Blog

Thoughts on everything that matters right now in marketing, communications, and insights.

Category: Design

How design principles could have saved the Oscars Posted on May 10, 2023 by Simon Dunn

Here at Mustard Towers, we talk a lot about fame. Maybe we are blinded by stardust, but we think there are important lessons to learn from Hollywood about how we go about communicating effectively. And we apply those lessons – good and bad - when it comes to communicating insights. When we think about bad communication, surely nothing gets worse than the cringe-inducing 2017 Oscars disaster when LaLa Land was inadvertently announced as the Best Picture winner, instead of Moonlight.

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Mastering change for Cambiar Posted on August 12, 2020 by Simon Dunn

Specialist MRX consulting firm Cambiar Consulting had a brand and website that had not been updated in years. It felt at odds with the personality of the company and the unique, smart work that they do within the industry. Through the initial strategy refinement work we did with Managing Partner, Simon Chadwick, we were able to pinpoint the core benefit they deliver to clients – value growth. This is what we call a “single overriding message”, the most important element

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A lot of data, a tight deadline and no idea where to start? Posted on July 15, 2020 by Simon Dunn

Throughout the lockdown, customers from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa had been sharing their experiences and concerns with the insights team at a large FMCG client. As a result, the team had many diverse, engaging consumer vox-pop clips, which they had grouped into six broad themes. But they needed to weave them into a single, coherent and impactful story. In a challenge that is typical for many insights teams, there was no lack of data. But the

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Beauty and the Beast Posted on June 30, 2020 by Simon Dunn

Friend of Mustard and insights profession legend Tom Ewing was launching himself as a freelance writer and thinker within the industry. He approached us to develop a logo for his new business. It’s normal for clients to have little idea of what their logo should communicate, so we go through a process of working with them to define their company personality, values and ambitions, which then translates into an appropriate brand. At Mustard we refer to this process as ‘bringing

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