Conversation is king!

Brands rarely and unfortunately do not pay enough attention towards its customers requests. However each and every time it happens it gives me great satisfaction. That is what constantly I keep telling my clients. Start conversations and act upon things that might emerge in the that process. If not instant it will eventually create engagement and long-term and storytelling values that will outsmart every tv-commercial to date.

Image from Adweek

American brand J. Crew recently announced that they will put a discontinued swimsuit back on the shelves due to a request from one customer that longed for yet another great garment that she clearly could not let go of.

Read the full story here 

One small step of conversation, one giant leap for brands.

 

Storytelling vs Corporate speak

On the occasion of my upcoming seminar at Creuna on the 10th of october a colleague. Sent me this funny however pertinent image of how people perceive  storytelling compared to corporate bull...hhrmm...corporate speak.

Enjoy this nicely down illustration.


“Design thinkers are inherently optimistic.

They have the creative confidence to initiate
the change they want to see in the world.”
— Tim Brown

p.s I second that Mr. Brown!

What must brands do? - Physical interpretation

One thing that the future will hold is the expectancy among consumers to broaden their interaction with their favourite brands of choice. The online retailing business is expected not only to be a part of their consumers digital expectations but also the physical ones. 

This is already happening, check out the retail development of of Amazons retail pop-up stores, physical kiosks for Groupon. One business area that used to be very cutting edge in the retail pop-up store segment were the fashion industry. Despite huge success for some (Asos, Net-a-porter, Mr Porter) this segment have not grown to show their full potential in the physical sense. My prediction that it would be hugely appreciated by the crowds. During the summer the Monocle Magazine has had a American Tour of its very limited and specially made shop concept with visits to other prestigious boutiques. In NYC and so forth.

I’ve tried to find key areas to support the action of making online retail - physical. 

Time

Aim to make this event based, either create the event yourselves or ride the wave of other well suited happenings on location you so causally choose.

Manner

It should be experimental, nobody likes a coward, especially if the expectations your costumers is in a certain way. You need to excel in order to make the experience even wider.

How


Efficient, it need to be cost effective but in the same time bridge the online/offline shopping experience.

So is this the way to go for all online commerce to get even more social…no however with the right decisions made early on and with the proper strategy and tactics this might be the best thing that your online brand could do or at least consider in a nearby future cause as you now.

"There is no points for second place!"

Image borrowed from Kitsune

This is how long we come so far...(serie 1 of 2)

Came across this a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately I cannot remember the link or who discussed it (will of course post it as soon as I get my links sorted). But I’ve made summarisation with own inputs on the matter and if this is what we have come to experience so far in the marketing and communication age with the relation to brands.

I will elaborate on this even further to find the proper way forward. Participation is good but there is so much more you can do.

Informational Age – Advertising was primarily long-form copy and just gave information on products. 

Entertainment Age – In the 1960′s and 1970′s, advertising became a source of entertainment thanks to William Bernbach. This worked for a long-time. 

Participation Age – The fragmentation and commoditization of media and products has made participation key.

The End of Advertising as we know it - what to do now?

Well there is a headline for you!

A thought that have been circulating around in my brain for years, and also very much how I perceived what I wanted to work with. The last couple of years advertising and marketing just made me tired and lets be honest 90% still do. The challenges for brands today are enormous and traditional advertising is not the answer to it. 

From a personal and professional perspective the brand is the fundament for corporations to take stance from and then work on strategies to make things work. 

A couple of days this article landed on Fast Company and it once again tickled my thoughts about modern advertising.

It was AKQA:s Creative Director Rei Inamoto argued the headlines below.

This is the New World Order at least to some extent. I have just  taken out the extracts that I found summarise the essentials and  I totally agree with him on this perspective.

1. FROM INTEGRATED TO CONNECTED
Dialogue, listen, act to achieve success in todays market.

In the new world, it’s about how well connected you are with the audience and how well you connect the audience themselves.

2. FROM BRAND STORY TO PEOPLE STORY
People, people, people and after that, people. It has always been about the people. Make your brand story about the people not about you. Stay relevant.

If you choose to tell stories as a brand, don’t make it about you. Make it about the real people. Use the power of your brand and reach to reflect the truth.

3. FROM 360 TO 365

The traditional 360 degree view is turned towards a 365 day a year approach. This is how you stay relevant. Engaging, caring, listening and discussing with customers.

…one that can create 365 days of connection between a brand and people—even through a single device in people’s pockets.


4. FROM MEDIA DISRUPTION TO BUSINESS INVENTION
Create relevant products and services for people and they will follow you. 

Truth be told, though, it may have been more about hiding the problem than solving it

Let´s be honest, advertising has not been relevant or at least most of it has not. These are a few thoughts on how we could make it relevant once again or even. Leave it and start calling the things we do for people, corporations and NGO:s, problem solving. It feels more relevant.

With or without vision - can you afford to neglect it?

Vision can be complex and hard to pinpoint down. The believers know the power and what a great instrument it can be. The sceptics would say it is overrated and no a functional tool (often occurs in very sell-driven organisations.)

Down below is an excerpt from a Harvard study.

Unarguably brand visions are relevant for companies and ought to be a top priority for all organisations even the strong sell-focused organisations out there.


Remember it starts with the vision but it never ever ends.

Skateistan - this is real!

image 

Now days I rarely raise my eybrows when is comes to groundbreaking project, mainly due to that the large amount of innovation out there always serve or is created with a western perspective in mind.

It is  a tech-startup there, new products there. Some very good and some that I enjoy myself and the ones who makes my life easier, sometimes a bit more enjoyable. However it often makes me wonder, do I need that new gadget, could that possible make me happier?


Due to my engagement in projects in emerging markets I’ve been studying and researching a lot about culture and society in developing countries where the need is enormous and the suffering is great. I’ve always on the search for the groundbreaking and ground-shifting ideas in these regions. Also engaging in projects with that purpose to actively change something to the better. There are alot of great initiatives out there…

But I have not seen anything quite like this before…Skateistan. 

SKATEISTAN
IS A NON-PROFIT
ORGANISATION
USING SKATEBOARDING
AS A TOOL FOR
EMPOWERMENT

One of the most innovative and by far most helpful initiatives out there in one of the most complex regions of the world - Afghanistan. (They are also represented in Cambodia)

Founded by Oliver Percovich. The basic outline is to use the skateboard as a tool to empower underprivileged children in Kabul and others cities. Key objectives are education, community and leadership both for boys and girls. There is a 40% representation of girls in Skateistan. That is for me unheard of in any other initiative in this region where women are participation is very limited. But now they have an arena to participate  communicate, enjoy , strengthen themselves and in the long run their communities.

I strongly urge you to watch this movie and of course support the cause by buying merchandise in the webshop. 

Skateistan Movie

I will follow-up on this project on a regular basis and hopefully even try to get an interview with the initiators whom I have the outmost respect for.

I love and support this and hope you will to. 

Booktip: Rework

I always enjoyed reading, however what I read has changed quite a bit over the last 7-8 years. I usually enjoyed a big amount of fiction compared to non-fiction however that have changed and the non-fiction have completly taken over even tough I enjoy the occasional fiction every now and then…when I have the time. 

If you follow me you probably noticed my recommendation for Metaskills by Marty Neumeier a couple of weeks ago.

Gathered under “Booktip” I will try to recommend as many of the books I can that I´ve read over the years. Of course on par with what this blog is about, branding, design and all that can possible relate to that good or bad, high or low. 

First out is a book I read a couple of years back. It was the very first book I ever bought for my iPad in the Kindle store. Will go into detail about Kindle and my relation to that in a nearby future. (Just wanted to say that I am totally hooked on that experience since my first purchase)

Back to the book, the book I bought was Rework written by the team behind  the company 37-signals (Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson) with products sucesses such as project-platform Basecamp in their portfolio. 

The basic outline is the new business book for the new type of entreprenuers out there. They authors state that anyone can start a business and they have some tips and great insights to this.

Without beeing to longwinded, why should you read it?

Basically if you as I am am interested in what tomorrow has to offer and want to work in a front-assembly company this is the book you need to read. Not for all the guides how-to. But for the reading between the lines experience and the inspiration that gave me. It excels your own thoughts and ideas.

Now a couple of years old, and I just re-read it, nothing new came up but it left me with the same inspiration as the first time and eager to spot ahead. Which atleast in my case grants as a proof of a good book. 

To quote mr Seth Godin: “Stop reading the review. Buy the book.”

Do so!

 

Brand is how you speak?

image

Whether its how you communicate on your corporate web, your personal blog or in other communications, it all matters. 

I might be stating the obvious here?

Well, true it that sense that most of managers would agree that the content is important, false in the sense that the majority of what is communicated out there whether it is B2C or B2B in most cases is pretty substandard. Just an extension of productsheets with added communication. 

Another example, if your company has a great heritage, please do mention that, but rather than beeing a prehistoric brand with no innovative contributions. Try to work that heritage into a strategic advantage neatly incorporated into your visions. That builds confidence for your future innovative endeavours.

What you say, as a stand alone aspect is not your brand however what you speak or communicate is a hugely vital part of your brand. If you speak unclear your brand will be unclear. If your employees does not know what to say and when at the appropriate time, things might quickly be out of your control.

Therefore, do look on your existing communications and also what you say and your fellow employees say about your company. They are the forefront in your corporate communication. Your insights and visions have to coincide. 

As a little fundamental reminder fo things…it is not what you say it is, it was they say it is. You have all the oppurtunities to effect that positvely by mending your speak.

Brand bravely and smart!

Purpose!

image

It has become evidently clear lately that people are getting more and more into identity, in the long run that is of course beneficiary for all. 

On a international scale we had the American Airlines re-branding. Locally in Sweden we had the launch of Statoils new epithet for fuel "Miles" and the list goes on.

In the A.A case (that I elaborated on earlier) people initially missed out the big journey that A.A had done in making them relevant once again. And that had nothing to do with the logo the basic outline of the identity, it was just one the components however crucial for the whole experience. But the whole negative discussion took off from a logo perspective.

In the Statoil case, they introduced something that no one asked for, (with reservation for not knowing the details of the project), they went ahead and made something that people did not want nor needed. The intention was however clear, a modern energy company who want to change their environmental lingo towards a more positivt agenda, nothing new there. But based upon the endless bantering in social media, people clearly did not want to take part of this “positive step” from Statoil. They just wanted cheaper fuel.

Could the launch have gone smoother? Absolutely, by including and involving people in the process and be as transparent as possible in the preface of the project. By showing the benefits prior to launch can and will benefit change.

Main objective, set up THE PURPOSE for your redesign, your rebranding etc. If people feel excluded and neglected from the get go chances are that problems and negative response only will escalate, and from that point every step of involvement and engagement will be very hard and very costly.

To sum things up, never ever set out on a project without clear purpose, on forehand see that the users/consumers/people are onboard the bandwagon. Otherwise you might fall and fall hard.

Keys:
Purpose
Purpose
Purpose
Inclusiveness
Dialogue
Transparency

 

The Powers of Ten - 36 years old still relevant

image


The Powers of Ten films are two short American documentary films written and directed by Charles and Ray Eames. Both works depict the relative scale of the Universe according to an order of magnitude (or logarithmic scale) based on a factor of ten, first expanding out from the Earth until the entire universe is surveyed, then reducing inward until a single atom and its quarks are observed. 

So what makes it relevant. I viewed this in design school around 10 years ago with the mind-set that the talented Ray and Charles Eames were multi disciplinary designers and had alongside their famous interiordesign path done extensive work within other fields. The Powers of Ten was just one of them. And from a design perspective it was great. 

As time goes by the great stuff have tendency to grow on you. At least in this case.

So today, when I lecture for design students I use this to stress the importance of having a bigger or/and smaller perspective on your project. If you are to wide you miss the spot, if you are to detailed you miss the bigger perspective. To all your projects it is about finding the right perspective. Easy one might think….well just take a look outside your window or in your morning paper/ tablet. The occasions where you find the adequate perspective is more often an exception rather than a rule.

Film here

I am extra glad that one of the smartest guys out there - Tim Brown from IDEO recently wrote about the film on his blog. With the context of "Reframing the question"  with an angle towards app design and ones career. 

Elegantly put: Can you recall moments when stepping back—or diving in—helped you look at a problem differently?

If you have not seen it already do so, but think about the parameters that I put up and the additional ones coming from Tim Brown. 

Try to adapt the Powers of Ten, they will help you - a l o t