Sebastian Maynard

Applying Package Design Principles to Foodservice Nutritional Claims

Now more than ever, foodservice providers need to have a strong differentiated position in order to be seen, understood, and talked about among existing and potential customers. Communication of nutritional claims is both desired and increasingly legally mandated. In how to clarify and communicate effectively, there is much to be learned from the principles of […]

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Drive Foodservice Growth with These Transformative Strategies

Food Service / Sebastian Maynard

The foodservice industry has seen slow growth for the past decade and the competition is heating up with new brands entering the marketplace. In addition, the growth of mobile and online digital channels are changing the way consumers are ordering and eating out-of-home meals. Our work helping foodservice brands remain relevant and meaningful has allowed

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Engagement and Gamification: Predicting Future Customer Needs

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

To many people, thinking about finance can be a source of anxiety as well. Paying bills, taking out loans, and withdrawing money are inherently negative experiences, while savings and investment tasks are often considered dry and lack positive emotion. Furthermore, the finance industry in general may be perceived as complicated and dull. Compounded with distrust

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Move over Millennials! Three insights into Generation Alpha

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

It seems that everywhere you look someone is talking about Millennials – they do things differently, they’re more socially informed, and they’re more digitally connected. Executives across all industries are trying to mold their strategies to meet the demands of this significant generation. The concept of retail is being redesigned, all messaging touchpoints are being

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Foodservice Inspiration from Abroad: Japan & South Korea

1 Comment / Food Service / Sebastian Maynard

We all need to eat, but what is on the menu and how it gets to us may be quite different depending on where we are in the world. Foodservice is an industry that is greatly influenced by culture and location and therefore evolves uniquely in various regions. Although different markets have their own regulations

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The Three Phases Of A Successful Brand Implementation Strategy

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Marketers build and execute campaigns on a regular basis, introduce new products, run channel marketing programs, manage massive advertising budgets, and introduce new service lines and business segments, all of which require them to find and sell to new customer segments. The launch and implementation of a new corporate identity, on the other hand, is

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Eight Ways Banks Need to Adapt for Customer Retention

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

The financial services industry is undergoing massive change and financial brands must ensure they are taking the right actions to attract and retain customers in the most cost effective ways. We see eight ways banks need to change their behaviors toward customers in order to grow their brands. 1. Find your brand purpose Have a

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Four Things the Food Industry Should Leverage to Remain Relevant

Food Service / Sebastian Maynard

The goal of any food service establishment is to be able to remain relevant as new trends and consumer needs emerge. The past five years alone have seen leading international brands miss the trend roadsigns, such as McDonald’s in the fast food category and Applebee’s in the casual dining segment, to name just a few.

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Five Ways to Improve Your Immersive Digital Experience Now

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

A lot has been written lately about artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in banking as the future of financial services. Last year, Barclays announced it was pursuing technology that could see a robot computer system assist users with their banking. In 2014, Goldman Sachs led a $15 million investment in Kensho Technologies, which makes robots

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Do Restaurant Robot Waiters Actually Provide Great Service?

Food Service / Sebastian Maynard

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Societal Acceptance There has been a lot of talk recently about robots being introduced in a variety of industries, from hospitality to retail. At the Henn-na Hotel in Japan, for example, a robot dinosaur greets you at the front desk. Mario the robot greets guests in 19 languages and monitors the buffet

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The Future of Personalized Banking

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

Banks are changing – both inside and out. It’s not uncommon these days to walk into your local branch and notice that they’ve installed new furniture, or they’ve upgraded their screens, or things seem a little cleaner, and now you can get yourself a coffee while you wait in line. You return home and see

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In Personal Banking, Increasingly We Are All Gen Z

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

In their short span on the planet, Generation Z has already had a significant impact on all aspects of consumer behavior. In the report, Gen Z and the Future of Money, C Space describes Gen Z (born after 1995) as being comprised of two billion consumers worldwide; about 26 percent of the U.S. population; and

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Ten ThinkBlink Predictions to Consider as you Plan for 2017

Blink Tips / Sebastian Maynard

We spent much of the past decade writing blogs and white papers on trends that will impact the marketplace. As we look forward to 2017, we believe it’s important to take note of trends and factors that will have a significant impact on how brands engage with customers. The following outlines what we believe will

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Three Strategies Banks Can Learn from Specialty Retail

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

As a bank executive, one of the most urgent matters you face these days is how to update your business model to address the dramatically changing behavior of your customers. One important insight you already leverage is that you understand your customers well: modern banking customers expect service that is personalized, efficient, and immersive, and

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Eight Ideas to Expand Your Restaurant’s Dayparts

Food Service / Sebastian Maynard

Over the last decade or so there has been a fundamental shift in the way we structure our day; the pace of life has accelerated exponentially and, as a result, we are required to adjust our behavior to adapt. Nowadays, we might not have the time to eat a proper breakfast or lunch, delaying those

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Five Things to Consider During a Financial Institution Transformation

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

For the past decade our firm has been helping financial institutions manage tremendous industry and cultural changes, helping them remain relevant to their customers and to find efficiencies required to sustain growth. Our projects often start with the move to smart banking and new channel strategies that have lead to a decline in branch number

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Five Factors to Determine your Bank’s Sense of Place

Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

A recent study on the state of banking by Kasasa identified that customer happiness depended on where you bank, with local banking building better relationships. The statistics are pretty startling. One of the key reasons for the enormous discrepancy is the fees larger banks charge for a range of services, when customers are focused on

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How to Capitalize on Unmet Customer Needs in Foodservice

Customer Experience / Sebastian Maynard

Foodservice is in transition. Technology is enabling new processes, categories are blurring to steal share, and customers are demanding more. Due to the disruptive nature of these transitions, it is becoming vital that traditional chain restaurant businesses act quickly to remain relevant; those that do not accept and embrace the change are facing declining market

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Banking on the Ultimate Millennial Experience

Brand Engagement, Financial Services, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Millennials are entering an important life stage for banks as this segment of the population is starting to build wealth while driving potential sales growth in financial products and services. As Millennials provide banks with continued growth opportunities, banks must understand their needs and expectations in order to create a strong affinity with these future wealth generators.

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How the Sharing Economy Can Help Retailers Diversify

Articles, Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy, Business development, Customer Experience, News, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The “Sharing Economy,” also known as “Collaborative Consumption,” is certainly generating a lot of buzz these days. In this model, underused assets, such as a car, a boardroom, or even ideas, are shared by multiple people. The asset is generally owned by one person or group, who charges a fee for its use or receives

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Applying Package Design Principles to Foodservice Nutritional Claims

Drive Foodservice Growth with These Transformative Strategies

Engagement and Gamification: Predicting Future Customer Needs

Move over Millennials! Three insights into Generation Alpha

Foodservice Inspiration from Abroad: Japan & South Korea

The Three Phases Of A Successful Brand Implementation Strategy

Eight Ways Banks Need to Adapt for Customer Retention

Four Things the Food Industry Should Leverage to Remain Relevant

Five Ways to Improve Your Immersive Digital Experience Now

Do Restaurant Robot Waiters Actually Provide Great Service?

The Future of Personalized Banking

In Personal Banking, Increasingly We Are All Gen Z

Ten ThinkBlink Predictions to Consider as you Plan for 2017

Three Strategies Banks Can Learn from Specialty Retail

Eight Ideas to Expand Your Restaurant’s Dayparts

Five Things to Consider During a Financial Institution Transformation

Five Factors to Determine your Bank’s Sense of Place

How to Capitalize on Unmet Customer Needs in Foodservice

Banking on the Ultimate Millennial Experience

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