VIDEO INSIGHT spring 2017
computerarts.creativebloq.comHOW TO MAKE A
BRAND MORE ICONIC
25 years old this year Hammersmith-based agency
Pearlfisher creates desire for challenger and iconic
brands through a three-pronged strategic approach
VIDEO INsIgHT
C
elebrating its 25th birthday this
year Pearlfisher has come a long
way since co-founders Jonathan
Ford Karen Welman and Mike
Branson decided to translate the
tenacity they saw in Japanese divers fishing
for pearls into the ethos for their new agency.
âour ambition was to start a company that
would dive deep to get that thing of value that
precious gemâ says Ford. over the last quarter-
century pearlfisher has gone from three to 100
staff with offices in london New York and as
of last year copenhagen and san Francisco.
initially specialising in packaging the agency
has broadened its remit to a broad spectrum of
branding fuelled by three divisions â Futures
strategy and Design. âFutures is all about
really understanding how desire is changingâ
continues Ford. âthen the strategy team focus
that information in alignment with the diverse
range of client briefs that we get.
âthat gives the Design team both a big cultural
backdrop and a strategic focus so they can
effectively design with a creative laser beam.â
Here Ford and acting creative director Dan
Gladdon discuss how the agencyâs unique
approach helps turn brands into icons...Can you define the difference between
challenger and iconic brands?
Jonathan Ford: c hallenger brands and
iconic brands behave in different ways but
theyâre quite connected. We believe that no
brand is born iconic. You become that over time.
itâs just a question of how short that time frame
is. Google 15 years. truly iconic. coca-cola
100 and whatever years. iconic. and we believe
those brands that have become iconic started
out as a challenger once.You have to look at the challenger brands
around today to see if they have potential to grow
into something iconic. they could grow become
a mass brand and not have any love or they
could grow and stutter and just fall away.How do you make a brand iconic?
JF: ultimately the thing that connects these
types of brands is a strong sense of desire.
When a challenger comes onto the scene
they somehow cut through and make sense
of something. You knew it needed to happen
but they were the ones who did it. they grow
with you and that desire stays as they become
accepted on a mass scale. thatâs when you
really get an iconic sense of love.
For challengers itâs about being expressive.
icons are about nurturing whatâs got them to that
point. the most successful iconic brands also
recognise where they came from. theyâve kept
that passion and still have their challenger spirit
embedded in there. You have to think about how
youâre nurturing this specialness.Tell us about Pearlfisherâs Futures division.
How do you approach trend forecasting?
JF: i tâs all in-house. our Futures team is led by
sophie maxwell in london and she has a global
role. there are various contributors in the other
studios notably in New York. Weâve been at it for
a long time and itâs evolved along the way.
We actually hate the word âtrendâ here. a
trend is often a result of something thatâs already
happened. Weâre interested in the thing thatâs
happening or about to happen. those are the
cultural shifts. For everything somebody says
will be the big trend of the future we could show
you five counter things that will be happening.
Disruptive language is everywhere and whenPEARLFIsHER
Pearlfisher works with
challenger and iconic
brands around the world
with clients including
Innocent Starbucks
Jamie Oliver and
Cadbury. The agency
was highly commended
at CAâs Brand Impact
Awards 2016 for its
Manomasa project.
http://www.pearlfisher.com