Brand and Culture

Czech Dream

2009-03-06T10:25:00.007-05:00

My Netflix queue has been catching up with me this winter. Czech Dream is a 2004 documentary on two film students (Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda) scamming Prague into attending the opening of a hypermarket. Inspired by the research that 30% of Czech citizens shop in a hypermarket or big box like Costco and Target, the movie reveals the consumerism unfolding in the post-communist country as a form of freedom. Freedom to choose more than one brand, to have well stocked shelves, or to shop all day with the family.

The behind-the-scenes footage is most valuable when advertising agency (Mark/BBDO) details their process for creating a radio and print campaign with slogans "Don't come" and "Don't spend". A defining moment occurs when a creative meeting erupts due to the debate whether shoppers will return home empty-handed when they discover the façade.

The Power of Design

2007-11-15T15:21:00.001-05:00

There are times when the internet really allows a non-linear thinker to explore and find something of value. Today I found an older but still revelent article on CEOs using design to better their companies.

Decline of Green Spaces

2007-10-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

I was shocked to read in the NY Times that the Nature Conservancy (whose mission is to preserve plants, animals, natural communities and to protect land and water) is logging on its newly purchased 161,000 acres of Adirondack wild lands. Touted as a modern deal, logging and selling parts of the land to the state and private developers are part of the $110 million plan. Executive Director Micheal T. Carr claims "there is enough room for everyone".

Have you noticed that the drive from any major city in America has become longer in the effort to find a pristine piece of nature to commune with? I was shocked to discover in my travels that the US is regarded for its wealth of natural beauty. An Australian was in love with the fall colors of New England and was sent on the special pilgrimage to feast in the beauty. Fun loving Germans were driving from San Francisco to Texas to hike the canyons of the southwest, deserts of the south and the Pacific beaches of the West. Will this remain true as land becomes more developed for business and housing purposes? Forests continue to be logged despite being owned by a nature conservancy? What will be the new brand for the US?

The eyes are upon us

2007-10-25T17:57:00.000-04:00

Clear is a new service that allows you to bypass security lines in participating domestic airports because officials have already fingerprinted and cleared your identity. Aimed at frequent business flyers, I was stopped and interviewed by Fox 5 at SFO last week. My impression is that it's worth the $100 to bypass security but I do not trust that my DNA information is secure. Has anyone used it and would like to share their thoughts?

Superheroes in Union Square

2007-10-24T16:46:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed while transferring from the L to the 4/5/6 train at Union Square that there is a video projector for advertising? Asics, the official sponsor of the New York marathon, buys most of the ad space in Union Square subway station during the month of October. This year they added a nice interactive element that allowed commuters to throw fireballs by detecting their motion. It certainity kept us busy for a few minutes but I am not sure how many pairs of Asics we are going to buy though.

The Gateway Drug

2007-03-03T17:06:00.003-05:00

Is there a link between Reality TV and blogging? The "ME" generation raised on a diet of The Real World, Survivor, Trading Spaces, Apprentice and Project Runway has made the average person just as entertaining as the professional. By making "reality" the star, the drama of making it and the promise of learning something has cultivated a new audience. An accepted D.I.Y. culture that trumps the stale uniformed voice of authority. Would we feel so comfortable living our lives online (Facebook,MySpace,Flickr,Twitter) if it wasn't already normalized with reality shows?

Pretty in Pretty

2007-03-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

Danielle forwarded this article about women-only cabs in Russia and the Middle East. Designated by their pink exteriors and female cab drivers, this micro trend is spreading to areas where women feel safer traveling together. Another positive side effect is that it has created opportunities for women to travel more freely and work a less traditional job.

You've come a long way, baby

2007-03-01T09:05:00.000-05:00

TBWA Chiat Day | LA does amazing work and has been the mastermind behind most of the Apple campaigns (1984, Think different). So it surprised me when the iPod ads started to go downhill. The iconic black silhouettes against color backgrounds were perfect in 2001 and through the years it has morphed into something else. As details crept in to give texture and variety, it became a very un-Apple brand: this graffiti slinging, punk rock wannabe. For a client that is so proud of its advertising history, I know it can be challenge to keep a campaign fresh but this is going in the wrong direction.

As for the PC vs. MAC TV ads, they not only alienate the slightly-nerdy-but-still-cool-in-their-own-way-MAC fans but they are a simple positioning ad that is straightforward and linear.

What's in a name?

2007-02-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, I admit. My publishing background makes me more analytic than the average reader. When strolling through the magazine racks, I noticed Everyday Food (a Martha Stewart publication) side-by-side to Everyday with Rachael Ray. In a crowded market, Hudson News probably does not realize they are competing titles since the names are so similar. I think someone needs a redesign or to pay a little extra to be placed separately on the stands.

C train

2006-11-13T21:11:00.000-05:00

I love living in New York but I have to say could the subway notices be better designed. Maybe even make C train riders only transfer trains once not 4 times.

VW Rabbit is Back!

2006-11-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

I am among one of the many fans of Crispin Porter + Bogusky but the VW rabbit campaign got stale as I traveled from city to city. Let's start with the New York. Public nusiances, turned city mascots, the rat and the pigeon are side by side with the Rabbit. In Boston, the lobster and clam welcomes Bostonians to Rabbit. I think this campaign could be more interactive. Having lived in both cities, I do not feel like the animal choices really correspond with positive relationships or a strong emotional connection.

H20 brand

2006-11-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

How Magazine's article in this month's Business issue talks about the branding of water. There are loads of fun factoids including a useful explanation of water processes.

(Picture: NYC gallery Exit Art created a recent show "The Water Project" to allow artists to explore the effects of water. This artist painted the labels of bottled water.)

Asics as hip?

2006-11-04T20:35:00.002-05:00

Asics is one of the many athletic brands cashing in on The New York City Marathon. Although it’s common to plaster a single subway station, visually the campaign is strong but the copy really drags it down. I can just hear the brief "make it urban". I think we have passed the grunge phase.

tokyo's calling

2006-09-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

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Teasers ads and a Fall Look Book for Japanese retailer Uniqlo have begun to surface in Tribeca and SOHO. I love how they managed to use stats to make NYC seem cheap and roomy compare to Tokyo.

Carrie Mae Weems

2006-08-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

Carrie Mae Weems: The Louisiana Project runs until October 9 at San Francisco's new The Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD). I've followed her work for years. This show takes the vernacular of shadows and uses its abstract form to hint at the slave experience that is a part of America's sordid heritage.

Billboard Neighbors

2006-08-15T21:22:00.000-04:00

Living a bi-coastal existence has its advantages. A Brooklyn mural epitzomes the cheap plastic slipper/sandals that were so popular 2 seasons ago. In San Francisco, you can see a Play Station ad on Van Ness Avenue disguised as graffitti. Who ever designed this deserves a raise!

Ant Bully

2006-07-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

Just a shout out to my friend Chris at Warner Brothers.

Janice Dickerson's Modeling Agency on Line 1

2006-06-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

America's Top Model judge, Janice Dickerson, has a new spin-off show. I love how the red editor's remarks make fun of the models. It really gives you a sense how caddy the fashion world can be.

Moving in to the new office

2006-05-11T21:03:00.000-04:00

The new Brand + Culture office is at 285 West Broadway in Tribeca.

Scent is a part of memory

2006-03-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Charlotta Westergren's installation "Aaus 1974" was at the Bellwether Gallery in Chelsea. Creating a journey through darkness where your other senses become heightened, she drops you off at a bright white room with the smell of her childhood: a small Scandinavian fishing village.

To Infinity and Back

2006-03-03T23:23:00.000-05:00

A hilarious GoogleVideo that shows what Microsoft can "really do" for the ipod brand. Priceless.

Share the love

2006-02-22T17:29:00.000-05:00

Mini mags adhered to your favorite soda will make use of sophiscated distrubtion channels. Australian design student launched the first of its kind with a woman focused mini-mag called "ilove". Her patent is pending for any onproduct magazines.

B+

2006-02-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how freaked out salespeople get over taking pictures inside of stores. I managed to snap a few of the new Gap interior before the manager told me, "Please do not do that here." Usually I would explain my journalistic tendencies but I could tell it was not going to matter.
I have to say the Spike Jonze's commercial was better than the end result. I felt like the green walls were derivative of J.Crew's colors and the photo displays more than hinted at Banana Republic (bulk discount?). The one touch of originality was the edgy blackboard divider near the jeans. It had potential to create a younger, hipper Gap. If that is what they are going for.

The highlights included a new branded blue doorway that acts like signage on a highway. Now you can spot a Gap as you walk down the Mall's boulevard, just count the number of doorways to babyGap or Gapbody. Oversized mirrors dominanted making it easier to find them. Better spot lighting made fluorescent green look good on everyone and interesting shelving broke up the sightlines as you scan the store.

Blogging Tools

2006-02-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe living with a techie has made me a more informed web consumer but I'm just not that impressed with Blogger (my current blogging tool). Truth be told, I wanted a free option until I got the whole blogging thing down.

As I contemplate a redesign, I want to add features likes tags, RSS feeds from other sites and other blogs in a real-time chat window, logged in readers can post, promo tools that let you send your post as a branded email and a moblogging gallery. I am not asking for too much, huh?

Viral Campaigns-Are they catching?

2006-02-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

A classic move for viral campaigns promoting concerts, CD releases, and indie magazines usually includes low budget 2 color posters in urban pockets of cool. A recent trip to New York showed that viral has gone mainstream. They are no longer just funky pieces of urban eye candy but now gyms and shower cleaners are using irreverent images to push their products in Chelsea and the Lower East Side.