Challenging thinking from the people behind the brands.

The Prompt: The art of AEO: are you part of the conversation?
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) isn’t about gaming AI search or mangling your website to suit machines. It’s about creating an honest, authoritative version of your expertise that an LLM can actually use.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
The Prompt: Your audience isn’t a persona. It’s a moving target.
The supply of brand knowledge is changing – but so is the demand. Brands must understand the evolving questions, needs and cares of the people they want to get close to.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
The Prompt: Your brand has got the answers. AI just can’t find them.
You don’t need to create a second universe of AI content; you just need to make the gold already sitting in your brand content accessible to AI.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
The Prompt: Your brand content is losing you AI search – but it could be the solution
The way people discover brands is changing fast.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
I am challenging: James
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. James, our Partner and Senior Manager, explains why we should all focus on what matters in a time of big change, and gets his magnifying glass out for the latest Richard Osman novel.
James Trowman
The Prompt: Being known is no longer enough in an AI world
In the early days of the internet, the idea that anyone would buy something virtually felt inconceivable. To part with your hard-earned cash, you needed to see and feel a product for yourself, or build a personal relationship with a salesperson.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
I am challenging: Janelle
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. Janelle, our Senior Writer and Editor, encourages fellow Frameworkers to shake things up with their footwear and B2B brands to get in touch with their musical side.
Janelle Blasdel
The Prompt: Are your brand guidelines ready to deliver behaviour?
Sandra Peat spent 18 months researching how brands create meaning through behaviour. She tells us that most B2B companies are designing for a world that no longer exists.
Don Hoyt Gorman
The Prompt: AI, ACL tears and building stronger, more resilient brands
How do you future-proof your brand in an AI world? Senior writer Janelle Blasdel explores this question with a leap into skiing and a determination to never tear her ACL again.
Janelle Blasdel
I am challenging: Charlotte
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. Charlotte, our Senior Writer and Editor, dares brands to say less, not more – and reveals why she tries to look out for life's little absurdities.
Charlotte Irwin
The Prompt: AI; didn’t read. Why audiences are craving personality
As AI changes how people view content, how should writers adapt? Our senior writer, Charlotte, speaks to Alys Key, a business and tech journalist, about how – and when – to stand out from the machines.
Charlotte Irwin
I am challenging: Rose
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. Rose, our Design Director, challenges herself to get back into drawing and for everyone to find joy in the small things.
Rose Stewart
The Prompt: Using AI to create a more accessible (and dynamic) digital future
Welcome back to The Prompt, a series tackling all the big questions about building B2B brands in an AI world.
Sergio Agosti
Imaginative businesses come out on top. Are you one of them?
At The Frameworks, we know first-hand how valuable imagination is. In today’s climate of rapid transformation and AI, imaginative businesses come out on top.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
The Prompt: What does AI think of your brand? And why does it matter?
The way people discover and experience brands is changing. Unlike traditional search where a range of responses appear, AI platforms give clear, authoritative answers.
Charlotte Irwin
I am challenging: Ross
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. Ross, our Design Director, challenges himself to slow down his creative process and the industry to give the next generation a chance.
Ross Sweetmore
The Prompt: Why brand matters more than ever in an AI world
Welcome to The Prompt, a series tackling all the big questions about building B2B brands in an AI world.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
Why it pays to play in B2B
Games aren’t just for fun – they can shape a serious engagement strategy.
Rose Stewart
Imagination: the missing metric in your business strategy
Imagine an alternative world where humans were incapable of conceptual thought.
Ben Bush
How a coffee chain helped me make peace with AI
What does a copywriter actually think about AI? Charlotte Irwin reveals how a coffee chain's arrival on her local high street helped her finally make peace with the technology. Yes, really.
Charlotte Irwin
I am challenging: Myles
Meet the challenging people who own The Frameworks. Every day, we challenge ideas, expectations, one other – and, most importantly, ourselves. This series unpicks the ideas and motivations our people are getting to grips with right now.
Myles Walsh
Putting AI first: how the UAE is transforming conversations, brands and societies
Ben Bush reflects on an inspiring week at GITEX GLOBAL, where 200,000 people descended on Dubai from more than 180 countries. And all of them wanted to talk about AI.
Ben Bush
Cracking the code: How AI is transforming high-pressure digital development
When you’re faced with a jaw-dropping deadline for a show-stopping digital project, the heat is on.
Sergio Agosti
Creativity needs investment, not just permission
We have made a very important discovery: successful businesses use their imagination.
David Alexander
We’re creating new experiences with AI – but we still need imagination
AI is changing how we create. But generating content at scale can be a challenge. To make G42’s AI vision for The Intelligence Grid a reality, we knew we needed something very human to succeed: imagination.
Don Hoyt Gorman
Forget the lone genius, creativity is a team sport
Do you secretly harbour the desire to be your company’s creative genius? As much as you might want to bask in the glory alone, the most powerful – and profitable – business ideas and strategies come from a cross-team effort. And our research has proven it.
Charlotte Irwin
What’s next? The answer is already in the room
There's a moment in every project when you've done all the research you can possibly do. The market analysis is thorough, the customer insights are rich, the competitive landscape is mapped with precision.
Don Hoyt Gorman
A new chapter – and a new Frameworker.
The region had been on our radar as a hotbed of tech innovation for some time. But towards the end of last year we began to realise just how significant an opportunity the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could be for The Frameworks.
Ben Bush
Storytelling and imagination in the age of AI
One upon a time, there was a creative strategist…
Sophie Meadows
Me Now: Daisy Lockheart and Erin Wondra
“Me now” is our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Daisy Lockheart, Senior Account Director, and Erin Wondra, Business Director, share what drew them to the creative industries – and the must-have superpower for anyone who works with clients.
Daisy Lockheart
Investigating imagination: our research proves it drives business success
In our 35 years as a business, we’ve come to know first-hand the value of imagination. We’ve seen how it can drive real success, not only for our clients – for us, too.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
Me Now: Sharon Booth and Sheri Brissenden
“Me now” is our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Sharon Booth, Finance Partner, and Sheri Brissenden, HR Partner, discuss the creative side of accounting and not believing in failure.
Sheri Brissenden
Great barrier relief: how uniting data and imagination can supercharge business success
In the UK at least, there’s an artificial – and frankly unhealthy – societal divide between the arts and the sciences. Apparently, you’re either in one camp or the other. But when it comes to business strategy, bringing creative thinking and scientific rigour together turns out to be a winning formula.
Ben Bush
Give way at the next junction: 35 years of The Frameworks
For the first time in 35 years, I have reached a career crossroads. It’s hard to believe. I generally ignore SatNavs and I have run a few red lights in my time, often paying the price along the way. But, just as I found with my first change of direction in the late 1980s, you find extraordinary people at the “give way” sign; sometimes they even let you in.
Terry Brissenden
The year we turned 35
In 2024, The Frameworks celebrated 35 years in business – and it got us feeling more than a little nostalgic.
Charlotte Irwin
Me Now: The two Ellies
“Me now” is our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Ellie Downs, Senior Account Manager, and Ellie Hennessey, Insights Lead, talk about the joy of variety and why reading widely is vital for coming up with good ideas.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
Powered by imagination: how I’m making stock imagery creative with AI
If you can think of an image, you can conjure it up with AI. Our Creative Director, David Alexander, explains how he is letting his imagination run wild.
David Alexander
Me Now: Margot Kliebhan and Sophie Meadows
“Me now” is our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Margot, Account Director, and Sophie, Creative Strategist, talk about being a cheerleader for the team and why we should all apologise less.
Sophie Meadows
A game plan for success: how B2B brands can tap into the spirit of sport
It's been an incredible summer of sport, from the Euros to the Olympics. For B2B brands, this offers a unique opportunity to explore human stories – and capture hearts and minds.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
Taglines aren’t just for fun. They help your customers fall in love with you
Businesses with a strong tagline or slogan have the potential to become a household name. So why do so many B2B organisations shy away from them?
Charlotte Irwin
Me Now: Louise Sheeran and Mayuri Premdjee
“Me now” is our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Louise, Content Director, and Mayuri, Account Director, discuss taking inspiration from song lyrics and why listening is so important to agency life.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
Strategy is complex, but winning brands keep it simple
Brand strategy can seem daunting and complex – and bringing the right stakeholders and insights together can certainly be an involved process. But keeping the final output simple and direct is rarely going to be a bad choice.
Ben Bush
Me Now: Charlotte Irwin and Rose Stewart
Welcome to our series of women talking to women about being in the creative industries today. Rose, Design Director, and Charlotte, Senior Writer and Editor, talk about ruffling feathers with creativity and the value of being yourself.
Rose Stewart
How to avoid perfectionism paralysis (and make it your greatest strength)
Can our work ever really be “perfect” – and does it matter? Sophie navigates the doubts, debates, tricks and triumphs that make up a standard day in the life of a creative strategist.
Sophie Meadows
Introducing: Small AI for brands
AI might seem overwhelming, but we’ve found ways to make it work for our clients and their customers in small-scale creative implementations.
Don Hoyt Gorman
Ready to reinvent? Challenge accepted.
You probably won’t hear this from your typical management consultant but strategy is fundamentally a creative exercise. Our new B2B reinvention model will help you reframe business challenges and consider strategic choices you never knew you had.
Ben Bush
The inside story: why your people shouldn't be just passengers on your brand journey.
The secret to creating a successful brand is right in front of you: your employees hold all the answers.
Ellie Hennessey, Senior Strategist
Four creative lessons B2B designers can learn from B2C
B2C design is known for being fun, provocative and daring. B2B doesn’t have the same reputation – yet – but it does have the same potential.
Ross Sweetmore
The different ways we find moments of calm
From a short walk outside to a couple of minutes spent learning something new, these are some of the little things we do each day.
The Frameworks
Trendspotting: what’s caught our eye in technology
What’s new? What’s coming? And how are brands using these trends?
The Frameworks
Let's talk about X
Twitter, as we knew it, is no more. There’s a famously fine line between genius and insanity. Which camp does Elon Musk’s latest move belong in?
David Alexander
Carbon dating: the power of trust and relationships in driving business strategy
It’s not every day you get to combine business strategy with baboon spotting. But that wasn’t the stand-out experience of our recent Tanzanian adventure.
Don Hoyt Gorman
And the winner is…
At Cannes, and closer to home, humanising business marketing is striking gold.
Ben Bush
Cut the jargon. The best B2B writing is plain and simple
Far from making you sound smarter, complex language makes things – well – complex. Stick to simple language to engage your audiences and stand out from the crowd.
Charlotte Irwin
The Estorick Collection at 25
2023 marks two milestones: London-based Italian art gallery, The Estorick Collection, celebrates its 25th anniversary and The Frameworks marks its 20th year working with it.
Rose Stewart
Not a debate: mental health support at work is imperative
Remote working makes it all too easy for employees’ mental health to fly under the radar. Mental Health First Aid could close the awareness gap.
Ella Pryor
Credibility in ESG means showing your work
We’ve seen enough greenwashing. It’s time for the companies that are genuinely working hard to improve their sustainability to take centre stage by using more truthful storytelling in their sustainability reports.
Don Hoyt Gorman
Trendspotting: what’s caught our eye in design
What’s new? What’s back? And how are these trends being used by brands?
The Frameworks
Everyone’s a winner: exchanging value in B2B marketing
Marketing can sometimes feel like a one-way conversation. With interactive marketing it becomes a conversation.
Chris Beavis
No creator is an island
A developer, a designer, a strategist and a writer walk into a bar and... discuss how they collaborate to deliver creative magic for clients.
The Frameworks
Print isn’t dead: The power of print in reshaping user experience
That new book smell – could it be your next piece of content?
Don Hoyt Gorman
How to be the dumbest person in the room
How do Strategists find simple solutions to complex problems? We focus on the “what”, the “why” and the “how”.
Sophie Meadows
Understanding ABM in five steps
Are you thinking about account-based marketing (ABM) but aren’t entirely sure what it is? Fear not. Whether you’re new to ABM or want to remind yourself of the method, we’ve got the basics for you.
Don Hoyt Gorman
The party’s over. It's time for marketers to embrace privacy
As privacy laws tighten, what’s the future for data in marketing? Something a bit more transparent – and a bolder creative approach.
Charlotte Irwin
The problem with playing it safe
When the most risky thing to do is to play it safe, you’ve got to be bold and take some calculated risks.
James Trowman
We are The Frameworks
A year in review: 2022
The Frameworks
Art is a catalyst for regeneration
Once a seasonal seaside town, Margate is now thriving all year round. Turner Contemporary is at the centre of this regeneration.
Clive Stevens
100 years of the BBC… sort of
This year marked 100 years of the BBC. We thought we’d celebrate this giant of video and audio by looking at the one thing the BBC doesn’t do - advertising.
The Frameworks
Want to be more creative? You’ve got to get weird.
Too often, timelines and client demands can stop the most creative ideas from seeing the light of day. So, how can you deliver fresh ideas and keep clients happy? It’s time to embrace your weird.
Charlotte Irwin
The end of office culture? The open talent economy is just the beginning
Can the open talent economy end office culture? Hasn’t office culture always been about far more than just the office? We certainly think so.
Sheri Brissenden
Faking bad: why marketers need to maintain standards in a post-truth world
When does creativity become dishonesty? Can you lie ethically? Ultimately, it’s about striking the right balance between outright lies and creative authenticity.
Ben Bush
Clients want people-led problem solving, not a list of services
The days of securing clients by offering up a list of services and a snazzy PowerPoint are over. It’s time to treat client relationships more like social relationships and lead with our humanity.
James Trowman
Interview: the culture of recruitment
Sheri spoke with Silicon, a UK business technology publication, about the importance of culture in hiring, especially in the context of the “great resignation”. Here’s what she had to say…
Sheri Brissenden
Designing an authentic emotional connection
In conversation with Rose and David: it’s not just about creating an emotive campaign, the most successful brands are the ones that genuinely know their audience and can authentically reach them on an individual level.
The Frameworks
Designing and developing web experiences for everyone
The web is continually evolving with new technical approaches and developments appearing every day. As developers, we must stay on top of these changes and make sure that inclusion is the key consideration when creating new experiences.
Sergio Agosti
How to inspire decision-makers to be bold
If you continue to create traditional, “safe” content, you’ll be seen as a traditional, “safe” brand. But what’s bold for one organisation isn’t the same for another, so how bold should you be and how do you get decision-makers to agree?
James Trowman
Telling authentic tales
As tempting as the latest marketing trends can be, brand authenticity is more important. That's not to say there's no room for creative storytelling, brands can still be bold and experimental while staying true to who they are.
David Alexander
Where logic meets magic: why strategy underpins every great idea
While the strategist’s primary role is to lay solid creative foundations on which creative ideas can build, it’s not the whole picture. Strategists must also know when to sell and when to step in, step back and step up.
Ben Bush
Why bold design is good business
Design is a great differentiator. It can stop people in their tracks. Make them laugh. Bring them to tears. And even set your brand apart from the competition – if you dare to be bold.
David Alexander
International Women’s Day: A call to inspiration and creativity
Two of our Frameworkers were featured in articles written by Creative Boom founding editor Katy Cowan on International Women’s Day. Here’s what she had to say…
The Frameworks
Why marketers need to think local to sell global
We work with clients with international operations, including IBM, Siemens, and UST on projects that are both central and focused on local markets. What we've learned is how to manage that central-local dynamic — and how to avoid its pitfalls.
James Trowman
Research is how we ask questions, listen and learn
Our Think/Frame/Make/Work process always starts with Think: Research. We ask questions to validate a brief, and then we ask questions to get to the answers. But what we do most is listen, and look for opportunities to learn more than we expected.
Don Hoyt Gorman
The importance of being curious
It may have killed the cat, but we need to embrace curiosity to unleash our creativity.
Maja Radosavljević
How to turn insights into great creative
Good strategy with bad creative and bad strategy with good creative both lead to the same thing: a missed opportunity.
Sakiko Suga
Humanising B2B and leading with empathy
The sweet spot for deep engagement lies between education (knowing your stuff), and inspiration (thinking beyond it)
Ben Bush
Building resilient businesses
The sheer pace of change can make it difficult for businesses to predict and respond to challenges and turn them into opportunities. So, how can businesses develop resilience? Clive Stevens, Chairman of The Frameworks, offers his insights.
Clive Stevens
Creating connections through design
Audience interaction is vital for brands looking to improve engagement. Good design elevates storytelling by turning an idea into something people can relate to.
Rose Stewart
How we build successful long-term client relationships
We work hard at our client relationships because it leads to excellent project outcomes, award-winning strategy and creativity, and long-term business success.
James Trowman
How to succeed at digital transformation: Influence many different people
Changes in human behaviour are at least as important to the success of digital transformation as the change in technology. And you can’t expect anyone to change – or become champions for change – without effective and empathetic communication.
Ben Bush
How internal comms leaders can help firms reap the rewards of flexible working
Tips for internal comms to consider in order to build a flexible working environment based on trust.
Sheri Brissenden
Reactive Marketing: Why timing is (still) everything
Unlikely associations between seemingly disparate brands can be a stroke of reactive marketing genius.
David Alexander
Why marketers must fight for equality of representation
As marketers, we have a unique privilege. We can choose to act as a force for good, or we can squander that privilege. We see this play out in the stories we choose to tell on behalf of influential brands – and who we choose to tell them to.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
Match point: how we created an integrated campaign for Wimbledon and IBM in just two weeks
In the grand scheme of things, two weeks is a very short period of time. It can flash past in what feels like a second, leaving you scratching your head, wondering what you achieved or who you caught up with. But put your mind to it and you really can pack a lot in.
Matilda Duffecy
How we navigated lockdown to deliver a suite of video content for Wimbledon and IBM
As sad as we were when we learned Wimbledon was not going ahead this year, seeing how the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) has pivoted was truly incredible. Being part of the campaign to celebrate this unorthodox Wimbledon year is something we’re very proud of.
Ben Bush
Remote control: why we may never return to work as we knew it
If you’d have asked me where I’d be in May of 2020, I'd have told you that I would be celebrating my first year living in the UK and looking forward to revelling in a (mostly) sunny London summer. But plans change, evidently for the whole world.
Matilda Duffecy
Upskilling (sort of) in a time of lockdown
With daily commutes now virtually non-existent and our focus turned to activities much, much closer to home, Frameworkers have taken on (or returned to) all sorts of new interests. Here’s a look at the novel pursuits we’re all enjoying outside of WFH hours.
Matilda Duffecy
How to deliver cracking video content during lockdown
Just a few weeks ago, the thought that upcoming video shoots would have to be cancelled because of something as surreal as social distancing would have felt like – ahem – a sick joke. So much of the everyday reality of work has needed rethinking since then, but when you’re involved in creating content for brands, a lot of that being video, the need for new ways of working has been particularly pronounced.
Matilda Duffecy
All together now: how brands are lifting spirits in response to Covid-19
How things have changed in a matter of weeks. The seismic shift in, well, everything, has left us all grappling with a new reality. There’s no playbook for this new normal but there’s a heavy sense of grief for the things we took for granted.
Louise Sheeran, Content Director
Home truths: what it's like to start a new job in the age of isolation
Day one of a new job can feel daunting at the best of times. But what’s it like to join a consultancy when your new office has effectively just gone into quarantine? Our new Creative Strategist, Maja, reflects on two weeks spent getting up to speed with the “new normal”.
Maja Radosavljević
Reactive marketing: why timing is everything
What do Sainsbury’s and Beyoncé have in common? Until recently, not very much. But, thanks to a stroke of reactive marketing genius, this unlikely association brought Sainsbury’s a surge of engagement on social media. What can marketers learn from it in order to capitalise on other brands’ publicity, turn a PR disaster into a PR triumph or score serious engagement from a single post? One thing is clear: when it comes to reactive marketing, fortune favours the fast.
David Alexander
Our five favourite ads from Super Bowl 2020
Sunday 2 February 2020 marked a pretty big day in the advertising (and sporting) calendar. As in previous years, this year’s Super Bowl mainly had us talking about the things that happened between key events on the field. With the cost of a 30-second TV ad reaching $5.6 million, the standard for creative output is notoriously high.
Matilda Duffecy