Eneko Rojas is the Brand and Strategy Director at Peldaño, a publishing company that successfully transformed into a B2B communication group. Working closely with him, we executed a comprehensive branding project for the company, aimed at helping them better understand their audiences and improve their ability to reach them with a tone of voice and brand personality tailored to their reality. The project also had a significant focus on brand architecture, which helped organize the entire portfolio.
Tag: Strategy
The Era of Creative Mediocrity
The culture of repetition is consolidating, threatening what is different
Experts say that humans are attracted to repetition because it makes us feel safe and unthreatened. This might have worked when we were hunter-gatherers, and a new animal threatened our survival, but what sets us apart as sapiens from other species is the creation of stories and imaginaries—that is, creativity.
For some time now, we’ve been witnessing signs of a deep crisis in creativity, and today we’ll look at some relevant examples that shed light on this widespread issue.
To start somewhere, let’s begin in our own sector. Branding has been undergoing a brutal homogenization with the rise of “blanding,” making all brands look the same. If we combine this with “green corp” and “purpose-driven brands,” we have brands that not only look the same but are mimetic in their narratives and communications. Brands that once again settle into the realm of the ordinary, with no different or creative bets to activate their purpose, making it just another disposable concept in the mainstream corporate culture.
But it doesn’t stop here; the entertainment industry has undergone a similar process. Music relies on the use of formulas and very similar sounds focused on popularizing songs in search of immediate impact.
At the same time that this is happening to music, we are helplessly witnessing the recycling of ideas in sequels and prequels to well-known films, remakes, reboots, or relaunches of pre-existing products—all safe bets based on past successes.
Perhaps the most striking example we can talk about is the homogenization of current pop culture. Due to the mass consumption of social media and the dictatorship of algorithms, the content that people consume has been standardized, leaving new proposals outside the spectrum because they don’t fit what “is trending.”
This affects brands on many levels, both in business and in communication and promotion. Many campaigns and advertising elements are copied from what has worked for another competitor, making the perceived differentiation between brands increasingly smaller.
It is likely that this is driven by a growing aversion to risk, motivated by the increasing corporatization of companies and decision-makers. When something is already popular, it’s easier to hop on the bandwagon than try something new and succeed with it, especially because the risks taken are not always clear and measurable.
The distancing of companies from risk has left the field of innovation to those who “have nothing to lose.” Thus, interesting proposals arise along lateral paths, outside the more mainstream or corporate realm.
Scalability and subscription models are the main drivers of this trend, as they motivate brands to bet on what is already popular, leveraging algorithms and artificial intelligence rather than creativity.
How much longer will this crisis last? Will the day come when society demands true innovation and rewards risk-taking again?
Knom &. A few minutes with Blanca Marín
Blanca Marín Riaño, Marketing and Communication Director at Universidad Villanueva, was responsible, alongside Knom, of the creation of the University’s new brand. A project of great strategic impact, which positioned the University on the top level of the educational field. Territory, personality, strategic platform, tone of voice, their own methodology and visual identity were some of the key points on which we worked for the University and its brand ecosystem.
What does 2025 hold for brands?
We take a look into the crystal ball to see what’s coming in 2025
We leave 2024 behind, stepping into a 2025 filled with uncertainties. As every year, at Knom, we take a glimpse into the future to try and predict what’s ahead.
This year, we expect to see brands taking definitive stances on controversial topics due to consumer demands. Consumers, in turn, are increasingly skeptical of everything around them, driven by the rise of fake news and the loss of trust in influencers, who are now more than ever perceived as artificial products.
Focusing solely on brand purpose will lose strength as a differentiating factor, favouring solid, actionable positioning and value propositions that are well communicated. Promises are good, but consumers need the brands they choose to create real impact in their lives and to better address their concerns.
Brands will play a key role for many people who feel disconnected from reality, trapped in technology-driven routines that overwhelm them. In this context, privacy and the responsible use of personal data will become increasingly important to users and regulators alike.
We will continue to witness the creation of mass movements in pop culture, as demonstrated by figures like Karol G and Taylor Swift, alongside a growing nostalgia for eras people have not experienced. Brands that can navigate these movements and join them organically will be the ones to maintain relevance in the unstable and turbulent environment this year brings.
AI will further integrate into people’s daily lives, highlighting the value of genuine content in communications. Brands that connect personally and with a distinctive touch will be prioritized. In a world of artificial images and text, authenticity wins.
We promise this text was written by the Knom team and not an AI—hopefully, we’ve added some value to your start of 2025!
Jaguar, go big or go home
A bold move to capture new audiences
Our sector has been revolutionized due to the rebranding that the brand presented in November, which represents a total break with its previous identity. In today’s minute to think about (excuse us as this one will be over a minute long…) we will see the different implications it has and how they have reached this point.
In the last 5 years Jaguar has plummeted from selling 180,000 cars a year to just 67,000, all with global brand recognition and relevance at historic lows. Orphaned of a positioning that would connect with new audiences, they found themselves wandering in the limbo of luxury brands (Aston Martin, Porsche and Maserati) and premium brands (BMW and Mercedes).
This no man’s land was doing a lot of damage to a centenary brand like Jaguar, whose last attempt to position itself was nine years ago with the campaign “Too good to be bad” where they connected without much success the idea of “villainy”, British actors and Jaguar, under the umbrella of geographical origin. This campaign concept did not help either in the creation of new meanings, which should have been based on a solid brand strategy with a medium-term vocation and not on a one-off advertising campaign.
The rebranding launched a few weeks ago has generated a generalized negative response based on two main points. The first is the rejection of the total loss of the brand’s heritage and the radical break with an image and equity built up over the years, as well as the near-abandonment of the iconic jaguar that gives the brand its name. Here, we ask ourselves: was such a break necessary to rebuild its positioning? Rather than a brand evolution, doesn’t this seem like a newly created project using the same name?
From Jaguar they defend the concept of “copy nothing” change, based on the founder’s words, and materialized through what they call “exuberant modernism” as the way to build a new great meaning for the brand, arguing that “Jaguar was always at its best when it defied conventions”. However, does this exuberant modernism truly defy convention or rather add to a trend? Is there a real profound change at the company that links it back to that pure, bold, unbiased creativity or does it create a limiting imaginary that pushes it further away?
We hope this is not a cosmetic approach to a good idea. For the answer to these questions we will have to wait for the successive designs of their cars (although the ones that have been launched for the first time are not very surprising), and then we will see the truth of the brand.
The other point that is criticized is that they have forgotten their current audience, the people who have been consuming the brand and do not feel identified with its new image. Being such a radical change, it is difficult for many customers to remain loyal, feeling that it is something completely different and that it has lost its essence.
But it is not all criticism. Within the sector there have also been voices in favor of this evolution, with arguments that revolve precisely around sales data. They argue that traditional consumers were no longer buying Jaguar cars, so they see the change to “the new rich” as a good thing. Although they do not omit that this is a risky move, they consider that the brand has achieved something that Jaguar had not experienced for years: to be talked about.
This change in positioning sets them against an industry increasingly focused on the technical aspects of vehicles to propose a strategy based on values and brand purpose, trying to create a community guided by very specific ideals around them.
The fact that all their cars are going to be 100% electric is the only point in the proposal where they are aligned with the rest of the sector, this being a bet in itself due to the possible problems there may be regarding the supply of batteries and micro-drivers coming from Asia.
Time will tell if this move has been the right one or just the last nail in the coffin of what has been one of the main English automotive brands.
What role does brand management play in the Olympic Games?
To manage a brand is to maintain its essence but also to promote its evolution.
Can you imagine showing your image on the streets all over the world and 9 out of 10 people recognizing you? Well, that’s exactly what happens with the Olympic Games rings.
A clear example of the impact of being coherent and consistent over time. And the fact is that this event, despite having 128 editions behind it and having been held in 42 different cities, has a philosophical foundation and values that remain as immutable as the Olympic rings designed by Pierre de Coubertin.
We are talking about the pursuit of excellence, the promotion of friendship and international cooperation, and the promotion of respect for others. Values that have guided the organization of the Games since Athens in 1896 and that, together with certain rites, such as the opening ceremony, the lighting of the flame or the torch relay, make up the identity of the event.
And yet, edition after edition, the Games are transformed by the personality of the host city, which adds its cultural touch, enriching the event with local traditions, music and artistic expressions. In addition, every Olympic Games, the medal and the torch are designed, a mascot is created and a distinctive emblem is created to accompany the Olympic rings.
Nor can we forget the rebranding of the visual universe that took place in 2022, which sought to propel the Olympic brand into the future by creating a comprehensive design system that balances consistency and flexibility through a vibrant and expanded palette based on Olympic colors, inspirational illustrations and bespoke typography.
Because good Olympic brand management must not only preserve the spirit of the Games but also continue to inspire and connect people of all generations and cultures around the world through sport.
How to get visibility at the European Championship without a big budget?
Connecting our brand assets with those of the event.
The European Championship has come to an end and, in our opinion, Spain is not the only winner of the competition. There are several brands that have won the medal in terms of reach and virality.
And we are not talking about the sponsoring brands but about those that, with more limited budgets, have managed to attract the attention of their audience either by emulating the forecasts of Paul the Octopus, or by using insights against our rivals or even by gamifying the refereeing of the matches in real time.
Taking advantage of the levers that connect them with their audience, avoiding opportunism and betting on what makes them different. Each one from its idiosyncrasy but always from coherence and self-knowledge.
Because in the end, it’s all about connecting the event with the assets of each brand: the fun tone of Worten, the support for what is ours in the case of RTVE or the playful attitude -and constant hack- of KFC.
Sharing the passions of our audience is, without a doubt, an opportunity to connect with them in a close and authentic way.
Why should brands respond to the zeitgeist?
The cultural relevance of a brand is key to connecting with the consumer.
If we want a brand to be relevant, we have to make it permeate the intellectual and cultural climate of the moment. Not from opportunism or tacticism, but from a vocation to respond to contemporary concerns.
And responding to the current zeitgeist involves, among many other things, committing to our values and getting involved in social change, addressing a diverse public with complex motivations that no longer responds to demographic categories, or respecting an increasingly conscious and critical consumer in the way he or she consumes.
Whether we talk about mental health or decide to sell the selfie stick. A brand has to know when it is appropriate to launch a message or a product to the market, when its audience is ready to listen to what it wants to say or buy what it is offering.
It is about joining the debates and concerns of the moment while remaining true to ourselves, bringing our particular point of view as a brand. Capturing the user’s attention with a discourse that interests him and, above all, making him want our brand to be present in his life.
And understanding this is key to differentiate ourselves in a hypercompetitive global market. Because in terms of brand experience, consumers care about how they are made to feel now.
At the end of the day, success for survival lies in knowing how to adapt to the ecosystem, in our case the context in which the brand lives.
What should we learn from Sharing Economy brands?
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.
Why shouldn’t your brand be so perfect?
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.