Made in Ireland and based in Cork, Human+Kind skincare has recently launched a welcome addition to its line of all natural skincare products, a fabulous all natural multipurpose body oil which is easily absorbed and highly beneficial for the skin. I’ve been using it for the past few days and it really is a gem of a product, particularly coming out of these winter months when skin has been moisture deprived.

It’s a great next step for Human+Kind on its upward trajectory and is an indicator of how quickly this company has grown since we helped launch the brand in Dubai in May 2011. Demand for the all natural range is increasing at pace and Human+Kind is now distributed across Europe, Asia and the middle East with many new and innovative products in the pipeline for 2012/2013.

It’s very welcome news for the team here at ThinkTank who combined research and strategy with powerful branding to effectively create, communicate and deliver the Human+Kind brand into the marketplace on behalf of the brand owners, the all Dutch team of Rene Van Willigen and Jeroen Proos.

Very early on ThinkTank recognised the unique value in the idea behind the product – multipurpose skincare that is 100% natural. While multipurpose products in skincare are not news, 100% natural multipurpose products with high levels of incredibly effective and proven active  ingredients are very new to the marketplace and this is where Human+Kind spotted a gap.

It was up to ThinkTank to evaluate the opportunity through rigorous research and then use the insights generated from the research to inform strategy development (market positioning, market segmentation & targeting, customer value proposition) and the development of the Human+kind brand which is a key tool for the owners to communicate the value inherent in the products to the marketplace.

It’s a great time to be an all natural skincare brand as natural and organic skincare is on an incredible upward growth curve with more and more consumers becoming highly chemical aware and demanding of their product choices so that they can minimise any potentially negative impact on their health while maximising performance and wellness benefits. In addition, women are increasingly looking to skincare products that deliver maximum performance benefits but in half the time and half the perceived number of products required for their daily skincare regime.

Global players like P+G and L’Oréal are solving these specific skincare problems with the recent smash hit launches of their multipurpose BB (Blemish Balm) creams which cut down considerably the number of products a woman needs in her arsenal, however, Human+Kind goes one better in that it solves an important problem for consumers in a way that the skincare giants are not – it tackles the chemical issue by being 100% natural and reduces the need for multiple products while delivering extremely powerful antiageing benefits and therapeutic benefits over time.

Jeroen Proos, the co-founder of Human+Kind has commented that “Evaluating the opportunity, or “sanity testing” it through research has to be the first port of call for any entrepreneur or start-up, then, once you are comfortable that there is a market, determining where and how to position the product in that market relative to the competition in order to own a territory for your brand and differentiate, how to use the brand both on and offline as a key tool to create brand awareness, relevance, preference and ultimately purchase are the key steps that any brand that has aspirations to become a player on a global stage in a crowded marketplace has to undertake in order to be successful.”

Finally, the packaging that ThinkTank developed for Human+Kind has already won recognition, Human+Kind has recently featured on RTE’s highly popular Nationwide programme and on TV3’s Expose, winning plaudits from influential bloggers like Kirstie McDermott of Beaut.ie and a legion of influential beauty bloggers in the Netherlands. Looks like Human+Kind is only at the start of a very exciting and rewarding  journey.

Marketing journalist Siobhán O’Connell, wrote an interesting article in the Irish Times Media & Marketing section recently where she posed the question “Does Musgrave’s takeover afford the opportunity to reinvent or kill the Superquinn brand?” ThinkTank was kindly asked to comment and our thoughts together with the diverse views of other branding and marketing experts can be viewed here in the Irish Times article.

Superquinn’s excellence in the past was due to the extraordinary vision of Fergal Quinn. He understood brand innately and  knew that every world beating brand is underpinned by a strong customer value proposition. He set about identifying the important problems that needed to be solved for Irish grocery shoppers, exceeding their expectations constantly through a culture of innovation, relentlessly placing the customer at the core of the organisation and in so doing building a hugely successful brand.

Read the rest of this entry »

A nifty infographic compiled with data from Econsultancy’s recent Social Media and Online PR Report:

Insights & Tips on Company & Product Naming

Naming a business is a lot like laying the cornerstone of a new building. Once it’s in place, the entire foundation and structure is aligned to that original stone. If it’s off, even in the slightest, the misalignment becomes amplified.

The tougher it gets out there, the more important it is to put your marketing money where it will do the most good. Coming up with the right name for a company or a product can make a huge difference in building a brand and even in determining it’s future success. Too often companies jump straight into designing a logo and then spend the rest of the marketing budget trying to explain to people what they actually do and what their difference is.

Read the rest of this entry »

For a business to be viable, it has to do something as well as its competitors; to win in a competitive market, it has to do something better than its competitors.

Recent research by global marketing firm, Young & Rubicam highlights the fact that 80% of new businesses and brands fail. Lack of differentiation is cited as the major reason for business failure.

In order to ensure that your product is preferred over those of your competitors, you must consider the complete brand experience and how that experience will contribute to consumer perception. Your brand isn’t what you think it is – it’s what your customer think it is. Your brand isn’t your logo, web site design or tag line – it’s a research informed strategic premise that is designed to deliver competitive advantage and grow market share.

As a bit of a brand refresher and value add to customers, ThinkTank decided to take a peek into what really goes on inside the mind of your customer.

Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t go on holiday without finding out about your destination.

You don’t accept a new job without checking the stability of the employer.

You don’t invest in a new car without checking it’s right for your needs.

You don’t develop your business without trying to discover your market size, value, potential and competitiveness… do you?

An essential element of any business strategy should be early stage secondary market research.

In order to analyse your market and make decisions on growing and developing your business, you must understand the business context you’re operating in:

• Read the rest of this entry »

In tough times we need ideas more than ever before. New ideas are the rocket fuel that can propel growth, ignite economic opportunities and improve our quality of life.

INSEAD’s Global Innovation Index 2009-2010, currently ranks Ireland as the 19^th most innovative country in the world. Ireland Inc is basing its recovery on forging a new smart economy built around innovation. Crowd-sourced competitions like Your Country Your Call have recently been launched to encourage citizens to generate new ideas and proposals that could transform Ireland by creating new jobs, new opportunities and a new way of thinking.

The IDA (Industrial Development Authority) have also invested €2m launching a global campaign with the positioning ‘Ireland – Innovation comes naturally’. It is designed to attract greater direct foreign investment and stimulate economic growth. To highlight this focus, the ‘I’ word has even found its way into our political lexicon. Minister Batt O’Keeffe is now fondly known as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Innovation.

So what can we do locally to become more of an Innovation Nation? As part of a new series, we’ll take a closer look at innovation and how we can apply it to our businesses and our lives.

Read the rest of this entry »

New opportunities or good-paying jobs won’t come from bailouts like NAMA. They come from start-ups. And where do start-ups come from? They come from smart, creative, inspired people who are willing to take risks and not handouts.

So if you’re considering starting your own business – or looking for ways to expand an existing one – here are three time-tested strategies you can implement to fast track growth and gain a competitive edge.

1. Discover an untapped niche that’s ‘hot’

Read the rest of this entry »

In celebrating St Patrick’s Day last week, advertising agency Leo Burnett developed a great tactical outdoor campaign for McDonalds in Chicago.

This execution was placed on the banks of the Chicago River, which is dyed green each year in celebration of  St. Patrick’s Day.  A perfect way to generate brand awareness and promote McDonald’s seasonal ‘Shamrock Shake’ in a fun and creative way.

This got us thinking as to why local Irish advertising agencies do very little to tap into celebrating our National Day. After all it’s a perfect opportunity to get your brand noticed and generate great buzz on social networks and other media.

Have we just become too blase about St Paddies Day? Are clients too risk averse or are our  local advertising agencies starting to lose their creative edge?