The Brief Ep 09: Kevin the carrot and co - the journey to distinctive brand assets and how to build them

Did somebody say….

Yep, we can probably all finish that line (although maybe not in tune).

What if we said “Kevin!”

The nation’s favourite carrot likely springs to mind (along with the line, “that’s huge, Willy!”)

Brand assets have the power to promote quick association and build brand recall. But how do you get started with creating them? What’s the secret formula to building brand assets that are truly distinctive? How do they impact effectiveness?

For this episode, we’re welcoming Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1, alongside McCann’s Jamie Peate, Global Head of Effectiveness and Retail, and Kayley Almond, Strategy Director, to uncover the stories and strategies behind the biggest brand assets.

What we cover in this episode

• Defining brand assets
• The impact on effectiveness and why fame matters
• The importance of having “a thing of it”
• How and why Kevin the Carrot came to be
• Being in the business of light entertainment
• The journey to creating assets that achieve fame, fluency and feeling
• Sustaining brand assets
• The impact of cultural moments and seasonality
• Avoiding ‘vision vampires’ and the role of celebrity in brands
• The power of nostalgia and bringing back distinctive assets
• Brands can change, but they need an anchor
• Who’s doing distinctive assets well

About the speakers

Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1, is an experienced commercial leader with a track record of delivering substantial growth across a large number of brands. His previous experience includes a short stint as CMO for Brewdog, Marketing Director at Suntory leading some of the UK's most iconic brands, on the Board of Purity Soft Drinks, a private equity-backed soft drink business, and working for Britvic Soft Drinks running a 'Seed Brand Unit' in conjunction with Pepsi. Jon also hosts the ‘The Uncensored CMO’ podcast.

Jamie Peate, Global Head of Effectiveness and Retail at McCann, has helped to drive a culture at local, regional and global levels that holds creativity and effectiveness central to all of the agency’s output. His strategic approach to the Aldi account exemplifies his approach – long running campaigns such as Like Brands and Kevin the Carrot have reaped benefits for the client and helped redefine the grocery sector.

A proud northerner and champion of creativity in Manchester, Jamie got his first taste of retail at his parent's shop near Blackpool. He first joined McCann Manchester as a recent graduate before forming his own insight and innovation agency Blue Banana in the early 1990s. When the agency became part of McCann Manchester 20 years later, Jamie returned as Director of Strategy and Insight.

Kayley Almond is a seasoned Strategy Director at McCann, celebrated for her innovative thinking and passion for igniting creative sparks that help businesses meet their growth potential. With over a decade of experience shaping impactful campaigns for esteemed brands like Hargreaves Lansdown, Lancome, and the Electoral Commission, Kayley approaches her work with humility and a desire to connect with real people.