A great example of brand emotion… Dulux has again enlisted the help of man’s best friend in their 50th anniversary tribute commercial. The Old English Sheep dog, now so intrinsically linked to the Dulux brand identity made his first appearance back in 1961.

Five decades later, he’s back. (In fact, it’s like he never went away) And my guess is that if you are Generation Y and redecorating this summer, you’ll be applying Dulux to your home.

Speaking at a World Technology & Innovation Forum in Brussels earlier this year I told the audience that their ‘product was no longer their product.’ And with Dulux we have a classic case in point: When you buy Dulux today you aren’t simply buying paint. You are rolling a thick layer of emotion on your walls. Why? Because you just know it’s better. And that’s the power of the brand.

In a ‘master stroke’ of the creative brush, Dulux’s creative agency has reached beyond man’s best friend and also enlisted the help of a marketer’s best friend: Consumer Psychology and specifically, nostalgia… An emotion so powerful it can tug on heart strings and open your purse. Add it to your story and you’re using Brand Emotion. But brand emotion needs to be carefully executed – apply it too thickly and you’ll turn us off.

Many of Dulux’s target consumers, today’s UK would be DIY decorators, grew up with children’s tv in the 70’s and 80’s. Back then, a firm favourite on children’s TV was The Littlest Hobo. The heart-warming tale of a homeless dog who travelled from town-to-town, adventure-to-adventure, always doing good and making new friends but always ultimately moving on. By borrowing the theme tune from this classic kids show to accompany their iconic mascot, Dulux has brilliantly anchored their brand in a thousand positive and deeply emotional childhood memories for their target consumer.

If you check the online forums or the comments under the ad on YouTube you will see for yourself the depth of emotion stirred by this soundtrack. Mad Men ad man, Don Draper (The Wheel, 2007) recalled that nostalgia is ‘delicate, but potent … in Greek “nostalgia” literally means the pain from an old wound.’ And sure enough, in the forums, many of the comments talk about being ‘moved’ to tears’ by this memorable soundtrack alone.

So Gen-Y, enjoy your ad, and marvel at the power of not one, but two best friends helping you to buy paint this summer.

… Oh, and for those of you who just have to go back and see those opening credits from The Littlest Hobo… (Just, please, try not to cry)

HMT’s Sam Waterfall from Mumbai India where he joined a panel of distinguished Indian Entrepreneurs to discuss Innovation in Changing Times – a televised sharing of ideas for The FedEx International Business League with ET NOW. Professor Anil Gupta chaired the discussion between Marico Chairman & MD, Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Kinetic Group Chairman, Mr. Arun Firodia, and TV entrepreneur Big Synergy Chairman & MD, Mr. Siddarth Basu with HMT’s Senior Consultant Sam Waterfall.

In this video I summarise the 3 barriers to successful innovation just after the show was recorded…

What was exciting about this event was that it was filmed for TV. In this image you can see some of the backstory activity – a behind the scenes view as the crew set up the event while the speakers and awards announcers were briefed off camera.

As a speaker, the biggest impact of the TV set up is the intensity of the lighting. From the stage you can hardly see the live audience as as result of the lighting. As if it wasn’t already hot enough in May in Mumbai, the studio lights left the panel rather warmer than might have been ideal!

To find out more about Healthy Marketing, visit www.healthymarketingteam.com

The eyes of the world are on China’s ascendency and growth. After 3 days in Shanghai, HMT’s Senior Consultant, Sam Waterfall reflects on what’s working and what’s next in China. It’s a little windy, but you can enjoy Sam shouting over the weather and some ambient electric jazz!

To find out more about Healthy Marketing, visit www.healthymarketingteam.com

Sam Waterfall reports from Walmart in Shanghai, China in May 2011. Here I find key similarities between East and West and point out lessons in branding success – how to win with Healthy Marketing. Examples from Brands getting it right…

To find out more about Healthy Marketing, visit www.healthymarketingteam.com

Back in Saigon one year on it is clear to see the pace of change is greater than ever. We can observe 4 M’s driving explosive growth in the Vietnamese market.

Sam Waterfall gives you this update direct from Saigon in a two minute clip.

To find out more about Healthy Marketing, visit www.healthymarketingteam.com