Airlines have made the world smaller – it is now faster and easier than ever to travel vast distances around the globe thanks to massive advances in air transport technology.

However, airlines have also made huge contributions to making the world warmer. The fight is on to slow the rate the Earth’s climate is heating up, and the demand for air travel shows little sign of slowing down.

What can be done then if the demand remains?

For Alsaka Airlines, the answer is to change their fuels. If you can’t reduce carbon emissions by making fewer journeys, the only alternative is to cut your fossil fuel consumption – fortunately for Alaska Airlines they have one source that is cheap, plentiful and actually sustainable.

The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA), led Washington State University, has now developed a jetfuel made from forest residuals from the Pacific Northwest – the stumps, branches and unusable natural debris that is left over after a timber harvest or forest thinning of managed forests on private land.

Earlier this week, Alaska flew its first flights using a mix of traditional jetfuel and 20% biofuel. Sustainable alternative jet fuels can reduce greenhouse gas emission by 50-80 percent over the lifecycle of the fuel – from growth of the raw materials, transportation to a processing facility and production. The actual emission reduction depends on the type of raw materials used. The Air Alaska flight cut CO2 emissions by approximately 70 percent against conventional petroleum jet. Clearly there is still along way to go, but this is another big step forward for alternative fuels.

The challenge now for eco-conscious Airline brands like Alaska, is to continue this development and keep pushing for alternative fuels to become a regular, feasible and affordable alternative and make sure this isn’t just a greenwashing stunt that leaves a dirty trail in the sky.

Sometimes backwards is the way forwards.

When times get hard, there is often comfort to be found looking back to former glories. Certainly that seems to be story behind three of this year’s big rebrands.

The Co-op, Natwest and Kodak have launched refreshed identities that look to consolidate past heavyweight status after recent challenging periods that were in danger of turning them into deadweights.

Top Row: 2016
Bottom Row: 1968, 1968, 1971

Co-op in particular are deliberately attempting to “evoke[s] nostalgic memories of local shops and dividend stamps”. Harking back to simpler times, they are asking you to forget recent banking scandals that have tarnished the forgettable mixed-weight, navy blue marque and remember the glory days of the high street – when Co-op and it’s icy-clue clover dominated and it was Brentry, not Brexit, that was looming.

Likewise Kodak’s golden years, when it dominated the camera market, seem like ancient history. Having been all but forgotten in the era of smart phones and Instagram, reclaiming 1971’s red and yellow K looks like a smart way of reasserting a strong heritage – especially when tied with a launch of retro-inspired products that straddle the digital/analogue line.

Natwest’s call-back to 1968 is subtler in some respects – the Natwest logo has never been far removed from its original conception of three interlinking blocks representing three merging banks. An odd move, perhaps, as the three separate banks is no longer particularly relevant to its current story. Nevertheless, it does enable a far more interesting development in its broader storytelling and brand language with colourful, playful blocky illustrations trying to break the mould of the more staid traditional banking imagery.

This does, of course, rely on people having positive memories and associations with the time and its identity. And while there have been dissenting voices, it seems to be doing some good for Co-op. Earlier this week, they were rewarded for Outstanding Achievement at the Retailer Industry Awards, after a major shakeup crowned by rising sales and the successful relaunch.

Further more, simple, flat logos like Co-op’s and Kodak’s work well in the digital age, the limitations of print in the sixties and seventies giving way to the need for scalable, vector-based artwork that can sit comfortable across digital and physical platforms.

This could suggest, therefore, that nostalgia is trending once more – not that it ever really goes away.

Then again, judging from these examples it might just be more cases of “when things get hard, just stop, reset and relaunch from the last ‘save point’.”

Successful business owners are always thinking about their products and service offerings and how they can improve on them. The main goal is to deliver to your clients the best service possible, but also increasing sales and profits, which all go hand in hand. Business owners have to establish their presence, whether physical or online. They need brand  consultants with the right expertise to help them achieve this. Finding the right branding agency is crucial.

Get in touch with a reliable Branding Agency Dubai.  Building your brand awareness is essential and having the right partner to work with makes a big difference. While focusing on your products and services, let your Brand Consulting Firm London partners focus on your brand position and strategy.

What does an agency do for you? 

It is essential to understand how a branding agency works. This helps you to communicate more effectively on what you require. This will produce the best results when hiring a Branding Company Dubai. Communication is the key. When your brand partners understand your goals and objectives, this enhances the outcome and the execution of those objectives. The right information helps to devise a solid plan and execution strategy.

How can a branding agency meet your needs?

1 – The work of a branding agency starts with studying and understanding your company, but this is just one aspect. Your brand partner will also study your competition. They will gain insights into the market. This research gives them clarity to build a strong strategy for your business and brand. This result in a strong brand presence that attracts the right targeted audience.

2 – It’s imperative that a good branding company understands your business. This understanding may include brand mission, employees, and customers. Armed with this insight, the agency will know the challenges you face and find solutions to solve them.

3 – These agencies are well experienced in developing a strategy to create the most effective way of communicating your brand message.

To conclude 

The development of a brand or revamp can be a daunting task. Choosing a reliable Marketing Consultancy Dubai can make a significant difference on how your brand is communicated and received. Brand development requires a degree of knowledge and experience and choosing the right Branding Company Dubai can help your brand grow substantially.

Coca-Cola is already the world’s number 1 beverage brand but in a market under pressure to be forever healthier and contain less sugar, how can the infamously sugary soft drink stay fresh and stop sales going flat?

Previously, Coca-Cola had approached the health trend by branching out into new products. Diet Coke had traditionally been marketed to women, so Coke Zero was introduced to give men a low-calorie alternative too. Then Coke Life appeared, using natural sweeteners as a direct response to calls to reduce artificial sweeteners.

Throughout these developments, the original variant was kept separate to keep the brand from being diluted by the low/no-calorie options. However, with the market turning against sugar so sharply, it appears that the opposite is true. It is the original Coke that might benefit from the association with its ‘healthier’ offspring.

In January this year, Coca-Cola launched their “One Brand” strategy, bringing all four variants together under the same red dot label and the unified tagline “Taste The Feeling.” As Coca-Cola President and COO James Quincey explains:

“The One Brand strategy takes us from [an] ineffective way of talking about four different brands and if you grew up drinking Coke Classic and you wanted to switch to Coke Zero you almost have to change brand and change your lifestyle. Now the idea of the one brand is you can enjoy Coca-Cola the whole of your life and you can have it in different product variants as you want to mix and match whether it is caffeine or sugar or whatever.”

This also means, that rather than pushing four different brands, Coca-Cola have been able to focus their marketing efforts behind a single, clear message that is endorsed by the world’s most iconic logo.

And according to Quincey after just over six months it is already “starting to look very encouraging”, bringing in more sales and giving a further boost to the overall brand.

In a market that’s in danger of losing it’s fizz, Coca-Cola’s strategy of bringing its brands together appears to be paying off.

One of the biggest trends to hit soft drinks in the last few years, is nothing. Or at least the number that represents it.

Ever since the launch of Coca-Cola’s ‘manlier’ alternative to Diet Coke, zero has been a big number for beverages.

‘Zero‘ variants stretch across all Coca-Cola and Lucozade brands and the new ZERoh! water range are all keen to tap into health-conscious consumers.

Britvic have now added a new twist to the Zero mix, stretching the claim to alcohol as well as the other demons of sugar, salt and/or calories.

Sponsorship of Alcohol Concern’s Zero Alcohol Awards earlier this year, showed Britvic’s intent to give Zero fresh meaning.

With 7up Free Mojito and J2O already behind the bar as adult-friendly soft drinks, now their new NPD innovation arm, WiseHead Productions, has brought the launch of a ‘zero-proof’ drink, Thomas & Evans No.1.

Zero-proof drinks are an emerging category of drinks that are made with the same processes as alcoholic beverages, but without the alcohol. With more studies reporting the health dangers of alcohol, this could be a big new trend as Britvic reaching out to the conscientious adult ‘non’-drinker in a market drowned in syrupy sweet alternatives to alcohol.

BEN ROBINSON

When there are so many more channels of communication it can be easy to be overawed by the variety of platforms and their incumbent cacophonies. Sometimes it makes you want to say nothing at all.

Which appears to be the latest trend for high profile musicians releasing new music.

In the last few weeks we have seen big releases from Beyonce and Radiohead, appearing with minimal fanfare but creating huge hype.

Beyonce launched her new ‘visual’ album as a TV special, taking fans by surprise

Radiohead actually set the ball rolling by saying less than nothing – they did their best to wipe their official presence off the internet, deleting social media feeds and removing websites. The remaining void immediately got people excited. People were talking because the band suddenly weren’t.

Radio silence preceded Radiohead‘s first album in 5 years

For a band such as Radiohead, any new release is sure to garner instant publicity and reach across the twittersphere thanks to their consistent high quality and popular appeal, but also their approach to experimenting with music and how they make it available (such as their innovative ‘pay what you want’ approach to releasing 2007’s In Rainbows).

In this case, they decided the best way to hype a new release wasn’t a sustained teaser campaign – adding to the noise – but instead clearing a space so that people would not just hear what they had to say, but stop what they were doing and listen to it.

The first tweet back – Radiohead returned to the internet with clips of their new video, shortly before the full album was launched

This is the great challenge all bands and brands face in a noisy marketplace. It’s all very well making yourself heard above other raising voices, the real question is: how do you make people listen?

ABU DHABI, 29th October 2015 (WAM) — Agthia Group PJSC, one of the UAE’s leading food and beverage companies, has reported a net profit of AED 179 million for the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 19 percent compared to the same period in 2014.

The group said this performance was driven by a growth in sales of 12 percent to AED 1.4 billion, as well as improved gross margins.

Dhafer Ayed Al Ahbabi, Chairman of Agthia Group commented: “Our performance over the last nine months shows that we are making strong progress on our strategy to become the market leader in our chosen categories and to deliver sustainable and profitable growth for our shareholders.”

Iqbal Hamzah, Chief Executive Officer of Agthia, added: “We have seen our core businesses continue to grow year-on-year, with water and beverages and flour categories in particular driving the results.”

“Our business and financial position is strong and we have the right strategy in place to remain on our growth trajectory creating value to our shareholders,” Hamzah added.

Agthia’s water and beverages segment, dominated by Al Ain bottled water, saw net revenues increase 24 per cent to AED457m during the first nine months of the year. The net profit for the segment rose 30 per cent to AED80m.

(c) 2015 Emirates News Agency (WAM) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info)., source Middle East & North African Newspapers

We were delighted to see that Flynas, which made its first profit this year, is in talks with plane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing as it seeks to purchase four new aircraft over the next four years.

Its chief executive told reporters on Sunday: “Profitability has given us confidence. We’re talking to Airbus and Boeing to see their best offer,” Paul Byrne said on the sidelines of an aviation event in Dubai.

Flynas turned profitable earlier this year and has seen nine consecutive months of profit since, Byrne said.

The airline currently has about 26 aircraft in its fleet with the average age of eight and half years, he said.

Business owners are always thinking about their products and service offerings and how they can improve on them. The main goal is to deliver to your clients the best service possible, but also increasing sales and profits, which all go hand in hand. Business owners have to establish their presence, whether physical or online. They need brand  consultants with the right expertise to help them achieve this. Finding the right branding agency is crucial.

Get in touch with a reliable Branding Agency Dubai.  Building your brand awareness is essential and having the right partner to work with makes a big difference. While focusing on your products and services, let your Brand Consulting Firm London partners focus on your brand position and strategy.

What does an agency do for you? 

It is essential to understand how a branding agency works. This helps you to communicate more effectively on what you require. This will produce the best results when hiring a Branding Company Dubai. Communication is the key. When your brand partners understand your goals and objectives, this enhances the outcome and the execution of those objectives. The right information helps to devise a solid plan and execution strategy.

How can a branding agency meet your needs?

1 – The work of a branding agency starts with studying and understanding your company, but this is just one aspect. Your brand partner will also study your competition. They will gain insights into the market. This research gives them clarity to build a strong strategy for your business and brand. This result in a strong brand presence that attracts the right targeted audience.

2 – It’s imperative that a good branding company understands your business. This understanding may include brand mission, employees, and customers. Armed with this insight, the agency will know the challenges you face and find solutions to solve them.

3 – These agencies are well experienced in developing a strategy to create the most effective way of communicating your brand message.

To conclude 

The development of a brand or revamp can be a daunting task. Choosing a reliable Marketing Consultancy Dubai can make a significant difference on how your brand is communicated and received. Brand development requires a degree of knowledge and experience and choosing the right Branding Company Dubai can help your brand grow substantially.