There’s been understandable debate about Heineken’s decision to alter London Underground signage as part of its media idea.

The core concern is accessibility. Any change to a system people rely on for navigation, especially passengers with disabilities, deserves scrutiny. That’s not noise. That’s a legitimate constraint that brands should take seriously. And yes, some elements of the execution feel clunky. Not every adaptation lands cleanly. Not every asset looks elegant when stretched across a network designed for clarity, not creativity.

Marie Curie’s fashion-led shop, Edit, is a sharp piece of category thinking disguised as retail. I happened to pass it a couple of weeks ago. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, you could mistake it for a small, well-curated independent fashion boutique rather than the charity shop it is. Which is exactly the point.

This isn’t just about better rails, nicer lighting, or improved merchandising standards. Those are table stakes. What Edit really changes is the reason someone gives themselves to step inside.

Challenger brands are everywhere, but real challengers are becoming increasingly rare.  When a rebel brand starts to scale, the slow creep towards beige and bland begins. Then comes the copycat retailers, corporate takeovers, outsourced ‘craft,’ and lost culture.

In this fireside chat, Sauce Shop co-founder Pam Digva and marketing strategist Gareth Turner (Big Black Door) debate how indie brands keep their soul and protect distinctiveness when you hit the supermarket shelves, and why so many “challengers” quietly become caricatures of themselves. This is a no-fluff, no-PR-spin session featuring new research for SXSW on how brand leaders can stay truly distinctive.

Gingerbread has officially escaped the biscuit tin. Asda’s declared a “gingerbread takeover” (thegrocer.co.uk), Nestlé’s coated KitKats in it, Pepsi’s even bottled it and Doritos have given it a crunch! 

Walk any supermarket aisle right now and it’s clear that gingerbread is leading the flavour pack for Christmas 2025. Once the preserve of iced houses and festive biscuits, it’s now turning up everywhere from bakery to soft drinks. Comfort, nostalgia and warmth, gingerbread offers it all. 

Digital is not a f***ing strategy.

Louder for those at the back.

I spent 2 days hosting a stage at DMWF in New York a week or so ago. Different time zone  same marketing truth: channels change, fundamentals do not. If you want growth, keep you’re a firm hold of the brand building basics basics.

We went along expecting to be wowed by new tech wizardry and techniques for growing your brand, but there was a suprising (to me anyway) and refreshing theme that emerged.

The red thread:  Almost every session circled the same core ideas: understand real people, reach as many of your category buyers as you can for the budget available, show up with a clear story, and give it time to work. The tactics flex by platform. The principles do not.

Few confectionery brands inspire as much affection as Terry’s Chocolate Orange. With around nine million UK households buying one each year (source: confectionery news), it’s a firm Christmas classic. But with that love also comes a problem: how do you grow a brand that’s so tightly tied to one flavour and one season?

I love a little ‘surprise and delight’ on a piece of packaging – especially in the mundane moments of the everyday..

A little detail not everyone will notice! It won’t necessarily drive choice or hit a measurable KPI, but it is what separates brands from products. It’s about bothering to try to create a relationship with the consumer after you got them to take you home…

After decades leading campaigns for brands like Heineken, Arla and Weetabix, there’s one lesson I’ve seen prove itself again and again: Simple wins. Every time.

In marketing, it’s easy to equate complexity with intelligence. We’re surrounded by strategy decks, frameworks, and the pressure to be clever. So we layer on extra features, extra messages, extra channels – hoping to impress. But more often than not, “more” gets in the way. Because while you might live and breathe your brand, your audience doesn’t.

They’re busy. They’re distracted. And blunt truth they don’t care as much as you do.

A great product alone cannot guarantee attention. Growth comes from delivering the right message, in the right place, at the right moment. Three tools work together to achieve this outcome: a comms hierarchy, a focused comms plan and a balanced messaging strategy. And here’s a link to some of the templates we’ve used over the years to help get this right.

Every millimetre on a pack is prime real estate. If a line, icon or logo can’t prove it’s driving choice, it distracts and should be removed. Take BrewDog’s new look: the cans carry a “Brewed Fresh” lock up. Nice sentiment, but does it tell shoppers anything that any other brewer wouldn’t do by default, or is it just squatting on space that could work harder?

Rebrands seem to be everywhere right now. But that doesn’t mean they’re always the right move.

We’ve noticed a wave of FMCG brands refreshing their visual identities in the past 12 months. Cleaner designs, pastel tones, and nature-inspired storytelling are in. Tone of voice is getting warmer. And there’s a growing trend towards “heritage with a twist” – modernising without losing the brand’s roots.

UK grocery has spent recent years trapped in a price-match echo-chamber.  Shoppers certainly notice price, but the messaging din is deafening and has become wallpaper.

This week, Morrisons has chosen to break rank.  Its new “Fresh from Market Street” campaign (created by Leo Burnett, launched 27 May) drops unsuspecting customers onto storm-lashed fishing boats and muddy fields before whip-panning them inside a bright Morrisons store where the same produce sits ready—filleted, sliced and bagged.  The line: “We’ve already done the hard work for you.”

Not long ago, we pitched for a brand we genuinely admired. It had a strong product, real momentum, and an exciting growth challenge. We came with sharp thinking, a world class collective of channel experts, commercial rigour, and a clear point of view.

The client chose to work with someone else. Not because our thinking didn’t land. Not because the chemistry wasn’t there. But because the other agency had done it “many times before.”

And in that moment, I understood exactly why we lost. Whilst everything about the client screamed risk-taker, they didn’t want a challenger partner to help them with their brand. They wanted reassurance, and that’s a valid choice.

We’re working with a national media owner in the UK to test a network of digital panels with 10” creative. If you’re up for working with the on this test please get in touch at knock-knock@bigblackdoor.com or by replying to this email.

Ideally you’re not a food and drink brand, and would have some creative ready to go, but please don’t let that stop you getting in touch - we can help you craft a pitch to the media owner that gives you half a chance of success and know people who can create the ads for you if you need them (although that bit wouldn’t be free!)