Jonathan Mildenhall, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TwentyFirstCenturyBrand
…how we use creativity to build brand health for the long-term rather than obsess over short-term clicks and impressions. It'll explore the brand assets and emotional connections that are integral to long-term relationship building which, applied appropriately, help brands stay front-of-mind over time.
Famously iconic brands do not make themselves. But in amongst the current obsession with clicks and impressions, brand-building and long-term brand health has been neglected. This theme is not as simplistic as performance marketing vs. creativity but it does throw up some important questions: primarily, what essence has been lost whilst the focus has been more squarely on immediate ROI?
The evidence shows that for creativity to really pay, there needs to be commitment. And patience. Getting back to brand is about focusing on building brand equity and growing brand affinity with customers. It’s not about short-lived stunts: it’s about real, hard graft. It’s about understanding what brand assets and emotional connections are integral to long-term relationship building and memory making, so that you stay front-of-mind. It’s about celebrating long-term wins and having the confidence to convince the business that brand health matters.
This is not a retrospective look back at brands from the past. But a look forward at what will matter to the future consumer.