Newspapers are multi-faceted things, addressing the needs of many different groups of readers. But that makes the need for a coherent thread, a single unifying idea or characteristic, -a set of brand values if you like, more not less important.
It’s a point that Guardian newspapers might care to consider when they assess the effectiveness –or otherwise of this week’s last-throw-of-the-dice redesign of The Observer.
It is in part brilliant, in part dire and on the whole, totally confusing. I suspect that my confusion as a reader reflects the lack of certainty at Guardian newspapers over exactly what the paper should be doing.
The overhaul has been thorough, starting with the paper’s most basic ‘architecture’ - its rag bag of supplements and sections. Three of the excellent monthly magazines have been spiked and the paper has been reduced to four sections: news, sport, an expanded Review section and the magazine.
So far so good. It feels more focussed and somehow more confident.
When Unilever’s Persil launched its ‘dirt is good campaign’ a couple of years ago, P&G’s Ariel responded with a campaign based on the thought that ‘clean is better’.
That episode sums up one of the biggest dilemmas facing any brand manager: Sell the product and you’re in danger of competing for your customers’ business on a purely transactional or functional basis. Sell benefits or the social role of the brand and you are always vulnerable to rivals like Ariel coming along with a better product.
So it was fascinating to read in this week’s Marketing magazine, that Unilever’s Dove is shifting from a communication platform based on ‘real beauty’ to a more science-based, product efficacy story.
Gone are the real women in their white underwear. Instead we’ll get the image of a flower and raindrops “intended to represent the product’s three moisturising ingredients,” according to the report. Advertising will explain how the product helps to hold moisture at the surface of the skin.
I have recently returned from a trip to China. I was there to conduct a market audit for an International brand with Western heritage to work out how to build its appeal with a changing Chinese consumer.
As has widely been discussed and rightfully recognised, China has established itself as the new super power. This shift in leadership from the West has got me pondering - in ten years time will we all be sitting here at our Lenovo computers, sending texts via China Mobile before heading out with friends to share a Tsingtao beer?
The logic I am following is that we have for some time all been buying into the American Dream which has been the foundation of many successful brands. As America created itself as the global leader we all wanted to share in their glory by associating ourselves with their home grown brands - from Levi jeans and Nike trainers to Apple Macs and Google searches.
So the challenge that I keep coming back to is: what is the dream that China will be able to sell to the world? How are they going to successfully and legitimately market their national brands to create a universal appeal to a global audience?
Made in China may now be a credible offering, but is it a dream that I want to be associated with and what will it say about me?
The news that the Mayor of London has appointed Wally Ollins’ brand consultancy Saffron to create a visual identity for London at a cost of £500,000, has prompted the same predictable press reaction we get every time a design project is reported: “What half a million pounds for a logo?”
Yes that’s right. Cash-strapped City Hall with its legions of procurement professionals has paid some bloke in thick glasses half a mill for a bit of colouring in.
The implication is of course that Saffron (and by extension the entire design industry) are thieves and con men who will happily part their gullible clients from a small fortune. In return they get doodles a four year old might not be proud of.
I’m not sure if it’s wilful ignorance on the part of the media or just that our industry hasn’t explained itself better, but I feel the overpowering need to set the record straight.
I haven’t worked on the London branding project, so I don’t know the precise costs. But lets look more closely at what City Hall might get for its half million.
From my own experience working on the rebranding of the Museum of London, I know that a major issue facing anyone involved with branding London is its extraordinary diversity. That’s what the London 2012 brand was about, that’s what our Museum of London work is about. And that’s what City Hall’s brand London will be about.
That makes the initial research stage particularly expensive. Saffron will have to gather the opinions and attitudes of a huge number of stakeholders to find out what London means to them. They’ll have to consult politicians, business people, Londoners of all races, classes and hues, opinion formers, foreigners and tourists -to name but a few.
Last night I attended a networking evening held by the lovely people at LS:N Global
For those of you that don’t know who they are - LS:N is an online consumer news and insights network set up by The Future Laboratory. In its simplest form the guys at LS:N provide news of whats going on around the globe in fashion, interiors, architecture, design you name it they are on to it and last night they held a fascinating evening at The Connaught Hotel in London.
The topic of the evening was luxury and the way the evening was set up was a bit like speed dating. 6 tables, 6 speakers, 6 minutes all we had to do was sit and listen.
The speakers included Stephen Alden, CEO of the Maybourne Hotel Group who spoke about how luxury is becoming more meaningful in 2010. ‘Frivolity, excess & waste’ have become a thing of the past, consumers are looking for values, authenticity and craftsmanship in their luxury brands.
For those of you that missed our latest Visual Futures presentation ‘Bitesize’ earlier this month, we have made a 3 minute bitesized version which covers some of the key points from the full presentation.
Take a look and if you’re interested in having us present the full story to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me at vicky.bullen@cpb.co.uk.
Last night we held our annual Visual Futures event at The Hospital club in Covent Garden. Visual Futures is a Coley Porter Bell initiative that has been running for over four years. It is a design ‘visual showcase’ supported by evidence and our observations, looking how what we are seeing in design today, reflects what’s going on in society. And last night we launched our fifth Visual Futures ‘Bitesize’.
As our lives become increasingly busy and ever more complex we have seen companies and brands respond in a bitesize way cutting through, getting straight to the point and connecting with consumers in a quick and digestible way. This example from VW is one of my personal favourites.
By simply crossing out the majority of words the ad is transformed in to a short, sweet and potent piece of communication, it’s great. And I love the way the brand even edits itself in its sign off.
There are lots more great examples throughout the presentation, so for those of you that missed the out last night watch this space. Over the next few days we are going to be uploading some of the best bits and if you would like us to come and present to you we’d be more than happy.
One Sunday, bitterly cold afternoon in late November. My friend Katy Coe came bouncing in with a huge bag of clothes, and one very big idea ” Im going to call my shop ‘Vintage Deli “, she beamed at me with her wide grin and smiling eyes. I was completely taken away with her energy and enthusiasm, so we sat in front of our fire and started sketching ideas, not long after I came up with a mark which did and said exactly what Katy wanted, and designed a homepage to show off Katy’s collection of beautiful clothes. Her website is up and running and well worth a look…
At Coley Porter Bell we believe in making brands beautiful. Beautiful brands stand out from the crowd, they inspire, leaving a lasting impression. Beautiful brands are desirable, powerful, valuable. But none of this would be achievable if it wasn’t for the everyday beauty that surrounds us and inspires our creativity.
Every month we share ‘5 beautiful things’ which have inspired the team here at Coley Porter Bell, and we hope they will do the same for you.
underwater photography: elena kalis
These beautiful photographs are a sample of some of the inspiring work
by photographer Elena Kalis who specialises in underwater photography.
She uses colour, light and space to create dream-like images which are
not just visually striking, but also emotionally stirring. If you would like to
see more of her work please visit her website; www.elenakalisphoto.com
Work such as this proves how evolutions in technology can have a really
positive impact on creativity… it will be interesting to see what the
future brings!
I have been feeling a little stodgy of body and musty of head recently, and wondered if I could feel a little lighter in both areas by changing my diet. So I cut down significantly on my dairy and bread intake. It worked. But there was an interesting side-effect; I started eating much more ‘creatively’. Rather than just grab a nearby sandwich, I started to think about which foods might go together to create a decent meal. And though it took longer to get my lunch during the week, they started to get more interesting, varied and satisfying.
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