MBS Intelligence
Concepts, marketing & creative direction
Desperately seeking new stores: LA’s newest grocery concept is set…
This year, for the first time since before lockdown, I went to the US to check out stores and new concepts on the West Coast, just like I used to. To be honest, it was not what I was expecting. LA, which is a city...
Are FMCG CMOs moving fast enough?
I’ve always been a proud advocate, supporter and servant to the FMCG sector, and particularly so - with a degree of smugness - about its marketing excellence. The sector is home to some of the best and most ubiquitous...
The resale revolution: we’re seeing the rise of second-hand…
I was recently in the market for a new mobile phone. As I was considering my options, I couldn’t help but notice the advertisements pasted around London touting the environmental and financial perks of buying a...
Trust me, I’m a doctor: why we’re listening to…
“We are exiting the era of marketing-based skincare and entering the era of performance-based skincare,” reads a quote splashed across the Dr. Barbara Sturm website. While Dr. Barbara Sturm is an extreme example of...
Out with the new and in with the old…
Christmas and New Year is the time when I return home to my roots in South Africa to recharge my batteries ready for the year ahead. But alas, with South Africa going on to the UK’s red list in late November, this...
180 The Strand: Brutalist lines blur art, culture, food…
If you take a drive down Kingsway from Holborn and get to the end of the road, the first building in front of you is the London landmark, Bush House. Majestic and grand, Bush House is a Grade II listed building...
From Thailand to the Highlands, a silver lining in…
As 2019 gave way to 2020, my wife and I set our sights on an early spring getaway. We spent the Christmas break poring over travel guides and quickly narrowed our focus to Southeast Asia. The brief was simple: to get...
Maybe he’s born with it. Maybe it’s male cosmetics?
In July, Carnaby Street welcomed a new tenant. At number 29, the store has been immaculately fitted with dark wood floors, glass partitions and a velvet green sofa, and on display is an array of makeup and skincare...
Holidaying in the UK part II: A meandering drive…
UK geography has never been my strong point - probably because for the first half of life at MBS, almost all of our clients were fashion and luxury and therefore client visits were in London, Paris or Milan. Come 1998,...
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