Appetite is pleased to announce we have been appointed to the London Legacy Development Corporation’s specialist panel to work on graphic design projects at the London 2012 Olympic Park.

The expert panel will offer a range of services to support and enhance the design quality of the Park and surrounding area, including new neighborhoods, venues, parklands and public spaces.

Read more about our appointment in Design Week

The Transform Awards are Europe’s only dedicated celebration of rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation. The awards recognise best practice in corporate, product, regional and national rebrands. More than that, they are a platform for organisations to tell their rebranding stories and to discuss reputational change.

Our gold winning entry for the Transform Awards 2012 ‘Best Corporate rebrand for a spinoff/new company’ category was for Trapoil and we got silver for our work with PDX.
The venue on the night was packed out with a star-studded audience, with a majority of the big names in the UK and international design world present. The night began with some interesting audience involvement around visual illusions and how our eyes can so easily deceive us! This was a great, if slightly scientific, introduction on our perceptions…..leading to how important a successful rebrand is for a company.

Our ‘Best Rebrand for a Spinoff/New Company’ category had some stiff competition, including great work done for Boots Laboratories, Ink Insurance and RPC. Our table waited with baited breath for the final order to be announced, and were thrilled with the result…a gold!! Mark, David and Duncan from Trapoil who had joined us for the night were equally as pleased and Mark went up with Appetite’s Trapoil Account Manager, Natalie, to pick up the award.
The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the food, the company and the champagne (very generously gifted by our clients).

We had a great night and were thrilled that our clients could share this success which was really theirs.

Congratulations to all at Appetite who worked on the Trapoil rebrand – with special thanks to Natalie, Nicolas, Stuart and Dan.

The Design Business Association Design (DBA) Effectiveness Awards is one of the most prestigious international award events as it is judged on both creative merit and business success.

As the Chairman of the judges said, “The DBA’s Design Effectiveness Awards continue to be the only award, acknowledged internationally, that recognises the contribution design makes to business, government and society.”

To win, an entry has not only has to prove that it succeeded against its objectives, but that those objectives were harder to achieve than others in its category.  You also have to have a sustained relationship with a client who is willing to invest with you to put the case forward over a long period of time.

Our winning entry for the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2012 ‘Internal Communications’ category was for the University of Leeds Me+You campaign. The challenge was to raise awareness and acceptance of the importance of Health & Safety and create a culture of accountability across a diverse audience of 50,000 people, reducing the level of RIDDOR reported accidents on the University of Leeds campus.

Along with financial and environmental sustainability, Health, Safety and Wellbeing is one of the key pillars of the University’s overall sustainability strategy, and led by the Facilities Directorate.

Engagement of the University’s people through the Me+You campaign has been a fundamental part of the drive to embed a commitment to sustainability culturally, and has evolved to support new initiatives and solutions. Indeed, Health and Safety has played a pivotal role in connecting people to the University of Leeds’ sustainability agenda.

Gary Tideswell, Director of Wellbeing, Safety and Health at the University of Leeds commented:
“The creative, innovative and professional approach of Appetite has transformed perceptions of health and safety at our university. We are a large and incredibly diverse organisation of 7500 staff and over 50000 students – we needed something which would engage every single person and make them change they way they act – and Appetite delivered this for us.”

Early on behaviour change was identified as critical to meeting the challenge and to ensure that the profile of Health & Safety became accepted and fully integrated across the University of Leeds. The Me + You behaviour change programme stands out for its highly creative approach and the way it has fostered engagement and commitment from the University’s entire community.

We’re extremely proud of the ROI on this campaign with a 250% increase in employee’s Health and Safety engagement, 50% reduction in RIDDOR reportable accident rates and 373% ROI. Health and Safety has become a highlight of strategic achievement and impacted on wellbeing and sustainability thinking.

Not only has the University’s Health and Safety record improved substantially from well below the national average to one of best practice and the results have now become a source of pride, both for the University and all its people.

Congratulations to all at Appetite who worked on the University of Leeds Heath and Safety campaign and on the successful Design Business Association Design Effectiveness Awards 2012 ‘Internal Communications’ entry – with special thanks to Stuart, John and Jason.

You can view the winning entry and all the others winners here www.effectivedesign.org.uk/internal_comms/me_you.php

Click on the image below

CE: What does employee engagement mean to you?
LH: If you look at your strategy through your people, can you be certain that your people all have a clear and consistent view of what your organisation stands for? Do they have shared values that are relevant to each of their roles and do they work and behave in a way that will support and add value to your organisation’s goals, ambitions and commitments?

We’ve noticed a growing awareness of the need for new thinking (and acting) about culture. Internally, in moving from “the way things are done around here” to bringing people together around common purpose and a set of values that help create connections and foster a sense of ownership and commitment, delivering value.

But the route to a better brand culture also requires leadership and innovative strategies, tailored and relevant to the organisation. It helps to rapidly drive change largely because the process of review and involvement creates a renewed energy, ambition and a greater sense of direction.

The key to success always lies in your people, and the chief task is to unlock unique and compelling reasons with which they can support and connect. Of course, this is not easy, not least because of a level of cynicism and resistance, which exists in all organizations. Reaching out and involving even the most hardened objectors is important and often requires expertise, tools and techniques to successfully harness a cultural opportunity.

CE: Where do executive teams tend to go wrong and lose touch with / alienate employees?
LH: By missing the opportunity of co-opting and engaging at an early stage and throughout the process. Putting distance between boardroom and shop floor in areas where it need not exist. Of course senior management is responsible for corporate vision, strategy and direction, but this does not mean that employees at all level should not contribute to the thinking or at least understanding of the values, culture and behaviour of the organization.

When people participate in the co-creation/articulation of values, purpose, proposition, they get it. If they get it, it will stay with them. People cannot unlearn what they have learned. By placing some of the responsibility for authoring a cultural framework within the wider employees spectrum, execs can ensure that a sustainable culture is created. One that is meaningful because it is owned by employees.

Real leadership is about leading from within, encouraging contribution and seeking consultation/ validation of the executive strategy for all employees. When employees are presented a fait accompli, it undermines their pursuit for a meaningful purpose and under-values their role within the organisation. Fulfilling the need for self-worth is a crucial element of the development of a successful brand culture.

Too little is made of cognitive science when communicating to employees. The goal is to achieve a state of intrinsic motivation (e.g. “I want to do this”). Telling is about information, not achieve engagement. Instead, we need take employees through the gates of understanding, making a connection that leads to lasting commitment. This can be achieved through an effective and ongoing process of investigation, definition, validation and embedding, coupled with unique, creative and meaningful communications.

CE: What have you found to be effective in terms of engagement and motivation?
LH: It is important that your people, wherever they are, buy into a common set of standards based on integrity and delivering recognised behaviour. The key to a healthy and successful modern business largely lies in its people and their commitment to better business practices, integrity and their contribution to communities and social welfare. It’s not about one or the other. It’s about all of these things.

There’s a movement towards ‘doing better business together’, from competition to cooperation, from individuals to groups. The psyche of today’s employees is moving from being ‘consumer’s’ to being ‘citizens’ and their motivations are changing accordingly. It is not just about thinking more sustainably in terms of the impact their business has on its community and the environment, people are first and foremost concerned about other people.

Successful engagement occurs when the business aligns with a greater sense of humanity, injecting some ‘love’ and ‘purpose’ back into the business. We’ve come a long way towards thinking of employees as human beings not just cogs in the wheel of commerce, but there is still a long way to go. Focusing on these ideas, engages and motivates people to take action and make a difference.

Modern brands are increasingly concerned with the social impact – and value – that they create. At the heart of this value is how the organisation does business. Cultural legacies, for good or ill, are notoriously varied, which poses a corporate reputation risk. In developing clear and relevant integrity guidelines, you can grow whilst addressing these challenges, rather than having to deal with the consequences after the event.

CE: What advice would you give to a new CEO who has to make significant strategic and operational changes to a business?
LH: The need for CEOs to positively report on high levels of employee engagement to the investment community is increasing, and the spotlight is clearly shining on governance and how directors respond to and manage change. Change initiatives always fail if organisations attempt to install rather than evolve them.
Those that work, work because they’re collaborative.

They require the development and implementation of programmes that:
– Start by engaging people in group and self-directed ways
– Build widespread commitment to the vision by nurturing organisations as communities of shared purpose
– Create a broad (but integrated) range of talent and engagement initiatives that enable and energise their people to deliver against the vision
– Encourage a sense of collaboration, appreciation of different points of view, working styles, and national cultures, and helps to build relationships within a company that are strong enough to transcend difference.

To see the full Critical Eye article on employee engagement please go to

http://criticaleye.net/archive.cfm?id=443

Often overlooked is arguably an organisation’s most valuable asset: its people; It’s people, what they do and how they behave that defines an organisation and its success in an ever more competitive landscape.

Culture redefined.

We’ve noticed a growing awareness of the need for new thinking (and acting) about culture. Moving from “the way things are done around here” to bringing people together around common purpose and a set of values helps create connections and foster a sense of ownership and commitment, which in turn delivers value.

But the route to a better ‘brand culture’ also requires leadership and innovative strategies, tailored and relevant to the organisation. It helps to rapidly drive change largely because the process of review and involvement creates a renewed energy, ambition and a greater sense of direction.

The key to success always lies in people, and the chief task is to unlock unique and compelling reasons for them to support and connect with. Of course, this is not easy and across every organisation you can always experience a certain level of cynicism and resistance. Reaching out and involving even the most hardened objectors requires careful planning, the right tools and techniques and interventions that relate to and resonate with a diverse set of audiences.

We often find that people quickly discover a new sense of purpose. A culture emerges beyond awareness, beyond connection and a collective commitment to the brand culture begins to emerge. Collaboration becomes a competitive advantage, people share knowledge and expertise to overcome challenges and deliver solutions, ultimately increasing productivity and delivering greater business performance.

Should government have a design strategy? from Design Council on Vimeo.

This has been an auspicious week for design and innovation in the UK. Not only did I have the honour of speaking at the Design Forum (www.designcouncil.org.uk/forum11coverage), but the Parliamentary Design Commission on which I sit, announced the launch of our publication on Restarting Britain: Design, Education and Growth (www.policyconnect.org.uk/apdig/design-commission). And of course there will be a further spotlight next week when BIS, the government department for Business, Innovation and Skills launches its Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth.

On Monday I represented the DBA at the Design Forum, which debated whether the government should have a design strategy. I was invited to present the argument against the motion, a strange perspective from me, as president of the Design Business Association, a member of the Design Commission, and Chairman of a major brand and design company. However, in the true spirit of public debate, I accepted the challenge, even though I knew that the audience would have to be largely in support. After all, this was a Design Forum, held at the Design Council, debating Design strategy.

When preparing for the debate, I found that I was rising to the challenge and even convincing myself that while the we should certainly support design as core to our country, to our position in the world and to our future health, wealth and wellbeing, I have real reservations about this or any government implementing a strategy.

My reasons are threefold:
• First, we must not try to write strategy without vision and without commitment to a follow through plan
• Second, we need a deeper, more integrated approach
• Third is my deep belief that a design vision cannot follow a political agenda or the political calendar

As anyone in a leadership position should know, strategy, without vision, is directionless and if not followed by a plan for delivery it will inevitably fail. In terms of a vision for design, first we must ask ourselves what we mean by design and where we wish to go. Are we to be the world’s innovators and creators? Do we see design as the tool for continuous improvement? Do we need to define design through the lense of society, community or world improvement? Or do we just see design within the narrow confines of competitive commercial advantage?

And what about integration? By integration I mean joined up thinking, planning and action. What good is it if BIS, at one end of the government, sets a strategy for design and innovation, while at the other end, funding for design education stops? Not only does this demonstrate a failure in integration, it also sends confusing signals to policy makers, the corporate sector and the general public. Without the benefit of integration BIS (and its audiences) fail to see that design impacts much, much more than commercial execution.

Our design vision and strategies will impact all areas of society. From the design of the cities of tomorrow, to new thinking in how to improve literacy and communications, to the design of better services in the provision of health, social benefit, transport, immigration, etc., to high street planning and to public behaviour and decision making for the greater good.

I fear that we will think that we have achieved change by issuing a new white paper on design in order to support a government initiative but that this will fall short of either its potential or real need. We must not be content with an incomplete approach that will render strategy ineffective, when it has the potential to bring about change that is urgently needed.

During my presentation and the discussion that followed, I realised that I am not alone in my concerns. Indeed opinion in the room swayed considerably and many changed their vote to support my reservations. But of course we need government support to ensure that the real power of design can be unleashed to drive real value and improvement.

When a government design strategy does finally appear, let us hope that it is steeped in vision. That the strategy can be embedded into the whole of our society and culture, through meaningful, collaborative and integrated action.

Logos, livery, store design and ad campaigns all have their place but they aren’t the elements that make a brand, its people and its customer’s tick. These things are not the pulse of the organisation.

Brands that stand out have a well-defined purpose and a well-founded set of values that shine through everything they say and do. Inside, it’s about understanding, connection and commitment, driving performance. Outside it’s about experience; how the brand interacts and acts with your customers, driving desire.

It is this vision of brand culture as both a performance enhancer and a driver of desire that builds a brand. And brands that have it, have ‘a way to be’ – it defines their behaviour, and we recognise it when we come into contact with them. Whether it’s the caring culture of John Lewis that’s delivered so expertly in its customer service, or the passion for food that’s such a key ingredient in everything Prêt a Manger does, or even the integrity and consistency of IBM’s smarter business philosophy, it’s their common focus on a singular brand culture that exudes inside and out.

Over the past three years there has been a significant shift in brand focus from external communications to an internal emphasis on employee engagement. CMOs and CEOs foresaw and realised the business benefit of enabling their people to live and breath the values of their brand. Indeed, we now know there is a proven link between internal branding and the bottom line—across B2C and B2B markets. However, defining those values and ensuring that they are true to the brand, relevant to the marketplace and resonate with people continues to challenge even the best business leaders.

It’s no longer sustainable to base the brand strategy simply on our external audiences, or indeed to just face inwardly and hope that our  people will carry the flag. A sustainable brand strategy for the 21^st century must encompass all areas of the business; in the field, logistics, operations, etc. For companies to truly define and establish a ‘way to be’, they must place their brand strategy at the heart of their business strategy.

Getting there isn’t easy. It takes an open mind, desire, commitment and a bit of bravery. But once you get there it’s a liberating place and managing and building the business becomes simpler, quicker and ultimately much more rewarding.

We expect more value from our lives and from the organisations we come into contact with; continuous improvement of our situation and the situation of others around us is more important than ever. There is a new consciousness – business values need to be aligned with societal and personal values, today and post recession: people, authenticity, service, value for money, simplicity and community.

The days of spin, of over-claiming brands, of hyped up marketing-speak disguised as ‘brands‘ are over. In this new social-economy, the way we do business, how we engage with our people, the impact of our ideas and how they are delivered, needs to be redesigned. It requires a new way of thinking and behaving, a new approach is required.

What do we need to deliver better results in this new social economy? Well, we actually need less; less complicated, less posturing, less fat. And more distinctive, more honest, more relevant. In short, better brand thinking. Whether it’s to obtain market support, build integrity, become more sustainable or drive the bottom line. To get there, organisations must look for smarter strategic thinking, powerful ideas and design excellence that more efficiently shape, elevate and build better business for the future.

The value of the end user is paramount; it has to be understood, appreciated, and embraced by the people who help implement change and own the interventions that deliver that value. In this age of austerity and deeper consciousness, companies who can see beyond the obvious or ‘purely decorative‘ will find opportunities for their brand to improve overall company efficiencies, impact and performance.

This weekend, I travelled back in time when popping up at my local Waitrose for top – up shopping. Usually, Saturday grocery shopping is not a pleasant experience, especially with an impatient 2-year old in the trolley.

But Waitrose was getting a refit and things being tight in retail, it had decided to stay open during the works, like most of shops these days.  This resulted in surreal scenes of hordes of home-counties mothers and toddlers looking at rows after rows of empty shelves. A solitary lettuce was sprinted at. Three pots of fresh soups were waiting for a date. And everywhere, stunned, lost looks, disorientated trolleys and contrite Waitrose partners explaining what was going on between loading in what was left in piles of black crates.

For me, it was a throwback of early 90s Prague and a familiar, if a little distant now, memory of same empty shelves and mono-brand shopping.

And what struck me was how liberating it was to have a reduced choice for the last piece of bread, never mind the format, shape and state (baguette was broken in three pieces as it happened).

The mind wandered on what it would look like if real word was an episode of Spooks, where some strange radiation or chemical attack wipe out the supply-chain and forces us to re-consider what we take for granted. The reality is that for many, of course, the luxury of choice doesn’t exist. And we know that their ranks are growing in synch with house repossessions.

Strangely, people were kind again and there was a happy communion of shrugged shoulders and corner smiles.

The other interesting outcome of this episode is that it underlines the key role that retailers plays today as editors of choice and my other contention that too much choice is not necessarily a good thing. Indeed, choice is not the same thing than freedom. Philosophers argue that we have no real choices, only limited ones – that’s partly because they are obsessed with the inevitability of death. But it also only takes a few empty shelves to remind us that choice is truly a relative thing.

Sometimes it takes small “events” to shift our value set and make us stop and think. Empty shelves have more good in them than first thought.