Latest thoughts

Consumers are seeking authentic connection. When purchase decisions are driven not by brands, but by recommendations and user-generated content, community-driven brand approaches are not just an advantage, but a lifeline.

Googling as we know it is fast becoming a thing of the past. Artificial intelligence, shifting channels, and evolving algorithms have changed the way people search for information. Audiences no longer visit websites the way they used to, and for younger generations, social media become a search engine of its own. Brands now stand at the threshold of a new era and the winners will be those bold enough to adapt.

Customer loyalty doesn't require spectacular campaigns or fancy ad spots. Often, it is built from the small, almost unnoticeable everyday moments with a brand, which have a positive echo and bring a smile to your face.

The world is full of loudmouths, each screaming harder than the last, but how many actually stand behind their words? We reflect on the ever-growing importance of concrete actions at the core of brands.

All sorts of problems can slow down the start of a partnership. We’ve compiled some of the most common worries and challenges we encounter in our discussions with current and potential clients.

It is vital for companies to respond to people's rapidly changing needs. Innovations create sustainable growth and resilience in an ever-accelerating competition. However, they are not born by chance, but the insights behind the best innovations require a particularly deep understanding of the target group's world and creative future thinking. Renewal based solely on guesswork wastes resources and, in the worst case, runs the entire company aground.

Preparing for the future is vital for companies of all sizes. Instead of psychic abilities, knowledge-based insights into the future and a deep understanding of the target audience's future needs significantly improve a company's resilience to crises. The readiness to react and adapt to even sudden changes provides a continuous advantage over competitors, whereas those who live blindly in the moment are inevitably left behind.

Development and renewal should always be based on careful research and a genuine understanding of the target group's world. A deep understanding requires both numerical data and the ability to uncover hidden needs – and these require different methods. The wrong approach or too narrow data collection can be misleading, leaving renewal superficial and detached from the real needs of the target group. Diverse research and a bold dive into the target group's thinking ensure that development is based on real understanding, not assumptions.

Measuring your brand is vital for its development. Decisions based on guesswork and incorrect data will see resources go down the drain. With the right metrics, however, you can achieve a deep understanding of your customers and a genuine competitive advantage, which form the foundation for rock-solid brand building.

People's needs, preferences, and opinions are in constant motion. Well-executed segmentation helps brands react to change and provide value to people here and now.

Various different and overlapping terms are used to describe how brands communicate, and they can easily get confusing. Coming up with changing concepts and new "big ideas" is both laborious and short-sighted. To succeed, a brand needs a clear common thread, something deeper and more permanent than individual concepts – a platform.

Creating shared value is one of the most significant tasks of a brand identity. We connect with brands that play an important role in our daily lives. The most important anchor point for brands is often their identity. A good example of this is the Iittala brand refresh. The look and feel is a way to connect with a brand and anchor it as part of our own lives.

Insight work and talking about insight is probably the most contested asset of creative agencies; who gets to produce insights and who is responsible for them? It would be more important to discuss how insight work is done correctly and how to get the most out of the work that is done.‍

Question: for whom are you designing and developing your services, products, sales, and brand? For customers, of course, is likely your answer. The term "customer" often means slightly different things to every company, and beneath the resulting image lie various definitions, studies, and profiles. But how deep does your understanding of this decision-making human being truly go?‍

There is a huge amount of untapped potential in customer experience design, which many Finnish companies could capitalize on in their brand work. Creativity must be at the core of customer experience development.