Our Thinking

Storytelling-ByDesign

Storytelling trumps information: Here’s why, and how to get it right

People have told stories ever since we developed the capacity for language. Nowadays though, stories go beyond mere entertainment – as people drown in information, brands are using storytelling to build connections and trust. When told skilfully and strategically, stories share a brand’s history, challenges,...

Six rules for doing business, by design

At ByDesign, we don’t really like rules. But there have to be a few. So, after being in business for six years now, we’ve distilled our learnings into six rules for what it takes to thrive in our industry. Short, sharp, simple. Imagine you’re receiving the...

How Service-Based Businesses Are Taking Advantage of Black Friday

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would be acutely aware that the Black Friday madness will soon be upon us. Yes, none of us can escape the mad rush and fear of missing out (FOMO). 25 November will see both online and offline businesses...

From media agency to comms partner: a six-year journey

ByDesign Communications recently turned six, and it got me thinking. What’s changed since we launched? What works, and what doesn’t? How should we evolve to keep up? To understand just how far we’ve come, we must look at the journey. Back in September 2016, Vanessa Baard...

Loadshedding affecting digital marketing ROI

You’d have thought that loadshedding gives South African businesses enough problems as it is. We live with unpredictable time management, meeting postponements and late staff arrivals at the office with the now-familiar excuse, ‘Sorry I’m late, the traffic lights were out’. But recent campaign analysis suggests...

Are we Zooming towards the metaverse?

Arguably, the biggest industry trend to come out of the pandemic is an ever-increasing reluctance and even inability to create and forge personal relationships. Client meeting? Hop onto Zoom or Teams. Shopping? There are apps for that, and your groceries will be at your door...

It’s time for social media to make business sense

Impressions. Click-through rates. Engagement. Cost per click. The results are based on ‘industry standards’, like the ‘best performing post’, or the number of people who saw it.  How much of this do you really understand when you’re sitting in a meeting? Too often, we measure our...

How to use LinkedIn during a time of pandemic

We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. If you’re not harnessing the power of LinkedIn to drive visibility for yourself and your business, you’re missing a trick. Whilst the term ‘coronavirus’ dominated social media conversations in 2020, professionals are putting their trust in established brands...