How Fast is Your Circle? Learning from Lean Development
Conventional wisdom suggests making products last longer is always better. While longevity is valuable, learning fast is equally important. Testing circularity in industries with high turnover can provide insights that benefit slower-moving sectors.
Control the End—Because You Can’t Control Anything Else
As a business shipping products worldwide, you face a growing challenge: your customers want clear guidance on how to dispose of products responsibly, yet the rules governing this process are anything but simple.
Evidenced endings. The Challenge of Measuring Circular Endings in a Linear World
Waste streams lack transparency. Data on product disposal and material recovery is minimal, fragmented, and unreliable.
The result? A critical gap in evidence. Companies trying to design for circularity are operating in the dark when it comes to end-of-life outcomes. Without robust data, proving circular success remains elusive.
Lost consumer experience around material collection.
This role deserves celebration. Not because it signifies hardship or poverty, but because it represents something profoundly human—the ability to negotiate the end of a material experience with purpose and agency. The Rag and Bone man did not merely take waste; they facilitated a meaningful transition, offering reward and recognition to those who engaged in the process.
Blame the believer.
Unpacking the Narratives That Blame Consumers
Marketing can be described as telling stories to your customers that reinforce a point of view. What happens when you need to change the point of view? Can you blame the believer? Some will try.
What should the End of Social Media for Teens Look Like?
Australia is set to implement the world’s strictest laws banning social media access for teenagers, a sweeping change that will redefine the daily lives of many young Australians. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) are in the crosshairs, with detailed implementation plans currently being ironed out. While this decision addresses growing concerns over the role of these platforms in the lives of young people, a critical challenge lies ahead: ensuring that this ban is executed thoughtfully to avoid alienating a generation of digital natives. How should their experience end?
Alcohol, Christmas and The Full Lifecycle Experience
Ads frame it as a key to perfect moments, while public health campaigns warn of its dangers. In between, consumers navigate a full lifecycle of ups, downs, and everything in between.
"Yes, I Would Like an End-of-Life Receipt, Please"
We’re already familiar with receipts marking the beginning of a transaction, confirming ownership or service access. But what about the end of a product’s lifecycle? Could a receipt offer evidence of responsible disposal or recycling?
Will I Die Before Fish Go Extinct?
Will you outlive your parents? Probably. Will you outlive the global average lifespan (72 years)? Hopefully. I’m 52 now, aiming for at least another 20 years. But here’s the sobering thought: Will I outlive fish? The World Counts projects global fish stocks could collapse by…?
Longevity dates. How Long Will It Last?
How Long Will It Last? Product duration dates fail to acknowledge the last 100 years of marketing.
We need a measure with a consumer experience at the end.
The ROI of Ends: Turning ESG into Consumer Connection
Companies are investing heavily in sustainability, often driven by compliance with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. Publicly listed businesses spend between $220,000 and $480,000 annually on sustainability ratings1. Yet, despite this investment, many fail to communicate these efforts effectively to consumers, relying on symbols and data points that are poorly understood.
Leaving? Had enough of my personal brands opinion?
It’s not the first time a stupid statement has dissolved a business. And I am sure won’t be the last.
When consumer opinion is confronted with terrible behaviour, their loyalty can shift in a heartbeat. It is a unique kind of challenge: the Cultural Ending. This occurs when consumers’ cultural values, opinions, or tastes no longer align with the brand or product experience. Unlike traditional business challenges, cultural endings are nuanced and unpredictable, making them one of the most complicated and difficult types of endings to design and mitigate.