One of my most rewarding projects of late has been helping the Unilever ice cream business accelerate growth across delivery platforms such Uber Eats, Grab or Deliveroo and food-chain partners. Teams are dotted across the globe and manage digital communications to drive sales from their own virtual stores, grocery partners or from food-chain orders. Collectively... Continue Reading →
Claims influence. Consider the infamous Brexit claim that linked a misleading payment to Europe to an opportunity to fund the UK's national health service. Or perhaps Oatly, who have distilled their climate advantage to a nine word claim that explains a swap to oat milk saves 73% in carbon emissions. Imagine where Oatly would be... Continue Reading →
Oatly makes it emphatically clear that you should be drinking Oatly and not (dairy) milk. The side of the carton invites you to join the post-milk generation, the website informs you that the milk lobby think you're stupid and advertising suggests dad's drinking milk have a bit of a problem. This confrontational, zealous anti-establishment communication... Continue Reading →
My local team Norwich City are doing a lot of things right. They currently lead the race for Premiership status, are holding onto players chased by bigger clubs and have found themselves worthy of an article in the Financial Times. Collectively it shows the club has navigated the journey from a very precarious financial state... Continue Reading →
The return of Lifebuoy to the UK in the midst of a pandemic looks like a case of the right brand at the right time. Introduced in 1894 its mission and early advertising still makes some sense today. Today's challenge is establishing Lifebuoy as a major hand hygiene brand in a growing but crowded category.... Continue Reading →
Back in 1985 I saw the Talking Heads concert film 'Stop Making Sense' in a cinema in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I can't remember who was with me, but I vividly recall the film. It was distinct, difficult to categorise and dominated by an energetic and eccentric David Byrne performance. 1985 is a long time ago,... Continue Reading →
The assault on the US Capitol will hopefully prove to be the low point in the divisiveness of US politics and self-inflicted damage to democratic credibility. The biggest risk for 2021 identified by the Eurasia group is now vividly clear and the Democratic party's mandate to deliver a more inclusive alternative much stronger. Deservedly, the... Continue Reading →
There have been some successful leaders in 2020. This article features seven diverse winners - each offers some inspiration for brand and business owners in 2021... READ MORE: https://branduniverseblog.com/2020/12/30/learning-from-2020s-winners/
The rapid development of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is a case-study of effective collaboration. BioNTech has applied new ‘messenger RNA’ technology to carry instructions to human cells that trigger the immune system response for an attack by Covid-19. The resulting immune memory defends against the virus. Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci are physicians who met in... Continue Reading →
With continuing constraints and uncertainty Christmas 2020 is different. I personally want brands to recognise this and raise my spirits. Burberry is one brilliant example. Burberry's film acknowledges an exceptional 2020 that is 'raining down hard' and is defiantly positive in response. Maintaining a safe distance from conventional Christmas communication it is also very distinctive.... Continue Reading →
