Tweeting about serious issues like racism is easy. Creating content that positions a brand as ethical is also a (socially distanced) walk in the park. But making a real difference – the sort of difference that influences people’s day-to-day lives – is much harder. In the light of the George Floyd protests, it will be interesting to see whether or not brands follow up their social media excitement with real action. Read more…

Tags: Black Lives Matter, BLM, Corporate Culture, Movement, Protests, Revolution, Stand Together

In 1996, I interviewed Michael Jordan in the changing room at the San Antonio Alamodome as he prepared for the All-Star game. It did not feel like an interview with a normal human being. An audience with the Pope springs to mind, or some other deity with wings (those Nikes) and an unworldly hang-time.

At the time, “His Airness”, who had recently returned to the Chicago Bulls following a sabbatical spent swinging a baseball bat, was apparently the most famous person in the world. And every single journalist in San Antonio wanted a piece of him. Just one word. The word of MJ… Nike must have loved it. Read more…

Tags: Brand Reputation, Branding, Business, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Sports Marketing, Strategy

It’s quiet on the local high street. Too damned quiet. The cash tills of the world’s greatest shopping streets – Oxford Street in London, Fifth Avenue in New York and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan – are eerily silent. Even the peep of approved contactless cards is a memory. It’s as though the credits are about to roll on the latest Zombie Apocalypse Netflix stream-buster… Read more…

Tags: Budgeting, Business Tips, Case Studies, COVID19, Marketing, Strategy

It’s never tasted quite so good. In fact, it’s never tasted good at all except when it has a slice of zingy lime squeezed into the top of the bottle. A Corona beer, that is. In the pub, my friend Dave, who wouldn’t normally touch the drink with a barge pole, was guzzling his down with gusto. We bought it because, well, the word Corona was everywhere. Sales crisis? What crisis? Read more…

Tags: Blog, brand image, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID19, Crisis Marketing, Marketing

To achieve ultimate success in business, it’s important to not only walk the walk but also talk the talk. A lot of hot air is spoken about the importance of new digital marketing channels, but one great way to communicate with target audiences is to put your money where your mouth is… and develop a podcast. Read more…

Tags: Content, Digital Media, influencer, Podcast, social media, Thought Leadership, Voice

On the surface, little has changed at Wimbledon since Fred Perry first strolled on to the manicured lawns, but behind the scenes, it’s rebooting its image.

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Tags: #JoinTheStory, Brand Awareness, brand identity, Reputation, Sports Marketing, Wimbledon

In today’s digital world, small is beautiful. Information is delivered in nuggets and bullets, listicles and soundbites, and tweets and snaps. Notifications buzz on our devices and divert us long enough to click and perhaps even like. But what if that moment of communication is just that… a superficial moment? Can bite-size content really do the job if we want to deliver authoritative and nuanced information? Read more…

Tags: Best practices, Buzzfeed, Content Creation, Content Strategy, Viral Content, White paper

My wife is not a fan of washing up, but for a few short weeks, she simply couldn’t resist standing at the kitchen sink, pulling on the Marigolds and plunging her hands into the hot bubbly water. Then, Procter & Gamble stopped producing its limited edition “vintage” bottle of Fairy Liquid – a white cylinder with green and red branding – and sadly, normal service resumed.

On the local high street, a new supermarket opened for business. With a new but very old logo. Intriguingly, after a root and review of its branding, the Co-operative Group has returned to the logo that adorned its stores half a century ago. Graphically, it’s fantastic – a blend of funky typography and minimalism – but it also elicits an emotional response. I almost felt like a boy again, off to buy some R White’s lemonade and a bag of Golden Wonder salt ‘n’ vinegar crisps.

Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool. It can encourage us all to remember our rose-tinted pasts and to bathe in the warm glow of the good old days when the world was simpler and the sun always shone. It creates an emotional connection between brand and consumer. And it’s beguilingly effective. A simple change in a product’s packaging can turn a daily chore like washing up – into a moment of pleasure. It can make supermarket shopping feel like a trip down memory lane. Read more…

Tags: 90’s Kids, Co-op, co-operative, Coke Hilltop, Fauxstalgia, Memories, Nostalgia, Nostalgia-based Marketing

How political should a company or brand be in today’s post-truth world? After backing American footballer Colin Kaepernick, who famously knelt during the national anthem before a game as a protest against racial injustice, Nike has no doubt. “Believe in something,” demands the latest version of its long-running ‘Just Do It’ campaign. “Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Read more…

Tags: Brand Activism, Controversy, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, Marketing, Nike, Strategy

(Image: GETTY)

The four annual golf majors are fantastic sporting occasions but the Ryder Cup, which takes place at Le Golf National in France this weekend, is bigger and better, attracting millions of golf fans, sports fans and even non-fans. The three-day event dominates the headlines – both news and sports – and sends social media into a frenzy of sharing. For a competition that was once only supported by a few die-hards, it is a remarkable renaissance. What lessons can we learn from the success of this iconic contest?

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Tags: Controversy, France, leadership, Less is more, Ryder Cup, Severiano, teamwork, War on the Shore