FutureBrand news, views & insights: December 2024
Who do you trust?
If there’s one sentiment I’ve heard more than any other in 2024, it’s this.
Brand trust.
What is it?
How do you earn it?
How do you keep it?
What do you do if you lose it?
Trust seems to be at more of a premium than ever.
Investors who can trust the governance of listed companies (or any company for that matter).
Customers who can trust that what companies say is what they do.
Employees who can feel trusted by their employers when it comes to their working-from-home habits and more.
We know this to be true because we see it in the data, specifically this year’s FutureBrand Index.
For as long as I can remember, Technology Adoption & Integration has been perceived to be the biggest threat to future success for businesses and brands, and that’s the same again this year.
Or at least that’s the same again at a Global level. Break out the data for Australia and the biggest threat to future success is Corporation Reputation & Trust.
Never has it been more important for brands to strengthen the connection between their brand’s purpose and the everyday experience.
So much so that I’d say building brand trust is too important to be left to the Marketing department alone.
That’s not a criticism of Marketing, that’s simply a reflection of the fact that ‘Marketing’ plays but one part of turning a brand’s strategy into your customers’ reality. Hence my excitement whenever I meet a ‘Head of Product & Marketing’ because it’s such a clear signal of organisational alignment and the resulting customer commitment.
For mine, the heightened sensitivity towards trust that’s playing out in both the marketplace and the media is only the beginning of this cycle. Ultimately, under the pressure of commercial returns, cost of living and workplace productivity, some brands will shatter under the weight of the brand’s stated purpose, others will shine through every facet of the brand experience.
In 2025, will your brand be the one to trust?
Reaching for Gold
It was only a few months ago that I wrote about how we help our clients make a series of steps up and down what we call the Transformation Ladder.
By connecting how your brand and marketing efforts ladder up to business outcomes; and, by making those connections relevant and tangible for the various stakeholders with whom you’ll need to engage along the way.
It’s an approach that can help you frame how your brand delivers value to your business in ways that strengthen the connection between your brand’s purpose and the everyday experience for a measurable competitive advantage (not to mention a healthy dose of trust too).
All of which is a long-winded way of saying it’s only natural that we would relish the opportunity to win recognition for our clients’ businesses and brands at the appropriately-titled ‘Transform Awards’.
This year, we’re happy to be celebrating another two Golds for creating the TeeMates name for Golf Australia, and for transforming the brand strategy and brand identity for Bush Heritage Australia. Not to mention Silver for eBay, and Bronze for IFM Investors.
🥇 TeeMates for 'Best new name'
🥇 Bush Heritage Australia for 'Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or NFP'
🥈 eBay for 'Best creative strategy'
🥉 IFM Investors for 'Best visual identity from the financial services sector'
That's the third time we've won Gold for ‘Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or NFP’ after winning Gold in previous years for Guide Dogs Australia and Orygen, and the second time for a sports brand having won the Grand Prix 🏆 for Asian Football Confederation.
Of course it feels good for us, but it's even more rewarding for our clients to benefit from the commercial return on the investment in their brand strategy, identity and experience.
Calling all sports geeks
I listen to a lot of podcast interviews, but I don’t necessarily subscribe to all too many shows. So it was that I found myself listening to Sean Callanan’s Sports Geek interview with Hannah Warren, Head of Marketing at Netball Australia.
Sean’s interview approach combines the story of the sport with the story of the individual, and I found myself drawn to Hannah’s story as much as that of netball and its expansive ecosystem that can mean so many different things to so many different people.
It wasn’t long before I was listening to the Sports Geek interview with Ned Negus, with whom we worked on the Asian Football Confederation competition brands during his time at Football Marketing Asia (and now Chief Commercial Officer at the A-Leagues).
And then it became a hat-trick as I tuned in to listen to the Sports Geek interview with Josh Marton, General Manager of Public Affairs & Marketing at both the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, and our current client on all things golf including TeeMates.
What I loved about all three interviews was not only how the host Sean digs into each individual’s personal stories but also how all the guests are so candid, honest and open, whether talking personally or professionally.
Definitely worth a listen on this Sunday morning and maybe even a subscription too.
Time to breathe
It’s very nearly the time of year when many of us finally get to enjoy an extended break, or at least take a quick breather.
These days, given the daily pace of life and work, it’s something I feel we need to do far more often.
For example, we give our team ‘healthies’ once every quarter. An extra day’s leave, four times a year, to look after yourself, mind and body, it’s a bit like taking a ‘sickie’, only better. Plus, we give them ‘selfies’ too, so they can enjoy their birthdays however they choose.
But I find it needs to be even more frequent than that to cope with the daily ups and downs, not just left for the holidays.
So our team here recently took the opportunity to learn more about how to take a breather, quite literally, with the help of a certified breathwork coach, Dave Murphy, and his Flow Advantage program.
If that sounds like a lot, it doesn’t have to be, there’s good reason for why sometimes all it takes is a deep breath to reset. Or, if you want something with a little more science behind it, then try ‘box breathing’.
I hope you get a well-deserved break these holidays, or at least get time to take a breather, reset and refresh, and find your flow.
That’s it for another month, and for another year. There’s always so much to share, it’s tricky to squeeze it all into the one newsletter, so always feel free to ask if you need a deeper dive here or there. All the best for the holidays, see you in the new year ;)