In this episode, I interview Michiel & Jan-Pieter from Antwerp based brand & design studio WeWantMore. We talk about their award-winning branding case for Neuhaus. It won a bronze 'Effie' award, which is an award focussed on the 'effectiveness' of creative campaigns, not just 'creative idea'.  We talk about:The studio: WeWantMoreThe rebrand case for Neuhaus, a Belgian chocolate brandHow they went from brand strategy to packaging & identity designHow it impacted the sales for NeuhausThe Effie case study There is also a video version of this interview, with more visual and supporting material. Feel free to check it out at my Youtube channel.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Interesting links: Focus Lab: https://focuslabllc.com/Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillSKenneyIf you're interested in more branding & strategy stuff, visit letstalkbranding.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with my strategy hero, JP Castlin. We talk about the upcoming Castlin manifesto and how its perspectives on strategy will be quite controversial. For decades, 'deliberate' strategy has been the norm in the different strategy disciplines of marketing and branding, but JP offers an alternative view, 'emergent strategy'. Interesting links:If you want exclusive access to the manifesto, shoot an email at hello@rouser.se. Your email won't be used for any other marketing purposes. JP was so kind as to offer this for the listeners because the manifesto won't be free forever. Check out Dave Snowden's views on complexityCheck out JP's business: RouserFollow JP on twitter This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

A brand is a distinctive experiential promise that represents a business.Distinctive: it has its own character, it's recognizable and different from competitorsObservable: it is experienced through visual, auditive, and tonal assets that are ownedPromise: it's not just those assets, it also holds a certain guarantee in it, a story, a problem solved, a job done, This is where we make the bridge with the left side of our quadrant, to promise something you need to somehow understand the promise will sound 'promising' to the consumer. Also, a promise needs to be repeated over time and can evolve. And mostly, the promise works as a familiarity bonus, you know Coca-cola will taste the same, over and over again, it makes it easy to buy it again and againIt represents a business: I think brand should be used in the relevant context of business, whether that's a personal brand, a nation thinking about customers, a non-profit organization wanting more donors, or just a regular business. I think talking about a brand in a purely 'cultural' way makes it become to useless and vague, everything and anything can be a brand, but that doesn't help our disciplines. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with launch and brand strategist Julia Braga. Julia is an educator on Instagram and helps businesses grow their personal brand and sell products through social media content. We talk about social media strategy, launching brands, and the funnel. Interesting links:Julia's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thejuliabraga/  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this solo episode, I talk about competitive analysis, what it is, why and how I approach it, and what are some of the specific phases to go through. I also highlight how I use it as a base for branding and marketing efforts and the difference with business strategy.Notion template: https://www.notion.so/weareollie/LTB-competitive-analysis-template-cfae88e869ef4c418bd9faa328eaf402Phase 1 collect: workshop, google searchesPhase 2 profile: messaging layer, visual layer, positioning layer,Phase 3 group: sub-categories, segment per style, per offer, messaging stylePhase 4 insights: what can we learn from these different competitors, from the category?If you are interested in more juicy stuff, go subscribe to the newsletter at letstalkbranding.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Michael Keplinger is a partner at SmashBrand, an agile brand strategy agency for consumer packaged goods that specializes in a complete approach to market research, product design, and testing. We talk about how to 'test your brand design' with real-world customers and how to apply that to brand building.We talk about:Smashbrand, the agencyTesting packaging design with real-world customersHow to research consumer behavior and develop a brand strategyHow categories can be completely differentHow to test on a budgetIf you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

We talk about:The definition of attentionAttention as a filterRobert heath: low attention processingPaid advertising vs organic contentDigital vs traditional advertisingThe value of the marketing funnelFind Faris:Faris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/farisFaris his book, Paid attentionGenius Steals, his company: http://geniussteals.co/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

We talk about:Here's the Strategy kick-off toolkit course with a 50% discount (use LETSTALKBRANDING coupon code).The planning dirty academy: https://www.planningdirty.com/Get/to/by exercise  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I walk you through some of the tips, tricks and challenges I have when it comes to working remotely. Doing digital workshops, managing client expectations, research international brands and a lot more.We talk about:Downsides:Workshop: picking up on non-verbal communication is a lot harderA lot harder mentally to do → Split it upTrust by being there physically is not thereClient perception: less 'valuable' in a wayUnderstanding local culture can be hardTools:Notion - Project management & strategic follow upHolabrief - Collaborative strategy exercises Mural - Miro - workshopsZoom - Hangout → Iriun webcam - proper setting - lights - Elgato cam linkOther tools: Slack - Whatsapp (watch out) Video ask - Typeform - SurveymonkeyBenefits:Do it with everyone in the world, open up your marketMore Interactive, collaborative approachTipsHave more one-to-one conversationsKeep workshops fun and lightUse digital technology → make it alive - place images - gifs - use canvassesResearch: Make sure you understand product & experience, cultural differencesUse google trends & other tools to analyze local differencesCheck-in from time to time, stay connected, feel like a teamPresentation: these things are important always, but even more so when doing them remotely:Pre presentation preparation, make sure you have built up to the presentation, with workshops, with sessions, check-ins, with interviews, ... The presentation is a celebration of the work done beforeAlways set the goal of the presentation at the beginning, make sure expectations are aligned. It's even harder online to catch little nuances so be crystal clear about what you are going to presentPauze - even more - do around -, ask everyone what they think, breathe, let room for discussion but keep the presentation going This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com