K+C Insights
Welcome to K+C Insights where we dive deep into the ever-evolving world of advertising, branding, design, and communication. Join us as we explore the latest trends, strategies, and innovations shaping these dynamic industries. From decoding consumer behavior to unleashing the power of narrative, we're here to inspire and inform your journey through the exciting realm of digital age.
(LATEST ARTICLE)
Stop Performing. Start Existing.
There’s this word “authenticity” that’s been rattling around boardrooms, marketing decks, and influencer captions for so long that it’s become almost intolerable, like a pop song you once loved and […]
Your CEO Is Now a Vending Machine
Remember when “brand purpose” sounded like the moral compass of capitalism, the thing executives clutched like a rosary bead in investor presentations and CSR reports? A whole cottage industry of […]
The Loudest Sound in Branding Today? Silence.
The paradox of “brand purpose”, and please forgive the scare quotes but they’re unavoidable, given how the phrase has been dismembered by consultants, ad agencies, and well-meaning middle managers into […]
The Only Political Party You Can’t Resign From (a.k.a. Brands Inc.)
Here’s the part nobody likes to admit: you don’t shop anymore. You vote. Every purchase is a ballot. Every checkout line is a polling booth. Not the solemn kind you […]
From “Made in Italy” to “Made for Italy”: Why Serving Home First Might Be the Only Way to Go Global
There was a time , and not so long ago, if you squint, when Made in Italy functioned like a religious indulgence: you could slap it on anything, from a […]
Your Brand Is Not a Product Anymore, It’s a Performance
Once upon a time we had “consumers.” The word itself now feels almost like a bad joke, like a leftover from a 1980s marketing textbook full of smiling families buying […]
Emotional Connection: The New Brand Purpose
If you are reading this, you probably know that brand purpose—once the shining city on the hill of modern marketing—has suffered an identity crisis. What started as an earnest attempt […]
The Purpose Mirage: Do Brands Really Mean It?
Let’s start with the premise that brands—those buzzing, memetic, semiotic Frankensteins stitched together from consumer desire and corporate ambition—want Purpose. Capital-P Purpose. Not to be confused with lowercase-p purpose, which […]
The Illusion of Metrics: Why Brand Marketing Wins the Long Game Over Performance Hustling
Let’s start with the fact that you (yes, you, the reader, the human behind the screen, whether you are a CMO of a mid-sized DTC skincare brand or some poor […]
The Branded Abyss: On Tourism’s Thin Line Between Ephemeron and Eternity
When I was young, during those interstitial years of university and master degree where one’s brain is a sponge for both Kant and the Kama Sutra, I worked as an […]
The Parthenopean Paradox: Or, Why My Son, Against All Reason, Chose Napoli (A Marketing Inquiry)
As someone who usually explores the intersection of brand purpose, brand activism and brand narrative, I’m constantly searching for examples of how companies and organizations imbue themselves with meaning beyond […]
Trump vs. Harris: A Political Branding Analysis (This Article Reflects a Neutral Perspective)
Analyzing the Trump and Kamala Harris “brands” through the lens of contemporary politics is not unlike looking at the branding dynamics between, say, two ideologically opposed beverage corporations fighting for […]
Brand Purpose and Cancel Culture: The Dance of Corporate Virtue in the Post-Internet Age
We’re in an era where every company, from Pepsi to Patagonia, is relentlessly engaged in the existential wrestling match that is brand purpose, a concept that sounds suspiciously like what […]
Consider the Lobster of Personal Branding: Is It Possible to Design a Person’s Narrative?
By now, we’re all aware of the term personal branding, which in some circles gets thrown around like synergy in corporate boardrooms or intersectionality at liberal arts colleges—terms so overused […]
From Nothingness to Narrative: Sculpting a Brand Like Creating a Human Being
Let’s start with a reckless, absurd comparison, shall we? Creating a brand—designing a brand—can feel like sculpting a human being from the ground up, from a void so vast it […]
On the Decline of DEI Initiatives: A Sad, but Maybe Not Surprising, Epilogue in Corporate America
Let’s begin with some stage-setting, an establishing shot, like the slow pan of a suburban strip mall at dusk in a Coen brothers film. You’ve seen this place before. Not […]
The Paradox of Purpose: A Reflection on Mark Ritson’s View of Brand Sacrifice
September 30, 2024 In the world of marketing, where brand purpose has become the go-to strategy for connecting with consumers, there’s a provocative notion that stands in sharp contrast to […]
The Consequences of Greenwashing for Brands: A Deep Dive into the Abyss of Corporate Psyche
So here’s the thing about greenwashing: it’s not so much that companies are intentionally trying to pull a fast one—well, okay, maybe they are—but it’s more that they’re desperately flailing […]
The Future of Brand Purpose: A Dispatch from the Infinite Loop of Meaning
So, if you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “Wow, this sounds bleak,” well, yeah. It kind of is. But it’s also the most exciting thing that could happen to brands. If they actually evolve, if they stop trying to slap a Band-Aid on this existential wound and start addressing the core of their practices, we might just get to see something remarkable: a world where brand purpose isn’t just a buzzword, but a new reality of how businesses operate. But—and here’s the kicker…
The Brand Revolution
I’m thrilled to introduce my latest book, The Brand Revolution: How Purpose is Evolving. This is a must-read for every marketer—a topic that should be at the forefront of your […]
Why Brands Still Crave Old-School Advertising Agencies in a Digital World Post-COVID.
Let’s dive into a funky phenomenon: why some brands still swear by the good ol’ traditional advertising agencies, even though we’re knee-deep in the digital era and fresh off the […]
Infinite Loops of Persuasion: Navigating the Labyrinthine Hunt for New Clients in Advertising
In the sprawling landscape of modern capitalism, where attention spans flicker like dying candles in a tempest, the survival of any advertising agency hinges upon its ability to navigate the […]
Jeremy Craigen on future creative leaders.
Jeremy Craigen tells Laura Swinton why the industry needs to do a better job of mentoring tomorrow’s creative leaders and why agencies need to appreciate experienced talent that doesn’t aspire […]
Metaverse Missteps: Lessons Learned and Advertising Opportunities
The concept of the metaverse has long captured the imagination of both tech enthusiasts and science fiction aficionados alike. Envisioned as a digital universe where users can interact, create, and […]
The Power of Purpose: Why Brand Purpose Matters More Than Ever.
In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s not just about what you sell; it’s about why you sell it. The concept of brand purpose has become increasingly important for companies looking to […]
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