Brand Strategy

Conventional thinking has brands constantly scrambling to give customers what they want. But what if wanting is no longer enough? A customer may want a great mobile phone, for example, but a huge majority will choose the now iconic iPhone, regardless of what other phones are available. This is not simply about wanting. It’s about

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Creating an Ethical Branding Strategy that Matters to Consumers

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Is your brand ethical? Does it have a cause or purpose that its people truly believe in and are committed to? Or are its initiatives primarily marketing techniques? In recent years, many brands have had to assess their ethics and impacts on society as customers demand more transparency, and become increasingly concerned about environmental, political,

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Four Strategies for Creating a Compelling Brand Story Villain

Leave a Comment / Brand Engagement / Sebastian Maynard

Who doesn’t love a great bad guy? As brands embrace storytelling, it’s important to define the villain who is vanquished by the product or service you provide. In this white paper we explore how brands are using the idea of the villain and some key tips on how to leverage this character for your brand.

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Which Type of Design Research Should You Use?

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

So, you are ready to introduce a new design for your brand. It looks modern and appealing, and you think it will create a strong impact. But how can you be sure that your customers feel the same way and that this design resonates with them? Reflecting on how you, or your agency, developed and

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NXT Bank: From Branches to “Fincosystems”

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

In order to gain a better understanding of how the bank branch might evolve, we initiated a research project to investigate potential outcomes for the branch. This white paper will discuss our process and the key findings to date, and some potential implications for branch networks. Our strong belief is that the physical branch is a

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PAC to the Future II: Retail Reinvented

Five Important Factors in Achieving Brand Authenticity

Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The importance of brand authenticity came to the forefront more than ten years ago when demographers started to raise awareness of the buying power of Millennials. With the failure of banks in 2008, and many corporate scandals making the headlines, it’s not surprising Millennials were looking for brands that were authentic and approachable. The Mirriam-Webster

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Branch Formats and Archetypes for the Future

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

Banks are transforming their branches at an unprecedented rate – but will they get it right? Given the enormous amount of time and resources these projects require, it is critical that they be carefully considered as more than just an aesthetic update. New branch formats are emerging based on the idea that expedience is what

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Why Experience Stores are on the Rise

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Retail is taking a turn down a curious alley. Many brands are opening retail concept stores that defy all logic by having nothing for sale. From pop-up shops, to “guide-shops,” to showrooms where customers can play with the latest products in a branded environment, retailers are suddenly feeling oddly comfortable pushing less sales and more

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Using Retail Design to Bring Your Brand to Life

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Does the design of your store or restaurant reflect your brand’s personality? Or is it out of sync with the message that you want to convey? Retail design is a physical representation of a brand that shapes customer experiences. Lighting, color, materials, fixtures, layout, commercial retail graphics, and digital signage all influence perceptions and express

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Best Practices to Attract Millennials to Your Brand

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Ah, Millennials: the fabled generation that every company is attempting to reach. Expected to surpass baby boomers in size by 2019, Millennials (also known as Generation Y, Me and Peter Pan, to name a few) are reaching their prime spending years. The impact that they will have on the economy has marketers frothing at the

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Banking on the Edge: The Digital Implications

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

Edge computing is a new way to process data that has the potential to revolutionize the banking customer experience. Although we are in the early stages of seeing this technology applied, banks stand to benefit enormously from this method of triaging data – it has the potential to reduce costs, increase security, provide highly curated

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Will Subscriptions Work for Traditional Retailers?

Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The subscription trend began online with platforms like Netflix and Spotify, companies that provided access to information over the internet. As delivery costs drop and customers become more comfortable with e-commerce, e-retailers have begun successfully using subscriptions to sell everything from shaving supplies to groceries. Clever bricks-and-mortar retailers are getting in on the action by

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Is Your Business Targeting the Right Personas?

Leave a Comment / Retail / Sebastian Maynard

The importance of customer personas is becoming increasingly recognized as personalization becomes more possible, and specificity wins sales. But how exactly do you develop customer personas, and how detailed should they be? In this whitepaper we describe the process of developing personas and explain how to communicate them to your team. Fill out the form

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SLD Presents on the Future of Banking

How to Convert Customers into Brand Ambassadors

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

In my book, Desire by Design, I cover in great length the power of fans in driving desire for brands. What I have learned over the many years of helping brands remain relevant is the fact that for any brand, whether it’s toothpaste or a new high-end car, having brand ambassadors promoting your product is

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Desire by Design Available for Pre-Order

Matthew Wilson

With over 35 years of experience in the design and branding industry, Shikatani Lacroix’s president, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has gained invaluable expertise across a wide range of disciplines. Jean-Pierre has compiled some of these insights into a new book, Desire by Design: What Data-Driven Marketers Should Know About Driving Desire for their Brands, which is now

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Learning from Trends in Disruptive Packaging Design

Packaging Design / Sebastian Maynard

Standing out on shelf is one of the key factors that will determine the success of a package design. However, with so many products competing for the consumer’s attention, it’s becoming harder to stand out. Whether designing for a well-known product that already has cachet, or introducing an entirely new offering, it’s critical that a

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Creating Customer Personas for Banks

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

There is a growing realization amongst financial institutions that the one-size-fits-all approach is coming to an end, and the importance of defining customers beyond conventional criteria is now paramount. One way to do this is by developing customer personas. This allows for more focused marketing and merchandising, and also ensures that all efforts are targeting the ideal

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Shikatani Lacroix Celebrates Release of Desire by Design

Desire by Design

Creating an Ethical Branding Strategy that Matters to Consumers

Four Strategies for Creating a Compelling Brand Story Villain

Which Type of Design Research Should You Use?

NXT Bank: From Branches to “Fincosystems”

PAC to the Future II: Retail Reinvented

Five Important Factors in Achieving Brand Authenticity

Branch Formats and Archetypes for the Future

Why Experience Stores are on the Rise

Using Retail Design to Bring Your Brand to Life

Best Practices to Attract Millennials to Your Brand

Banking on the Edge: The Digital Implications

Will Subscriptions Work for Traditional Retailers?

Is Your Business Targeting the Right Personas?

SLD Presents on the Future of Banking

How to Convert Customers into Brand Ambassadors

Desire by Design Available for Pre-Order

Learning from Trends in Disruptive Packaging Design

Creating Customer Personas for Banks

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