Naeem Alvi-Assinder is the Founder and Managing Director at model technique and design company, Notepad. I chatted with Naeem to search out out extra about Notepad, its ethos, and what he thinks are among the key elements for model development in 2022.
Inform me about Notepad – what was the motivation behind beginning the corporate?
Notepad is a model technique and design company proudly primarily based in Birmingham, England, and operates worldwide.
Having spent most of my profession working in ‘agency-land’ I’d seen first-hand the nice, the unhealthy and the gut-wrenchingly ugly of our trade. In 2017, I made a decision sufficient was sufficient and set about constructing a model company which did issues proper by its folks and its purchasers. An company that tackled points round variety, inclusivity and gender bias head on, whereas making a working tradition which fostered belief, creativity and empowerment.
Breaking it down, the philosophy is fairly easy. By constructing an company that treats folks properly, we will entice good expertise, which in flip results in superb work and nice purchasers. 4 years into our journey, we’ve constructed a 50/50 gender cut up crew of 15 insanely gifted inventive and strategic minds. And, we work with a complete roster of nice manufacturers like WWF, Glenmorangie and iomart.
What are some key elements for model development in 2022? What differentiates the winners from the losers?
Whereas there may be nonetheless a tonne of purpose-washing in our trade, over the previous few years we’ve seen extra demand for manufacturers to behave ethically, and actively reveal their values of their actions and communications. Most lately, it’s been fascinating to observe larger manufacturers select to actively assist efforts and folks in Ukraine while pulling operations out of Russia, and as a pattern I believe (and hope) we’ll see extra of this aware model behaviour this 12 months.
I believe we’ll additionally see extra of a blurred line between digital and bodily work. The Covid-19 Pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated our adoption of expertise (welcome again QR codes!), and the extra inventive manufacturers are discovering methods to make use of bodily channels to carry folks into their digital worlds. The Coinbase advert at The Tremendous Bowl was an important instance of this.
What’s been your favorite model marketing campaign from the previous 12 months and why?
I’ve all the time believed the perfect model campaigns provoke an emotional response, whereas speaking a transparent and genuine message. As an trade, I’m unsure why we now assume “being courageous” is one thing to aspire for, when it used to simply be the established order.
With that in thoughts, I actually preferred the latest work by advert company, CPB London, serving to to lift consciousness round gender bias on Worldwide Ladies’s Day. By utilizing quick and sharp copy, the marketing campaign unpicks our unconscious gender biases and forces us to assume. It’s clear, thought-provoking work that sticks with you.
To ensure the #ImagineCampaign was as impactful as doable, we picked a number of places across the U.Okay and associated our inventive to these locations. These have been each impressed by the place biases normally happen (E.g sports activities) and key commuter places. pic.twitter.com/KtGwQBp4YG
— CPB London (@CPB_LDN) Might 25, 2022
What branding and advertising developments do you see coming to the forefront within the subsequent 12 months?
Whereas it’s nonetheless buggy, troublesome to make use of, unhealthy for the planet and a feeding floor for hackers, blockchain expertise has opened up a tonne of recent alternatives. Whereas there may be nonetheless a variety of hype and buzz round issues like NFTs and the metaverse, all of those are simply indicators that we’re transferring in the direction of a world of digital possession and I believe we’ll begin to see increasingly fascinating functions of this coming to life in issues like music, movie, gaming and artwork.
Exterior of the metaverse, the final couple of years has proven us all that we additionally all want human contact. I anticipate we’ll see a powerful resurgence in manufacturers creating methods to carry folks collectively at occasions and bodily experiences.
What’s subsequent for Notepad?
Once I began writing the marketing strategy for Notepad I made a listing of all the pieces that’s unsuitable with our trade, after which tried to discover a method to repair it. Whereas we’re not at all excellent and we nonetheless have an extended method to go, our present huge focus is switching from a Restricted firm to a B Company – that means we’ll concentrate on a triple backside line and legally have to indicate how we’re balancing revenue with folks and the planet.
I do know that in all probability sounds fairly excessive and mighty however it shouldn’t. I’ve all the time considered companies as automobiles for change, and as an trade which is paid to assume and act creatively, we’re well-placed to indicate the world what nice companies ought to appear to be.
