What’s new on the brand front? – November edition
The world of branding never stops. November was a month full of surprises that impacted the industry, from the start of the Musk era of Twitter shaking things up to the reveal of a rebrand that shows a continuing shift in the banking industry. With the holiday season underway, many brands are taking the opportunity to release new creative campaigns. Let’s take a moment to reflect on a small slice of everything that can happen in just 30 days in the branding industry.
Concerns about brand safety on Twitter grow
Twitter's "Brand Safety Policies" are designed, in the company's own words, to "create a safe advertising experience for both customers and brands" and are connected to numerous measures that have been put in place to protect brands. At the end of last month, Elon Musk tweeted that Twitter's commitment to brand safety is unchanged.
Despite this, many advertisers pulled their advertising from Twitter this month. As the blue tick for certified accounts became subscription-based, impersonators of brands ran rampant on the channel with fake accounts posing as Coco-Cola, Nintendo, and more, and with one account even posing as Elon Musk's electric car company, Telsa. Brand teams are now keeping a keen eye on Twitter accounts and making decisions about whether to continue advertising in this changing space.
Monzo reveals a “more human” identity
In early November many were discussing the banking app brand, Monzo, as revealed an entirely new identity, explaining that they wanted to create something “more friendly, more human, more Monzo”; a statement which really tells us a lot about the direction that many brands are opting for today, as many companies recognize that to stay relevant in an age of information-overload requires the human touch.
Despite the banking industry traditionally opting for a corporate voice to foster a sense of credibility in clients, new brands are taking a different approach that removes jargon and formality. Just take a look at how one competitor, Wise, explains its tone of voice (“bye-bye bank words”, it reads).
"Uplifting colors, down-to-earth voice, and intuitive experience marked a clean break with the traditional banks, winning over a generation of millennials and beyond... A raft of challenger banks joined Monzo’s ranks in the 2010s, and more recently,?personal finance brands have evolved?further still as a new generation of customers searches for a more sociable way to handle their money." – Creative Review
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The holiday season influences the month's creative advertising
As expected, this month was one of inspiration for creatives and brand teams. A few clicks around The Drum's "Ad of the Day" feed will show you just how much the holiday season influences advertising at this time of year, with many brands harnessing the usual tactics that tap into sentiments and emotions that we all connect to this season.
Every year in November, brands also make decisions about how to approach Black Friday, whether that be a traditional sale, an anti-Black Friday campaign supporting conscious consumerism, or their own unique message. This year some major brands continue with the themes and initiatives they established in previous years. Apple took their usual four-day-long approach to the occasion, offering a gift card on a later purchase when you buy a product over Black Friday and the following three days. Patagonia continues to push against the sale, this year encouraging everyone to "find a better way" and tapping into the emotional bond we all build with our clothes. Ikea continued its "Green Friday" initiative as with previous years.