News/article
Bridging the brand generation gap
Following on from the success of the inaugural Future Talent Awards (FTA) in 2007, FutureBrand Australia will again be conducting the FTA competition to raise both the awareness of branding and to bridge the gap between universities and the branding industry.
The topic “Brand Generation Gap” will be used to provoke discussion of iconic Australian brands, their future relevance as cultural icons, and the challenges they face engaging the next generation of Australian consumers.
Too many traditional Aussie icon brands have fallen into a comfort zone of thinking that their customers will forever remain loyal to their vision of Australian values and identity. True to our philosophy of helping our clients create the future they want for their brands, the Award competition will highlight the issues posed by so-called “Generation Y” consumers.
FutureBrand’s experience with brands that are engaged with issues of Australian identity, including Brand Australia, Cricket Australia, Sydney 2000 Olympics and Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games provides deep insight for a provocative discussion about how these kinds of brands will need to evolve to avoid falling down the gap.
FutureBrand will initially call for public opinion to generate a list of brands that are at risk of not maintaining consumer relevance. This will be conducted through an online poll which anyone can contribute to, but will focus on the opinions of the under 25’s who will decide which brands will win in the coming decades. This discussion is set to predominantly take place in an academic environment, encouraging the relationship between FutureBrand and higher education providers and tapping into leading edge thinking.
The study will identify the “Top 5″ Brands at risk, then FutureBrand will put a call out to all design and business students to give their interpretation on how these brands could change to better engage their future customers. The brief will be very broad and open to interpretation ÔøΩ an encouragement to take a provocative approach. Submissions could include anything from a PowerPoint presentation to large-scale signage ideas, a new product idea or a website.
The winner will be decided on their submission’s insight, ability to compel, as well as the overall rigour and creativity in its point of view—a great basis for a three-month paid internship with FutureBrand, which is the prize. Ultimately the winner will demonstrate a positive solution, outlining what it will take for an Aussie iconic brand to close the generation gap and demonstrating to Australian brand owners the kind of challenge they face in avoiding obsolescence.
Contact: FutureBrand Melbourne, Level 4, 520 Bourke, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia
FutureBrand (www.futurebrand.com), part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG), is a leading brand consultancy within IPG that commands a global presence spanning 0 offices in 1 countries. Partnering with the world’s leading companies, FutureBrand helps its clients to develop profitable brands both today and into the future. Offering a full range of services from consumer branding and corporate identity, to brand identity, packaging design and beyond, FutureBrand works with clients to measure and increase brand value, define breakthrough brand strategies and create powerful brand experiences. Clients include ArcelorMittal, P&G, Microsoft, Nakheel, Intel, Barclays Premier, Nokia, Nestle, MasterCard, UPS, and Unilever.P&G, Microsoft, Nakheel, Intel, Barclays Premier, Nokia, Nestle, MasterCard, UPS and Unilever.
