Bluey and Bunnings’ tie-up demonstrates all the benefits of co-branding
Mark RitsonThe best bits of both brands rub off on each other, while playing with brand codes makes them more salient – but only because they’ve laid decades of groundwork.
Mark Ritson – Brand Identity
12 reasons why Twitter’s rebrand to X is a mistake
Mark RitsonOur marketing columnist on the biggest branding move of the year: Twitter’s sudden transformation into X.
Toblerone’s brand image won’t be hurt by losing the Matterhorn
Mark RitsonRemoving the famous Swiss mountain from its packaging won’t stop the chocolate brand building a desirable brand image in today’s globalised age.
Consumers no longer care about provenance – except in Cockermouth
Mark RitsonVolvos are made in China, Stella Artois is brewed in Wales, and globalisation means we don’t bat an eyelid – though my fellow Cumbrians will test that theory to the limit as Jennings ale moves to the Midlands.
Transforming logos for Pride has lost brand impact and become ‘rainbow-washing’
Mark RitsonWith more brands altering their distinctive assets more frequently, often for the same reason and at the same time, code play is becoming far less effective.
Brand might slyly alter human truth: How brand image changes perceptions of reality
Mark RitsonThe nature of reality, and how brands influence our perception of it, is the unusually metaphysical topic of our marketing columnist’s thoughts this week.
Ritson on the UK’s top 10 sonic brands
Marketing Week ReportersFrom Autoglass to Netflix to Just Eat, Mark Ritson explores the brands with the most effective sonic assets.
If you’ve never heard of ‘anthimeria’, Google it before you end up like Kärcher
Mark RitsonCourtesy of French politics, Kärcher is the latest brand to find out that becoming synonymous with your category is a double-edged sword.
If your distinctive brand assets are exclusively visual it’s time to come to your (other) senses
Mark RitsonVisual cues are all very well but don’t forget the other four senses when developing brand codes as they can be just as powerful – if not more so – at creating stand out and appeal.
If the old logo ain’t broke, fix it anyway: Ritson’s rules for playing with brand codes
Mark RitsonThose questioning the updates to Heinz’s slogan and the British Rail logo miss the salience the brands will gain – but there are rules for playing with brand codes effectively.
Bamlanivimab and the challenge of brand names
Mark RitsonBrand naming is always a difficult job, even more so for pharmaceutical drugs, but marketers should remember to put the naming carriage behind the positioning horse.
Logo fix or logo flex? Marketers should be more playful
Mark RitsonAs the NBA faces calls to update its logo with Kobe Bryant’s image, more marketers should consider being playful with their brand imagery rather than acting as the brand police.
Standing out is the key brand challenge – that’s why great brands play with their codes
Mark RitsonSalience is a much bigger challenge than differentiation, and codes are the way to achieve it – but using them creatively first requires decades of consistency.
Turning Carlsberg Liverpool-red is a branding masterstroke
Mark RitsonBy adopting Liverpool FC’s red colour to celebrate its long association with the club, Carlsberg continues to play with its distinctive assets in a way that revitalises the brand.
Mastercard’s wordless logo shows the power of distinctive brand codes
Mark RitsonMastercard dropping its name from its logo demonstrates branding strength most companies lack – and it’s all down to the sustained and consistent use of highly distinctive assets.