Simon Mainwaring

We First provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of their good work in ways that build their business

branding

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Millennials have a profound relationship to brands according to a new report (‘8095’) released last week by the world’s largest PR firm, Edelman. It’s almost as important as religion or ethnicity in their lives. But while this research shows how important brands are to Millennials, does the same apply to brands? Do they frame their […]

Millennials have a profound relationship to brands according to a new report (‘8095’) released last week by the world’s largest PR firm, Edelman. It’s almost as important as religion or ethnicity in their lives. But while this research shows how important brands are to Millennials, does the same apply to brands? Do they frame their …

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There must be something about advertising to guys that makes top brands do strange things. Less than a year ago Pepsi was royally and rightly reprimanded for its AMP Cola iPhone app that told men to “AMP up before they score”, Coca-Cola is making an equally tasteless appeal on behalf of Coke Zero. Their site invites …

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There’s been much discussion about what Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook employees thought of ‘The Social Network’. The picture it paints of their CEO isn’t pretty, and while its writer Aaron Sorkin admits its “total fiction”, the filmamkers know only too well how powerful storytelling penetrates the mind of pop culture. That’s why Mark Zuckberg should …

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Last Friday I had to the privilege of speaking at the NCSA Annual Conference (National Collegiate Scouting Association) in Chicago. Not only did I get to meet some of the top athletes, coaches and scouts in the country, but I got to experience first hand what I believe is the most important trait that any …

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Everywhere you look these days there’s another instance of a brand being caught out for disingenuous, duplicitous or unconscionable behavior. It’s almost as if they can’t believe either a) this Internet thing is here to stay, or b) that it requires transparency. So in an effort to shunt to process forward, let’s look at two …

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Last week Tim Leberecht of Design Mind suggested the future of advertising may soon be defined by transformats. He used the Old Spice television and twitter sensation as the best demonstration of this new dynamic. Here’s how he explained transformats. – Transmedia: Transformats use a multi-modular presentation of narratives that extends the story across various …

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