Brand Strategy Archives

Move over Millennials! Three insights into Generation Alpha

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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Retail Banking 2017

Leave a Comment / Sebastian Maynard

Will your Branch of the Future resonate with your future customers? Branch transformation has been on the agenda of nearly every banking conference for almost a decade now, but there’s no evidence that any bank has landed on an Apple Store equivalent for retail bankers. Popular transformation strategies propose staff reduction and smaller networks, thanks

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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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Designing Innovation: The Next Frontier

Leave a Comment / Sebastian Maynard

How design collaboration powers innovation success In the past decade, you couldn’t open a business magazine or attend a design conference without reading or hearing about design thinking and the importance of design in business. The company most cited for being on the forefront of this trend? Apple. While Apple still leads in design thinking,

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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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The New Rules of Bank Transformation

2 Comments / Sebastian Maynard

As financial institutions brace for more disruptive change in the coming year, and decade, smart banks are arming themselves with a robust transformation strategy that will meet the changing needs of the new bank consumer. Join Shikatani Lacroix president Jean-Pierre Lacroix as he interviews financial branding expert David Faulkner about the challenges and rewards of

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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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How to Succeed in the New Chinese Retail Banking Industry

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

With the recent relaxation of Chinese banking regulations, the Chinese banking industry has begun to change dramatically and with that a new Chinese banking consumer is emerging. Until recently, there was little need for differentiation in the banking industry and as a result, every Chinese banking customer was treated the same. Now Chinese consumers are

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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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A Chief Marketing Officer’s Guide: Corporate Identity Rebranding and Brand Implementation

1 Comment / Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

Today, with increasing competition and choice, companies look for ways to connect emotionally with customers, and create lifelong relationships. A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded market-place. A corporate identity rebranding must be viewed like a strategic growth accelerator. It is an investment in your organization’s future, much like the commitment to building

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Shikatani Lacroix Wins 2016 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award

Leave a Comment / Sebastian Maynard

Branding and design agency Shikatani Lacroix wins a 2016 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award for its work with York Link. “Thank you to GDUSA for this recognition. We’d also like to thank and congratulate York Region for the opportunity and great success of the new logo,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of Shikatani Lacroix. To revitalize

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The Move Towards Immersive Banking

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

If Smart Banking was the answer to how to leverage technology to deliver a seamless customer banking experience, the next question financial institutions are faced with is “why”? It’s not just because we can, and because everybody and their dog has a mobile phone. It’s because the world is changing, and banks need to adapt

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Successful Healthcare Provider Mergers and Acquisitions

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / David Magnus

The Key Roles of Branding and Brand Implementation In recent years, North American healthcare has been one of the most targeted industries for M&A activity. Reflecting this, the volume of industry mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures has doubled since 2009. There are many drivers of this including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 which

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The Rising Importance of Community in the Bank Branch

Leave a Comment / Financial Services / Sebastian Maynard

For the past 25 years, we have been working with some of the leading financial institutions from around the globe and have noted the rising need for significant changes on how they integrate their brands as part of the community. The shift to online banking and the rising importance of digital wallets are threatening how consumers

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Are Your Patrons Craving a Sense of Belonging?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / Sebastian Maynard

The key question restaurant chains need to answer today is, “How will I appeal to today and tomorrow’s customers, while delivering consistency and relevancy?” It is interesting that the book I wrote in 2008 on the importance of creating a sense of belonging for brands remains more relevant today in helping to answer this very

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Hospital Place Branding

Leave a Comment / Place Branding / Sebastian Maynard

Critical Concepts for Designing an Integrated Hospital Wayfinding System In our experience, large general hospitals are the most complex spaces for place branding and wayfinding – but offer the best opportunity for this type of impact. Hospital facilities themselves are getting larger and more complex; changing from what was once a series of smaller buildings

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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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Digital Transformation of Business and Communications – Part 4

Leave a Comment / Sebastian Maynard

As a business owner and communications industry veteran, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of Shikatani Lacroix, a Toronto-based branding and design agency, has seen a massive evolution in technology and customer/employee expectations over the last two decades. In part four of this multi-part executive Q&A series I will chat with Jean-Pierre about the future and where digital

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Brand Strategy

Move over Millennials! Three insights into Generation Alpha

Foodservice Inspiration from Abroad: Japan & South Korea

Retail Banking 2017

Eight Ways Banks Need to Adapt for Customer Retention

Designing Innovation: The Next Frontier

In Personal Banking, Increasingly We Are All Gen Z

The New Rules of Bank Transformation

Eight Ideas to Expand Your Restaurant’s Dayparts

How to Succeed in the New Chinese Retail Banking Industry

Five Things to Consider During a Financial Institution Transformation

A Chief Marketing Officer’s Guide: Corporate Identity Rebranding and Brand Implementation

Shikatani Lacroix Wins 2016 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award

The Move Towards Immersive Banking

Successful Healthcare Provider Mergers and Acquisitions

The Rising Importance of Community in the Bank Branch

Are Your Patrons Craving a Sense of Belonging?

Hospital Place Branding

How to Capitalize on Unmet Customer Needs in Foodservice

Banking on the Ultimate Millennial Experience

Digital Transformation of Business and Communications – Part 4

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