Why can you remember an advertising jingle from decades ago but struggle to remember why you walked into the kitchen? And why do some brands, adverts and marketing messages stay with us for years, while others disappear from memory almost immediately? In Episode 17 of The Overthinker’s Guide to Modern Marketing Podcast, Sean Makin explores…
Because apparently, the secret to successful branding is being the same, but also completely different. Simple, really. Marketing is full of contradictions. We’re told brands must be consistent. Then we’re told they must stand out. We must maintain familiarity while constantly introducing something new. We must be instantly recognisable but never predictable. It’s rather like…
Because being perfectly on-brand is a remarkable achievement if nobody can remember seeing you. Somewhere, in a marketing department, a perfectly good creative idea has just been rejected. Not because it was offensive. Not because it was confusing. Not even because it featured a dancing badger wearing sunglasses. No. The problem was considerably more serious.…
Human beings are supposedly rational creatures, despite overwhelming evidence involving supermarket offers, online shopping and the continued existence of novelty kitchen gadgets. Human beings are remarkable. We’ve invented artificial intelligence, explored the solar system and developed machines capable of performing billions of calculations per second. Yet put a sign saying ONLY THREE LEFT beside an…
Because understanding why people buy things is considerably more useful than shouting at them until they surrender. Human beings are fascinating creatures. We can send spacecraft to distant planets, develop artificial intelligence and perform extraordinary feats of scientific reasoning. Yet we will happily spend £40 on something we don’t need because a little red label…
Because nothing says competitive advantage quite like looking, sounding and behaving exactly like everyone else. Somewhere, in a meeting room decorated in a reassuring shade of corporate grey, a marketing team has just presented a genuinely interesting idea. It’s different. It’s memorable. It might even make people stop scrolling. Naturally, everyone is terrified. Someone asks…
Because your business doesn’t need a dancing mascot, a quirky catchphrase or a social media manager pretending to be a sentient biscuit. Somewhere in a marketing department, someone has just announced that the company needs more personality. An uncomfortable silence usually follows this. Then somebody suggests making the brand more fun. Another person proposes a…