Fragrance advertising is one of the last bastions of pure image advertising. Little concerns about brand ‘authenticity’ or ‘truth’ here – just good, old fashioned aspirational sizzle. The latest offering from the category is the campaign for Dior’s new men’s cologne, Sauvage. The commercial is a big budget production with – interestingly – both art … Continue reading
Over the past few years it’s been in vogue for brands to do what not long ago would have been unthinkable. To point out their flaws, openly admit their mistakes and offer products that are deliberately less than ‘perfect’. More often than not, proudly so. Imperfections are the latest phase in the brand authenticity movement. … Continue reading
Brand strategy is now part of the mainstream of destination and place marketing. But for small destinations brand management can seem too complex. Or the stories that they develop look too similar to other places, and so don’t do enough to enhance the destination’s attractiveness. But there is one simple and effective technique any destination … Continue reading
In brand building small things can have a big impact. A previous post outlined how achieving superior brand communications is often “a game of inches”. This post looks at identifying which details of what a brand does that makes the most difference to its success. Too many moments of truth Attention to detail is by … Continue reading
Fans of sports movies will recognise that the title of this post borrows from Al Pacino’s famous coach’s speech in the American football film, Any Given Sunday. “You find out life’s this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game – life or football – the margin for error is so small. I … Continue reading
Comedy can help us see things that we’re usually blind to, or that we simply prefer to ignore. As put by writer Mary Hirsch, “Humour is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.” The ad industry, for all its foibles, often manages to laugh at itself. And in … Continue reading
Almost every survey of the business factors that executives see as critical for growth lists innovation as a priority. Yet many companies struggle with innovation as exemplified by the consistently high rate of new product failure. Interestingly then, a new study has found that our basic instincts may be ‘programming’ managers to reject the level … Continue reading
The advent of digital media and changes in consumer expectations mean that brands now have to think in terms of the story they want to tell rather than just positioning themselves. This post examines the shift from positioning to story, provides an overview of brand storytelling, and exemplifies this through looking at how the Scotch … Continue reading
The 2012 post Can the Commonwealth Bank’s “Can” beat the other big four banks reviewed the authenticity of the brand promises of the major banks. This made the case that Commbank’s superior technical systems could allow it to credibly build its “Can” positioning to stake out brand leadership amongst the big four. As outlined in … Continue reading
According to Roy Morgan’s February 2013 Consumer Banking in Australia Customer Satisfaction Report, the Commonwealth Bank – for the first time since April 2000 – attained the highest customer satisfaction rating of the big four banks. This achievement adds further support to the case made previously on this blog that the authenticity of its “Can” … Continue reading
Brand Truth - Brand Strategy Consulting, Melbourne 