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Big Orange Slide

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

A good conference, a better world

Design
October 14, 2009 by Patrick Robinson

goodConferenceThere is little doubt that design has an impact on our world. It encourages conspicuous consumption and contributes to overflowing landfills. But when it comes to design education a growing focus is on the potential to use the design process to affect positive change. The industry recently traded success stories and case studies at the “A Better World By Design” conference in Providence, Rhode Island.

Hosted by an interdisciplinary group of students from Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, the three-day conference went beyond the ‘sage on the stage’ experience, with 17 separate panel sessions, 17 workshops, and lots of inspiring discussion about positive change that’s happening both locally and globally.

The whole thing got me thinking: As the gatekeepers of our clients’ marketing footprints, graphic designers need to start measuring those footprints and providing options that will help reduce environmental impact. The design process is informed by, and thrives under, constraints and parameters. It’s time we added sustainability to our list of mandatories.

Nathan Shedroff is a metrics advocator and founding professor of the MBA Design Strategy program at California College for the Arts and author of Design is the Problem. He offers the following action points for designers looking to affect positive change:

    • 1) re/create new corporate charters
    • 2) require transparency and accountability of everyone
    • 3) create new roles for advertising
    • 4) think in systems
    • 5) work in multidisciplinary teams
    • 6) create better tools and metrics

You can read more about Shedroff’s work on sustainable design here. And you can see him speak at the 11th annual Design Thinkers conference in Toronto on November 3 and 4th, hosted by the Registered Graphic Design Association (the RGD). For details, check out designthinkers.com.

Unpacking a new kind of consumer

At Large
October 13, 2009 by Dave Hamilton

growingup

I recently finished Don Tapscott’s Grown Up Digital: How The Net Generation Is Changing Your World.

My two cents:

Essentially, Mr. Tapscott is telling us how genuinely excited we should be about a generation many social critics have written off as borderline unemployable, and with an attention deficit rivaling that of a Jack Russell in a cat kennel.

Tapscott introduces us at the beginning of his book to his subject, those between 11 and 31, who’ve been characterized as: ignorant, easily distracted, self-obsessed and work-shy, and quite possibly the most advertising resistant cohort – ever!

He rebuts (successfully in my view) the criticism about Gen Y’s work ethic, but the ad-resistant thing, not so much.

The Net Generation – as he refers to this demographic who’ve grown up immersed in digital technology – is upsetting the apple cart for marketers. They won’t accept the one-way approach we communicators have come to love so much for its convenience. They’ve been immersed in two-way communication from childhood. They are more adept at filtering, fast-forwarding, and blocking unsolicited messages than previous generations. And they are quick to compare what brands have to say about themselves with what others have to say, including critics, and especially their social media peers.

Tapscott’s net-take on the Net Generation as future consumers?

“As shoppers, the Net Generation are tough customers. They usually go online to scrutinize a product – both its features and its price – before setting foot in a store. They expect plenty of choice and high-speed service. They think fun should be embedded in the product. They’re not satisfied with one-size-fits-all items that can be bought only in certain places and at certain times. They want something that fits them – where, when, and how they want it. They’re no longer passive consumers of the broadcast model. That’s yesterday’s news.”

My net-take on his book?

While the larger theme is one of employability and opportunity for those of us willing to re-frame our expectations of the classic work ethic, there is also a lot of valuable learning here for brand builders.

Ultimately, Grown Up Digital is a book about paradigm shifts from the workplace to the marketplace, from politics to education, with technology as the catalyst for rapid shifts to the models we might take for granted based on the experience that has shaped our world view (as Boomers and Xers).

It may not be a crystal ball. But it offers a deeper understanding of why and how this particular consumer segment thinks they way they do. That’s worth a skim at the very least.

Good for the Goose, good for the Bear

At Large
October 9, 2009 by Dave Hamilton

gaggle

For three generations and 50 years Canada Goose has made the warmest parkas on the planet.

To celebrate the brand’s success, and the customers who swear by it, they’ve published a book of stories and images; about 50 people from around the globe they call “Goose People.”

From storm chasers to filmmakers to Venetian gondoliers, the book is a celebration of one of our country’s most enduring brand stories, and most coveted exports. You can flip through its pages online.

The “made in Canada,” coffee table book is $120 CDN (plus taxes) and all profits will benefit Polar Bears International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of polar bears.

Less isn’t more – it’s better

Design
October 8, 2009 by Jim Monteath

color2

We’re getting a new printer. A Xerox ColorQube 9203. It uses solid ink blocks instead of laser cartridges. The new ink costs less and uses less packaging. It’s also faster, cheaper to run, and uses less power than the printer its replacing.

Makes you think, if doing better was always this easy – well, I’m guessing the world would be a much better place.

Nice job Xerox.

A ‘foos’ paradise

Culture
October 7, 2009 by Bryan Hobson

foosball

Pick an ad agency, any ad agency, and you’ll find that as different as they appear there are actually some fairly deep-seated similarities. Yes they walk their own walk and boast their own accounts. Yes they’re advocates of their own strategic and creative methodologies. And yes they’re proud to house their own unique office environments and foster their own creative cultures.

But if you take a moment to look around an ad agency with your ears, you’ll notice that aside from the hustle, and beyond bustle, and past the printer that’s always jammed, you’ll hear the unsteady ‘click-clack-clonk’ of the engine that really makes many ad agencies go – Foosball.

Okay so for those of you who aren’t familiar with the game, here’s some background: Foosball, or Table Football, or “Gitz” – as its more commonly heard being yelled across the office when an opponent is called out from their knickknack-attacked desk area – was first patented in the UK in 1923 by Harold S. Thornton. Of course the game itself predates 1923. But Thornton, indoor sports visionary that he was, seized the patent opportunity to lay claim to this 4-foot by 2-foot paradise, and as they say, the rest is history, or at the very least noted on Wikipedia if you enter “Foosball” into the search field.

Today 86 years later, that ubiquitous “click-clack-clonk” beats stronger than ever. And for those of you who’ve ever worked in advertising, this probably sounds distractingly familiar.

So what roll, pun aside, does Foosball play in the creative culture of agency life? How has one of the most forward-thinking industries managed to consistently make room for such an impeccably low-tech game? What do these 22 skewered plastic, or wood composite figurines know about us that we don’t know about ourselves? Are we playing with them or are they playing us? Is this where the “big idea” is banged out? Or is it a more primal social place? Perhaps Foosball is to advertising, what the watering hole is to the beasts of African Savannah?

Or is Foosball just a simple 15 minutes of level playing field that escapes us all day long?

Honda-palooza

At Large
October 6, 2009 by Dave Hamilton

hondaGreen

Honda’s green theme took on a musical bent this summer in a partnership with Lollapalooza, the iconic music festival, which I had the pleasure of attending in Chicago’s Grant Park. The effort put them at the centre of a hard-to-reach target, with a timely message that I found very on brand.

Honda’s purpose at the festival was simple: encourage festival attendees to complete eco-mindful activities while enjoying the music. Honda promoted a range of “Rock and Recycle,” activities that included: taking public transport or riding a bike to the festival, refilling your water bottle at any of the free H20 stations on-site, visiting a non-profit group, buying a Lolla Fan Tag carbon offset, or “Getting the Insight” on their new hybrid at the Eco Zone. Each activity earned you stamps on a Green Card, which in turn earned you entry for a chance to win a spanking new Honda Insight.

Their really big idea was encouraging entrants to earn one “megastamp” by collecting a bag full of recyclables from the park grounds during the 3-day festival. The number who chose this route to enter the contest was heartening and I (along with most everyone else I observed) went out of their way to drop empty beer cans into their bags. Suffice to say I walked away feeling a little bit better about everyone involved.

If you’re interested, there’s an in-depth account of Lolla’s eco performance at Greenbase, a popular site about the music industry and climate change.

Keep it stupid simple

Strategy
October 5, 2009 by Steve Rhind

gripBlog_image_KISS

My first job after graduating from university was managing a local branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It was a challenging customer service job. It was good experience. And I don’t miss it a bit.

My boss at the time taught me a lesson that’s as useful today as it was when it was conceived at the dawn of marketing: “Keep it simple, stupid.” Basically, take the most direct route to get to what really matters. At Enterprise, that meant providing great customer service, on time, and for a fair price. And it worked.

Since 1957, Enterprise has grown from a seven-car lease fleet to being the single-largest rental car company in North America. And they got there by focusing on one simple goal: The replacement industry – providing cars through insurance companies while customer cars were in for collision repairs. Enterprise kept it simple and they’re reaping the rewards.

Here’s another example. A piece in last month’s Economist described LVMH’s (Louis Vuitton’s parent company) business model along four lines: Product, Distribution, Communication and Price. By their way of thinking, if they get the first three right, the fourth doesn’t matter.

Hard to argue with one of the most successful premium brands in the world.

Marketers often find themselves trying to accomplish more than one objective in a single campaign.

Tight budgets tempt us into combining our marketing efforts so that each execution speaks to a wide range of targets about a wide range of products, service offerings, promotions and sales. In other words, “If you engage our brand and buy our thing and maybe do this other thing, you’ll get benefits x, y and z, and maybe a, b and c.”

But what would happen if – instead of diluting our message – we concentrated our marketing dollars around one goal, to one specific target, with one single message?

Think Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty”, Obama’s “Hope”, Bell’s “We are all connected.”

The lesson is still simple: when we stay focused on single, achievable objectives, we have a much better chance of actually realizing them.

Social media marketing gone wrong

Rant
October 2, 2009 by Adam Luck

orangina

Orangina has a reputation for fun, envelope-pushing campaigns. Remember those risqué European TV spots? The social media-savvy Facebook promos? That iconic teardrop bottle? What’s not to love?

I was intrigued, then, to read of a new promo Orangina is running on Facebook:

“Amateur photographers from across Canada are invited to participate in Orangina’s The Art of Refreshment photo contest.”

Cool. How does it work?

“…Canadians have the opportunity to create images that capture the essence of Orangina…”

Good product. Good brand. Interesting idea. So how is it that the promo ended up leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth?

1. They left me stranded.
When I click on the link, it lands on a page with a bit of info about the promo, but no link to go anywhere – basically leaving me stranded. There’s an “Enter” tab at the top of the page, but it’s not in line with the contest copy. (To be fair, they’ve since changed the link to go directly to the contest entry page.)

2. They gave me too much to read.
Once I found the entry page, the volume of text was overwhelming. This is online, right? Short. Attention. Spans.

3. They made it hard to participate.
When I click to submit a contest entry, it took me away from Facebook and asked me to cut and paste the contest entry form and submit it via email? Email? No submit button? What century is this?

4. They left me feeling used.
My biggest beef is that this promo amounts to a thinly veiled research exercise. Orangina is trawling for consumer-generated mood boards to help them define how I feel about the brand’s key positioning pillars: “The iconic bottle,” “The emotional essence,” and “the look and feel.”

Maybe I’m not the target for this. But I wonder who is? Consumers who are wired in enough to be entering a Facebook contest, but not savvy enough to spot a brand monologue masquerading as a dialogue.

You ask me, the whole brand’s just gone pear-shaped.

iSearch – Part 1

Digital
October 1, 2009 by Matt Rogers

gripBlog_image_iphoneapp

iPhone apps created for brands: What’s out there? What’s working? What’s not? And who’s thinking differently? Just some of the questions I’ll be asking, and hopefully answering, in an ongoing series for this here blog.

Burritos, undies and more.

Generally speaking, it seems that most branded apps provide a straightforward utility and are an obvious extension of what the brand offers offline.

Such as . . .

App 1.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Order your mucho grande, extra-guac carnitas burrito for pick up. Peruse the menu, place your order, get directions to nearest location. Simple, practical and perfect for meetings just before lunch.

App 2.
Virtual Zippo Lighter
Create a customized Zippo, flick your wrist to light it, hold it up at concerts (especially if you’re the dude who always yells “Freebird!”).

App 3.
Nike Women Training Club
Create a custom workout based on an collection of training videos. Challenge your friends to do your workout. Follow you and your friends’ progress with a scoreboard showing who’s been kicking butt and who’s been rocking the couch.

These are pretty straightforward apps. And as much as I appreciate their utility, they’re still missing something: People undressing.

App 4.
The PUMA Index
Touted as a global stock ticker with a twist, Puma apparel has created an app that brings you real time stock market info and models disrobing. If the markets go down, off come the clothes. If they go up, put another sweater on, Sally. Oh, and all the clothes are Puma Bodywear.

What does sports apparel have to do with the stock market? Beats me. The entire concept seems to be a joke on the phrase “losing your shirt”. Still, I think it brings up a larger question: how out-of-left-field can a branded app be? Can an app be appropriate for a brand even if its function is totally unrelated to it?

Puma has chosen to lure people into its brand by focusing on the absurd, ridiculous and mildly titillating. (Three words that probably aren’t in the Puma brand guidelines.) But even though there doesn’t seem to be a direct connection between what the app does and Puma, they’ve captured something of the youthful, fun spirit of the brand, along with a whole lot of attention too. And what brand wouldn’t want that?

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