Living inside the Brand Newsletters
Shwop a good idea, SPACED, Omnishambles
April 30, 2012
As Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “There is a tide in the affairs of man.” This week we take a look at how Brands can be built or destroyed by tides in the the affairs of man! We’re off Shwopping with Joanna Lumley before getting SPACED with some multinationals. Then, we’re back home sharing some Omnishambles with…
McBaguette, 100 Days & Counting, Tree Hero
April 22, 2012
There’s an international flavour to our stories this week. France is our host for a new culinary treat in McBaguette. We dash back across the Channel to be organised, or not, by LOCOG in 100 Days and Counting. Our final port of call is India where a stroppy teenager of 30 years ago becomes our…
Bling vs Bland, Genius, Korean Egg
April 14, 2012
Hope you had a good break over Easter. I took a few days in France and in Bling vs Bland share some ideas about their Presidential election. Then we pop over to 16th century Italy to understand what makes a Genius Brand. Our final destination this week is Asia in Korean Egg. Read the full…
Hero to Zero, Pasty Panic, Loose Talk
April 5, 2012
This edition of Brand Thoughts ponders if this last week is the moment when the UK Coalition Government just lost the next election. In Hero to Zero we look a high-flying trip to Washington that was soon overshadowed by Pasty Panic in the UK’s annual Budget. The Brand crisis is topped off in Loose Talk….
Scorcher, No Sex in China, Be an Olympic Star
March 26, 2012
This weekend’s hot weather in the UK starts us looking at what drives a Brand forward in Scorcher. Then it’s a quick trip to Asia to think about No Sex in China and finally we’re back in London where you, too, can Be an Olympic Star. For the complete edition…
Hotel Alcatraz, Tesco Bombs, Branson on Branson
March 21, 2012
The pick of this week’s stories with a Brand angle starts with a new place to stay, well sort of, it’s Hotel Alcatraz. Then it’s a trip down the carnage which appears to be on the UK’s High St as Tesco Bombs. Finally, we’re off to learn a billionaire’s secrets in Branson on Branson. For…
The Real Thing, Washing Day, 71 Years Young
March 11, 2012
Had a real challenge this week, just so many good stories. Here’s the pick of them – we’re off to California in The Real Thing, where cola manufacturers are fizzing. We stay in the US as Proctor & Gamble revolutionise Washday. We finish with a 71 Years Young, a story that starts with this year’s…
Aussie Rules, Meltdown, Spitting Images
March 5, 2012
This week we’re full of variety. In Aussie Rules, we take a look at another interesting Branding week for Rupert Murdoch (we just can’t keep him down!) before we see if anything can save nuclear energy from Brand oblivion in Meltdown. And then we pop over to Moscow, where a Russian presidential candidate takes a severe…
Rising Sun, The Otter Side, Oh! La La
February 26, 2012
In this week’s Brand Thoughts we cast a critical eye in Rising Sun at the new tabloid newspaper which launched in the UK this weekend. Then we’re off to discover that a civil engineer in Hereford is more than just bulldozers and concrete in The Otter Side. Our final destination is France where change is…
Braveheart, Fighting Rupe, Bit Sniffy
February 20, 2012
We’re mixing politics and the movies for our first story Braveheart and ending up hugging in Paris. In Fighting Rupe we take a look at why there’s going to be a Sun on Sunday – clever isn’t it to have a day of the week named after your newspaper! And then we couldn’t let Valentine’s…
Nudge Nudge, Run-Up, Mini Freeze
February 12, 2012
The UK Government’s new love affair with psychology starts our Brand Thoughts this week in Nudge Nudge. Then we’re off to New York and an exhausting Run-Up the Empire State Building before returning to Germany, in the grip of Siberian temperatures, and an advertising disaster in Mini Freeze. Read the full edition…
Billion € Home, Klingons Lose White House, Ruinair
January 28, 2012
An international feel to Brand Thoughts this week, starting in Ireland and a very special way of using Euros in Billion € Home. We’re blasting over to the US keeping tabs on the Presidential race in Klingons Lose White House. Finally we’re taking a flight on Ruinair, and thinking ourselves lucky we’ve been allowed on…
Here Kitty, Shot in Paw, Guff Words
January 22, 2012
Last week we finished with a cat story, this week we start with one, Here Kitty – about Brand and innovation. Last week’s story about Churchill Insurance won’t go away and this week they’ve got Shot in the Paw. And a great one to end with – here are some Guff Words you would never want…
U-Turn Balls, Bannock-Brand, Bus-Cat
January 15, 2012
January’s proving excellent for stories illustrating Brands in action – both good and bad! This week, we’re staying close to home as all our stories are from the UK. An often used warning is that we “hold the seeds of our own destruction” and in U-Turn Balls we see a politician self-destructing his Brand. By…
Buffalo Bikes, Swiss Funk 2, Poor Homework
January 7, 2012
The New Year’s off to a flying start with three great stories as seen through my Brand Spectacles. We’re off to Africa to investigate product innovation in Buffalo Bikes. The journey continues in accident prone Switzerland with Swiss Funk 2 and finally fun and games in US presidential race caught my eye in Poor Homework. Read…
Flash Mobs, Corsets & Cravats, Souped Up
December 17, 2011
I promised you a lighthearted Brand Thoughts this week, so we’ll start with the a story that links Morris Dancing with next year’s Olympics in Flash Mobs. Next we go north in the UK to look at TV costume drama Downton Abbey in Corsets & Cravats. We stay in the north to discover the world’s…
Click, Whirr, Vertu Rewarded, Election Mania
December 10, 2011
This week, we’re over in Brussels for our first item Click, Whirr! thinking about influence, or rather loss of it, in the wake of the EU summit. Then we take a bit of light relief thinking about luxury phones, cars and food in Vertu Rewarded. Finally we’re in the US and Russia taking a look…
Incredible Edible, Funny Bunny, We’re Not Fools
December 4, 2011
This week’s first item takes me back to my roots in the north of England where a former mill town demonstrates the power of catching a trend in Incredible Edible. Then we fly off to Finland where Funny Bunny‘s identity crisis gets me thinking about the power Brand Personalities. Our final stop is back at…
Vive la Différence, Jeers Vladimir, Re-Stained
November 26, 2011
Once again, this week’s news is full of Brand related issues. I was tempted to feature the Euro-crisis, but I’ve spared you that. Instead, we rejoice in M&S’s return to Paris in Vive la Différence before traveling to a Russian boxing ring for an unexpected result in Jeers Vladimir. Our last port of call is…
Bunga Bunga, Shard Part, Missing Now Found
November 19, 2011
So many Brand stories in the news this week it’s been hard choosing between them. But here goes. In Bunga Bunga we find out how important it is to seize the day and discover that Silvio Berlusconi lives on in West London. We stay in London for Shard Part and reflect on the importance of…
