Brand & Innovation Digest – February 2017
During the past month, Tracking Wonder’s research assistant Gianna Kaloyeros has curated some of what we deem the most relevant studies, stories, and news that will help you and your team excel at having the most impact and influence via brand building, storytelling, and innovation.
– Jeffrey, Chief Tracker at Tracking Wonder
Four Reasons Every Startup’s Brand Needs Attention
From Forbes.com
With a personal account and wealth of advice from an entrepreneur and investor, Kumar Arora nails down the four biggest priorities for startups building their business. Don’t wait to start building the brand culture, he says, even in the infancy of the business. Among the four priorities is making sure your brand has a carefully considered name, builds customer loyalty, remains a source of inspiration, and sets your business apart from the competition. Kumar Arora @karora007
When Faced with Constraints, Creativity Soars
From Fast Company
By highlighting resource scarcity in a 2015 study, Scott Sonenshein writes, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Illinois discovered that creativity is very often situational, and not just a personality trait. When people are faced with confines or scarcity, they give themselves free reign to make use of resources in creative, unconventional ways.
Scott Sonenshein @scottsonenshein
When Big Brands Choose Their Logo Colors
From Visual Capitalist
This helpful infographic breaks down exactly how some of the most successful brands leverage color psychology to convey their message to consumers. Context is key, and colors carry a distinct and unique meaning depending on the industry in which they’re used, writes Jeff Desjardins. As branding becomes more focused on emotion, color palettes lead the campaign to send messages to consumers.
Jeff Desjardins @jeffdesjardins
Click image for full infographic.
And How Does That Brand Make You Feel?
From Business to Community
Brands aim for emotional connection developing into brand loyalty, and with customer experience carrying more weight than ever, consumers will pay a premium for top-notch customer service. Companies work hard to create relationships with their customers in some pretty creative ways. Among them? Going against the grain, says Matt Goldman at Business 2 Community. When tech started getting too complex for consumers, Apple simplified everything. Brand transparency is also on the list. Companies who understand the value of transparency are able to build trust and educate consumers.
Matt Goldman @theoriginalbull
When Visuals (or Lack Thereof) Can Hold Brands Back
From Forbes.com
What makes a company look like a bunch of amateurs? Cheaply-designed logos, a flashy website and poor readability, according to John Rampton. Websites that pull out all the stops are hard to navigate and inhibit usability, while site backgrounds that are too trendy or complicated can be a distraction. A safe default is a always a simple design. He encourages brands not to underestimate the value of playing a part in the design yourself, utilizing online tools for layout and logos over which you have complete control.
John Rampton @johnrampton
A New, Poignant Branding for The Washington Post
From Poynter
The new bold tagline that appears under the masthead on washingtonpost.com offers up a rebranded community of journalists on the defense, writes Jim Warren. The straightforward tagline is brief and plays upon alliteration. This branding move comes as a new era of political confusion and uncertain reporting ethics dawns, and The Washington Post vows to keep its readers out of the dark.
@jimwarren55
2017, The Year to Unleash Creativity
From Forbes.com
Contributors from The Berlin School of Creative Leadership carefully curated a list of seven ways, applicable to a variety of brands and industries, that creativity can be encouraged and cultivated. Starting with a deeper look into what it is that stimulates a demand for certain technologies, and not just the technology itself, innovation is proven to be at the heart of any idea. Also on the list are the individually-valued elements that make up creativity: novelty, utility and surprise. Analyzing creative awards in advertising, those held in esteem seem to focus less on strategy and more on the novelty and creative development of an idea.
Contributors from The Berlin School of Creative Leadership @berlinschool
