Issues

Mark writes frequently and passionately on a full range of topics relating to branding and its relationship with business. Never one to back away from an opinion if he feels it's warranted, Mark's pieces take on everything from organisational processes to internal culture to discussions on the power of country of origin reputation. These are the current favourites. Please keep checking back though. New articles will often appear here first.

Femonomics must change the way we sell

It’s extraordinary how so much has been made of the emergence of China and India and of the impact of new technology on the world’s economic wellbeing – and yet a factor bigger than either of these dynamics has been largely ignored.
Find out more about the world's largest market

Branded Purpose: Singing in the rain

A powerfully aligned culture is testimony to the power of purpose. That's because when people have a cause to come to work for, extraordinary things happen. Three things make that possible - information, inspiration and motivation. Find out why.
Find out why.

Branded culture: The sure signs of a disillusioned culture

The same things seem to pop up in every culture that is not working to capacity, regardless of what management might be doing or espousing to the contrary. Here are the 11 sure signs of a disillusioned culture, together with observations on why they occur and some thought-starters on how to go about changing them.
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Branded communications: The truth? Who wants to know?

It's one of the great curiosities of business writing today that so many organisations seem obsessed with communicating at the expense of commonsense, comprehension and, in the worst cases, plain truth. As communicators, we all know this goes on. Most everyone admits to it. And yet little of any significance changes.
Lap up the rant

Branded behaviours: Why are so many internal branding programmes such crap?

So many internal branding programmes are not worth the values they're meant to be based on. By contrast, the programmes that really work are specific to the chemistry of that company at that time, in that situation, with the challenges it faces from now on. They speak to the business, talk to the numbers and inspire the individuals. A "please explain" diatribe to the self-serving.
See for yourself

Branded countries: Where in the world…?

Just as business practice is now subject to deeper scrutiny than ever before, so public perceptions of, and trust for, brands have a wider basis than before, and it's intensifying. Brands are now judged by the country, and not just the company, they keep. And if you're responsible for a brand, you now need to be seriously assessing those national perception impacts, because the potential for them to do you damage or deliver you advantage is palpable.
Find this here

Inspiration for brands: If you want to be competitive, look out

For so many decision makers today, multiple magazine subscriptions, total article addiction and the latest business books are their guide. They are swallowing what they see and hear whole, instead of using it as a starting point to think through inspiring, original and relevant solutions. A business book alone is not the answer, and it never will be - because it was never intended to be. Books, even great books, and the ideas they contain are not formulae. They are thought starters. Fascinating, intriguing and inspiring … but a long way from the ultimate answer.
Take a look

Brand Longevity: No. 5 is Alive!

History plays a critical role in branding, because consumers make decisions based on what they have known and what they have come to expect. Time adds credibility, presence, track record, reliability and the powerful and cumulative effect of collective memory. Nowhere is that dynamic more powerful than with longstanding brands. The success of the House of Chanel enables one to draw some conclusions on what it takes to survive and thrive as a brand with legacy in an age of impatience.
Read it now

Brand talking: Wrapping your brand around Word of Mouth

WOM may be hot as a concept, but the brand disciplines needed to achieve a powerful talked-about reputation are age-old. The new age of open source information will challenge the control-freaks who just want to broadcast to their audiences, but for those willing to accept that their brands are now valued as much by the interactions that stakeholders have between themselves, there are new opportunities and ways to capitalise. First though, get the headspace right.
Look beyond

Mega-myths: The Case Against Volume

In a world where scale is lauded and success continues to be measured in size, there's mounting evidence to suggest that small may not be as imposing but it can be equally impressive.
Look closely

Branded service expectations: Why should your customers report to your processes?

"Customer service" should not be about a single, generically set manual of KPIs, response times and IVR technologies. Homogeneity is not the basis for any form of difference. Personalised, branded customer service by contrast, is interesting and engaging, and relevant, because it delivers on the promise that each brand has made to their customers in memorable and highly individualised ways.
Read on.