Dr Nick Coates

A study exploring the real human impact of the cost-of-living crisis and what brands can do to respond with more empathy and clarity, using Relationship Thinking as their guide

Co-creating service signatures for the new Eurostar Family!

The latest in the C Space & Interbrand Arenas series, Dwell looks at how where we live enables who we are and who we want to be. Dwell is an enabler of success not the marker. We cover the rise of the urban species, fluid living and the inside-our home. Guest contributions from IKEA, Raffles & Kerakoll, with interviews and data from over 5,000 people in 7 markets worldwide.

Coming soon to a shop near you, space_ace is a solution to not having enough space in the home. This space-creating brand from Kin Brands (part of the Wilko family) was Co-created with customers and the entire product range was inspired by JTBD / ethnographic enquiry and product and visual identity shaped iteratively with the end-user!

A piece of IP for Siemens Mobility deisgned to reframe the way train designers thjnk about what they do. A desîgned thinkpiece packed with insights on human behaviour, motivation and passenger experience. And examples of needs and solutions in metro transport.

Working with customers in East Anglia to inspire this new challenger brand offering superfast reliable broadband in the face of poor provision. Based on the idea of "an uninterrupted life". Brand, naming, proposition, customer experience. Coming soon to a town near you.

Explora Journeys is a new concept in the luxury travel space. The whole experience is built around the idea of the "Ocean State of Mind", a brand platform that incorporates the family’s DNA and speaks to the next generation of Discerning Luxury Travellers – marking a shift from cruising to luxury lifestyle traveling. A collaboration between C Space, Interbrand and McKinsey. Our main focus was to keep the customer at the center, which involved Expert Round Tables with global leaders, experience… Show more

Explora Journeys is a new concept in the luxury travel space. The whole experience is built around the idea of the "Ocean State of Mind", a brand platform that incorporates the family’s DNA and speaks to the next generation of Discerning Luxury Travellers – marking a shift from cruising to luxury lifestyle traveling. A collaboration between C Space, Interbrand and McKinsey. Our main focus was to keep the customer at the center, which involved Expert Round Tables with global leaders, experience safaris in London and New York, in-depth qualitative research and digital workshops with luxury travellers across 10 markets. The work helped us not only define an aspirational brand target audience, but directly co-created the entire guest experience and signature moments with them.

All of this fed into building the brand identity for a new, unique luxury travel brand that has the potential to shape the future of the travel industry. Show less

Embedding a new, relationship-based, north star for Customer Experience. Based on best practice, outside-in exploration, online communities, experience driver study and concept testing plus extensive workshopping to deliver a CX model, behaviours and roadmaps for individual markets. "This is impressive stuff" - Mike Fries, CEO.

A creative project, based on social media scanning, consumer research and co-creation to help evolve and stretch the Tesco proposition from a romantic couple focus to a more modern, and inclusive "celebration of love", broadening Tesco's appeal with a direct impact on growth and perception.

The Global Hotel Alliance's Loyalty Programme - Discovery - is 10 years old. In a changing market (consolidation, new experience players, disruptive tech), we set out to reinvent the programme we'd co-created back in 2009. Working with the CEO and his team, we explored trends, worked with experts, co-created with customers current and future, generated new propositions, tested a new construct and built a business model. And then brought it to life to get the buy in of the CEOs of the… Show more

The Global Hotel Alliance's Loyalty Programme - Discovery - is 10 years old. In a changing market (consolidation, new experience players, disruptive tech), we set out to reinvent the programme we'd co-created back in 2009. Working with the CEO and his team, we explored trends, worked with experts, co-created with customers current and future, generated new propositions, tested a new construct and built a business model. And then brought it to life to get the buy in of the CEOs of the participating brands. Before moving onto co-creating a new visual identity. A mammoth task. Super rewarding. Show less

The first end-to-end mapping of the rider experience for Uber. A digital toolkit for infusing the human experience into culture, decision-making and innovation.

First concrete impact of our Virgin Atlantic Innovation Programme. Inspired by a customer story about boring socks. But part of a wider set of ideas Virgin Atlantic are working on, including One Fine Stay, Clubhouse and multi-sensory experience improvements.

End-to-end proposition development for Tesco's discounter fighting brand Jack's. Co-creating with Tesco and Tesco customers to define experience, branding, range and messaging.

Rethinking the ‘big box’ experience for Tesco. Co-creating a more human, inspiring, social retail experience that’s now being trialled and rolled out across the UK. Focus on fresh, quality, better checkout, service and food inspiration.

How to rename without changing the essence. For the KSA - sidestepping alcohol connotations

Designing the airport experience for an iconic and state of the art airport facility, and a hub for the world.

Ling Ling is a new drinks-led bar concept from Hakkasan, that has just opened its first outlet in Mykonos, Greece. We worked with Hakkasan to define this new sub-brand - as Hakkasan's Naughty Little Siste - to allow the Hakkasan masterbrand to grow without compromise into markets where a Hakkasan restaurant wouldn't work.

Global brand strategy project for Hakkasan that aimed to distill the magic of the brand to help connect restaurant and nightclub businesses under 1 brand story. Worked with the amazingly talented north to turn our idea - "cinematic energy" - into a brand book that was itself cinematic and story-driven.

Gamechanging innovation in the oral care device space. We worked with dentists, hygienists, designers, R&D, consumers and even a sex toy designer to co-create new toothbrush and ‘beyond-toothbrush’ ideas. The first output was an Apple / Colgate smart toothbrush. But in 2020 the Plaqless Pro won awards at CES.

Finalist in the 2015 MRS Awards in the B2B category this project not only provided Aviva with foundational knowledge about the small business market, and in so doing changed the way they think about SMEs, it also fuelled award-winning improvements to their broker platform, Fast Trade and spawned a new self-serve product and a pipeline of innovations.

International brand co-creation project to understand the role of music in people's lives, leading to the new Spotify brand strategy "music for every moment"

Using behavioural principles to help (a) understand and (b) find solutions to long-term savings issues. A slice of ethnography, scholarly literature, related worlds and co-creation.

Presented to the BIT at 10 Downing Street

Co-creating the launch strategy for Virgin Mobile CEE, with Poland as first market, with young people, Virgin brand owners and the local teams responsible for delivery a groundbreaking new service.

Innovation project working with the EE team and customers to generate new ideas for better service(s). Led directly to the Clone Phone idea, named by customers, which was used to help launch the EE brand and has generated multi-£m revenue and significant uptake and brand benefits for the network.

Working out how to balance emotional and rational cues (feelings and facts). Co-created advertising concepts leading to the 'magic formula' for Aviva's Holiday Packing ad which won the 2012 money marketing award for best ad

The first 5* hotel concept inspired by the cultures of the Silk Route and catering for regional (MENA) travellers rather than Westerners. Recently won 'best new hotel concept' at the MENA World Travel Awards in Dubai, and best new 5* hotel for Al Madina.

Innovation project for the UK's leading cruise brand. Involved week-long cruise ethnography. Culminated in the launch of P&O’s new ship, Britannia, with ‘sophisticated wows’ and other British cultural signatures.

The first UK department store iPhone app!

A leading mobile payment system, incorporating money transfer and retail applications

Exploring practical implications of naming and shaming as a lever to increase tax compliance. Involved interviewing tax evaders

A romantic drama on ITV which we helped to evaluate and shape using psychology frameworks and narratology