Brands & Cultural Appropriation

In a global society are we not simply all just citizens of the world, a diverse collective of individuals, each one of us a beautiful hodgepodge of values, cultures and ancestral roots? Well if you were to take more than a cursory glance at the state of geo-politics and examine the increasingly divisive language of politicians, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re anything but. British Prime Minister Theresa May once ...

The New Age ‘Authentic’ Brands

We are entering a period of post-materialism, when people are still purchasing products for mass consumption, yet there is a new awareness about how these purchases reflect their world view. A brand is not just expected to be on a pedestal and aspired for. Brands are expected to be more human – entities we can identify with, entities we can share our point-of-view with and most of all, entities that ...

Nudging: For the Good of Consumers

“The more mindless you are when you shop, the more you are going to be poked and prodded to buy the manufacturer’s products. We’re trying to give consumers the same power the companies have.” – Colin Payne Nudging has emerged as a prominent theoretical framework to inspire changes in the environment where a choice takes place to gently persuade or nudge people’s behaviour. Brands have been historically using the nudging ...

The Rise of Everyman Archetype & Inclusivity

In 2016 we wrote about the year of the ‘outlaw’ for brand storytelling, as consumers looked for straight-talking, no nonsense communications. However, we now see the Everyman archetype rising from the ashes, offering a valuable table stake and anchor. Far from middle of the road or vanilla, we are seeing Everyman brands deliver not just authenticity but also inclusivity. The key difference here, is that Everyman brands are managing to ...

ARCHETYPE OF THE YEAR

How the Outlaw has defined 2016 – the good and the bad Early in the year, we heard from Jacqueline Bourke, Senior Manager Creative Insights at Getty Images who spoke to us about the Defining Visual Trends of 2016. At Butterfly we pride ourselves on our storytelling expertise and so there was one trend that clearly stuck out for us: ‘Outsider In’ predicted that in terms of visual storytelling, 2016 ...

Looking forward to 2017

The one thing everyone wants to hear is that 2017 will be better than 2016. Celebrities dying, political upheaval, and the general spectre of financial difficulties on the horizon have made 2016 an infamous year before it’s even ended. So what can we expect moving forward? Well, firstly, Gen Z will enter the mainstream. After years, decades, of articles decrying the Millennials, we’ll see the online comment sphere turn its ...

Reflections on 2016

2016: a year of flux, disruption and the triumph of discontent.  When history looks back at this year past, it will be regarded as a pivotal point in early 21st Century socio-economics. Civil war in the Middle East, typified by the horror of the struggle for Aleppo, rumbles on, with little prospect of peace any time soon, whilst in the West the disgruntled masses exercised their democratic rights to deliver ...

GENERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF 2016

“EACH YOUTH GENERATION TRIES TO COMPENSATE FOR WHAT IT PERCEIVES AS THE EXCESSES OF THE GENERATION BEFORE.” – William Strauss After much research into Millennials and Gen Z this year, here are the highlights of what we have learnt Are you ready?  To recap, Millennials are… Confident… Energetic… And team-oriented… While Gen Z are… Fluid… Cynical… And demanding With the rise of smartphones and 4G it’s a very common misconception ...

The Sweet Smell of Success – How Brands Are Exploring Strategies Beyond Their Sectors

As companies seek to reinforce their status among core audiences while accumulating new ones, the ability to appeal to a wider array of market triggers has become vital. One such approach has been taken by Lush Cosmetics, a brand that has increasingly swept through the shopping baskets, bathrooms, and Instagram feeds of people all over the world. The company’s vibrantly coloured bath bombs and treats may seem like a natural hit – ...

The Rise of Anti-Heritage Branding

The last few years have shown an increasing shift in heritage and tradition, with the concepts becoming less nebulous and more commonly expressed in marketing as a trend towards hand-made and traditional aesthetics.   This can be seen in the rise of the English heritage based designs of Barbour, and in the swathe of vintage hipster brands that have swarmed into the market – with products ranging from Flying Vinyl ...