--- title: "Branding and identity: the curse of 'New-ness'" description: How to approach branding trends and brand development strategy and why being 'New' may not be in your favour image: https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/file-31561908-jpg/images/branding_and_identity-resized-600.jpg --- # Our Blog ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Blog Topics - [inbound marketing (5)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/inbound-marketing) - [B2B marketing (2)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/b2b-marketing) - [LinkedIn (2)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/linkedin) - [Social Media Strategy (2)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/social-media-strategy) - [Blogging (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/blogging) - [GDPR (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/gdpr) - [Thought Leadership (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/thought-leadership) - [growth (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/growth) - [inbound (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/inbound) - [organic growth (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/organic-growth) - [webinars (1)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/b2b-marketing-blog/topic/webinars) [see all](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/bid/264825/Branding-and-identity-the-curse-of-New-ness#) ## Branding and identity: the curse of 'New-ness' 19 April 2013 [![Share on Facebook](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/INCITE%20IMAGES/social%20sharing%20icons/new/facebook_colour@2x.png?noresize&width=24&name=facebook_colour@2x.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incitemarketing.co.uk%2Fmarketing-blog%2Fbid%2F264825%2FBranding-and-identity-the-curse-of-New-ness%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/INCITE%20IMAGES/social%20sharing%20icons/new/LinkedIn_green@2x.png?noresize&width=24&name=LinkedIn_green@2x.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incitemarketing.co.uk%2Fmarketing-blog%2Fbid%2F264825%2FBranding-and-identity-the-curse-of-New-ness%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/INCITE%20IMAGES/social%20sharing%20icons/new/Twitter_orange%20copy@2x.png?noresize&width=24&name=Twitter_orange%20copy@2x.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incitemarketing.co.uk%2Fmarketing-blog%2Fbid%2F264825%2FBranding-and-identity-the-curse-of-New-ness%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incitemarketing.co.uk%2Fmarketing-blog%2Fbid%2F264825%2FBranding-and-identity-the-curse-of-New-ness%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Branding%20and%20identity%3A%20the%20curse%20of%20%27New-ness%27) ## ![Branding and identity, brand development stratgey](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/file-31561908-jpg/images/branding_and_identity-resized-600.jpg) # How do you keep up with branding trends, stay new and stand out? 'New' may not be the answer for your developing brand strategy, argues Max Wright, Strategy Director at *[Kindred](http://www.kindredagency.com). * When it comes to brand identity development and creating a brand strategy, the concept of '[Newism](https://www.trendwatching.com/trends/newism/)' is hard to ignore. I suspect that this thrill of the new is driven by seeking standout at all costs or the ego-centric view that our audiences are just as obsessed with the new as we are. **A different approach to brand development** We have had it drilled into us that brand differentiation is always the answer, that the most innovative ideas transcend channels and that we must keep up with those new sparkly trends, wherever they may take us. I think that by following this path, we often can get our thinking all wrong. But PR people don’t have the same problem; they are comfortable choosing existing approaches that they know work. This comfort with the ‘olden but golden’ stems from PR folk having a clear understanding of their target audiences. Crucially, the bit of brand development that advertising people always forget is that these audiences are not consumers. The PR team’s audience is first and foremost the professional media that they want to carry their messages for them and they know them best. It’s because of this understanding that PR teams know that, in practice, it’s easier for a journalist or TV producer to sell an idea to their editor if they know it’s already proven as a successful execution. It reduces the risk. And, it’s these very media channels that advertising people put such a high value on. **Branding identity examples ** Now, PR communications don’t work in the same way as advertising messages. They can build awareness, salience and even, dare I say, actually communicate messages for brands and organisations. In reality, they ‘earn’ space for clients for a fraction of a ‘paid media’ cost. On this basis, ‘old ideas’ can be very successful indeed. In fact, when you think about it, some of the most successful recent advertising has hardly been ‘new’ at all. Advertising’s own industry body, the IPA, crowned a Hovis TV campaign that could have aired twenty years ago as the [most effective](http://www.brandrepublic.com/go/news/article/1038432/ipa-awards-grand-prix-mcbd-hovis/) and the blogging community heralded the [US Old Spice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1WqPGn5Ag) campaign for a wonderful execution of a very old idea. The irony is that both of these campaigns have also benefitted from plenty of ‘earned media’ driven by smart PR folk whether working in online or offline channels. Next time I’m working on a new campaign or branding strategy, I’ll be spending as much time exploring the things that already work as I will exploring what’s yet to be tested. And what’s more, next time some stranger asks me what I do for a living, I’m telling them I neither work in the advertising nor the PR business, and that I’ve just started in the communications business. [![Marketing Agency Selection Guides](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/239547/e5a05f2c-8146-41d5-96be-3b9f4119b989.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/239547/e5a05f2c-8146-41d5-96be-3b9f4119b989) Topics: [branding identity](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/branding-identity) [Branding](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/branding) [Brand strategy](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/brand-strategy) [brand development](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/brand-development) [PR](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/pr) [Advertising](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/topic/advertising) ![Danielle Stagg](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/eff1231c9f9e37c49ec1101586f32e8c) #### Written by [Danielle Stagg](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/author/danielle-stagg) Previous Post [Effective content marketing strategy: Do's and Don'ts (Part 2)](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/bid/263989/Effective-content-marketing-strategy-Do-s-and-Don-ts-Part-2) Next Post [![](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hs-fs/file-30226026-jpg/images/advertising_agencies-resized-600.jpg) ](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/bid/265710/Advertising-and-comms-agency-selection-pros-and-cons) [Advertising and comms agency selection: pros and cons](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/marketing-blog/bid/265710/Advertising-and-comms-agency-selection-pros-and-cons) ![Incite Marketing](https://www.incitemarketing.co.uk/hubfs/INCITE%20IMAGES/logo/incite_logo_red.svg) The Factory, 2 Acre Road Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey. 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