Powerful insights start with bold perspective
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What do you wish more people understood about branding?
This is part of an ongoing series of articles sharing our thoughts, insights, and conversations on brand-related topics including brand strategy, communications, and design. The term “brand” is ubiquitous in today’s world of design savvy start-ups and digital marketing magicians. And yet, a deep understanding of the concept...
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What is branding? Why should companies care about it?
This is part of an ongoing series of articles sharing our thoughts, insights, and conversations on brand-related topics including brand strategy, communications, and design. Branding has clearly evolved. What originally served as a simple way to identify one product over another has grown into an asset so valuable that it has the potential t...
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What is a good brand? How do they use brand catalyst?
This is part of an ongoing series of articles sharing our thoughts, insights, and conversations on brand-related topics including brand strategy, communications, and design. There are good brands, and there are brands that could be better. But what does it mean to be a good brand? How is it that some brands seem to make all the right decisio...
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5 trending designs from Taiwan that caught the world's imagination in 2017
Taiwan made international headlines in 2017; it will be remembered by many as the year that Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. Similarly, progressive Taiwanese designers caught the world’s imagination with their world-changing social impact design concepts. While social and environmental impact design may...
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Who puts the performance in performance sportswear?
Outdoor sports are all the rage in Taiwan today. Interest in running, cycling, hiking, and camping has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Last year alone there were more than 600 running races hosted on the island—that’s the equivalent of a staggering 1.7 events per day! Taipei City is now home to hundreds of micro-gyms and ...
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Taiwan is a global leader in recycling, it's a shame so few seem to know it
A concerted effort by the government and private enterprises to market Taiwan's green achievements abroad would not only benefit the nation's image, it would also create more business opportunities for Taiwan's brands, products and services. When one is asked to identify the nations that lead the world in the greening of their econom...
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The missing key: Taiwan's cultural and creative businesses need to understand international PR if they want to thrive
Fifteen years ago, the Ministry of Economic Affairs launched a series of policies to aid the development of the Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI). According to an industry report, the CCI, which spans visual and performing arts, music, film, publishing, advertising, broadcasting, handcrafts, and design, consisted of over 62,000 enterprises in 20...
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Six mistakes to avoid in 2018 for better marketing results
With 2017 less than a week away, your company may well be looking to invest in new marketing or branding initiatives. A new year and new budget will rightly bring optimism and enthusiasm. However, for the past eight years spent working with Taiwanese companies, I’ve identified a few common pitfalls that can render any amount of goodwill and m...
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The time is now for marketers to engage with VR—here's where to start
DDG invited marketing managers and executives to our office in Beimen for our 5th GREATivities event. The aim was to share thoughts on the use of virtual reality (VR) as a brand marketing tool. As well as representatives from a host of Taiwanese companies in the audience, the speakers included DDG branding experts, leading VR developers HyperBot St...
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Back to basics: Why communicating starts with being human
A company that practices good communication is one that respects people, and its audiences (employees and customers). Good communication, on all levels, ensures understanding and engagement in core human activities. It eliminates the confusion and doubt that not only waste time but also negatively affect peoples' feelings. Have you ever expe...
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Taiwanese companies must learn to value communications
Anyone who has attended an industry exhibition at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center knows it can be an overwhelming experience. There are scores of exhibitors on each floor with only minor restrictions on how much noise, light or showgirl flesh each can parade in a bid to attract footfall to their booth. The result is a dizzying assault on the s...
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Forget products—Taiwan's future is in engineering services
Two decades ago, when I was just starting out in business, a close friend of mine gave me some blunt advice on my then unhealthy approach to sales. We were selling our design and writing services at very attractive (read: absurdly low) prices, believing that this was the most effective way to generate new business. His advice: “Any idiot can ...
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