Posts Tagged ‘brand’

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Sterling Buzz…

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Kalman_Paperweight

A great interview recently went up on Thee Blog with our design Pres., Debbie Millman– featuring work from her books, work from Sterling and some great words to live by…

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Sterling Buzz…

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Debbie talks with ADWEEK about The Blanding of America: Why Is Presidential Candidates’ Branding So Dull?

blanding-america-2011

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Mitsubishi: Nice Move, but not a Game Changer

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

If successful brands and their leadership have taught us anything, it’s that being the first to do something (and do it well) can catapult a brand ahead of the competition. Perhaps more than in any other industry, we need a giant leap forward in the realm of transportation, in terms of affordability and accessibility- but are the breakout ideas on alternative fuel really breakout anymore? What can make alternative transportation ‘Go’ already? (more…)

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Michael Bierut: The Man, The Myth, The Brand

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Another sneak peek into the upcoming collaborative book on building, designing and sustaining brands- Brand Bible. This week, Debbie discusses some extra tidbits her students uncovered about Michael Bierut and the Saks Fifth Avenue rebranding effort. (more…)

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Crowdsourcing Innovation

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

For most brands, staying relevant means constantly pushing to evolve. Innovation plays a role in almost every modern brand, from paper towels to vacuum cleaners to mobile phones. And while most companies agree that innovation is vital to modern relevance, unique formulas for innovation differ widely. (more…)

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Netflix: A Mea Culpa – but WTF?

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

qwikster

Netflix just turned a drama into a crisis. (more…)

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People Magazine and the Importance of Personalities

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

In their exploration of ’60s brand icons, two of Debbie Millman’s students- Abby McInerney and Curtis Wingate- had the wonderful chance to interview Richard Stolley, founder of People Magazine and dove deep into the history and brand influence of this media giant. Click below for a great teaser for their chapter in the upcoming book, Brand Bible, The Complete Guide to Building, Designing and Sustaining Brands. (more…)

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Apple: Where Success Breeds Success

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

apple-gc

I was interested to read the news that Apple have been given the go-ahead to open a huge 23000 sq ft. flagship store (their biggest ever) in Grand Central Station in New York City. Interested on several fronts…I live in the City, I spent 10 years commuting through Grand Central and like everyone in the branding business, I’m an avid Apple-watcher.

With my brand hat firmly on, I have a number of different reactions to the news. My biggest, and probably my only doubt about this new venture surrounds the targeting aspect of the store.

–True it will attract some of the thousands of tourists who descend on the iconic structure every day and instead of merely gaping at the beautiful ceilings and the exquisite architecture, they’ll now have time to combine this cultural moment with loading up on the latest, greatest Apple-stuff.

–But I am skeptical of the notion behind the MTA quote that this will “turbocharge Grand Central for the next generationâ€. What does that mean? And just how many of the 25 year old commuters (if indeed they are the next gen) have the discretionary money to spend – although living at home in Westchester with the parents does free up the funds!

–I am also doubtful that the primary users of Grand Central, namely the hardcore commuters, who speed to and from the tracks on autopilot, will have time to browse. From my experience they barely have time to snatch a coffee or a bag of peanuts and the thought of browsing an Apple store would be enough to send many of them, literally, off the rails.

But despite these initial thoughts on targeting, I am quite certain that Apple knows what it is doing. And with the typical thoroughness with which they plan and execute these high profile store openings, I do believe that Grand Central will be another huge commercial success:

–I love the fact that Apple is prepared to invest in unconventional retail sites and this is all part of the brand-zag when others are busy brand-zigging. And it does reinforce the brands position as being intimately connected to the cultural context in which we live our lives.

–It will also make shopping for Apple products in New York easier, given the crowded and hectic experience that the much smaller Fifth Avenue store delivers.

–It also seems to me that only Apple could make a success of this, given its sector-leading retail productivity in sales per square foot. Who else could afford to digest that type of annual rent and still come out making more than a healthy profit, if that’s what the reported $5.0m annually represents?

At the end of the day, it’s a wonderful example of ’success breeding success’. And it’s perfectly consistent with the confident and invigorating attitude that characterizes much of what Apple does. And if anyone is capable of intercepting those frenzied commuters and providing a moment of calmness in their lives, then Apple can and Apple will. Maybe they’ll even offer free coffee and peanuts!!

Simon Williams

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In the Mood — Brand Strategy

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

MoodagentFree.iPhone

Mood-based branding can help us differentiate in a whole new way. Check out our latest article over at Popsop.com for the full story. Up now!

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Cultural Pulse: Throwbacks, Back For Good

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Throwin_It_Back

A few months ago we released the latest version of our trends report, Cultural Pulse. As part of the top 8 trends we identified, one in particular highlighted an on-going and snow-balling trend we called Retrofix.

Simply defined, the Retrofix trend includes consumer gravitation toward things from our past that are familiar and make us feel grounded- Just like Pepsi’s Throwback, which we’ve now learned has been rolled out permanently. (more…)