don’t blame me, this is actually a fact
I love how someone mashed these two up. As such I wish I could cite it properly, having come from a random Tumblr site. What makes it wickedly effective is how well the logos scale to each package–it’s seamless enough to make most people do a double take. Anti-Pop Art, anyone?
I’m not sure if Kick Ass if going to be any good, but as the counter-weight to The Watchmen it has potential. Regardless, the marketing has been dead-on in creating buzz from the bottom up with efforts like this. Unfortunately the best version of their signature series-shirt is only available on the UK French Connection website. The state-side version leaves something to be desired…
is proving that he can reach into the vault of Converse and keep coming up with looks that keep Converse fresh. Case in point is the mash-up of the classic leather basketball high top and what his collaboration is best known for: a pared down Chuck Taylor. I heart how he maintains the sole while altering the rest, sticking to very simple colorways, shape/format of detailing, and sparing use of leather. Get them here for $125.
I Loved the ‘Meet the Happy New Me, Same as the Crappy Old Me‘ article from the March issue of GQ magazine (which isn’t online DaMnIt) from freelance author/copywriter Shalom Auslander so much I just bought his latest book. Check out the article if you have the time, it’s a lol quick read. The piece chronicles the attempts of writer , an author and NPR contributor who’s often compared to David Sedaris, to rebrand himself. It ends up with him flying halfway across the US to meet with famed ad man Alex Bogusky, who cancels the meeting at the last minute like a complete poseur douchebag. Great self-branding.
Yes, this is a toilet Transformer. Doomed to roam the universe alone since his disguise is more or less a cruel joke and no one likes to be seen hanging out with a crapper with appendages. Apparently someone at green-friendly Japan-based commode manufacturer TOTO , makers of the ‘Greenmax,‘ thought this might bolster marketing efforts. Where else would a company use an action figure to sell bathroom fixtures? In a case of hardcore irony the company most likely does more net damage to the environment with the tooling and manufacturing of the toy (either in Vinyl or PVC) plus all that packaging. Via slipperybrick
How do you take a disposable product that most of us take for granted and make it become more engaging to the consumer—while looking cool? Art Director, DJ Neff, answered a whole bunch (pun intended) of questions online related to the process. In particular I like the thought of preloading via research on context and cultural underpinnings of the fruit, where it comes from, it’s role within the region’s economy, and then taking a subsequent shotgun approach to creative.
These solutions work on a variety of levels but at their core are appropriately playful. First and foremost they take advantage of the mundane (and somewhat benign) nature of the status quo by subtly tweaking it. The art director did not completely reset with another size or color palette–he took the existing approach and altered it enough to call attention to itself. This can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading to increased purchase intent given a true ‘viral’ approach to the space. Kids love stickers so why not make them want to collect all 25? Which can only be done by purchasing them all…….
Sure, it’s a bit ‘Pokemon’ in strategy but with a relatively inexpensive commodity Chiquita has revamped effectively. Plus they accomplish the goal of increased exposure without a massive, multichannel marketing campaign. But of course there is a nice microsite to boot. Retain identity by changing it ever so slightly? Way to keep everyone happy….I’m looking forward to seeing these in person. Read the entire interview at designrelated.
with marketing like this, their 'strategery' is unclear. uhm, the phone is like a horse?
Do I think that a phone built by sportswear manufacturer can be a viable play in such a huge market? Probably not, but what it represents is important; when a company makes up it’s mind, reins in feature creep, and focuses, they can deliver their vision in a space crowded with juggernauts of industry. It’s not like they just dropped something weak in there to make a co-branded splash either. Anyone else remember the LG Prada? Didn’t think so.
Puma entered the fray with game changers in terms of both hardware, solar panel rear housing, and software, a nicely branded OS with some nice sporty widgets. With only one of those two factors it could stand side by side with any mid-tier touchscreen offering from, say Samsung. Of course it launches in Europe before anyplace else, too cool for the US market. How cool? I encourage you to take a look at the launch site which shows off some of the icon-driven UI and….the confusing-ass image that appears above. With no details as far as carrier exclusivity it’s a tough call to tell how it might migrate overseas, but I have to admit that I want one.
A collaboration between these two companies equals yet another killer high end pair of kicks I can’t afford, but can appreciate from afar. Averaging between $200-500 for anything, I would love to own a pair of Common Projects sneakers but couldn’t bear to shell out the equivalent of a car payment for new shoes that I can’t try on because they don’t sell them anyplace I frequent. Still pretty slick stuff. Via Acquire.
Just when you didn’t think anything could be uglier than Crocs….one could only hope that these either get cancelled before they get made or an IP lawsuit stops them dead. In a way it makes the Croc style more acceptable and capitalizes on the current ‘perforated’ material trend. In a more important way (even as an unofficial crossover) they dilute the legacy of Converse and their resurgence over the last five years. It’s fair to say that Cons have peaked in that respect but I would hate for something like this to be the nail in the coffin.
I love the stance Barry takes: Economic affluence and increased effectiveness of marketing over the past few decades has resulted in the proliferation of choice for almost every good and service today. Branding, umbrella organizations and conglomerates taking advantage of supply chain efficiencies due to component and ingredient overlaps have resulted in Brand proliferation. So, what does that boil down to? Something I thought that only my wife and I felt: Too much choice overwhelms, and you can read about it in his book, Paradox of Choice.
Now we have ridiculous cereal aisles and a dizzying array of salad dressing selections. The net result of too much choice is higher expectations set across the board, which in turn leads to either Paralysis by Analysis or (arguably) Mild Depression due to increased opportunity cost. With so many choices to select from it’s possible that no matter what we choose it will seem as if we made a mistake due to the amount of other available options; even if those options were inferior. Guess what just made my 2010 reading list…..man do i hate the formatting of Ted videos, making them clumsy to embed.