Inspired – Brendan Thorpe, Springetts

Given the chance to write 200 words or so on what I find inspiring seemed like too good a chance to miss. Then there was the problem – the deadline. It should focus the mind, but did it? Not really.

At school I was tremendously inspired by David Bowie – his image, his music and his continual reinvention to stay at the edge of fashion were all fantastically appealing. Every new album became a high point for a fanatical group of us at a grammar school in the depths of Lincolnshire. Not that any of us dared to experiment with make-up and wild hair colours to complement our school uniforms.

And I suppose, in a way, that reinvention and keeping in touch with your core audience while reaching out and creating a new one is what we are all striving for in our work on brands. New brands can be exciting and stimulate all kinds of reaction, but will they last? Older brands that move with the times and reinvent themselves should stand the test of time and weather even the harshest financial climates.

However, like Bowie himself, brands can often choose the wrong new image and lose their way. He hasn’t always got it right, and neither have they.