This one came out too late for my summery of brand trends, but here are five emerging brand trends for 2020. I heartily endorse their first trend that as more and more "authentic reviews" turn out to be fake, candidates will stop relying on review sites as much. At the very least, candidates will change how they interpret those reviews, which should impact your own review site strategy. (And here's early examples from the Washington Post: companies that sell fake people.) Also see the fifth prediction: People will pay more for brands with a human side. As the de facto owner of the human side of your corporate brand, this is where you can make a real impact.

I had a fun conversation over at Chad & Cheese on employer branding in a post-COVID world that got some surprisingly positive mentions.

Last week I had some crazy technical issues. which is why the newsletter went out a day and a half late. In all the chaos, I didn't link to an article on how you can use the four drivers of your employer brand to better respond to the pandemic.

Bookmark this: Gallup, the research company, makes a pretty compelling case to your leadership on the power of employer brand. The overall focus is on how the employer brand makes a clear impact on your corporate brand (remember, businesses only speak three languages: make money, save money, extend the brand), which would be something you might want to slide under the virtual door of leadership.

A global pandemic. Economic uncertainty. Political limbo. Racial inequality. To say 2020 is an “annus horribilis” unlike we’ve ever experienced would be an understatement.But in the words of our co-CEOs, we viewed these obstacles as a clarion call for simplicity. Our collective responsibility was to find new ways to remove the complexity from the challenges before us—both for our clients and colleagues. As we look to the year ahead, what’s top of mind for branding experts? Our practitioners weigh in on how companies can differentiate themselves in 2021.