Promises play an indispensable part in how value accrues in your brand result. Yet despite that, too little thought gets applied to what’s going on within the promise itself.Have you ever found yourself trapped under an avalanche of cavalier promises, with people playing fast and loose with the content. And...
Ask people what their organisations need to do better, and nine times out of 10, they will say communicate. Whether it’s too much or too little, it’s never just right. When it comes to communication, we have a Goldilocks problem.If you think communication is not your job, you’re wrong. Everyone...
Botched is the best word to describe the roll-out of the new Australia Unlimited logo, which ignited handwringing and rancour across media, government and design circles when it was released this week. News organisations pounced and paraded it alongside the Australia Made logo as if one was replacing the other. It wasn’t,...
The sneakers were cool, and after what seemed like the thousandth shout out in newsletters and on Instagram I gave in and bought a pair. That moment of weakness would haunt me over the following days as they bombarded me with their excitement about my purchase and breathless updates on...
A day-long discussion on Twitter got started when a follower posted “I’m interested to know how many companies do you guys consider yourself loyal to?” Seeing I was in the mood to tussle, I replied, “ok, I’ll play, but first how do you define loyalty?” Back and forth we went until we...
While driving to an appointment recently, a radio ad broke past my thoughts about the week ahead and what I was going to make for dinner. At first, it was annoying. Over and over it repeated: “A faulty airbag can kill you. A faulty airbag can kill you. A faulty airbag...
The sign on the counter said: ”If you’re not satisfied with your stay, let us know and we’ll make it right.” I’m sure plenty of similar signs litter hotels worldwide. It’s a reassuring sign. A promise to fix things. Pity it was rubbish. In the grand scheme of things, our problem was...
Talk about promises enough, and you’ll quickly find not only do people fail to consider them, but when they do, it’s like they’re handling a bomb — something slightly unstable, out of their control, that could go off at any time. So, I’m always looking for different ways to approach promises. People...
A barrage of recent activity stemming from Unilever chief Alan Jope’s article on ‘woke washing’ and an organisation’s responsibility to their purpose might seem like catnip for someone like me. However, it’s the downside of the so-called ‘purpose movement’ I’m more interested in, and the impact it can have on the brand...
A friend Sue (not her real name) lives in a rental house that’s up for sale — in our overheated real estate market, it’s a common story.The landlord warned her about it late last year, so she wasn’t surprised when the real estate agent Dan (not his real name) got...