FutureBrand news, views & insights: June 2022

May 31, 2022

The election question

Back in January, I was asked by Mumbrella for my thoughts on what big industry story I’m following this year, here’s what I wrote:

The Federal Election ought to be the biggest story of the year for all of us. What will be different about this year’s election will be the rising number of Independents challenging the incumbents in their local electorates – not only to win seats but also to disrupt the established conventions of party politics. How will the political mood mirror the business landscape? Will these ‘start-up’ politicians bring new ideas and positive energy to politics and win the hearts and minds of their communities? Or, will the ‘big brands’ of politics leverage their incumbency to their advantage? And will we the people be better for the experience, one way or the other?

While some of those questions will remain unanswered for a while yet, the challenges facing the two major parties are clear and present. For mine, the election question was never who to vote for but rather what difference might it actually make?

The situation reminds me of the first wave of fintechs challenging the world of finance and how they threatened the establishment with death by a thousand cuts. While reports of banking’s demise were greatly exaggerated, what did quickly become clear was that the fintechs would change things for the better by putting customers back at the top of the agenda.

The world of finance listened and learned, l hope the big brands of politics can do the same.

A change of climate (in Canberra)

I should add that my comments in January were not throwaway thoughts, they were in fact informed by my experience of helping to establish the Federal Election campaign platform for one of the Independent candidates – namely Kylea Tink, who succeeded in winning the seat of North Sydney.

I’ve always had an interest in the marketing part of the politics, but I never had an inclination to get involved until the Voices of North Sydney contacted me via my social initiative Thirty:3 and asked for my help in a personal capacity on the campaign’s brand strategy and identity.

It was clear from the start that the strong sense of purpose combined with the strength of the community support could grow into something special – so long as there was the sustained, strategic focus on the campaign’s competitive advantage.

Over time, my part-time, pro bono involvement naturally made way for the kind of full-time, professional team you need to run a Federal Election campaign.

It was intriguing to follow the campaign from a distance and watch Kylea make the people of North Sydney feel heard and understood, loud and clear. From the campaign launch to the candidate debate broadcast on Sky News to election night itself, and of course the countless interactions throughout the community on any given day (and just to be clear, all credit to the team on the ground, including our friends at advertising agency Common Ventures and the hordes of volunteers who made it all happen).

Brand strategy aside, it’s truly remarkable to see what can be achieved when you put your mind to it. More specifically, it serves as a fitting reminder of the opportunities presented when people feel part of your strategy and they can see, hear and feel themselves in it – a valuable lesson not only for Canberra but also for corporates.

Brand expressionism

The need for brands to build an emotional connection is critical.

Ever since I read neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s research on the pivotal importance of our emotions for decision-making, the need for brands to build an emotional connection took on a whole new level of appreciation for me.

Consequently, it’s this emotional connection in our work that often becomes the bridge between a brand’s strategy and the everyday experience for customers, employees and the community at large. It also becomes the driving force for how we design a brand’s identity around this experience so that it can foster meaningful connections in those moments that matter.

So it was great to see this photo of Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt in the Australian Financial Review – and to know that a series of illustrations that formed part of Cochlear’s brand transformation have taken pride of place in their workplaces. The reason being the backstory to how they were created, or more specifically the person who created them.

There they are, hanging above Dig’s head.

And below you can see them in their full beauty.

The illustrator with whom we collaborated to create these is Sophie Beer, and the illustrations depict her own personal experiences dealing with hearing loss.

From left to right, the first explores how it feels to be confronted with hearing loss.

The second, how it feels to live with hearing loss.

The third, the future – both acceptance and hope.

And yes, I could tell you all about Cochlear’s brand strategy, how we helped them re-organise their brand architecture and re-design their brand identity for an increasingly digital world and more, but it’s these illustrations that tell the real story of the brand – more emotionally and so much more evocatively than I ever could.

Young Gun: Emma Waterman

The headline from AdNews says it all. Emma is indeed a rising star in our team and so it was great to see her feature in their latest ‘Young Guns’ profile – showcasing the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia.

Emma Waterman: Strategist at FutureBrand Australia.

Time in current role/time at the company: Three-and-a-half years, starting first in account management before moving into my strategy role.

How long have you been in the industry? 10 years

How did you get here? Was this always the plan? I’m not sure what a traditional pathway into the world of branding would look like (and in fact, I’d probably say the less traditional the better), but it took me about 10 years to finally arrive here, in a place that truly feels like home.

I’ve always loved stories - be they fictional, or real - and am equally fascinated by people…what they do, how they think and why. So for me it seemed a degree in journalism might be a good place to start, as a way to feed this curiosity. From here I bounced around, as is the way in your early 20s, trying my hand at a whole range of things - from PR in the arts, editing a membership magazine, and freelance writing for a local cultural newspaper. In search of something ‘more', I headed overseas to see what I could learn on the bustling streets of London. Much to my surprise, I think I took away more lessons on life from those years than I did on ‘work’…but I guess one informs the other!

Who is your right-hand person/who guides you day to day? I couldn’t do any of what I do without the calming force of our Head of Strategy, Victoria. She has been instrumental in building my confidence, sharing her knowledge, and always finding clarity (even when it seems there is none).

What’s the best thing about the industry you work in? Getting to think and stretch my mind in every which way. It’s tiring, but infinitely rewarding. Plus, doing so with great people makes it even better.

And the biggest challenge? Diversity. Brands should reflect the people they’re trying to connect with, but not always do we have the voices of those people in the room. Only when you do, can you truly build brands that have the right balance of creativity, authenticity and functionality.

Whose job have you set your sights on in the future? I’m not sure I’d ever want to trade it in for my day job, but perhaps as a complementary side hustle, I’ve always thought Richard Fidler’s role on Conversations would be pretty great – spending an hour in someone else’s life and sharing their stories for others to hear. But as for the main game, I’m very happy in strategy land.

Where do you turn for inspiration? I tend to find inspiration comes when and where I’m not looking for it. Out in the real world, in the places where people are. However, when I need to be more purposeful about fuelling my imagination, I try to look for and listen to perspectives that exist beyond the confines of our industry. For me, great books, newsletters and podcasts allow me to escape into the minds of others, while film, music and pop culture keeps me in touch with creativity at large.

Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you? During one of the endless lockdowns of the past two years, I started painting as a way to fill in time on the weekend. Whilst no words are involved, and the problems I’m solving with my brush and oils are worlds away from those on my usual Miro boards, it’s awakened a whole other side in my mind.

In five years' time I'll be: I don’t know…but I’m quite ok with that. It’s not for lack of ambition, but I think I’d much rather live in the present and be open to experiences and opportunities as they arise, instead of planning a path that leaves no room for serendipity. And as I’ve learnt, life rarely goes to plan!

Getting from A to B-Corp

Since taking ownership of the business in 2020, there has always been one fundamental objective: to make it better than it was before.

It’s this mindset that has naturally led us to B Corp and its vision of a global economy that uses business as a force for good.

It’s a mindset that has also informed our work with organisations where ESG is already a core focus – the likes of Bush Heritage Australia in conservation, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in events, and Open Money Group in insurance.

And not forgetting this reader’s comment in response to last month’s newsletter:

“The bar is rising. Research suggest that customers expect all companies they interact with to have strong ESG credentials - so for businesses this isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a do we/don’t we discussion, rather how far do we go and can we/should we seek to differentiate on ESG. So how can and should companies it differentiate over the coming years.” – Emma Grainge, Aware Super

So it is that we have taken the next step to measure our social and environmental impact and we have now submitted our application to become a B Corp ourselves.

Because we believe incorporating social and environmental impact into our decision-making is important to the success and profitability of our business – whether through our Not-For-Profit program that means we offer our brand transformation services pro bono, or through the employee experience we have nurtured in order to ensure our own people feel supported to learn and grow, or through the various initiatives design to embed accountability, transparency and continuous improvement at every step.

Gaining recognition as a B Corp is no superficial process. Quite the contrary, it’s an exhaustive review – many months in the making – and for all the right reasons. This is simply the first step and one I’m very proud to be taking.

FutureBrand Australia

FutureBrand news, views & insights: June 2022

Discussion about this post