New British Gas brand identity.

I have just seen the new brand identity from CHI & Partners for British Gas. I have also read many reviews and comments about in on several blog sites. My initial reaction is not great I'm afraid, but I feel it's not fair to be to negative without seeing the brief CHI was given by the client which should reveal what was the business and brand strategy for this logo. You will see for yourself that there are comments such as. " Not very British looking" " Looks like a GCSE project", "Typeface is dreadful" etc.. but what I find interesting is the underlying message behind this new identity. Firstly I think my initial reaction from many BG customers will be...'Why on earth are BG spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on this rebrand now when our bills are increasing by the month. The new vehicle wraps throughout the country will alone be astronomical. I can't help but think this new branding could have waited several more years until Britain was kind of back on it's feet again financially and our collective emotions weren't as gloomy. The actual stand alone logo itself for me looks a bit cheap (unlike their prices) especially the intended flame. Using blue and green gradients in a logo has been done to death and looks very naive. Hard to believe the creative director passed this.  The negative space within the flame is not an attractive shape at all and to bring in a hint of green smacks of jumping on the environmental band wagon, which to me they didn't really need to do. We as a population understand what BG's product is and what it does to our environment through our consumption... we don't need this feeble attempt to make us feel better about BG.  This leads me onto this strap line or brand promise if you want to call it that. "Looking after your world" again I'm not sure this will not come back to haunt BG in the future if something does go wrong (think BP). I personally don't need a utility company to look after my world. For a company like BG to settle for something this uninspiring and slightly mick taking for it's brand badge is quite incredible. How tightly tied were the agency's hands on this brief I wonder?  The actually typeface itself is not to bad, but yet it still falls short of the mark in aspirational terms for me. (Feel free to comment all you type designers). I was lucky enough to have worked on a BG project 'Happy to Help" in 2002/3 which I helped create the identity, so this project has interested me on a personal level. I'm not sure how the customers will react to this brand change, but I do know there will be comments made about this in every design and brand magazine and web forum around the globe and alas I feel the majority will not be positive. If you have any feedback or would like to a add your comments then please do so.

Hamish takes the lead.

Fantastic talk this morning from Hamish Taylor at the Energus building in West Cumbria. Great to see some familiar faces there to. Hamish touched on many things that determine the strengths of great leadership. He told stories of some great moments when he was part of P&G, British Airways and more recently Sainsbury's banking. I personally liked the fact that he stressed upon the importance of revealing the 'soft insights' into what the real benefit for customers are from a brand, product or service. This is something we at the Brand Group have been asking our customers and talking about for some time now. Let's hope the penny finally drops and the Managers and CEO's of the Cumbrian organisations who were listening today take this on board going forward. This insight comes through emersing oneself into a customers situation and their desires/needs. It also creates enthusiasm which gets people on board and ultimately drives sales through the roof. All because of listening to what customers want and not shouting about how good your company or your products/services are. It's also about clear communication which excites and moves people, not just bullet points and business speak that's dull as dishwater of which no-one takes a blind bit of notice. This is the only way great Cumbrian businesses can make their brand something to be loved and have real meaning for people...thus ending the continual struggles of being just a commodity that noboday truly cares about internally or externally. So go get some 'soft insight' into your next board meeting and make a real change. You can also speak with us or any member of our Group for advice. We're here to put your business where it really should be, in people's heads and more importantly - their hearts!

Paul

Which brands in Cumbria do you love?

Hello to you all who follow this blog. I have recently been re-reading the book 'The Future beyond brands - Lovemarks' by Kevin Roberts. I read this initially last year. I have recently picked it up again due to the fact the man himself will be appearing in my neck of the woods this December at Reghed nr Penrith (I already have my place booked). I urge all designers, business owners, marketeers and anyone else to go to this event and also read this book. It is full of inspiring stories and guidance into the brands that really make an impact in people's lives to such a point where we love them.. hence making a real mark on their lives to a point where the consumer becomes 'loyal beyond reason'. I particularly love the story where Kevin brought a real lion into his first board meeting with the client 'Lion Nathan' in New Zealand..the board never forgot the Lion as part of their brand. I also love his constant associations and love of The All Blacks, rugby team. For all the great stories just get hold of the book any way you can, it's a must. One of his main points about Lovemarks, was that they all touched on emotions that so many organisations forget about or choose to ignore, which are Mystery, Sensuality and Intimacy - 3 building blocks that can make your brand become a 'Lovemark' giving you loyalty beyond reason. Now a lot of you will be saying... yes but my business is way to small to think about this ideal..in reality the opposite is never more true and in these very tough economic times, we simply can't ignore the fact that we need to have strong brands that people value and really love. In Cumbria many people choose to live here who were not necessarily born here. Many of the Brandgroup members moved here or have moved back here (including myself) because we 'love it'. We love it for many reasons, the beauty, the calmness, the accessibility to other great places, the friendliness, the ability to bounce back through adversity, the ideal place for children and families to grow... their are many things which make Cumbria for me personally a true 'Lovemark'. It would be interesting to hear what your 'Lovemarks' would be of businesses, products or people throughout Cumbria. Which Cumbrian brands do you really love? You can let me know at this email address: info@thebrandgroup.co.uk

I hope to see many friends, clients and the brand group members at Reghed for the visit of Kevin Roberts - Saachi & Saachi worldwide CEO I hope the evening will be as inspiring as his book and it will help all who come embrace their own brand with the aim of becoming a 'Lovemark' within Cumbria and beyond.

Love to you all!

Paul Smith

Website is now live

Hello and welcome to a very much anticipated post on this blog. Just a quick message to let you all know that The Brandgroup website is now live, so please take a look around. It's been a while in the making (due to it being done almost free of charge). There is still a little bit to do and things to clean up, but it's here for all the world to see. In the coming weeks there will be some new videos (from more than just me) from other group partners and also new projects will be on show to showcase the highly skilled and creative talents of all our partners. I can also start dedicating some time to this blog again to keep you all updated on important news and refreshing insights into the world of branding. It goes without saying that if you require The Brandgroup services or the services of our partners, please get in touch. It could be the the most powerful thing you do for your brand today.

Thanks

Paul Smith - Founder of The Brandgroup

Design and Strategy

What comes to mind when you think of design? Your last office makeover? Your business cards? Perhaps the artwork on the last CD or DVD you bought. Or the last house you saw built on 'Grand Designs'. Yes, these are examples of design, but are you just identifying design as a superficial feature, employed purely for aesthetic reasons, rather than a rigorous process? If you are, then you're missing the real value that design can bring to your business.

Businesses only really get the best out of design when they view it as something of core strategic importance rather than a coat of surface gloss. Think less about, say, the logo on your website's homepage and more about why you have a website in the first place.

It's important to think of design not just in terms of the look and feel of a product or service, but instead think of design as a process, a way of thinking and working that allows you to sift ideas and develop them into products and services that people can believe in and value in their own lives.

Does your brand make any SENSE?

When it comes to your brand appealing to all our senses, only around 84% of all communication in the commercial world appeals to only one of our senses - our vision.

This means that only 16% of communication actually stimultes our other senses.

So what? you may say, but think about this, 75% of our daily emotions are influenced by what we smell, there's a 65%chance of changing someones mood by a exposing them to a positive sound. As brand choices are made emotionally and not rationally then shouldn't we all be thinking of ways to introduce our brand to our customers other senses - touch, smell, sound and taste. Q: What does your brand taste like? Does it have a specific smell? Do your customers recognise your brand just by touch?

For entrepeneurs who love reading, use your eyes and purchase this if you have time:

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/martin+lindstrom/brand+sense/7218876/

Brand Damage by Association

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/66d1d3ec-2f19-11e0-88ec-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Cyta2vMn

Very interesting article here on the FT website. What would happen if your company or your product was adopted by a demogrpahic or customer that you would never choose to be associated with and what would the implications be to your brand. Think; Burberry and Chavs, Toyota vans being used by the Taliban, Crystal Champagne and Rap Music, Stella Artois now nicknamed 'wife beater' by many and Ferrero Rocher being associated with cheap receptions at party's.

Sometimes brands have no control over their product once it is released into the world.

So what can a company do? If only a small percentage of the wrong type of customer buys its product, a pragmatic approach is to ignore the problem.

If you do need to address it look for a positive spin. Perhaps the first thing to do is to look for a kind of positive that the undesirables represent.

'Marketing is often a process of discovery' - Professor Barwise of London Business School.

It's the final countdown..

Hello,

Just wanting to inform everyone that 'The Brand Group' website will be launched very soon.

We're putting the final nuts and bolts together as we speak and we are hoping to be live by the end of February. Some exciting stuff happening in the coming weeks for the group to, which I will inform you of as and when they are 'blog worthy'. You can keep up to date with our tweets and if you require any help with your brand then please don't hesitate to contact us: info@thebrandgroup.co.uk

The Designer's Prayer

Johnson Banks writes a fantastic 'thought for the week' blog and I spotted this on it which made me chuckle.

PS Design Group becomes part of The Brand Group

The Brand Group is here. Yes that's right folks, PS Design Group is now a partner of The Brand Group. There has been lots of work in the background and reasons why this partnership is not only necessary, but also very relevant. Over the years I (Paul Smith) have been privileged to work with some top creative talent throughout Cumbria and across the UK - in fact I still do and will continue to do so. I am however going to focus on the reason that brought me into this creative profession originally... Brands!!!!

Branding is what makes me get up in the morning - and is my passion. Your brand is not just a logo, an advert or a brochure, your brand is everything your current and prospective customers think, feel, say, hear, read, watch, imagine, suspect and even hope about you or your product, service or organisation...

It's about real meaning! And that's what's important and why people use their emotions to choose a brand and stay loyal to a brand for many years.

Although I will be taking a step back from the actual graphic design duties and development process that takes place once a brand has been established, I will be overseeing the majority of the creative output and I will still be hands on when it comes to delivering the tangible stuff for PS Design Group. I will be spearheading The Brand Group along with some very creative talent - from cool Graphic Designers and amazing Photographers to brilliant Web Developers and Marketing Gurus, who are all at the top of their game. And we will be giving businesses in Cumbria and beyond the chance to have a 'full service' and true 'branding agency' to call upon to help their brands become what they really should be and reach their true authentic potential.

The new website and introductory material for The Brand Group will be rolling out to our current clients in the coming weeks and months, but in the meantime I wanted to announce this first from my blog. I would like to remind everyone that The Brand Group, will be all about creativity, strategy, and development over the long term. PS Design Group will be the Graphic Design partner along with other sectors including Online Developers, Photographers, Marketing and much more. Thus making us (and our clients) better, adding more value and becoming a relevant partner to anyone who is serious about their brand.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you need any further information or would like to talk to us about your brand and how we can help, then please contact us at: info@thebrandgroup.co.uk

A very Merry Christmas to you all and we look forward to working with you in 2011.

And remember... A Brand is like a puppy...it's not just for Christmas.