By Association

We’re back with all popular culture references, topics and opinions this week.  Everyone’s been talking about the Robbie documentary so we guessed we’d do the same. It’s a hit - but not for the reasons we might have thought when pressing play on Netflix. There’s so much more to this celebrity being interviewed in his huge LA home wearing his pants and we’re enjoying it.  We couldn’t continue recor...

Victoria’s Secret hasn’t been a winner for Emma, at least for the last 8 years when she woke-up to their dangerous showcase and lack of diversity. This brand isn’t impressing with it’s new look and tactics and luckily for us all, Gen-Z hates it too. The lingerie company’s rebrand simply isn’t hitting the mark in any sense, we discuss how and if they ever could, either.  However, there are positive...

A week where Business of Fashion CEO Imran Amed says Uniqlo has more luxury when it comes to store stock experience than Chanel - well, at least when it comes to time and treatment. We look at how other brands from many tiers of luxury and non-luxury treat their consumers in-store when something isn’t readily available.  We’ve been loving the Beckham three-part documentary on Netflix. Appreciation...

In this episode Emma interviews Barth Rougier, the 26- year-old entrepreneur who is redefining success and making waves in multiple industries, but with a key focus on hospitality. He’s the mastermind behind DNA, a cutting-edge 360 Marketing & Talent Management agency representing over 75 influential talents globally, working closely with luxury brands to create impactful campaigns and elevate the...

Autumn is here, and so is Paris Fashion Week. Sarah Burton steps down after a wonderful showcase of designs that lean more to Alexander McQueen’s more confronting style design and performance-wise. We wonder who will join as Creative Director herein after her wonderful 26 years in the position - someone young, female and maybe from a different creative industry altogether? We hope so.  A second cr...

This week we kick-off with a look at terms in the workplace when it comes to learning, growing and altering work - “feedback” is out, and “feedforward” is in. Well, at least when it comes to teams within Microsoft. A lot of brands and businesses are now following-suit to allow a more positive, receptive way of working. Do we think this a little OTT? What really is at play here? Discussion takes us...

The worlds of technology, sports, and luxury collide in this week's episode of By Association. First on the agenda, we delve into Tesla's newly-approved Supercharger in West Hollywood—a nostalgic throwback complete with a '50s style diner and a drive-in movie theater. Is Elon Musk onto the next big thing or is this just another chapter in the Elon ego saga? As summer football sizzles,...

This week we kick-off with the designs and potential of the rollable iPhone, soon to be released by Apple. Do we enjoy this new hardware update and what consumer would really need what this new mechanism provides? We couldn't run this episode without talking about Carlos Alcaraz's win at Wimbledon. As the youngest man to ever win, he's also knocked the consistent three king tennis hitt...

In this special episode, Maurice has a conversation with globally recognized business executive, Ryan Patel , about diversity, personal branding, communication, digital platforms, and the potential of healthcare for disruption. Ryan begins by emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in fostering innovation. He then highlights the transformative power of technology on businesses and na...

In a week where Maurice has powered through a double daughter birthday bonanza, Emma started a new job at Nike and recovered from her festival fantasy land at Glastonbury - a few other things happened outside of our own worlds too. You don’t have to ask us twice to “please, discuss”. Points below:  Three US Supreme Court rulings: Rejection of the affirmative action, Joe Biden's student loan fo...

Netflix is opening its first-ever restaurant featuring food from ‘Chef’s Table’ and ‘Iron Chef’ stars in LA, but won’t be allowing a meet-and-greet with the chefs. We’re sure this great digital to physical move is still missing a trick by making it more about the food and less about the people. We consider why this restrictive choice has been made when the event itself is set out to build and show...

In the week where Apple have launched the Apple Vision Pro to bring the Metaverse (and beyond) to life, this naturally takes our focus first and foremost. For the cost of $3,500 this headset allows users to interact with Apple apps and experiences many of us know and love in a way that is far more immersive and advanced. However, there’s a disconnect between the eye-watering price of Apple’s new ‘...

A special interview episode, this time with a friend and fellow hospitality brand creative, Jason Steere . Jason is the Managing Director of Brand & Experience at The Social Hub , formally The Student Hotel. After studying Economics, Jason's career began as a Store Manager for Gap and Eddie Bauer, leading him to a position at Nike as Visual Presentation Manager - of course, the birth and s...

Sexual wellness brand Roam from London have launched a range of condoms in four different skin tone colours. Is this an incentive for men to buy and use condoms more? We love the branding but what is the real message behind this creation and why is it important? Fifa have revealed their new logo. To us, it feels lazy and a missed-opportunity to highlight themselves as a global brand with a need to...

As we celebrate one year of recording together, the subject matters take more of a informal, personal turn. We totally wing it and touch on the subjects below: The King Coronation brought many memes, AI takes, drama and discussion around attendance and the performance and monarchy overall. Mo came back from his holiday and rated his hotel stay a little less than 10/10. When the hotel team checked...

This week we look to a mix of subjects, all based around branding and marketing masterpieces or fails. First up, Bud Light’s VP of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, has taken a leave of absence after the brand was criticised and boycotted by right-wing transphobic influential personalities following a partnership with transgender TikTok star, Dylan Mulvaney. Conversation naturally leans to how other...

For the first time ever, we're recording in person. In a studio. Here's how it went down. Amsterdam have launched a 'Stay Away' campaign. As a Brit, is Emma upset by this? No. Does Maurice agree it's a valuable, simple mass marketing move? Definitely not. We talk of how this campaign came about, why it's important and how it maybe could have been done better. Meanwhile, Pra...

There's no doubt we both love Rimowa for providing a great product, service, marketing mixes in great collaborations or partnerships. They're a leader in the suitcase travel industry and an inspiring example of branding at it's best. Their most recent initiative to increase footfall in stores by offering complimentary passport photos is another example of greatness. Tried and tested, it worked on...

Has Meta CEO, Mark Zukerberg quietly buried the Metaverse? We think so. As he shifts his attention to a shiny new AI toy, it seems the rest of the world is too. But can these advances replace our jobs in the creative, brand marketing industry? For those who are willing to embrace it - we think it could actually be a huge benefit to their career, skill and use of time.  The Financial Times hav...

Burberry has revealed a new logo and campaign under the creative direction of Daniel Lee. Re-introducing thin lettering and an illustrative take on the horse emblem. We're huge fans of this new look for the brand, listen to find out why.  Pharrell Williams has been appointed as Menswear Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, replacing Virgil Abloh after he passed and held the position last year....

2023 is fully underway and this week we discuss the following topics:  Now that we've both watched The Menu, conversation leads to the power struggle between the hospitality worker and the hosted when it comes to fine dining. Both having enjoyed the theatre, thrill and premise of the film, we left watching with many questions to answer on the story itself but also what was being truly shown t...

While Emma is on the slopes skiing, Maurice talks to Neil Schambra Stevens, owner of Mercury Jam Coaching, focusing on well-being and productivity at work. Neil draws on over nearly 30 years of C-level marketing experience with Fortune 500 brands, such as Levi's, Converse, Lenovo, Vans, and Polaroid. In the conversation we talk about Jacinda Ardern's resignation as prime minister of New Zeala...

We're back. It's been a while. We're happy you're here again with us.  This week's episode kicks off with chat on Prince Harry's autobiography release, titled "Spare". We discuss some of it's main topics, our thoughts on the release overall and what parts made us most emotional or intrigued to understand more.  Next we touch on ChatGPT and if this is a shining AI star that will naturally fade or s...

This week, Netflix have released a new 6 part docuseries together with Harry & Meghan covering the inside story with content led by the couple themselves on their courtship, journey and exit from royal life. We share thoughts on their complex journey (from episodes we've seen so far) and why it matters most for them, given both of their pasts and potential futures to do so in their own words a...

The Miami work trip cut us short on recording for a little while, but now we’re BACK. This episode begins with a round-up of what’s happened since we last shared a recording; citizenM Miami, house moves and lifestyle changes (AKA out excuses for not recording) followed by three key news topics that don’t include Elon - can you believe it? Topic 1: Soho House founder Nick Jones has stepped down as...