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 →
I am missing the energy and interaction of a workshop in a real room. That said, I can concede that virtually delivered projects in these Covid-constrained times can prove more effective. A good example is a recent project for Unilever. Our project objective was to determine the key business model and capability developments that would... Continue Reading →
BP is understandably keen to show it has the ambition to achieve net zero and a strategy that deals with the future demise of fossil fuels. On their website you'll find an upbeat video on how it will reimagine its business. The BP strategy seeks to remove planet-warming emissions from its operations by 2050, grow... Continue Reading →
You may not have heard of the Indian telcom brand Jio but investors certainly have. The company has recently gathered $20bn from investors that include Google and Facebook. Jio is a company with lots of latent e-commerce potential. It has about a 45% share of Indian mobile phone users and via parent company Reliance... Continue Reading →
Ben & Jerry's was praised for releasing a corporate statement expressing outrage over the death of George Floyd. It has also promptly joined the "#StopHateForProfit" campaign, pausing advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the U.S. In its recent statement the company has called for "concrete steps" to dismantle "white supremacy in all its forms" arguing the death... Continue Reading →
