Accompanied by his muse Kate Moss, Lima’s glitterati cheered at Mario’s opening remarks “Que dificil no ser Peruano” (“It must be so difficult not to be Peruvian”). This statement captures the euphoric spirit the Andean nation finds itself in these days (by the way the statement eventually became a t-shirt, isn’t it funny this human need to wear our beliefs?).

After decades of violence and terrorism Peru is finding its place in the global marketplace. Its 9.8 percent growth rate last year was one of the world’s fastest. And record commodities prices, coupled with China’s insatiable demand for raw materials, are helping the mineral-rich nation weather the financial crisis better than most other countries in the region.

The excitement is palpable, from the boom in construction to the revival of Peruvian gastronomy. As I was walking through the hotel lobby, sporting a cotton bag actually bought in Mexico a woman cheered at me “how lovely, how Peruvian”!

What came first, the pride or the fast growing GDP? It’s a bit an egg and chicken question, but one can’t help but smile, and wish hardworking Peruvians the best, in their newly found spot in today’s global mesh…

But what strikes me as more profound is that when I look up at the group of passengers that I can see from my vista in seat 12b I could be mistaken in thinking I’m on a flight from Columbus to Chicago, London to Lisbon or even Dubai to Doha. Yes there are a few more saris than you’d expect in Lisbon but not so many – what strikes me looking at the magazines people are reading, their hairstyles, the gadgets they are playing with and many of the clothes they are wearing is that you know that most of these people would be quite comfortable striking up a conversation with fellow low-cost travellers stuck in a queue anywhere in the world.

We’ve gotten used to the idea that brands are becoming more global – especially in luxury and b2b markets where it’s long been argued that the target audiences are globally mobile so brand inconsistency will be punished and consistency rewarded. But beyond the super-wealthy and premium business sectors the driving force for consistency has been more to do with internal ‘supply’ side pressures than external; it’s more efficient to manage one strong brand position, with all that entails for consumer insights, international sponsorships and investment programmes, than to manage 20 or 30 different brands for similar products in different countries. Companies like Unilever and P&G have been exemplars of this for some time now – and it’s why it the UK we’ve had to get used to new names for old brands like Snickers and Cif.

But my low-cost companions aren’t super-wealthy – and most of them don’t look as of they’ll be heading straight for the new Louis Vuitton flagship store in London’s Bond Street next time they’re in town to snap up the latest designs. Nevertheless the similarities in this thoroughly middle-class strata of global society are more striking today than I’m sure they would have been only 10 years ago – even imagining low-cost airlines existed in as many places.

So what? Well if there is growth in opportunity on the ‘demand’ side for more global brands then this could change the way that international companies develop and launch new products for these audiences – not just looking for ‘supply’ side efficiencies from similarities but expecting to find them in unexpected and new places. More new brands launched simultaneously in India and Germany? More advertising campaigns being developed with genuine insight across multiple countries? More products with apparent cultural appeal in one part of the world, finding new markets in another – in healthcare for example?

Our proposed brand for the Unique Identification Authority of India programme was selected as one of five finalist submissions http://uidai.gov.in/

An ambitious endeavour from the Government of India, the programme will issue a number to 1.2 billion people – some of whom will be systematically integrated into society for the very first time.

Run by one of India’s most admired businessmen, Nandan Nilekani (former CEO of Infosys), this could very well be the first of a fresh type of government initiative in India – one that is more transparent, accountable, inclusive and effective.

Functionally, the card brings people inside the system. But symbolically, it brings Indians closer together. We created a visual expression that is bold, simple and meaningful by playing on the concept of the index finger dot – a mark of democracy. The visual expression binds the individual to the larger system but equally, celebrates each person’s uniqueness – the collective colour and vibrancy that makes up India’s amazing diversity.

Our congratulations to the winners – whom we look forward to race again at the next new, bold initiative.

“The world connected to you on your computer.”
Claims a ‘social’  networking website.

“Build your own dream team and take on the world.”
Urges EA Sports’  FIFA 10.

“All that you want to know about the world around you. On your computer screen.”
Declares one ‘virtual’  encyclopaedia.

How wonderful the world has become! We return not to our ‘homes’ but our own protected spaces, our own ‘gated’ communities. We network ‘socially’  on our computers, in perfect isolation. We beat Chelsea in Stamford Bridge whenever we want with the flick of the finger on the ‘enter’ key. We get to know more and more about less and less, without any need of debating and sharing amongst individuals.

We have software, programmes and ‘apps’ to empower us to rule the world. Technology, once an enabler has now become the controller.
Gone are the days when we actually played a good game of soccer on a rugged field. Or sat on a bench in the evening and debated issues out, ending with sharing a cup of tea. Or when we planned to save money to fly in for the alumni dinner. Or insisted that once a month it would be your turn to have guests in your condominium home for the Sunday lunch.

Here are the days when we happily register into yet another social networking site. Insist on having 24-hour security and video surveillance to keep the unwanted out. Have our children do projects by downloading information from the net, cut-copy-paste and take colour printouts. Get to know everything about ice hockey and its nuances without even getting out of the house.

What exactly are we selling?
A house or a home?
A game or an experience?
A piece of information or knowledge?
A network or a community?
I am afraid, we are selling “isolation”.
Where living alone is being together!

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.

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.

Law firms are no exception…

“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

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?

But much time has passed since Ryanair and Southwest Airlines pioneered the low cost airline idea. Today, being cheap is no longer enough to stand out amongst the large crowd of budget carriers. Whilst Ryanair becomes ever nastier to its customers in the name of cost reduction (and thereby paradoxically strengthens its brand), other more sophisticated carriers have chosen to take the ‘high road’.

When Saffron created the Vueling brand, low price was a part of the offering. But what made Vueling truly different, and perhaps contributed so much to their success, was ‘espiritu Vueling’ – doing things the Vueling way. That means low cost, high style. Bringing your own sandwich and saving €100. Having young planes and pilots with grey hair. And making everything as easy as 1-2-3. The result was that when it was acquired by Iberia, the Vueling brand replaced Iberia’s own low cost offering.

David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, says “We don’t compete in the airline industry. We compete in the hospitality industry.” Like Vueling, JetBlue holds itself to higher standards and has an idea of itself that’s manifested throughout all of its touch points; from their website to cabin interiors to flight crews.

Airlines don’t just sell the wonder of sitting in a chair in the sky, they sell an experience. The carriers that understand this best will be the ones that come out on top. As for Ryanair, they’ll soon be inviting you to stand on your flight to Barcelona and thereby staying true to their low cost brand. But they’re the only ones that can actually differentiate on price – because they got there first. All others will need to think long and hard on how to stand out.