Managing meaningful transformations in today’s landscape

ln a context where interactions between brands and consumers are undergoing a profound transformation, it is crucial to recognize the growing importance of meaning. Emma Chateauneuf, Business Developer, and Enora Caldin, Strategic Planner at Centdegrés, share their perspective on agilely combining brand identity, signature style, and civic duty in an ever-evolving landscape.?

Hello, thank you for agreeing to answerour questions. To begin with, we hear a lot about the desire for meaning in brand related topics. Do you think this is the factor that should guide our approach?

Indeed, the desire for meaning is crucial in brand transformation today. The Havas Media Network's Meaningful Brand study highlights that 74% of the population prefers to buy from companies with goals beyond simple profit, surpassing the stock market by 222%. This study reinforces our belief at Centdegrés that brand transformation must not only align with meaning but also address the issue of utility. Brands, to evolve in the current landscape, must become entities that respond to an emotional and identity need by focusing on the search for the brand's purpose, its fights, and its values. We seek to establish a conversational relationship based on action, allowing brands to be citizens by meeting the needs of performance, individual aspiration, and ecological and social engagement. However, it goes without saying that alignment with ethical and sustainable values or social responsibility only makes sense if the promise is kept and the execution is well done.

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Having worked in the Shanghai office, what do you think are the specifics of the Chinese market in terms of brand transformation?

ln China, the market dynamic is characterized by the strong growth of local players, closer and more aware of consumers than any international brand will ever be, and the accuracy of the proposals they create, to challenge an already very competitive market. Our three Chinese offices feed us in terms of understanding, but the real strength of the group lies in the continuous exchange and cross fertilization of perspectives, ideas, and possible synergies. Our advantage does not only lie in our ability to co-create with Chinese brands but also to help them pilot their strategy. Our collaboration with Dyptique reflects this philosophy. Together, we thought and created the concept behind Eau Papier, their latest perfume. Eau Papier, while remaining very faithful to the identity universe of Dyptique, is a nod to China, a huge market for the brand. The attention we pay to these consumers has allowed the proposal of the name and the storytelling behind this reference, to respond with finesse to the aspirations of this market, making it a Chinese success, but also a beautiful reference in the overall collection.

The evolution of consumer expectations in the brand transformation process is obviously an important factor. How do you think anticipating emerging trends influences our recommendations??

We believe that timeless brands are those that intelligently integrate product, emotion, and of course, collective interest, while remaining in tune with their time. It's not only about blindly following trends, but rather understanding them as echoes of changes in the world. It's not about being imperative by being where you think you're expected. Being a sensible brand requires listening to signals to be where it will be well received. Transforming a brand is therefore about anticipating trends while remaining faithful to the brand's DNA, its history, its pillars, and crossing them with opportunities to evolve the brand in a coherent and relevant way.

?Finally, how do you think creativity can be integrated into the brand transformation process?

Creativity is at the heart of our process. We constantly seek to balance long-term vision and immediate relevance. A transformation is not nothing. lt requires intelligently linking the immaterial and material of the brand through its ethics, its narrative with the story it conveys, and finally its figurative through its tangible products. For example, we collaborated with Simone Mahler by defining a new territory giving back its place to the beauty salon. Transforming a brand goes beyond adaptation. It is a profound process. This involves understanding the brand in its entirety, from its anthropological function to its current function of cultural transfer. By remaining sensitive to human needs, anticipating societal changes, and integrating innovation in a balanced way, brands can thrive.