Cathal Gillen
Profile
Cathal is Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at Distinctive BAT. His focus is on helping brands achieve greater levels of distinctiveness. With experience spanning client-side roles in marketing and insights, as well as positions in creative and digital agencies, Cathal takes a pragmatic approach to transforming data and insights into actionable strategies.
His global marketing experience includes working with renowned brands such as Hendrick’s Gin, Tullamore D.E.W., and Glenfiddich during his time at William Grant & Sons as Global Marketing Effectiveness Manager. This background equips him with a deep understanding of the internal and external challenges brands face in pursuing distinctiveness across markets. Cathal leverages this expertise in both client engagements and public research, driving meaningful outcomes for the brands he works with.
With 20 years experience in marketing, Cathal feels old, however all this experience adds up in helping his clients succeed. Before his working life, Cathal achieved a BSc in Marketing from TUDublin and is originally from Sligo on the west coast of Ireland.
Featured Research
The DNA Of
Distinctive Brands
Inspire your team and brand, by understanding how to achieve greater levels of distinctiveness with our guide to Distinctive Brand Assets
The Latest From Cathal
Distinctive Brand Asset Planning
So you’ve done your distinctive asset research or audit, you understand the equity in your distinctive assets and have clarity on which assets to hero, where the gaps are, and also have sight of the watchouts. The team has also completed a prioritisation job, you are clear on which assets will take the lead or which will play a supporting role. There is also no ambiguity in terms of which assets might be playing other roles, for example aiding category navigation. The next step is all about planning. This is the blueprint for using your distinctive assets. What is your approach to static advertising? What are the barriers to embedding? What should inform the next pack refresh? What tools will you provide to local markets to help embed the assets? These questions should be answered in a planning document for all to see. We find it useful getting this into a plan on a page. This should sit in your brand bible/guidelines/playbook with clear guidance on how you are aiming to move the distinctiveness dial. This normally fits somewhere between your brand onion/key (very strategic, pointed and holistic from a brand planning point of view), and your brand guidelines (more tactical in execution). Below is an example template you can use as a starting point. We like versions that detail out the following You can download a PowerPoint version of the template below. Get in touch with any questions or indeed we would love to hear feedback on what you have found useful!
The DNA Of Distinctive Brands – DBA Guide
Inspire your team and brand, by understanding how to achieve greater levels of distinctiveness with our guide to DBAs.
From Scratch to Standout: Building DBAs That Work
Most brands don’t have a deeply embedded DBA so what should you do if you find yourself in this position?
Earning The Right To Go Wide With Distinctive Assets
Creatively playing with and stretching your distinctive assets is key to embedding them, but how far can this be pushed?
Key Factors in Distinctive Packaging Design
A distinctive pack is a brand growth multiplier. Get it right and you can drastically improve your chances of success.
Distinctive Advertising Styles & Approaches
A distinctive approach to advertising pays back handsomely. Here are some approaches brands have taken to create a distinctive ad style.
Taglines: Acquaintance Of Distinctiveness, Bedfellow Of Differentiation
Can taglines become strong distinctive assets?
Can Sprite’s Label-Free Trial Prove Successful?
Can Sprite’s Label-Free Trial Prove Successful? We test out their label free pack.
Jingles: The Silent Powerhouses of Advertising?
Could jingles make a comeback? We explore the decline and potential.
