For Dragon Rouge’s 2018 Autumn Seminars, they hosted a series of sessions designed to Spark, Create and Inspire. Run by various teams from within the agency, each seminar explored important issues relating to brand, design and innovation. The sessions examined everything from getting your inclusion and diversity agenda right to the importance of verbal identity in branding today.

There were four seminars in total spread over two days. The first examined the power of voice, unpacking how it’s the most neglected element of your brand. When your words are the first tangible impression your consumer gets of the brand, why are they so often the part brands forget? The next session focused on the circular revolution for consumer packaged goods, exploring the opportunities for innovation as brands take action. This particular segment of the day was developed jointly with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who Dragon Rouge have become a Knowledge Partner for.

The second day’s seminars were more purpose driven, with one on how to make brand activation mean more, exploring the whys, how’s and watch-outs behind a brand’s ‘must-have’ moment. The final session then examined how brands can positively challenge stereotypes, looking at how the momentum behind diversity and inclusion is influencing brand decisions, and illustrating this through poignant and relevant examples.

In looking at how brands can positively challenge stereotypes, Creative Director Becky King and Senior Consultant Tom Adams explored what a stereotype really is. While they are always about identity, there is a close link between personal identity and an identity that is shared. While stereotypes can be useful for brands to make their lives easier, they can also be dangerous, lazy, offensive or just incomplete. Because in reality, no one wants to be judged on one aspect of who they are.

Key take outs:

• There are fewer women leading FTSE 100 companies than men called Dave. Challenging stereotypes starts with the people and culture within your organisation so have a point of view and know where you stand.
• Stereotypes can be useful but you need to look deeper at the nuances behind them. Sometimes the challenge isn’t hearing what people have to say; it’s understanding it.
• You audience doesn’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care. So we should stop asking people to pay attention and instead do things people want to pay attention to.
• The loyalty era is waning. Customers buy brands for relevance in the moment. Active participation can encourage and create deeper emotional connections between brands and people.

CONTACT

James Byrne, Growth & Reputation Director, Dragon Rouge, [email protected]