thebrandgym

A key part of growing the core is creating, amplifying and managing brand properties. These include symbols, colours, slogans and sounds. So, we have chosen brand properties as the focus…

This post is based on a great customer experience I’ve just had, having bought new sheets and bedding from a Dutch brand called Yumeko. The whole experience was so WOW…

I love this cartoon from marketoonist Tom Fishburne. It illustrates the risks of trying to turn a product brand into a "masterbrand" that serves as an umbrella for a range…

I recently read a great article in The Harvard Business Review about how companies tend to ignore the importance of time as a valuable resource: "Your Scarcest Resource" by Michael Mankins,…

I often get asked when speaking at conferences about how the brandgym principles of brand-led business apply to big companies but not small ones. "It doesn't work for my small…

In marketing, you know it’s important to be creative, but how do you keep your creative skills sharp?  Last year, with this in mind, I gave myself a creative challenge:…

In last week's blog, here, we discussed how crucial it is for service brands to define & create a strong brand culture. This ensures that the way of going to…

The recent history of Greggs*, the high-street chain of bakery stores, illustrates the choice companies face when responding to shifting consumer needs and competitive threats. (*For non-UK readers, Greggs are…

Being a champion is all about talent, right? The likes of Tiger Woods and David Beckham were born with special gifts that set them apart.  "No" is the answer in…

In our book ‘Grow the Core’, we systematically explore the various degrees of freedom that a brand can pursue in search of growth, including creating a distinctive service experience. And key to…