brand YOU

Set your angel free. Awesome thought.

The Brand Guy

The Angel In The Stone

I edit for a living. Actually, that’s not true. I am a brand strategist. And at the beginning of every big project I amass a vast array of information, ideas and opinions.

My job, as the brand strategist, is to clear away the clutter, expose the truth that sits at the core of this array of information, ideas and opinions, and shape the words that articulate this truth in a powerful way.

The process is very much like being a sculptor, chipping away at the rock diligently and purposefully until the image reveals itself – a concept Michelangelo spoke of often:

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

For Michelangelo the idea was already there, inside the slab of stone, and his eyes and hands were the vessels by which the idea was brought forth. Sculpture, like editing…

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Forging Ahead.

Had to reblog this. It’s so well written, funny and so right 😉

http://bit.ly/1AjVnWs

Winning with Heart.

The best brands stir people’s emotions by telling compelling, rousing stories. So, when designing winning brands (and relationships) we need to win people’s hearts. This leads to nudging people into changing their attitude or behaviour.

When winning with heart, it’s helpful to understand the underlying habits and motivations that drive our audience to take action or behave in the way they do, and to understand the values that they find important.

If we do not spend time working out what drives people, we will be less successful at connecting and winning with heart.

In this way, making a connection is sometimes art and sometimes science.

Live consciously!

Brenda

Changes in Consumer Banking

There is so much wrong with the banking sector, but it’s also a sector I find interesting as it tends to be an early adopter of design and technology innovation.

Here are some recent banking trends I find interesting:

1. BANK BRANCHES.

The bricks-and-mortar locations where banks traditionally conduct business in person with their customers are going through a big period of transformation.

Banks are closing branches, relocating branches, shrinking the square footage of branches and moving branches into shopping-center spaces to be closer to their consumer. They’re also changing the nature of services that banks offer customers at branches.

Transactions, which have been the backbone of branches, are migrating out of the branch and into other channels – Mobile apps, online, ATMs and other technology influences are taking the transactions out of the branch itself. “Intelligent ATMs” offer more transaction services or video screens that can connect customers to live tellers at call centers.

2. UNIVERSAL BANKERS

As transactions move out of branches, tellers must become less transaction-oriented and more focused on sales of bank products and services.

Even their job titles have changed from teller to personal banker, and now, universal banker. This new position describes branch employees who not only process transactions but also pitch products and services to customers through cross-selling and up-selling.

3. MOBILE APPS

Early on, banks experimented with mobile, website-based banking services. But the trend today is toward mobile banking apps designed to deliver banking services via a smartphone.

Most banking apps allow customers to check account balances, review transactions, transfer funds from one account to another within the bank and pay bills within the bank or externally.

The big unknown is the extent to which mobile banking apps also will allow customers to complete transactions that are harder to authenticate remotely.

4. SECURITY

The risk of identity theft creates the incentive for consumers to take responsibility for the safety and security of their personal financial information. Whether that means a password-protected cellphone or one with virus protection, consumers have to be smart users of technology.

Banks are doing their part, too. One trend is stricter authentication systems that require more than a simple username and uncomplicated password to access a bank account.

But banks today don’t stop with authentication. Many are taking “a layered approach” that begins with authentication and adds plenty of other security systems.

“It’s like securing a house, you want strong locks, but you shouldn’t stop at the locks.”

5. CARD CHIPS

Transaction security, in particular, will continue to be a challenge.

The magnetic strip, or “mag stripe,” found on the back of most debit cards and credit cards is old technology. The new tech, already widely used in Europe, involves a so-called EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) chip, which is much more secure than a mag stripe. The EMV chip produces unique coding for each transaction and transfers some of the liability for fraudulent transactions from banks to retailers.

Some past data breaches (for example target in the U.S) may have been prevented by having more robust card technology.

“I think we could see some drastic changes in the way we bank and the way the card is used”

6. PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES TARGET CASH

Despite the ubiquity of plastic payment options, consumers still use cash and coin to pay for plenty of goods and services, particularly when small dollar amounts are involved. And much of that cash and coin passes through bank accounts at some point or another.

That could change as new payment technologies, like smartphone wallets and virtual currencies, make a run at displacing the cash and coin.

Banks offer some of these technologies, but many other nonbank companies also do it. That could mean some stiff competition in cash-replacement, technology-based services.

Source: http://www.bankrate.com

Image source: https://www.123rf.com

I challenge you to think positively about the #EtisalatChallenge

The laws of physics demonstrate that for every trend, there is an equal and opposite counter trend and I am a firm believer in this principle. There never is an absolute truth, rather a series of forces that shape our lives and we get to choose what suits us, there is no black and white but a series of grey.

And so it is with the #etisalatchallenge. For years people have been complaining that the Telco “doesn’t listen” “is old fashioned” and “doesn’t reach out to the community” – and then finally when it does, it gets bagged out on social media.

I know there are only 2 Telco’s in the UAE but that is precisely why the #etisalatchallenge is so bold because rather than rest on their laurels, Etisalat demonstrates that they are serious about offering best in market products and services. If you check the Etisalat website, they have offers that are first in the market and quite useful for various audiences.

What this campaign has done is create a conversation around Etisalat and it invites people to be part of that conversation either through the #etisalatchallenge or via opinions about the campaign and that’s what every brand wishes for, to start a conversation.

Rather than critisizing Etisalat’s move, we should support and encourage this gesture by a prominent and iconic UAE brand. Maybe it could have been done in a more relevant way (using meaningful brand ambassadors and having a better customer service response across social media) but it takes guts to challenge people and live up to the challenge. And, taking a Challenger position is not something usually done by an established player.

Brands that want to stay relevant constantly innovate and challenge themselves. And this is exactly what Etisalat has done. So now Etisalat should continue to challenge itself by listening and learning from customer feedback.

And I challenge other brands in the UAE to be open and transparent about their products and customer service and to put in place mechanisms that help identify and resolve customer complaints.

#UAEbrandchallenge

Internet Connected Coffee Jar

A coffee jar that sends you a message when the coffee runs low? Sounds awesome to me, I often run out of my (locally roasted, direct trade) coffee 😉

Internet-connected devices can be applied to other things that regularly need top-ups like medicine, milk, diapers. Imagine if it was connected to the local supermarket, butcher, fruit & vegetable market or pharmacy.

Though, for those times when our desire for exploration trumps our need for convenience, it’s good to have an off-switch.

Source: http://bit.ly/1EOgpZi

If you want Brand Growth, Build Experiences first.

Generosity of Spirit.

Too often we find it easy to judge others based on our own limited perceptions of the world and some ingrained memories.

But I believe that we are all on our own developmental journey whether emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical, moral, intellectual or any other paradigm.

Each of us may be quite advanced in one area of life whilst slower to develop in other areas.

If we agree with this premise, then our role is not to judge others, but to have the compassion and generosity of spirit to help others we encounter on our journey, and to expect that others who are more advanced than us on certain paths, in turn help us.

Live consciously,

Brenda.

Love Builds. Fear Destroys.

Loving in a world that teaches fear is an act of rebellion and strength.

Break free from Bias.

Cognitive is a word relating to cognition, which is the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. It is our way of discerning what is going on around us. It is basically the way we mentally process information around us to gain understanding.

Cognitive Biases, therefore, are unconscious inclinations or prejudices that are based on our historical environment and psychological development and in this way, they limit our way of interacting with the people and situations around us, and they deny us our full human experience.

When we become aware of the existence of cognitive biases, it becomes easier to break their hold by noticing when we are defaulting to that mode of thinking.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias is one type of cognitive bias that refers to the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

When you default to that mode of thinking, you tend to approve ideas that confirm what you already know, thus staying within your comfort zone and rejeting ideas that are totally new or unfamiliar.

In order to negate the effects of confirmation bias, it helps to detach from your usual way of thinking by asking yourself a few questions:

• Am I selecting this idea because it sits within my comfort zone?
• Am I taking the path of least resistance?
• How can I break down this idea into its various components to make its adoption easier?

Hope this helps you to push your thinking into more courageous territory.

Live consciously,

Brenda.