Sandeep Dayal's Blog

Blog and articles

Is Unilever on The Right Track with its “Brands with Purpose” Strategy?

Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, has pushed each of its 400 brands to have a social or environmental purpose. As its stock price growth has trailed other consumer product companies like P&G and Nestle, Wall Street analysts have questioned Unilever’s focus on “purpose” versus things like innovation and cost management. I warn marketers against taking advice on how to manage their brands from Wall Street analysts. And, yet, we do have to question if all brands can have a purpose and what is the right way to architect a brand with purpose.

SCORECARD: C+ for Facebook’s Metaverse Ad

Facebook’s new Superbowl ad for the Metaverse misses the mark on my cognitive branding scorecard. The 60-sec spot opens with a with an animatronic band rocking the audience to “Don’t You Forget About Me” in a fictional pizza-and-games restaurant called Questy’s. Then suddenly the lights go out, the audience disappears, the restaurant closes forever, and the band members are toast.

Cognitive Brand Scorecard: A+ for HYUNDAI EV

Watch System 1 and System 2 in Action. Hyundai’s new Superbowl ad for its all-electric IONIQ 5 gets a two thumbs up from me. The 60-sec spot features Jason Bateman as a prehistoric caveman, pensively and amusingly musing how humans have come a long way over the last several millenniums to finally the modern age.

Old Man and Spotify – The Neil Young Fracas

When Brands with Values Clash With Value Brands: If you have been keeping up with the headlines, you probably saw the very public breakup between Neil Young, one of the legendary singer and song writers of our time, and Spotify, the largest streaming music service.

Brands With Values – How Tata Became a Market Leader

Tea is tea. So, how does a brand come from behind, nearly double its share and become the market leader in India, the world's second-largest tea-producing country? The surprising answer? By transforming itself into a “brand with values!" That is exactly...

Why ABBVIE's Skyrizi Ad Is Brilliant

The Skyrizi TV commercial uses the powerful Cognitive Branding principle of "Resolutionary Thoughts" to get its message across. Let me explain how it works...

When CEOs Forget They Are Brand Ambassadors

Bob Unanue lit a firestorm in the Latino community with his praise at the White House of Mr. Trump, saying “We are truly blessed ... to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder….”

Victoria's Secret: Can This Angel Soar Again?

A year or so ago, I wrote a blog called "How the World's Sexiest Brand became a Fallen Angel." I argued that Victoria's Secret, the well-known women's underwear store, had once succeeded like no other by celebrating women's right to be and show sexy. But...

On Being a "Brand with Courage" or "Brand with Empathy"

Ever since the death of George Floyd, my LinkedIn stream has seen a flood of companies pledging to advance the cause of racial justice and "Black Lives Matter."

Subscribe to Sandeep’s mailing list to get a free chapter!