Chatbots and graphic AI tools are popping up like daisies, and that won't be slowing down in years to come. We think that's all the more reason to find out as much as you can and get the most out of them. For instance, AI marketing offers great opportunities to analyse customer behaviour and give customers a better customer experience by providing tailor-made, personalised answers to their online questions. MOQO has already found a few useful applications for AI, in visuals and content.

We sometimes use AI to generate images that will make a creative concept more visual for the client. It can be a challenge to clearly convey an employer branding idea when it requires specific shots that aren't available photo databases. That's where computer-generated images can help in both the preliminary process and the final result. It allows us to give the photographer an even better brief in terms of composition and style.

Our copywriters also approach AI with an open mind, although we feel like we still have the edge over computer-generated content – not just in terms of language and text structure, but in storytelling, as well. In fact, we had a copywriting competition to illustrate our point. The competitors: ChatGPT versus the MOQO copywriters. The topic: What's the importance of branding for your business?

Read and judge for yourself.

If you feel more humanity in the second one, we achieved our goal, and that copy will stay with you longer. As consumers, we're increasingly looking for the human voice in a brand story. In uncertain times of inflation and crisis, brands need to prove their worth and continue to earn consumers' trust. And brands that can communicate in a way that consumers can identify with will see more success. Our need for connection makes us want to go the extra mile: what we see on the outside isn't the only thing that counts. We dig deeper and want to know who's behind a brand.

That's why we think it's important to start every branding project with a brand story: the tool that reveals your brand. Open communicating about your mission and added value helps your target audience understand and connect with your brand.

Memories of happy times go hand-in-hand with the human touch. Branding with a bit of nostalgia works, and companies are taking full advantage of that.

There's plenty of psychological research around why we collectively like to look back at the good old days. One explanation is a sense of calm and stability: you can't be surprised by something you've already experienced. That's why design elements inspired by the 70s, 80s and 90s automatically feel familiar and positive. Want your brand to appeal mainly to millennials or over-50s? Then nostalgia branding is a smart move. For instance, Burberry brought back their iconic horse and rider, and fast-food chain Burger King swapped its logo for the simplified 1994 version and retro illustrations that catapult you back to the days of Mad Men. Which brought in a 39% increase in customer visits!

Brands can use humour to enhance their human element. When bad news is the norm, a joke is particularly appreciated and, as a brand, you create an emotional connection with your target audience. Plus it turns out people remember funny messages better. Win-win!

And speaking of visuals, you may have noticed that colour is back in a big way. Make it pop if you want your brand to stand out, in any market. The only condition: bold colour has to be paired with a toned down base. Minimalist design – meaning no-frills typography, pared-down visuals and logos that are just a word or an image – continues to dominate, albeit in a more colourful way.