Mechanica is an industry leading brand development firm that has rethought the mechanics of branding. Their ability to focus on the power of network thinking to deliver flawlessly executed and highly marketing strategies makes them masters of their craft. And given their impressive roster of clients and partners and growing list of award winning projects, when Mechanica approached Mad*Pow about collaborating on a project, our answer was a resounding YES!
The Branding Forward Project is an investigation of the challenges and opportunities faced by those on today’s branding frontlines, as well as the tools and approaches they routinely employ. To ensure that this was done effectively, Mad*Pow designed a tool for identifying branding best practices. We also created a user experience that reflects collected data back to the branding community and capitalized on opportunities where others are experiencing success.
We broke our information gathering process into three steps. First, we conducted qualitative interviews with branding pros and practitioners to explore potential obstacles and opportunities. Next, we sent a quantitative survey to 700 Fast Company readers and branding forward thinkers, from marketing managers to those in senior leadership positions. And finally, we reviewed and analyzed the information that we’d gathered, and produced the Branding Forward Report.
The findings of this report allowed branding pros and marketers alike to engage with the site as well as with other users. The UX allows visitors to dive in and read the report. The Table of Contents makes information easily accessible to the reader. The information itself is engaging and easily customizable, allowing users to tailor the information according to what is most relevant to them. It also encourages users to explore the site to see what information other users in their community and/or area of interest find compelling.
Brandingforwardproject.com offers visitors a platform to access results and information as well as a forum for discussions with others. Designed to bring the research to life, promote conversation and break the mold of the “prepackaged” report, Mad*Pow & Fast Company have produced a research “hub” which encourages sharing and dialogue and always aims to inspire.
*This project was submitted to the
MITX Awards to be judged as A Production Project (Designed for production, intended for public or personal use.)
*This project was submitted to the
IXDA Awards to be judges as A Connecting Project (Facilitating communication between people and communities.)
*Please also note that the project was mentioned in
AdWeek to showcase Branding Best Practices.