Marketing’s biggest wins and losses of 2022 according to brand experts
Mumbrella's Kalila Welch asks FutureBrand's Rich Curtis, Principals' Moensie Rossier and Hulsbosch's Jaid Hulsbosch to weigh in on the winners and losers of brand marketing in 2022.
In a year that was widely heralded as chance to bounce-back from the hardships of the pandemic, marketers had the opportunity to reclaim, or relinquish their 2019 position.
According to Principals strategy director, Moensie Rossier, while many predicted “everything would be turned on its head” in 2022, the pandemic had also “equally reinforced traditions”.
From starting the year at the peak of the pandemic in Australia, to climate crises, a federal election and ongoing international conflicts, the year’s conditions were anything but ideal, and a few stumbles were to be expected.
Of course, many brands rolled with the punches, managing to reposition themselves in a light more favourable than years before, while others did not do so well.
Offering up a strategic brand lens to the year that was, FutureBrand Australia CEO Rich Curtis, Principals strategy director Moensie Rossier and Hulsbosch director Jaid Hulsbosch share their thoughts on the biggest winners and losers of 2022.
And the winners are…
Rich Curtis, CEO of FutureBrand Australia, named Kia as his winner of the year, lauding the brand’s recent rebrand.
Though the rebrand officially launched in January 2021, supply chain issues meant that the newly-badged Kia cars didn’t get out “on the road in significant numbers until earlier this year”.
Curtis said: “One of the most exciting rebrands of the year actually happened last year.
“As far back as January 2021, Kia launched their new brand – including a new logo – but supply chain issues meant that we didn’t see newly-badged Kia cars on the road in significant numbers until earlier this year.
“It’s a classic rebrand in so far as Kia had redesigned its new cars in ways that meant their old brand was no longer fit for purpose. The old brand was not going to get them to where they needed to go, and so the new logo is not merely a change of symbol but more so a symbol of change.
“A change of strategy. A change of positioning. A change of product design. And, a change of brand experience.
“While brand recognition might have dipped to 26% immediately after the launch – something that’s to be expected when you make a change as profound as Kia did – it was back up to 78% within a matter of months and still growing.
“But the ultimate test of any rebrand is sales: the new brand has accelerated Kia’s new car sales by 14.5% and moved the brand from the fifth to the third most popular car brand in Australia.”
Moensie Rossier, strategy director, Principals shared a number of brands she was impressed by this year, with Western Sydney Uni her top pick.
“The standout brands were big players with big footprints, that sorted out problems. A steady pair of hands and a safe space. The biggest winners of 2022 – if you cross-reference Roy Morgan’s most trusted brands and Brand Finance’s most valuable brands – feature the usual suspects, trusted retailers like Woolies, Coles, Officeworks, Bunnings and Kmart.
“These were the brands that kept their doors open when other doors were closed, did what they said and were responsible, community-minded citizens, with Bunnings introducing pop-up vaccination clinics in remote areas and Woolworths and Coles introducing safe times for vulnerable people to shop. Along with service brands like Australia Post, these brands reinforced the adage that a brand is what a brand does. They added fun and colour (mostly Kmart, but even buying office equipment became a highlight of the day). They reminded us that online shopping is not a replacement, but complementary to a physical presence and experience.
“A brand I never expected to like is Macquarie. In a sector that has been misleading customers over credit insurance and where short-lived neobanks have suddenly disappeared, Bendigo is the community-minded stalwart, but Macquarie is surprisingly good. Watching the ads, I cringe but respect the strategic value of the rather self-congratulatory, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses, “I bank with Macquarie” line. And the visual identity is sharp and distinctive.
“Behind this is a social impact program that is a more substantial and symbolic reflection of a brand with its feet on the ground. Macquarie Group continues to build its CareerTrackers program, whereby over 1,000 Indigenous professionals have emerged from its internship program to contribute to Australia’s workforce. And Macquarie hosted the Warrane (Sydney Cove) exhibition at its Martin Place office, curated by the National Museum of Australia and created in collaboration with the Indigenous design agency Balarinji to explore Gadigal custodianship of Country. Creating a shared story, it also recognises the influence Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie had on the physical shape and identity of Sydney.
“Overall though, for me the winner is Western Sydney University. While other brands strive for ‘world-class’ achievements, Western Sydney University is number one in the world for its social, ecological and economic impact in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings.
“The Western Sydney University brand seems to be everywhere, but not in the usual places, extending to regions that need more than emergency support to revitalise. Its Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra Lithgow Transformation Hub runs a mix of education, skill-building, mentoring and creative activities that build the resilience of a community still recovering from Black Summer Bushfires.
“In a sector where pay, flexibility, over-work and a high level of casualisation of staff are hot topics, Western Sydney University has enshrined working from home 2 days a week for non-academic staff, introduced pay rises of 4.6 to 5.9 per cent and converted 25 per cent of casual positions into 150 full-time roles across both teaching and research.”
Jaid Hulsbosch, director at Hulsbosch pointed to the growing importance of sustainability in the FMCG sector, applauding Mars Wrigley for its efforts in the space.
“To tackle the challenge of changing consumer behaviour and dynamic market conditions, the key is adapting. Today, a competitive edge for business particularly in the FMCG sector is to take on a new and sustainable approach to product packaging.
“This is bound by Australia’s National packaging targets set by APCO** and are recommended reading to know about the latest actionable requisites here in Australia.
“The 2025 Targets are: 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging; 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted; 50% of average recycled content included in packaging (revised from 30% in 2020); and the phase out of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics packaging.
“A standing ovation for FMCG giant Mars Wrigley, producer of some of Australia’s best-loved gum, mint and confections brands, with the introduction of a recyclable paper-based wrapper for all of its chocolate bars from April next year.
“This not only improves perceptions of modernity and good citizenship for the brand, but it also shouts-out we are acting with real brand purpose. Mars Wrigley are saying our purpose is a higher order reason to exist than just making a profit and we’re listening to our valued customers.
“Today, consumers understand a brand’s packaging is as integral to a product. It’s part of the brand experience, not separate. They are looking for design cues and familiar structural form but beyond these elements they are now looking for a brand to deliver on a responsible promise of sustainability.”
Brands that didn’t hit the mark
In a choice that will be of no surprise to anyone who has read the news – or dared to visit the platform itself over the last few months – Curtis picked Twitter as the brand he felt had experienced the biggest fall from grace in 2022.
“How do you even start to explain what has happened to Twitter as a business and its implications for the brand? Negative associations abound, whether it’s the loose content moderation and the risks presented to brand safety, or indeed the loose business strategy and the risks presented by Elon Musk himself.
“If we look into the data, we know from the FutureBrand Index how ‘trust’ is now the number one driver for why people might want to work for or buy from a brand.
“Trust has always played an important role in brand-building, but it’s never been more important in this world of instability and uncertainty. Consequently, it seems as though the more Musk injects his own brand of leadership based on his trademark unpredictability, the more he risks eroding trust in the very brand he’s trying to build.
“If there’s anything to be taken from the experience so far, it’s proof that a brand is what a brand does.
“That will certainly be the defining factor for Twitter, as it is for any brand: because brands are created with purpose, but they are ultimately defined by the experience.”
Rossier listed FIFA, Optus and the Bureau of Meteorology amongst the worst off brands at the end of the year.
She said:
“FIFA continues to do itself no favours, now famous as a brand that penalises diversity and inclusion by carding players if they wear LGBTQ rainbow armbands.
“Optus could have handled itself better following the cybersecurity attack. They had a point when they said they were victims too, but it came across like, “We’re the victims here, give us a break!” Where customers are concerned, you have to own it.
“The BOM attempted rename may linger in the memories of government and marketing professionals. But I suspect it will blow over much faster in the minds of the public. For now, it has made brand a dirty word in some circles. But it should rather act as a reminder that a good rebrand or rename should always be done for a good reason, accompanied by a well-told story. While distinctive brand codes and language should be respected, especially if they’re affectionate terms, reflective of the URL and part of common parlance.”
Hulsbosch also felt Bureau of Meteorology had done itself a disservice with its botched rebrand.
“Naming a brand is the hardest, yet most rewarding to get right. Distilling the brand strategy and the brand’s proposition to a single ownable word is a huge factor in creating instant success in consumers hearts and minds.
“In October, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) released a rebrand that announced the Bureau of Meteorology is to be called by the full name in the first instance and The Bureau after that — not the BoM.
“It came after an 18-month rebrand which included an update to the organisation’s visual style and logo, as well as research, pull-up banners and media engagement
“Your name is your brand’s story distilled to its shortest form but the new name, The Bureau was not welcome and also, had basic problems with its important social media platforms.
“The news was badly timed as life-threatening flooding was causing chaos and loss of life in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said, “My focus and the focus of the BoM should be on weather, not branding,” tellingly not bothering with the new name.
“The Bureau of Meteorology name clearly says what it is, and I’d suggest its more understood than BoM and even more so than The Bureau.
“But what’s been overlooked is consumer sentiment with a brand communication that appears to force feed what they don’t want and telling consumers what they should say. It has led to dissatisfaction, a lack of confidence and tarnished the brand altogether.
“Clearly a troubling brand fail with monies spent but nothing’s changed. After everything they’ve done it has gone all the way back to where it was before – did the whole project progress anything for the brand?”
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