Welcome to The Spark, home to everything Team Mission Drive has found fascinating this month.
Happy spring equinox! And welcome back to The Spark, March edition.
This month we’ve got lots of lovely thoughts and recommendations for you including exploring your personality type, the joy of esports, why equity matters, and the biggest branding clangers of recent times (if it ain't broke, why fix it?)
If you’re new here, welcome! We hope you enjoy our diverse range of thoughts, musings, and entertainment suggestions, and that they give you something nice to ponder on as you move through your day.
After some marketing tips, tricks, and magic? We've got that too. Simply check out our twice weekly digest Little Missions.
This month’s Big World Stuff
How my love for sports fuelled my passion for esports
I’ve always had a love for sports and being outdoors. Growing up in Manila, Philippines, the best times were spent playing outside with chalk and marbles, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve loved playing and watching sports. Instead of watching the Disney Channel or Cartoon Network, I was watching the Olympics, NBA, and wrestling! My mum often says that I got it from my Grandad, whose eyes were permanently glued to a basketball game.
When I moved to England, I started watching the Premier League and quickly fell in love with Steven Gerrard and Liverpool Football Club. There’s nothing better than supporting your team through a season campaign and losing fingernails over last-minute game winners. Ah, the adrenaline.
One of my favourite moments in sports history was when Hidilyn Diaz won the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I’ve been following her journey since she exited early from the London 2012 Olympics, and so to see her lift my country’s first ever Olympic gold medal is a feeling I still struggle to put into words. It was a moment of pride, relief, and euphoria for many Filipinos around the world like myself.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve shifted my interest from traditional sports to esports, specifically Tactical First Person Shooter games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and VALORANT. There are many international championships as well as ‘majors’, which are like the Olympics of esports. And although there are no esports organisations or teams that I currently vow my loyalty to like I do with Liverpool FC, it is still so fascinating to watch and follow the journeys that each team and individual goes through.
I love an underdog story. The victory is always so much sweeter, and it makes you believe that anything’s possible if you just put your mind to it. That’s what brings sports and esports together for me – it’s not the victory, but the journey that’s most important. Whether it’s Hidilyn Diaz’s first Olympic gold medal for the Philippines, or Liverpool FC’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, or even CS:GO’s best player ‘s1mple’ finally winning his first major, the feeling is the same. Watching them going through failures and having the strength to go again is what makes their victories euphoric, and even poetic.
What personality type are you? It’s time to find out
16 Personalities is a personality test evolved from the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI is one of the most popular frameworks for understanding someone’s personality and is one of the few frameworks that’s been able to stand up to academic scrutiny over time. In a nutshell, MBTI evaluates your responses to set questions and categorises the results in relation to four set personality dimensions:
- Introversion vs. Extraversion
- Sensing vs. Intuition
- Thinking vs. Feeling
- Judging vs. Perceiving
How you respond to these questions will determine what personality type applies to you. 16 Personalities takes this research a step further, and adds a dimension for identity. This dimension assesses how assertive vs. turbulent a person is.
Personality tests have often been used in workplace settings. They can be a great way to understand a new colleague or the different personality types within your team. A key difference between the two tests above though, is that MBTI is often a paid-for service, whereas 16 Personalities is a freemium model, meaning you only have to pay for more in-depth results. However, the resources you get for free are more than good.
It’s a cliche, but it is true – everyone is unique. These tests only seek to find similarities between people. They’re not there to define who you are as a person. It’s also true that your personality traits, and therefore your result, can change as you progress through life.
An additional selling point from a digital marketing perspective, is that the 16 Personalities website has a great UX. Give it a go and see what you think. Our whole team did it, and if nothing else it’s a super fun talking point!
Kellogg’s is changing to Kellanova. And other curious rebrands…
From the hidden messages in logos to the psychology of colours used to influence thoughts and feelings, I love branding. So my ears twitched (or whatever the eyeball equivalent is) when I read about Kellogg’s becoming Kellanova. Take a look for yourself, but I for one think it's going to be a dud. And it got me thinking about some of the worst rebrands in history. So without further ado, here are my personal top three.
Gap
Gap's failed rebrand in 2010 was a highly publicised marketing blunder. The American clothing retailer attempted to modernise their logo by replacing it with a new design featuring a smaller blue box and plain black text. The reaction from consumers was overwhelmingly negative, with many criticising the new logo as generic and unappealing. Just a week later Gap reverted back, apologising for the misstep and acknowledging the power of their brand's heritage.
Leeds United FC
Leeds United Football Club's failed rebrand in 2018 was met with significant backlash from fans and the football community. The club's proposed new crest was criticised for being too simplistic and lacking historical context. Many fans felt the new crest didn’t reflect the club's identity or values, and expressed their disappointment on social media and at matches. In response, Leeds FC announced they’d be abandoning the new crest and involving fans in the design process for another logo.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail's bizarre 2018 rebrand was met with criticism from the public and design industry alike. The company attempted a fresh look by changing its moniker from Royal Mail Group to Consignia and introducing a new logo featuring a multicoloured swirl. Safe to say, the rebrand was widely perceived as confusing and unnecessary, with many questioning the relevance of it. After just 16 months, Royal Mail abandoned the Consignia name and reverted back.
These failed rebrands serve as a cautionary tale highlighting the importance of maintaining brand recognition, involving stakeholders, and preserving brand heritage, consistency and relevance. All while avoiding unnecessary changes that could jeopardise customer loyalty and fanbase.
#EmbracingEquity
March is the start of spring if you’re in the northern hemisphere, and the month that marks International Women's day (IWD), globally.
The IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity theme aimed to get the world talking about why ‘equal opportunities are no longer enough’ – and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive.
Here’s the thing. Equity and equality are often used interchangeably, but there’s a big difference. It’s important to understand and acknowledge the difference between the two.
Equality: Everyone gets the same – regardless if it’s needed, or right for them. It means each individual and group is given the same resources or opportunities.
Equity: Everyone gets what they need – understanding the barriers, circumstances, and conditions. It recognises that each person or group has different needs, and allocated resources and opportunities will be individualised to reach an equal outcome.
- The Gender and Technology glossary. Familiarise yourself with these key terms. I bet there’s a few you didn’t know, but that’s OK!
- The WeRise App. This app bridges the generations to promote gender equality through gaming.
This month's Big Recommendations
Pick of the podcasts
All The Small Things with Venetia La Manna
All The Small Things is a weekly interview series hosted by activist and eco-champion Venetia La Manna. Calling herself a ‘recovering hypocrite’ Venetia went from influencer and fast fashion consumer, to a sustainability queen, activist, and conscious consumer – and one of her main goals with this podcast is to speak to a diverse range of people, writers, and activists across many sectors about their lives, passions, and rituals. From reconnecting with nature, to building a ‘justice-lead’ circular economy, the topics are broad, deep, fascinating, and thoughtful. And Venetia’s deliberate commitment to have guests from marginalised communities or voices that are heard less in a world dominated by white, cis, het folk is excellent. Two favourites of mine are: Do Ethical Billionaires Exist? With Swatee Deepak, and Decolonising Yoga with Angie Tiwari.
Walking the dog with Emily Dean
This is one of my favourite podcasts. Writer, presenter and podcaster, Emily Dean takes some of her famous friends for a walk with their dogs, where they talk about the weird, the wonderful, the funny, and the extraordinary. It’s a fun listen-in on some interesting chats with lovely humans. In the most recent episode Emily and her partner Ray went on a walk in Catford with comedian Fern Brady. They chatted about her childhood in Scotland, growing up with undiagnosed Autism and why comedy is the perfect career for her. Another favourite was an episode with Bez from the Happy Mondays, and his dogs, Snoop and Yoko. They chatted about how he came to join Happy Mondays, being a first-time dog owner, and his new book. I love these as it reminds me of the endless chats I’ve had with friends, family and my partner when we’ve walked our dogs. It’s interesting just learning about these folk and what’s on their minds.
Films to fall in love with
Netflix has made international films very accessible for all, so I’m slowly getting through many great Filipino films. Hello, Love, Goodbye is one of them, and has quickly become one of my all-time favourites. This romantic drama follows the story of two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong. Joy, a domestic helper, is trying to save money to move to Canada as a nurse, and Ethan, a bartender, is trying to find his motivation in life. The plot of OFWs has been tirelessly explored in Filipino cinema, but what makes Hello, Love, Goodbye, different is its focus on the relationship of Joy and Ethan. The film isn’t just a love story, or a story about OFWs. It’s a story about finding yourself and giving yourself the chance to do what you really want. There’s a Filipino phrase, ‘libre lang pangarap’ which means, ‘it’s free to dream’. But as Joy and Ethan find out, dreams aren’t free, and chasing them usually means sacrificing something else. It’s a tear-jerker and a film so close to my heart. If you’ve never watched a Filipino movie before, this is the perfect one to start with.
TV to talk about
If you're looking for a drama that's gripping, intense, and full of complex characters, then Succession is the show for you. This HBO hit follows the lives of the Roy family, a wealthy and powerful dynasty, as they navigate their way through the cut-throat world of business and family politics. With an incredible ensemble cast led by Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin, Succession is a masterclass in acting and storytelling. But what really sets it apart is the razor-sharp writing. The show's creator, Jesse Armstrong, has crafted a world that's both hilarious and devastating, with dialogue that crackles and burns. Whether you're watching for the machiavellian power plays, or dysfunctional family dynamics, it's impossible to look away from.
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The Mission Drive Team
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