News & views
16 December 2009 /
by Wally Olins at 9:06 am 16 December 2009
Filed under: Identity
We’d like to wish you all, that is clients, partners, suppliers, friends and above all our own people
Merry Christmas.
We’d like to; but we can’t; because we are a global company, miniscule (about 50 people) but global nevertheless. It’s inevitable therefore that many of the people who work for us or with whom we deal aren’t too bothered about Christmas.
They may be Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, or Zoroastrian and so on; or for that matter people of no faith at all. All of them love the holiday season — don’t we all, but their religious affiliations lie elsewhere.
That’s one of the things about being a global company, even a tiny little one like Saffron – you’ve got to learn to watch it.
So
Happy Holidays everyone!
PS: No offence. Nothing personal.
26 October 2009 /
by Ben Knapp at 6:25 pm 26 October 2009
Filed under: Branding, Identity
This is a call for authenticity. For keeping it real.
We come across too many new brands that don’t feel right for a company we know well. This is because these brands are not authentic. They are manufactured; they have nothing to do with what the company is really about – and too much to do with hyperbole and wanting to impress.
To create an authentic brand, use the bedrock of unique truths, thoughts and beliefs that exist in your organisation. That’s what differentiates it. Work hard and find out which of these are genuinely yours and which could be anyone’s. Once it’s clear which are which – get rid of the fluff and use the rest to guide the work on your brand.
Aspiration and ambition need to play a big part in shaping your brand. Plans for tomorrow are at least as important as today’s reality. But make sure you express goals that suit you, not ones that merely sound good or will please your board.
You and your colleagues have got to take ownership of the brand. That won’t happen unless it’s based on things you genuinely believe in. The more authentic the brand is, the better every one of you will be able to act on it. And the better the chances of seeing positive change for your business.
23 October 2009 /
by Noelle Dyer at 9:15 am 23 October 2009
Filed under: Branding, Home Page, Identity
Tags: brand, denmark, Identity, law firms
Law firms are no exception…
23 September 2009 /
by Ben Knapp at 1:30 am 23 September 2009
Filed under: Branding, Identity, Nation Branding
Wally Olins and Jacob Benbunan announced the launch of Saffron’s Viennese location today. In cooperation with St. Stephen’s advertising agency, Saffron will be exploring central and eastern Europe from Vienna. Says Jacob Benbunan “having worked for Raiffeisen International all across CEE, for Rompetrol in Romania and Vestel in Turkey, it quickly became clear to us that we needed a local presence.”
“The team in Vienna will be building on our various existing client relationships and partnerships to build a real presence throughout CEE over the next months” adds Wally Olins. Saffron will also be actively trying to form new friendships and partnerships with “agencies and consultancies throughout the region that talk and behave like we do” Wally continues.
Building on jobs such as Litro, Turkcell and Rompetrol the Saffron Vienna team are already in conversation with various concerns and places in the CEE region. Wally and Jacob will both be closely involved with work handled by the Vienna location.
If you’d like more information, please get in touch under servus@saffron-consultants.com
29 July 2009 /
by Wally Olins at 6:00 am 29 July 2009
Filed under: Architecture, Branding, Identity
Petrol station forecourts are a throwback to the 1960s – or earlier. They are dirty, the lavatories are frequently filthy, the pump technology is forty or more years old; all that dribbling and no electronics. Now, as large parts of Europe are en route to summer holiday destinations, they’re especially nasty.
What a missed opportunity.
Even though some of the major fuel retailers have undergone re-branding exercises over the past decade, they seem to have forgotten that they have customers who take notice of these things. Think of what grocery shopping was like forty years ago and compare it to today. Why haven’t petrol stations moved on? Why can’t they be as pleasing as a drive-in bank or cinema? Surely cleanliness, well thought through amenities and convenience should by now be taken for granted. But they’re not.
What a huge opportunity!
What if Starbucks designed a petrol station? Or The Four Seasons? What would they bring to the table that the likes of Shell and ExxonMobile can’t seem to grasp? It’s time for a major change. We won’t, perhaps, see Isadore Sharp get involved with forecourts. But we will see brands emerge which realise that the forecourt is the place for differentiation. Our friends at Rompetrol have made a good first step with Litro. Who’s next?
