Hear from execs at The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Trusted Media Brands and many others
Tis the season to be branding. UK agency Quietroom makes much hay out of the entire practice of brand playbooks with its hilarious and scathing tongue-in-cheek online guide to a Santa Claus “brand refresh.”
“*Santa* is a Concept, not an idea. It’s an Emotion, not a feeling,” reads the front cover, “It’s both Yesterday and Today. And it’s Tomorrow as well.” This, of course, both evokes and skewers the bland and empty corporate language found in so many real-life brand strategy documents. The book is is riddled with it. Check out these “approved'” versions of the *Santa* logo:
Or this ‘brand language’ guide:
And, of course, concentric circles make an appearance.
The playbook has apparently struck a chord: it’s already received more than 7,000 shares on Twitter, and 2,000 shares on Linkedin. No word on whether it’s made it to the North Pole yet, though-ho-ho.
More in Marketing
How brands like Staples, JanSport, Nuuly are targeting crucial Gen Z cohort in back-to-school period
With consumer spending confidence doubtful the pressure on marketers to make the most out of the back-to-schools season is even higher than usual.
Warby Parker joins brands that have killed home try-on in favor of virtual tests
This story was originally published on sister site, Modern Retail. The end may be near for at-home try-on programs. Warby Parker, the eyewear brand that helped pioneer online glasses sales in the 2010s, said last Thursday on its quarterly earnings call that it would end its home try-on program by the end of the year. […]
Forget about the tech, OpenAI and Perplexity are brands too
Both platforms reminded everyone that in 2025, AI isn’t just about tech. It’s about brand. And when companies forget that, the fallout is fast and public.