PASSIONBRAND

Read Helen’s latest
Marketing Week column

Marketing

Books

Latest: a chapter on brand belief in ‘The Definitive Book of Brandingʼ

What is a brand for? It is for changing the world. It is for improving the lot of human existence. It is for making a small difference based on big convictions.

DEFINITIONS

Brand
A product or service plus values and associations.

Consumer-led Brand
A brand that habitually uses the findings of consumer research for direction, not illumination.

Brand Belief
The brand’s take on the world, a view on what would make the world a little better, and how the brand can work toward making it happen.

Passion Brand
A brand with a clear belief, a deep understanding of people, and the capability, confidence, and exuberance to connect the two.

From the Passionbrand chapter in The Definitive Book of Branding, which brings together thinking from 22 world-renowned marketing specialists

‘Creating Passion Brands: how to build emotional brand connection with customersʼ

PUBLISHED IN 2005
The cases are a little out of date but the thinking is as timely as ever

A lucid examination of brand DNA.Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline

What are the five characteristics of passion brands?

Articles

Talks

Check out Helen’s 10-minute slot for the inaugural Campaign Underground ‘anti conference’ event.

Scroll through Helen and Derek’s winning presentations at the APG’s ‘Battle of Big Thinking’ conferences.

APG

Campaign

We promise to help our clients make their brands more rewarding – for employees, for customers, and for the business.

Skills

Clients

Tools and frameworks

Passion Brand positioning framework
Beliefs, culture, capability, customers, the wider environment: they’re all part of positioning. The art is finding the sweet spot.
Zones of Brand Perception activation tool
A dynamic touchpoint tool that puts the consumer in the centre and works out from there.
Internal brand engagement framework
A 6-stage process, each one seen from the employee’s point of view. Developed by Passionbrand in conjunction with HR professionals at easyJet, where the framework was first used. Now taught as a brand engagement case by Helen in her guest lectures at London Business School.
The Spectrum of Self – targeting tool
Instead of thinking about your consumer as a static ‘target’, think about the ‘journey of self’ that they are on.
Helpful definitions
Marketing is full of terms that get casually bandied about. But what do they really mean?

Brand nuggets If branding were a sport, it would be the decathlon.
From ‘creating passion brands’, Kogan page, 2005
Brand nuggets Making a study of consumers without reference to culture is like making a study of fish without reference to the sea.
From Helen’s Marketing column on Cultural Branding, April 2014
Brand nuggets A brand without belief is a brand without a future.
Passionbrand postcard #5
Brand nuggets There are two things wrong with the term 'target audience': the word 'target' and the word 'audience'.
From helen’s marketing column on the idealised self, February 2011
Brand nuggets "Capitalism begins with giving."
George Gilder, quoted in Passionbrand’s chapter in ‘the definitive book of branding’, sage, 2014
Brand nuggets A brand is something you buy. A great brand is something you join.
PASSIONBRAND POSTCARD #2
Brand nuggets Crisis management starts before the crisis.
From Helen’s Marketing column on Brand crises, July 2011
Brand nuggets "We are largely invisible to ourselves."
Sigmund freud, quoted in Helen’s marketing column on the limitations of research, July 2015
Brand nuggets "If i'd asked people what they wanted, they'd have told me a faster horse."
Henry Ford
Brand nuggets A little knowledge is all that's possible.
From Helen’s Marketing column on The Limitations of Research, July 2015
Brand nuggets Anyone can think outside the box. It takes a genius to be original inside it.
From the creative module of passionbrand’s brand bootcamp marketing training programme
Brand nuggets "The problem contains the solution."
Creative maxim, quoted in Helen’s marketing column on idea generation, March 2015
Brand nuggets "The three worst places to have an idea are in an office, in a group and in a hurry."
Gordon Torr
Brand nuggets All B2B is really H2H* *Human to Human
Passionbrand Postcard #9
Brand nuggets Communication starts with the product.
From helen’s marketing column on zone-of-intimacy communication, november, 2010
Brand nuggets Crowdsourcing is to commercial creativity what the karaoke machine is to pop.
From helen’s marketing column on crowdsourcing, october, 2014
Brand nuggets If you are spending big bucks just to start 'conversations', you need a good talking to.
From helen’s column, ‘the wrong conversation’, january, 2011
Brand nuggets Most insights aren't.
From the insights module of Passionbrand’s Brand Bootcamp marketing training programme
Brand nuggets Phoneys are phucked.
From passionbrand’s apg talk, ‘infrequently asked questions’
Brand nuggets Simplify.
From the creative module of Passionbrand’s Brand Bootcamp marketing training programme
Brand nuggets The employees who have maximum influence on brand perceptions are often on the minimum wage.
From helen’s marketing column internal brand engagement, october, 2015
Brand nuggets The idealised self is the most interesting thing you can know about your customers.
From passionbrand’s apg talk, ‘infrequently asked questions’
Brand nuggets There is always room for a feel-good brand. Especially in a feel-bad category.
Passionbrand Postcard #4
Brand nuggets To become a trusted brand, start by trusting your customers.
From the ‘building trust’ module in Passionbrand’s Brand Bootcamp marketing training programme
Brand nuggets Word of mouth is still the ultimate social medium.
Passionbrand Postcard #8

Who we are

Helen EdwardsFounding partner

London Business School MBA

PhD in marketing

Lectures on the MBA brand management elective at
London Business School, and Bath University

Co-author, Creating Passion Brands: How to build
emotional brand connection with customers

20 years working with brands

Award-winning columnist for Marketing and Campaign

Derek DayFounding partner

30 years working with brands

Has created and developed global brand ideas for
Mercedes-Benz, Emirates, Unilever, The BBC

Co-author, Creating Passion Brands: how to build
emotional brand connection with customers

Contributor to Marketing and Market Leader

Work published in 11 D&AD Annuals in five creative disciplines

New York One Show Gold winner

What we love

Our favourite planning blog

A penetrating, beautifully written, insight into our industry

Funny because true

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