what you could learn from a couple rocket scientists
Last week, a few of us from Plaid had the distinct pleasure of meeting a couple of the original engineers/developers for Segway. As a part of their worldwide brand team, we were entertained with some of the most glorious background on Segway. Doug Field, Scott Waters and Michael Taylor presented background on the device, with details on it's history, development, and shared some of the overall R&D philosophy at Segway.
We could all learn a lot from Segway. Their development team is an inspiration to creative people anywhere. I wish their presentations were bottled up for sharing with the world. These were some of the most inspiring, passionate, and intelligent people that I've enjoyed meeting. Here's a couple of awesomely sweet nuggets from my notes at the brand summit:
They celebrate what they call "Frog Kissing Days." These are days where engineers attempt to produce wildly creative devices and ideas that are beyond anything they'd normally attempt. Development without rules. When complete, they celebrate the grandest failures. Kissing frogs. That's a holiday that should be celebrated every month, at every agency.
How do you know that you've created something grand? When your solution creates 50 additional problems. That's what Doug had to say about creation and invention.
The technology adoption curve applies to branding. They detailed some history on great technological advances and explained the technology adoption curve (detailed here), which details how humans accept and use new technological advancements. It turns out that the typical adoption of brand new advances usually takes 15 - 20 years before they're accepted by society. Pretty amazing when you look through history and place items on the curve. This is an important consideration for branders who are dealing with technology - so as to best understand where your audience is in the curve, and what messaging they'll be open to.
Thanks to Michael, Doug and Scott for hanging with a bunch of creative types, and allowing a few people that couldn't even complete a basic math equation, bask in their intelligence.
Labels: branding, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:30 AM
1 comments
what do people think of...
Want to see what people think of brand logos, in a web2.0-licious way? Check out
brand tags. Enter your immediate thoughts as you're presented with the logo. Then, view the results in a wonderful tag cloud.
Here's what people think of Burger King. This will make for some great slides in a future presentation.
Labels: branding, identity, social media
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:01 AM
1 comments
how to create a mission statement
Working on a company mission statement, or brand mantra? Try fitting into a single Tweet. What a grand idea, from Jared Goralnick, on Twitter.
Since Twitter only allows 140 characters, it forces the writer to weigh every word. Like a producer weighs every second of a 30 second spot. More importantly, a 140 or less brand mantra is more likely to be read by your audience. So much more than those 3 paragraphs that the marketing committee drafted as a group, and then legal edited after the CEO added a couple of lines...awesome advice.
Labels: branding, social media, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:30 AM
2 comments
your logo needs to cost more than your lunch.
I always say that half of our job is education. And I love sharing, teaching and exploring with clients. After all - they don't have time for things like Twitter, Second Life or the latest branding trends.
But there's one thing that always gets under my skin. People's perception of logo value. I've been in countless situations, where an otherwise reasonable business person expects that a logo can be developed for $175. (As recent as last week!)
It's not their fault. They don't understand the time (or the life experience) that's devoted to the process of creating a new brand identity. They get it when it comes to sales collateral. Campaigns. Websites. Videos. But logos seem so simple and small, how difficult could they be?
Of course, we know better. So nothing but big smiles when I discovered this excellent post on why your logo should cost more than your lunch...
Labels: branding, design, identity
posted by darryl ohrt @ 5:35 AM
5 comments
if you spent the weekend on your lawn, this post is for you
Ben Kunz points out that it's all about peer pressure. Peer pressure that's supporting a $57.9 billion industry of turf building. Supporting almost a million jobs. You work on your lawn, because you don't want to be "that guy" in the neighborhood. The one with the bad lawn.
In a way, that's what we're all supporting - not just in grass, but fashion, music, deodorant, real estate, automotive and consumer culture in general. All a part of a big peer pressure, branding machine.
Yikes, Ben. Thanks for pointing this out. Time to go paint my lawn black, and install some obnoxious yard art. Or, keep it all green, and support my brand industry. Damn. Now I'm more confused than ever.
Labels: branding
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:48 AM
4 comments
accidental branding: the "i didn't read it" review
Here's the thing. Publishers send us books all the time, for review on BrandFlakes. But I've sadly given up books for everything internet. There are some really, really hot books out there. Worthy of reviews. But there's only 24 hours in a day. And at least a few have to be devoted to sleep, for now.
So here's an attempt at a review, for a book that I haven't had time to read. I'll highlight the things that you might find helpful, if you're considering purchasing Accidental Branding.
But let me be clear: I didn't read this.
(All ratings are based on a 1 - 10 basis, 10 being "excellent.")
The book's concept: 9
How a handful of really cool people have built some very successful brands. Each chapter is devoted to another personality. Really, really cool people that you'd like to know more about - Craig Newmark (Craigslist), Gary Erickson (Clif Bar), Roxanne Quimby (Burt's Bees), and other super influential business people.
Cover design: 3
This one won't pop off the shelf. You've got to look for it. I would have given this a "2", but I'm in a good mood today.
Font size/typography: 6
Nothing uber creative, but nothing annoying or intimidating either. Clean layout, clean type, done well.
Pictures/info graphics: 0
No photos. No sexy info graphics. I think that's ok, given the subject matter. It's about the people, and their stories.
How it feels in your hands: 8
There are three kinds of books:
a) The kind that your English teacher assigns you to read, and is about 900 pages too long, and 43 pounds too heavy.
b) The pamphlet that's trying to pass as a book, but really isn't a book at all. It's a brochure.
Accidental Branding isn't either of these - it's a appropriately sized. Like a good book should be. The kind of book that feels good in your hands, after you've bought it. Your messenger bag will accept it, and it will feel just right to open, on a long train ride.
Other reviews that I would believe:
Greg Verdino
The Marketing Spot
ToddAnd
Scale of "I'd like to read it": 8
We can learn so much from others. Accidental Branding is chocked full of stories from people that you can't help to admire for their business and brand success. I swear that I intend to read this one. I just need a free weekend. Or a couple of nights...
Labels: books, branding, publishing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:39 AM
7 comments
campaign brands by swag style
Animal New York has an interesting view of the democratic candidates - judging them by their campaign swag style. Obama has cool stuff, Hillary has stuff that only older white women would wear.
I wonder if the campaigns are designing to the audiences that they already have, or are they missing opportunities? Is their swag a reflection of the audience they're targeting, or a reflection of the design teams that are creating them?
If Hillary had cool t-shirts, would hipster white guys identify with her? If Obama had gold embroidered sweatshirts in bad fonts, would the old women taking the bus to the casino like him? Just wondering.
Labels: branding, fashion, politics
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:17 AM
1 comments
best podcast ever recorded
Maybe even the best audio ever recorded. Imagine hearing my voice - drone on and on, about the new Zyrtek campaign, about Earth Day, and online ethics (!)
Now you can. Thanks to The Custom Scoop Magazine and their Media Bullseye Roundtable.
I'm featured on the latest episode, along with experts Sarah Wurrey and Jennifer Zingsheim. Listen to be dazzled. Or listen to count how many times that I say "um."
This is a great series, featuring some really intelligent discussion about marketing, branding, social media and our industry in general. They've lowered their standards for this episode on a one-time-only basis, and assure me that the rest of their shows will feature real guests. Who don't say "um" as much.
Labels: branding, green, plaid, podcasting, self promotion
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:24 AM
2 comments
desktops are back
Desktoptopia has released a product that feeds desktops to your computer. You can rate them, and it learns what you like, and continues to feed your desires. And there's a kabillion beautiful, cool and fun images.
Hal Thomas, VP of Marketing at Desktopia, says they're open to including brand-styled desktops, too. Not the trashy stuff - but think entertainment properties, lifestyle brands, and things people would actually like on their desktops.
I'm intrigued, because desktops have largely been ignored for the last few years. Not long ago, it was presented as the future of communication.
What elements exist within your brands, that people might want on their desktops?
Labels: branding, illustration, photography, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM
0 comments
the elevator is lying to you.
This is an interesting factoid, about human behavior, and product design. You've probably seen the clip that's made its way around the internets, featuring the guy stuck in the elevator for 41 hours. Yech.
This leads to a fun fact about elevator design. It turns out that the handy "close door" button doesn't work. In ANY elevator manufactured since the early 90's. It's only there to make you feel like you have a sense of control.
When I read this, it made me angry. Why can't we be honest?
There's a new Quiznos spot running, featuring a yummy looking chicken thing. And in the new spot, it features the sandwich as "naughty." I laughed, because I saw that as honest. I'm not going to eat a mega-calorie gut buster because I think it's the healthy thing to do. I'm going to eat it because I deserve it. Or because I feel like being naughty. (In the eating, kind of naughty way.)
So, bring on the honesty. Let's stop deception. Let's get naughty.
Labels: ads, branding, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:32 AM
2 comments
spreading brand hate, via twitter
LessAccounting is taking advantage of the fact that there's a lot of disdain for for their chief competitor, Quickbooks. A quick scan of Twitter shows that the majority of chatter about QuickBooks is negative.
So LessAccounting is celebrating that fact with the creation of We All Hate Quickbooks, Do You?.
This is awesome, for LessAccounting. They've now illustrated to internet workers that:
+ You're not alone in your hatred for QuickBooks;
+ There's an alternative to the product you hate using.
As a small agency that uses Quickbooks - we're in the demo. And we've looked for alternatives to the nasty Mac version of Quickbooks, to no avail. We'll be checking out LessAccounting - because they've captured our attention.
This is a great lesson on both sides of the fence. LessAccounting is capitalizing on a situation that the larger competitor created with a less-than-spectacular product.
Quickbooks needs to do a better job of monitoring the chatter about their product, and become a part of the conversation. They can't hide behind their #1 status forever. They could be using this conversation to their advantage, and improving their product.
In the meantime, tweet away about how much you loathe using QuickBooks. LessAccounting is paying attention.
Labels: branding, marketing, social media, twitter, web2.0, workplace
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM
3 comments
unexpected licensing that makes sense
Two licensing deals this week caught our attention, and are great examples of brands coming together to produce greatness.
Levis is partnering with snowboard apparel company 686. Snowboard culture and 686 brand awareness bring much needed cool factor to Levis. 686 gets a unique product line, and credit for helping to reinvent Levis in a new category. Win-win.
Burton is partnering with Playboy. They've done this before, just not at this level. Their new fall line has some pretty sexy boards that are sure to get attention. And melt snow. Burton makes Playboy relevant, in a world where magazines no longer matter. Playboy bunnies look super hot on boards. Win-win, again.
What brand could you partner with, to create unexpected success?
Labels: branding, fashion, pop culture, sports marketing, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:28 AM
0 comments
those are some mighty sweet slacks
This is either a great idea or licensing gone too far. Apparel with over the top Kellogg's cereal brand licensing.
I never would have thought that kids would trick their cars out in tribute to brands either, but they do. So maybe somewhere, there are people who will really, really dig Froot Loop pants. Or a Honey Smacks hoodie. I might like them if they came in the skinny fit, instead of the sooper baggy style. (Toucan Sam and I go way back, so that's me.)
Thanks David's sister!
Labels: branding, fashion, trends, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:13 AM
0 comments
blow energy drink. cheap shot at a quick buck.
The latest ridiculous energy product aimed at capturing tween dollars is Blow, a product made to look exactly like cocaine. The white caffeine powder comes in resealable white vials, so that kids can put "blow" into their drinks.
The cheap promotional site features strippers and poorly designed gear sure to turn the average 14 year old onto the product. They can even by it in bulk, and become neighborhood dealers of...blow.
Sure to get loads of free publicity on the local news, featuring protesting parents. I'd love to know what they paid for the rights to use the Cult's song WildFlower on their site. Or if they paid. I know some pretty large brands who don't have that kind of licensing budget. ;)
Thanks Suzy!
Labels: branding, productdesign, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:30 AM
3 comments
product placements: ten stories.
AdFreak points to stories behind ten television/movie product placement deals. Some cute behind the scenes stories. Like here's the memo that Staples released after Dwight left his job at the store, in the show.
Labels: branding, film, television, tv
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM
0 comments
some awesome bimbos at the bodega
The bodega on the corner by our agency is filled with Bimbo products. And they always make us snicker. Brand Identity Guru points to this, and a couple of other funny and unfortunate product naming blunders, and wonders why they even exist.
Labels: branding, identity, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:24 AM
0 comments
reward all customers, not just some of them
Andy Sernovitz has an excellent point: In grocery stores, why don't they have a 'super lane' for shoppers with $200 of groceries? Two cashiers, two baggers and they're treated like stars. Instead of rewarding only the shoppers with 10 items or less.
I say - why not reward all shoppers? Have the super lanes for overflowing carts, and the 'lite' lanes for shoppers with a few items.
How could you make your customers feel special, in an industry changing way?
Labels: branding, creativeinspiration, retail
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:28 AM
1 comments
new twitter logo!
The sun wouldn't come up if we didn't have at least one post about Twitter each day...so here it is: Twitter changed their logo. In case you were wondering.
Labels: branding, design, identity, twitter, web2.0
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
2 comments
be good. be consistent. be a strong brand.
Chris Brogan writes another typically brilliant post about maintaining our online personas, and points to someone who gets it - Gary Vaynerchuk.
Think about it. You have a Facebook profile, you're on Twitter, LinkedIn, and about 68 other social sites. Are you the same? What image are you projecting? What is your personal social media brand?
Gary points out a lovely side effect of personal online branding- bad guys can't hide. Good guys will prevail. Transparency is a wonderful thing. People that are evil are being found out and identified for their actions - faster than ever in history. So here's to genuine, honest, great personal branding. Woot!
Labels: branding, facebook, social media, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:29 AM
1 comments
the free economy is coming
Maybe you've read some of Chris Anderson's writings about the coming 'free' economy. There was a good discussion regarding the theory at SXSW this week, between Mark Cuban and Michael Eisner.
It's happening. The free economy saved David's life the other day. We had just enjoyed some "nuclear" tacos at the SXSW conference. Rob was crying like a little baby, and his nose was running, and his belly was aching. Then the hot hit Dave. He ran out of the taco area, like a man on fire. And what did he find?
The Ice Cream Man. Not just any ice cream man - but the Ice Cream Man who's on a quest to giveaway 500,000 free ice cream treats. Through sponsors, love and goodwill, it's working.
What could your brand make free?
Labels: branding, sxsw, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 9:10 AM
2 comments
abercrombie and fitch: saving lives?
Ummm...I don't know what to say about this. Abercrombie and Fitch Hospital. Do you have to have six pack abs to get in for treatment? Or, if I go there, could I leave with six pack abs? Do they have those giant half naked teen pics up in their lobbies?
I'm completely fine with title sponsors, especially when it makes sense for both parties involved. But Abercrombie Hospital?? Oh, what I would paid to have been in the meeting where a committee thought that was a grand idea.
Labels: branding, healthcare, marketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:41 AM
1 comments
danskin: sweaty smelly and stinky.
Danskin just sent out their newsletter to potential customers...and describes them as "perspired." Uh huh. Someone needs a copywriter. And some brand help.
I agree with Maura. I'd never describe myself as "perspired." Time for Danskin to call their agency "retired." Thanks Maura!!
Labels: branding, copywriting, fashion
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:55 AM
0 comments
victoria secret: for young girls only?
Some will say this is just a cheap excuse to post a picture of a Victoria Secret model. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But - really - Retail Design Diva has a very interesting post about Victoria Secret's brand issues. Turns out that only young girls like to visit the stores.
I attribute it to what I call the retail style curve. Every major mall retailer, and many apparel brands can plot their popularity on a chart, and you'll see cycles of cool ebb and flow. I'm sure that David Armano could craft a nifty info chart documenting the curve. (But that's not as interesting as a Victoria Secret model, is it?)
We've seen Abercrombie rise and fall. American Eagle. Tommy Hilfiger. Polo. Soon, Hollister. Welcome to the style curve, Victoria. Once the younger girls tire of the brand and move on, the older girls can enjoy the brand again.
In the meantime, maybe Victoria's Secret should embrace the youth following, rather than try and appeal to everyone. A bunch of old people will only scare the young people away. And vice versa. Right?
Labels: branding, fashion, retail
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:06 AM
0 comments
lists for your brand loving pleasure
If you're a list freak, and want to know the top brands in the UK, today's your lucky day. Superbrands just released their list of the top 500 brands, available in the business brands and consumer brands variety. Weeeee. Lists.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:33 AM
0 comments
best band logos ever
American Copywriter points to a list of the 25 best band logos, from Spinner Magazine. This was fun to click through. It's hard to choose a favorite - so I'll go with my heart. RIP, Joey.
Labels: branding, design, identity
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:26 AM
1 comments
cool promo idea for geek events
Design firm Mule found a really good promo idea for internet workers. Temporary laptop stickers. Promotional stickers that you can put on the back of your laptop for a week, a month, or an event. Mule will be giving them out at SXSW. Sweet idea.
Labels: branding, creativeinspiration, sxsw
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:33 AM
0 comments
mmmm. scrabble.
The Scrabble lawyers must be working overtime. First Scrabulous, and now Chocolate Scrabble. Better eat it now, before they take it away.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:17 AM
0 comments
the gap: desperately trying to be cool again.
The Gap has just launched a new campaign titled The Sound of Color. The campaign showcases artists performing songs about color. And videos, too! Woop-de-doo.
Of course, they've also launched a campaign site. A campaign site about sound, WITHOUT SOUND. They're attempting to build anticipation, with a launch date of February 15. Yep. I'm soooo excited by the blandness of this site, that I'm actually going to mark my calendar to check back and hear the fashionlicious sounds that will grace my ears on the 15th. Uh-huh.
What's especially hilarious to me is the comparison of expenditure versus effect. I can only imagine the fat budget with a big agency, that's being used to launch this mega color soundless sound campaign.
And then look at what Urban Outfiiters is doing. Probably produced in-house, or with a small agency. For a dime on the Gap dollar. And immediately socially engaging.
Hello? Gap? Can you hear that? It's the sound of more stores closing.
Labels: branding, fashion, retail, social media, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:05 AM
2 comments
the history of tech logos
Here's a fun history lesson for Friday.
Neatorama has compiled a really cool archive of tech logos, showing their evolution and detailing interesting facts about their history.
Like, did you know that Canon was originally called Kwanon, named after the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Mercy? Amaze your friends with factoids about logos they probably never thought twice about! Be the life of the logo party!
Labels: branding, design, identity
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
0 comments
get out of your element
One of the classic traps marketers fall into is making assumptions, strategies or decisions based on personal experience. "I wouldn't do that...so the audience for this product wouldn't do that..." We recently had a client who actually said "I don't use the internet that much - so I'm pretty sure my audience doesn't, either." (His audience was teens and 20 something males.)
We're humans. A multitude of cultures, personalities and interests. We're also born with this weird sense of thinking everyone else thinks just like we do. And that's not true.
At our agency, we're on a constant quest to learn and experience new things. To do something outside of our element. We even schedule occasional company "field trips" where our staffers get to partake in an activity that they haven't done before, or wouldn't likely do on their own.
AdLab has a great reminder of a classic technique to get outside of your element: Magazines. Magazines are a super way to experience a different audience on the quick. Visit a good newstand or bookstore, and browse the sections you don't normally browse. You'd be surprised at what you can learn about...humans.
Labels: branding, creativeinspiration, design, marketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM
1 comments
new diesel campaign is ultra safe
Diesel has launched some new, fresh gear. Yes, that means there are some sweet new jeans available that you really can't afford. More importantly, it means the start of a new Diesel ad campaign. It's like spring is here already.
I really liked the Diesel safety video. Simple, old idea, but made fresh, entertaining and fun with great copy and just enough design goodness. Found on Computerlove™
Labels: ads, branding, fashion, video
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM
0 comments
where is your old cellphone?
Inhabitant points to a cool piece titled The Secret Life of Cellphones. The video showcases the fact that most people don't know they can recycle their phones. Many keep them, many toss them in the garbage.
There's a massive opportunity here for a cell brand. Most brands have a recycle box tucked away in the back corner of their retail stores, out of view from their customers.
What about a brand campaign that encourages consumers to recycle? Wouldn't that be a unique way to drive traffic to their stores? And encourage people from competing brands to come into their stores and recycle? All while sending a "we care about the world and environment" brand message. Hello?
Labels: adindustry, branding, mobile
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:42 AM
0 comments
can design make water in cans taste good?
Will people drink water from cans? What if they were really pretty? What if they were called canettes?
Fashion house Paul and Joe have apparently teamed with Perrier to make cans of pretty water. Same water, just packaged in designer, collector cans. Sometimes working in the brand industry is just plain embarrassing. Or is it just genius??
Labels: beverage, branding, design, fashion
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM
1 comments
bring your site down to generate traffic and buzz
David Rydell points to an interesting Apple tactic, that works as a part of their massive buzz generation machine.
There are so many things that brands can learn from Apple and their product announcements. Pingdom, (ironically, the people whose business stems from keeping servers LIVE) points to one in particular that others haven't latched onto. With each major new Apple product announcement, the Apple site is brought down. Essentially closed up for a short period of time while they prepare to add the new products.
This down-time adds to the buzz. Why is Apple the only one to leverage down-time? A couple of years ago, the Gap did something similar - (although I'm convinced it was by accident, as it lasted days.)
Certainly, not every brand or business has the necessary factors to make this successful. You'd need massive regular traffic (so that people notice), significant press attention (so that people notice) and something worthy of the relaunch (so that people notice.) But there are other brands out there that could pull this off.
What about you? If you pulled the plug, would people notice?
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
0 comments
really cool biz cards
Check out this sweet Flickr set of cool business cards. Thanks Leigh!
Labels: branding, design, identity
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:47 AM
0 comments
how not to run a PR department
Believe what you want about the controversial Target ad featuring a girl on the Target logo, with her special place as the bull's eye.
Whether you like the concept or think it's sexist, this is NOT the way to handle it when things start to blow up.
When blogger Amy contacted them to see if they realized their ad might be controversial, they hit her back with this reply:
"Good Morning Amy,
Thank you for contacting Target; unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with non-traditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest.
Once again thank you for your interest, and have a nice day."
Yikes. Target??? Doesn't acknowledge non-traditional media outlets like blogs? There are sooo many ways this could have been handled. And this one's not even on the list.
Does your PR team understand social media? Would they know how to react? Better to ask yourself the question now, and be prepared. (Your agency is at the studio, putting a naked girl on a banana seat bike for your next campaign. Hurry.)
Labels: ads, blogging, branding, pr, retail
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
1 comments
does your store have soul?
Retail Design Diva went on a really fun and scientific shopping trip. They went down Madison Ave, for about 20 blocks. They weren't looking for bargains, or the latest fashions. They were looking for soul.
Most stores, as you might expect, felt very much like what Retail Design Diva calls "web stores" - "physical stores with merchandise, staff and everything you'd expect at a store, but operating as if they were little more then a Web site."
And only a handful had what they called 'soul'. That magic combination of product, ambiance, store design and clientèle that makes everything pop. Some of the winners on their trip included DKNY, Juicy Couture and Ralph Lauren.
I wish someone could fund them, and they could do a Manhattan-wide soul audit. And then turn it into a soul-shopping guide. That would be cool.
Labels: branding, design, pointofpurchase, retail
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:29 AM
0 comments
burton: sabotage stupidity
Burton.com has a really fun promotion going on.
There are still four resorts in North America that don't allow snowboarding. Burton's giving $5K to the person or crew that submits the best video of their experience snowboarding at one of these resorts. They'll give away a total of $20K.
Awesome idea. Sure, everyone's jumping on the user-generated bandwagon, but this contest has some originality to it. It reignites the rebel brand image of snowboarding, and positions Burton as a leader in the movement.
I know just the person at our agency who could make this happen....hmmmm. Originally noticed on the Denver Egotist.
Labels: branding, sports marketing, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:47 AM
4 comments
mark lives at ikea
Mark Malkoff, the same dude who visited 171 Starbucks in a day has a new stunt.
He's living in Ikea. It's not clear if this is an Ikea promo or not. It claims not to be. The Ikea brand identity is incorrect, and the link to their site is broken - so maybe that is indeed the case. (Although supposedly, he's being played on video in Ikea Sweden, so who really knows.) Cute idea, regardless. We should go over there later, and play Xbox.
From Brian, via Twitter
Labels: branding, retail, stunts
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
0 comments
cloverfield is doing the lost thing
The highly anticipated Cloverfield movie is marketing Lost-style. Not a surprise, since it's a JJ Abrams project (the creator of Lost.)
Three Minds has an excellent run down of what's been released so far, along with links to the secret sites, trailers and more.
This is the future of marketing. Engaging your customers outside of the primary product space. I'm just sayin'.
Labels: branding, film, marketing, pop culture, television, viral
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:08 AM
1 comments
throw away your copier, the logo is old.
Xerox has rebranded. Before and after are pictured above. Lower case and understated is the new hot thing in corporate identity. Looks great, although I'm not crazy about the AT&T style globe they added. Details about the rebranding are on the Xerox site.
Labels: branding, design, identity
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:03 AM
0 comments
marriott gets smart, hilton gets paris.
In somewhat old news, the New York Times reports that Ian Schrager and the Marriott chain are teaming up together to make cool places to stay.
More current, Where's the Sausage does an awesome analysis of why this is great. I agree. Meanwhile, I'm sure Paris is at a party somewhere. Or in a limo, showing her cootchie to someone. To spread the Hilton brand.
(Photo by Damon Winter/The New York Times)
Labels: architecture, branding, interior design, newyork
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:38 AM
0 comments
the best creepy realtor photos
I know you're tired as all hell of top 10 lists - but this one's awesome. The Top Ten Worst Realtor Head Shots.
I still don't get why the realty industry is the only industry outside of Hollywood that feels a headshot will help their business. Or their brand.
Can you ever imagine anyone choosing a realtor based on looks? "You'll love this guy, Fran - he has the most excellent mustache."
From Coudal Partners.
Labels: branding, identity, photography
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:33 AM
3 comments
stanley tools creates best product name ever
Stanley just created a new tool. A demolition tool. Something that can rip things apart. Destroy them. Pull things to pieces. The ultimate tear it apart-destroying-pull-things-to-pieces tool.
And then, it needed a name. Fubar. In case you're not familiar, here's some background on the word Fubar.
And that's the most perfect name for this tool. In most product organizations, this would have been road-blocked by senior management. Squashed by legal. A hundred people in suits would typically stand in the way and second guess and suggest safer names like "demo bar" instead.
Hooooray for Stanley. For letting creativity win. For producing creative that speaks to your audience - not your attorneys. Nice job.
Watch the spot here.
Thanks Justus!
Labels: branding, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:20 AM
2 comments
brand tips from dunkin donuts
What do you think the Dunkin Donuts person wrote on Diana's cup the othe