the world”. Chances are if you’re an art director or a designer or, if like us, you work with art directors and designers every day, you’ll find this amusing because it references a whole bunch of things […]
Challenging a brand category
Reading Time: 5 minutesSectors have conventions. In fact, a brand category is really a set of vertically-held behaviours and attitudes. That’s what you’re really confronting when you set about challenging a brand category. As Paige Lansing Valle of Emotive Brand identifies in a white paper on brand category creation, “People hold on tightly to their established understandings of […]