Brand necromancy - or how brands are being brought back from the dead - is a phenomenon that we’ve seen more and more in recent months here at The Value Engineers, across everything from toys and entertainment to FMCG. Of course, nostalgia brands are frequently heroes of childhood, and are therefore well worth bearing in mind when [...]

Having seen the offbeat American director Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom last night it struck me that in his approach to film making we can learn something about the management of brands. Anderson is no stranger to the world of marketing having directed advertising for Hyundai, Ikea and American Express, all of which are true to [...]

Jubilee weekend is nearly upon us, so here at the Value Engineers we couldn’t help but take a marketing and branding perspective on it. So, we decided we should apply our skills in segmentation and mapping to that most traditional of institutions – the Royal Family. And as ever when you undertake a qualitative segmentation, [...]

In its role as a constant source of inspiration on cutting-edge subjects, Contagious magazine recently ran an article on the trend of Newsjacking. In most people’s vocabulary, ‘Jacking’ has certain connotations – in this case around the removal or theft of an item – however what the article outlines is a trend for brands borrowing, stealing [...]

What’s the first thing that to springs to mind when thinking about grasshoppers, crickets and caterpillars? I’m willing to bet it isn’t mmm… delicious! Yet this is exactly what four students from the Royal College of Art are trying to pioneer with their new brand Ento. On a rational level there are many arguments for [...]

Not only does Sir Jonathan Ive design great products he speaks eloquently about the whole process of design and his and Apple’s approach to it. While I’m sure most designers will already have read many articles about him and interviews with him (indeed many designers may have seen him talk; he returns quite regularly to [...]

Rebranding is a notoriously tricky business – just think of PwC’s brief flirtation with Monday, the Post Office trying on Consignia for size, or the awkwardness that Kraft suffered following the recent Mondelez debacle.   It’s something that many brands have tried, but here at The Value Engineers we believe there are a few key [...]