FIGLIA — Celebrating family, femininity, and the uniqueness of nature. 

CHIVAS REGAL — Bringing modern prestige to the luxury drinks sector.

MOVE UNITED — Changing the way our world views disability.

EVRI — Transforming the national icon to celebrate the diversity of its people and communities it serves.

NOC — Removing distractions to leave an impression in a busy city.

AMSTELDOK — Building a place to create.

LA MATRIZ — Defining the creative heart of Madrid.

NESPRESSO — Tracing the story of the iconic brand back to its true origins.

Great brands are built on broad foundations.

INVICTUS GAMES — Creating a global sports brand with purpose.

FRITZ KOLA — Casting brand attitude in glass. 

DREAMHACK — Creating a space where the gaming community comes to life.

REFINITIV — Bringing break-through technology to the world.

MOTIV — Inspiring consumers to achieve a balanced life.

CHINA DUTY FREE — A new visual digital experience bringing the extraordinary to the everyday.

AXEL SPRINGER — Empowering free decisions.

WORLD TABLE TENNIS — Bringing the game to the world.

ELLIPTIC — Making complex technology more human.

CLEAR MOBILE — Cutting through the jargon with mobile made simple.

SRF SPORT — Getting closer to the heart of Swiss sport.

ARTE — Attracting new audiences with a new brand.

ESL — Creating a world-leading identity for the world's fastest-growing industry.

SWIRE PROPERTIES — Expressing brand ethos through contemporary art.

WPP CORPORATE REPORTING — Showcasing the power of creativity.

RIOT GAMES — Celebrating the 10th "Annie-versary" of League of Legends China.

PHYTORESTORE — Shaping the future of a nature pioneer. 

THE NATIONAL GALLERY — Finding fresh and innovative ways to inspire a city. 

SHELTER — Igniting the spirit of activism to fight for safe homes, for everyone.

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA — Dancing on the edge of a volcano.

Microsoft's climb back to the top of the tech industry.

SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE — Colliding old and new for a new generation.

CIELO SOMMERSO — Celebrating ancient tradition through contrast.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur

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Nora Bradshaw explains three questions brands should ask before entering the realm of non-fungible tokens.

Normally, I'm like "WTF Kanye," in response to his seemingly never-ending series of stunts, stances, meltdowns and questionable choices. But when it comes to NFTs, he might actually be onto something. 

So, on this one occasion, I agree with Ye. Let me explain. 

In a world where we keep talking about purpose - brand purpose, our individual purpose, every kind of purpose - what's the purpose of NFTs? What do they add to the world? Ultimately, what are NFTs for?

These are tough questions, but they're worth asking especially as we ponder whether NFTs have already reached their full potential. Originally intended to be a digital record of ownership, NFTs have become trendy ways to spend money and acquire intangible "precious" things. 

Their popularity resides in our collective desire for exclusivity and the idea that we - as regular consumers - can be in real conversation with brands. NFTs serve as another proof point behind the decentralized nature of Web3, in which an individual consumer can own a piece of a brand. But to be honest, I'm not sure we're really any closer to understanding what they actually do. 

And it's this confusion, this "void," that Kanye responded to. His statement, written on a piece of paper in black marker which he photographed and shared on Instagram, said: 

> MY FOCUS IS ON  
> BUILDING REAL  
> PRODUCTS IN THE  
> REAL WORLD  
>REAL FOOD
>
>REAL CLOTHES
>
>REAL SHELTER
>
>DO NOT ASK ME
>
>TO DO A F*CKING
>
>NFT
>
>YE  
>ASK ME LATER


He used just 30 words in total but used the word "real" five times. Part haiku, part mini-manifesto, the statement - in all of its perfect brevity - is a reflection of the fact that investing in the digital world right now isn't going to solve real-world issues. And until NFTs are capable of creating real-world solutions, it's going to stay that way. 

So, let's revisit the idea of utility and potential as it pertains to NFTs. Is it about giving more power to creators? Is it the power to create more diverse "things?"

Here are three questions brands can - and should - ask before entering the realm of NFTs:

#### How does the promise of a brand or product align with NFTs?
You can make one just to make one (and plenty of brands do), but it’s better if there’s something behind it—a story you can utilize and build upon. So much boils down to meaning and meaningfulness, so don’t lose sight of that.

#### What is the real benefit of a brand's NFT?
Being part of the conversation and building awareness are arguably less “good” reasons to do an NFT. Yes, notoriety is one avenue to modernize your brand or increase your relevance in the short term. But it’s always best when you can do all of that while also engaging with your audience in a more authentic way. Remember that NFTs are a way to give up control of your brand to (new, ideally diverse) creators and give ownership of your brand to your audience. In that way, they can be truly powerful. They can also be a way to give something of value to your fans and, depending on what it is, it can also create long-term value.

#### How can NFTs be tangible in the real world?
That’s an oxymoron—but not if an NFT helps consumers connect to something that’s physical—whether it’s an object or a real-world experience. For instance, NFTs can be used to raise money to help real people in the real world, just as crypto fundraising can create real-world impact.

And let's not forget about the fact that NFTs negatively impact our environment. So, while we might not see Patagonia minting an NFT anytime soon, other brands may choose to follow their lead and engage with NFTs by not engaging with them until the underlying technology is less corrosive. Or perhaps they'll choose to use NFTs to generate dollars for sustainability causes in an effort to offset those negatives. 

Above all else, there's a need to get creative, and because this technology is still new we can only guess at its full potential. It's up to us to figure out what's possible and what's not. This means that there is still time for NFTs to do what we dreamed they could and create real-world impact. 

So, in the words of Kanye, "Ask me later."

First published in [Ad Age](https://adage.com/article/opinion/why-kanyes-stance-nfts-struck-chord/2406601).


Superunion Amsterdam announces the appointment of Gavin Mackie as Strategy Director.

Our Amsterdam team has announced the appointment of Gavin Mackie as Strategy Director. 

Gavin joins Superunion from Dentsu’s creative agency Gyro, now Merkle B2B, where he was Strategy Lead for Creative and Brand. Prior to that, he was a Strategy Director at VCCP where he created strategies for award-winning campaigns, including ‘Storror Summer’ for Canon that challenged elite Parkour athletes Storror to cross continents from Europe to Asia; as well as campaigns for Domino's, in partnership with Tinder, that broke Domino's' digital sales records, and a campaign for De Beers, “The Women of Forever,” that celebrated iconic women and their legacies.

Prior to VCCP, Gavin held senior strategy roles at Publicis, JWT, and Collider, advising clients that included Unilever, Lego, Bacardi, Barclaycard, Xbox, and British Airways. He also found a multi-award-winning digital brand agency, N1, working with clients that included the BBC and the European Environment Agency.

>“At Superunion, we work with businesses who want to create positive, meaningful change in the world. It’s a very exciting time for us in Superunion Amsterdam, as we continue to grow and strengthen our global client partnerships. We're delighted to have Gavin join to lead the strategy for our clients and are excited for what lies ahead."
>
>*— Angelique de Hont, Managing Director, Superunion Amsterdam*

Bringing with him extensive leadership, communications and consulting experience helping consumer and multiple stakeholder businesses build emotional connection with their audiences, Gavin’s work has been honoured by Marketing Society, DBA Design Effectiveness, Mobile Marketing Awards, and Mobius.

> “It is an exciting time to be joining Superunion Amsterdam. Superunion is an agency I have admired and respected for some time with an excellent pedigree. I’m looking forward to growing this into the future with continued progressive and loved work.”  
>
> *— Gavin Mackie, Strategy Director at Superunion*

Randstad appoints Superunion Amsterdam as its design partner. 

Randstad, the global leader in the HR services industry, has named our Amsterdam team as its design partner. 

Headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad helps people secure rewarding jobs and stay relevant in the ever-changing world of work. With over 34,000 employees and revenue of 20.7 billion, Randstad is active in 38 markets globally and is listed on the NYSE Euronext. In 2020, it helped nearly two million candidates find a meaningful job with more than 236,000 clients. 

Superunion Amsterdam will serve as Randstad's partner, providing capabilities across creative strategy, design and communications to help Randstad achieve their mission of realizing people's true potential throughout their working lives and by doing so touching the worklives of 500 million people by 2030. 

> "Randstad will work with Superunion on future brand design challenges ensuring our brands stay relevant and attractive for our audiences in years to come. Superunion has been chosen to be a strategic and creative design partner because they understand our ambitions, fit with our culture and are able to deliver assets that resonate strongly with our key audiences."  

> *— Bart van Wanrooij, Director Global Brand Management at Randstad*

> "The Randstad brandmark is one of the all time greats, created by true icons of the industry. The fact it remains unchanged in its 60+ years of history is unique and speaks to the incredible design legacy of the brand. We are incredibly proud to build upon it and highlight Randstad's relevance to a new generation of professionals."
>
> *— Anthony Ford, Creative Director, Superunion Amsterdam* 

>"Randstad has been at the heart of our society for generations - it is a business that changes people's lives, helping millions of people realize their true potential. We are proud to be selected by the Randstad team, working alongside it to transform ideas into impact. The world of work is undergoing unprecedented and accelerated change today, and we are delighted to partner with Randstad to support its next stage of its brand growth."

>*— Angelique De Hont, Managing Director, Superunion Amsterdam*

Superunion marks International Women's Day 2022, by celebrating the women across our network.

> "Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias."  

> *— [internationalwomensday.com](https://www.internationalwomensday.com/)*

Celebrated on 8th March, International Women's Day is one of the most important days to celebrate social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity and raise awareness about women's equality. 

To mark this year's theme, 'Break The Bias', Superunion is hosting a morning get-together to the celebrate brilliant women working across our network. With a delicious breakfast, it will be an opportunity for our people to share their experiences, voice how we can all be allies to women around the world, and drive the conversation forward to strive for a world without gender biases and stereotypes. 



The new logo, created by our Asia team, marks MyRepublic's transformation from challenger brand to industry leader.

The new logo, created by our Asia team, marks MyRepublic's transformation from challenger brand to industry leader. 

Our Asia team has partnered with Singapore-based telecommunications provider, MyRepublic, to create a new brand identity marking its decade-long transformation from a challenger brand to an industry leader. 

MyRepublic is one of the fastest-growing telecom operators in Asia-Pacific with operations across Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, and is the world's first telecommunication company powered by a proprietary cloud platform. The changes to the identity reflect MyRepublic's evolution over the past 10 years into a mature organisation with global-scale growth ambitions. This includes investment in consumer and enterprise connectivity services such as broadband and mobile units and the growth of its platform offer, a telco-to-telco business that brings MyRepublic's cloud-based proprietary software based on open standards to telecommunication companies across the globe. 


Developed by Superunion and MyRepublic's in-house team, in collaboration with Amsterdam-based illustrator Raymond Burger, the new identity has been designed with screen-first principles. Using an evolution of the brand's signature rocket silhouette, set against its iconic purple brand colour, the new logo simplifies and modernises the original marque to be instantly recognisable, no matter if viewed on a 50-inch display or a five-inch smartphone.

The new logo is a key milestone in MyRepublic's work with Superunion to transform the brand, an ambition unveiled in April 2021, when the company refreshed its brand to emphasis its mission to be the world's largest enabler of deep, meaningful, and trusted relationships between customers and tech products. 

In addition to the master brand, Superunion designed logos for MyRepublic's Gamer and Business offerings, to provide a seamless customer experience across the brand's diverse portfolio of tech products. 

The new logo is being rolled out across MyRepublic's digital marketing assets, including its website, digital advertising and social media, as well as an updated consumer experience in MyRepublic retail stores.


>"The new brand identity resonates with our customers and differentiates us in the category. It captures the essence of MyRepublic - friendly, approachable, but also a little quirky and geeky. The launch of the new logo is the culmination of tireless work the team has put into the brand refresh and is a milestone for our growth as a company." 
>
>*— Enning Yow, Head of Creative Studio and Insights*

 

>"MyRepublic launched into the market ten years ago with an ambition to transform connectivity. That ambition has been realised for hundreds of thousands of customers in their homes and businesses, and for telcos across the region. This incredible shift from challenger to industry leader needed to be reflected in the brand. We worked closely with the team at MyRepublic to create an identity that retained brand equity but reflected who the brand really is today to its people, customers and partners. By aligning sub-brands into the master and creating a screen-first identity, the new brand reflects the maturity of the organisation as well as its innovative spirit." 
>
>*— Scott Lambert, Creative Director, Superunion Singapore*

Nora Bradshaw explores in The Drum the best brands to get Peloton back on the road.

As Peloton's co-founder, John Foley, dismounts from the saddle, there is a strong case for the fitness bike brand that captured the imagination of the lockdown generation to get a new coach. 

Facing a steep hill of losses, limited subscribers and a decimated workforce, the odds of a sale are climbing - and there are a number of brands already circling, ready to swoop in. 

Both [Amazon and Nike](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/02/07/amazon-and-nike-eye-peloton-buyout) are rumored to be positioning themselves to make a play in the world of connected fitness. For some, Amazon seems like the strong fit; the e-commerce giant's sheer size has the capability to bring the bike to the mass market. For others, Nike's hold on the fitness world makes more sense; Nike's ethos is all about community and experiences, the former being something that has placed Peloton at the head of the race. 

For me, neither spark real excitement. Peloton is a premium brand, from hardware to experience, so a glorified logistics network such as Amazon would do more harm than good. Yes, it would have access to Amazon's resources, but what makes Peloton desirable is its elite status - Amazon's broad appeal isn't that. And as for Nike, while the better of the two, it's too obvious a choice. 

> "Instead, Peloton should look off-road for a potential suitor. There are a number of brands that have the potential to form a union that could breathe new life into the brand, all while maintaining a sense of exclusivity and luxury."  
>
> *— Nora Bradshaw, Head of Growth, Superunion North America*

#### Microsoft
As the dawn of web3 arrives, the fitness experience is an exciting way of entering things like the metaverse. With Microsoft already making a big metaverse play, Peloton could be the next step in transforming how we see the metaverse entering our everyday lives. 

Peloton already has the fundamentals down. It uses hardware and software to create a collaborative community experience. Couple that with headsets and VR, and you could find yourself biking through a virtual landscape, or creating an avatar for your virtual spin class. 

Peloton is already a gamified and immersive experience, so with help from a giant such as Microsoft, it could bring a whole new generation of future-hungry riders into the studio. 

#### Marriott
Premium fitness and travel experience go hand-in-hand. At the height of the pandemic, Peloton placed bets on that very notion by acquiring Precor, a major provider of workout machines to gyms and hotels, and it even launched Peloton Hotel Finder on its website to allow travellers to continue their workout streaks when away from their living rooms. 

A global luxury hotel brand such as Marriott, with epic chains such as St. Regis and W hotels in its portfolio across the globe, could not only keep existing owners happy on their holidays, it could attract other travelers to book as well with the intention of test driving something new - leveraging its luxury experience to inspire them to go home and purchase a bike.

#### Class Pass
There is already a lot of overlap and synergy between Peloton owners and Class Pass users. They're both subscription fitness experiences. They're also both premium-priced experiences aimed at millennials with cash in their pockets. 
The opportunity here is not about ownership though. It's really in the unfixed choice that Class Pass offers. Without needing to invest in a $2000 bike, users could rent one from Peloton and use Class Pass's credits model to purchase sessions to gain access to the platform. 

Large luxury equipment that costs thousands of dollars isn't an easy sell right now, especially as people are craving the outdoors. Consumers want more choice, control, convenience and value, which subscription models allow. But to work well, it would also require loyalty - something Peloton has in abundance. 

#### Goop
Peloton may not even need to be sold. If you've seen its investor slides, you'll know that a huge problem it has lies with those at the helm. Poor decision making and a lack of credibility are enough to maim any brand. 

What it needs is an injection of wellness royalty to separate the bike from the business. Think Gwyneth Paltrow and her wellness brand Goop as an ambassador - a luxury lifestyle community that could arguably put Peloton's to shame. 

Leading brands are more likely to use figureheads to champion the brand's vision and goals. Personality and presence help to build trust, not only with consumers but with shareholders too. Peloton has struggled with its public presence (remember its sexist ad?) so having a wellness visionary such as Gwyneth could bring in enough credibility to get the bike back on the road. 

Peloton has got a lot right. It has also got a lot wrong. But it has a product that lives up to its values - creating an engaging experience that puts members first. That's what makes it special. Ultimately, it will be the brand that feels like it can't beat Peloton at this kind of magic that will win out and get the chance to kick it up a gear. 

First published in [The Drum](https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/02/14/could-microsoft-marriott-or-even-goop-be-better-buyer-peloton).


Stuart Radford, ECD, and Katherina Tudball, Creative Director, share their top tips to creating unforgettable work. 

Stuart Radford, Executive Creative Director, and Katherina Tudball, Creative Director, Superunion London, talk to Cannes Lions, as part of the LIONS Decoded series, to share behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive insights, and high-level learnings on how to create Unforgettable Ideas. With examples from the likes of London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Two and Shakespeare’s Globe, they share their top five tips to creating unforgettable work. From making bravery a must, not an option, to questioning everything – even the basics – they decode the process to creating our award-winning work.

LIONS Decoded is a one-day broadcast of live and on-demand content and insights, sharing strategies and processes for success to uncover what it truly takes to win a Lion.

*Stuart Radford (SR)*: Every brand agency worth its salt strives to produce great ideas. But how often do you see work that’s genuinely original, breaks convention, to be truly unforgettable? Not often, and for good reason.

*Katherina Tudball (KT):* Creation of unforgettable work is a process, and great work comes from the best out of every stage and opportunity within that journey. We’re going to draw on our experience of creating award-winning work for the likes of BBC Two, Shakespeare’s Globe and London Symphony Orchestra to share five practical tips that will help to foster the right conditions to create unforgettable work.

#### TIP \#1 MAKE BRAVERY A MUST, NOT AN OPTION

*SR:* As designers, we are naturally motivated to push our ideas and thinking to create work that’s different and unfamiliar.

Visual audits can also provide a powerful insight and the motivation to break with sector norms to create braver and more original work. Take our work with London Symphony Orchestra for example. The LSO wanted to evolve its previous identity to reflect Sir Simon Rattle’s appointment in a way that would resonate with new and younger audiences. A visual audit of the sector revealed two things: One; most of London's orchestras, including LSO, represented the experience of classical music in the same way. Static images of conductors, musicians and traditional music halls. Two; this representation was a barrier to newer, younger audiences, as it reinforced their negative, elitist, boring perceptions of the music. This simple yet fundamental insight provided the motivation and justification to create a progressive and original identity for the orchestra, one that broke nearly all of the conventions of how classical music brands capture and reflect the experience.

#### TIP \#2 QUESTION EVERYTHING – EVEN THE BASICS.

*KT:* When it comes to design, there are some tried and tested rules that we all rarely question. This tip for creating memorable work is to challenge the rules, even the fundamentals that are so professionally ingrained and accepted that we hardly notice them enough to question them.

Our work for Shakespeare's Globe broke all the rules, but for one good reason: At the heart of the organisation was the founding idea of a radical theatrical experiment, an idea that we embraced as a guide for all our design decisions. The Globe's experience is alive with messy, visceral, emotional humanity. A minimal modernist corporate identity would not express this, which gave us licence to reappraise all the usual assumptions about good brand design.

Instead of one specific corporate shade of red, we had ten official shades. And even for the basic colours of black and white, we allowed five shades of each. We allowed headline typography to constantly change, with literally any style allowed. Instead of a fixed logo position, the logo moved around the page, allowing scaling and cropping, overlapping and interaction. We allowed for all sorts of imagery variation. And rather than strictly consistent layout principles, we allowed 20 different angles and energetic layouts. By staying true to one idea, you can reconsider the established rules throughout your own lens and identify which ones could be challenged to really support your concept.


#### TIP \#3 PARK THE PRACTICALITIES

*KT:* This tip will help you give your ideas the space to grow without being killed or compromised by technical parameters. Our rebrand for UK TV channel BBC Two was a collaboration with BBC Creative and together we fostered the right conditions for an ambitious concept to flourish.

*SR:* First, we collectively committed to the creative ambition for the project with all our stakeholders - BBC Creative, Marketing, the Channel’s Controller and his team. We agreed to focus on creating an original and progressive new identity for BBC Two, meaning that during our creative concept stage, there'll be no expectations on how the idea might work from a technical broadcast point of view.

*KT:* Secondly, if you want your clients and stakeholders to park their concerns about the practicalities, they need to know when those issues will be addressed. At the outset, we shared a clear, structured creative process that detailed the various stages, including when we would deal with the technical parameters. This approach gave us the opportunity to seek out the most original and compelling idea. To execute our chosen concept, we proposed to remove all hard cuts from the ad break and instead see content morph and melt into graphics and typography.

*SR:* After at least four attempts to remove hard cuts, we soon discovered that this was almost technically impossible. But we persisted, and we found a way for the idea to work within the technical parameters, ironically, by embracing the hard cuts.

#### TIP \#4 DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE OBVIOUS

*SR:* The irony of how obvious this tip might seem, has not been lost on us. But the fear of an idea being too obvious is a natural outcome of striving to do the best work you can, the pressure can lead us to overlook an obvious and brilliant starting point.
Let’s take some learnings from a project where we started with what we thought was an obvious idea - SIM-only, low-budget brand, called Clear Mobile. Tight timings meant we were forced to make quick, intuitive decisions. So we embraced an obvious idea, and built on what we felt was good about it. Had we had more time, we could have overthought and overcomplicated it, leaving behind an obvious and strong idea. Too much time isn’t always a good thing.

Have the confidence to go with your gut instinct and embrace the obvious. It’s not always easy. Ideas have a job to do, so support your gut feeling with some rational questions: Will it communicate the right message? Will it do so in a compelling way? Will it differentiate? Will it be unique? If it’s starting to tick these boxes - and from a gut point of view, it feels good – then it’s got to be an idea worth taking forward.

Finally, it’s about what you do with an idea that matters, because no idea is born perfect. It’s a journey of decisions throughout the design process that must stay true to the original idea.

#### TIP \#5 CRAFT IT FROM GOOD TO GREAT

*KT:* Extreme commitment to craft can elevate a familiar idea. True originality is pretty rare, and you don’t have to be totally original to be memorable. The world is already full of visual language that works. Symbols, signifiers and constructs that are widely understood. Things that might not be new but are effective and satisfying if done well. But you can take a technique that isn’t original and make it unforgettable - through craft. One recent project we admire immediately came to mind – an ad for Nike called ‘You can’t stop us’, by Wieden+Kennedy Portland, that came out in 2020.

We have seen the split screen method employed countless times, in visual storytelling to express the idea of connections. It’s easy to see how Wieden+Kennedy arrived at this approach, to talk about unity during the COVID pandemic. Using archive footage, the idea cleverly combines two disparate sporting moments from different times, to create a seamless single moving image. What makes this version of the technique so special is its absolute commitment to crafting the edit. It is a real masterclass with 24 sports represented and 53 athletes featured. It was developed through research of more than 4000 pieces of footage, to find 900 matching pairs, with only 72 of those action sequences making the final cut of 36 scenes.

It’s the craft that makes this so memorable. This feels like an original and sets a new bar, making it very difficult for anyone else to use this technique without being instantly compared.

So, if the appropriate solution isn’t completely new, remember that it’s possible through craft to create the most unforgettable version of an established approach.

[Watch the full talk here.](https://youtu.be/mvl5Qpdiqx4)

An unlimited edition of the Heineken Original label, with a billion unique labels, created by our Amsterdam team.

Heineken has a strong tradition of limited-edition bottles. To celebrate the festive season, Heineken brought an original new perspective. A fresh twist to encourage people to come together, fuel connections and enjoy life more. Instead of one twist, it brought us a billion. 

We broke the limited-edition tradition by creating an unlimited edition. For a few weeks, no single Heineken Original label will be the same. The one in a billion bottle, each with its own unique festive pattern and one-off number, sits at the heart of Heineken's 'The Bestie Gift Ever' campaign, promoting a uniquely personal experience for your one-in-a-billion best friend. 

To create and print a billion unique labels required a smart algorithm and industrial-sized digital printers. Designed around eight base colours, a specially crafted Heineken typography pattern, and four graphic enrichment layers, we endlessly rotated, zoomed in and out, repositioned and reangled so that no two labels were alike, creating endless combinations. We then printed 950 unique labels per minute over three months, leading up to the festive season. 

The new design kickstarted a one in a billion universe that included a global campaign, merchandising, POS, retail environments, live holiday gift-wrapping studios and even apparel. During its three-week run, this fresh perspective on the Heineken Original label attracted 800 million organic views online. 

The brand didn't change, its label did... one billion times.

A new brand for CosmosDirekt, Germany's leading online insurer. 

Superunion Germany has created a new brand for CosmosDirekt, Germany’s leading online insurer and the direct insurer of Generali Deutschland, part of Generali Group, one of the largest insurance and asset management companies in the world. CosmosDirekt is a pioneer in the insurance market, enabling its customers to self-manage their financial and insurance products, including claims, through a digital platform built for users who want to be in control of their lives. The new digital-first brand is created to inspire a new generation of customers, who value the emotional connection with the brand.

Superunion developed a brand strategy with an idea of “self-determined life”, positioning CosmosDirekt as a lifetime partner through all the stages of customers’ lives, and created a brand personality and tone of voice that is warm and human, honest and direct.

The dynamic identity in bold blue, green and red, showcases the brand in a modern, experiential way. A progressive, self-determined and digital brand with maximum flexibility to speak to its audiences across digital-first channels.

![MicrosoftTeams-image (5) copy.jpg](https://cdn.superunion.lepb.app/Microsoft_Teams_image_5_copy_ab71d13ac5/Microsoft_Teams_image_5_copy_ab71d13ac5.jpg)

Together with Bonnie Shaver-Troup, Santiago Orozco, Héctor Gómez and Fontbureau type foundry and Google, we further developed the Lexend typeface for CosmosDirekt audiences. Originally designed by Bonnie Shaver-Troup for people with dyslexia, to reduce visual stress and improve reading performance. The typeface is available on Google fonts, and is now the new corporate typeface for CosmosDirekt.

> “With the new brand, we are underlining CosmosDirekt’s claim to leadership as a digital pioneer in the insurance industry. At the same time, we wanted to make the brand bolder and more modern – a brand for everyone. With Superunion Germany we have found a like-minded partner who brought strategic and creative excellence and brand implementation expertise that made our market launch a success."  
>
> *— Jeromy Lohmann, Head of Marketing & Sales, CosmosDirekt*

  

>“The task of giving CosmosDirekt a new brand has inspired us right from the start. We have an influence on people's quality of life: prosperity, wealth, security, advice, and service serve to improve the chosen "way of life" in the long term. We wanted to create a brand that is flexible, digital, and inclusive, to connect with today’s society, customers, and audiences from all across the country. CosmosDirekt is in an exciting stage of change, opening new opportunities for its customers to be in control of their financial lives, and we are delighted to help express its new identity and support on its next stage of growth.”
>
>*— Philipp Mühlebach, Executive Creative Director at Superunion Germany*



Congratulations to IHG, Legal & General and our corporate reporting team. 

Congratulations to IHG, Legal & General and our Corporate Reporting team, winners at the Strategic Comms Awards. IHG won Best annual report 2020 and Legal & General were awarded Most effective alignment with TCFD.

Part of the Corporate Comms Awards, the Strategic Comms Awards scheme is the new home for annual report categories, which recognises excellence in corporate storytelling. This year’s inaugural event recognises both the 2019/20 and 2020/2021 reporting seasons.

Well done to our clients, partners and teams. 

#### AWARDS
*Best annual report 2020*  
IHG Hotels & Resorts

*Most effective alignment with TCFD*   
Legal & General

Full winners list [here](https://strategiccommsawards.co.uk/live/en/page/shortlist-2021).


Wishing you good fortune and a happy, healthy start to the New Year. 

#### Happy Year of the Tiger!

Did you know that in Chinese a slot machine is called a ‘tiger machine’?

With that in mind, we’ve created our own so you can try your luck for the Lunar New Year. Pull the tiger’s paw to generate your own lucky cat from 5832 combinations of unique artworks produced by 18 designers across our Asia offices. Save, send or share your creation to spread the love!

Click [here](https://superunion.com/cny2022/index.html) to play now!

Wishing you good fortune and a happy, healthy start to the New Year.

While you save your tiger as a PNG, why not save tigers in the wild too? Donate to WWF and help reverse the fortune of these unlucky cats – the only endangered animal in the Chinese zodiac. 

[https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-tiger](https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-tiger)


The new brand for SRF Sport brings viewers closer to the sporting action. 

Our London team has partnered with Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF), the Swiss public service broadcasting company, to create a new brand identity for SRF Sport. The new brand captures the passion of Swiss sport fans and the role of SRF Sport at the heart of Swiss sport, as a home of athletes and teams celebrated by fans across the country.

SRF Sport is one of the key brands within the SRF portfolio and is responsible for multimedia sports reporting and coverage. It connects millions of Swiss sporting fans with national and international sporting events, providing live broadcasts, new and background information through TV, radio and digital. 

Superunion was tasked with creating a new brand and visual identity that reflected SRF Sport's role in bringing the best of sporting action to Swiss viewers in a digital world, while simultaneously being in sync with the wider SRF master brand. Inspired by the idea of 'feeling closer', the new identity captures the passion of Swiss sporting fans, bringing them closer to the sporting world across all channels, programmes and formats. 

The concept of 'feeling closer' is brought to life through a new, flexible, dynamic and sensory visual identity that pays homage to the national pride of Swiss sporting fans. 

The colour palette uses red, white and black, with red and white representing the colours of the Swiss flag, identifying SRF Sport's role as the public service broadcaster. The horizontal and vertical axis within the flag is reflected in a crosshair lens graphic element, created to interact with static and animated visuals. Dynamic motion principles for broadcast and digital viewing bring the lenses to life, taking audiences closer to the action, literally. 

We worked with Dalton Maag to develop a unique typeface, with cropped letterforms amplifying the sense of being close up. This is exemplified by the new wordmark, with the word 'sport' cropped within the identity. 

Black and white sports imagery captures moments that excite fans, whilst also helping to build a unique, visually distinct approach. 



The character of SRF Sport's content areas is reflected in the creative concept by giving each core programming area its individuality through subtle variations in narrative and the use of diverse nuances of design. 

> "It was a privilege to work with SRF and have the creative opportunity it presented. We wanted to build on the incredible role it plays in bringing the finest sporting moments to Swiss fans, connecting them closer to sports they love. Collaborating with SRF, we developed a new visual identity that puts Swiss fans at the centre of the action and lets them experience the emotion of sport even more directly. We wanted to build a brand identity that not only felt true to Swiss national sporting pride, but also had the strength to live and grow, now and in the future."   
>
> *— Stuart Radford, Executive Creative Director at Superunion*




Best In Class programme create new brand for Robinson Family Foods celebrating the power of food. 

Our North America team unveils a new brand strategy and identity for Robinson Family Foods, a black-owned, family-run restaurant brand, to celebrate the business’s heritage, innovative spirit and its mission to connect communities through the power of food. The work was completed pro bono as part of the agency’s Best In Class internship program that works with businesses across America in need of strategic and creative support with access to Superunion’s expertise and the rising stars of its paid internship program. 

Following an open call for briefs from businesses across America who are facing a challenge in the current climate, Robinson Family Foods was selected by Superunion after being drawn to its vision to bring communities together through the power of food. We partnered with the business founders to support its ambitions to celebrate food’s heritage, innovate culinary experiences and bring people together.

As part of the programme, Robinson Family Foods had access to the rising talent in Superunion’s intern program, and their mentors. This year's cohort refreshed Robinson Family Foods’ mission statement, brand personality and visual identity, as well as delivering a new brand for its sub-brand, Gigi’s Gelato, to set the business up for long-term growth.

![Robinson_Family_Foods_3_1440x810_inverted[3].jpg](https://cdn.superunion.lepb.app/Robinson_Family_Foods_3_1440x810_inverted_3_426a740499/Robinson_Family_Foods_3_1440x810_inverted_3_426a740499.jpg)

The reset for the Robinson Family Foods master brand is led by a new identity that combines a knife and fork within the letter ‘R’ to represent the spirit of the family and the food they serve. Additionally, Superunion created bespoke iconography with bold, colourful food-inspired icons representing the importance of keeping food fresh and simple. 

The new sub-brand of Gigi’s Gelato is represented by a new red and cream color palette, including its own red, Gigi’s red, and uses the New Kansas typeface. 
Superunion opened applications to its Best in Class program across North America earlier this year. The paid internship provided eight candidates with real hands-on experience, splitting time between the Best in Class brand project and real-time studio assignments working on clients’ live briefs with the Superunion team. The program, run over the summer period, welcomed interns from across the country and provided flexible working options. It was overseen by Superunion’s senior leadership team and managed by mentors across agency departments, who supported the new recruits in creating world-class work.



Previous projects completed by Best in Class cohorts include the award-winning brand refresh for Urban Justice Center, aimed to raise brand awareness and increase donations to continue providing free legal support to marginalised citizens.

>“We are beyond grateful to have been given this opportunity. The team at Superunion helped us define our brand in a way that we could barely imagine before. Working with them allowed us a dive deep into the heart of Robinson Family Foods bringing us close to our mission and giving us a clear path forward."
>
>*— The Robinson Family* 

 
>“Working with Superunion this summer was an incredible experience, and being able to work with the Robinsons was even more special. Robinson Family Foods is a perfect example of the kind of business, and more importantly the kind of people, that deserve to be recognized and uplifted for all that they do through their work. I’m glad I could be a part of helping them continue to grow and succeed all while learning so much and growing myself.”
>
>*— Luke Barnell, Design Intern*

 
>“The Best In Class internship program has me completely sold on how super Superunion is – everyone is so talented, kind and supportive. I’ve been able to work hands-on on such a diverse range of projects that have shown me just how creative and diverse the work that Superunion does is. Our intern project with the Robinson Family was a rewarding experience, evolving vision into tangible strategy with the brand personality and mission statement aligned.”
>
>*— Allison Ma, Strategy Intern*

 
> “Seeing the Robinson Family Foods brand come to life - and the growth of our interns throughout the project - was truly a career highlight. Working with a small, local business ensured we were able to collaborate every step of the way to achieve their goals. It was a rewarding experience not only mentoring our impressive group of interns but also partnering with the wonderful Robinson family who welcomed us into their lives to help define their brand. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.” 
>
>*— Lindsey Puliti, Senior Account Manager at Superunion*

Adam Sefton explains why Facebook's rebrand to Meta reveals the mediocrity of the social media platform. 

So, Facebook has become Meta and is going to lead the charge into the Metaverse. 

Tech company rebrands are always a dangerous game, particularly the naming process. Trapped between the desire for something better than you have but the need for something suitably corporate, companies seem to stumble and end up lost in the middle. 

The last tech company that did this was of course Google, who created Alphabet back in 2015. You might remember Google, once upon a time, did no evil. It was very proud of this, but at some point, it became something of an inconvenience to its plans of world domination. 

'But how can we agree to censorship in China and grow our business there if we do no evil?' its executives cried. 

Thus, the solution: Alphabet. Corporate Google can go off and lobby whoever it needs to from behind the relative secrecy of its bland, corporate identity. And Google can carry on being loveable Google, with the quirky angle on the 'e'. 

So, the idea is to rebrand the corporate structure and let it operate quietly in the background, doing all the things that need to be done to be a successful global success, whilst your consumer-facing brands can continue to operate unabated in the limelight. Seems perfectly sensible. However, Facebook - sorry, Meta - has been running brand advertising campaigns of late. This isn't the sort of thing you tend to do if you want to stay in the background. 

There is one important difference between Facebook (the social network) and Google though. Google is good at what it does. Its search engine is still clearly the dominant search solution. Its mobile phones compete well with Apple's iPhone. At the end of the day, it's a verb. Facebook on the other hand has a dirty secret it doesn't want to tell anyone - it's not actually very good. 

Facebook has been in the news a lot recently for creating the sort of post-truth world that spreads misinformation and interferes with the popular vote. It is most certainly very bad, and Facebook is deserving of all the criticism coming its way, but the posts that contribute to this misinformation are not the most popular content posted on Facebook. They're quite niche. So, what's actually popular on Facebook these days?

Well, it turns out that now Facebook is happy to tell us. Their transparency report is full of detail on their most popular content. Would you believe that over the last three months, the most popular link, with an incredible 92.7m views, is a Green Bay Packers Alumni site. The next most popular? A CBD site with 64.9m views. Charlie Warzel does an excellent analysis of what all this means in his superb Galaxy Brain newsletter. The really short version: most of the popular content on Facebook is dull, clickbait-y, uninspiring spam. Not quite lawsuit bad, just depressingly below average. When it's bad, it's really bad. But the rest of the time? It's just not very good. 

> "These days there are better ways to connect with your friends. WhatsApp is more secure and personal, Instagram is more visual. Both are already owned by Facebook. And Facebook the social networking site is facing a secret mid-life crisis: it's not a lot of fun anymore. Perhaps Zuckerberg would actually like us to forget about Facebook for a while. 
>
> And in that case, rebranding to Meta makes perfect sense. If the metaverse is the next stage of internet evolution, what kind of screwed-up, spam-heavy virtual reality hellscape would Facebook force on us? Much better to leave it alone to spiral downwards towards the unwanted but waiting badge of 'Myspace2.0' and launch afresh. Goodbye tedious social networking site with limited interest and value! Hello Meta, you blue breath of virtual reality fresh air!"
>
> *— Adam Sefton, Digital Strategy Director, Superunion London*

So, who cares if it might have stolen its logo from a German start-up? So what if we can't even decide what the metaverse actually is, let alone what Meta's contribution to it might be. At the end of the day, Meta is moving on because Facebook just isn't very good anymore, and it's hoping to move before anyone notices. 

First published in [Transform](https://www.transformmagazine.net/articles/2021/m-is-for-mediocrity-why-facebook-s-rebrand-won-t-avert-disaster/).


Superunion enters the next stage of growth, following two new studio openings.

Superunion is entering the next stage of growth, following two new studio openings in the US West Coast, and China Greater Bay area, along with a string of senior appointments and promotions. As the company's footprint and expertise expand, Superunion is becoming a business not constrained by a specialism, but instead acting as a creative partner for the world's biggest businesses, helping them create meaningful value and change for their audiences and society.

Notable clients that reflect the changing nature of our work include Intel Gaming, creating campaigns for its innovative technology offering and working with the global technology leader, Tencent, in China, to communicate its next generation of products and entertainment platforms. Additionally, Superunion has been working with the Artemis team at NASA on a range of brand and communication initiatives for the next generation of moon landings.

Globally, Superunion counts Riot Games, Ford, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Heineken and the BBC as clients, working on a wide variety of assignments. The global nature and broad remit of the work we do are reflected in our ambitious expansion plans, with the opening of two new offices, one in Shenzhen and one in LA. Shenzhen will open in November 2021 and founding clients include Tencent, Riot Games and Vivo. It will be led by Monica Lee, Chair, Superunion Asia, and Maggie Chien, Business Director. LA will open in January 2022.



The growth in Superunion's footprint follows an expansion of the company's creative minds. In May this year, Mick McConnell joined as CEO of North America, to supercharge in the market and help to reimagine the work it does for clients. Since joining, Mick has overseen Coca-Cola, Mazda and Candy client wins.
Also in the North America team, Ross Clugston has been appointed Chief Creative Officer, after three years at the company, overseeing stand out projects for the charity Move United, the NASA Artemis program, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Mazda. Nora Bradshaw has been appointed Head of Growth, after two years in the business, overseeing projects with NASA, Ford, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive. Lastly, Evan Gettinger has rejoined Superunion as Executive Strategy Director, bringing 12 years of experience working with clients such as Microsoft, Medtronic, Ford, LG and Coca-Cola.

Key hires in London include Ian Wharton, as Chief Experience Officer. He is the second executive hire in the UK this year following Grace Wright, who joined as Chief Growth Officer in July, bringing expertise in marketing and accelerating growth. Matt Boffey, who joined as Superunion UK's Innovation Partner in 2020, was also promoted to Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer earlier this year. All three report directly to Holly Maguire, UK CEO.
The company has been recognised with over 300 awards between 2019 and 2021 and was recently awarded the Grand Prix in Design at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its work with sustainable packaging brand, Notpla.

> "The work that Superunion does goes way beyond a traditional brand agency and extends into communications, brand experience, innovation, digital application and consultancy and beyond. Clients no longer see us as constrained by a specialism, but as a partner that can help them with a wide range of needs. This evolution is being driven primarily by clients, who - across all industries - are now demanding creativity-led work. Whereas traditionally a major business would silo projects, and work with ad agencies or digital agencies, organisations are now aware that they need to be much more purposeful and distinctive to stand out - they really need to understand and embrace the change and impact they want to make in the world - and therefore brand needs to live in every aspect of how they show up. Businesses are successful when we integrate business goals and ambitions with a set of brand objectives and bring it to life. This is where Superunion has come into its own and where we see the opportunity for further growth, globally."

>*— Jim Prior, Global CEO of Superunion*


![jim_prior_global-ceo_superunion_1440x810-1.jpeg](https://cdn.superunion.lepb.app/jim_prior_global_ceo_superunion_1440x810_1_66f24478d3/jim_prior_global_ceo_superunion_1440x810_1_66f24478d3.jpeg)


Congratulations to our clients and our team.



Superunion took home the gold trophy at the Campaign Asia-Pacific awards ceremony in Hong Kong.

Since the early 1990s, Campaign Agency of the Year Awards recognise inspiring leadership, management excellence, outstanding business performance, and overall achievements in advertising and brand communications.

The prestigious title is a testament to the success of Superunion clients and teams, and our global ethos of a revolutionary creative company, acting as a partner to the region’s, and the world’s, biggest businesses, helping them create meaningful value and change for their audiences and society.

Most recently Superunion opened a new studio in Shenzhen, the fourth in the Greater China region, coinciding with the company's 20-year anniversary in China. The new studio's founding clients include Tencent, Riot Games, Vivo and Vanke Nantou City. Across Asia, Superunion counts HSBC, Lazada, Shangri-La, Vivo and McCafe as clients, working on a wide variety of assignments.

With a focused investment in creative technologies that are reshaping the brand experience for the likes of Tencent, Riot Games and TME, alongside a multitude of creative award wins for work across the region, including this year's wins at Cannes Lions, Fast Company Innovation Awards and Transform, Superunion enters the next stage of growth.

> “We’re hugely proud to be recognised with this award. I think it's a testament to our ambition to make our clients the world’s most creative companies. And hot on the heels of opening a new office in Shenzhen, it feels like an exciting moment for Superunion in China.” 

> *– Benedict Gordon, CEO, Superunion Asia*

See all the winners: <a href="https://www.campaignasia.com/article/agency-of-the-year-2021/473863" target="_blank">Campaign Asia</a>

The opening of the new Shenzhen office marks Superunion's 20-year anniversary in China. 

[Superunion is entering the next stage of growth following a new studio opening in Shenzhen](https://www.campaignasia.com/article/superunion-opens-shenzhen-studio/474238), the fourth in the Greater China region, coinciding with the company's 20-year anniversary in China. The new studio's founding clients include Tencent, Riot Games, Vivo and Vanke Nantou City, and will be led by Monica Lee, Superunion Asia Chair, and Maggie Chien, Business Director. 

As the company's footprint and expertise expand, Superunion is becoming a business not constrained by a specialism. Instead, it's acting as a creative partner for the region's, and the world's, biggest businesses across multiple sectors, helping them create meaningful value and change for their audiences and society. 

Notable clients that reflect the changing nature of our work include Tencent, helping to communicate its next generation of products and entertainment platforms, and partnering with Riot Games to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of League of Legends China. Additionally, Superunion is working with Vanke on the creative transformation of Nantou City, known as the ancient city of Xin'an, located at the heart of Nanshan District in Shenzhen. 

Across Asia, Superunion counts HSBC, Lazada, Shangri-La, Vivo and McCafe as clients, working on a wide variety of assignments.

> "Clients no longer see us as constrained by a specialism, but as a partner that can help them with a wide range of needs in order to create meaningful value and change for their audiences and society. Our ethos revolves around being a revolutionary creative company and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is very much where many of China's revolutionary creative businesses are born, providing incredible opportunities for us in areas like technology, AI and biotech. Superunion is the first brand company to have a presence across all of Greater China's major geographies, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and now Shenzhen, so this is an exciting and symbolic milestone for us." 

> *— Benedict Gordon, CEO of Superunion Asia*

 
> "Technology and innovation now underpin the GBA, which will become our region's version of "Silicon Valley". We have a laser-focused vision to build our presence amongst these new tech companies, who are looking to stamp their name not only in China, but globally. They now account for more than 25% of the new tech businesses in the region, and that number is still growing."
> 
> *— Monica Lee, Chair of Superunion Asia*

*Benedict Gordon added:* "Brands now understand and embrace this change and especially in a post-pandemic world, want to make an impact. Businesses really succeed when they integrate business goals and ambitions with a clear brand strategy that they bring to life. This is where Superunion has really come into its own and where we see the opportunity for further growth, globally."

Please contact our team to learn more about our experience and growth: [monica.lee@superunion.com](mailto:monica.lee@superunion.com) and [maggie.chien@superunion.com](mailto:maggie.chien@superunion.com)

![monicalee_maggiechien_superunion_1440-x-810px.jpeg](https://cdn.superunion.lepb.app/monicalee_maggiechien_superunion_1440_x_810px_0656ef343e/monicalee_maggiechien_superunion_1440_x_810px_0656ef343e.jpeg)


Cecylia Grendowicz offers advice in Campaign Asia for brands to get involved in the metaverse. 

The metaverse has gone mainstream. 

Forced to stay home during the pandemic, people around the world connected virtually instead, meeting up in Animal Crossing or around the campfire in Red Dead Redemption. And these connections will only multiply. 

The advent of 5G and advances in VR and other technologies are making the metaverse quicker, cheaper and easier to access. South Korea has already created a 'metaverse alliance' to establish a national ecosystem and prevent a company establishing a monopoly of this digital world. Facebook's recent rebrand to Meta is a clear statement of intent in the opposite direction. 

But what is the metaverse? For many the word conjures up notions of a dystopian future, where reality is experienced online via avatars. Of course, the metaverse has existed in some shape or form for some time, as any former Neopet owner knows. In essence it's likely to become an immersive virtual realm composed of multiple platforms - today, these are mostly massively multiplayer online games, but these may become decentralised or connected. 

While its exact future state may be unclear, it is clear that there's money to be made. The high-profile growth of blockchain and NFTs has already given rise to a virtual items market worth $50 billion annually, according to Wired. And beyond financial considerations, the borderless, virtual nature of the metaverse is cause for optimism, bringing with it the potential for better social interaction, greater accessibility and even advances in sustainability. 

#### Brands on the bandwagon

As a result, brands are starting to get involved in the metaverse as it exists today. Some are a natural fit for virtual activations and experiences - especially those in fashion, music and entertainment - with games providing the platform. The same examples come up time and again - the Travis Scott concert in Fortnite, the Gucci Garden in Roblox, Balenciaga's immersive game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow. 

However, a sense of trial and error remains, with exciting one-off activations leaving audiences asking 'cool, but now what?', and brands from non-adjacent categories wondering how to get a foot in the virtual door. 

Many have opted to create a virtual replica of their offline experience as a first step - but carbon copies of brick-and-mortar stores or real-world events will likely seem quaint and unimaginative in the future. In fact, the metaverse opens the door to a whole new level of creativity for brands. 

#### Understanding the metaverse opportunity

Opportunities for brand building in the metaverse are literally limitless, its users freed from the constraints of time, place and even the laws of physics. What's more, we'll most likely experience the [metaverse](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2021/05/133_308975.html) via avatars, which could mean greater anonymity. This will mean a paradigm shift for brands, meaning they need to create something that people want to be part of, rather than forcing it on a particular 'demographic'. For the time being, they'll also need to work alongside existing platforms, meaning less control over the experience, how it looks and how people interact with it. 

If you're feeling lost, you're not alone. There are still so many unanswered questions as people and brands race to understand and tap into the potential of the metaverse. 

#### The next leap for brands

There's no time like the present for brands that want to take a leap into the metaverse, with some key considerations: 

- *Think outside the box:*  
What kind of touchpoints might your brand own in the metaverse? Think beyond traditional touchpoints - retail doesn't have to look like a shop, products don't need packaging, fashion need not stick to the runway. The only limit is the imagination.

- *Dream big, start small:*  
The great thing about digital experiences is that they're easier to adapt, change, test and scale, which enables small-scale experimentation. Brands can use existing platforms as training wheels and make a large impact with low investment by creating organic in-game activations (like Wendy's viral 'Keeping Fortnite Fresh'), before taking the plunge and building their own branded world, like SKII City. 

- *Encourage more sustainable consumption:*  
The metaverse 'dematerialises' consumption since it isn't dependent on manufacturing and shipping. Its crypto foundations are being made less energy-intensive too, meaning the metaverse could bring about a revolution in sustainable consumption. Physical products could be tested virtually, as NFTs - allowing brands to gauge interest before launching for real, producing only to meet demand. 

- *Explore new dimensions:*   
Companies need to think about multi-dimensional branding for a virtual world that may be experienced in a highly immersive way through VR, AR etc. Now's the time to think not only about how your brand looks in 3D, but how it moves, sounds (voice assistant, music, sound effects...) - even smells? There's no harm in starting early - get thinking now. 

- *Find your people online:*   
While some brands are a natural fit for the metaverse, it's slightly harder for others (FMCG, for example). But even they can create on-brand experiences and content, by identifying games or platforms that align with where the brand appears in the real world. For example, Stella Artois sponsors Zed Run digital horse racing, since its parent company AB InBev is already big in sports sponsorship. The key is to find your community where they already are, and create interactions based on your values and associations, not just your product. 

- *Be ready to relinquish control:*   
Brands need to create experiences that people want to be part of, that align with the spirit of the platform they're using. In most cases, brands don't own the platform and so need to relinquish some control. Gamers are passionate tribes, and quick to react if something goes wrong - the stakes are high, so whatever you do needs to be authentic. Do your research, find the gamers in your company, or ask the experts. When done right, it's a huge opportunity to engage a new passionate generation of brand ambassadors - just look at DHL's sponsorship of ESL. 

- *Don't forget the experience IRL:*   
Despite dystopian predictions, the value of real-world interactions and experiences will never go away. Brands that create crossover physical/digital experiences and integrate virtual and real-world experiences will win in the long run. Thinking about blending an NFT offer with a tangible offer, like Nike's CryptoKicks. 

The metaverse is limitless. For brands right now, it represents a high-margin, highly-creative, super-sustainable, digitally native portal to a new reality - one that'll allow brands to reach new audiences and bring about a paradigm shift in the way we'll experience products, content and even other people. 

For brands that are brave enough to experiment, the possibilities are endless. The good news is no one's cracked it yet, so there's no better time to join our next great creative revolution. 

First published in [Campaign Asia](https://www.campaignasia.com/article/in-the-metaverse-brand-building-knows-no-limits/473962?utm_source=20211125&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=ca_daily&mc_cid=997c2885b2&mc_eid=bf48310979)

Congratulations to DiscoveryPlus, EZ-Link, Julie's, MyRepublic, Ringan, WTT, NUS Giving and our Asia teams.

Congratulations to DiscoveryPlus, EZ-Link, Julie's, MyRepublic, Ringan, WTT, NUS Giving and our Asia teams.

Congratulations to DiscoveryPlus, EZ-Link, Julie's, MyRepublic, Ringan, World Table Tennis, NUS Giving and our brilliant Asia team, winners of 17 Awards at Transform Asia, including Best use of Visual Property, and Best visual identity from the FMCG sector. 

For the past seven years, the awards recognise best practice in corporate, product and global brand development work. Celebrated in six regions across the world, the awards is a platform to celebrate the transformative power of branding, reflecting the agencies exhibiting exemplary work in brand development and communications. 

Congratulations to everyone involved!



##### WINNERS

*Gold*  
Best use of visual property - MyRepublic and Superunion

*Gold*  
Best visual identity from the technology, media and telecommunications sector - MyRepublic and Superunion

*Gold*   
Best internal communications during a brand development project - Julie's and Superunion

*Gold*  
Best implementation of a brand development project - World Table Tennis (WTT) and Superunion

*Gold*  
Best strategic or creative development of a new brand - Ringan and Superunion

*Gold*  
Best visual identity from the FMCG sector - Julie's and Superunion

*Gold*  
Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio - DiscoveryPlus and Superunion 

*Silver*  
Best use of copy style or tone of voice - MyRepublic and Superunion

*Silver*  
Best localisation of an international brand - DiscoveryPlus and Superunion

*Silver*  
Best creative strategy - Julie's and Superunion

*Silver*   
Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or NFP - NUS Giving and Superunion

*Silver*  
Best visual identity from the public sector - EZ-Link and Superunion

*Silver*  
Best visual identity from the sports, travel, leisure and tourism sector - World Table Tennis (WTT) and Superunion

*Silver*  
Best visual identity from the financial services sector - Ringan and Superunion

*Bronze*   
Best use of typography - World Table Tennis (WTT) and Superunion

*Bronze*  
Best naming strategy - Ringan and Superunion

*Highly Commended*  
Best brand evolution - EZ-Link and Superunion

See the full list of winners [here](https://www.transformmagazine.net/articles/2021/transform-awards-asia-2021-winners-announced/). 

Superunion partners with D&AD Shift, providing opportunities for emerging creatives without a university-level degree.

[D&AD Shift](https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-shift/) is a fully funded, industry-led night school for emerging creatives who don't have a university-level degree. It tackles barriers to entry into the creative industry by providing an opportunity for emerging talent to hone their skills, establish a network and develop their portfolios. In its 5th year, the Shift programme continues to push for greater diversity in the workplace and establish networks for aspiring creatives who challenge the assumption that great talent must come with a degree. 

This year, we have partnered with D&AD Shift for its Select programme, new for 2021, to offer a creative industry brief, host a series of talks, and internship opportunities for on-the-job learning, where Shifters can specialise in a particular creative pathway and learn within our agency. Led by our Superunion team, Stuart Radford, Executive Creative Director, Katherina Tudball, Creative Director, Tom Dance, Creative Director, Erik Brattested, Senior Designer, Adam Sefton, Digital Strategy Director, Jake Myhre, Senior Strategist, and Simi Sehra, Account Manager, the talks include 'An introduction to a branding/design agency'; 'How we do the work - the journey and process of BBC Two'; 'Creativity and Ideas - the difference between good and great work' and 'Strategy and Design - the role of strategy in the creative process'. Superunion is proud to work with Shift Select to support the educational space for creatives who face barriers to access in higher education and subsequent employment within the creative industries. 

Since 1980, D&AD New Blood has stimulated creative excellence by nurturing emerging talent. At a time when the industry must prioritise diversity and inclusivity in the workforce, Shift provides creative organisations access to an exceptional pool of fresh talent, outside of the university system, with the aim of working towards a more stimulating and equitable future for the industry. 

Superunion launches Brand Masters course, in partnership with the University Complutense de Madrid. 

Our Madrid team continues its partnership with the University Complutense de Madrid (UCM), one of the oldest universities in the world. Now in its third year, the course offers a unique academic experience for future professionals in Spain and in Spanish-speaking countries. It will focus on the training of university students as branding specialists, facilitating the kickstart of their professional career. 

The university course is co-directed by Pilar Domingo, Managing Director of Superunion Spain. Taught by more than 40 senior professionals and brand specialists from Superunion, professors at UCM, and other leading specialists behind some of the most iconic brands in the market, the programme will cover 11 modules in the areas of brand creation, design and management. Students will understand the role of brands as a strategic asset in the growth and value of companies, gain a deeper knowledge of the discipline of branding in Spain, and connect with leading brands in the market. 

> "This Masters programme represents the commitment of our team to train and promote professional brand management in Spain."   

> *– Pilar Domingo, Managing Director, Superunion Madrid*

![Superunion Brand Masters x UCM_1440x810_2.JPG](https://cdn.superunion.lepb.app/Superunion_Brand_Masters_x_UCM_1440x810_2_4a8271051b/Superunion_Brand_Masters_x_UCM_1440x810_2_4a8271051b.jpg)

[Discover more about the course. ](https://www.masterbrandingsuperunion.com/)

Ian Wharton joins Superunion London's leadership team as Chief Experience Officer. 

Today, we announce Ian Wharton to the newly created role of UK Chief Experience Officer. Ian will be responsible for bringing together creativity with business transformation and experience design to help drive innovation and growth for Superunion and its clients. 

Ian joins from Publicis Sapient where he was VP, Executive Creative Director and led the UK Experience Design practice. Prior to that he spent six years at AKQA as part of its global creative leadership representing clients including Formula 1 and Volvo Cars. He was also a founding partner of tech startup Zolmo, the studio behind the top-grossing Jamie Oliver apps with over 20 million downloads. 

Bringing with him extensive leadership and experience helping companies deliver high-profile design and innovation projects, Ian has been honoured by the Apple Design Award, Royal Television Society, D&AD and the Art Director's Club for his work. He is also the author of Spark for the Fire: How Youthful Thinking Unlocks Creativity and the founder of Aide Health, a digital service which uses conversational AI to improve care for people with chronic illness. 

>"Technology and design sit at the heart of Superunion, so the time is right to welcome Ian into the heart of the business. He has the creative chops, entrepreneurialism and revolutionary spirit to push the boundaries of creativity for our clients. It's a really exciting time for us as a company and we're seeing growing demand for the truly innovative creativity Ian is famous for - helping our clients create positive, meaningful change in the world."
>
>*— Holly Maguire, CEO, Superunion*

 
>"It's a pleasure to join an experienced team with such high standards of creativity and craft. The ambitions of Superunion match my own and I'm looking forward to helping shape the work that's to come."
>
>*— Ian Wharton, Chief Experience Officer, Superunion*

Nora Bradshaw takes on the role of Head of Growth, Superunion North America.

Congratulations to Nora Bradshaw, who takes on the role of Head of Growth, Superunion North America. 

Nora draws from her previous role as Head of Strategy at Superunion New York, and a decade of experience fusing brand and business strategy to help companies build strong brands from the inside out. She has led strategy engagements for brands such as NASA, Colgate Palmolive, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Ford, American Express, Herman Miller Group, SAP, Microsoft and Hulu among many others. 

Nora brings diverse experience from traditional brand strategy and consumer insights to sonic branding, product innovation, employee engagement and customer experience. She is passionate about leading clients to find and define their clear purpose in order to transform organisations and truly bring their brand to life.

In this new role, Nora will focus on growing the business through innovative new offerings, partnerships and ways of working. 

A new identity for Etos' brand of health supplements and vitamins, by our Amsterdam team. 

[Etos](https://www.etos.nl/) is the Netherlands' largest health and wellness platform, with more than 100 years of experience in personal care, offering solutions to customers in health and beauty care. 

Etos is an abbreviation of the Dutch words: *Eendracht*, *Toewijding*, *Overleg* and *Samenweking* (meaning 'Unity', 'Devotion', 'Consultation' and 'Cooperation'). 

From the [Ahold Delhaize](https://www.aholddelhaize.com/) group, the Netherlands' largest retail business, Etos is passionate about helping and inspiring customers with qualitative health and beauty care at affordable prices. With a large range of unique products to suit the diverse needs of its customers, and more than 5000 trained staff and certified druggists who provide expert and personal advice, Etos is the approachable expert that supports you to live well, get well and stay well. 

Our Amsterdam team worked with Etos to deliver a new identity for its own brand of health supplements and vitamins. We created a clear distinction between 10 core segments applied across 89 products, helping Etos' customers navigate in store and online to access the products that work for their personal health, and aim to achieve a rainbow of health. 

Our team is a global brand partner for Etos and its parent company, the Ahold Delhaize group. Our work spans the evolution of Etos' identity that celebrates a heritage dating back to 1919, its own brand strategy across a multitude of categories in health, wellness and medicines, and the design of new product lines, evolution of existing categories and many more. 

Our London team raises money for Shelter Raise Your Run campaign.

This September, our London team joined Shelter Raise Your Run campaign. Taking on a new running goal, we joined thousands of others raising vital funds for Shelter and Shelter Scotland. 

Our aim was to walk, run or jog 720km, the distance from the Shelter HQ in London (right near our studio) to the Edinburgh Shelter, and to raise £720. 

We have been inspired by the great work Shelter does while rebranding its visual identity earlier this year, and we wanted to do more to help. We discovered that throughout September there was a housing emergency - with 113,000 UK households living in unsuitable or short-term accommodation. And we wanted to go the extra mile to help fight housing injustice. Together we can tackle the housing emergency and defend the right to a safe home. 

In total, our team covered a distance of 792km and we raised £1130. To find out more about the important work Shelter does go to: [https://www.shelter.org.uk](https://england.shelter.org.uk/)

Superunion team: Metshet Abebe, Dave Atkinson, George Butcher, Graeme Haig, Leanne Kitchen, Cody Maemori, Isobel Monro, Mairi Murdoch, Heather Nicholls, James Saunders, Kelly Schoolcraft-Willis, Siddharth Seth, Lara Sharrock, Adam Tickle and organised by Miho Aishima, Jonathan Brodie and the Superunion Cares Committee. 

When does an app become more than an app? When it starts thinking about its brand. Claire Huxley explains.

Former Spotify boss Jim Andersen cause a stir earlier this year when comments surfaced that reignited the debate about the streaming platform's motivations. 

[In his words](https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-doesnt-need-streaming-royalties-former-spotify-boss-said-2021-7?r=US&IR=T): "Spotify was created to solve a problem. The problem was to overcome piracy and get artists' music out there. The problem was not to pay people money."

Unsurprisingly, this wasn't well-received. The feedback was swift and sharp, with commentators across the board slamming Spotify's attitude as harmful to artists and the music industry at large. 

And yet, was this backlash fully deserved? A glance at Spotify's website suggests that its current leadership are singing a very different tune to their former colleague. 

The company's mission in 2021 is "to unlock the potential of human creativity." This is accompanied by a list of commitments that Spotify is making, such as equipping artists with the data and training to maximize their streams and earnings on Spotify. In other words, to get artists' music out there, and to pay them money. 

So what's at play here? Is Andersen a cynic, or is Spotify trying to tape over reality? I'd argue the answer lies somewhere in between. Let's take a look how Spotify's 'mess' and its solution serves as a useful blueprint for any startup on the road to scaling into a long-term, much-loved brand. 

#### Laying a roadmap

From easily ordering take-out to seamlessly splitting bills, many of the apps we use every day were created with a singular "solve" in mind. And often, this singular fixation is a core factor in success. 

But, as any seasoned founder knows, for every problem solved, another 99 can pop up in its place. And without a clear overarching vision for how to respond, growth can quickly be derailed. 

Take Uber. For years its team was driven by a singular cause: build an app that makes hailing cabs easier. What they didn't anticipate, was that realizing this goal would trigger up a new series of challenges. 

Regulatory restrictions, passenger safety, drivers' rights, disenchanted employees; suddenly, a simple "solve" didn't seem so simple. And without a clearly defined brand strategy to help focus and communicate their efforts, Uber found itself at risk of grinding to a halt. 

Uber's challenges represent those faced by many startups when they pursue product development without engaging in long-term brand thinking. Defining a brand is about much more than choosing a logo; it's about establishing clear and coherent principles that direct everything a business does, today and tomorrow. 

#### Shift perceptions

What Spotify has done right is adapt its approach - moving beyond the simplistic technological approach so awkwardly put by its former chief. 

When Spotify speaks about "unlocking the potential of human creativity," they aren't trying to distract people from the streaming solution they once were. Rather, they're setting their sights on everything they want to be tomorrow. 

By broadening its focus to creativity and putting an emotional need at the heart of its mission, Spotify has a more widely applicable and emotionally appealing organizing principle than a pure technical solve. The brand can position itself as engaging with users and artists in a way that a functional piracy-fighting platform would struggle to do. 

Engagements like the Year Unwrapped round up - in which Spotify puts users at the heart of their own story by celebrating their listening habits - and the Loud and Clear resource for artists are an example of putting this emotional promise into action. 

Not only do initiatives like this help win brand loyalty by humanizing Spotify beyond a functional faceless tech platform, they also differentiate the brand from other competitors: anyone can create a new streaming platform, few can replicate strong brand love. 

#### Spark innovation 

By defining their brand in terms of unlocking creativity, Spotify gives themselves a license to play far beyond the confines of a specific product, platform - or even industry. To quote CEO [Daniel Ek's response](https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/23/22295315/spotify-ceo-interview-podcast-daniel-ek-music-stream-on) when he was asked about the competitors that concern him: "I am looking at Fortnite, or Minecraft, or Roblox. All forms of media and entertainment is minutes that could have been spent listening to audio instead." 

The inference is clear: to Spotify, "Creativity" doesn't stop at streaming songs - it encompasses all forms of self-expression. And viewed through this lens, the businesses' potential for innovation is enormous. Whether by offering artist-controlled tiers of access, experimenting with forms of visual media, or even dipping a toe in NFTs, the opportunities go far beyond music. 

Spotify's past might have been to solve a single issue, but thanks to a bit of long-term brand thinking, its future is multi-faceted. 

First published in [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/spotify-teach-startups-long-term-brand-thinking). 


Mick McConnell says TikTok's algorithm offers potential for brands to leverage their qualities and drive innovation.

TikTok has captured attention like few other competitors, surpassing two billion downloads to become the [most downloaded app of 2020](https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-stats/). While [75% of downloaded apps](https://buildfire.com/app-statistics/) are used once and then forgotten, 90% of TikTok users access the app daily. In the US, TikTok users spend more than [850 minutes per month on the app](https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/). 

So what is the primary reason behind this astronomic growth? One might think it is naturally the content. From ping pong tricks to dance tutorials, history trivia to smiling otters - there are no empty shelves in its vast video library. Or one might think it could be TikTok's ability to spark viral trends - often through popular dances and memes. Elaborate 'in-jokes' that bounce around the world in a never-ending iteration of one-up-manship, with each creator adding their own twist.

Both are defining factors in TikTok's success. But they are not the reason for it. The most powerful influence operates less overtly. It is the unseen essence that pulls these assets together. The secret sauce which supercharges the brand is its algorithm. 

#### A chainsaw in a garden maze

Humans are complex creatures. We exist on a broad spectrum of interests and preferences, influenced by a myriad of people and things. 

Figuring out who we are and what we like is a tough enough task for most. It's like wandering through a giant garden maze; you can follow a certain path and decide to turn left or right - and never know the other potential routes running parallel. 

TikTok's algorithm - internally named 'For You' - offers users a chainsaw in this maze. Unlike any other social media or entertainment app, TikTok cross-pollinates worlds and ideas, blending them seamlessly into a user's timeline. It allows users to explore themselves, as much as the content it offers. 

Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, it doesn't lump users into mass communities based on surface-level engagement. TikTok holds a mirror up to the user, and twists and turns the angle to reveal new perspectives - a real "self-actualization engine". It engenders openness - striking the different balance between the curiosity for the unfamiliar & the safety of the familiar. 

TikTok takes a holistic view on a broad Venn diagram of user interests and bridges the gaps between categories. There is a great article by Jess Joho where she explains how the TikTok [algorithm recognised she was probably bisexual before she did](https://mashable.com/article/bisexuality-queer-tiktok). 

The algorithm is the real MVP in TikTok's success. And there is massive potential for brands to leverage qualities and drive innovation across industries. 

#### Embracing a curious code

TikTok's algorithm empowers and encourages discovery. This is a highly unique capability. And one which brands and businesses should embrace. 

In the music industry, the influence of TikTok is clear. Much of the music in the charts can trace the [origins of its success to TikTok](https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/tiktok-is-changing-the-rules-of-the-music-industry). A viral clip is the best marketing boost a track can get - just ask [Boney M](https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9528565/inside-boney-m-rasputin-resurgence). Users trust the algorithm to provide this. [80% of those on TikTok say](https://www.tiktokforbusinesseurope.com/news/new-research-reveals-how-tiktok-is-changing-the-music-industry) that it is the #1 place for music discovery - more than other digital platforms, streaming services and friends. Over half (56%) say that discovery happens naturally in the 'For You' feed. 

In the games industry, upstart studios and brands are able to compete with infinitely bigger competitors via TikTok - as the algorithm introduces new games to users who would've never traditionally found them. Splitgate is a strong example of this. The game has to compete with the likes of Call of Duty, Fortnite and Halo in the FPS genre - historic titles with huge marketing budgets. But this small project cut through by naturally emerging on the feeds of gamers on TikTok. In July, the game saw a 1000% monthly growth. It grew from 200 concurrent players to over [200,000 in a matter of weeks](https://www.reddit.com/r/Splitgate/comments/ovcucp/splitgates_growth_explained_by_one_of_the/). When it [was released on console at the end of the month](https://venturebeat.com/2021/07/20/portal-style-shooter-splitgate-surpasses-600000-downloads-on-console-in-first-week/), it surpassed 600,000 downloads. 

You can see similar opportunities in the fashion and beauty space. Brands here have the chance to get ahead of the trends - rather than simply following them. Instead of chasing what is popular on social media, these brands can leverage the algorithm to know what people like before they like it. Tiffany recently solicited [the prolific pair of Beyonce and Jay-Z](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/aug/24/tiffany-beyonce-jay-z-ad-campaign-yellow-diamond-rebrand) to promote a new product range and entice younger audiences. I would argue that brands are missing the mark here. Instead of speaking to 'young' people as a mass group and identifying the appropriate superstar to broadly cover that huge market - could these brands identify a more personalised, engaging route? TikTok's algorithm offers brands a chance to gain a more pervasive understanding of their audience - and more importantly their parallel interests. 

Engaging parallel interests is something the travel sector can make more of too. What are the surrounding topics and interests which inspire people to go on holiday? How can you authentically engage with these sister spaces and categories, and provide content which puts your brand or service front of mind? Can you predict the best holiday location for a user's honeymoon based on their algorithm? 

> "TikTok is more than a collective of viral trends and videos. Brands can't simple dance their way to success on the app. Instead, they should focus on the incredible discovery the algorithm encourages, empowering users to unveil their interests, blending curiosity and familiarity like no app or service before it. As long as industries continue to work alongside the app and focus on the "we" over the "you", they risk being usurped."
>
> *— Mick McConnell, CEO, Superunion North America*

First published in [CEO Today](https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2021/09/how-tiktoks-algorithm-is-changing-the-game-across-industries/).


Superunion collaborates with Riot Games to celebrate 10th "Annie-versary" of League of Legends China.

Riot Games, the game developer and publisher of League of Legends, one of the most-played PC games in the world, is celebrating its 10th "Annie-versary" of China with the launch of a new campaign. Created by WPP global brand agency, Superunion, the work taps into the League of Legends players' secret language and evokes memories for League of Legends players from the past 10 years of gameplay. 

The "Annie-versary" campaign was developed using the insight from Riot Games that gamers love finding Easter eggs and the feeling of being truly part of a gaming community. It uses memes, secret words, and insider jokes, piecing them together to follow a protagonist's 10-year gaming journey with League of Legends, sharing the wild ride with the gaming community. 

The term "Annie-versary" is a nod to the iconic League of Legends character, Annie. The character has become of increasing importance to League of Legends players as a valuable and iconic champion. 



Riot Games led the film creation and art direction and provided creative guidance and strategy support all the way through the project, with Superunion leading story curation, creative strategy and post-production including 3D animations, 2D graphics and animated text. The production was provided by WPP's Hogarth Worldwide. 

The film launched at the grand opening celebration event at Hangzhou Olympic Sport Centre and will be featured across all social media platforms and broadcast media.

> Superunion has been the ideal partner for the campaign, as they truly understand the passion that our players have for our games and have helped us create a campaign that reflects the transformative power of being part of the gaming community. 

> *– Justin Kuo, Head of Creative, China Entertainment at Riot Games.* 

 
> "It's been an honour working with Riot Games China, with this particular project aligning perfectly with our creative revolution spirit. We worked as one global Superunion team to complete Riot's 10th "Annie-versary" film that integrates an impactful plot with top-notch visualizations, designed to evoke memories for all League of Legends gamers over the last 10 years." 
>
> *— *Maggie Chien, Business Director, Superunion China*

A brand for every skin with a story to tell. 

[Sunless](https://sunless.com.br/) is an iconic brand of sunscreen born in Brazil, a land of multitude of cultures, nationalities and personlities. For the past two years, our Sao Paolo team has worked with Sunless to develop campaigns to celebrate its mission to democratise sun protection for everyone. 

Our new instagram campaign, *Pluralidades das Peles*, or "Pluralities of Skin", is a platform to share people's stories based on their personal experiences with their skin - their identities, their stories, the lives lived, in every line, in every detail. Everyone's skin is unique. It reveals a path taken, a choice made, a moment lived, being proud of each experience. 

Sunless welcomes and celebrates every story and protects every mark, every curve, line and wrinkle, revealing memories that only you could tell. 

The campaign, in bright sunlight, colours, champions the diverse portfolio of Sunless products - more than 30 types of sunscreen, for every skin. With the message "Whoever you are, Sunless takes care of you", the brand gives customers the freedom to choose the product that's right for them, to share the story they want to tell. 

\#sunlesscuidacomvc

Superunion China wins the work for the creative brand transformation of Nantou City, Shenzhen.

Nantou City has appointed creative brand agency Superunion to handle its brand overhaul including a wide variety of duties such as strategic brand, experience and communications planning alongside a total revamp of visual identity.

After town developer and city service provider Vanke took over the renovation of the city, Nantou City, known as the ancient city of Xin’an and located at the centre of Nanshan District in Shenzhen, has evolved into a landmark location embedded with four major parts, including cultural and creative retail, trendy art experiences, high quality and innovative F&B, and cultural residencies.

>“Our aim is to activate Nantou City, bringing out the best in both Chinese traditions and modern creativity, organic and sustainable development vitality to the town. As we see the Greater Bay Area continues to thrive and develop, our goal is for Nantou City to retain its original architecture, which is reminiscent of Lingnan and Cantonese styles from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and inject modern elements to build the city toward a young and collaborative melting pot."
>
>*— Huang Nan, General Manager of Shenzhen Nantou City renovation project*

Business Director of Superunion China Maggie Chien said this project allows the agency to involve in the curation of a brand strategy and positioning that addresses the delicate balance between maintaining the history and making it relevant for contemporary times. 

> “We want to reveal that hidden charm of Shenzhen Nantou City and build an innovative and consistent visual system that communicates the city’s values. In our view, Nantou city is not just a historical landmark that you visit once, but a place that you want to come back to time and time again, to relax, to stay, and to grow with". 
>
>*— Maggie Chien, Business Director of Superunion China*

The brand revamp is set to be revealed at the end of this year.

"The Vanke team has demonstrated astonishing execution and sensitivities in revamping the old city and we’re honoured to be part of this meaningful project in bringing their vision further to life. Instead of commercialising, we want to build the city into a sustainable cultural center and integrate it with the local lifestyle," Chien added. 

First published in [Marketing Interactive](https://www.marketing-interactive.com/nantou-city-appoints-superunion-to-handle-brand-ttransformation). 

Lara Sharrock says the real sustainability opportunity of Tokyo 2020 is the long-term change after the Games finish, and the role brands can play in this change. 

Tokyo 2020 was set to shine a light on the host nation's efforts to foster a kinder, greener Games - a "sustainable society showcase". But first delayed, and now delivered amid rising Covid-19 cases to near-empty stadiums, has all hope of a sustainable Games fallen by the wayside? 

It started well. Guided by the mantra "Be better, together - For the planet and the people," the organisers orchestrated several firsts: from signing a Letter of Intent to support the SDGs; to powering cauldrons with hydrogen fuel; to achieving carbon neutrality. The circular economy has also been a central home, with athletes sleeping on cardboard beds, receiving upcycled medals and standing on recycled plastic podiums. Talk about hitting every touchpoint. 

However, last year The Rainforest Action Network published a letter condemning the Games as promoting "Fake Sustainability". More recently, a study suggested that Tokyo 2020 may be the third-least sustainable Games since 1992. And for all the merits of Tokyo's decarbonisation strategy, it is difficult to ignore its reliance on 4.38 million tonnes of carbon credits. 

But the proof will be in the pudding. Forget upcycled medals: to truly judge the success of Tokyo's sustainability strategy, we must ask "what is its long-term impact - for people and planet?" As the most watched event on Earth, the Games offer a unique platform for inspiring lasting change. Legacy is everything. 

Of course, fostering a positive legacy isn't easy. The legacies of the last two Games tell juxtaposing stories. Rio 2016 was clouded by corruption allegations and financial mismanagement; the promise of treating 80% of sewage flowing into Guanabara Bay remains unkept. By contrast, London 2012's legacy (although it too has faced criticism) stimulated the regeneration of East London and shift nation-wide perceptions around disability. In the UK, one in three have reportedly changed their attitudes towards disability since the Games. One million more people with disabilities were in employment in 2018 compared to 2012. 

> "How will Tokyo fare in comparison? Promisingly, Tokyo 2020 is the first ever event with a reporting framework to measure legacy. Plans are in place to help future hosts benefit from Tokyo's sustainability endeavours. And the active use of hydrogen will be maintained in the city after the Games end." 
>
> *— Lara Sharrock, Sustainability Director, Superunion London*

But there remains an elephant in the room. Tokyo 2020's ambitious sustainability strategy is a world away from current Japanese environmental and social policy. Take waste disposal, for example. The Games' organisers are aiming to reuse or recycle 99% of goods procured, and 65% of waste generated. But this stands in stark contrast to Japan's throwaway culture and the government's underwhelming pledge to cut plastic waste by just 25% by 2030. Japan remains the world's second-biggest producer of plastic waste per capita. Japanese consumers use 30 billion plastic bags per year. Whilst there has been mention of continuing Tokyo 2020's recycling processes, details remain vague. Why host a Games showcasing environmental sustainability but not embed this more deeply in society - say, through banning single-use plastic? Likewise, Japan must do more to foster a social legacy. Yes, the government have promised not to reverse amendments to make hotel rooms disability accessible. But where are the necessary regulation changes to ensure all future hotels are built to these standards? Asia has the largest population of people with disabilities and yet, aside from China, a track record of underrepresentation at the Paralympics. 

But the burden of responsibility should not fall to the host nation alone. We all need to step up to co-create Tokyo 2020's legacy. 

Athletes have already been playing their part. Simone Biles' rejection of a long tradition of stoicism, amplified by the Olympic spotlight, has added to a growing precedent of athletes speaking out about mental health. Such moments create a powerful opportunity for discussions to move from awareness to positive action. The more our sporting heroes acknowledge their vulnerability, the greater the permission for the rest of us to follow suit. 

Brands similarly need to play theirs. Some have already stepped up. Channel 4 took centre stage in London 2012 with its 'Meet the Superhumans' campaign, and this year is setting ground-breaking standards with its Paralympics coverage: live signing, subtitles and audio description are being incorporated, while over 70% of the presenting team have a disability. Such representation will no doubt be instrumental in changing cultural norms. 

Finally, as consumers we have a role to play. Be receptive and open to change. Watch. Learn. Talk. 

If we each play our part, Tokyo 2020 may yet take home a gold medal for its sustainability strategy and the legacy it creates. 

First published in [Transform Magazine](https://www.transformmagazine.net/articles/2021/the-sustainability-of-the-tokyo-2020-olympic-and-paralympic-games-should-be-judged-by-one-word-legacy/). 

Greg Quinton, Chief Creative Officer, is announced as Jury President at The Loeries 2021.

Greg Quinton, Chief Creative Officer, is announced as Jury President at The Loeries 2021. He is also the first returning Jury President in Loeries' history since his first appointment in 2011. 

The Loeries has been rewarding creativity for over 40 years. Africa and the Middle East's premier award that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the advertising and brand communications industry, winning a Loerie is the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across the region. 

Greg is a champion of creativity. His work has spanned a wide variety of clients including AirAsia, Jaguar, The Connaught, Ferrari, London Symphony Orchestra and The National Gallery. 

He has personally won over 250 awards including top honours at D&AD, Cannes Lions, Clios, New York Art Directors Club, Design Week, DBA Design Effectiveness and the New York Festivals Awards. 

He is the co-author of a comprehensive update of A Smile in the Mind, a book which analyses wit within advertising, design and brand. 

Greg loves judging and regularly joins international awards juries and is actively involved in D&AD design education. 

In The Loeries Creative Hour series, Greg shares his creative journey and what he'll be looking for in this year's Loerie-winning entries. 

Watch the interview [here](https://youtu.be/UKp7ZhBcXOI). 

Mick McConnell explains why Microsoft is reaping the rewards of a brand strategy 20 years in the making. 

We are living in an era of high drama in Big Tech. 

The leaders of modern technology companies seem to spend most of their time either fighting in federal courts or - particularly in the case of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk - attempting to thrust themselves into low-orbit, dominating headlines in the process. Add Richard Branson to the mix and you've got the billionaire space race, a game fueled as much by rockets and dollars as it is by constant one-upmanship. 

But headline-making stunts don't drive sustainable growth. Just look at Microsoft, which has kept a relatively low-profile of late - certainly compared to Amazon, Tesla, Apple, and Facebook - all while seeing its share prices rise more than 600% since 2014. While its more boisterous competitors are scrutinized by Congress and the media, Microsoft has quietly carved out a niche in cloud services, software, and hardware, and climbed back to the top of the tech tree. In June, despite mixed reviews for Windows 11, Microsoft became the second American publicly traded company in history to reach a market capitalization of more than $2 trillion. 

Certain short-term factors have contributed to the company's growth. The PC market grew by more than 10% in 2020, as more consumers turned to their machines for entertainment during the pandemic. Microsoft also saw success with its Surface devices, Xbox content, and cloud services. The brand says its Intelligent Cloud segment alone brought in $48 billion in its 2020 fiscal year. 

But there are broader reasons for Microsoft's growth, including the benefit of brand maturity. Surely Microsoft look at the media and legal scrutiny that Amazon, Google, Apple and Facebook regularly undergo today, then shudders and thinks, *Never again.*


You'll recall that as internet browsers like Netscape grew in importance in the 1990s, Microsoft raced to develop its own product, Internet Explorer, and bundled it in with Windows software. This led to a crushing antitrust lawsuit, filed in 1998 by the U.S. government. A federal judge found the company guilt in 2000. 

The court ordered a breakup of Microsoft as its remedy. The business was to be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components. Microsoft appealed the decision - and won. But while the company avoided a breakup of its business, the next decade saw it largely miss the advent of mobile software, social media, and internet search, falling behind newer rivals such as Google and nimbler ones like Apple. 

Microsoft was in danger of being left behind on the tech superhighway. It began making wild bets: a failed bid for Yahoo, a $500 million content-sharing contract with Viacom, the short-lived release of the Kin phone. 

This was until 2014, when a gradual rebrand - shifting the corporate's logos, products, services, and websites, and adopting the Metro design language - came to a head with the appointment of Satya Nadella. 

Nadella had previously headed up Microsoft's Cloud division, and he saw the potential for the technology to become the base infrastructure for businesses around the world. Microsoft unveiled a new mission statement: "to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more."

Today, this is brought to life through services like its Azure Cloud, which underpins the entire AT&T network in the U.S., keeping millions of people connected. It's available across 52 regions, powering water-service management systems in Tokyo, educational services in London, and e-commerce businesses in South Africa in equal measure. 

> "Microsoft has a clearer identity today than it has ever had before. While staying away from headlines, antitrust suits, and the edge of space, the technology giant has developed a product suite that lives up to its mission statement.

> Although it took Microsoft 33 years from its initial public offering to reach its first $1 trillion in value in 2019, the next trillion took just two years."
>
> *— Mick McConnell, CEO, Superunion North America*

Now, while its competitors are blasting off in courtrooms and spacecrafts, Microsoft is reaping the rewards of a brand strategy 20 years in the making. As it turns out, five minutes in space is no match for a decade in the cloud. 

First published in [Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/90658782/microsofts-quiet-tech-dominance). 


Congratulations to Legal & General who took home Bronze at this year's Digital Impact Awards.

Congratulations to Legal & General and our Corporate Reporting team, who took home Bronze at this year's Digital Impact Awards for Best online annual report. 
Legal & General's online report, its 'Annual Results Quick Read 2019' demonstrates how Legal & General improves lives through inclusive capitalism in a compelling way, leveraging the new brand. 

Since 2010, the awards have recognised the best in corporate digital communications with winners in every sector from software and finance to transport and healthcare. During these times, digital is ever-more important to corporate communicators, and the need to communicate more effectively with all audiences. 
Well done to everyone involved for all their hard work and success! 

#### Awards

*Bronze *  
Best online annual report - Legal & General

See the full list of winners [here](https://www.communicatemagazine.com/news/2021/digital-impact-awards-2020-winners-announced/). 

Our new concept development service helps bring products to life. 

In Real Life (IRL) is our new concept development and testing service, designed intentionally from the ground up as a way for our clients to test early-stage product concepts and get invaluable real-world feedback. IRL brings together our design, digital and data expertise to create real world, large-scale experiments around a client's new ideas. 

At Superunion we work with many of our clients to help them create new brands to reach new market opportunities, from creating the low-cost airline Level for IAG to developing new gaming brands for ESL, the biggest eSports gaming brand in the world. Increasingly, brands are asking us to be involved earlier in their new product development process, using our understanding of brand as a guiding light to help navigate an increasingly complex world. 

So IRL is designed to help with difficult investment decisions around future innovations. Working directly alongside our clients' marketing and innovation teams, we craft early-stage concepts and test them in the real world. Because concepts are tested outside labs, focus groups or other research settings, IRL avoids 'research bias', giving a cleaner view of what concepts are truly interesting or inspiring to people. And because we can test at an early stage, it's free of the high costs of product development. 

#### Real concepts, real campaigns

IRL allows clients to design and build real digital customer journeys and experiences around their new concepts. We take a new idea for a new proposition from our client and develop multiple creative expressions for this idea. We use paid search to gauge interest levels in each expression, tweaking them to test and discover the elements of the expressions that drives interest. 

As a result, we can start to identify the expression of a concept that drives the biggest real world response. Because we can buy media against many different audiences, we can also start to identify which consumers a new proposition has the most potential amongst. 

#### Ability to gauge interest levels early

Once someone clicks on an ad in a campaign, they're taken to a website we've created for the concept that's being tested. Here we can offer visitors more information and ways of showing their intent. From surveys and questionnaires to sign-up forms, there are a variety of ways to capture interest and gather more data on interest in and intent towards a particular expression. 

#### Finding the most powerful new proposition quickly

With IRL, we can use the data we collect to guide and test improvements to a concept. We can quickly evolve, adjust and hone a concept until we find its most efficacious form. By looking at what people click on and interact with, we get standardised quantifiable feedback from consumers on how a concept needs to change in order for it to find and realise the biggest market opportunity. 

#### A response to weaknesses with traditional concept testing

We've been working with client innovation teams for a long time, and IRL has been designed in response to the problems we've seen with traditional methods of concept testing. 

- It's a quick and iterative method, that generates valuable insights from the start. 
- We can run experiments at scale, potentially getting many more impressions than respondents in any survey. 
- There's no research effect. We're free from a research setting and eliciting a real response from consumers. 
- We get an abundance of behavioural data: about what people actually do, rather than what they claim to do. 
- We build the foundations for a successful launch. We know key channels, messages and customer acquisition costs. We create a community of people who form the basis of a waitlist or a prospect pool of potential first customers. 

#### Beyond concept development to product development

From there, there's still a leap to be made of course. We need to take the step from powerful concept to successful product. And that's where our teams of designers, developers and strategists work to create products that live up to the concepts. On top of this, our wide array of partners and industry experts give us huge scope to collaborate with the most skilled professionals available, delivering a truly full service and market-led innovation offer. 

If you'd like to learn more...

Matt Boffey   
*Chief Strategy Officer *   
E: [matt.boffey@superunion.com](mailto:matt.boffey@superunion.com)

Samuel Grinfeder on why tech giants need to approach games like any other form of creative expression, and provide a platform for creativity to thrive.

In gaming, like in any form of entertainment, success takes more than a big name and a big pile of cash. 

Amazon's in-house game studio has failed to release anything in eight years, whilst Google is reportedly shutting down Stadia Games. How is it possible that the two corporations that supposedly know everything about us, can't make a game people actually want to play? What does it say about technology and creativity in gaming? 

#### The good: tech providing the infrastructure for modern gaming

If you look back at the major shifts that shaped the games we love today, you will always find a tech giant providing the infrastructure somewhere in the background. 

A decade ago, Apple, Google and Facebook helped to make the free-to-play model a commercial success, lowering the barriers to entry, inviting everyone (especially the Kardashians), and changing game design forever. 

More recently, Google and Amazon helped move games to the cloud. Epic Games works closely with AWS to deliver Fortnite, the phenomenon that tipped gaming over the edge into mainstream culture. Games are increasingly designed to be enriched over time, from a typical solo adventure like Assassin's Creed to sports titles like NBA 2K. it's also a tipping point for marketers, with more opportunities to show up in these ongoing virtual worlds. 

So for the likes of Amazon and Google, it's tempting to create their own games and drive cloud service revenue. But it's when tech decides to be the centre of attention, that things can go rather badly. 

#### The bad: tech moving into the game content creation

Former employees at Amazon and Google's game studios report the same core issue: cultural misfit. The company cultures of tech giants did not provide the right environment for game devs to thrive, the graft did not take. 

While the world may be waking up to the fact that most gamers are not angry teenage nerds, one misconception seems persistent: the underappreciation of games as an art form, or at least a creative industry like any other. When tech giants decided to move into the film industry, they did not start up an entire in-house production studio to create the next Avengers blockbuster from scratch. Instead, they provided financial support and tech assistance, and let people focus on what they do best, in the right environment. 


#### So why operate differently with gaming? 

Assumably because a game eventually becomes a piece of software, something tech giants built most of their empire on. The fact that the CEO of Amazon Game Studios never worked on a game before, is pretty self-explanatory. According to a former employee in Wired "Amazon's obsession with documents, spreadsheets, and data wasn't nurturing a creative environment."

Software makers obsess over endless optimisation, while game makers focus on storytelling, immersion and emotion. 

Yes, game devs must improve their work conditions. But their creative process also demands a healthy dose of chaos, where everything and anything can go wrong, which can't happen through spreadsheets. Games have always blurred the lines between commerce and art (just like good marketing). It's a story as old as arts and sciences: if creativity is key to engineering, you can't engineer creativity. 

#### The great: enabling creativity to thrive

Tech giants excel when they don't just provide the backend, but a platform for creativity to thrive. 

Apple decided to focus on the indie game scene with its highly recommendable Apple Arcade service. Supporting those who 'think differently about gaming'. 

Microsoft made a strategic decision, even before Xbox, to help game devs publish their titles. It is a great example of smart acquisitions and letting people focus on what they do best. With Xbox Game Pass, it is also building the so-called 'Netflix of gaming', leveraging data centers while allowing smaller developers to achieve popularity in this crowded market. 

#### What can we learn as marketers? 

Behind every game, lies a gang of passionate thinkers, makers, artists, coders, writers, producers, often overworked and underpaid. 'A lot of blood, sweat and pixels goes into making a game' said industry journalist and author Jason Schreier. But they're in to create and delight people. So let's approach games like any other form of creative expression, be it music, cinema, literature, and recognise the creatives that make it a reality. When a movie or music touches us, the artists behind become part of the emotional connection. The same applies to gamers with gaming. 

Maybe tech firms can find inspiration in the Pixar playbook, a company that managed to maintain its creative culture throughout the different stakeholders and mergers: "There are two parts to any failure: there is the event itself, with all its attendant disappointment, confusion, and shame, and then there is our reaction to it. It is this second part that we control." (Ed Catmull, Creativity Inc.) 

First published in [The Drum](https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2021/06/08/what-marketers-can-learn-tech-giants-gaming-missteps). 

Samuel Grinfeder comments in The Drum how Nintendo is evolving its brand to embrace new platforms and experiences.

Readers will be familiar with long-lived franchises like Donkey Kong, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon and Animal Crossing. But Nintendo has focused on becoming a global entertainment company in recent years, with the success of its current handheld console Nintendo Switch and theme park Super Nintendo World. As part of our deep dive into all things gaming, we look at the achievements of Nintendo and how today companies need to do more than simply make games. 

Gaming is driven by the next big hit and the latest industry-led trends. However, Nintendo has outperformed the rest of the industry by doing the opposite. Has it occasionally hurt the brand? Yes, but in the long-term it's only helped to solidify its high status in gaming.

From the beginning, Nintendo has been about families playing together. In the 80s, Nintendo saw success with the help of producer and coder Shigeru Miyamoto. He brought donkey Kong to the table - a simple concept, but the first of many IPs developed by Nintendo's team of visionary directors. 

This was a golden era for Nintendo, where it found its place and crated long-lasting, memorable characters and series. 

Heading into the 1990s, all was going well. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) hit the shelves, as did the Game Boy, which was the beginning of Nintendo's place in the handheld gaming industry. Hits like Pokémon, Super Mario Bros, Tetris, Donkey Kong and Kirby gave players a new way of gaming. To this day, handheld devices are a signature of Nintendo, while competitors have focused almost exclusively on home consoles. 

This decade also marked the beginning of Nintendo branching our beyond games. It made the decision to move into Hollywood - although not in the way it might have hoped. The Super Mario Bros flick was the first feature-length live-action film based on a video game, and was a financial and critical failure. 

Christopher Dring, Head of Games B2B at ReedPop, says that paved the way for other adaptations. Until recently, Nintendo hasn't touched the film industry, but many others have found success transforming games like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, Hitman and Prince of Persia. 

The 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film is among the most recent to hit the silver screen, and broke Detective Pikachu's record $54.4m) for the highest weekend debut for a video game adaptation. We are even seeing success in TV land with series like The Witcher and the upcoming Uncharted show. 

"Sometimes games don't fit. It doesn't matter if it's a film or TV series. With the Mario Universe, there's not much substance. Detective Pikachu is a great example. There is a huge Pokémon animated series, there's all that lore. When they did Detective Pikachu, the game hadn't even launched in the UK. it had only just come out in Japan. It was the oddest thing to base a film on. But it was most suited to the medium."

Before the failure that was the Mario movie, Nintendo always demonstrated protectiveness of its brands. In 1991, Sony and Nintendo came to blows in one of gaming's most memorable spats. The duo were set to join forces in the infancy of CD-Rom-based consoles when Nintendo pulled out at the last minute in fear of a coup - and was correct to think so. Sony engineer Ken Kutaragi, who started the project, saw this partnership as a way for Sony to get into making games consoles. 

Did they hope this would deter Sony from making its mark in gaming? Maybe. But it paved the way for the Sony PlayStation. At this time, Nintendo also wasn't prepared to move from cartridge to disc. This move led one of its own brands, Final Fantasy - one of Square Soft's biggest franchises - jumping ship to Nintendo's newest competitor. 

Looking back at these events, it's no wonder Nintendo is very protective of its brands. Dring says: "When it started out it was finding its feet, but along the way has become very strict. During its partnerships with Lego in 2020, they spent months going back and forth over Mario's hair. Nintendo is very precious about its brands for the reasons that are so important to it."

The blips along the way only strengthened its longevity. Without the Game Cube, we wouldn't have the Wii. Without the Wii U, the Switch would have never seen the light of day. 

Nintendo, however, had to battle the system to set itself apart from the new raft of console giants. Sony is all about gamers, while Microsoft is the American tech company that reinvents itself. Both companies exploded onto the gaming scene with high-earning franchises like the Grand Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, Halo, Dead Or alive and Grand Theft Auto. 

The next fundamental shift for Nintendo followed the release of the 2001 GameCube. Dring explains that the GameCube was the moment Nintendo realized that it couldn't win the console hardware war. 

"Up until that point, Nintendo went head-to-head with Sega, PlayStation, Xbox and so on. It would compete for the big third-party games, and it would compete on graphical power. But during the GameCube era, even though it was a great piece of kit, it didn't have the visual power of an Xbox. It didn't have the DVD functionality of a PS2, and it didn't have the same level of games either."

Samuel Grinfeder, Senior Strategist, gaming and esports, Superunion, added that although the console had a strong core base and nostalgia factor, it wasn't a cultural phenomenon like the PlayStation had been. "The PC and PlayStation brought about a phase where gaming became grown-up entertainment. Then there was the return of the casual gaming trend. Simple gameplay."

It was here that Nintendo shifted away from directly competing and built the Wii. Instead of competing against the powerhouse of the PlayStation Portable (PSP), Nintendo created a touchscreen, dual-screen device - the Nintendo DS. This approach was innovative, coming before the first touchscreen smartphones. The concept may not have always succeeded (see Nintendo Wii U) but it was a time where Nintendo had to change its approach to games consoles. Back in its heyday the Game Boy was a hit, so they knew how to build handheld devices.


#### The birth of mobile gaming

Nintendo is a gaming company that creates access points for new gamers. The simplified mechanics of many of its games allow this. Although not entirely its own IP, Pokémon is a good framework for what any game can do. 

It started as a game that hooked young millennials and quickly followed up with anime series, trading card games and merchandise. Those access points brought people back to the game, says Grinfeder. The next natural step was mobile. 

"Anyone who has a smartphone has a gaming device. The commercial success of the free-to-play model lowered the barriers to entry and the scale of gaming that we know today."

Nintendo games like Pokémon Go, Super Mario Run and Mario Kart Tour all granted access points to players who would have never thought to play a console game. 

The Pokémon Go phenomenon in the summer of 2016 saw the game franchise on the 3DS re-enter the charts. 

"Mobile wasn't hurting sales of console games, it was doing the opposite. It's an entry point. Some people who had never played Pokémon console games before tried Pokémon Go. It's a chance for them then to play the more enhanced and advanced role-playing games from Mario kart Tour to Mario Kart on the more advanced console, in many ways is 'My first Mario Kart."


For Nintendo, mobile games haven't made a lot of money, but the opportunity is in the brand awareness it brings. Mario Kart Tour has had over 200m downloads. That's massive compared to the amount of people who have bought the game on Switch. Super Mario Run has 300m+ downloads, which makes it the most popular Mario game of all time. Although not commercially successful, the popularity only amplified Nintendo's IP. 

#### The future for Nintendo

Despite being a highly-guarded brand, Nintendo is branding out and leveraging its IP more readily. 

The company teaming up with Lego for Mario's 35th anniversary and joining forces with Build-a-Bear on the back of the highly successful Animal Crossing: New Horizons are just a couple of instances. It is even dipping into the theme park business with Super Nintendo World, having launched its Japan location and various North American parks. 

The gaming industry has gone through a massive shift. Covid-19 changed the landscape. During the pandemic, the World Health Organization recognized the games industry as a great way to connect. The 2020 release of Animal Cross: New Horizons was one of Nintendo's biggest launches, and it allowed people to visit other islands, connecting people to the 'outside' world when they otherwise could not. Many brands got on board and amplified their reach during this time, perhaps foreshadowing Nintendo branching out into the metaverse - even if only within its own brands. 

However, the metaverse may not be something fully embraced by Nintendo. Grinfeder talks about a vision of a world similar to Ernest Cline's Read Player One, which would see the gaming industry interloping with each other in games like Fortnite and Among Us, which are playable on the PlayStation, PC, Xbox and mobile. 

"In this vision, you go from one metaverse to another. You carry on your items and your micro transactions. But because Nintendo has a powerful range of games and IPs, in theory we will see this interoperability between the titles."

With many ups and downs, Nintendo is secure in what it is: a family-first entertainment company that is leveraging its IP beyond gaming. From theme parks to blockbuster films, the opportunities are boundless.

First published in [The Drum](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/06/03/how-nintendo-leveled-up-beyond-gaming-embrace-new-platforms-and-experiences).

Nora Bradshaw explains in AdWeek why employees are a crucial marketing channel. 

Amazon has been busy. Between transitioning to [a new CEO](https://www.adweek.com/commerce/as-jeff-bezos-steps-down-as-amazon-ceo-these-four-industries-will-bear-his-mark-forever/) and engaging in a [corporate space race](https://www.adweek.com/commerce/former-ad-exec-to-join-billionaire-brother-in-space/), the business giant also found time to reflect on its corporate values and what it stands for in the world. 

After unveiling a series of new principles, Amazon wants to "strive to be earth's best employer" by creating value for workers, not just customers. This comes against a [backdrop of high-profile unionization attempts](https://www.adweek.com/commerce/amazon-union-vote-alabama-watershed-moment/) and calls from employees to improve working conditions, particularly from the warehouse side of the business. 

The shift in strategy is an important one and speaks to a wider business trend: Employees are an extremely powerful marketing channel, and businesses of all sizes need to [recognize their value](https://www.adweek.com/agencies/brands-must-actively-combat-burnout-as-they-move-to-hybrid-work/). 

#### The customer experience begins with employees

The ways in which we perceive companies and our expectations of them are changing. Gone are the days of visiting a company's About Us page to find out its values and what it stands for. Now, you just need to visit an employee portal or review site to get a window into the real inner workings of a business. 

[Channels like Glassdoor](https://www.adweek.com/media/glassdoor-releases-best-places-to-work-in-2021-lists/) and a growing movement of apps that allow employees to share experiences - such as anonymous professional network Blind - are exposing the reality of workplace culture. What you say to your employees is just as critical as what you say across social media, websites and in your advertising campaigns. 

But it's not just your employees who care about how they're treated; customers are becoming increasingly invested in it too. After all, your employees are the backbone of the customer experiences, from customer service to product development. 

If they don't understand your company vision and how it translates into satisfied customers, they won't be able to manifest your brand promise. Remember, your employees are the face of your company and your most obvious marketing channel - they have to understand how your brand shows up. 

These expectations aren't going away anytime soon. In fact, the problem is only going to get more challenging in the wake of the huge movement of people between companies known as the Great Resignation. There are three factors that are not only going to be key to customer interaction but also huge drivers of talent acquisition: a better work experience; the culture that a business creates; and how this translates into the actual lived employee experience. 

#### Alexa, unmute the staff

Amazon has seen firsthand the dangers of underestimating the marketing power of employees. 

A recent marketing campaign showcasing Amazon staff discussing the benefits of working for the company was met with swift backlash. Workers and unions accused Amazon of wasting millions on [inviting customers to visit warehouses](https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/amazon-gets-rattled-as-calls-grow-for-reform/) while they were loudly voicing concerns about working conditions. 

This resulted in them puling the campaign. 

#### Reaching for realistic stars 

So how should you approach employees? First, your priorities have to be attainable and realistic - not just aspirational. 

Second, corporate values aren't something you can simply dictate to people from the top down - they have to be built collaboratively and based on the realities of the business. Organizations must have a plan for bringing their values to life and include employees in that process. That is what makes culture tangible and a great employee experience real. 

Finally, and arguably most importantly, companies have to listen to employees and act. All too often, executives focus on creating policies around what employees can and cannot say publicly. Often this comes from a place of fear, but what do you have to hide? 

If your culture is good and your values are embedded in your business, then you shouldn't have to mute your staff. And allowing people to speak freely provides an opportunity to listen to them in an authentic way and act upon it. 

First published in [AdWeek](https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/amazon-learned-hard-lesson-underestimating-employees/). 

Congratulations to Notpla and our team, winners of Cannes Lions' prestigious Grand Prix in Design. 

Superunion, and sustainable packaging brand, [Notpla](https://www.notpla.com/), have today been awarded the Grand Prix in Design at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Superunion worked with the revolutionary, seaweed-based material business to create a name, brand strategy and identity that positions it as a leader of environmental sustainability and leaves people in no doubt about its potential value in the world. 

Founded in 2014 by Pierre-Yves Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez – Notpla’s mission is to make packaging as we know it disappear, naturally. It provides a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic packaging using seaweed-based material that naturally decomposes in weeks, compared to 700 years for plastic. Notpla can be used directly to replace plastic cups at sporting festivals, as sachets for condiments, and as a coating for cardboard, flexible film and paper to create a wide range of products for multiple industries including takeaway food boxes. 

The award-winning project saw Superunion create the name, Notpla - an abbreviation of ‘not plastic’ - to signify fully natural packaging and to fully differentiate the business from the crowded bioplastics market. It was designed to be a simple, bold definition of who they are. Not plastic. But a completely new thing. The brand’s identity is centred around its core mission: making packaging disappear. The animated and interactive logo reflects a vessel that can be filled with water, juices, cocktails or sauces, and when it is emptied, the exterior disappears, just like its packaging. The new identity was rolled out across Notpla’s website and is reflected in its tone of voice: simple and clear, without being shy and overcomplicated. 

Senior Creative Director, Superunion London

Notpla has produced 400,000 sachets so far and continues to go from strength to strength, bolstered by its new brand identity. It has partnered with international events including the London Marathon and London Cocktail Week and with leading brands including Just Eat and Unilever. 

*Mark Wood, Senior Creative Director, at Superunion, said:* “At Superunion we believe in the power of ideas to create positive and meaningful change in the world and Notpla could not be a better representation of this. While it’s not exactly common practice to define a brand by what it isn’t, in the case of Notpla, what makes it different is what it isn’t - and that’s the beauty of it. At Superunion, we’re so proud to be a part of Notpla’s growth and to help them to be a positive force in the world.”

>“The world has a plastic problem, with eight million tonnes dumped in the oceans annually. We must change behaviour when it comes to single-use plastic and we created Notpla to do exactly that - make packaging as we know it disappear, naturally. Superunion has been a completely transformative creative partner, committing to our mission and helping us to make our bold ambitions a reality. Together, we have created a brand that puts us front and centre of the sustainable packaging conversation and leaves people in no doubt of our purpose.”  
>
>*– Pierre-Yves Paslier, Co-Founder of Notpla*

Understanding why sustainability is so difficult for brands is key to addressing the problem.

As the challenges of sustainability have grown, and society's demand for action has increased, companies continue to invest significant time and resources into making the fundamental changes necessary to address this defining issue of our time. 

But it's hard to detect this endeavour in how most brands position themselves today. Why is this the case? It's not as if sustainability is a new thing and it's certainly not because the challenges of sustainability are considered unimportant or lacking urgency. 

#### Why brands struggle with sustainability 

The real issue is one of compatibility. Brands are simple, relevant and optimistic. Sustainability is not. 

Sustainability is overwhelming in both its scale and its complexity. Take the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 different goals, encompassing climate change, the natural world, poverty, equality, health, education, innovation, peace and justice, and these goals have no less than 181 different targets that need to be achieved by 2030. Every company is expected to make a contribution to at least one of them. Larger organisations have to address multiple goals and many of the world's most significant businesses have policies in place to address them all. 

Or take ESG. Awareness of the term has grown rapidly, to the point where the acronym is sometimes used interchangeably with sustainability. In reality, ESG is really another framework for disclosing information, which allows investors to make judgments as to the long-term durability of the businesses they invest in. ESG information is typically cross-referenced with several other frameworks - such as GRI and SASB - so data ends up being provided for hundreds of different measures. If a business wants further accreditation, say for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index or for B Corp - then even more disclosure is required. 

The result is an absolute deluge of information about sustainability: detailed, evidence-based and largely tailored to the interests of a small number of experts. And as these reporting requirements are imposed on businesses by external parties, the whole thing becomes mainly an exercise in risk management. It makes the language of sustainability dry, cautious and uninteresting, because the goal is to be compliant, not conspicuous. 

#### Don't just account for yourself

This is both necessary and important, but it provides poor material for building sustainability into brands. To overcome this, brands will need to chart a different course, a braver and more single-minded one. Accounting for yourself, and standing for something, are two different things. If branding is at its most effective when it's at its simplest, then the same applies here. This is not about risk management or compliance. This is about distilling sustainability down to the point of maximum relevance, impact or value. 

This is clearly easier for brands which already have a sustainability proposition built in, like Innocent Drinks or Patagonia. It's harder for brands who already have a well-established positioning. 

There are some brands that have addressed this. Marks and Spencer's Plan A is a well-regarded example of how to integrate a sustainability proposition into an existing brand. So is Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan and Nike's *Until We All Win* community investment programme. Akzo Nobel, the Dutch owner of Dulux paint, call their approach to sustainability 'People. Planet. Paint', which is arguably a more idiosyncratic attempt. They also succeed in showing that an effective sustainability proposition can be simple, without being simplistic. But they are quite rare. 

#### Some nuances to be mindful of

These propositions succeed not just because they are simple, but because people can relate to them. They've managed to find the intersection between what people expect and where the brand's strength lies. But in dealing with this, brands need to be careful not to fall prey to conventional thinking. 

What people want is more nuanced when it comes to sustainability. Here, we think like human beings as much as we do consumers, and our responses become less predictable. The instinct to use sustainability to gain competitive advantage is strong, but it's also getting riskier. It's not just because we're all getting wise to greenwashing, and considerably more sceptical when we see it. But it's also because every brand is trying to become more sustainable. The moral high ground - not always well-trodden ground for brands - is getting narrower and more crowded. 

The other reason it's no longer credible to see sustainability as just a marketing tactic is because it's actually an exercise in large-scale transformation. It's expensive, risky, and requires an enduring commitment to building social value. Branding is inherently a more appropriate vehicle for signalling that sustainability is not just for the short-term. 

But to maintain relevance, brands need to avoid being too long-term as well. There's no shortage of powerful sustainability commitments being made, but with impossibly distant deadlines. Take BP's net zero by 2050, or Amazon's net zero by 2040. This is not to underplay the challenge of transformation, but brands need to avoid the sense that the can is being kicked down the road. For most of us, even 2030 seems unimaginable. If you want to make sustainability relevant, then pick some dates - even if they're just staging posts on a journey - that people can relate to. 

#### Time for a change of mood

But there's another reason why brands have been so timid about sustainability and ironically, it's where they have the chance to make the greatest impact. Tonally, the public narrative around sustainability is problematic. As the deniers retreat, the doom-mongers are in the ascendancy. The prevailing mood seems to be a toxic mix of hopelessness, anger and finger pointing. Many of the voices that dominate the sustainability debate are openly sceptical of the private sector's commitment to sustainability. Some even cast doubt on whether it should have any role in our efforts to combat sustainability challenges. 

This is scary territory for brands. It's completely understandable why so many are hesitant to try and take a prominent position. But an absence of voice is even more damaging, so it's important that brands try to contribute to a more positive narrative. One that doesn't underplay the seriousness of the challenges we face but presents a more constructive, optimistic vision of what can be - and what is already being - achieved. The evidence is there. Private sector investment in tackling sustainability issues is significant and growing rapidly. A large proportion of corporate investment in R&D and innovation is directed towards finding more sustainable solutions for how businesses operate. Alternative energy sources are being developed, business models are being transformed and circular economies are being built. 

#### Sustainability: a golden opportunity for brands

This is a powerful story that needs to be better told, and brands have a golden opportunity to tell it. Ultimately sustainability, despite its complexity, can be seen as a series of challenges to how we behave - not just as consumers, but as human beings. Creativity is key to driving the new perspectives and changing thought patterns necessary to overcome these challenges. Project DrawDown is an organisation that believes we have the power to stop global warming with solutions that exist today. In their book, 'Drawdown', they said, "*we see global warming not as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion and genius.*"

Brands are crucial to both unlocking this creativity and using it, through big, original ideas, to engage, inspire and motivate us all to change. But only if they pluck up the courage to do so. They will face scepticism from many, and come under attack from some, but they should not be deterred. 


Mick McConnell joins Superunion New York today as North America CEO.

We are pleased to announce today the appointment of Mick McConnell as CEO, North America. McConnell will lead our New York team and oversee work on clients such as Bank of America, NASA, Move United and Michael J. Fox Foundation. 

McConnell joins Superunion from the consultancy Lippincott, where he was Partner of Design. Originally trained as an architect, McConnell worked on large projects including the Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi and held a number of senior roles in the architecture industry. He then moved into the world of design, becoming Executive Creative Director at digital agency R/GA, followed by Head of Creative, North America at Samsung (SEA) and Senior VP, Global Head of Innovation and Strategy at WeWork. At WeWork, McConnell helped develop the standards for physical space as well as the guidelines for how to market, sell and operate them. His work helped WeWork go from 1-2 openings per month to over 50 per month at peak. 



Other brand-side roles include Global Head of Design at Chipotle, and Design Director, North America at Starbucks. 

At Superunion North America, Mick will focus on building exemplary experiences for our clients and our team and, as part of this, the New York office is currently being reimagined at 23 W 23rd as a collaboration clubhouse. 

> "Superunion believes in using the power of creativity to revolutionize business and society for the better. We're delighted to have Mick join to lead our North America business and are excited by what lies ahead." 
>
>*— Jim Prior, Global CEO*

 
>"Superunion is an amazing place full of great talent, great leadership and even better clients. I want to create amazing experiences for the Superunion team; to create a place where everyone wants to work. I want to create amazing results for our clients. 
>
>Superunion needs to become a verb. I want to build teams that can solve any creative problem a brand may have. We have such a strong team and network as part of WPP that there is really no limit to what we can do."
>
>*— Mick McConnell, CEO of Superunion, North America*

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