That’s different
Many years ago, I read a book called Funky Business in which the authors reflected on the risks of what they termed a ‘surplus society’.
Specifically, they wrote:
“There is a surplus of similar companies, employing similar people, with similar educational backgrounds, working in similar jobs, coming up with similar ideas.”
That was 25 years ago. I found it a slightly depressing sentiment then and now the seemingly inexorable rise of artificial intelligence is only amplifying that very ‘sameness’ in a world of AI slop.
So, it was all the more reassuring in a recent research debrief for a client of ours to hear these words:
“That’s not normal.”
And then to hear that phrase repeated three or four times over the course of the next hour.
In a world of ‘similar companies’ scrapping over marginal gains, that phrase felt tantamount to a free pass. For this brand to pave its own way. Not to have to second-guess the competition, but to leapfrog it. All based on the brand’s inherent strengths and the courage of its own convictions.
For all too many brands, it seems to be that you have to dare to be different.
The stark reality for most brands nowadays is that you simply cannot afford to be the same.
So tell me, what’s different about your brand?
Your inside advantage
It was only a couple of months ago that I wrote about the brand on the inside of your organisation.
The role of your internal or ‘employer’ brand.
The correlation between brands that people want to ‘work for’ and ‘buy from’.
And, the key dynamics that shape the employee experience, from recruitment to onboarding and onwards.
Victoria reflected on this very same topic just the other day, drawing on data and analysis from our Employer Brand study and leveraging a decade’s worth of data. In her own words:
“This is the decade that employer brands came of age. As competition for talent intensifies around the world, employer branding has evolved from an everyday HR function to a C-suite strategic priority.
This is what ten years of FutureBrand Index data reveals. In 2014, just 24% of people expressed interest in working for the world’s leading companies. By 2024, that figure has jumped to 35% – reinforcing that the strongest brands attract more people to want to work for them.”
What’s more, Victoria goes on to identify strategies to strengthen the connection between your brand’s purpose and the employee experience, and to ensure your brand gives your business an inside advantage.
Download the Employer Brand study here, or simply hit ‘reply’ if you’d like to learn more.
Ten years on from Merck’s radical rebrand
“When Merck unveiled a new identity in 2015, the reaction was mixed. Ten years later, the brand remains intact, its financials and reputation stronger, and its radical design cited as a turning point for the sector.”
So begins this story published by Design Week and its behind-the-scenes look at a rebrand by FutureBrand that was as radical as it was refreshing.
At the time, it polarised opinion.
Business Insider listed Merck’s new brand as one of the most controversial redesigns of 2015, labelling the rebrand “bizarre and off-brand.”
Perhaps that was the point?
After all, in the words of the FutureBrand strategist leading the rebrand: “If science is so incredible and vibrant and Merck does such exciting and groundbreaking work, why does it look so dull?”
One of my favourite statistics reflects the impact of the brand on recruitment: 80% of new recruits said the brand had a strong or very strong influence on them choosing to ‘work for’ Merck.
As the Design Week story highlights in summing up, “Brand is culture. The most successful rebrands give people a shared language, not just a new logo.”
Slow-mo brands
Lots of ideas and insights in this op-ed written by our Sam, Brand Experience & Innovation Director, all geared around the benefits of slowing down your brand to create more memorable moments.
By delivering on something more valuable than speed.
By delivering meaning.
Sam’s op-ed is worth a read, if only for one provocation in particular that stood out for me. So much so that I’ll leave the last words this month to him:.
“What if we were to reframe friction as a feature and not a flaw?“
Feel free to read the rest of what Sam has to say here.
That’s it for another month of news, views and insights.
For me, the best thing about this email newsletter format is that you can simply reply if you have questions or comments. Please feel free to do so, I’m always happy to follow-up with more detail on any of the stories I share, especially if that can help you build your own brand and business. Hit ‘Reply’, speak soon.
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