Think!

Inspired by real people

Today we explore play it safe over risk taking + introducing our newest team member

Hi ,

Happy Friday and welcome one and all to the latest edition of Think!

This week Jason is re-pondering what it takes to make lasting behaviour change. But in our pursuit of 'good', are we losing our ability to take transformative risks?

Plus, introducing our latest recruit and data gun, Aye Thu Thu.

Mahalia & the Square Holes Team

Top image: Aegina, Greece, 2023. Photo by Thomas McCammon.

Jason's weekly reflection

Bad things happen to good people (and bad people).

And, fundamentally no matter how things change they still stay the same.

Boys will be boys.

Politicians act like politicians.

The community is so busy in their own lives to think too much about others.

It takes concentrated effort over an extended period to shift the narrative, attitudes and behaviours of people. Focused education from school into adulthood. Government programs and enforcement and clear sustained messaging over time to remind the difference between right and wrong. Even then, things may still stay the same.

Domestic violence still continues.

Young men and women take risks as they always have.

Politicians often only invest adequately to shift the dial when the community demands change and votes at the upcoming election may compromise reelection. But even then there are many competing priorities, and change may be slow or non existant.

As society seemingly gets more complex, and it is more difficult to reach them with a simple advertising campaign, the challenge of shifting the narrative gets even harder.

Yes, attitudes are shifting. Climate change is now more widely accepted, much, much later than we should have taken notice. Gender issues are starting to be rebalanced.

Yet, much of our research illustrates that change is much slower or non-existent than we might think. Switching to more environmental energy solutions is happening, but most householders are slow to change, unable to afford the transition or are not convinced. Recycling is happening but often in haphazard way.

Too many people are dying on our roads. Too much domestic violence remains.

Every now and then something happens to make people take notice, to take it personally and to start to respond. The challenge is keeping up that commitment to the change.

Square Holes continues to work with government and other progressive leaders to help them to shift the narrative in the right direction, to illustrate how hard change is and the critical behavioural triggers that will make things sustainably change.

Jason

Throwback: Here come the fun police

We are living in likely the most amazing time in history. Medical science has progressed so far, and we are seemingly heading towards being able to almost deduce life expectancy down to a quadratic equation. Do more of these good things, and less of these bad things and you will live a long and healthy life. We are so lucky, in our increasingly bubble wrapped world. More regulations and safeguards to warn and protect us from harm.

Yet, life is clearly a bit more complex than this, and often the things that give us the biggest comfort and joy are things that are bad.

Staff Profile: Aye Thu Thu Ko

The Square Holes team are made up of a cohort of researchers and inquisitive minds, poised to sink their teeth into the complex problems of our clients, to deliver insights and a roadmap forward for brands and organisations alike.

We are pleased to announce that we recently added another member to the Square Holes team, Aye Thu Thu Ko in the role of Research Analyst. A true data gun, Thu Thu spent 5 years working in FMCG retail research at Nielsen IQ (Myanmar), where she was promoted to a Senior Executive in 2021. As a part of the customer success team, her main responsibilities included client management as well as data analysis, reporting, and presentation.

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FROM OUR ARCHIVES:

Keller’s Brand Equity Model: The Hierarchy of Building a Strong Brand

It’s well documented that building a strong brand is essential for long-term success. Keller’s Brand Equity Model, or Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model offers a comprehensive framework that helps businesses understand and develop the value of their brands.

Developed by marketing professor Kevin Lane Keller, the Brand Equity Model provides a roadmap for building and managing strong brands. At its core, the model emphasises the importance of creating and nurturing brand equity (which represents the value that a brand adds to a product or service beyond its functional attributes), a foundational element of organisational success which remains as critical as ever.

Brands can be memorable or frictionless, but not both

For the past couple of months, I have been obsessing over a recent research piece published in the Harvard Business Review. Titled “What customer experience is right for your brand?”, authors Williams, Buoye, Keiningham and Aksoy argue that brands excel by delivering frictionless or memorable customer experiences but not both.

Skip to read why I can’t stop thinking about this article >

Frictionless brands deliver an easy, hassle-free customer experience. Mass market and convenience brands, such as McDonald’s or Uber, have been able to earn a high market share thanks to a frictionless approach.

How to grow revenue

There are many balls to juggle in running a business, but lack of money is the BIGGEST. In this time of increasing levels of insolvency, typically from significant drops in sales and changing market conditions, many are getting their revenue strategy wrong and struggling to survive.

Assumptions are made that discount pricing strategies increase revenue, sales volume, utilise capacity shortfalls and make sufficient profit. Or, that the advertising (traditional, digital or otherwise) will ultimately produce revenue beyond the media and creative spend. Or, perhaps, the investment in the cold-calling sales team will generate more revenue than it irritates non-customers. Revenue generation tactics such as these may be adopted as the default status-quo strategies, more so than based on strategic merit. Yet, to ASS-U-ME they are working is potentially dangerous.

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REAL PEOPLE

Name: Mairy
Location: Aegina
Age: 43

What do you love about living in your city?
The sea and eating. Fresh fish in the small taverns, it’s very nice! And going to the sea.

What are you passionate about?
I have time for all, you don’t need a clock. The life here is very easy and very relaxed.

Think! is Square Holes’ every Friday email exploring cultural trends, behaviour change, market entry and brand growth.

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Week 325 | 24 NOV 2023 | THINK! eMAG | CULTURAL IMMERSION