There are more TV channels today than ever before.

Hundreds of them. Streaming platforms everywhere. Infinite choice, on-demand content, personalised recommendations and entire libraries available at the touch of a button.

Yet somehow, most nights, people still end up scrolling endlessly, thinking: “There’s nothing worth watching.”

Modern branding and marketing feel very similar.

Somewhere along the way, ‘branding’ stopped being about making your company recognisable and started being about producing documents nobody reads.

These days, every business seems to believe they must have 60-page brand guidelines, a sweeping mission statement, a purpose, pillars, archetypes, personas, tone of voice; the whole shebang.

Nike’s recent running campaign has triggered the usual wave of reaction, criticism of tone, debate over wording, and plenty of people deciding whether it crossed a line.

Some have taken offence.
Others have questioned the thinking behind it.
A few have put it down to poor execution.

That doesn’t feel like the right conclusion.

If you’ve ignored your brand and marketing for years and suddenly realised you need to ‘do something’, it can feel daunting.

It usually starts with a trigger.

An upcoming event.
A competitor seems to have upped their game.
Sales have dipped slightly.
A new employee asks, “What exactly are we doing about marketing?”

Lance Corrigan, Creative Director at Bespoke Brands, was recently asked a series of questions about how the studio approaches branding and why its process tends to feel slightly different from many creative agencies. It was a good opportunity to reflect on the way Bespoke Brands works and what matters most when helping clients develop their brand.

It can sometimes feel like marketing used to take more risks. Look back 20 or 30 years, and many campaigns were sharper, bolder and more willing to provoke a reaction. Some of them wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, exist today. Standards have changed, and that’s no bad thing. But alongside those cultural shifts, something else has happened.

When it comes to building a successful brand, there’s one rule that trumps all others: consistency. Whether it’s the way your logo is applied, your brand’s tone of voice, or how your company behaves, staying consistent is what builds trust, recognition, and customer loyalty.

Once upon a time, if you didn’t like an advert, you ignored it. Now? Everyone’s offended by everything. Outrage is instant. Backlash is guaranteed. And brands, terrified of saying the wrong thing, end up saying… nothing. Beige branding. Forgettable messages. Safe, bland marketing. But the truth is: standing out means taking risks.

Most business owners can tell you what their equipment is worth, and their building or the balance in the bank. But what is your brand worth? Anyone? And yet, when it comes to long-term success, your brand is likely one of the most valuable things you own, especially if you’ve been in business a while and built up loyal customers, solid word of mouth, and name recognition in your market.

Why the best branding, design, and marketing don’t come from the comfort zone. Three weeks in the French Pyrenees watching my daughter train at altitude did more than just get us out of the UK for a bit. It reminded me of something we see all the time in branding and marketing, but rarely talk about honestly: The good stuff is hard.
And that’s what makes it good.

Walk into any accountancy, legal, or consultancy firm mid-rebrand and you’ll probably hear the same conversations:
“Do we like the blue or the green?”
“Should we go serif or sans serif?”
“Do we need a swoosh, a crest… or something abstract?”

You’ve probably had the experience, a new logo, campaign, or brand idea lands in front of you, and your first thought is: “Well, yeah. That’s obvious.” But here’s the thing: If it were that obvious, wouldn’t you have done it already?

When you're investing in branding, you're not just choosing a colour palette or a logo. You're shaping how people experience your business, understand your values, and remember you.

Every branding agency has felt it.
That deep, low rumble in the pit of the stomach.
Something's wrong in the ether.
A client has gone rogue!

You check their socials and, oh no.
There it is.
Comic Sans.
In fluorescent green.
On a logo you lovingly created with surgical precision.

If you want your brand to grow, stand out, and stick in people’s minds, here’s a simple truth:

You need to invest. Properly. Consistently. Strategically.

And yet, far too many businesses treat branding and marketing as a “nice to have” or a quick fix when sales are down.

Somewhere along the way, brands decided that vague and inspirational sounded better than clear and useful. Maybe they thought it made them seem more premium. Maybe a branding consultant charged them £10k to say, “Transforming solutions for a brighter tomorrow.” Or maybe they just fell in love with buzzwords. Whatever the reason, entire industries are now cluttered with straplines that could belong to literally anyone.

Building a successful brand isn’t easy. It takes a clear vision, strategic thinking, and consistent execution. Yet, despite best efforts, many brands fail, some spectacularly. Why? Because they make avoidable mistakes that turn customers away, dilute their identity, or render them irrelevant. Let’s break down the most common reasons brands fail and how to avoid them.

Think about the last time you heard the Netflix ta-dum, the McDonald's ba da ba ba ba, or the Intel bong. You probably recognised them instantly, right? That’s the power of sonic branding.