A great brand raises the bar — it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience, whether it’s the challenge to do your best in sports and fitness, or the affirmation that the cup of coffee you’re drinking really matters.Howard Shultz, Executive Chairman and former CEO, Starbucks Why start with this quote? Because it’s about brand in the fullest sense – not just logos and colour palettes – it’s about brand as a defining characteristic of strong companies, a valuable asset that elevates one company above another in the mind of consumers. And it was uttered by a man who turned a tiny, local business into a global giant worth tens-of-billions, primarily by focusing on consumers’ experience of the Starbucks brand. This was a brand that wouldn’t have been on anyone’s radar…until it was too late. Now let’s turn it over to you. Does your company care about brand? Do you see your brand as a key strategic advantage, that will enable you to generate sustainable growth? Is it an important business asset, one you cultivate, actively work on and champion? The data suggests you should. According to Thomson Reuters and Interbrand, three decades ago as much as 95% of the average corporation’s value consisted of tangible assets. Today, 75% of that average corporation’s value is intangible. And the top 100 brands in the world are worth a staggering $3.64 trillion according to WPP. Brand matters, and brand is material. “Consumers build an image of a brand as birds build nests, from the scraps and straws they chance upon” – Jeremy Bullmore, Advisory Board, WPP Click to view research
2017 Food & Drink Consumer Trends Report August 21, 2017 To say that food and drink is big business for the UK would be a gross understatement. The Food and Drink Federation, a UK trade body, estimates that the industry contributes some £28.2 billion to the UK economy; and across the whole supply chain it produces over £100bn in economic value each year. That’s £2,453 (...)
2017 Media Consumption Report August 31, 2017 Marketers in the UK had a media spend of £21.4bn in 2016. This was a 3.7% rise, and the 7th consecutive year of growth. Spend looks set to continue to grow in 2017 in spite of Brexit. And media spend continues to increase inn digital, with 95% of new media spend allocated to digital-mobile media (...)
A Practical Guide to Understanding Consumer Journeys August 31, 2018 “Customer Journey” is a term frequently used by marketing folk, but what does it really mean? Essentially, the customer journey is every interaction a customer has in the run-up to purchasing your brand (or perhaps a competitor’s). Why do customer journeys matter? Because if you don’t know what drives customers to make purchases, how can (...)