The most successful and exciting brands today have certain things in common: clear, purposeful narratives, and the ability to evolve and stay relevant amid a fickle landscape. Policy makers and stakeholders call for sustainable development that affect change to industries across sectors. This is fertile ground where design and material innovation, cultural propositions, sustainable production, and agile business models can make a difference for the betterment of people's lives.

Brands that make an impact on their industry peers as well as consumers typically tick most, if not all, of these qualities. Striking visual identity. Brand trust and an exceptional corporate reputation. Leaders who inspire both inside and outside of the company. A purposeful vision that has to do with more than just elevating the bottom line. An advocacy that resonates. Creating buzz around a brand may be a seasoned marketer’s mandate and tools of the trade – influencer marketing, for example – are often employed, but once the word is out and a brand has milked its exposure in the press and on advertisements, what makes a brand truly unforgettable can be difficult to pin down.

Brand purpose – or the “why” behind its existence – is often a differentiating factor that defines a company and allows it to resonate with its desired audience. In today’s landscape, it is important to ask: What matters to customers now? Surveys find that consumers are more mindful of a number of issues that affect the planet as a whole: from sustainable living and promoting a net-zero economy to encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion. For example, a McKinsey report said two-thirds of surveyed consumers stated the importance of limiting impacts on climate change, with 67 percent considering the use of sustainable materials as a factor in making a purchase and 63 percent saying a brand’s promotion of sustainability made a difference. To effectively reinvigorate a brand’s reputation and elevate its stature to a wider audience, it’s no longer enough to just tap the right key opinion leaders - a brand will have to walk the talk.

The proposed key speaker line-up of this year’s Summit for the related topic includes:

• Abi Go - Head of Product Marketing, Xiaomi International, Xiaomi Corporation
• Dr Brandon Gien - CEO of Good Design Australia (Australia)
• Brian Yiu - CEO of Fila China, FILA Sports Co., Ltd. (Mainland China)
• Jonathan Cheung - Design Jedi of Gap, Pangaia, Unspun and more (US)
• Cecile Poignant - Trend Forecaster (France)
• and others

Stay tuned for BODW2021 SUMMIT. Let’s Reset @BODW2021!

DOWNLOAD REPORT:

Global Design Reset: A Primer of Business of Design Week (BODW) 2021 and Beyond