Archive for June, 2012

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HOW Design Live: Redux

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

The 2012 HOW Design Live conference was a truly amazing experience and we are fortunate enough to give everyone a front row seat through the lens of Debbie Millman!

HOWbadgeBadge on – Let’s go!

Of course there was the fun:

Steve+Debs

Debbie kicking some RDQLUS1 gear (with the lovely Steve Gordon)

Jessie Kuhn and Donovan BeeryHanging with Friends: Jessie Kuhn, Online Editor of HOW (masquerading as Debbie) and Donovan Berry, Founder and Creative Director, Eleven19 (masquerading as Paul Revere)

booksigningAnd some book signing…

Debbie+JiheeYa-With Jihee Ya!

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And then there was the emotional - Debbie held a retrospective for Hillman Curtis, who passed away this year. The filmmaker and Debbie worked very closely together for years on a number of beautiful interviews. One piece that was not shown at the retrospective is this gem, with Massimo Vignelli:



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Then there was the custom designed- Debbie collaborated with Bigstock and created a special design for their Designer series notebook.

BigstockNotebook

Then there was the brilliant- Brought to you by designer and attendee, Carolyn Sewell; bright young student, Donovan Brien; and illustrator and creative mind, Aaron Draplin:

carolynsewellDesigner Carolyn Sewell takes notes during Debbie’s ‘Why We Brand, Why We Buy’ session.

DonovanBrienThe portfolio work of Donovan Brien.

aaron draplin sketch 2

An incredible, live-drawn illustration…

Debbie+Brian+Aaron…of Debbie interviewing Brian Collins (Aaron Draplin on the right).

Thanks to everyone for a fabulous week, and we’re looking forward to next year!

RainbowOverBostonRainbow over Boston, taken by DeeDee Gordon, Sterling’s President of Innovation.

>>See more photos Here.

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DeeDee Gordon on Co-Creation in Design

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

On June 24th, DeeDee spoke at the 2012 Dieline Package Design Conference about a topic near and dear to our hearts—co-creation with consumers.

What is co-creation?

We define co-creation as the process in which consumers and experts collaborate in a meaningful way with brands and product developers. At Sterling, we believe that co-creation is about establishing an open transmission of ideas, and an honest exchange between a brand, our team, category and topic experts, and consumers. The result? Big, actionable ideas that resonate with consumers and address specific needs and motivations.

Why is co-creation so important in design?

While we believe co-creation is appropriate for any branding challenge that involves a human being as the end user, we’ve seen a growing need for co-creation specifically in package and structure design. This is due to the evolution of today’s consumers to become increasingly conscious of design, and as demanding about the presentation of a product as they are about the product itself.

co-creation-1

Today’s consumers are inundated with beautiful design across all categories. They have come to expect nothing but the best when it comes to design.

The package is very often the first touchpoint of a brand with which a consumer interacts. To this end, it’s incredibly important that structure and package design speaks to consumers, piques their interest, and encourages trial and usage. Co-creation helps us to ensure that it does.

Co-creating with the-Collaboratory:

In almost all of our work with clients, we engage the-Collaboratory, our proprietary database of brand enthusiasts from around the world, to gather insights and to work with us to develop new products, services, and designs. We seed hypotheses into the-Collaboratory and then we receive feedback, builds, and even blue-sky ideas in response.

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Sterling’s co-creation process involves a number of unique inputs and an open feedback loop with consumers and experts.

Keeping this feedback loop open with consumers is incredibly important and a task that we put a great deal of time and energy into. To this end, DeeDee rounded out her presentation at the Dieline Conference with some design assertions that we’ve heard first-hand from members of the-Collaboratory. What entices consumers? Gets them excited to try a new product? Keeps them coming back for more?  Here are some thoughts, straight from the mouths of members of the-Collaboratory:

Refined Simplicity

“Excess is out. I want understated, clean designs that let the product shine.“

Some examples:

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Unico Musk perfume designed by Lavernia and Cienfuegos; Voda Vodka designed by Mass Design; Sifteo Cubes designed by New Deal Design

Global Influence

“I see inspiration from around the globe in everything I do. Packaging should be no different.”

Some examples:

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Taiwan Centennial Blessing Tea designed by Bonho Inc.; Brickhouse Soaps designed by The Soap and Paper Factory; Ojon Hair Oil designed by designpackaging

Craftsmanship

“Hand-crafted packaging and structure is a key indicator of a high quality product…and I’m not one to settle.”

Some examples:

co-creation-5

Bar Gelato by Naia, designed by Mette Hornung Rankin of Bureau of Betterment; Wahl’sche Schnapsbirne by Stahlemuhle

Tactile Curiosity

“There’s something about haptic packaging. If it makes me want to touch it, I’ll likely also want to buy it.”

Some examples:

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Coop’s Hot Fudge designed by Marc Cooper; Seedbom by Kabloom, handmade in the UK; Ten over Six Unisex Perfumes designed by Henrik Vibskov

Sustainability and Substance

“These days, I want a package that’s more than just green. It needs to stand for something.”

Some examples:

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Boxed Water designed by Kevin Hockin and Benjamin Gott; Guactruck Mobile Eatery packaging is designed by Michealle Lee (owner of the truck) and encourages consumers to bring their packaging back in order to receive a free meal; The Replenish cleaner bottle reduces materials usage by 90%, designed by Jason Foster

Display-Worthy Design Objects

“I try to surround myself with beautiful design objects. Why should packaging and structure be any different?”

Some examples:

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Evian by Jean Paul Gaultier; 21 Drops designed by Purpose-Built; Lov Organic tea

Mobile Life

“Everything in my life is mobile. I expect packaging to follow suit. I want streamlined, portable options.”

Some examples:

co-creation-9

Help Remedies designed by; GoGo Squeez Applesauce designed by Menage a Trios; Loffle Mich designed by Createam

What does this mean for brands?

In today’s environment, brands must do more to surprise and delight consumers. At Sterling, we believe that co-creation is one important way to do this.

As brand practitioners, we must not only listen to consumers, but also engage them in the creation process. We believe that the best packaging of the future, won’t just be designed for the consumer, it will be designed with the consumer.

DeeDee Gordon, President of Innovation at Sterling

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Check back in for Full coverage of the concurrent, HOW Design Live Conference from the expert lens of Debbie Millman-Coming Soon!

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Forget me, I’m 50.

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

For the past decade, it’s been in almost an apocalyptic tone that the media and marketers have been discussing the Baby Boomer target audience and the profound impact they will have on the American marketplace, economy, etc.  Phrases like “an American turns 50 every 7 seconds” would suggest a massive marketing shift to consumers born before 1965, leaving Gen X, Gen Y and the like stranded. Sure, there’s a lot of lip service being given to the “Boomer” audience or “50+ consumers (with a skew to 50-55, of course),” but target down-aging and targeting of youth continues to prevail.

First, some fun facts:

- There are 77M Baby Boomers (defined as people born between 1946 and 1965), most of whom are 50+ (US census)

- By 2015, adults 50+ will represent 45% of the population (AARP)

- 50+ consumers control 67% of the nation’s wealth and 42% of all after-tax income (US Census and Federal Reserve)

- Baby Boomers will spend about $20T over the next 20 years on consumer goods (Forbes.com)

Everyone agrees that the opportunity with 50+ consumers is there.  So why is everyone so afraid to market to them?  Maybe we should look at some of the concerns we hear from our clients, and an alternate point-of-view.

1. My consumer is going to die off.

In 20-30 years, yes, he or she will.  But between now and then are a lot of “active consuming years”, and there’s a lot to be said for gaining a decade or two of consumption among the nation’s largest (and most well-off) audience. And importantly, if you become respected as a brand that gets and serves the 50+ audiences in a fresh, compelling and honest way, the Gen Xers who will be turning 50 really soon will be right in line to adopt your brand.

2. I don’t want to be an old person’s brand.

Haven’t you heard? 50 is the new 40 (or something like that).  One of the most dramatic demographic and psychographic changes we’ve seen in the past decade is the redefinition of what “old” is today. The notion of a 60 year-old woman, sitting in a rocking chair knitting a sweater for her 10 grandchildren is ancient history (so to speak).  So is the idea of a 58 year-old man, retired in Florida, wearing black socks and sandals, playing shuffleboard, murmuring to himself about the good old days.  It’s just not the case any longer.   The typical Boomer believes that old age doesn’t begin until age 72, according to a 2009 Pew Research survey. In fact, while half of all American adults say they feel younger than their actual age, 61% of Boomers say this. In fact, the typical Boomer feels nine years younger than his or her chronological age.

3. We need to refresh the brand.

I’ve heard this one a lot and really don’t get it. I guess what this assumes is that if you target 50+, you’re advertising is going to look like the Geritol ads of the 80s or that “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” infomercial.  OK, so you might not want to use Justin Bieber in your marketing if you are going after Boomers, but really…who cares?  50+ consumers are also interested in marketing communications and packaging with a fresh and contemporary tone, feel and message.

4. I’m not targeting age…I’m targeting an attitude.

We love this sentiment and agree totally. A 52 year-old divorced woman’s needs and attitudes will more likely mirror that of a 31 year-old single woman than a 52 year-old married woman with 2 teen-aged kids. This approach should be used with planning product portfolios and marketing communications. But this doesn’t mean that a 52 year-old woman is sourcing MTV for influence. Nor does it mean that she’s going to use, consume or wear products in the same way as her 31 year-old “peer.”  Target the age; Position and market to the attitude.

5. Older adults just want to be young anyway.

Sure, the back pain, loss of vision and dry skin of 50+ suck, and I’m sure most Boomers would kill for the body they had when they were 20. But it stops there. Boomers don’t want to be young – they want to be youthful and they absolutely do not want to be told they are old.  Like younger consumers, Boomers have dreams and goals. They have passions. They are still looking to improve. They want to participate in trends. They want to have lots of new experiences. Phil Goodman, co-author of the Boomer Marketing Revolution, describes Boomers as “Adult Teenagers”…”they will try to act younger than their chronological age.”

To close, I don’t for a second disagree with targeting the massive Millennial generation or Gen Xers.  But sometimes Boomers are also an ideal audience for your brand, and importantly, they want advertisers to acknowledge they are still alive and still spending. The headline from an article I found on the Internet articulates this really well: “The Boomer Consumer: Stop Ignoring Me, Da*&^it!”

Sara Schor, EVP – Strategy

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Sterling Buzz…

Monday, June 18th, 2012


Branding

Austin McGhie talks with GraphicDesign.com and expounds on the points of his new book: Brand is a Four Letter Word.

Q. What are the biggest mistakes designers make when undertaking a branding project?

A. First, as I say in the book, unless you’re a rancher, there’s no such thing as branding. You can’t just brand something. The idea should never be used as a verb. Brand is the prize. The outcome. It’s a noun. The actual work—the verb, if you will—is positioning.

The biggest mistake designers make is starting any design project without fully understanding that position. Great brands, like great people, have a strong, clear point of view. A world view that is theirs and theirs alone. Understand that POV. Feel it. Explore it.

Then, and only then, go to work.

To read more of this Q and A on how positioning affects marketing and design, click here.

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Sterling Buzz…

Friday, June 15th, 2012

Time to get revved for next week!

thisisHOW

As part of the lead-up to the HOW Design Live conference, held this June in Boston, Imprint will be offering sneak peeks of some of the talks as well as combing through their archives for perspectives on the speakers.

On the Friday afternoon of the conference, Print contributing editor Debbie Millman will be interviewing the veteran brand strategist Wally Olins, who cofounded Wolff Olins in 1965. It promises to be a lively dialogue between two industry leaders with strong opinions on branding and design. Millman, president of design at Sterling Brands, interviewed Olins, now chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants, for her book Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits, released last year.

Read more: At HOW Design Live, Get in the Ring with Brand Heavyweights Wally Olins and Debbie Millman

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Sterling Buzz

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Check out some amazing photos and a review from Debbie’s art opening at the Chicago Design Museum!

opening-wayfinding

Click here for more.

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Sterling Buzz…

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Check out Austin McGhie’s rant on ‘Branding’ in AdAge online this week!

To learn more and read more from Austin’s newly-launched book, Brand is a Four Letter Word – click here.

CMOStrategy

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Bringing Real Brand Value to the World

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

From a global perspective, we’ve all read a lot in recent years about how companies are wrestling with how to best adapt and extend their established brands into the emerging middle class markets in those fast growing economies such as China and India.

At the center of the strategic debate around this issue lie two fundamental questions facing global brand owners:

  1. In an increasingly borderless and interconnected world, how much should the brand be ‘changed’ to meet the needs of this new consumer target without harming business and reputation in established markets?
  2. What are the new rules for operating a global brand with potentially different products and positionings, in a fully transparent world?

From a brand owners point of view, three favored solutions are emerging:

1. The introduction of new products specifically aimed at this new consumer target, for example:the LG Lucid smartphone and the Renault Logan automobile

2. The introduction of smaller sized, modified products with fewer features or ingredients:the Knorr Economica line and single sachets of Nescafé and Nestea.

3. The re-introduction of ‘dormant’ brands: Datsun is being relaunched in China and India in 2014 with a $6,000 vehicle.

And if the brand challenges haven’t been complex enough already, there is new evidence that the situation is going to get exponentially more complicated. Why?

Because, in addition to the slowing down in emerging market growth recently, the continuing economic stagnation in many established markets, especially those in western Europe, has resulted in a significant increase in the number of consumers living near or below the poverty line:

-In the US, this includes 15% of the population (or 46.0 million people)

-In Greece and Spain, the figures are over 20% of their populations

And as this group of financially hard-hit consumers grows in established markets, ironically, their needs and mindsets are beginning to align more closely with those middle classes in emerging markets. And although these two consumer groups come from very different start points, there is no denying that in terms of attitude and behavior, they are beginning to look more similar than different.

See what I mean by things are getting more complicated?

But I hear you say, “There are already a multitude of brands in established markets that are committed to delivering lowest prices…Wal-Mart, Ryanair, Aldi to name but three.” However, it is our belief that the ‘value’ segment in markets such as the US and Europe is about to undergo a revolution. It’s all feeling a bit too comfortable given the extreme economic and market disruptions that we continue to experience.

So what does this mean?

Quite simply that many of the products and services originally designed for those emerging fast growing markets (China/India) will now be targeted at the economically struggling markets (US/Europe).

For example, we all know just how “value-sensitive” the American consumer is and if we needed recent evidence, the J.C.Penney experiment certainly is further proof. So, just looking at the 46 million ‘poverty liners’ in America for a minute:

-Why wouldn’t many of those consumers be interested in a well designed, well equipped smartphone for $99.00?

-Why wouldn’t they be interested in owning a Datsun? For many in this group, a $6,000 car is an affordable proposition.

-Why wouldn’t this group be interested in food and beverage brands that adapt their size and their features or ingredients to the new value consumer?

So where does all this leave the brand owner? With some pretty fundamental marketing questions to answer, namely:

-What is going to happen to the value segment globally? Will the segment align as we predict? Will it develop differently?

-What’s our new value strategy? Do we develop separate value brands or do we adapt our existing brands to meet these new needs?

From my experience, many brand owners are still somewhat in denial and that’s not surprising. They have spent much of the past 20 years focused on ‘trading up’ and many of us drank that particular glass of kool-aid!!

But that was before the rebalancing of the world and the economic crisis that we are still experiencing. We need to change the conversation. We need to think ‘trading down’ and while this has horrible implications for brands, the even worse implications lie in wait for those who don’t act.

Value is being redefined around the world. And the simple fact is that we need the smartest brand brains to be addressing how to meet this new and emerging global phenomenon. It’s a huge challenge but at the same time a huge opportunity for those pioneers and innovators.

Simon Williams

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Do you Look Both Ways?

Friday, June 8th, 2012

A sneak peak at the reception party favors for Debbie’s design exhibition at the Chicago Design Museum (this Monday)- Get Ready!

ImagineThat

WhatAreYouThinking

Join us in seeing Debbie’s amazing visual essays on a grand scale. The show will be up through June 30th. For more info look Here.

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