Are you buying for a friend, colleague or client with a head full of marketing wishes or woes this Christmas? Wellmark’s semi-serious annual gift guide has got you (and them) covered! Read on for our opinion on this season’s best:
Billed as the tool that ‘helps you figure out who you are’, the brand deck purports to make brand identity as simple as a game of cards. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. But this slick-looking deck will at least help your buddy sort out what characteristics describe their brand best. And if that doesn’t work, they can always ‘Go Fish’.
Hint: There’s also a ‘Not safe for work’ version of the brand deck that you may like to pop into your own stocking and crack open after a challenging day at work!
Released only last month, ‘Eat Your Greens’ is a collection of articles written by 35 experts in marketing and communications. It highlights the importance of using a fact-based approach to marketing, and the need to counter gossamer trends with more systematic thinking. Our Associate Creative Director, Ryan Wallman, is one of the contributors to the book. Others include Mark Ritson, Kate Waters, Byron Sharp, Helen Edwards, Rory Sutherland, Richard Shotton, Bob Hoffman and Tess Alps.
You can also hear Ryan’s thoughts on the book, and on marketing more generally, in this recent ‘Echo Junction’ podcast.
Buy your (oops, I mean their) copy here.
Could your friend or colleague do with a harmless way to vent their utter disbelief? This slammer button – which offers up 10 different ways to say WTF! – may be the perfect gift. We think this little number is ideal for use when someone makes one of those marketing predictions that sounds patently ridiculous, like: ‘In 2019, we will witness the death of TV advertising.’ (Gary V, anyone?)
Sometimes all you need after a long hard day of brand building is something that looks and smells divine. Hell, if you can’t have Mr Darcy himself, you may as well enjoy one of these luxe candles from Australian lifestyle brand, Mrs Darcy. They’ll help burn off the heaviest marketing fumes.
Complete range available for sale here.
If you’ve got a friend who studied ‘Brand Management’ at Melbourne Business School and has aspired to be Mark Ritson ever since (Ryan Wallman, ahem!), a glass of this fine whiskey from the highlands of Scotland may go a little way towards helping them feel as suave as the great man himself. Or if they prefer their role models to be a little more svelte, they can pretend to be Don Draper instead.
If your friend is a lover of agency staples, i.e. coffee and colour, these hand-made PANTONE cups are a sure bet. If you really want to impress, purchase a cup in the cool new Colour of the Year: PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral, which Pantone describes as ‘an animating and life-affirming shade of orange with a golden undertone’.
If you require further post-hoc rationalisation for why PANTONE chose to evangelise the colour of watermelon this year, try this on for size: ‘We get energy from nature. Just as coral reefs are a source of sustenance and shelter to sea life, vibrant yet mellow PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.’ (At this point, it may be time to revisit Item #3 on this list while surreptitiously filling your mug with a splash of Item #5.)
So, that’s it. We think there’s something in there for just about every marketer. Merry Christmas and a Ho! Ho! Ho! everyone!
Disclaimer: Wellmark was not paid to mention these brands, nor does the inclusion of brands in this list imply endorsement. Purchase (and imbibe) at your own risk!
Dr Candice O’Sullivan,
Managing Director | Head of Strategy & Planning at Wellmark. You can follow Wellmark on Facebook @wellmarkcreative, LinkedIn @Wellmark_Pty_Ltd or Insta @wellmarkcreative.
