Every summer holiday season we withdraw in the Lab to overhaul our branding methods and revamp our models & tools. Based on our experiences with clients and inspired by new technological developments and thought leadership from other disciplines, we always push for the latest innovation in our branding practice. 

Today Celeste Miller (re)joins the BR-ND Lab to drive the creation of an implicit association platform. Australian born Celeste, trained as a qualified social psychologist, will pursue amongst others implicit testing with software from Project Implicit and seek to incorporate this within our existing brand engagement platforms.

Imagine thousands of ladies running together dressed in pink. Kim Cramer, co-founder of BR-ND, ran the Ladies Run Rotterdam together with 7.500 others on the 10th of June. 

HOW BRANDS WILL THRIVE IN THE AGE OF MEANING THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING

by Jerry Holtaway, strategist, May 16, 2012

“A flat structure removes every organizational barrier between your work and the customer enjoying that work. Every company will tell you that “the customer is boss,” but here that statement has weight. There’s no red tape stopping you from figuring out for yourself what our customers want, and then giving it to them.”

The BR-ND Kitchen pushes strategic creation to new levels. Our BR-ND Kitchen is different from conventional strategy development as it builds on multiple sources of intelligence. We learn and co-create together, we get more inspiring results faster and have more fun on the go.

This note explains why BR-ND will not participate in pitches. Once in a while we are invited to join. A prospect then calls and happily informs us that we have been selected for a pitch between 3, 4 or sometimes even 5 branding consultancies. Hungry for new business we used to feel privileged and happily accepted the invite. But not any longer.

Touched we are by the emotive harmony of Tri Hita Karana. During a destination branding workshop BR-ND ran earlier this week in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce in Bali, Indonesia, the fundaments of the Bali brand have been identified. 

On the 24th you will be entertained by Josien Pieters, Innovation Diva at BR-ND, who will share the InMotion platform as part of her Master Thesis Industrial Design from the TU Delft.

We live in exciting times. What certainties do we today still have? What is up with the meaning of money? How are organizations shaping a meaningful future for their employees, clients, suppliers and shareholders? 

"People can not tell what they think, simply because they do not know" neuroscientists say. We post-rationalize our behavior, while having no idea what our true motives are. 

Over the last couple of decades our capitalist system has come to exist with the purpose to make (more) money. Instead of creating sustainable business aiming to help people. It seems that organizations have gradually lost their social responsibility. Business has become a money game. The more the better. Money justifies it all.

Your support in 2011 has allowed BR-ND to sponsor 7 children in the Javanese village of Cisarua (between Bandung and Jakarta) during their 3-year junior high school. 

This article briefly shares with you BR-ND's main stage contribution by branding diva Kim Cramer. Further to SIME Amsterdam earlier in 2011, we were back on stage with the latest stuff on fMRI brainscanning. 

During most of my marketing career, I believed the measure for success to be market-share and bottom-line. Recent global developments have faded this belief and new perspectives on business are emerging. In summary, my conviction is that shareholder value has to shift from a 'finance' to an 'emotive' orientation.

Last week I was at the Miele Catwalk event where we were welcomed by a couple of beautiful girls dressed in extravagant costumes. They reminded me of the many times that I performed as a showgirl at big, luxurious corporate parties. Before I became a ‘Doctor’ in the area of branding, I used to spend at least 12 to 20 hours a week dancing and singing at Diana Meijer ShowBizz Academy.

A while ago, I was invited to meet the business owners of a very successful company. They were discussing whether or not to introduce a new brand. And they asked me, the expert on brand portfolio strategy, if I could help. Was my ego touched? Yes. Did it feel good? Not really. Why not? That’s not easy to define.

So many organizations forget to effectively use the power of symbolism and rituals to connect and engage people in their hearts. At best such organizations identify themselves with a corporate name and logo.

In May 1913, Igor Stravinsky launched The Rite of Spring (Original Title: Le sacre du printemps). Now regarded as one of Stravinsky's most beautiful works, this ballet initially triggered harsh criticism and negative reactions. Watch this fMRI scan to enjoy the music, while seeing how it riots in our brain.

Last week, 8 to 12 August, BR-ND hosted the Supconference 3D 2011. The what? An Unconference during which participants* Dreamed, Dared and Designed (3D) as well as learned the art of Stand Up Paddling (Sup). In between, we brained. A lot.