Brand Growth and Development

How modern brands grow Lessons from marketing science I just had the pleasure of watching Magda Nenycz-Thiel from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute present to a room full of marketers. Magda shared some of the key principles of marketing science and how to apply them practically. I was scribbling down notes. Here's the takeaways: 1. Marketing science is about increasing the likelihood of success; it's not about guaranteed outcomes. This was the biggest lesson for me. Knowing the "laws" and principles, this frees up your team from arguing about that logo change, or whether you now need to target a new segment, to getting on with the work that matters. 2. Penetration. It wouldn't be an EBI presentation without the Double Jeopardy law. The fact that most things are actually an outcome of your market share (inc. loyalty) and the key driver of market share is new light buyers as most customers for all brands only purchase once or twice. If penetration is the metric, reach is the strategy. 3. Value creation. A great reminder, and you can spot senior marketers at FMCGs who focus on this. 3 ways to increase the value of your business. Share gains, category expansion, or acquisition. The bigger your brand gets, the more growth must come from growing the category, not stealing share. Good strategy needs to be about expanding occasions and growing the pie, not just fighting for a larger piece. 4. Earn growth, don't just snack on market share. Earning long-term market share (not just discounting to steal share) is far more valuable. Improved advertising to increase mental availability, route to market innovation, innovate to create true customer value, and expand the quality or quantity of distribution. This is the hard stuff we must focus on. 5. Creativity. I was rather surprised at the focus on creativity. How consistency, emotion, and distinctive brand assets use are key drivers of proper long-term growth and often the fastest and easiest way to earn share. Also, EBI research showing that getting enough attention is also important. There was then a bit of a debate about challenger brands, and how to apply these principles to small brands when budgets are limited and "reach reach reach" simply can't happen. There's still more to learn in this area, and perceived difference must play a role. However, I accept that most brands asking "are we different" is a daft way of measuring that. Magda Nenycz-Thiel, a real pleasure meeting you. Loved hearing your stories from two decades of marketing science. If anyone's new to marketing science, recommend reading "How Brands Grow" as a good place to start! I share #advertising and #marketing insights daily, follow for more.

Search Query Performance Report on Seller Central is an extremely powerful report for growing on Amazon Amazon is a search led platform, and in most categories at least 60-70% sales originate through a search query. And this report gives all the metrics ( search volumes, impressions for that query, clicks from that query, add to carts from that query, purchases from that query) for the top 1000 relevant search queries for your brand. And you get both the category level data as well as your brand data and your brand's share Eg: You can find out for the search term "ceiling fan", what were the total impressions, your brand impression share, total clicks, your brand click share, total add to carts, your brand add to cart share,total purchases and your brand purchase share etc Now this is extremely powerful data. This includes both organic and paid clicks/sales You can basically map your brand funnel vis-a-vis the category funnel for every relevant keyword Eg: Lets say for the keyword "ceiling fan", my impression share is 7%, click share is 8%, add to cart share is 9% and purchase share is 10% The immediate actionable would be to increase impression share by increasing spends on the Keyword "ceiling fan". And because this is a high volume keyword and my funnel is stronger than the category, I would start a single KW exact match campaign with high budgets and bids for this keyword And if the funnel holds, very soon the impression share will increase Similarly, if impression share>click share, it means the Hero image/Title/offer needs working If Click share>Purchase Share, it means the offer ( pricing/TAT) and the content ( images, bullets, A+ etc) need to do a better job at convincing the consumer Now imagine if you do this rigorously for 1000 keywords and bring incremental improvement for many search queries, how the benefits could stack up. Both market share and TACOS will improve Extremely powerful report if used well. Doing this rigorously helped us a lot in the last 12-18 months ( This report didn't exist when we started 10 years back) in scaling up Amazon even faster than we used to and gain almost 300-400 bps market share on platform. Also helped a lot in scaling up the new categories How to Access? Seller Central>> Brands>>Brand Analytics>> Search Query Performance And once there, you can look at the data week wise, month wise, quarter wise

If I worked in PR or content, I would be bear-hugging the LLM marketing (GEO?) opportunity right now. Everything is pointing towards content being the key to showing up in AI search, so I wanted to round up what I'm seeing: 1) Offsite > Onsite LLM appearances aren't about how fast your site is, or internal linking practices. It's about how you're talked about on other sites. Yes this is earned media, but I'm even seeing how press releases are being used to feed/train the models. Will press releases get cool again? 2) Brand mentions are the new backlinks Consensus is hard to find in online marketing, and it feels like the one thing everyone agrees on is that brand mentions - with or without an actual link - in highly relevant content, are going to be just as important as links were the past 20 years. We're seeing this pop up as "relevance engineering," and it feels like a massive opportunity for great content/PR pros. 3) Human friendly content = AI friendly content Gone are the days of keyword stuffing and making sure a page has a certain word count. It turns out that AI-friendly content is also human-friendly content, which means thinking about the reader, not the crawler, will be rewarded again. The most practical example of this I have seen so far is bringing overviews of content to the top, in bullets. Make it EASY to get the info fast. Good for the reader, and good for feeding LLMs the gist. 4) Incorporate thought leaders and your own data into the story. Heard this from Scott Gardner at the Knotch event last week. The concept of "information gain," and adding authority, and uniqueness to what your brand can offer in a given space, will be huge. At the end of the day, the immediate opportunity is likely 80% in tweaking the messaging of what you're already doing, and 20% in actually tweaking what you're doing. I am sure this will change over time, but the fact of the matter is, many traditional PR tactics seem to be hugely helpful for winning out in LLMs- and the people who can frame things the right way will be incredibly successful the next few years.

Consistency isn’t boring. It’s branding. This BIC pen has looked the same since 1955. Same design. Same transparent barrel. Same blue cap. Bic knew it didn’t need to evolve the design of the product. By sticking to what worked, it has become iconic. Most brands don’t have that kind of discipline. They get bored to easily and change too much. If you change too much, you lose consistency and lose recognition. Great branding isn’t about changing everything all the time. And knowing what not to change is equally as important. A solid brand strategy should do two things: 1. Tell you where to stay consistent. 2. Show you where to evolve to stay relevant. Every brand has core brand assets (or codes)… distinctive elements that drive recognition. KFC has the bucket, the Colonel, the colour red and chicken. the LEGO Group has the brick, the yellow minifigure, the red square logo, and imagination. Bic has this pen shape, the blue cap, the orange packaging and the Bic Boy. When you protect those core assets, show up consistently, and then find relevant, creative ways to show up in culture that’s how you win. Not everything needs to change. Know what to keep. That’s the work.

Coca-Cola spend less than 3% of revenue (estimated) on advertising… While challenger brands burn 10–20%. Why? One word: brand equity. Recent estimates put Oatly at ~8% of revenue on ads, Liquid Death at ~6%, and The Coca-Cola Company closer to 2–3%. Not because Coke's marketing team is lazy, but because 138 years of brand building does the heavy lifting. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: • Challenger CPG brands: 10–20% of revenue • Established brands: 3–5% • Category leaders like Coke: Under 3% That gap? Pure profit margin. Think about it. When you're thirsty at a gas station, you don't need an ad to remember Coke exists. But that new kombucha brand? They might spend $8 in Facebook ads just to acquire a single customer. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂: • Retail real estate: Strong brands get eye-level shelf placement. Weak brands fight for bottom shelf at twice the slotting fee.    • Word-of-mouth multiplier: When someone says "grab me a Coke," they might mean any cola. That mental availability is worth billions.    • Pricing power. Private-label cola: $0.99. Coca-Cola: $2.49. Same sugar water, different trust levels. The real insight? Every dollar you invest in building genuine brand connection compounds. Ads get you today's sale. But consistent quality, memorable packaging, and keeping promises? That gets you the next decade of sales, at half the marketing cost. Liquid Death gets this. Sure, they're spending ~6% now. But every skull-covered can is building equity. In 10 years? They'll be spending 3% while new brands burn cash trying to break through. The strongest brands aren't built on the biggest budgets. They're built on the smallest details, delivered consistently, until trust becomes automatic. Because when trust becomes automatic, marketing becomes optional.

As a leader, you're always looking for ways to improve. But stepping into a legacy business teaches you a powerful truth: your first responsibility isn’t to change, it is to understand.   The instinct to offer solutions is strong. But over a period, I’ve learned that listening is often the most valuable action you can take. Listening to people’s stories, the pride they carry in their work, the relationships built over decades, and the legacy behind iconic brands that are now part of India's cultural fabric.   At DIAGEO India, every conversation teaches me something new about craftsmanship, business nuance, consumer insight, and often, about leadership itself. Trust isn’t built through declarations, it’s built through curiosity, consistency, and respect. When you honour what came before, people begin to trust you with what comes next.   If there’s one lesson, I carry from three decades of working across different industries, it’s this: curiosity is your best asset. Strategies evolve, models change but the discipline of listening and asking appropriate questions, to let teams explore their thoughts into solutions and the willingness to learn will always be timeless.   I'm still listening, still asking questions, still learning. And deeply grateful for every conversation that brings fresh insight. Because the best leaders don’t just guide change, they earn the right to shape it.   #Leadership

High-End Clients Don’t Find You They Hear About You By Elena Falconer In the rarefied world of luxury, visibility is not just about being seen , it’s about being spoken about in the right rooms. Luxury clients don’t scroll endlessly. They don’t search hashtags or compare prices. They listen. They listen to their inner circle, their trusted advisors, their personal shoppers, their inner concierge of influence. High-end clients are drawn by reputation, not reach. They are loyal to recommendations, to lived experiences, to brands and professionals who have earned the quiet endorsement of those already in their orbit. If you’re in the business of selling high-touch service , be it in fashion, hospitality, design, or private consulting , you must understand this: being discoverable isn't enough. You must be discussed. The Whisper Network of Luxury Referrals are the true currency of the luxury market. But not just any referral , elevated whispers that flow between private rooms, at members’ clubs, inside curated WhatsApp chats and at champagne intermissions. That kind of buzz isn’t created by loud marketing. It’s earned by delivering excellence, crafting extraordinary experiences, and knowing how to make a client feel deeply seen, understood, and subtly impressed. Are You Positioned to Be Talked About? Ask yourself: Is my brand aligned with the discretion and discernment of my ideal client? Do I provide such a tailored experience that my clients can’t help but tell someone? Have I activated my existing network to become my brand’s storytellers? Your visibility strategy should be rooted in intimacy and trust. That means: Collaborating selectively with aligned partners. Being present in the same physical and digital spaces as your dream clients. Designing offers that feel like an invitation, not a pitch. Create Moments Worth Repeating High-end clients are magnetized by details. From the handwritten note on the tissue-lined packaging to the way your team anticipates their preferences , these are the moments that get recounted at dinner tables and after-boardroom conversations. Every luxury brand story begins with a whisper. Make sure what’s being said about you carries the weight of excellence. Because in the luxury world, it’s not about being everywhere , it’s about being heard about in the right places.

Six Meters of Nostalgia: What Molly and POP MART Teach Us About Lasting Brands Just stepped out of the “A Star That Never Changes” exhibition at the West Kowloon Art Pavilion, and I’m not just talking about a toy. I’m talking about a 20-year legacy. Standing under the six-meter-tall Space Molly with the harbour as a backdrop, it hit me. This isn’t just a pop-up. It’s a masterclass in brand longevity. Kenny Wong’s journey—from a Hong Kong illustrator in 2006 to a global design icon—shows that a powerful, simple character can outlast trends if it carries genuine emotion. Molly’s signature pout isn’t just cute; it’s consistent. That consistency, over two decades, builds a universe. Pop Mart’s business model is equally fascinating. They didn’t just sell toys; they built an ecosystem. By partnering deeply with artists like Kenny and turning characters into collectible “blind boxes,” they tapped into storytelling, community, and the thrill of discovery. It’s a model that turned collectibles into culture and fans into curators. They’ve scaled globally not by diluting the art, but by championing it. The lesson for any founder or leader? Build with soul, scale with system. A strong, authentic core (your “Molly”) can sustain decades of growth if you design the right model (your “Pop Mart”) around it. It’s about alignment between the creator’s vision and the company’s engine. What’s the one constant “star” in your brand that everything else revolves around? With West Kowloon Cultural District Authority #BrandStrategy #PopMart #CreativeEconomy #KennyWong #Molly20th

We talk a lot about how brands can connect to women. But here’s where I think the conversation goes wrong: Women are not one group of like-minded consumers. The category of “women” comprises 4 billion people with different preferences, professions, purchasing habits, and personal lives. So how can brands connect with women? Authenticity. I'm talking about the kind of authenticity that comes from truly understanding, representing, and serving the people your brand reaches. Why does this matter? Let's look at the numbers first:  • Women are overseeing $32 trillion in spending globally.  • By 2028, 75% of discretionary spending will be controlled by women. These aren't just statistics—they're a wake-up call for brands trying to connect with women. Brands historically miss the mark when they focus on women as "consumers," rather than as people. Take Dove's work with the CROWN Act, a movement and legislation aimed at prohibiting race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools. By bringing attention to how women of color—particularly Black women—have historically been told how to wear their hair at work, Dove drove meaningful change that extended far beyond marketing. The result for Dove (and its parent company Unilever) hasn't just been products sold, but actual legislative change—all because they stood for something that impacts the day-to-day life of their consumers. The key to the consumer paradigm: You cannot effectively serve women if you don't represent them at every level of your organization. Women continue to hold relatively few leadership positions in industries primarily serving women. The fashion and beauty industries, for example, are dominated by male leadership. When brands get it right, it shows. A few examples? FERRAGAMO appointed a female CEO back in 1960—long before it was trending—and that commitment to women in leadership has been woven into their DNA ever since. It’s not a campaign. It’s who they are. Or formula company Bobbie, which doesn’t just have consumers, they have devoted brand ambassadors, families, and loyal subscribers. True representation isn't about optics—it's about women making decisions at all levels—from product development to marketing to the C-suite. Maybe we need to retire the word "consumer" altogether. Because if we're talking about real, authentic connections, shouldn't we instead be focusing on people as human beings. It's no longer about thinking what you “should” create to get them to buy—it's about genuinely making that woman’s life better because you know exactly who she is. And your company’s leadership reflects that.