Living Brands: blog




	Archive: My blog has now moved to here December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 Back to blog home				28th Oct 2004 - Is it edible? As it says on their website… "Welcome to the world of Edible. We will take you on an epicurian adventure from around the globe, and show you that there is far more available for the palate than you had ever imagined! Edible was created to open up the culinary tastes and minds of westerners who are fairly limited in culinary terms. After years of Incredible Dining Experiences whilst doing conservation and wildlife study in various places around the world, such as eating steamed Ant Eggs in Thailand, Roasted Tarantula in Venezuela, Baked Witjutie Grub in Australia and getting drunk on Snake Wine in China, Todd Dalton (the 25 year old creator of Edible) decided to bring the same eating experiences to your table. All of our products come from specially selected farms and suppliers around the world, maintained to the highest possible standards. And all comply with the relative species protection legislation. Rest assured that we at Edible are strong believers in wildlife conservation. And 5% of all of Edible's profits go to wildlife conservation programs around the globe. Also all of our products are manufactured under strict hygiene standards, and all of our products comply with all UK and European community guidelines on food standards. We also periodically test our products to ensure safety, making sure at all times that all of the Edible Range is fit for human consumption. We hope that you will enjoy this adventure with us. So let us venture forth so you may ask us 'is it Edible.?' " Hmm. Not sure myself. But whether it's Green Crocodile Curry your looking for, or Toffee Scorpion Candy (with real edible scorpion!), or maybe a little pick me up (they recommend Giant Hornet Honey), you now know where to turn. Like to comment ? (top) 27th Oct 2004 - New DIY Have you ever bought something, got it home, and thought… "I could have done it better myself"? Well, you're not alone. So why not join the growing ranks of savvy, wired up consumers who are increasingly influencing how companies behave, and what they produce. This is about far more than customisation at the back end. This is about having a say at the front end design stage. John Fluevog is a good example. At one level, it's just another common or garden US designer shoe brand. At another level, it's a champion of DIY. Design it yourself. The company actively invites design ideas from its customers (what it calls "open source footwear"). And the best ideas get produced. This is the future for many businesses. And it's not such a stupid idea when you consider the size of the untapped, often deeply committed talent pool it gives you access to. So rather than just pushing ideas at people and seeing what sticks, maybe it's time to open source your development and design process. Like to comment ? (top) 22nd Oct 2004 - We're all individuals Just to complete a triptych of Admap related pieces, Mark Earls mentions the Life Of Brian "You're all individuals" scene as a perfect example of the herd mentality behind our claims of individuality. The irony being, of course, that the only person who is an individual is the one who says he isn't. BRIAN: Please! Please listen. I've got one or two things to say. FOLLOWERS: Tell us. Tell us both of them. BRIAN: Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals! FOLLOWERS: Yes, we're all individuals! BRIAN: You're all different! FOLLOWERS: Yes, we are all different! DENNIS: I'm not. FOLLOWERS: Shh. Shhhh. Shhh. BRIAN: You've all got to work it out for yourselves! FOLLOWERS: Yes! We've got to work it out for ourselves! BRIAN: Exactly! FOLLOWERS: Tell us more! BRIAN: No! That's the point! Don't let anyone tell you what to do! Like to comment ? (top) 20th Oct 2004 - Follow the Herd Mark Earls also has a piece in the new Admap. In the article he builds on his premise that humans are a herd animal (a theory I completely agree with), and that it is only in recognising this that we will be able to deliver truly effective marketing and communications solutions. I think the following sums it all up perfectly… "Human behaviour of all sorts is not explained by examining complex individual motivations and decision-making processes, but by understanding the (often very local) interactions between individuals. Put simply, it seems we tend to do what we do largely because of what others do. From stock markets to fashion, from politics to the Mexican wave, from criminality to war. Most of our behaviour is best understood in terms of the interaction of man, the herd animal, and not through the unreliable accounts of the individual". So forget that old hat approach to marketing that relies on mass communication to theoretically similar, but in reality disconnected individuals, and start thinking about how your brand can interact, in a very real sense, with connected groups of people. Like to comment ? (top) 18th Oct 2004 - John Grant's crystal ball John Grant, one-time founder of St Luke's and now consultant and author, has offered up his "10 indications now for trends of the future", in the 40th anniversary edition of Admap Magazine. Staring into his crystal ball, he sees the following… The growth of markets like finance, health and lifelong learning, which are based on services, advice, learning and are not very resource-depleting. Virtual content, communications and software. We have hit Moore's ceiling: our devices are fast enough - we need an "easy jet" PC, not a "Concorde". eBay is already bigger than McDonalds, and arguably greener than recycling. Meta-style trends like "minimalism", where less is more; and "new age", where materials are renewable. Retro second-hand - the trash aesthetic. Authentic, local, micro-brewed, organic. The demise of the equation of brand fame and brand value. The most popular application of mobile handsets turning out to be text not video. The "must have" designs of mountain bikes and other green lifestyle kit. A boom in hobbies, cultural activities and other non-shopping, non-media leisure. Not exactly rocket science I know (you can find most referenced here). But it is useful to have them set out in a handy top 10. And I do like the thought of "easy jet"-style PCs and eBay as the new recycling. Like to comment ? (top) 15th Oct 2004 - Be contagious The new newly formed Viral & Buzz Marketing Association have delivered a manifesto of Buzz. Obviously, all of us in ad agencies like to think we're down with these new fangled ways of doing things. So, do you agree with the following, or are you still very much old school in truth? Because, as it says at the end - "companies or individuals who do not adhere to these principles are not considered to be carrying out viral/buzz/word-of-mouth". Anyway, the manifesto goes as follows... All members of the VBMA share the conviction that Viral Marketing, Buzz Marketing and Word-of-Mouth Marketing (and other related marketing approaches that harness network-enhanced word of mouth) are based on the principles outlined below, and that we work constantly on improving these marketing techniques: 1) We strive to a) identify only those people who will be interested in a particular marketing message, b) deliver the message to them in a way that makes it an enjoyable or valuable experience, c) provide it in a manner that encourages them to share it with others. We will therefore be providing a benefit to our audiences and their acquaintances and in so doing, to the brands for which we work. 2) Our goal is to foster genuine enthusiasm about brands and brand communications, which can spread through networks in a way that is enjoyed, appreciated and / or valued. 3) We believe that network-enhanced word of mouth has a critical role to play in the future of integrated marketing communications. Marketers need to offer content in the media and through one-to-one connections that the recipients themselves choose to propagate to those that they deem appropriate, thereby eliminating irrelevant, untimely and (as a consequence) annoying marketing messages. 4) We believe that whatever our target, we will always be dealing with educated people who detect when they are being deceived. a) These people appreciate brands that find smart ways to entertain, educate or inform them. b) They are well-informed in the area of marketing, peer-to-peer exchange and consumption, enabling them to function as partners and stakeholders in marketing communication activities. c) As partners, we treat these people with care and respect. We will not only develop or send information or content to them, but will also listen to their opinions. We value their contributions. d) Our audience-centric vision of connected marketing seeks to put the target networks at the centre of marketing. These positions are unifying principles shared by all members of the VBMA. We agree that working in this field is considered acceptable, professional and valuable when these principles are respected. Like to comment ? (top) 12th Oct 2004 - Hate something, change something When it comes to noticing advertising, my son doesn't tend to get much beyond 1) toys he would like (and those who say advertising doesn't affect children are kidding themselves) and 2) David Beckham. Until that is, W&Ks latest Honda film came on. He sat transfixed for 90", before sagely commenting that "that was a funny little film". Which roughly translates as "wow" in his lexicon of a advertising commentary. Whether he understood it, or plans to buy a Honda at 18, I have no idea. But given that my response was a similar "wow", it does show that there's still a place in advertising for gloriously long and bonkers TV extravaganzas. Like to comment ? (top) 8th Oct 2004 - The things you find on boardroom walls. I like all my client's brand, obviously. But if I had to chose the one which resonates most at a personal level it would be Start-rite, the children's shoes manufacturer. Having kids helps. But Start-rite just seems to be a brand that is, well, just right. It's "real". It's authenic. It's passionate about what it does. Everything great brands should be. People feel warm towards it, and trust it implicitly, even if it isn't a brand they buy. I think that one of the reasons for this is that, without being dusty and old fashioned, Start-rite offers just a hint of a bygone era that, at some level, many of us still hanker after in our hi-tech modernising age. Look at the logo. It comes straight from their famous advertising of the 1930s... It is just one example of how this is a brand which (with the obvious developments that must come over 70+ years) has stayed true to its (rich) heritage and core promise. Start-rite knows what its story is...and sticks to it. And this was made tangible for me in the company boardroom the other day. There on the wall was the original artwork for that first ad, complete with the artists annotations. Excellent. It's the stuff truly compelling brand stories are made of. Oh, and they still do great ads... Like to comment ? (top) 6th Oct 2004 - It's not a problem it's an opportunity Looking to generate new business ideas? Then why not try this. Think of things which really annoy people. And then find a way to make that a reason to buy. Case in point? Odd socks. Whether wearing them by mistake, losing one of pair, or getting a hole in one and not the other, odd socks are a real problem. Or maybe they are an opportunity. LittleMissMatched is a San Francisco start-up aimed at tween girls. In a neat twist on DIY, mix 'n' match fashion, they only sell odd socks. And the truly inspirational bit - they only sell single socks, or packs of 3 and 7, forcing you to MissMatch. There are 134 designs in total, which break down into four "colour waves" - Fabulous, Marvelous, Kooky and Zany - and three extremes of design - Kinda, Sorta and Alota. Like to comment ? (top) 4th Oct 2004 - Pining for the good old days? My son is 7. And like most boys of his age, he enjoys sport, computer games, his cat and swords (the last must be something genetically hardwired into boys - see John Ronson's experiences written up in the Guardian). Anyway, the plan is to get a Hornby train set for Christmas. Discussing it at the weekend, talk turned to the kind of trains on offer. Do you go modern (a Eurostar or something)? Or do you go the steam train route? Joshua quite categorically wanted the latter... ...And his reasons were interesting. Steam trains are more comfortable. Which, on further probing (hey, I'm a planner; I do focus groups) equated to feelings of being cosy, warm and safe. So our children might well be the digital generation. But maybe there's still hope for the world if they can see beyond the Playstation, to the need for some good, old fashioned values as well. Like to comment ? (top) 3rd Oct 2004 - Nike madness Nike Sphere. No idea what this is about really, but it's quite good fun... Like to comment ? (top)

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