Brand Director,
Bloom, London
Max has over 15 years expertise in branding as a consultant on brand development and innovation programs. He has worked for brands across the globe spanning a broad range of industries including FMCG, technology, pharma, agriculture and professional services. Before joining Bloom, Max worked at FutureBrand and NewEdge.
In recent years, he has lectured on brand and innovation at Brunel and Kingston universities and is currently ‘editor in chief’ of the Bloom Blog – http://bloomdesign.typepad.com.
With an honours degree in Psychology, Max has always been fascinated by the dynamics of consumers and their relationships with brands. Today’s levels of communication and connectivity are stretching the way we relate both to each other and to brands which makes for a wonderfully challenging environment. The rules of engagement are changing day by day.
Max is steering brand thinking at Bloom. Bloom is a brand agency dedicated to building brighter brands. Clients include Diageo, Nestlé, Pepsico, P&G and GlaxoSmithKline.
You may have spotted Ella Valentine’s Baking Eggs on the shelves, currently being rolled out across the UK supermarkets nationwide. Naysayers may doubt that the idea will take off, but this is only one of a number of interesting innovations to come out of the seemingly unglamorous egg market.
The saturation of markets, congestion of media and maturity of consumer understanding of brands has steered marketing practice in recent years beyond ‘image branding’ towards ‘relationship branding’. Loyalty is no longer simply won through passive respect. Consumers demand more.
The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported this month that world food prices rose to a record high in January and experts say they show no signs of dropping. What does this mean for brands?
“For an average consumer the value of branding is down to making the right choice”

Sara Jones, Creative Director at brand development and packaging design agency Anthem Worldwide, shares her round up of the top five print innovations, which have the potential to create real standout, as long as they’re used to enhance –- rather than ‘be’ -- the brand idea.
If you had to choose the ultimate business super power, what would it be? Big budgets, global reach, an innovation pipeline full to bursting, a PR machine capable of generating positive press 24/7? Without hesitation, I answered “agility.”
Cheryl Swanson, Head of Toniq, once again explores the consumer trends for different age groups in the USA.
Before we had Apple Macs, Photoshop and a myriad of other programmes, design centered on tradition and craftsmanship, on the physical and the tactile. Yet now, we see the worlds of digital design and physical craftsmanship joining to create new expressions and celebrations of the power of making.
There’s a natural relationship between the style of our daily surroundings and how we feel. A great space can make us feel better, more hopeful and even more productive. And we often use our own space to express a vision of ourselves.

