FutureBrand news, views & insights: March 2023
A brand is what a brand does
Even if you’ve not been following the story of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, you can’t have failed to notice the irony that so many more than 140 characters have been written about it.
In fact, I even wrote about it in a wrap-up of 2022’s winners and losers, reflecting on how the unpredictable nature of Musk’s leadership was eroding the strength of the brand, closing with the notion that “if there’s anything to be taken from the experience so far, it’s proof that a brand ‘is’ what a brand ‘does.’”
I was recently reminded of this as I read about Twitter’s latest shenanigans, as reported via Platformer:
“As the adage goes, ‘you ship your org chart,’ said one current employee. ‘It’s chaos here right now, so we’re shipping chaos.’”
I must say that I hadn’t heard that one before, but it immediately struck me as perfectly related to branding too.
It’s why I always get excited when I see a ‘Head of Product and Marketing’ – two roles that have been divided when there’s never been a greater need for these capabilities to be united.
And, it’s why I can’t help but wonder if and when we might see the evolution of a similar role in service-led organisations, namely the ‘Head of People and Marketing’. When your people are the ones delivering your brand experience, it’s only natural for People & Culture and Brand & Marketing to work together in closer collaboration.
If it’s true that you’re shipping your org chart, what kind of brand experience are you delivering?
Go play, get hooked
Recently launched is a new campaign to get more people to go play golf.
It’s from our friends at Super-Sub in partnership with Pedestrian.TV, Vice and Refinery29 – and it’s informed by our strategic work to reposition golf and grow the sport’s appeal across all types of golfers, formats and skill levels. Because, all golf is golf.
Here it is!
While I might be bias, I’m also not the target customer. But even I must admit to being surprised by just how fresh this feels. It’s a first-of-its-kind industry campaign talking about golf outside of traditional channels, and to an audience who don’t consider themselves ‘golfers’ in the traditional sense of the term.
I hope you take the time to watch the Instagram reel, that way you can make up your own mind.
Either way, if you want to look at a 'business transformation' happening right now in Australia, look no further than Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia, two organisations working in tandem to drive a generational strategy and a transformational shift.
A return to work life after parental leave
Our very own Head of Strategy, Victoria, shared with Mavens her experience of returning to work life after parental leave, you can read her story here.
Victoria’s story is one of positivity and presence, flexibility and focus. It’s also very top of mind as we have not one but two team members currently on parental leave and returning later this year. That said, much of what Victoria shares could be equally good advice to anyone looking to be more productive in managing themselves at work and home.
New team members, new perspectives
We’re happy to be joined by a couple of new team members, namely Kirsty Grant and Suparom Ronyut.
Kirsty joins as a Brand Director, having recently returned home to Australia after 14 years’ working in London on brands local and global, including HSBC, Marks & Spencer and Pearson.
Su joins as a Designer, having changed not only career but also country after she moved from Thailand to Australia to study design – first winning a place at Shillington and subsequently recognition as a Student finalist in the AGDA Awards, then being awarded a Creative Fellowship via Rare with Google.
Both are already adding their own perspectives to our branding work and team culture, I hope you have the opportunity to work with them too.
Building a brand from the bottom up – and putting the customer on top
Just announced is a keynote session at this year’s Mumbrella Marketing Summit where I’ll be sharing the stage with Matthew Wong from Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.
Over the past six years, Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) has led a progressive change agenda to build its brand and marketing capability in service of its members. From research and analysis to brand strategy and brand architecture, brand identity, employee engagement and ultimately the brand experience, all informed and supported by ongoing brand measurement.
What’s more, our team at FutureBrand has been there every step of the way.
Matt and I will be sharing the story of how CSC has built its brand from the bottom up, embedding brand-led approaches within the organisation to enable the focus, alignment and connection required to drive customer awareness and acquisition, alongside customer insight and operational effectiveness.
The Mumbrella Finance Marketing Summit will be on Thursday 8 June at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney. Earlybird tickets are available now from their website, click here for more details (plus I might also have a discount code to share if anyone is interested).
Burberry is back
You may have read the recent news that Burberry has redesigned its brand under new creative leadership.
I was asked to share my thoughts for this news story, and I thought it might be useful to share the unabridged version, here it is…
Burberry is back, quite literally.
Back to a logo from 1901.
Back to an authentic story of its Britishness.
Back to a meaningful sense of 'why buy' Burberry, for customers and connoisseurs alike.
You can delete your Instagram history – as happened before the launch of Burberry's latest branding and campaign – but you shouldn't ignore your heritage, especially not when you've been in business since 1856.
The homogenisation of brands has become a digital curse, brands robbed of their distinctiveness in the name of seamless experiences that are as friction-free as they are forgettable. So it's genuinely interesting to see Burberry bucking a trend that it fuelled with its own minimalist rebrand in 2018.
Look up from your screen and you'll see a world filled with the kind of complexity that's likely to stop you in your tracks, everything from panoramic sunrises to exotic plumages. Brands need to be no less distinctive if they're to make their mark, hence the importance and value of 'distinctive brand assets' to help a brand assert its presence and profile in our hearts and minds.
That's not to ignore the fact that the proof will be in the product. Over the years, the once inseparable worlds of product and marketing have come loose and unbundled. Which is senseless given that 'product' is perhaps the most important of the four Ps of marketing.
So, if we assume that the products are as good as the refreshed brand, then Burberry has come to its senses. Because only by standing out does a brand in this digital age truly click.
What might other brands learn in general?
Well, the first point to learn is that there is no such thing as generalisation when it comes to branding. It must mean something different and distinct to each and every business, product or service. That requires that you understand your DNA, you gather insight into your customers, and you apply foresight to how competitive forces might shape the future – all in order to identify the intersection and unlock your competitive advantage.
For Burberry, in simple terms, it seems that they have rediscovered their DNA, reconnected with their customers' needs and desires in the context of luxury products and experiences, and identified the opportunity to convert a distinct sense of character into real competitive advantage.
But one word of caution, not only does a brand mean something different to different businesses, products and services, it also plays a different role in driving choice from one sector to the next. In fact, branding plays a much bigger role in the choices that customers make in the luxury sector than it does in the finance sector.
Just because the brand is big business for Burberry, it doesn't necessarily mean the same is true for yours – what Burberry seems to understand is the correlation between its brand and its business. Do you know how your brand creates value for your business?
Once again, that’s it for another month, hope you enjoyed reading and perhaps even found a couple of nuggets of insight. As ever, I’m be happy to hear all and any feedback, so please do comment, subscribe and share.