A Magical Execution of Brand Design
Occasionally we’re reminded that whilst not all brand expressions are born equal, all brand gestures have the potential to be sublime. When working at their best, store windows attract the attention of the passing foot traffic by creating a little bit of theater. When this visual merchandising can make people stop, engage, and then tell others about it – the window’s act like mini TV ads, only instead of having to drive customers from their lounge rooms to your store, they’re already there. Recently we came across a retail window display for fashion brand Hermes in their Maison Hermès store in Tokyo. These beautiful windows designed by Tokujin Yoshioka are an example of simplicity and a beautiful idea winning-out over big budget design extravaganzas. (Click on the pic below to see video of the window display – it’s truly remarkable)

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Mission Impossible
Could there be a more difficult market segment for brands to differentiate themselves than water. On the surface it would seem to be brand mission impossible, but over the last fifteen years we’ve seen water become a hotly contested market place. In this time we’ve seen an evolution from water brands battling on the purity of their product both sparkling and still based on geographic heritage, then water brands positioning around brand personality, and most recently the launch of a new category of Vitamin waters.

Another Bloody Water
A new competitor launched into the fray a few years ago with the apt brand name of ‘Another Bloody Water.’ Launching with a brand strategy that included a bold brand personality and the lovable brand personality attribute of being able to laugh at itself and the market it belongs to, Another Bloody water successfully grabbed a share of the retail bottled water market.

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From the mind of Illustrator Scott Campbell.

Whether you’re a small business or a big business looking for affordable logo design or big budget advertising – it’s important to remember to be part of a great creative solution for your business, not the reason for a mediocre outcome. This challenge, often faced by all brand agencies, logo design companies, illustrators and photographers has been beautifully, poetically and elegantly illustrated by US designer illustrator Scott Campbell in his ’8 Ways to Kill a Creative Idea’:

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Using the streetscape as a form of media to engage with your target audience can be very effective and at the same time lift the spirits of our fellow urban dwellers. Here are 5 tips on how to make your efforts at seizing this blank canvas and making it work in your favor.

1/ Keep it S-I-M-P-L-E
A simple idea can often be the best and most affordable way to create a brand awareness.
A great example of a simple idea is seen with the ‘Craig’ A4 posters that were mysteriously posted up allover the Windsor area in Melbourne. Although this not an original idea by Craig,
( Todd Lamb of NYC seems to be Craig’s source of inspiration) the idea is simple, low cost, and creates a real sense of entertaining and intriguing mystery for the viewer, who is Craig?

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The Mystery of the Blocked-out Store Window
The Chief was on a Sunday run the other morning, looking for any distraction from the headache of the night before, when he came across a familiar urban retail sight; the empty store with windows blocked-out by newspapers. Almost universally it seems, once a retailer takes a lease, before they even begin their fit-out, the first thing they do is cover the windows – often with old newspaper.

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A Brand Gesture to Write Home About
Recently the Sydney Harbor Foreshore Authority created a remarkably clever sculpture at the Rocks to raise the profile of the precinct. More than 4000 cups of coffee were used to recreate the Mona Lisa, with milk added in varying amounts to the cups to create the lighter and darker tones that made-up the famous face. It was a great idea with a reasonably active viral campaign utilising email and YouTube. But it left a question so itchy it had to be scratched…

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Walking the streets of Paris the Chief was struck by the appearance of the latest point of sale campaign for Coke. It wasn’t the visual language of the campaign that struck me, nor a stunning creative execution, there were no bronzed & cut young French guys or girls. In fact what struck me wasn’t anything that I saw, more what I didn’t see. There was no photographic image, no brand colours, no copy line, strictly speaking there was not even a product shot – an unusual approach for retail point of sale to say the least.

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Lester Marshall from the Coffin Bay Oyster Farm is a truly interesting character. Two years ago he was a passionate Oyster Farmer in the majestic waters of Coffin Bay, near Port Lincoln, South Australia. Today he is an astute master of branding. He has had a paradigm shift that is transforming his business. He has set in play a strategy that is moving his small business from simply selling his succulent oysters unbranded in hessian bags to one that markets a portfolio of premium branded oysters. His awakening to the power of branding has also seen him become an inspirational speaker and educator on how to build premium regional food brands.

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Over the years every time we have researched the brand value associated with organic labeling, or some other form of environmental positioning, the feedback from consumers has always been the same, ‘…give me some form of independent/third party accreditation to support the claim, doubly so if I am paying a premium for the product.’ What is interesting in Australia is that farmers wishing to export organic food must be certified, but domestically there are no laws governing certification – consumers are fair game!

But it is worse than that, it is more than consumers being fair game. Without a well administered accreditation system the efforts of authentic organic food producers are devalued and undermined. If, as a producer you go to the effort of producing organic food, in the process perhaps foregoing higher yields, and then see competitor brands on the market claiming organic status, when they are in fact not organic – extreme frustration must be the outcome!

A key driver of brand equity is authenticity. The same clearly applies when a brand wishes to leverage the franchise in the organic label. It is therefore fundamental that organic growers start using their collective strength to assert influence on the Australian accreditation system. They, more than anyone else have the most to gain. But it is clearly not an easy game, otherwise we would have a much stronger system already in place, and of course beware of the free loaders in this world – they can be rather feisty!

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Everything You Do is an Opportunity to Create your Small Business Brand.

Many people think branding is only for big businesses with big budgets. Small businesses tend to focus on the delivery of their services and products, believing they don’t have the skills or budgets to build a brand, but the reality is you’re building a brand in the mind of your customers every day with everything you do whether you realize it or not. Read more…