The Shifting Role Of The CMO
Times are changing. But aren't they always? CMO's need to adapt to a new role. SIGNAL — What’s Happening? The marketing department — once the temple of storytelling — is being rewired into an operating system. AI isn’t replacing marketers. It’s replacing marketing as we knew
Latest Articles
Levi's - Relevant or Redundant?
Levi’s is one of the most recognizable apparel brands on the planet — a century-old symbol of American culture, youth identity, and “authenticity.” It practically invented denim as we know it. But the category it once defined has fragmented into micro-cultures, fast fashion cycles, secondhand ecosystems, and aesthetic tribes that
Aspiration Has Changed: The New Status Symbols of 2026
Are you ready to look at how culture and values are changing for 2026 and beyond? I thought so. Here's the pattern: From wealth → wellbeing → wisdom → autonomy. What brands must signal to feel modern and desirable. In Brief Aspiration has quietly rewritten itself. Money no longer signals status
Relevant Or Redundant? – BOSS
I came back from London late last night, and after strolling the streets for a few days, (mostly waiting while my wife and daughters shopped like there is no tomorrow), I did what I suppose most brand-builders do...analyse brands and concepts. What follows is a new content series I
The Relevance Gap Starts In The Corner Office
The Relevance Gap™ is a term I coined to illustrate the disconnect that happens between brands and customer choice. And while Relevance is a function of many external forces (from cultural shifts, macro trends, category dynamics, and most of all, changes in consumer tastes, values, etc. the problems rarely starts
I Analysed Dozens Of FMCG Brands - Here Is How Many Are Drifting
I’ve run a good amount of Brand Relevance Scores for FMCG brands this last month. Here’s the uncomfortable pattern: the categories aren’t stale — the brands are. Most FMCG brands aren’t losing relevance because of competition. They’re losing relevance because culture moved and they didn’t
AI will change everything about brand-building. Except what matters most.
Why the Future of Brand Still Belongs to Humans — Even in an AI-Driven World. After 20+ years at the intersection of of brand strategy, innovation, design, and marketing for companies across industries, countries, and stages, I’ve learned one thing with absolute certainty: AI will change how brands are built.
The One Metric Every CMO and Brand Leader Should Track - The Brand Relevance Score™
Most brands measure what’s easy: awareness, impressions, clicks, sentiment, funnel conversion, reach. NPS. [For a selected few CMO's and brand leaders, I provide a free audit to map your Brand Relevance Score™ and Relevance Gap™. More below.] But very few measure the thing that actually determines whether
The Best Strategy Question You Never Heard Before.
There is a great strategic question I like to ask my brand and business clients, a provoking, revealing question that you probably did not hear before. In fact, it's my second go-to question after "Why Should They Choose You" - my favorite brand strategy question. It’Brand
Levi's - Relevant or Redundant?
Levi’s is one of the most recognizable apparel brands on the planet — a century-old symbol of American culture, youth identity, and “authenticity.” It practically invented denim as we know it. But the category it once defined has fragmented into micro-cultures, fast fashion cycles, secondhand ecosystems, and aesthetic tribes that
Relevant Or Redundant? – BOSS
I came back from London late last night, and after strolling the streets for a few days, (mostly waiting while my wife and daughters shopped like there is no tomorrow), I did what I suppose most brand-builders do...analyse brands and concepts. What follows is a new content series I
The Best Strategy Question You Never Heard Before.
There is a great strategic question I like to ask my brand and business clients, a provoking, revealing question that you probably did not hear before. In fact, it's my second go-to question after "Why Should They Choose You" - my favorite brand strategy question. It’
Branding Is Still Misunderstood - And It Is Hurting Businesses.
Branding is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in business. When I started in this industry (about two decades ago), I set out to take on this misconception, which I am about to describe. Armed with this big insight, I was going to change the industry. Or so I thought.Culture
The Psychology Of Trust In 2026
Trust used to be simple: a familiar logo, a tagline, maybe a celebrity endorsement. In 2026, it’s more fragile — and more valuable — than ever. Consumers swipe past hundreds of brands a day, algorithms curate their choices, and scandals go viral in minutes. The psychology of trust has shifted from
Internal Comms Is Becoming As Valuable As External Branding
For years, branding meant billboards, Superbowl spots, and social campaigns. External, external, external. The customer was king, and employees were the afterthought. The irony? In 2025, the most powerful brand audience isn’t out there — it’s in here. Internal comms and culture have become as valuable as external branding.
The Airport Test
If you want to understand a culture, don’t read its constitution. Don’t study its GDP. Spend 30 minutes at its airport. Airports are the most condensed, exaggerated versions of national character. They’re pressure cookers where design, behavior, and ambition collide in plain sight. In Helsinki, my homeDesign
Sora 2: The AI Video Revolution and What It Means for Designers, Marketers, and the Industry
The Signal OpenAI’s Sora 2 just changed the creative landscape — again. The new model turns text prompts into cinematic, physically realistic video with synced sound, dynamic motion, and scene continuity that makes traditional production pipelines look slow and expensive. What once took crews, cameras, and budgets now takes prompts,Entrepreneurship
Brand Dating Apps: What Agencies Can Learn from Matchmaking Platforms
Executive Summary Agencies and dating apps share the same problem: everyone’s swiping, no one’s committing. The signal: client–agency relationships are shorter than ever, with project churn replacing partnership. The deeper truth? It’s not about bad chemistry—it’s bad matching. Agencies sell capabilities; clients crave compatibility.
Journal
The Infinite Feed - Navigating A World Of Limitless Information
In Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, Gordon Gekko delivers one of cinema’s most enduring lines: “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” In the 1980s, that statement was pure power. Information was scarce, access was privilege, and the few who possessed it could outmaneuver the market andMarketing
The Relevance Gap Starts In The Corner Office
The Relevance Gap™ is a term I coined to illustrate the disconnect that happens between brands and customer choice. And while Relevance is a function of many external forces (from cultural shifts, macro trends, category dynamics, and most of all, changes in consumer tastes, values, etc. the problems rarely starts
Chocolate Is Having a Midlife Crisis
SIGNAL — What’s Happening? The premium chocolate category is realigning its value proposition: from indulgence to meaningful indulgence. For example: * According to trend research, chocolate brands are increasingly emphasising “healthy-living” attributes — including low sugar, clean label, high cocoa content, and functional benefits. GourmetPro+3lukerchocolate.com+3FoodNavigator.com+3 * The macro
Latest Articles
Levi's - Relevant or Redundant?
Levi’s is one of the most recognizable apparel brands on the planet — a century-old symbol of American culture, youth identity, and “authenticity.” It practically invented denim as we know it. But the category it once defined has fragmented into micro-cultures, fast fashion cycles, secondhand ecosystems, and aesthetic tribes that
Aspiration Has Changed: The New Status Symbols of 2026
Are you ready to look at how culture and values are changing for 2026 and beyond? I thought so. Here's the pattern: From wealth → wellbeing → wisdom → autonomy. What brands must signal to feel modern and desirable. In Brief Aspiration has quietly rewritten itself. Money no longer signals status
Relevant Or Redundant? – BOSS
I came back from London late last night, and after strolling the streets for a few days, (mostly waiting while my wife and daughters shopped like there is no tomorrow), I did what I suppose most brand-builders do...analyse brands and concepts. What follows is a new content series I
The Relevance Gap Starts In The Corner Office
The Relevance Gap™ is a term I coined to illustrate the disconnect that happens between brands and customer choice. And while Relevance is a function of many external forces (from cultural shifts, macro trends, category dynamics, and most of all, changes in consumer tastes, values, etc. the problems rarely starts
I Analysed Dozens Of FMCG Brands - Here Is How Many Are Drifting
I’ve run a good amount of Brand Relevance Scores for FMCG brands this last month. Here’s the uncomfortable pattern: the categories aren’t stale — the brands are. Most FMCG brands aren’t losing relevance because of competition. They’re losing relevance because culture moved and they didn’t
AI will change everything about brand-building. Except what matters most.
Why the Future of Brand Still Belongs to Humans — Even in an AI-Driven World. After 20+ years at the intersection of of brand strategy, innovation, design, and marketing for companies across industries, countries, and stages, I’ve learned one thing with absolute certainty: AI will change how brands are built.
The One Metric Every CMO and Brand Leader Should Track - The Brand Relevance Score™
Most brands measure what’s easy: awareness, impressions, clicks, sentiment, funnel conversion, reach. NPS. [For a selected few CMO's and brand leaders, I provide a free audit to map your Brand Relevance Score™ and Relevance Gap™. More below.] But very few measure the thing that actually determines whether
