Welcome to Issue 04

In this Newsletter, I’m delighted to be joined by Rob Sullivan, Creative Director at the University of Sheffield to review two projects he led.

In film one we do a deep dive into the refresh of the University logo including design, font and colour.

There’s gold in here so start digging folks!

In the second film, we look at the branding for the iconic Performance Venues at the University.

THREE TAKE-OUTS

Get everyone on board

• Embarking on any brand or branding project requires all key stakeholders to be on the same page with a clear understanding of the project objectives.

Find a common language

• 'Brand' is a loaded word. Some instinctively understand it. Some technically understand it. Many confuse it with 'design', 'logo' or 'colour'. As Rob references in the film and Firehaus heartily endorse –?make sure everyone is talking the same language at the start of a project and reinforce it throughout. Firehaus has developed a workshop for this. Get in touch if you're interested in our approach.

Get an external perspective

• Time and again we've seen the value of having fresh eyes and a different view on solving a problem. Rob personified this on the University of Sheffield brand refresh project. External perspective working closely with internal knowledge is a powerful combination that can get you to better places – faster!

WHAT NO BRIEF? Part 4

How to generate compelling insights

In my last Newsletter, I introduced the three insights you’ll need for a great creative brief:

• Audience insight
• Category Insight
• Brand Insight

In this Issue...

Category Insight

In the HE sector (including to a certain extent research hubs and spin-outs) category insight is either taken for granted (“we’re all the same so we can just accept a trite category insight”) or it gets confused with Brand Insight. More of that next time.

Critically what you are looking for are compelling data points or observations of human behaviour that become pivotal to how YOU will create great communications – not the ones everybody else in the category uses.?

As HEI’s across the globe are now coming to grips with a new level of competition, the insights YOU discover will become part of your future success.?

So go and find those Category Insights:

• Are they local, national or even global?
• Do they offer a tension that your brand can resolve?
• How do people shop the category?
• What are the main purchase considerations?
• Where do people look for information?
• Who are the main competitors?
• How is each brand perceived?
• What are the prevalent messaging approaches?

The truth is out there –?which you may have heard somewhere else!

You can upskill your team in one hit with HOW TO WRITE GREAT CREATIVE BRIEFS

Get in touch for more info. It’s a stormer!

THE NINE CONDITIONS FOR CREATIVITY

In Newsletter 02 I introduced The Conditions for Creativity organisations need to exist and nurture to fuel competitive advantage. And in Newsletter 03 I took a look at Belief. Here’s the next part of the Purpose pillar.

PART 2 PURPOSE –?Focus

Focus is all about what your organisation does (or should do). This is critical to creating a proposition which in turn will help to harness, direct and release the creativity of your people to build your brand.

“But we’re a university or research hub like any other, isn’t our Focus the same” I hear you say. “Like any other” is where I’d pull you up.

Every sneaker manufacturer, car maker, restaurant chain etc is ‘like any other’ but the smart ones find a Focus and build their narrative around it. It may even become their strapline. Nike have been getting people to Just Do It since 1988 and that’s at the heart of creativity in their product R&D as well as their communications. BMW launched The Ultimate Driving Machine in 1974 and they’ve dedicated their creativity to it ever since (fines notwithstanding!).

Focus isn’t about being boring, myopic or narrowminded. It’s about opening the world of creativity and directing it to build competitive advantage.

PROVOCATION OF THE MONTH

Back in the day I was Creative Director at a new agency, one of the first to bring data and creative together.

It took a while for prospects and clients to understand what we were trying to do and for us to find the best way to explain it.

In most organsations at the time data teams and the creative marketers barely met let alone worked together.

Then we hit our stride. And prospects, clients and others in the industry saw the power of what we could do.

And so did we.

We got a tremendous amount of belief from it and although we didn't feel invincible we did have a new found confidence.

Turning up to an Awards event a big name in the industry who'd never spoken to me before stopped me and said "Everywhere I go I hear your agency's name".

And we hit the top five most awarded agencies in the UK.

Our belief and confidence released a wave of creative energy across the business.

Powerful stuff.

AND REMEMBER ...?UNIVERSITIES SHOULD BE THE MOST EXCITING BRANDS IN THE WORLD!

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

• The art of translating academic research with Dan Pearson
• What, no Brief? Part Five
• The Conditions for Creativity: Ambition – where does that come from?

Look out for it – see you soon!