Some of our latest thinking

While start-ups can often consider agility to be an advantage, incumbents are frequently better placed when it comes to branding. Heritage, often synonymous with purpose, is something grown, not created, and it's something incumbent financial institutions tend to have in abundance. However, a brand doesn't need heritage to be authentic—it merely requires a foundation or a purpose rooted in truth.

James Snook

January 2021

Vaccines are getting approved, and people are beginning to see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. As the new year approaches and we begin to think about life post-pandemic, brands that can demonstrate their unique commitment to care—what that means for patients, communities and each other—will be well-positioned to stand apart as leaders going forward. Here are five key trends to consider in evaluating how you’re delivering on your brand in 2021.

Christine Lim

January 2021

We believe that less is usually more and now, new tools and experience thinking make it possible to do more with less. So, as we head into the new year, here are five tips to consider to help you make the most of what you have when rationalizing your brand portfolio in 2021.

James Withey

January 2021

A global pandemic. Economic uncertainty. Political limbo. Racial inequality. To say 2020 is an “annus horribilis” unlike we’ve ever experienced would be an understatement.But in the words of our co-CEOs, we viewed these obstacles as a clarion call for simplicity. Our collective responsibility was to find new ways to remove the complexity from the challenges before us—both for our clients and colleagues. As we look to the year ahead, what’s top of mind for branding experts? Our practitioners weigh in on how companies can differentiate themselves in 2021.

Siegel+Gale

December 2020

Brands today don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re not unilateral, broadcasting to the world what they want people to believe about them. They’re dynamic, shaped and felt by people – their customers, their partners, their investors or their employees – across every touchpoint. Each audience passes judgement based on how that brand shows up, how it speaks to them, and how it makes them feel.

Amale Ghalbouni

December 2020

Given the current climate around the pandemic and global market conditions, mergers and acquisitions are on the rise. This uptick in activity will likely sustain as industries continue to be impacted, and innovation drives the search for efficiencies, consolidation, supply chain adjustments, evolving service models and increased scalability. Embracing change and acquisitions that help across these areas is a priority for many companies. One thing is clear—the success of these deals ultimately hinges on the people inside the organization, not the balance sheet.

Siegel+Gale

December 2020

Today, brand is more than a name, logo, tagline, advertising campaign or even the marketing department’s sole purview. A brand’s success is measured by the summation of the touchpoints all stakeholders—customers, employees, partners, investors, community—have with an organization. When a brand is well-managed, stakeholder experiences align with the expectations set by marketing communications and the brand grows in value over time. However, sometimes brands lose relevance and need to be reconsidered, a process known as rebranding. Here are six scenarios when a company might want to consider rebranding.

Margaret Molloy

December 2020

We have all been tested over the past nine months, professionally and personally. As we approach the new year, many of us are committed to emerging from the uncertainty more evolved—as a society, as brands and individuals. For the season finale of our Future of Branding series, I was joined by five global marketing leaders to explore shifting customer expectations. We examined the fastest-growing job sectors, highlighted the importance of brand purpose, underlined the value of community, identified novel brand partnerships and how we cannot lose sight of the arduous lessons learned in 2020.

Margaret Molloy

December 2020

2020 has not gone to plan. Our previous CMO study, conducted during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed a set of leaders focused on steering their businesses and teams through uncharted waters with unbelievable agility, and who were also beginning to look to the future.

Siegel+Gale

December 2020

Understanding buyer behavior and cultivating the habits that we desire of buyers has long been the bedrock of marketing and an outcome of successful brand building in both B2B and B2C business models. But what happens when a global pandemic wreaks havoc with all facets of life, from work to lifestyle? How do buyer habits change? Which ones will revert pre-pandemic? And perhaps more importantly, which new habits will persist?

Margaret Molloy

December 2020