UNCERTAIN WORLDS

PART 1: CONNECTED BRANDS AND ECOSYSTEMS

5 MINUTE READ. PUBLISHED 06 NOV 2023. UPDATED 21 FEB 2025.

CREATIVE COMMONS CC BY ELECTRO STRATEGY STUDIO. WRITTEN BY ADRIAN JARVIS.

TL;DR Digital transformation requires brands to adapt to changing consumer needs. Companies should focus on collaboration, cohesive design, and connected ecosystems. This approach helps brands stay competitive and design better digital services for a rapidly changing world.

A USEFUL FRAMEWORK FOR BRAND AND DESIGN STRATEGY.

This article presents an update to a framework that has been evolving since 2016, based on an original sketch by Goldman Sachs that has been lost in the mists of USB drives. Over the years, it’s been used practically in workshops to explore strategic questions about connected living with Unilever, smart cities with Visa, and Net Zero with Envision Group. Fire up that projector, grab your Post-It notes and a box of Sharpies.

This is part 1 in a series about practical frameworks for brand design. Jump to Part 2 — Designing Brands as a Force for Good, Part 3 — Systems Thinking for Brand Designers, Part 4 — Designing Resilient Brands or Part 5 — Exploring Brand Futures.

THE PROMISE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

Technology is constantly reshaping our uncertain world, challenging strategic leaders to rethink their brands. As more people adopt digital services and demand omnichannel experiences, there is a fight for growth against rapidly changing needs.

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context — a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan. Eliel Saarinen, The City: Its Growth, Its Decay, Its Future, 1943

Investment in digital transformation continues, with a forecasted CAGR of 18-26% from 2023 to 2030 — creating interconnected ecosystems that have a far-reaching impact on communities and economies.

  • PEOPLE & SOCIETY: digital platforms have provided new opportunities for health, education and wealth, with pervasive social media and online communities.

  • HOMES & PERSONAL SPACE: smart technologies in homes have revolutionised personal entertainment, but are yet to fully connect wider appliances and smart controls.

  • TRAVEL & MOBILITY: beyond satnavs, mobility is emerging as a service to better move people around cities and encourage sustainable travel beyond the car.

  • RETAIL & ECOMMERCE: the surge in online shopping throughout the pandemic reshaped expectations of omnichannel, accelerating retail beyond payments & shipping.

  • CITIES & URBAN PLANNING: as we build smarter infrastructure, brands are contributing to the efficiency and sustainability needed to design more liveable cities.

  • INDUSTRY & MANUFACTURING: Industry 4.0 is transforming the possibilities of products and services, and reducing the impact they have on the planet.

  • ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY: people tend to be more concerned about their health, wealth, transport, groceries and cities than efforts to mitigate climate change.

LEVERAGING BRANDS, TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY.

Boardrooms must steer enterprises through a dynamic terrain of uncertain times and increasingly connected ecosystems — building modern brands that can meet the needs of both changing lifestyles and the demands of sustainability.

  • SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: integrating sustainable practices into the brand is not just ethical, it also aligns with the value(s) of modern consumers and employees.

  • COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS: building partnerships across industries opens opportunities to create value and tackle significant challenges together.

  • CONNECTED BRANDS: designing brands as catalysts for connected experiences moves beyond channels and media, to better realise the true potential of technology.

  • SYSTEMS + DESIGN THINKING: finding the intersection of systems and design thinking helps to align real market opportunities with people’s changing needs and expectations.

  • COHESIVE EXPERIENCES: prioritising cohesion, over perfect consistency across all touch-points, gives brands the flexibility to adapt to fast-moving markets.

  • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: brand leaders can lead the charge in the boardroom to adopt technology that keeps the brand at the forefront of experience design.

In our exploration of connected ecosystems, there is an imperative for brands to evolve, if they are to capture the commercial potential of digital transformation. The path forward offers significant opportunities for collaboration and sustainable growth.

GET IN TOUCH TO DISCUSS CONNECTED BRANDS…

This article was written by Adrian Jarvis, who founded Electro, an independent strategy studio based in London. He has 25 years experience of working with enterprises of all sizes. The concepts discussed here are highly scalable from start-ups to multinationals, across a range of categories. Find out more.