Advertising campaigns can serve as a useful barometer of the strength and coherence of a brand’s narrative and creative direction. Take Prada Group’s Miu Miu and Kering’s Balenciaga. Both have strong designers in place, but Balenciaga’s advertising campaigns have been going in different directions, confusing the brand’s identity, while Miu Miu’s have remained consistent over time. To be fair, Miu Miu has the advantage of having been led by Miuccia Prada and the same creative team for years, while Balenciaga is still building its brand identity under creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, who joined the Paris-based brand a year ago.