The anatomy of an ad: Hotel Hassler Roma

I haven’t critiqued one of these in a while, but as I was flicking through the current edition of Conde Nast Traveller, I saw this advertisement for Hotel Hassler Roma. Apparently, to market a luxury hotel experience these days, all you need is an anonymous rooftop view with what is effectively a fancy sun lounger…

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How to choose a brand name for my business

What’s in a name? Mercedes was named after the daughter of a business partner. Acclaimed make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury is the face and name of her beauty brand. Cisco is a derivative of the city of San Francisco, where the company originated from. Spotify is a made-up, portmanteau word combining ‘spot’ and ‘identity’. Unsurprisingly perhaps,…

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Just do it in the Metaverse

I consider Nike’s advertising best in class. There are very few brands capable of capturing the public mood in their advertising as successfully as the Nike brand. Tapping into sub-cultures, market-specific zeitgeist and culturally significant moments with authenticity, has allowed the brand to earn its place in the hearts and minds of generations of consumers….

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Calling a spade, a spade.

On a recent LinkedIn thread, my very talented ex-colleague (and friend) Andjela Kusmuk brought up the topic of interpersonal communication in the workplace. In the context of giving feedback to others, she talked about the imposition often placed on women, describing her experience of being labelled “irritable”, “difficult” or even “aggressive” when being direct, refusing…

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The anatomy of a website: Entireworld

For the sceptics who think the possibility of a metaverse is a fallacy, here’s something to chew over. On average, we appear to be spending 6 hours and 59 minutes daily consuming online content. If we accept that most individuals are awake for approximately 16 hours a day, this means a whopping 40% of our…

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What will it take to rebuild Brand America?

On the eve of the 2020 U.S presidential election, it’s nigh impossible to predict who will come out victorious when the world begins to stir come Wednesday morning. The incumbent – an infantile narcissist of a man who’s built a rabid following off the back of polarizing rhetoric, is pitted against an experienced, yet somewhat…

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The anatomy of an ad: TV2 Danmark

When Adam Price penned these specific words for Birgitta Nyborg, the fictional Danish prime minister and chief protagonist of his sensational political drama Borgen, he could not have foreseen how quickly they would be claimed as one’s own by many a quick study: ” I believe we’re united by more than what separates us” Everyone…

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Under the influence of role models

I’ve spoken a lot about personal branding in my posts. But one of the areas I haven’t really explored is the connection between the brand you build and how this lends itself to being a role model for others. There’s been plenty of talk this week regarding Serena Williams’s post-pregnancy comeback. And so there should…

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