Brands must establish trust in order to survive. How do you regain trust in your brand when it has been lost? There is no doubt a plethora of people at Boeing asking that question today. By now, billions of people around the world are aware of the crisis that Boeing, a leader in aerospace engineering […]
As Cultural Strategists, we invest our time and attention understanding the context that drives human behavior: the macroforces, societal trends and ultimately the resulting cultural values shifts that have a tremendous impact on how we exist in the world. This context influences the choices we make: from big life decisions and lifestyle preferences to our […]
Here is the one true thing I know about humans having studied them in action and been one myself for many years: we are essentially “good.” Whether we all know it or not, we share a light of truth that binds us to one another in a spirit of belonging whereby we all have the […]
Early in 2013, Reebok approached our team with the need to develop a deep, emotional understanding of the motivations of fitness customers and the context of fitness activity in 6 countries. Our team spent 6 weeks on a round-the-world journey to uncover the common beliefs, values and motivators for hard core fitness enthusiasts in order […]
In recent weeks, the saga over the fate of JCPenney has been all over the media and advertising industry trade publications, most recently with a warranty spat involving a customer unhappy with a defective engagement ring. We’ve been tracking the situation and decided to dig into the history of the brand and its founder, James […]
Commercial brands are increasingly engaging with social movements in order to better ground and express their core values. Working out the ethical implications of this sort of approach can be tricky; they have to be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis. We know that brands capable of recognizing and aligning with social trends can attract attention through – and reciprocally reinforce awareness of – the causes they espouse. But this raises the question of distinguishing positive social trends from negative ones.
We believe that “consumer” is a kind of four-letter word. When we hear it we can’t help but wonder if people are really thinking critically about what they’re saying.
Brands can realize dramatic short term improvements in profitability and long term improvements in brand health by focusing attention on their Most Valuable Customers.
We live in a time where a quick Twitter search can deliver the pulse of the global community on any topic imaginable in real-time, including a brand’s activities in the marketplace.
As customers gain access to more information about brands’ activities in the market and on the global stage, they naturally develop affinity with brands whose values align with their own.
