At Emersion, we don’t specialise in sectors but in ideas - the kind that offer creatively strategic solutions to solve ordinary business problems. For that kind of venture, you need to know which wells run deep enough to draw sweet inspiration and which just leave you feeling thirsty. 

As economic instability increases, the pressure on brands, creatives, and marketers to perform under limited budgets and build year-on-year growth is hot, and it's crucial we all find ways to replenish our creative well.

After two decades of building cross-continental brands and campaigns, navigating creative ruts, burnout, and fatigue is simply inevitable. But what you do build along the way, is a flexible mind muscle for ideas and an eye for inspiration. So it’s safe to say we’re well-positioned to offer advice.

Let's take manufacturing. Has a slightly flat-feeling sound to it and never quite rouses the dinner party guests the same way other industries or careers do. Why exactly is that? Manufacturing has been painted with a largely unsexy brush, leaving it a largely unexplored territory for creativity. 

Yet, the statistics about this sector are compelling despite harsh conditions post-pandemic. In Northern Ireland, the industry contributes 14% to NI’s total economic output.

Nonetheless, there’s something to be learned from this sector. Steeped in heritage and history, it has repeatedly shown an ability to adapt, innovate, and flourish. So what happens when you pair this with creative ideas? In short, cut-through.

As Northern Ireland Manufacturing Month rolls in, we've curated a collection of our favourite brand projects within the sector to showcase our approach.

Insights vs Inspiration:

First, let’s look at two powerful partners you can easily and quickly leverage: insight and inspiration. Having one is great, but two? Now there's a showdown. 

Insights may come from pining over finely documented market research, customer feedback, data analysis or customer analogies. These insights help craft a brand strategy that addresses specific needs, pain points, and desires, leading to a robust creative approach that resonates.  

Inspiration on the other hand, is ignorant of sectors, industries and places we deem it calls home. Yes, this intangible elixir breathes throughout museums, speaks within books, and dances across landscapes to fuel innovative concepts and stylistic executions. But it can be found listening to unlikely cafe suspects, spying social mishaps and striking in ill-timed places too. In fact, we’d argue everyday rhythms often dismissed as another mundane day, hold a wealth of inspiration. Why? Because as social beings with ingrained habits, honing in on unfurling moments of humanistic behaviour and connection isn’t just important, it’s crucial.

By leveraging both, brands can combine creative ideas no matter the sector with the data-driven reality that makes the output not only impactful, but radically relevant to its audiences too.

How we do it:

So how do we put that into action? From aerospace to furniture, lifestyle to timber - our method of finding ideas ranges from client to client. For us at Emersion, it isn't about crafting eye candy, on-trend surface visuals or making ‘stuff’ for stuff's sake. It’s finding your niche, assessing the market, leveraging your insights, and building inspiring ideas that tell a captivating story to connect with real people and drive real growth. 

Working with Cusp, we sought to create a modern and elegant timber brand to support a beautiful product. The approach for our direction of travel was inspired by the definition and ethos of the brand itself - the point at which one state transitions to the next. This allowed us to craft a kinetic look, feel and voice that emphasised the environments Cusp creates, and the ever-moving lives of people who learn, live and work within them.

Evostyle are Australia's premier furniture and architectural component workshop, specialising in exquisite joinery and solid timber products. At the time the brand lacked an equally considered and purposeful approach.

Drawing inspiration from a rich 30-year heritage and a commitment to the continual pursuit of perfection, we began a creative exploration to develop a brand strategy, design, and content reflecting its handcrafted ethos. The result? An equally meticulously crafted brand identity featuring a hand-cut logo typeface, dynamic earthy colour palette, and unparalleled detail to capture every grain of authenticity and craftsmanship.

Spirit Aerosystems is at the forefront of aerospace engineering and boasts a wealth of innovation, expertise, and ambition. Driven by a big vision to reshape their industry on a global scale, a bold campaign to match their ambition was needed for the future they're creating. 

In partnership with in-house teams from the US and UK, we crafted a campaign strategy informed by their forward-looking vision, coupled with a distinctive design inspired by extraordinary aerospace expertise and technical prowess. The outcome? A groundbreaking campaign welcoming a new era for Spirit AeroSystems far and wide.

For those struggling to see how pure insight can be used creatively, look outside the manufacturing sector to Nationwide's latest campaign. When research revealed that 63% of customers valued local branches and in-person services, the building society underwent its largest rebrand in 36 years. While competitors zigged to focus on digital services, Nationwide zagged to reinforce the value of its high-street branches. Embracing its member-owned legacy, the modern rebrand confidently affirmed their positioning with a striking rollout that kept them front of mind.

Another notable example of wielding inspiration within the industry can be seen in Biozeroc’s brand campaign for House of Hard Things to present its products as literal building blocks of a better future. Playing on double meanings and the idea of reinventing used and abused materials into a carbon-zero future resulted in an approach that quite literally shook up the perception of a ‘stale’ product.

G20 Insights suggests that by 2030, the creative economy may contribute up to 10% of global GDP (Forbes 2023), perhaps proving that investing in creativity could pave the way for assured success. Ready to emerge stronger, sharper and ready for growth? Get in touch to begin a collaborative partnership and find your next strategic creative idea.