FutureBrand news, views & insights: March 2025
Not all experiences are created equal
It’s been one of those months in which I keep hearing the same story, time and again.
One way or another, it’s a version of this story: how might I turn my brand’s strategy into my customers’ reality? (Or, my brand looks great in PowerPoint, how to make it work in practice?)
My response is as simple as this: ‘Is your brand experienced?’
That was the headline of the story I wrote for travelBulletin – complete with a mix of professional and personal travel tales – in which I shared the all-important difference between CX and BX.
If the ‘Customer Experience’ is designed to remove meaningless friction from the experience, and to make things quick and easy…
Then the ‘Brand Experience’ is there to add meaningful friction to the experience, and to make things distinctive and memorable.
My favourite example of this is Air Tahiti Nui taking a moment to present each and every passenger with a tiare flower when they board their flight – its petals closed at first, the tiare flower slowly opens over the course of the journey and offers the ultimate welcome to the Islands of Tahiti.
It’s also an example that inspired our GM Christina to write her own story for The Australian: ‘Seamless, sameness? It’s time to re-think friction.’
Meaningful experiences make memorable brands. In Christina’s words, they “elevate the experience, punctuate the journey and strengthen your connection to a brand.”
What do you want people to remember about your brand?
10 years in 45 minutes
Now and then I’m invited to be a guest on a podcast, the latest being TrinityP3’s Managing Marketing podcast, hosted by Darren Woolley.
It’s always interesting to chat with Darren about all things brand and marketing because of how TrinityP3 is positioned to see every side of the marketing equation.
(In other words, there are no Dorothy Dixers!)
Somehow we managed to squeeze a decade of data into 45 minutes: we talked about why managing brands as intangible assets risks doing them a disservice; why valuing a brand is not always useful for a business; and, why there's an all-important distinction between customer experience and brand experience (again!)
Ten years in the life of a brand: the podcast
Every year, I look forward to the release of the FutureBrand Index, now in its tenth year.
Listen here, let me know what you think – and by all means let me know if you’d like to learn more about how your brand can mean more people want to work for or buy from your business.
Starbucks: The way back
“Every fortnight Sam Hughes and Victoria Berry take a trip to Starbucks, faithfully returning with tales of their latest, ludicrous orders. Until a few weeks ago, when they walked back empty-handed, disappointed to have found their local had shut up shop.”
Or at least that’s how a recent LinkedIn story started, written by our Strategy Director, Emma.
That’s about as creative an intro to an op-ed as you’ll see! What’s more, it’s an equally insightful summary of not only the challenges faced by the Starbucks brand but also the strategies the brand is employing to find its way back into hearts and minds.
Grab yourself a salted caramel macchiato – thanks Sam ;) – and have a read for yourself.
Time is everything
When I find myself speaking or writing on the subject of brand, it’s often seemingly peripheral dynamics that find their way into the centre of the discussion.
It might be how we help organisations make good decisions with the help of collaboration, empirical evidence and prototyping, or a combination of all three. Or, how we use productivity tools and techniques to focus our attention on making the greatest impact.
Lately, it’s been time that has occupied my mind.
Time is everything for a brand or rebrand.
⏳ it takes time to get it right: from brand strategy via identity and experience to business reality.
⏰ it’s a collaborative effort, you need to engage the right people at the right time.
⏱️ it requires the brand and business to be working in time with one another, one might naturally lead or lag the other but be careful not to go too fast nor too slow.
Ultimately, the most impactful brands and rebrands don't happen overnight, they build and grow over time.
That’s all for now, I hope you found this month’s newsletter useful, whether it’s sparked a new idea or served as a helpful reminder. As always, please feel free to share with colleagues, happy to spread the word and hear the comments that come back.