FORWARD THINKING
Backseat Branding
Most brand decisions aren't decisions at all. They're motions dressed up as choices—optimised for safety, backed by dashboards, defended by data. In the age of AI and short-term optimisation, the...
When Natural Is No Longer Enough
When the government mandates natural and PepsiCo removes synthetic dyes, what separates challenger brands? Not ingredients. Story. Regenerative agriculture offers food brands what provenance offers luxury: a credential competitors can't...
Social Proof (Taylor’s Version): How a 3-Second Moment Sold Out a Wine
A bottle appears on screen for seconds. No close-up. No #ad. Just a glass of Sancerre in a Taylor Swift documentary. And then it sells out. The product didn't win...
Jesse Cole’s $100m Brand Decision
I'd never heard of the Savannah Bananas. But twenty minutes into listening to Jesse Cole speak, I realised I was hearing one of the clearest modern examples of brand-first leadership...
Why Distinctiveness (Not Novelty) Wins in an AI World
We're entering an era where novelty is cheap. Ideas are faster, execution is easier, content is endless. AI can generate concepts, visuals, and campaigns in seconds. And yet brands are...
Attention Is Rented. Rituals Are Owned.
Most brands fight for attention. The smartest ones fight for a place in the daily routine. Mental availability gets you considered. Behavioural integration makes you irreplaceable....
AI Shopping — Finally, Digital Discovery?
AI shopping is here — and it changes everything about how people discover and buy. With ChatGPT now handling the full journey inside the chat window, digital retail finally gets...
The Cost of Contempt: How Adobe’s made room for Canva and Figma
After decades of monopoly, Adobe’s Creative Cloud empire is under threat. Canva and Figma aren’t just building better tools—they’re building better relationships. This is the story of how customer contempt...
Living Heritage: How to Modernise Nostalgia Without Getting Stuck in the Past
Every few months, another beloved brand "modernises"—and forgets that heritage isn't a problem to solve. It's an unfair advantage waiting to be re-energised. When done with care. Learn why protecting...
