Meet Pip

June 24th is #BringYourDogToWorkDay but at Breathe we have the pleasure of a four legged friend in the office every day of the week.

Pip

Meet Pip, our resident Bichon Frise.   Inspired by our clients, Nestle Purina, and their well thought through dogs at work policy, we decided to follow suit, and we’ve really felt the benefits; from increased productivity as a result of enforced breaks for dog walks to the major de-stressing effect of a quick cuddle and tummy tickle.

Not that we need ‘proof’, but the International Journal of Workplace Health Management found that access to dogs was a calming influence and reduced stress levels, whether people had access to their own pets or other people’s.

We love that we’re able to do this. Nestle Purina’s research showed that 82% of workplaces don’t allow dogs, but 50% of us would bring our dogs to work if they were allowed.

And most importantly, Pip loves it here; snuggled on his dog bed, he’s happy to get attention from all of our team….now if only he could write a good recruitment questionnaire!

 

Times have changed, and so have we!

Say hello to Breathe Ltd.

Well done to those eagle eyed readers who’ve spotted that we’ve dropped ‘Research’ from our name.

We still do research.  But we also do so much more.  And we wanted our name to reflect that.

Our view, and our clients’ view, is that research and insight is only as valuable as the use you can make of it.  Unless it’s alive and kicking through the business, it can’t inspire action.  And we really like action.

Our 3 step approach at Breathe is to generate brilliant insight AND ensure that those truths are embedded in such a way that they galvanise change.  So research is the start point of what we do but not the end point.  And we thought our name had better reflect that.

If you’re interested in hearing more about our 3 step process and how it can inspire change in your business, please get in touch. We’d love to chat.

Call Emma Underwood or April Blanchard on 020 8668 9377 or email info@breathe.uk.com

Don’t brand me – the Millenial brand challenge

Much has been written of the Millennial generation and their attitudes towards brands.  Whilst they’re highly brand aware, they tend to identify with brands that demonstrate authentic values.  Hence the rise of the idea brand over luxury or glamour based offerings. And, as an increasingly narcissistic group who are more interested in their own lives than those of anyone else (hey, it’s selfie time!), brands such as Tom’s Shoes, that offer experience and personalisation, are winning.

This poses a threat for those brands that have built their success on lifestyle aspiration, demonstrated through conspicuous branding (think about the troubles Abercrombie has faced in recent years and you get the picture).  Indeed, Nikki Baird of research firm RSR recently suggested “Victoria’s Secret may be next” when it comes to brands that Millennials will uncrown, as what the brand stands for falls wide of the mark in terms of Millenials preferences (think ‘Perfect Body’ idealism, think minimal diversity, think PINK logos).

While some brands are responding with less conspicuous branding (in fact, this is a noticeable part of Abercrombie’s current approach) and alignment with causes that project positive values and ethics, one has to wonder whether they will ultimately have the flexibility to make it through the Millenials ‘authenticity radar’.   Perhaps a case of too little, too late?

How neuroscience has proven what Shakespeare knew all along

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so”

William Shakespeare

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Neuroscience is now proving what Shakespeare so rightly intuited – that the power of our thoughts shapes the very nature of our brains.  Of course, this is important in the world of counselling, therapies and life coaching but also in our world of marketing and insight generation.  In particular, this highlights the creative struggle for advertisers:  As human creatures, we have an inherent bias to the bright, shiny and new (Magpie syndrome!) yet this learning suggests the value in consistent reinforcement of core messaging.  In other words, we really do need to “say the same thing” but make sure we’re saying it in new and exciting ways.

Read the article in full here

Too much Information

No, we’re not talking about ‘Big Data’ overload, but the impact of multi-sensory overwhelm on people with autism.

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The Breathe team have had the great privilege of working with young adults with autism, their families, and parents of children with autism, to get a hands on view of living with autism in the UK, on behalf of the National Autistic Society.

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Unleashing the power of film to live and breathe the life of your customer

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Imagine a world where you have a doorway into the daily lives of your customers – seeing what they do, when they do it, what they do it with and understanding why. But who has the time or budget right? Thankfully nowadays mobile tech lets us ‘be there when we can’t be there’, and can generate surprising and actionable insights if utilized intelligently.

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