Sex: part of the oldest profession and one of the most powerful forces of human nature. Unsurprisingly, sex is used extensively in communications and advertising. The day after Hugh Hefner passed away, Grain director Madelyn Postman discussed the Playboy brand on BBC’s Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst. Here’s the segment, and an analysis of how Playboy branded sex itself. Whether men really think about sex…
1. How do we position ourselves to get maximum benefits from the merger? First and foremost, further education colleges (which mostly serve learners aged 16-18) need students and so a merged college needs a brand that is memorable and attractive. Existing students need to welcome and identify with the new identity, but it is also vitally important to reach new audiences and attract students who…
Have a look at our top 10 favourite design books. You’ll find Amazon links below the infographic. Do you have any books to add to the list? 1. Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler 2. Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution by Mono Design 3. Package Design by daab 4. Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman 5. Detail in Typography by Jost Hochuli 6.…
Thanks to our guest author, Hazel Garcia of Investment Zen, who has provided us with this infographic showing the cost breakdown of pricing of a shirt. Branding and marketing costs also need to be considered, and in the world of luxury, the markup for added value – the brand magic – will be substantial. Think about the last time you went shopping for a new shirt. What were…
The glass entrance of the recently reopened Amersham Museum draws in passers-by, and once they’re inside, the new displays are captivating. The entire space is welcoming and encourages visitors to move from one area to another, learning about the area’s history. The many local stories, some of which go back centuries, come to life and interweave with current landmarks and events. Grain is excited to be part of the re-imagined…
Psychographic targeting threatens a dark future. I read an interesting article recently on how a large proportion of marketing professionals think they are spending too much on their digital marketing and are unsure of the returns but are still planning to invest more next year. It sounds like madness but of course this is true of many aspects of marketing communications spend. We’ve come a…
TEDxLondon “Throw those curtains wide. One day like this a year will See me right,” we sing. Hugh Montgomery The Earth will survive But we, foolish humankind Have hit self-destruct. Emily Milan Rea Iron willed teenager Leaves behind a hundred no’s To find the one yes. Ndidi Okezie Teach First: achieving equality for children in education. Shapla Salique Britain-Bangladesh: Harmonium and guitar, Vocals, folk and…
Square. Slack. Sea. These words could soon mean a lot more to you than their literal meaning. They are all on Interbrand’s 2017 list of Breakthrough Brands, the companies that are rising head and shoulders above their peers and breaking through to the level where they are soon to become household names. The 40 companies that have made it onto the list have some factors…
This edition of our newsletter features some especially beautiful products which have been hugely enjoyable to help create. Part of why we love the work here at Grain is the wide range of companies we advise. We get a thrill out of creating gorgeous beauty products and sophisticated jewellery packaging, as much as grappling with strategic planning and branding for technology firms, independent schools, architects and property…
We recently came across this interview from March 7th 2012 of Grain’s founder Christoph Geppert on LBC Radio. That was just after our tenth anniversary!
Politics has long depended on marketing, with a leader’s image being critical to any political campaign. But marketeers, and brands in particular, have historically tried as hard as possible to avoid politics. However as the political scene has become more divisive, especially in the wake of Brexit, the rise of Marine Le-Pen in France and the election of President Trump in the US, brands have found themselves…
Mégane Osio is Grain’s intern this summer and is enjoying putting her design skills to use whilst rapidly improving her English. She is a student of graphic design at ECV Creative Schools & Community in Bordeaux, France. She particularly likes all aspects of corporate design and print, including the visual identity of a brand, packaging, typography, page layout and illustration. Mégane loves music, especially singing,…
Brand “Easter” – is it really Christian? Every year, for the past ten years, Cadbury and the National Trust have teamed up to run a joint chocolate egg hunt promotion over the school Easter holidays. A great idea that until this year was called the “Easter Egg Trail”. But after 10 years, a rebrand to keep things fresh and reposition to a wider target market…
You can’t tick a box saying “exclude terrorist sympathisers” but you can exclude websites that are not aimed at your target market. For a company that built its billions by ranking search results, it’s surprising that Google and its subsidiary YouTube have not been able to properly rank their content providers according to how safe it is to advertise with them. Following an investigation started…
The guys down at Mortgage Finance Gazette have covered the recent launch of Propertymark. Previously known as ARLA, NAEA, NAVA, ICBA and APIP, we created the new name and the new brand with the focus on increasing consumer awareness of the business. Find out more here.