Category: Uncategorized

What should we learn from Sharing Economy brands?

Posted on by Knom

Collaboration is the gateway to connection.

More and more collaborative economy brands are becoming part of our daily lives. We are talking about Airbnb, but also BlaBlaCar, Fiverr, Wallapop, TooGoodToGo, or Etsy, among others.

Technological platforms that not only facilitate the exchange of products and services, but are also changing the user-brand relationship in all sectors, both technological and traditional.

Because when you allow the user to be an active part of the equation, when you give them the power to manage their time, money and space, there is no turning back.

And this paradigm shift is driven by factors such as digitalization, the economic crisis, the desire to belong to a community and the rise of consumption habits based on sustainability principles.

Coworking, coliving… In the end, these are models based on the most desired attributes of contemporary society: flexibility and personalization, transparency and control, collaboration and community and, finally, experience and sustainability. And all with the greatest possible immediacy.

A change of model that, taken to the real estate market, for example, translates into more agile management, flexible temporary rentals, customizable service packages, shared leisure activities, integration of home automation systems, ecological materials and sustainable spaces, etc.

In short, the consolidation of Sharing Economy brands represents a change in the relationship between brands and consumers, through a more horizontal model that is also more demanding for organizations.

What’s in store for brands in 2023?

Posted on by Knom

Hello, 2023!

As we do every January at KNOM, we look to the future by sharing the trends and topics that will be most talked about this year in the branding sector.

Because we have no doubt: an exciting year is beginning. We are living in times of change, new technologies and evolving models. Accelerated and uncertain times, but also encouraging times where brands, in addition to signifying, have the power to inspire. With a society that increasingly trusts in the power of companies to transform the world, our time has come.

We have the opportunity to be truly relevant. Beyond offering good products and services, our purpose is to make our company a tool for change. And, as long as we do it well, it matters little whether we do it in an online or offline environment.

In fact, if you think about it, this editorial could have been written by ChatGPT. But would it make any difference to the meaning of these words?

We open 2023: a challenging year.

Should brands sponsor a World Cup that goes against their values?

Posted on by Knom

Qatar World Cup puts global brands on the ropes.

Sponsoring a World Cup is an opportunity for any brand. It means having a global audience of hundreds of millions of people and linking your brand to the world’s most popular sport.

However, things change when the host is a country where human rights are not respected and whose values clash head-on with those of any global brand.

Faced with this, there are only two positions to take: either to be totally against it, or to cover one’s eyes and focus on celebrating soccer. And there are examples of both positions with greater and lesser commitment.

Perhaps the most belligerent brand in this regard has been BrewDog. The Scottish brewer has declared itself a “proud anti-sponsor” of the World Cup in Qatar in a series of controversial billboards. But even BrewDog has been branded as hypocritical because with this action, at the same time, it is encouraging its audience to watch the World Cup. The brand has defended itself by saying that all the profits linked to this action will go to fight for human rights.

This World Cup has been a real test to check the real commitment of brands to their values. Because, although we have already experienced other controversial World Cups in this sense, today the world is different: our society and its values have evolved. And so have brands and what consumers expect from them.

Because, more than ever, commitment is relevance and coherence is credibility.

Why shouldn’t your brand be so perfect?

Posted on by Knom

The real connects more deeply with the consumer.

Perfect no longer sells. Or at least not so much anymore. Now there are no longer only handsome, young, tall and slim advertising models, but there is finally room for other types of beauty that are less normative and much more representative. And this is great.

Because you have to be aspirational but also credible. Making our audience feel represented and see themselves reflected in our brand is the first step to connect with them.

Gone is the incessant search for perfection that resulted in absurd situations such as girls who shave their legs without hair or floor cleaners who clean impeccable surfaces.

Today’s consumers demand realism, right. Even if that means seeing legs with stretch marks, faces with wrinkles and rotting hamburgers. A hyper-realism movement that Dove pioneered with its ‘Real Beauty’ campaign and that has now exploded among brands that aspire to be perceived as authentic.

Because, let’s face it, there are few things more human and that generate more empathy than imperfection.

An attribute that, if we work well from the communication and from the product itself, far from making the brand vulnerable, will make it much more solid, closer and credible.

Is it possible to renew the image of a football club without getting burned?

Posted on by Knom

Football brands are sacred but not eternal

A couple of weeks ago we knew about the rebranding of Real Valladolid C.F. and, as usual when a team touches its emblem, the change set the networks on fire again. A phenomenon that we have already experienced with brands such as GAP, Airbnb or Pepsi but never at this level.

Does this mean that identity in soccer is an untouchable grail? Soccer team brands also age and must evolve to remain relevant and express the reality, the moment and the values of their clubs.

Hasn’t the players’ kit evolved? Let’s remember the mini shorts of Di Stefano’s era?

Is it therefore heresy to redesign a club’s crest? The visual identity of the teams should be able to adapt to the new times and needs without so much fuss.

Because it’s not just heraldry. We have seen controversy in subtle restylings (the case of Barça) and in more radical rebrandings (the case of Juventus). Whether because of the emotional component, the feeling of belonging or the historical legacy, the members of a soccer club are diehard fans; brand lovers who feel co-owners of the brand and for whom their club is an important part of their identity. And here we enter a minefield?

Is this a participatory process? Although it is always good to have the opinion of fans, former players and specialized historians, it is impossible not to offend sensibilities. A club brings together very different people for whom its team evokes different and profound memories and meanings.

In short, the rebranding of a soccer club will always be a controversial project to tackle and as much desired as feared. A process that gives us the opportunity to become part of the lives of thousands of people but also puts us in the spotlight of all eyes… Good luck to the next ones 😉

Why is it vital to activate and consolidate a brand?

Posted on by Knom

Brands are what you live with them.

The creation of a brand is key to position a company in a differential and relevant way in the market. But the brand does not end there. If we want to make it credible, we have to activate it, manage it, maintain it and supervise it.

This is the only way to avoid just paying lip service and losing people’s trust. And only then will we achieve success and consolidation of that product or company.

Because in order to build a strong and efficient brand, we have to keep asking ourselves questions: What should our presence in commercial spaces be like? Where should our innovation go? What should our brand content be like? What can we do for users beyond selling them products? In short, we must ask ourselves what we want our audiences to experience with us in the future.

It is a matter of creating a consistent ecosystem in which the different pieces that make it up project the right perceptions and build in the same direction.

Planning an experience that is consistent with our DNA and our purpose, and that is also consistent over time and across the different points of contact, is fundamental to achieving a strong brand.

Should brands position themselves in the face of a war?

Posted on by Knom

It is not about punishing but about being consistent with your values.

For better or worse, brands are not oblivious to the social context in which they live. In this sense, in recent weeks we have witnessed different reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by companies.

From the exodus to the boycott, through solidarity initiatives to help refugees. Because, however difficult the situation, today’s consumers expect strong responses from the brands they buy (only 16% are against brands getting involved in one way or another).

In recent years, companies and brands have demonstrated real power to bring about change, impacting issues such as racial justice, feminism and sustainability. Brands have become another tool through which to support causes and show our way of thinking.

But just as consumers use brands as a banner of values, they also subject them to continuous scrutiny. In fact, according to Hotwire’s ‘Socially Conscious Brands’ study, 53% of consumers have at some point vetoed a brand because of the way it behaves.

In any case, as much as big brands are perceived by consumers as global players as important as some governments, their role is not to wage war.

And that is precisely why they should neither reward nor punish anyone, but rather reflect and be consistent with their principles as a brand.

Why is it important to create communities around the brand?

Posted on by Knom

Today’s strong brands are also strong communities.

As we saw at the beginning of the year in the trends for 2022, in these times, more than ever there is a desire for community, interpersonal communication and bonds.

And in this sense, brands, as is the case with social groups, provide trust, certainty, security… Attributes that are all highly desirable in a context as fickle as the one we live in.

But, in order to form this link from the brand, the user must be really listened to. Today’s brands have to go beyond the promise to the customer and focus on the consumer experience, letting them contribute and making them co-owners of the brand.

It is not about creating a brand that is self-managed by users, but a brand that is highly participative, where interaction is an important pillar and where the consumer feels a relevant part of the brand.

Brands must abandon the old merely transactional approach and generate value beyond the product.

They must create meaning but also a sense of belonging.

After all, brands are already communities. Groups that, in one way or another, bring people together around a common interest, a way of life, a desire for status…

Can merchandising be aspirational?

Posted on by Knom

The definitive return to brand activation.

A few days ago we saw how a well-known transport and logistics company made its entrance at New York Fashion Week with its brand merchandising. Yes, merchandising.

A game of contradictions that begins the moment you pay a considerable amount for something traditionally free. And it’s not the first time we see that hype around a brand’s merchandising. We all remember the furor over DHL T-shirts, LIDL sneakers or even Deliveroo jackets, all of which fetched inordinate amounts on the second-hand market.

But is it just a question of aesthetics and nostalgia or is there more to it? Why does merchandising connect so much with young audiences? Perhaps it has something to do with the consumer’s tendency to engage with brands that truly align with their values, that share their concerns. Brands that represent them in some way.

And when it comes to expressing our attachment to a brand, merchandising is a very direct way of doing so. Objects that, from the perspective of brands, represent an opportunity to be present in the life of their consumers, interacting with them and making their value proposition tangible. A way of activating the brand that should be coherent and help us to build the desired brand image.

The truth is that, in any case, making our merchandising an object of desire is a masterstroke.

Has the way brands celebrate Valentine’s Day changed?

Posted on by Knom

Love evolves and brands are not lagging behind.

This ‘day of lovers’ has coincided with the end of the 6th wave and also with a public more eager to go out and celebrate than ever. But are we still celebrating Valentine’s Day the same way we did a few years ago?

Tales of princes and princesses are in the doldrums, more and more couples are meeting through apps like Tinder, new forms of relationships such as polyamory or ‘living apart together’ are spreading and the idea that living as a couple is not the ideal state for everyone is growing.

Just as the profile of the flower-giver has become more and more masculine, the concept of ‘love’ has also been redefined.

Today the idea of love is much more inclusive, free and diverse than a few years ago and, accordingly, many brands are trying to broaden the scope of their campaigns beyond couples and lovers.

Because no, you no longer need a partner to celebrate love. Valentine’s Day now coexists with Saint Valentine’s Day and Saint Galentine’s Day, making this date also the celebration of singleness, self-love and female friendship.

Thus, we find brands like Colvin, which invites us to break with the clichés of this day and celebrate love in our own way, or Dunkin, which has prepared a special collection of sweets for us to ‘indulge’ both alone and in company.

Because, like everything else, love evolves and brands must listen to their consumers and adapt their proposals to their own needs.