#S2E11 Shelf Impactors™

'Sustainability and Brands in the New World'

with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

For most brands surviving through the Covid 19 crisis, it has meant many of their own values have had to be assessed and their communication around 'sustainability' has had to either be muted or dropped completely.

Mark and Lisa discuss what brands are doing on the subject and how the focus on economical survival and regeneration might see a seismic shift across the board in the scale of communication around 'sustainability' in months to come post Pandemic!

1. Bold Pivots

- Is it a wise choice to ‘pivot’ your brand and harness opportunities to address Covid and it's aftermath?


- Some brands pivoting to score PR points, many are doing it out of sheer commercial necessity!

2. The Sustainability message pre and post Covid.

- Has the ‘message’ changed or taken a back seat to many brands just fighting to survive?

3. Brands communicating the message of sustainability well right now!

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Additional reference links:

Sustainability as a service:

https://trendwatching.com/quarterly/2020-02/the-future-of-purpose/

Beauty Behaviours during lockdown (Podcast hosted by Andrew McDougall):

https://www.mintel.com/blog/beauty-market-news/podcast-beauty-behaviours-during-lockdown

Meet the 2020 consumers driving change

https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/EXK4XKX8

Bold Pivot

https://makeshift.trendwatching.com/bold-pivots/

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E10 Shelf Impactors™

'Brand Thinking for the New Normal - Back to Basics'

with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

As a global economy we're creeping out of lockdown and looking to reopen and kickstart our economies. Mark and Lisa delve into the thinking behind brands and the ways in which brands should be approaching the 'new normal'.

1. Brands returning to market

- Now is the opportunity to take the strategies back to basics

2. Core Values

- Referencing Maslows 'hierarchy of needs' model, brands should be re-establishing their core values - taking themselves from 'reactive' to 'proactive'

3. Simplicity for consumers

- Keep the offer simple but remain innovative.

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Additional reference links:

Mumbrella report:

https://mumbrella.com.au/customers-want-australian-businesses-to-get-back-to-basics-during-covid-19-629840

Three Big Trends for Brands from the Shift to E-commerce:

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/three-big-trends-for-brands-from-the-shift-to-e-commerce/43772

How FMCG brands can respond to change after COVID-19:

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/How_FMCG_brands_can_respond_to_change_after_COVID19/3682

Heinz at Home:

https://heinztohome.co.uk

Smol:

https://smolproducts.com/pages/our-story

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E09 Shelf Impactors™

'Post Lockdown - The New Age of Brand Optimism'

with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

Markets have dramatically shifted in the last few months especially since the recording of #SE05 Shelf Impactors™ podcast(Pandemic and Consumer Trends related). Upon reflection Mark and Lisa revisit the subject of 'the role of brand' in these unprecedented times:

1. Whats happening - UK v AUS Differences

- How the markets are taking differing approaches to combatting and guiding their nations to the 'new normal'

2. The Role of Brands

- Age of Optimism - How are brands reacting and communicating.

- Data Privacy - The fear of contact tracing and our thoughts on the Govts' approaches and data collection.

3. Creative Focus

- What can the Creative Industries expect...

- How can we lead and help nuture clients and brands through this uncertain yet innovative time

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Additional reference links:

Havas Report:

https://www.cmo.com.au/article/678525/reports-brands-an-important-role-play-during-covid-19-crisis-they-re-useful/

Mintel Podcast ref. Apple/ Google team up:

https://www.mintel.com/blog/podcast/podcast-safety-v-privacy-covid-19-contact-tracing

Stylus - Future Thinking Podcast:

https://www.stylus.com/futurethinkingpodcast

Marketing Week (15th May 2020) - How Brand should lead through change, during and after Covid:

https://www.marketingweek.com/brands-lead-through-change-coronavirus/

The Brand Gym (May 21st 2020) - Will Covid-19 Change Everything or Nothing For Brands?:

https://thebrandgym.com/will-covid-19-change-everything-or-nothing-for-brands/

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E08 Shelf Impactors™ Interview with Luke Sherriff, owner of PROVERB Skincare.

This extremely insightful podcast conversation is with the super positive, highly driven owner and co-founder of PROVERB - the Life-Fuelled Skincare brand. Luke Sherriff.

Luke is an Oxford grad with a degree in Epidermiology, who went on to play professional Rugby for the likes of Harlequins, and Nottingham rugby club gaining caps for England and Great Britain 7’ and Barbarian squads. All this before seamlessly moving into the health and skincare industry - he is now owner and co-founder of Proverb. Alongside his wife Kirstie, they both run two successful businesses Proverb and Pinks Boutique.

In this podcast Luke and I discuss how and why Proverb was formed, and how Luke uses the skills he developed as a top flight sportsman and applies them the to growth strategy of the Proverb brand. As a team sports pro he believes in the importance of the his brand consumers feeling like they’re part of a team, being part of a brand that provides interaction, knowledge, positivity and above all a great product.

We also talk about how the brand has had to adapt over the last few weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic and what Proverb has been up to help the community come together during this time - such as adding hand sanitiser to their SKU list, and ensuring their ‘climate and sustainability matters' message continues with growing range of refillable products.

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Additional reference links:

https://proverbskin.com/collections/refillable-sanitiser

http://www.proverbskin.com

http://www.pinksboutique.com

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Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E07 Shelf Impactors™ 'Feeling the Pressure to be More Productive' with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

Mark and Lisa again follow on from their previous podcast (Episode 6 -Resilience and Creative Grit) to discuss their latest 'lockdown' experiences and moreover delve into the feeling many of us are enduring right now:

1. Feeling the pressure to be more productive

- Mark and Lisa discuss each of their attitudes to the subject of pressure?

- They discuss the method of defining where the pressure many of us feel stems from.

2. Establishing our own source of motivation

- Mark and Lisa talk through how each of them do this!

- And offer advice on how they each define their own sense of purpose and motivation

3. Recent brand observations in the creative world…

- Mark and Lisa talk through what has caught their attention in the last couple of weeks in the world of brands

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Additional reference links:

NY Times Article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/style/productivity-coronavirus.html

Stockdale Paradox:

https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/stockdale-paradox-confronting-reality-vital-success

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E06 Shelf Impactors™ 'Resilience and Creative Grit' with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

Mark and Lisa follow on from their previous podcast (Pandemic) and discuss in more detail how they are being affected by the 'lockdown'. Also delving into how creatives and the creative industry might be impacted:

1. Creative Grit & Resilience

- Developing our ability be MORE brave - how can we do this?

- Entering into the unknown - we are strategists at heart and this should be in our DNA - being able to build up our resilience

2. Growth Mindsets - Learning to Adapt & Survive

- Strategies for success in chaos and developing coping mechanisms to see us through

- What advice do we have for fellow creatives during this time

3. The New landscape…

- No one can accurately predict how this looks but we can make ourselves ready for the possible outcomes…

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Additional reference links:

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability | TED Talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?share=1a2a1d0045

Deep Dive: Vulnerability and Human Connection with Kathryn Dyer:

https://thefutur.com/podcast/075-deep-dive-vulnerability-human-connection

MASLOWS Psychologist Hierarchy of Needs

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E05 Shelf Impactors™ 'COVID-19 and it's effect on the creative industries' with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

In this impromptu 5th episode Lisa and have a discussion on the immediate impact of the Corona Virus is having on us personally and professionally.

We discuss the impact on our industry and how creatives might use the circumstances to their advantage:

1. New ideas

2. New ways of working

3. New products and services

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Recorded only a couple of days ago, already since recording - the world is rapidly changing and responding with dramatic impact.

Even since our chat alone, the UK government have demand all schools close from Friday 20th March 2020 indefinitely. They have also postponed the HMRC tax avoidance concerns with contractors/ freelancers with the changes to the the ir35 process (for at least for 12 months).

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E04 Shelf Impactors™ Fintech with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

In the 4th episode of this season Lisa and I pick up on another subject area becoming a real game changer within brand marketing arena - the mind bending world of Fintech (Financial Technology) and how’s its helping brands become more consumer centric.

The world of Fintech is vast but we chose 3 trend areas to zone in on:

1. Data - new currency. How the likes of Amazon, the data mining experts' are getting to know us even better than we know ourselves!

2. Easy Check out - how biometric payments may very well become the standard form of transaction.

3. The New Faces of Finance - the rise in using celebrity endorsers to market financial products and services

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S2E03 Shelf Impactors™ Whats Hot 2020 with Mark Grey and Lisa Hastings

In the 3rd episode of this season Lisa Hastings and I catch up on chat about a few things we feel will be hot topics over the coming year for all things relating to brands and moreover the marketing of both luxury and FMCG products.

Lisa still resides in Sydney and we chat about how Australia has been coping with the severity of the recent bush fire.

We then tuck into the meat of the podcast which is a discussion on three key things that we know are big areas for brands to focus on this year.

1. Plant based diets -

Are we at the start of a ‘meat free’ revolution?

2. Gender neutrality -

Traditional assumptions about gender are being challenged…

3. The alcohol free movement -

The sober-curious space is growing…

We round of the podcast with a quick thought on whether Britishness will change post Brexit!

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Podcast References:

Consumer Trends -

Let’s talk Consumer SHIFTS

https://www.shots.net/news/view/follow-the-trend-of-avoiding-trends-in-2020

Creative Rebels -

Podcast with recovered alcoholic and inspiring creative Clare Pooley

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-sober-diaries-with-clare-pooley/id1448695774?i=1000461428944

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Lisa Hastings:

LinkedIn - @lisahastings

Twitter - @shoebox20

Instagram - @shoebox20

https://www.lisahastings.me/

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey

#S02E02 Shelf Impactors™ Interview with Matt Davies

In this, the second episode of season 2, I talk with Matt Davies, an incredibly engaging and knowledgable design thinker.

Not only is Matt a superb brand strategist, he is also a writer (author of the book Storyategy), he’s a design consultant, public speaker, motivator and all round great guy.

I had heard of Matt and his former company Nottingham based Attitude Design some years ago. But more recently Matt has begun to carve himself a bright pathway in the world of brand thinking and more specifically story-based strategic branding.

In a slightly longer podcast recording than normal, Matt and I cover all manner of things around brand strategy and brand thinking - exploring the challenges brands face in todays fast paced world of consumers and their ever changing requirements from brands.

We touch upon many brand related topics in the podcast but a few of the key aspects of the conversation are pinned around,

• The Commoditising of Design

• Story Based Strategic Branding

• Where does strategy fit into design

• Challenges facing brands today

• Influencer Marketing

• Marty Neumeir (Author of the 'Brand Gap')

• Neuro Marketing

• Blue Ocean Thinking

• 'Storyategy' (Matts book - available on Amazon)

Matthew Davies:

Website - www.mrmattdavies.me

Twitter - @mrmattdavies

LinkedIn - Matt Davies

Mark Grey:

Website - www.bluenectardesign.co.uk

Twitter - @bluenectar

Instagram - @bluenectardesign

LinkedIn - Mark Grey