Brand Perception and Creative Campaigns

The best product doesn’t win. The best brand does. Harsh? Maybe. Real? Abso-FLIPPIN-lutely. For most of the 20th century, product quality was king. But today, in mega-saturated markets, that’s no longer true. Buyers don’t choose the best product. They choose the brand they know, trust, understand and most importantly: remember. Remember the “remember" for this post. If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “We have the best product but they’re still beating us...” I’d be writing this from a yacht, not a standing desk. DISCLAIMER: A shit product will always be a shit brand. But in today’s market, A good product is just the baseline. Here’s why brand wins, broken down in 6 take-home-with-you points: 01 – The over-choice problem When features blur, consumers choose what they know. 75% are more likely to buy from a company they recognise (LinkedIn/Edelman) 88% say supplier offerings are hard to differentiate on features alone (Gartner) A strong brand isn’t just helpful, it’s how buyers cut through the noise...and B2B right now has way too much noise, the bad type. 02 – Brand recognition = $ Buyers don’t start from scratch, they start from memory. Brand memory, not product memory. 90% of B2B buyers choose from a shortlist of known brands (HBR) 75% are more likely to buy from a brand they recognise (LinkedIn/Edelman) If you’re not in the mind, you’re not in the market. 03 – Branding reduces perceived risk In B2B, buying isn’t just logical. It’s political. Strong brands = less perceived risk = reputational cover if things go wrong. Strong brands pay 1.7–3% less interest on debt (Brand Finance) Why? Because banks, investors, and yes, your CEO trust them more. 04 – Brand > Features VHS beat Betamax: worse specs, better branding Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi: even though Pepsi wins blind taste tests Salesforce outgrew SAP: by spending 45% of revenue on marketing IBM wasn’t always best-in-class, but it was the safest choice Apple… don’t even get me started Winning = good product + great brand. 05 – The psychology behind it all Buyers use shortcuts, especially in complex decisions. Brands make (product) decisions easier. Familiar names trigger emotional safety In B2B, emotional messaging increases purchase intent by 3× (Google/CEB) Rational? Maybe. Emotional? Always. 06 – Strategic shift: intangibles are the advantage In 1975, 17% of the S&P 500’s value came from intangibles Today? It’s 90%+ In 2024, brand awareness became the #1 priority for B2B marketers (Dentsu) Brand isn’t just a comms function. It’s business strategy. Bottom line: If your brand isn’t remembered, it won’t be chosen. Product is the ticket to play. Brand is how you win the game.

You don’t remember what a brand said. You remember what it showed you.    “Show, don’t tell” works because people remember what they see and experience, not just what they’re told.  It’s why the best campaigns rely on proof, not promises. When brands demonstrate their value, they create connections that standard advertising simply cannot match. Here 3 three perfect examples: 📍 Volvo Cars (worth $62.3B) (Statista, 2023) They turned a boring safety feature into internet gold when they filmed Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits between two moving trucks.  Over 100 million people watched a commercial about truck stability.  Think about that. They didn't bore us with technical specs—they created something people actually wanted to share. 📍 ROLEX ($10.7B in annual revenue) (Morgan Stanley & LuxeConsult, 2022)  They don't just tell you their watches are durable—they put them on the wrists of people climbing Mount Everest or exploring ocean depths.  Instead of clinical lab tests, they show their products survive the harshest conditions on earth. Real people, real challenges, real proof. 📍 Dyson (valued at $14.5B) (Forbes, 2021) They completely changed how we think about vacuum cleaners when they made those clear collection chambers. Suddenly, you could actually see all the dirt you were picking up.  They transformed cleaning from an invisible chore into visible evidence of success. That's so much more powerful than just claiming "powerful suction" in an ad. To apply this in your own business: Start by identifying your core value proposition. Then ask: How can we demonstrate this visually rather than just claiming it? What tangible proof can we show? What experience can we create that makes customers see our value firsthand? The most convincing argument isn't what you say about your product—it's what your customer sees for themselves. What product demonstration changed your perception of a brand more than their advertisements did? #BrandStorytelling #MarketingStrategy #ShowDontTell

Sensory Marketing: The Future of Emotional Brand Connection In 2025, sensory marketing isn't just a trend—it's a powerful strategy that creates lasting emotional connections with consumers. By engaging multiple senses, brands make their products more memorable, appealing, and shareable in today's crowded digital space. So, what exactly is sensory marketing? It's a strategy that engages the five senses—sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound—to evoke emotions, build loyalty, and influence purchasing decisions. Here's how leading brands are mastering this approach. Few examples of How Brands Are Winning with Sensory Marketing 1. Rhode Rhode's campaigns for their peptide lip line cleverly use food-inspired comparisons, comparing lip tints to treats like pink slushies. By positioning their products as indulgent and satisfying, Rhode taps into the emotional comfort of food, creating an irresistible allure. 2. Topicals Topicals' "Like Butter" moisturizer goes beyond promising smooth skin—it connects the product's texture to butter's rich feel. Their tagline "For skin so smooth, it's like butter" creates a vivid sensory image that resonates both emotionally and physically. 3. SKIMS SKIMS brilliantly connected their waffle knit loungewear to actual waffles, showing models with stacks of breakfast treats. This playful product-food connection creates visually striking, shareable content that engages audiences through humor and creativity. 4. Jacquemus Jacquemus artfully incorporates food elements in luxury campaigns—croissant earrings styled with butter, handbags paired with cherries. These whimsical combinations evoke joy and indulgence while reinforcing the brand's high-end creativity. Why Sensory Marketing Works 1️⃣ It Engages Emotions: Food, textures, and sensory imagery trigger nostalgia and comfort, making campaigns deeply personal and relatable. 2️⃣ It Makes Products Memorable: Multi-sensory experiences create stronger memories, helping consumers form positive associations with brands. 3️⃣ It Boosts Shareability: Sensory-rich campaigns naturally draw engagement on social media through their vibrant visuals and unique concepts. The Future of Sensory Marketing Looking ahead, sensory marketing will remain central to powerful brand storytelling. Through multi-sensory experiences, brands forge deeper emotional connections with their audiences, driving loyalty in a competitive landscape. What sensory elements could your brand leverage to stand out? #SensoryMarketing #BrandStrategy #MarketingTrends2025 #EmotionalBranding #DigitalMarketing

When I worked at Hallmark, I was involved in many brand and innovation projects, where I learned that people are very predictable! The factors we consider when engaging in or purchasing from a brand haven't changed much fundamentally, although the manifestation of those factors are different than they were 10-20 years ago: 1. VALUE: Do I feel good about what I get for what I give? Challenge: Low-cost options abound and many are "good enough." There are fewer product types consumers feel precious about these days, especially younger consumers who are accustomed to the Temu and Shein versions of everything. If there's not added value, like a great experience, forget it. Workplace equivalent: Am I getting paid and appreciated for the work I do? Is my experience enhanced? 2. CONVENIENCE: Is it easy and efficient for me to engage with you? Challenge: We've been dealing with online shopping for a long time now, but same-day delivery and free shipping create major barriers to entry for the little guys who seek to compete on this dimension. Subscriptions help counter this, but they require consumers to think ahead (and to think of you when they think ahead). Staying top of mind is expensive. Workplace equivalent: Do I have the flexibility I need? Am I free to work in ways that maximize my output? Am I facing unnecessary barriers? 3. AFFINITY: Do I feel emotionally connected to your brand and/or solutions? Challenge: Today, this is both quicksand and a rocket ship. Consumers move swiftly to boycott if they don't like your positions or decisions, and social media spreads negative sentiment like wildfire. At the same time, they'll support you with their social capital and money if they DO like your positions and decisions, and that spreads like wildfire too. Workplace equivalent: Can I trust you to be who you say you are, and does that align with how I see myself? When I talk about you to others, am I amplifying good or bad traits? 4. STATUS: Does being associated with your brand and/or solution give me credibility or make me feel good/important/enriched/happy? Challenge: Trends cycle faster now, and the more polarized we are, the more powerful #1 and 3# become. For increasing numbers of people who may feel discarded or disenfranchised, feeling valued and aligned overshadow the desire for status. If you're not there for them, they don't want to be there for you. Workplace equivalent: For many professionals, the days of caring more about working for a big brand than working for a good company that sees, respects, values, and protects them are behind us. They tried that and learned the hard way that bigger does not mean better. Interesting times, indeed. What consumer drivers did I miss? And how do you see them differently today than in years past? #marketing #consumer #brands #products #retail #wearethewaymakers #betheway #thewaymakerschangegroup #leadership #workplacewellness #culture #consumerinsights #employeeinsights

From Globalization to “GLOCALIZATION” and how beauty brands are turning this into profits. Why is local culture going viral in the global beauty market? For decades, beauty branding aimed for universality, clean, minimal, borderless aesthetics designed to appeal to everyone. Today, the opposite is happening: hyper-local culture is becoming globally desirable. >Sociological drivers → Identity in a fragmented world People now value roots over reach, where cultural specificity signals depth, authenticity, and humanity. At the same time, social media amplifies niche cultures, turning local rituals into global trends and proving that the more local something is, the more it can resonate worldwide. In this context, culturally rich brands act as social currency, helping consumers express identity, taste, and discovery. >Psychological drivers → Why local feels better Consumers use mental shortcuts to judge trust, and “local” signals authenticity through craft, heritage, transparency, and care. It also balances novelty and familiarity, exotic yet understandable, especially in beauty through regional ingredients and modernized rituals. Finally, local narratives create emotional anchoring, as stories are remembered more than features. >Behavioral drivers → Why it spreads Local culture spreads because it is built for sharing, discovery, and habit formation. Discovery culture adds momentum, as finding niche brands or traditional ingredients creates insider status and fuels word-of-mouth. Finally, embedded rituals and multi-step routines deepen engagement, increase perceived value, and turn products into lasting habits. >>10 steps to translating insight into strategy<< 1.-Move to authority by grounding the brand in a real place or tradition 2.-Showcase real people, craftsmanship, and processes 3.-Build a strong cultural manifesto with local collaboration 4.-Add subtle native language and cultural cues 5.-Turn culture into product performance, not just storytelling 6.-Use heritage ingredients with proven efficacy 7.-Reframe rituals into simple, modern skincare routines 8.-Encode culture in packaging through abstraction over literal imagery 9.-Use authentic design systems (color, texture, typography) 10.-Avoid clichés, stereotypes, and overly “touristic” aesthetics Culture as a competitive advantage Local culture is going viral because it fulfills deep needs for identity, authenticity, discovery, and connection. In beauty, this is a chance to move beyond surface differentiation and build meaningful, defensible brands rooted in real cultural narratives. The future won’t belong to brands that look global, but to those that feel real, and real always comes from somewhere specific. Featured brands: Alima Pure Cocoon Apothecary Dr. Alkaitis Herbivore Botanicals Inika Organic Juvia’s Place Kora Organics L:A Bruket Sol de Janeiro Tata Harper Viori #beautybusiness #beautyprofessionals #marketingprofessionals #localitzation #glocalitzation #genZ

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from building businesses in Saudi Arabia is the power of what I call glocalization, which is the art of blending global strategies with local market insights. For brands to thrive in today’s interconnected world, they need to balance the strengths of global expertise while staying deeply connected to the local culture. Here’s how glocalization can help create a brand that resonates with Saudi consumers while positioning it for regional and global growth: 𝟏. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: Saudi Arabia is undergoing a rapid transformation, but local values and cultural nuances still drive consumer behavior. Understanding these insights allows you to tailor your offering to meet local expectations while leveraging global best practices. 𝟐. 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 & 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: When I worked at Majorel and now with X-Shift, we focused on embedding our brand into the local fabric by being authentic and owning our Saudi identity. Localization is not just about the translation of material to Arabic, but about relevance and creating real connections with consumers. 𝟑. 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Don’t just import a strategy. Make it yours. While global frameworks provide a solid foundation, they need to be adapted to fit the unique needs of the local market. Successful brands take the best of both worlds. 𝟒. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡: Once you’ve built a strong local presence, you’re ready to scale. By aligning your brand with local needs, you set yourself up for expansion into regional markets with similar cultural touchpoints then later realize your global ambitions. There’s no universal formula for success, but the key is finding the perfect balance. My experience building businesses in Saudi Arabia has taught me that success comes from creating something that truly resonates with people where they are, all while thinking ambitiously. When you master this balance, you build a brand that is not only deeply connected to its local roots but also flexible and ready to thrive on the global stage. What strategies have you found most effective in balancing local relevance with global ambition? Share your thoughts in the comments! #business #global #local #growth #KSA #SaudiArabia

Brands are just one more post away from building an unforgettable perception. "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" I worked with a founder who posted consistently— 5 days a week, every week. She thought more posts = more visibility. The reality? Her numbers plateaued: ➡️ 500-600 impressions per post. ➡️ Less than 5 comments. ➡️ Engagement that felt like crickets. We pivoted. Instead of focusing on frequency, we focused on impact. In 4 weeks: ⇒ Her impressions jumped from 3k to 18k/post. ⇒ She started meaningful conversations in the comments. ⇒ A DM turned into a $20k collaboration. What changed? We rewired her approach to brand perception: 1️⃣ It’s not about volume—it’s about value. Posting daily isn’t the goal. Resonating deeply with your audience is. 2️⃣ Conversations > statements. We crafted posts that invited dialogue, not just views. Result? A single post sparked over 50 comments—a chain of authentic conversations. 3️⃣ Impact over impressions. One viral post won’t make your brand. A series of impactful posts builds trust, credibility, and connection. Your brand isn’t measured by the number of posts or conversations. It’s measured by the depth of the impact you create. That’s why: - A post that inspires one DM asking for your expertise > 100 likes. - A conversation where someone thanks you for clarity > 10 surface-level comments. - A visible brand that’s consistent in values beats one that’s “always posting.” P.S.: Building brand perception isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters. If you’re ready to shift your focus from content churn to meaningful impact, I’d love to help. DM me “Impact” or book a call from my featured section. Let’s turn your LinkedIn into a platform where your brand leaves a mark—not just an impression.

How do people really see your brand when they land on your website? And, more importantly, is that perception building your brand equity? Most marketing teams assume their site communicates credibility, clarity, and differentiation - and they dive into lead gen. But assumptions aren’t strategy. You can actually test how your brand is perceived and if its of value to your audience - and it’s simpler than you’d think. 👉 Show your website (and your main competitors) to people in your target audience. 👉 Ask them: “What’s your first impression of this company?” “What words describe how this website makes you feel?” “How much do you agree this brand feels trustworthy, innovative, human, or premium?” 👉 Then ask: “Which site gives you the most confidence?” “Which would you contact first?” From this, you can uncover which brand attributes truly drive preference - and whether your website is helping or hindering your positioning. I’m working with a global client right now to set up this kind of perception test. It’ll be fascinating to see if the brand positioning we’ve defined on paper actually drives appeal in practice - or if real customers interpret things differently when they see the site. One of the fastest, most revealing ways to uncover how your brand really shows up in the market. Would you run a test like this on your brand? And how confident are you that your website says what you think it says?! 🤔 #branding #positioning #strategy #testing #data #brandassociations #associations #brand #brandstrategy

What do you do when your brand has become too commercial, overexposed in the wrong channels, with too many discounts? You pause. And you start rebuilding trust. Because once discounting becomes the main growth lever, brand equity starts to slip. Quietly, but fast. According to BCG, over 70% of consumers say repeated discounts make them question a brand’s quality. And a Wharton study found that brands managed purely for quarterly results tend to suffer long-term equity erosion, even when sales look strong in the short term. The pattern is always the same: A brand chases volume → opens too many channels → loses pricing power → dilutes perception. So how do you fix it? 1. Audit your brand ecosystem. Map every channel and partner. Identify which drive discovery and which dilute value. If your product can be found everywhere, it won’t be desired anywhere. 2. Trim the product range. Fewer SKUs. Fewer promos. Fewer collabs. Focus on the assets that reinforce your IP and your story. 3. Rebuild pricing integrity. Discounts aren’t strategy, they’re a symptom of the loss of brand power. Shift incentives toward access, loyalty, and limited experiences. Make full price aspirational again. 4. Recenter on meaning. Remind people why your brand exists, not just what it sells. When story and identity lead, sales follow. Build an ecosystem coherence for the brand: DTC, wholesale, online, IRL, product, marketing. All in alignment and all at once. And btw, if you keep chasing visibility, how can you rebuild value?