Here’s a hard truth: Most successful brands sell dreams—not reality. That’s not a cynical take. It’s just how humans are wired. Airbnb doesn’t show you the cramped basement apartment with a clunky lock and an awkward host. They show you the treetop retreat in the jungle or the...
In marketing, targeting is often hailed as the holy grail. With today’s digital tools, we can zero in on precise audience segments—down to job title, purchase intent, or even what someone had for lunch. It’s no wonder that many marketers, especially those focused on performance,...
Spotify does something many brands struggle with: it makes billions of users feel like it’s made just for them. From personalized playlists to culture-savvy campaigns, Spotify turns creativity into a competitive advantage—and it keeps customers coming back. The key? Strategic storytelling that builds an emotional connection....
“Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” — Tony Hsieh, Founder of Zappos Too often, companies isolate customer experience (CX) within a single department, treating it as a support function rather than a fundamental business philosophy. But exceptional customer experience...
The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Brand Consistency "Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room." — Jeff Bezos While most executives understand the importance of branding, there's an often-overlooked aspect that quietly erodes profits, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage: brand...
"It's not fashionable these days to say that you want to put more effort towards brand and consumer sentiment because they're harder to measure...
In brand strategy, I often see teams move forward when they feel pretty confident — when their odds of being right seem just above 50%. But here’s the truth: Being barely right isn’t good enough in high-stakes decisions. The real value comes from pushing that confidence way higher...
In 1973, researchers posed a powerful question that still hits hard today:Are repeat buyers really loyal, or are they simply doing what they’ve always done? Decades later, the answer remains crucial for every brand leader:A large portion of customers aren’t loyal — they’re habitual.They’ll buy your...
Brand or Performance?Long-term or short-term?Storytelling or selling? The binary is broken. Thinkbox’s "Profit Ability 2" study (with Ebiquity, EssenceMediacom, Gain Theory, Mindshare, and Wavemaker), is based on a rigorous analysis of £1.8 billion in ad spend across 141 brands, 14 categories, and 10 media channels. And the big...
Let’s face it: this isn’t the same marketing landscape we were operating in even a year ago. 💸 Budgets are tighter.🧑💼 Teams are leaner.🛍️ And customers? They’re more cautious, selective, and value-driven than ever. In this environment, there’s one area that smart brands are doubling down on: Customer...