COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we work. In the midst of a confusing pandemic, most companies that have never even considered adopting a purely digital work setup before have already embraced remote work—albeit hesitantly at first. This sped up the rapid ‘digitisation’ that’s been underway, long before the pandemic hit. It was indeed difficult for many, but as proven by our recent experiences, not impossible.

Companies have collectively fallen into the groove and adapted to working remotely, but as restrictions begin to ease up and vaccination rates rise, we’re now met with questions—will the work-related behaviour and company attitudes we started during the pandemic persist? Will remote work still be a viable option for companies that can afford it? Can companies *even* afford it? All in all, these questions are just asking one thing: *will remote work* work for *long-term, especially in a post-COVID era?*

To answer this question, it is imperative that we first answer whether the remote work setup is actually beneficial to companies. Short answer is yes, definitely! Like we said earlier, it had not been easy to adapt to this arrangement, but more and more companies have proven themselves capable of handling their work and employees remotely. The pandemic has made us more ‘results driven’. For many, it doesn’t matter *where* the work is being done—as long as it is being done.

### **Five Things to Expect from the Future of Work**

1. Employees to Demand More Flexibility in Work Setup
2. Rethinking and Redefining the Importance of ‘Physical Offices’
3. More Investment in Tools and Systems
4. Focus on Employee Engagement
5. Priority towards a More ‘Hybrid Work Arrangement’

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#### **Employees to Demand More Flexibility in Work Setup**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6720x4480/77eb018c4b/employees-demand-more-flexibility-in-work-setup.jpeg)

In the midst of the global pandemic, employees have enjoyed the work-life balance provided to them by the remote work arrangement. This was something many workers have struggled with before the virus. For instance, the generous cut to time spent on the commute is now utilised better, especially by those with families to take care of. For them, this means more time to sleep, more time to spend in the mornings with their family members, time for meditation and exercise, and so on.

In a study done by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) of 14,000 consumers in 9 countries earlier this year, they found that is it essential for employers to understand “[employees’ evolving motivations & aspirations](https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/report/employee-expectations-2021)” or the shifting employee perspectives in 2021. There, the respondents cited “work-life balance” as their top priority (51%).

Many new hires and old employees alike are now prioritising remote work above all else, and since employees keep the company going, it is important that managers meet these growing expectations. Employers are expected to embrace a lot of changes in the way they work, moving together with these new employee expectations. And they need to go with the tides, in this case, in order to attract and keep a better and efficient talent pool.

` `

#### **Rethinking and Redefining the Importance of ‘Physical Offices’**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6720x4480/acbc44714f/rethinking-redefining-the-importance-of-physical-offices.jpeg)

Employers have begun looking ahead to an eventual full return to the workplace as more and more people become vaccinated. But even experts believe that things will be very different. For one, getting a taste of a remote work arrangement has made many people question the very need for physical offices. This is not to say that physical workplaces and offices aren’t essential anymore—just that the convenience of working from home has likely overridden it.

There is also evidence of more and more people moving out of cities and capitals and into pockets of more “appealing” places, away from the hustle and bustle. This isn’t something new, as digital nomads already paved the way for this work setup way before the pandemic.

This has prompted employers as well as employees to consider or rethink what their priorities are in terms of work and how they do it. The pandemic has shaken the very core of the traditional workplace model (shared office space, the ‘9 to 5’ work hours, etc.) and has sped up the shift to telecommuting. While ‘9 to 5’ is still in place, the focus is heavier now on getting the job done and getting results.

` `

#### **More Investment in Tools and Systems**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6000x4000/e58008d753/more-investment-in-tools-systems.jpeg)

Unprecedented opportunities for remote work were seen during the pandemic. New employees, as well as those hopping back onto the job market, are now expecting a more [flexible work arrangement](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/how-covid-experiences-will-reshape-the-workplace) (a mix of work-from-home and scheduled but limited in-office days) and many companies are yielding to this demand.

Companies that aren’t physically together in a specific location were forced to rely on the efficiency of cloud-based tools. Of course, a workable remote work setup demands a reliable internet connection, a dedicated workspace, as well as necessary technologies to make work easier for everyone. Because companies are theoretically saving a lot more by making their people work from home, money is then (ideally) spent on helping their employees set up better work-from-home spaces so they could work more efficiently. This includes getting resources that magnify the setup, signing up employees on courses and training that they could access everywhere, as well as investing in technologies and systems that employees need.

This is proving to be more economical, at least for those companies that have ditched their offices to exclusively work from home; there are no more leases to pay, no office bills to think about, and so on. And because remote work is not a ‘passing fad’, outdated technology is now being altered in order to empower and manage remote teams better.

` `

#### **Focus on Employee Engagement**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/5948x3965/c4fff90ec0/focus-on-employee-engagement.jpeg)

Of course, there are some costs to telecommuting, including (but not limited to) isolation and demotivation. These are some of the biggest reasons why many companies are still adamant about the supremacy of office work setup; why they believe that physically being in the same location is better than dispersing employees. So led many to rethink the benefits of “office culture”—those that are created only when everyone’s in the same physical location.

While admittedly, there are some downsides to remote working, a remote workplace culture *can* and *do* thrive. This is where managers must come in. It is their duty to keep their teams motivated and, as much as possible, involved. According to a [Horton study](https://www.hortoninternational.com/news/how-covid-19-has-changed-the-way-we-work-for-the-better), a “supportive culture” is vital for motivating and engaging your team, as well as combining personal and professional lives to boost morale. Virtual team-building activities, weekly (sometimes even daily) check-ins through video calls also inspire better employee engagement.

In many ways, the way we work has changed for the better, as more leadership is expected from all members when they work remotely. Working from home means that people have to step up and initiate better than they did when they were in an office, where leadership “roles” are more evident and centralised. All in all, expert advice would be to always lead with empathy, especially during these trying times. Empathy is always the basis for genuine relationship building as well as ensuring more fruitful human connections.

*(Engage your team better while you work remotely. Here are some [remote working tips](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/tips-for-going-digital-during-the-covid-19-pandemic) to implement for your team!)*

` `

#### **Priority towards a More ‘Hybrid Work Arrangement’**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/5127x3845/082d2a8397/priority-towards-a-more-hybrid-work-arrangement.jpeg)

According to the faculty of Harvard Business School [remote work is ](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/covid-killed-the-traditional-workplace-what-should-companies-do-now)*[definitely](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/covid-killed-the-traditional-workplace-what-should-companies-do-now)* [here to stay](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/covid-killed-the-traditional-workplace-what-should-companies-do-now). It will remain prevalent and sought-out (especially by employees) post pandemic. Being ‘forced’ to embrace this setup has led many employers to reevaluate their work and discover what among these tasks can be done remotely and what roles, tasks require people to work on physical offices.

Additionally, studies have also shown that both employees and employers are not opposed to the idea of remote work post pandemic and are, in fact, welcoming of it. Many, however, are more amenable to a ‘Hybrid Working Model’, one that is fluid and flexible. This challenges companies to take the time to plan and build a hybrid work model, something that creates a more balanced mix where people can choose to work wherever they’re comfortable in and be in the offices or a shared space whenever they need to be.

There may not be a full transition to a work from home arrangement, but it would do employers well to consider introducing more flexibility into its work dynamic. Some employees may be more comfortable working at offices while others enjoy more autonomy over their work location. In a hybrid work arrangement, you don’t totally disregard physical workspaces or offices. Here, you still impose a ‘work-from-anywhere’ structure, only bringing the teams or members physically together for important things (including meetings and brainstorming sessions).

` `

## **So, What is the Future of Remote Work?**

While COVID-19 cases are slowly being mitigated, the virus is still viewed by many as a threat in a foreseeable future, leaving many companies who already have a remote work arrangement in place to include remote work in their longer term plans.

In Singapore, for instance, remote work is still highly promoted and employees are encouraged to return to offices *only* to perform duties that, according to employment law expert Lakshanthi Fernando, are “[demonstrably vital to the company’s operations](https://www.cms-lawnow.com/ealerts/2021/05/the-future-is-now-the-new-world-of-work-in-singapore)”.

Everyday is an opportunity to review how work is done, how people interact with their colleagues, what is necessary to keep the operations going, and where and how results are delivered. The future will focus on flexibility; seeing what work is getting done and not where or when it’s getting done. It paints a ‘results over hours’ picture of a workplace. All in all, there is a call to take into consideration the policies that led to improved workflows and company culture during the pandemic and see whether these could work after we’ve survived this critical juncture.

*Need help with your [digital marketing](https://ambercreative.sg/services/digital-marketing) and [web development](https://ambercreative.sg/services/web-app-design)? Send our friendly team a message today or post your [enquiries](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) here!*

The Future of Work: Five Things to Expect Beyond the Pandemic

Content marketers follow a marketing model for magnifying the impact of their brand’s content strategy. And while there isn’t just one particular model, a lot of them do follow the same principle and rationale—the “Pareto principle”.

In this article, we explore what the Pareto principle is and how this helps in content marketing, especially building and maintaining better relationships with your audience.

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### ***What is the “Pareto Principle”?***

Pareto principle is a prediction model from Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century economist from Italy who saw that 20% of Italy’s citizens own 80% of the country’s wealth. This ratio has already evolved to include topics outside the realm of economy, like social media, for instance. Here, it has since been used to explain the logic behind winning social media content strategy, especially in relation to content posting.

Other ratios have also been developed since then. But no matter what division it comes out as—with 80/20 as the most common—everything nonetheless works with the same rationale: “__ percent of results often come from __ percent of causes.” Most marketers follow the 80/20 ratio, while others the 70/30. Some, even a 70/20/10!

*\*Please note that for brevity, we’d be using the original ratio throughout this article: 80/20.*

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### ***The “Pareto Principle” and Social Media Content Strategy***

Now that we have the definition out of the way, it is time to ask: how exactly do these ratios help magnify a brand’s social media content strategy?

Firstly, it is good to know why a content strategy is important. For one, a good content strategy builds brand awareness and contributes to better consumer retention. Remember, content is *still* king; people will definitely expect to get something of value from your social media accounts, content that resonates with them in some way.

But a more practical reason is that a good content strategy helps prioritise your budget as well as time. Knowing exactly what type of content would yield the best returns allows you to focus on those content instead and magnify it better, instead of wasting time and energy on those that aren’t doing as much for your brand.

So, following the Pareto principle, we could say that 80% of your social media posts must be anything useful for your audience and *not* promotional.

This content could be:

1. fun content
2. how-to or DIY blog posts
3. inspirational content
4. timely, general industry updates
5. lifestyle-related

` `

The ‘shareability’ of these types of content is usually high. For example, you’ve slated 20 posts for your Facebook page every month. According to the Pareto principle, 80% or 16 posts of those must be non-promotional, while only 20% or 4 posts must directly mention your brand or company.

When producing non-promotional content, you’d do well to remember exactly why people are on social media in the first place, and usually, it is for these two reasons: they either want to be ‘entertained’ or ‘informed’. Content that entertains and informs is usually what keeps your brand’s connection with its followers strong; it’s what contributes to a stronger community.

But what happens when you release so much of content that blatantly mentions your brand? You risk having your audience tune out. You risk appearing so ‘spammy’ or ‘sales-y’. Your followers already know what you’re selling—it’s why they followed you in the first place! But creating valuable content means more than that; it means providing them with content that is useful and relatable to their daily lives.

Although you get a lot of freedom on the 80%, you still have to make sure that the content you put out still connects, in a way or another, to your brand. You can’t expect to just ride out any trend that makes noise, otherwise, it will look very out of character and not “on brand”. All in all, you have to remain [authentic to your brand](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/a-guide-to-brand-authenticity) and your brand values.

However, focusing on your non-promotional content doesn’t necessarily mean foregoing your promotional ones. Promotional content could be:

1. new product or service release
2. product spotlight
3. special offers (sales, seasonal offers, discounts, etc.)
4. positive media coverage
5. customer reviews

` `

*(Content creation is another topic altogether. It could be daunting to come up with fresh content every time, even for seasoned marketers. If you’re in a pickle, here’s how to [get out of a content plateau](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/here-s-what-to-do-when-you-ve-hit-a-content-plateau).)*

` `

Because of their rarity, these promotional posts appear more special and as such, encourage users to act on your message better. It’s what ultimately drives consumer action, so make sure to include clear CTAs when you post content like this.

These ratios, while widely acclaimed and known to be really helpful, need to work well with each brand’s strategy. As always, your brand’s goals should be at the forefront of everything you do content-wise. Writing for inc.com, [Tanya Halls](https://www.inc.com/tanya-hall/the-new-80/20-rule-of-social-media.html) puts it perfectly:

> ***Take the time to define your brand and goals to set yourself up for stronger social media results down the line.***

` `

Unsure about what content to post or how best to maximise your content marketing budget? [We’re here to help](https://ambercreative.sg/contact)! Explore our [digital marketing services](https://ambercreative.sg/services/digital-marketing) today and make the most out of your brand’s social media experience!

The “Pareto Principle” in Social Media Content Strategy

TikTok’s recent success has made brands interested in the platform. Many have been trying to see whether they could also use the platform to their advantage. While it may not be for everyone, a lot of industries could definitely benefit and are already benefiting from TikTok.

In the recent [Elementor #webcreators2021 webinar](https://elementor.com/blog/webcreators2021-exploring-the-future-of-web-creation), when asked what platforms should brands be focusing on right now, social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk was quick to give two answers—LinkedIn and TikTok. He emphasised the need to “create content with value” in order to engage audiences better and saw both platforms, especially TikTok, as vital platforms for doing this. Attendees were a bit divided on his answer, which proves that many in the digital marketing industry are still a bit hesitant about embracing TikTok as a marketing tool. This reaction is understandable, especially if we’d consider that the platform is originally intended for a younger audience. But looking past viral dance covers, we can definitely say that TikTok also offers a lot of benefits for brands.

So if you’re looking to delve into this fast-rising platform, here are some statistics and brand success stories you should know about!

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### **TikTok Statistics in 2021:**

1. TikTok is the second most downloaded app in the world, with almost [62 million installs](https://sensortower.com/blog/top-apps-worldwide-january-2021-by-downloads) in just January of 2021.
2. TikTok boasts [689 million](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics) monthly active users.
3. The average daily view time on the app is [46 minutes](https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users).
4. Users spend around a whopping [858 minutes per month](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1115136/tiktok-user-engagement-monthly-usa) on the app.
5. In terms of business relevance, TikTok ranks as the “[second-biggest app](https://www.hootsuite.com/pages/digital-trends-2021)” in terms of consumption spending.

` `

### **Here are some success stories of brands on the platform:**

` `

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1982x830/45e169a503/tiktok-guess.png)

**[Guess](https://www.tiktok.com/@guess?lang=en).** Guess’s most successful TikTok campaign to date leveraged the platform to promote their Fall ’18 Denim Fit Collection. They rolled out the [#InMyDenim](https://ads.tiktok.com/homepage/inspiration/7) campaign and called for user engagement, encouraging users to style themselves with denim. The result? Over 5,550 UG videos, over 10.5 M views and 14.3% engagement rate. Pretty impressive for a 6-day campaign period!

` `

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/770x363/74fcca81ff/tiktok-arby-s.jpg)

**[Arby’s](https://www.tiktok.com/@arbys?lang=en).** Arby’s case is what we may call ‘accidental’. All it took was one ‘funny’ video that wasn’t even produced by Arby’s to catapult them to success on the platform. TikTok creator John Casterline (@h1t1) posted a video late last year of a flat-screen TV he bought for $25—only to find out that the TV could only display [Arby’s menu](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-one-tiktok-led-to-a-new-arbys-menu-item). This was followed by a series of hilarious back and forth between the food chain and Casterline which people closely followed. This culminated with Arby’s getting their TV back and a special menu item.

` `

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/551x676/786b87afb2/tiktok-twp.png)

**[The Washington Post](https://www.tiktok.com/@washingtonpost?lang=en).** It could be difficult to get the younger generation interested in news, but The Washington Post has managed to unlock a new, more tech-savvy audience for them—thanks, in large part, to TikTok. The 143-year-old newspaper brand has achieved [1M TikTok followers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymeek/2021/08/28/the-washington-post-a-143-year-old-newspaper-just-hit-1m-tiktok-followers/?sh=3dbec76a52e7) just in August of this year and Dave Jorgenson, TWP’s video producer, editor, and writer (who fondly calls himself the *‘Washington Post TikTok Guy’*) shares his and his team’s intention to expand into new formats like live videos.

` `

Although generally easy, the features of TikTok could be a bit confusing at first glance. So, here’s a rundown of TikTok information that’d do you well to remember:

1. TikTok videos can be 15 seconds to 3 minutes long and come in a type of short-form content that is easily digestible.
2. There is a variety and diversity of content on the platform; anyone can find a way to leverage it to their benefit.
3. It has easy-to-use video editing tools that many people—including celebrities, influencers, brands and even educators—find appealing.
4. “Content is king” on TikTok, which means even an account with 0 followers could rake in millions of views if they manage to create content that people would find relatable and replicable.
5. While it has a specific TikTok for business option complete with plans you can look into, brands often find success in TikTok with very little investment.
6. TikTok is able to catapult some people into instant stardom, which goes to show that influencer marketing is really effective here.

` `

On TikTok’s [page for business](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-SG), they claimed that “there’s an audience for every voice.” And to be able to find success on the app, your brand would definitely need to know & be familiar with pop culture and the ‘zeitgeist’, as these are referenced by people a lot on the platform.

TikTok is still rolling out many new features for brands, so now’s the best time to do a deep dive into it and reap the rewards for you. It’s not that saturated yet, offering a bigger chance of success to brands who’d embrace it now.

TikTok Marketing for Brands: Statistics & Brand Success Stories

If you’ve been in the industry long enough, then you must already know the weight placed on “brand authenticity” not only by brands but by consumers as well. It’s the hottest marketing buzzword right now, thanks in part to the younger generation who demands it from everyone they make business with. Millennials, who have huge purchasing power, especially resonate with companies and organisations that they deem to be authentic.

With the word being thrown around so much nowadays, you’d expect people to know exactly what it means. Including how to be or appear as an authentic company. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

So, what exactly is “authenticity”? And is there a perfect formula to achieving authenticity that your brand should be following?

### **The Truth in “Being Truthful”: “Honest” Marketing**

Here’s a short storytime: an ex-girlfriend once tried to surprise me for Valentine’s day with flowers and chocolates, which were supposed to be delivered to our office on the same day she ordered them. But things didn’t go as expected. The flower store blamed it on their website crashing (which shows that [website maintenance is crucial](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/why-website-maintenance-is-crucial-to-doing-good-business) to doing good business), the unexpected onslaught of orders for that day and even “rowdy” delivery riders who supposedly went rogue with some of the orders. Long story short, they failed to deliver—literally and figuratively.

And coordinating with them about the refund is even worst, not exactly what you’d expect from a brand who promised, on their website, to make ordering flowers “as convenient for you as possible”. That experience was awful enough for us that we’ve never made business with them again.

Which brings us to the point of this section: if you want to seem genuine, you have to be truthful to your customers. Be honest about what you do and then do it consistently across all platforms. But sure, it is so easy to say that you’re being honest, but communicating that to your consumers may be harder than you think. So how do you do it without your attempts looking forced? How do you eventually make marketing “truthful” and consequently, “authentic” for your audience?

Nowadays, you can no longer make unbacked claims about your products. The days of superfluous, exaggerated marketing is over. But although difficult, it is possible for marketing to be authentic.

When Sherpa Marketing asked around about what “(Brand) Authenticity” means to people, the responses they got included the terms [‘honest’, ‘original’, ‘real’ and ‘genuine’](https://www.sherpamarketing.ca/what-makes-a-brand-authentic-579). Authenticity is basically all these abstract things combined—the challenge, however, is on translating these into actual, actionable strategies.

Here are some ways to do that:

* Be clear about your core brand or organisational values
* Be consistent across all platforms
* Communicate with prospects & consumers
* Be real & genuine
* Hire good marketers & pr people

### **How To Be An Authentic Brand**

### 

#### ***Be clear about your core brand or organisational values***

Think of values as the “soul” of your brand. A brand has to have a set of core values that guide or motivate the whole organisation; a moral compass that keeps everyone’s behaviour in check. Values are intangible things that show you’re standing up for something, a cause possibly bigger than your organisation. These values illustrate ethical principles that carry over to different levels within the whole organisation; a cohesive thing that creates a strong company culture.

But how are values created? Well, values are, first of all, determined by business owners. It is later on disseminated to everyone in the company. Because brand values are a strong invisible guiding force, it’s key to differentiating your brand from others. Brand values influence a lot of things about your company—the development of your brand voice, how you market your product or service to people and even how people will remember your brand. So, these values must also be visible to your audience through your marketing initiatives.

#### ***Be consistent across all platforms***

Inconsistency kills a business. It may sound like a rash assertion but one thing we’re certain about is that inconsistency breeds mistrust and mistrust discourages consumers from supporting a brand. After all, who would want to do business with brands they don’t trust, right? But it is so easy to lose track of brand voice because of how fast and diverse everything moves nowadays.

So, how do we make sure we’re consistent?

One thing you can do is create a brand playbook. A brand playbook or “branding guide” ensures uniformity. It makes branding and design consistent anywhere the audience finds your brand. The trick is in ensuring that you’re using the same voice and tone everywhere. Are you formal? Bubbly? Conversational? Whatever brand voice you have, your consumers and prospects must always “hear” that. And their experience—the most important thing to a customer—must be consistent wherever they talk to you. So, make sure you hammer this voice and personality into your employees as they are your brand’s best champions—the frontliners who communicate your brand and what you stand for to consumers.

#### ***Communicate with prospects & consumers***

Now that your brand voice is clear to you, use that voice to inform, discuss, and reach out to customers. Make communicating with your brand a breeze for your consumers by giving them an option to talk with you about things related to your business—yes, including (and most especially) their pain points. You can do this with the right social media marketing strategies in place.

Our search for authenticity led us to a simple litmus test for determining a brand’s level of authenticity: when discovering a new brand or observing an old one, go to their About page or bio and see if they successfully embody what’s written there. While the About page is not everything, it does tell you a lot about what they stand for and what brands strive to achieve—for themselves and for their customers

Additionally, you can look to community marketing \[3\] to keep your consumers engaged, as it’s also a brand’s way of communicating with people and making them loyal brand ambassadors of your brand.

Communicating with consumers helps cultivate brand authenticity because a moving, talking brand would appear more authentic to people. So share news, consult your consumers, ask for their opinions and give them an option to give you feedback.

#### ***Be real & genuine***

As mentioned earlier, authenticity is often connected with the terms “real” and “genuine”. As real as you are to yourself and your team, it is more important that this realness transcends to your consumers and prospects. And how do you do this?

You focus on your brand’s ‘why’.

While it is so easy to spot the ‘what’, the ‘why’ of it all gives your brand the heart it needs to be relatable to people.

Take SPD, for example. SPD is a local charity that creates opportunities for people with disabilities to help integrate them better into mainstream society. Not only is the whole brand built with this very purpose in mind (SPD means “Serving People with Disabilities”) but they also make sure to put emphasis on this on all of their social media assets, as well as their official website.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/782x760/f8c65d47c4/spd-landing-page-ss)

A surefire way to look more real to your consumers is by showing your more humane side to them. Consumers love putting a face to a business. And it doesn’t always have to be an influential endorser or celebrity—it could be the very people in a company. It gives off a feeling that they’re dealing with real people, people they can sympathise with and connect to.

#### ***Hire good marketers and PR people***

Some brands often forget that a big chunk of the narrative is written by people you hire to do the communicating for you—your pr people or marketers. But it’s not just a matter of onboarding professionals who can turn your brand vision into palatable and clever taglines. It’s also an issue of reinforcing this on your chosen social channels. So it’s both important that you hire good marketers who understand the industry you belong in as well as pr people who can weave your missions and vision into an impactful narrative that people can resonate with.

## **Brand authenticity matters because, for many, personal authenticity is important.**

The majority of your consumers care about purchasing from brands that allow them to be the most authentic versions of themselves. Take for instance one of the greatest drivers in the modern world—the Millennials. Millennials are not easily convinced by traditional marketing that relies on exaggeration and unbacked claims. They tend to scrutinise more. For Millennials, a brand must “walk the talk”.

> ***So, authenticity is no longer a choice—it’s a non-negotiable. An imperative to making good, withstanding business.***

All in all, authenticity boils down to how strictly you can follow and implement the values you’ve set for your company.

Need a competent [digital marketing team](https://ambercreative.sg/services) to help you craft your brand’s story? Send our friendly team a [message](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) today!

A Guide to Brand Authenticity

People are drawn to videos. We love watching videos so much that SEMRush reports a staggering [1.86B users on Youtube](https://www.semrush.com/blog/youtube-stats)—the biggest video-streaming platform in the world today—just in 2021, a year that hasn’t even ended yet! You can’t deny the popularity of videos and only have to look at other social media platforms who didn’t use to have videos in them but are rolling out their video features to join in the hype.

The popularity of videos has soared and it’s not tapering off any time soon. It is now considered by many as a powerful tool, that while mainly used for entertainment purposes, videos are now also utilised for marketing or advertising.

The same SEMRush report also says that 18% of people check Youtube to follow brands and companies, so if you haven’t looked into the platform’s potential yet, then now might be a good time to do so.

To inspire you, here are 7 Youtube video ideas that you can explore with your brand!

### **Youtube Video Ideas for Brands**

1. Product or Service Demo Videos
2. Testimonial or Customer Stories Videos
3. Introduction to Business or Organisation Videos
4. Product or Service Announcement Videos
5. Tips & Advice Videos
6. “How-to” or Tutorial Videos
7. Interview Videos

#### **Product or Service Demo Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6000x4000/ee53146294/product-demo.jpg)

If you’re offering a product or a service that is novel to people, you might want to produce a demo video so it’d be easier to understand. People love learning about things they’re interested to buy or avail, so ultimately, a great demo video could assist in and shorten their buying decision.

Demo videos show how products or services are supposed to work. The primary purpose of demo videos is not necessarily to sell but to showcase specific features and steps as well as simplify things about a service or a product that are otherwise hard to comprehend.

Take Kew Organics for example who, with the help of Amber Creative’s marketing team, was able to give a [clear walkthrough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DKjMKBl52I&t=3s) of their bespoke Organic Hydra Deluxe Facial.

#### **Testimonial or Customer Stories Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/5880x3920/6921906efc/testimonial.jpg)

One of the reasons why videos are a complete winning tool is because it is able to rapidly convey emotions and trigger necessary reactions from viewers in the way text can’t automatically do. And one’s emotional response to a certain product strongly influences their decision to buy and patronise it.

Testimonials work the same way reviews do; it gives customers and prospects an idea about how your previous clients feel about you. Organic testimonials influence consumer decisions as well as raise a brand or organisation’s credibility.

Imagine just basically letting your customers do the selling and advertising for you. This is exactly what Primus School did when it sat down the parents themselves for a [short testimonial interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4WNZwRgE8) about why they chose the school for their kids.

### **Introduction to Business or Organisation Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6000x4000/d2ffb0e921/introduction-to-business.jpg)

Videos that show the humble beginnings of a brand or organisation are inspiring and people love to get inspired. People are drawn to videos that allow them to sympathise. Aside from showcasing the strengths of your brand, introduction videos that delve into a brand’s history can humanise you and better connect you with your target audience.

But introduction videos don’t just help build and spread brand awareness; additionally, these can also draw the attention to your team, who’re basically the face of your brand; the “real” people they’d potentially connect with.

Primus School, back when it was still Repton Schoolhouse, also did this in 2018 when they published a video that talks about the [salient framework of the school](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5mzlR6JRKM), discussed by none other than its principal:

#### **Product or Service Announcement Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/600x321/ea82a789bd/product-announcement.png)

Another great video content you can explore, especially if you’re launching a new product or service, is an announcement video. Announcement videos can hype the product and give your prospects an idea about what to expect with the new release.

Announcement videos effectively generate buzz about the new product, especially if you release it on the right social media platforms.

#### **Tips & Advice Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/5472x3648/699c1316ff/tips-advice.jpg)

Tips and advice videos aim to solve and improve consumers’ lives. Let’s say you do creative work for brands, then it may be good to produce videos where you demo how to create a poster for an event. By doing this, you would have managed to produce content that is very useful to your target customers.

Publishing tips or advice videos are also a great way of showing your prospects exactly what you’re capable of; it shows them how good you are at what you do. And people like knowing that they’re putting their money into brands and organisations that walk the talk.

The important thing to remember for tips and advice videos is that it has to revolve around what would be useful for your audience and then make sure they get important takeaways after watching it.

#### **“How-to” or Tutorial Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6000x4000/57f894a912/how-to.jpg)

This is probably what you’re most familiar with on this list. From cooking tutorials to making diy furniture we’ve all, at one point, probably looked up a how-to video on the internet. And our number just keeps on growing every year.

Google reports that how-to videos are the “second most-watched content on Youtube” (second to music videos). Just like tips and advice videos, how-tos or tutorials aim to offer something useful for the audience. It demonstrates and breaks down to more digestible bits an otherwise complicated process.

So say for instance you sell furniture, then a room makeover could be good how-to content. You not only get to feature your products, but it’s also useful to people. It’d generate buzz around your content and brand, which could potentially lead to sales.

#### **Interview Videos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/6000x4000/8507f35d7a/interviews.jpg)

Interview videos are a great type of Youtube video ideas for brands because it is able to both inspire and inform. This type of video gives you an opportunity to raise your credibility as you explore a topic that adds value to your audience.

And we don’t just mean the conventional interview videos where you sit down and talk with an expert within your niche industry. We also mean webinars, which have risen in popularity because of the pandemic. Webinars can be uploaded as content on your social media platform, especially Youtube. You can prompt and raise audience response by holding a question and answer portion. This makes the experience richer and fuller, not just for you but for the audience as well.

*Want more? Get tips and other video types here: [Video Marketing Content: Tips and Types](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/video-marketing-content-tips-and-types)*

## **Youtube videos as a source of great, organic traffic**

The way people consume content has evolved drastically over the years. Instead of just watching from TVs, majority are also now lurking in video streaming platforms, primarily Youtube.

Although popular, the reality is that it is not easy to create video content. It could get jarring, especially if you hit a [content plateau](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/here-s-what-to-do-when-you-ve-hit-a-content-plateau). Aside from the challenge brought on by coming up with fresh Youtube video ideas, you’re also faced with the fact that some types may not work for your industry.

So, you need a reliable social media marketing team with a [robust video content strategy](https://ambercreative.sg/services/video-animation-marketing) in place to help you! [Talk to our team](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) today and start exploring the potential of Youtube videos for your brand!

7 Youtube Video Ideas for Brands

Experts on the internet contradict each other about a lot of things, but one thing they’re possibly in agreement about is this: a website is *never* done. It doesn’t end once website developers finally turn over the management of your website to you. If anything, it marks the beginning of an arduous journey involving website maintenance.

According to UK digital agency MAKE, [website maintenance services](https://makeagency.co.uk/blog/website-maintenance-and-management-why-bother) mean a lot of things, including: security updates, speed and functionality tests and a lot of tweaks and fixes (especially on how responsive it is). So a website must undergo timely audits for it to run smoothly.

If you’re still on the fence about the importance of website maintenance, we suggest you read on.

### **Why Is Website Maintenance Important?**

#### **Website maintenance is crucial in order to keep your website safe.** 

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/960x627/4857a09264/1.jpeg)

Website maintenance is important for your website’s security. Websites are vulnerable to a lot of hacker attacks, especially the old, unmaintained ones. Hackers can easily breach the security of older, unmaintained websites; they only have to view the page source to see what version the website runs on and then go from there. Once inside, hackers can get to your company information and worse, they can steal the data you have on your customers as well. So if you’re an ecommerce website, this could include credit card and payment details and other saved sensitive information. And we don’t want that.

While getting hacked is a common occurrence online, you do have the power to avoid hackers from getting to your website. The first thing you have to look at is definitely the Content Management System (CMS) that you’re using. Take WordPress for instance. WordPress still stands as the largest CMS today, powering more than half of the world’s websites. But WordPress also works with a bunch of 3rd-party plugin developers. These plugins are so vulnerable to attacks. So, you’ll want to make sure that your website is running on its most up-to-date version, including bug fixes and security patches.

#### **Your website is the reflection of your business.**

#### **![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/940x627/ad70b72a87/2.jpeg)**

You risk losing valuable clients and sales with a poorly maintained website. Imagine going to an ecommerce website, browsing the items for sale, and then finally deciding to check out—only for the order form not to work. I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely be frustrated. And the next thing a customer like me would do in this situation is go to your competitor. In short, a website that isn’t maintained and checked is bad for business.

A well maintained website definitely attracts new visitors and boosts returning traffic. It captivates visitors and reflects the goals and ideals of the business. Maintaining the website to reflect the best parts of your company could include updating website design, rewriting and making sure your content is up to par as well as making sure that all the links are working (so no 404 pages). A website must be managed as well as maintained post-launch, either by you or an outside company made up of experts who know what they’re doing. 

*(Thinking of tweaking your website design to embrace a newer trend? Read our latest article on the website design trends for 2021 [here](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/website-design-trends-to-know-ahead-of-2021).)*

#### **A well maintained website drives and boosts SEO ranking.**

#### **![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1125x750/c6ca3b7039/3.jpeg)**

Customers also expect a website to be fresh and updated with new content, especially because new content is important for SEO ranking. And it’s important to note that Google cares (demands, really) about this as well. Google is more likely to crawl websites with fresh content. Search engines want sites that are well maintained, error free and load fast. They’re most likely to index sites with new content as this gives your audience a signal that your website is still working and not outdated. So updating and maintaining it with material related to your business will help more people find you through your website. 

SEO components must be optimised in order for things to run smoothly. This includes: optimising images; making sure there are no typos; all links are functioning; contact, order forms and payment gateways are working.

*(Content should not only be fresh, but also accurate. Read on to see responsible copywriting guidelines for brands [here](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/responsible-copywriting-guidelines-for-brands-in-2020).)*

#### **Website maintenance is essential to back up essential files and materials.**

**![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/940x628/524d8c541b/4.jpeg)**

Website crashes can happen. And it happens a lot because of malware attacks or even natural catastrophes. Especially when your website is running on assets that have not been updated. Sometimes when a website crashes, you end up redoing everything from scratch. This isn’t just a waste of time but most especially of the resources and budget you used to create the website with in the first place. So what do you do to avoid crashes (or at least minimise its impact)? You maintain and back up essential files.

Backing up through website maintenance looks at two major things: the *code* and the *content. Code* is very much dependent on your content management system (WordPress, for example) and the updates they have. And *content* includes texts and media uploaded to your website. 

## Make sure the people you onboard to do the website maintenance for you know what they’re doing and are trustworthy.

The metaphor about websites working like a car is an overused one, but that does not make it any less true. When you buy a car, you immediately also sign up to doing regular oil changes when needed, as well as making sure everything’s in tiptop shape. Likewise, websites need to be regularly checked and maintained so it caters to real-time visitors and their needs.

And of course, you wouldn’t let an inexperienced person touch your car. And it’s the same with your website. Amber Creative is made up of [experienced developers](https://ambercreative.sg/services/web-app-design) who can help you build the website you need for your company, as well as [digital marketing experts](https://ambercreative.sg/services/digital-marketing) who’d help you rake in the results with fresh content.

-

[Drop us a message](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) today and let’s talk about our website development and maintenance services!

Why Website Maintenance is Crucial to Doing Good Business

Logos should successfully do one thing for brands, especially new ones—tell people who a brand is and what it does at first glance. From the moment it’s created, a logo gets to be everywhere. It’s in pitch decks you present on internal meetings, on accounts you use and content you publish in social media, marketing collaterals you distribute outside and so on. Basically, everywhere your brand is, your logo’s there. Think of it as the visual representation that people would immediately refer back to when they think of your [brand identity](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/guide-to-building-a-successful-online-brand-identity).

While it isn’t necessarily rocket science, creating a logo that embodies your brand and its ideals properly can be a bit tricky. It’s because every element you use must coincide with your brand and its identity. Colours should trigger the right cultural association (e.g. ‘red’ is usually used in the food industry); the typeface must look right and appropriate (e.g. high-contrast serif fonts for beauty and fashion brands); and even the shapes and lines you use must create proper associations between the logo and your audience’s view on your brand & its industry.

So, if you’re finding it difficult to create a logo that communicates your brand vision properly, then take a look at these five logo trends we have for you!

If you want to know more about what works and what doesn’t, we suggest you read one of our latest articles on [recent brand logo redesigns](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/a-brief-run-down-on-recent-brand-logo-redesigns).

### **Five Design Principles**

Prominent design sites will tell you a lot about non-negotiable design principles that logos must embody. But for starters, we suggest you focus on these five.

#### **Balanced**

People will immediately be attracted to and recognise balanced, well-proportioned designs. Logo designs with all the elements aligned create a composition that looks good when viewed across platforms.

#### **Simple**

Good, simple logos are not overcrowded by elements and use white space perfectly to convey the aesthetics of the company and its philosophy.

#### **Scaleable**

One good indicator of a great logo is its ability to adapt and still be legible when used in any size. Its features & elements must retain their sharpness once blown up or when it’s applied to smaller items.

#### **Timeless**

Since design trends are constantly changing, it’s good to have a logo design that is timeless and classy. It would be challenging to strike that balance, but a great logo must stand the test of time while also accommodating the trends of today.

#### **Original**

An unforgettable logo is an original logo. It’s one that stays in people's minds because of how unique it is and how easily they could associate it with your brand. Think about the Nike, Apple or McDonald’s logos.

## **Latest logo design trends**

#### **Flat & Semi-Flat Designs**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1920x1080/0c3e4ef4cc/flat-semi-flat-logo-design)

Recently, brands are leaning towards a flatter or more minimalist feel on their logo designs as well as redesigns. Big and small brands alike are dropping the flashy and ostentatious designs that marked the early 2000s. They are now moving towards “modern simplicity”. This is not just a nod to the visual trends of the time. Flat and minimalist designs also work to complement the large transition to digital platforms, where it must also coalesce with [website design trends](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/website-design-trends-to-know-ahead-of-2021). A flat logo design, for one, is an answer to readability issues in the digital world because it is versatile and easier to replicate across platforms.

#### **Monogram Logos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1920x1080/c879a6bad6/monogram-logo-design)

Monogram logos or lettermarks are not outgrowing their popularity anytime soon, especially since simplicity—its backbone—is never going out of style. The use of monogram logos is a great way of catching people’s attention. It may not seem much in theory, but monogram logos offer plenty of room for creativity because you get to decide on the actual typeface you use. Not to mention it’s also very adaptable and scalable. With monogram logos, the pressure’s heavy on the typeface, but the trick here is basically finding or creating a distinct typeface that you can play around with and design with your brand’s overall feel in mind.

#### **Gradient Logos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1920x1080/8bd5e7dcd5/gradient-logo-design)

We’ve seen the rise and decline of gradient logos in the recent decade, but its resurgence around 2016—with the Instagram logo leading that charge—brings to mind just how great the potential of this trend is. Gradient logos are eye-catching and striking enough without looking kitschy or flashy. Whether you decide to go with a soft shade that finishes on a stronger color or a bolder color that tapers off to a subdued tone, we cannot deny that the visual experience with gradient logos is really impactful, especially when paired with a solid backdrop.

#### **Geometric Logos**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1920x1080/6fa9741c19/geometric-logo-designs)

As design reverts to its more traditional roots, it also revives elements that have been pushed back before, like geometric shapes. There are just so many possibilities in using geometric shapes in your logos; you can layer, overlap and merge the shapes and still get a coherent-looking logo. Another good thing about geometric logos is that they’re easier to digest since people are already familiar with the basic shapes, which magnifies brand recall.

#### **Vintage Logo**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1920x1080/bb52ab205b/vintage-logo-design)

Now’s the best time to bring some vintage elements and feel back to logo designs, especially with the intention of marrying these classic concepts with newer approaches. Take Burger King’s logo redesign, for example; it has dominated the conversation last year when they overhauled their logo to reflect its rich history. And while it isn’t always a guarantee that you’d replicate that same success with your brand, embracing a vintage style for a logo is still a great way of triggering nostalgia.

## ***Ace the logo design project for your brand with these trending logo design tips.***

Here’s the hard truth, however. A “good” logo for one person, may not even be at par with what another person has in mind. And it’s because design, in general, is very subjective. What’s palatable for one may not be “it” for another. Although of course, there are designs and styles that we can take as “universally attractive”. And these tips offer you a starting point for learning about them.

And the best thing about this is that you can choose not to be alone in this journey. [Contact the Amber Creative team](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) today and communicate with us the ideas you have for your logo! See your brand logo come to life here at Amber Creative.

5 Logo Design Trends for 2021

Parents have always been concerned about keeping their children safe, especially on digital, where a number of predators lurk, veiled and protected by their anonymity. Safety has always been a big issue and while we can’t always police what children are seeing and who they’re engaging with online, a good protection feature from the apps they commonly use is always welcome.

With this in mind, Instagram finally rolls out a safety tool that seeks to ramp up the protection of its teens and underage users. This update came on the heels of TikTok’s update earlier this year, which saw the app set accounts owned by 13-15 years old to private by default. Instagram’s own update wasn’t focused on the same privacy settings (although a prompt that gives users under the age of 18 an option to set their account to private is still available upon sign up). It focuses more on deflecting suspicious adult users from getting in contact with minors on the app.

Talking with [CBS This Morning](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/instagram-safety-features-minors) on Tuesday, March 16, Instagram’s Head of Global Policy Programs Carolyn Merrell says Instagram ‘wanted to get ahead’ and ‘protect teens from unwarranted interactions between adults and teens’.

Basically, this new feature does three major things:

* Makes it difficult for adult users to message or get in contact with minors who don’t already follow them
* Makes it difficult for adult users to follow or get in contact with minors in places within the Instagram app (e.g. *Suggested Users, Explore,* and *ReelsIn*)
* Sends prompts to teen users with cautionary messages that deflect adults “exhibiting suspicious behavior”

The last element has a layer to it that gives teen users more autonomy over their conversations. Prompts are like alerts that ask the young users whether they know the adult trying to get in contact with them. These also provide safety notices that allow minors to secretly “restrict, report or block the other person”. Advice on what to do when confronted with uncomfortable scenarios is also available for underage users (ex. *“Be careful when sharing photos, videos or information with someone you don’t know.”*).

Aside from this, Instagram is also doing more in terms of catching users who lie about their age. It’s developing a model that uses a more sophisticated AI technology and “behavioural signals” to spot users’ real age. 

Know more about safeguarding teens on Instagram on their recently updated [Parent’s Guide](https://about.instagram.com/community/parents) here.

See What's Happening: Instagram Rolls Out Safety Features to Ramp Up Protection of Underage Users

A lot of aspects could make or break a business or a business’s image, but one that you can pick out on the surface level is logos and how good—or bad—it has been designed. The logo is the face of your business, and while primarily working as an embodiment of the brand, good logo designs are also heavily rooted in what works and what doesn’t in a certain industry.

And even trickier still is the process of redesigning logos. Here, the risk of soiling a brand’s reputation is high. There’s the pressure of introducing something that wouldn’t be the subject of ridicule, as well as the added risk of changing it up in a way that it fails to be recognisable to the loyal customers it has accumulated over the years.

The risk is just bigger.

And with all the risks involved, you’d even wonder: *why even go through the trouble of rebranding a logo?*

Brands redesign logos for various reasons, but most commonly because of the following:

1. Businesses innovations
2. Current logos no longer resonate with their new image
3. Current logo is outdated
4. Brand or business has undergone an expansion or partnership
5. Brand is targeting a new audience

In this list, we give you a lowdown on recent logo redesigns, including what worked in its favour and what didn’t. Learn a thing or two and bring these into your own logo redesign project!

### **Burger King’s Retro, Minimalist Logo**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/1100x619/c875138472/burger-king-logo-redesign.jpg)

Burger King’s logo has been left untouched for over 20 years before its redesign in 2021. The logo redesign is part of the comprehensive rebranding for Burger King’s visual identity and elements, spearheaded by creative agency Jones Knowles Ritchie.

The new retro minimalist and flat look design is a tribute to BK’s rich history. Colours used for the redesign are richer and bolder, sealed with a custom made font (Flame Sans) that automatically helps relate the design to the brand. The overall rebranding, especially the logo redesign, worked well for Burger King. It was recognised as a good redesign by both critics and the general audience alike, who appreciated that the new look reflected BK’s history really well.

Burger King also dropped the blue crescent that was evident on the 1999 design and instead focused on colours inspired by the whopper itself—yellow, brown, red and orange. This was a conscious choice, symbolic of Burger King’s recent removal of artificial flavours, colours and preservatives on their menu.

Speaking about Burger King’s redesign, [Debbie Millman](https://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-redesign-logo-whopper-according-to-designers-2021-2) who is a design expert and co founder of Master in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts says the following:

> *I think people are craving less manufactured shine in the construction of logos and experiences, and prefer more straightforward honest identities now.*

### **Yahoo!’s flat, Minimalist Look**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/2000x832/49afe4cbc0/yahoo-logo-redesign.png)

When Yahoo! rebranded in 2019, it sailed out to do one big thing for the brand: revive it and remind users that yes, Yahoo! still exists. And it did that with the flat-look design created by design giant Pentagram.

Under the new ownership of Verizon, Yahoo!’s new logo kept the iconic purple color, slanted the exclamation point and was designed with Centra No. 2 extra bold typeface, a more “lively” typeface that emphasises the “friendly, borderline [anthropomorphic character](https://www.fastcompany.com/90407757/yahoo-has-a-new-logo-again)” of the brand.

The redesign also introduced a simple ‘y!’ monogram that is made specifically to look good as a favicon, which many users and critics appreciated.

### **Toyota’s Monochromatic Colour Palette**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/2000x832/c008d1e9bd/toyota-logo-redesign.png)

Another giant to join the flat design bandwagon is Toyota, who unveiled their 2D flat designed logo last year for a rebranding of their identity rolled out across Europe. For Toyota’s 2D flat design, The&Partnership decided to remove the wordmark altogether, focusing only on the now-iconic Toyota icon.

The redesign is part of a larger interest to transition well across digital platforms, the bigger drivers being a sleek and modern simplicity that acknowledges the brand’s visual recognition.

[Dan Beckett](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/07/22/toyota-rebrands-flat-logo) of The&Partnership also said this was a conscious choice; the flat design wasn’t a mindless jump on the bandwagon but rather is a “practical resolution to the growing issue of readability in the digital world”.

Good logo designs are attention-grabbing, able to separate one from the competition, foster brand loyalty, and are memorable enough to encourage loyalty among customers. But the world is brimming with bad logos almost as much as it is with good ones. And the sad thing is that even the biggest brands in the world are not immune to creating and embodying a bad logo that just doesn’t work in their favour.

Here are some logo redesigns that are, unfortunately, not as well received.

### **Slack’s new logo is “reminiscent of the Swatika”**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/544x419/fa8b33544e/slack-swastika.png)

*screengrab from [Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/slack-new-logo-redesign-swastika-twitter-1295161)*

Adapting a simpler, cleaner look has been the trend in design as of late, and the team behind Slack admittedly said this is one of the motivations behind their brand’s logo redesign in 2019, aside from developing a logo that is more cohesive.

For the redesign, Slack’s in-house design team worked with Michael Beirut of Pentagram. While the new logo does manage to look more cohesive and recognisable than its predecessor (in terms of its pared-down color scheme), the problem presented itself in the negative space, which reminded many of the ‘Swastika’. Not the image you’d want your viewers to associate with your brand.

### **Pepsi’s “potbelly” logo**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/450x303/0ae57803ee/pepsi-potbelly.gif)

*image grabbed from [Good Logo](https://goodlogo.com/extended.info/pepsi-logo-3075)*

Ask designers what top of mind brand do they think badly needs a logo facelift and we’re guessing a number of them would definitely say Pepsi. Pepsi has been a subject of ridicule since it has been unveiled in 2009. And the fact that they paid $1 million is something that did not sit well with people, experts and normal customers alike.

Arnell Group justified the redesign by saying it was a way of reflecting Pepsi’s trajectory into the future by “going back-to-the-roots”. The general verdict, however, is more cutting; for many, the logo looks like a “blown up pot belly” and is really just “underwhelming and uninspiring”. *Yikes.*

### **Mozilla Firefox’s Browser logo allegedly “kills” the titular fox**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/767x479/2e79458c0b/firefox-logo.png)

*screengrabbed from [Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/news/mozilla-addresses-firefox-logo-controversy)*

While the flat look design looked very well for Burger King, internet users aren’t so keen on it being used on the Mozilla logo redesign. Many users bemoaned the fox’s alleged “killing” of the symbolic fox.

While Mozilla did eventually explain that the minimalist logo is actually the logo for its Firefox parent brand and that the browser still very much boasts the iconic fox (whether this explanation actually satiated the critics is still up for debate), the backlash was enough to show that it’s so easy to butcher a company’s legacy with a redesign that just feels off and out of place.

Logo redesign reviews can be brutal. Internet users and critics alike can be cutting with their ideas about a redesign, and no amount of verbosity and rationale can justify a redesign that just doesn’t do it for them.

For a design to work, it boils down to executing a refined design that is reflective not only of the concept but also of the brand and the times. [Micah Bowers](https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/06/06/a-brief-history-of-bad-logo-redesigns-and-what-designers-can-learn-from-them) of The Next Web says there is a lot to learn about bad logo redesigns:

> *Designing a memorable logo requires a measure of fearlessness, a willingness to push boundaries, but there’s also a degree of conceptual balance needed or else the logo’s core audience may be alienated.*

Good logo redesigns or just design in general banks on a brand’s ability to translate the core of their business to an aesthetic, cohesive identity that people can relate to them easily. And this is something you need to leave to the [experts in design and branding](https://ambercreative.sg/services).

Amber Creative is driven by a [passion for the digital space](https://ambercreative.sg/about) and we’re here to help. Contact us today for logo design and redesign services or get your biggest brand identity questions answered!

A Brief Run Down on Recent Brand Logo Redesigns

Welcome to a new series in the Amber Creative blog called ***See What’s Happening***—a series of editorials that look into the newest, trending news & tidbits from the vast, dizzying world of digital marketing, web development and design! For this first instalment, we’re looking at mobile apps and what is dubbed by many as its future—the Open Ecosystem.

Everyone’s been trying to project the future of mobile app development especially post-pandemic, after app-usage went through the roof. It looks like the future is mobile, and so we need apps to expand and make interconnectivity possible.

### *A brief backgrounder on mobile apps*

Mobile ecosystems allow users to access the internet using different apps and systems. There are two major mobile product families in existence that help do this—Apple and its Apple Store and Google with its Playstore. Windows & Blackberry also have their own but represent a minuscule market share. Currently, the two tech giants have a monopoly over mobile app development technologies as well as platforms. But this is a two-edged sword; while the two have allowed developers to offer their products to millions of users worldwide through their product families, this massive commercialisation also limited developers.

This friction fuels the ongoing war that developers are waging against app store policies: Facebook has been criticising app stores’ policies and how it affects business users; and Spotify and Fortnite even joined forces to create the Coalition for App Fairness to openly criticise not only app stores policies but also the mandatory commissions.

### *What to expect with open ecosystems?*

One brand is said to be leading the charge against these restrictive policies—China’s Huawei. And this comes on the heels of their ongoing trade ban with the US. Huawei’s CIO Tao Jingwen shares that the company hopes to overcome these restrictive policies through a software system that developers could benefit to get behind—the open ecosystems.

Speaking at the 2020 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and again in TNW 2020 in October, Jingwen called for unimpeded collaboration in order to create a more robust ecosystem. In his discussion, he cited the growing technologies included in the 4th Industrial Revolution and how this is the best time to capitalise on its transformation.

Put simply, open ecosystems seek to **decentralise development opportunities, keeping these away from the tech giants and their limiting policies and onto the direct supervision and management of developers**. In short, digital sovereignty that banks on developers.

But ideal as it comes, Huawei’s plan comes with its own set of challenges, one of which is in getting developers as well as firms to actually come on board and embrace the new open-source ecosystem. The promotion of industry ecosystem development relies heavily on ICT industry’s cooperation, as well as relevant partners and investors interested in forwarding an open and more flexible digital ecosystem.

### *So where are we on this journey?*

In 2017, Huawei has launched its Global OpenLab Program which directly encapsulates its Open Ecosystem agenda. It’s been four years and the tech giant has since opened its labs in many parts of the world as well, including India and Korea, to facilitate their proposed digital ecosystem development. They’ve pledged to invest [US$1.5B in the next five years](https://www.straitstimes.com/business/huawei-to-build-a-global-open-source-source-ecosystem-without-us-tech) for this, including a plan to “provide funding to universities, individuals, start-ups and enterprises” that supports learning, product development as well as marketing.

The future of open ecosystem software management and development is brimming with possibilities, especially for immersive, developer-driven technologies. Overall, the end goal here is in giving developers enough power to headline innovations with their evolving products for a wholly connected future for everyone.

See What's Happening: Apps & The Future of Open Ecosystems

Account for these updates and start refining your marketing strategy. See the Google Updates slated to take full effect in 2021!

1. Page Experience Algorithm
2. App + Web: The Updated Google Analytics
3. Free Listings on Google’s SERPs
4. Clickable Hashtags on Google Discover
5. Full Implementation of the Mobile-First Indexing

### ***GOOGLE UPDATE 1: Page Experience Algorithm***

The Page Experience Algorithm update, according to Google, would measure *“aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page”.* They want to ensure that people enjoy and are served with the most helpful content online, by bringing them more of the webpages that contribute to a superior user experience. Google will do this by looking at inherent usability markers peppered within individual webpages, which show how useful one website is, in general, to users. What the update means is that Google will find these usability markers and approach it on a webpage level. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the website as a whole won’t be considered, but only that Google’s going to give greater weight to individual pages and how well each one serves the users—how satisfied your users are after using that page.

[Neil Patel](https://neilpatel.com/blog/google-page-experience) says it best when he said that this move is Google’s way of *“adapting its algorithm to more closely align with the mission of showing the sites first that users love the most.”* To do this, he suggests optimising your pages in a way that 1. speeds up the loading time; 2. reducing 400 errors; 3. comparing your (web) experience to that of competitors; and 4. analysing the webpage’s design. The end goal here is to provide users with the most optimal experience on your website, so that Google can in turn reward you with a higher ranking. Expect to see this update fully rolled out in May.

### ***GOOGLE UPDATE 2: App + Web: The Updated Google Analytics***

Google’s breathing new life into its Google Analytics platform. The App + Web, Google’s new measurement model for web traffic, is the third major change to Google Analytics. If you’re not looking, you’d easily miss these changes, especially since these are not so obvious at face value from the existing Google Analytics UI. While the new App + Web platform is not necessarily serving new things but more likely upgrading them, but still there are some things that you have to manually re-add as automatic transitions from Google Analytics to App + Web are not very possible.

Search Discovery gave an [insightful dive into App + Web](https://www.searchdiscovery.com/blog/google-analytics-app-plus-web) and highlighted four things about this update:

1. Commonly tracked activities may be enabled without having to change codes through a feature called “Enhanced Measurement”
2. Better tools for viewing customer data across multiple platforms
3. Old dashboards, as well as custom reports, are now overhauled with new powerful tools for conducting analysis and sharing findings
4. The BigQuery integration for everyone to access complete as well as unsampled data

### ***GOOGLE UPDATE 3: Free Listings on Google’s SERPs***

One of Google’s earliest responses towards the pandemic is the free listing on Google Shopping, rolled out formally in the US during the last week of April 2020, first deployed on mobile then desktop, and now functional globally since October last year. Basically, Google’s now giving a space for merchants’ products to appear on a specific area on the page results—whether they advertise on Google or not. Since paying for Google Ads is not a prerequisite for this update, this especially gives small business owners the chance to get users into their product pages if their products closely relate to the keywords used during the enquiry. They can be discovered by shoppers looking to purchase, without having to pay for the clicks, which is a big thing for merchants who don’t have the resources to run their own GA campaigns.

### ***GOOGLE UPDATE 4: Clickable Hashtags on Google Discover***

If you haven’t noticed already but Google’s all for creating updates that benefit end-users. End-users, as opposed to merchants and other cohorts like marketers, are pretty high up on their list of priority for this year, so you can expect future updates to benefit a normal user. Even this little list shows latent evidence of this.

Google Discover uses a user’s search history, browser history, app activity and sometimes even location to track people’s “interests”. Rolled out in 2018, it’s been getting few updates since then and the latest has something to do with clickable hashtags on featured articles. Like hashtags used on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, you can leverage Discover hashtags the same way, too—to provide users with more content about things that matter and are relevant to them and their needs.

### ***GOOGLE UPDATE 5: Full Implementation of the Mobile-First Indexing***

If you think you’ve already heard about Google’s mobile-first approach, then you’re not mistaken—it’s been circulating on the digital marketing lexicon for about five years now, although full implementation is just set to roll out completely in March this year. We’ve mentioned the non-negotiability of this update, especially on our [website design trends for 2021](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/website-design-trends-to-know-ahead-of-2021) article, and for the right reason—Google’s Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller also says yes—once rolled out, the mobile-first index update will *exclude all desktop-only sites.*

The Mobile-first approach was a response to the popularity of mobile search among users, which was proportional to the growth and popularity of smartphones. Initially, mobile-first indexing wanted to correct the mismatch between the ranking on mobile and web.

To alleviate this massive step, [Google recommends](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/07/prepare-for-mobile-first-indexing-with): 1. making sure that your website content is visible to bots and crawlers; 2. filling out meta tags on both mobile and desktop versions of the landing pages; 3. enabling “lazy loading”; 4. making sure you’re not blocking relevant, mobile-specific URLs in robots.txt files; 5. having identical primary content on both web & mobile versions; and 6. checking alt tags of both image & video embeds.

### **SPECIAL MENTION: *Google Local 3-Pack***

While it doesn’t have any major upgrades for this year (as of writing), we still think Google’s 3-Pack is worth mentioning, enough to include it on our [2020 marketing wrap up](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/the-2020-marketing-wrap-up-for-brands) article. What the pandemic has also done in terms of e-commerce and retail shopping is disrupt people’s patterns of behaviour; people that you wouldn’t normally think are now buying online and are enjoying it, with many predicting that this shift isn’t in the near future. And they’re buying locally.

If you think about it, the Local 3-Pack is mostly connected to the Free Listing update on Google’s SERPs, and should definitely be looked into when you’re calibrating your strategies for this year.

## **Are your digital marketing strategies ready to accommodate these major Google updates?**

SEO is always changing, and while dizzying, we have to be ready to accommodate these changes lest we lag behind the competition. Google, being the encompassing platform that it is, will continue serving upgrades for the benefit of the end-users. The challenge is in fool-proofing your brand to welcome these innovations.

And you have a chance—especially with a [team of digital marketing experts](https://ambercreative.sg/services/digital-marketing) next to you. [Message us](https://ambercreative.sg/contact) and enquire today!

2021 Google Updates That Your Brand Would Benefit to Know

Marketers have had to pivot so much in the past year in order to accommodate the changes happening in the world. This includes the shift to e-commerce, slashing some of their ad budgets to reduce cost and cushion possible fall and a heightened focus on brand experience. Original strategies on business pipelines were shattered and adapting to the effects of the Coronavirus became a priority for all. Things were moving at a breakneck speed and people’s situations were creating demands and requirements that need to be catered to. And as a brand that wishes to stay on their customers’ radars, you’re bound to deliver.

But spending and shopping patterns have changed. People have long since adapted to the new normal and businesses are seeing the effect that has created. The initial knee jerk reactions in terms of changes to marketing and manufacturing strategies have since eased up. Towards the end of 2020 and even before we mark the first 15 days of this new year, we’re already seeing market trends that experts believe will mark 2021.

But before you recalibrate for 2021 again, let’s first breakdown some of the most notable marketing trends that have defined 2020.

1. Online presence & “virtual” everything
2. Local shopping (or the importance of Google’s Local 3-Pack)
3. Heightened focus on exceptional customer service & trust building
4. Re-targeted campaign & keyword budgets
5. Customer experience as the “holy grail”

While we cannot predict what happens next, you’re free to make this list your guide for moving in an unpredictable time.

### **Online presence & “virtual” everything**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/4000x2800/f246024da6/virtual-everything.jpg)

During the early days of the pandemic, we’ve written about how brands are [using digital to stay ahead](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/brands-are-using-digital-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak) in the midst of the global outbreak. We mentioned that, since restrictions on in-person store visits are placed, social gatherings kept to a minimum (if not cancelled altogether) and people are cooped up in their homes, businesses and organisations have relocated most of their operations online.

By “operations”, we don’t only mean e-commerce, but other activities as well like talks, conferences, and virtual tours. Influencers and brand ambassadors are also tapped to create relatable content that feels authentic and more personal. They’re tasked to spearhead the genuine (but not in your face) type of marketing which is especially needed during a confusing time.

### **Local shopping (or the importance of Google’s Local 3-Pack)**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/3999x2666/017c3bb73e/local-shopping-3-pack.jpg)

People are now deliberately buying from local businesses, especially online. When experts weighed in on what trends to expect on businesses’ post-COVID SEO strategies, they unanimously determined that an important SERP feature will persist and thrive better than the others—Google’s Local 3-Pack.

Think of a business or brand’s relationship with Google, the world’s largest search engine, this way; the former needs to do everything they can to make sure that Google knows who they are, what they offer and when they offer it. It’s a competitive game among brands and the victor gets its desired spot at the top of search results or even the coveted position zero. Which is a big thing, considering users tend to only look at the first page of SERPs.

Local intent marketing has always been about giving people what they want. Most searches on Google have [local intent](https://sagapixel.com/local-seo/local-seo-stats) (at least 46%), which gives local businesses and services an edge—if they know how to market for it. The Local 3-Pack has more to offer, but in its purest form, it intends to provide user’s needs by giving them a choice to choose from locally-owned, organic business listings. So, make sure your brand is optimised to show details that are relevant to user’s search intent. Make sure your local page’s information is up-to-date by giving accurate information on your operating hours, contact details and addresses. Encourage (and don’t shy away from) reviews and engage discussions among customers. And finally, make your product and service listings accurate, reflecting any or all changes in your operations or repository.

### **Heightened focus on exceptional customer service & trust building**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/5128x3419/05565da77e/focus-on-exceptional-customer-service.jpg)

As I’m sure you’re aware, the COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated the need for people to use digital services. Even age groups that weren’t too keen on social media and online shopping pre-Coronavirus have started to take notice of the ease it brings. People are starting to put more trust in digital tools and while times are surely uncertain, we can expect this trend to continue. So what can business owners get from this insight?

Southeast Asia alone has pegged a 62% increase in Shopify merchants and stores just between April and May of last year compared to 2019. With more storefronts now competing to get people’s attention, what would separate a brand from the competition is exceptional customer service.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: now’s not the time to shy away from your consumers. Brands and companies that try to keep up with the demands of the pandemic are likely to bounce back better than those that don’t. Depending on your industry, now’s the time to [build a community](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/the-importance-of-community-marketing-during-a-pandemic) (if you haven’t done so already) and build people’s trust.

### **Re-targeted campaign & keyword budgets**

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/3200x2133/ab20645696/re-targeting-ad-keywords.jpg)

During the early days of the Coronavirus, many companies started reducing digital marketing budgets, especially their ad budgets. [Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/reducing-digital-marketing-due-to-covid-19-read-this-first-331310) says it better: businesses with products and services that are non-essential (to the pandemic) are slashing their budgets to maximise efficiency. And conversely, those who relate to the fights and needs amidst the pandemic would do well to maximise their ad budgets and spending.

But to add to that, we also want to remind you that new searches are being done nowadays as new needs demand to be met. Demands of individuals staying and working from home. Demands of brick-and-mortar sellers hoping to migrate their operations online. This batch of new user search intent should match the keyword list you have, so a review of your existing keywords is a must. This means exploring keywords related to your industry before they start making noise and trends.

### **Customer experience as the “holy grail”**![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/70506/4240x2650/8b79831ec8/customer-x-holy-grail.jpg)

The unprecedented and staggering e-commerce growth brought on by the pandemic is coupled with the preference for contactless activities such as self checkout and curbside pickups. This has reimagined the shopping experience for many, and in situations where you can’t greet and assist customers in store, what can you do to amplify their customer experience?

Firstly, you meet them where they are and adapt from there. This means being available to amplify their experiences online. This requires a great deal of coordination and seamless operation across teams but one that would benefit your brand in the long run (and yes, we mean post-COVID). In another article on the [future of Customer Experience](https://ambercreative.sg/blog/the-future-of-customer-engagement-and-experience), we discussed four things that will help engage customers during (and after) the pandemic:

1. Omnipresence (support that is available anytime and anywhere is important)
2. Messaging (engagement channels to look into: live chats, fast messaging, and mobile)
3. Digital only customer experience (contactless service delivery modes, self-service channels and cloud-based solutions and automation)
4. AR and VR (used for retail troubleshooting, product walkthroughs and trainings)

Origin Email co-founder [Ryan Phelan](https://marketingland.com/2020-the-year-we-unlearned-everything-we-learned-283636) thinks 2020 is the year we, especially marketers, unlearned everything. In his first point, he emphasised the need for marketers to predict changes in behavioural patterns because of the unpredictable shifts in the market’s buying and spending behaviour. It’s time to keep our eyes open and become proactive. And as hope in the vaccines rises, marketers are now also trying to anticipate the answer to an important question—will the consumer shopping pattern brought on by the pandemic persist and continue post-COVID?

This, we’ll have to wait to see.

No matter how uncertain the next year is, there’s no reason not to get your business [digital marketing ready](https://ambercreative.sg/services/digital-marketing). Here’s where we can help. [Message our friendly team today](https://ambercreative.sg/contact)!

For more information about the latest updates on Coronavirus, visit World Health Organization’s (WHO) [website](https://www.who.int/).

The 2020 Marketing Wrap Up for Brands

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