Brands have come a long way since I was born – and that is over 30 years ago now! Consumers have grown up, grown into and grown out of brands. The marketing landscape has become ‘transparent’ with messages no longer working as force-fed mass announcements. It’s all (together with our laptops, tablets, smartphones and software) become just a bit more sophisticated.
Which is exactly what makes the subject so interesting to me. It’s not just about USPs, not just about having a logo – or even having a unique, outstanding, clever corporate identity as we used to call it. It involves human behaviour as much as knowledge about how businesses – and the world – works.
I love design, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve always tried to escape to notion of merely ‘painting and decorating’ marketing collateral without much reasoning. So before I head to the conceptual drawing board, I like to first guide my clients through the strategic maze of all things brand and discover the essence of their product or service and thus creating a solid foundation to engage with their stake holders.
It’s a continuous learning experience – with the odd chuckles on the way – and I am hoping my thoughts and observations will be useful to some readers.
