lifefilter

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:34:00 +0000

By all observations those of you who might visit this page occasionally have probably noticed my posting has dropped off. Quite dramatically. This is for a number of reasons, the largest being that after years of relentless posting my creative outlets have felt a bit forced. Fatigue is a petty, yet honestly true factor in why this space is less of an daily inspiration source. My work is engaging my creative juices in ways that dont leave much free time anymore. This space isn't disappearing yet; but i'm taking some time to figure how to rejuvenate it. or evolve it. Whatever it might be.

If you really want to keep up with me the best place is on twitter, http://twitter.com/Lifefilter . Its my simple 2-cents, raw and uncensored. Much easier than posting links and formulating thoughts.

Tweet Tweet

Citizen's Arrest on Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:16:00 +0000

Things keep living. That means media too. Messages take on their own meaning once people recognize and respond to content.

Well what happens to what's delivering your message? The speakerphone, the portal or speaker?

Meet the Public Ad Campaign.

Their mission "
OUR MISSION

Public Ad Campaign acts on the assumption that public space and the public's interaction with that space is a vital component of our city's health. By visually altering and physically interacting with the public environment, residents become psychologically invested in their community.

Outdoor advertising is the primary obstacle to open public communications. By commodifying public space, outdoor advertising has monopolized the surfaces that shape our shared space. Private property laws protect the communications made by outdoor advertising while systematically preventing public usage of that space.

In an effort to illuminate these issues, Public Ad Campaign chronicles the activities of artists intent on challenging these relationships, as well as other contemporary issues in outdoor advertising and public space.

Through bold acts of civil disobedience we hope to air our grievances in the court of public opinion and witness our communities regain control of the space they occupy."

Pretty interesting, but nothing novel. Culture jammers have been around for decades.

Brain Rafferty of the site's blog says it best.

"One man’s vandalism is another’s political art. Just ask Poster Boy, the Matisse of subway-ad mash-ups."

Beautiful stuff. I appreciate someone taking a media and giving it a gust of wind. No matter the direction. Check out the site's maestros here

Ojo

Jamie Oliver's Recipease

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Uber-packaging site Dieline has gotten their paws on Jamie Oliver's latest attempt to make british food edible. JK brits.

The more official release states "Recipease, a new concept in UK retail, is a chain of food stores where shoppers can prepare meals in store under the guidance of professional chefs. Like many of his television shows, the stores are designed to inspire more people to take an interest in food and cooking."

Jamie's new food and kitchen shop aims to help anyone learn to cook and make food. Its also quite on trend as far as convenient pre-made / ready-to-assemble food, with a twist of its own in stand-alone retail location. JO is quite popular in the UK and US, interesting to see how this shakes out.

Will G Ramsey or other celebu-chefs follow suit? Touche Bobby Flay!

Recipease

Levels of Conversations- Twitter Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:53:00 +0000

So ive been absent on here, as ive fallen completely head over heels into the world of twitter. Its a different scope of communication, but one that has superseded this blog (sorry). Twitter is a more instantaneous, rapid way of conversing. Much of what prevents me from posting on here is the actual time to collect and organize my thoughts. Lame to say but tougher than one might think after a full day of doing so.

Twitter is a more instant brain dump so of course im taking the easier way out and migrating there. This year for the superbowl, more folks were conversing on twitter vs live-blogging bc/ its more conversational. That was really my original aim for starting my blog. Dont worry, still lots of goodie content to come on LF but you can reach me in my day-to-day mode there.

Follow Me

Microsoft's Vision of the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:02:00 +0000

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>

Sometimes to create the future you need to take a mental leap and work backwards. This highly edited and slick production from Microsoft gives us some hope that the software giant is well-suited to lead us to a grander place.

IstartedSomething

Disruption - Creating Relevant Conversations

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:30:00 +0000

In the era of Quick N Easy Content, a few interesting things are happening. One is that a voice can come from anywhere. Another is that any voice can be relevant. Voices can create relevancy, by opening a dialogue or striking the right chord in a present conversation. In a traditional media world, much of the conversation was out of the consumers hands. These days people contribute where they see fit. And i think we are all benefiting.

A new PSA directed by acclaimed filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen for ThisIsReality.org, was created with the aim of debunking "clean coal" industry propaganda. It was produced in partnership with Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection. Clean Coal is one of the biggest misnomers out there. Its also a huge opportunity for us to shut down CC, and move onto Nuclear or sustainable power sources. Yet lobbyists have had such an impact, you will find mentions of clean coal in the last few decades of the President's state of the union address. Nice to see those with the clout and ability to make a conversation relevant like the Cohen's contribute in the right way.

BoingBoing

Power Brands Change Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Nintendo creates better humans than the real thing?

In Japan, apprently so in Kanagawa. Nintendo means so much to culture it creates it. Its content is more relevant to everyone than on a recognition level than they might be. Kinda scary but thats what can happen when media brands are a lifestyle.

Kanagawa

Wikipedia Band Names - A Social Viral observation

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:43:00 +0000

So everywhere i go i hear about the social virtues of media and how cool it is to do viral work. Personally i hate the term viral. Its beyond contrived, its just a bad misnomer. Its not some replication bit we cant control, its something humans pass onto each other. Sort like being social....Humans are social, media isnt.

Lesson done. I saw this funny social experiment on Buzzfeed. It states a rather humorous and interesting method to create a new band name and create an album cover.

Go to “Wikipedia.” Hit “random” and the first article you get is the name of your band. Then go to “Random Quotations” and the last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. Then, go to Flickr and click on “Explore the Last Seven Days” and the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Gwyther Irwin was my name, pretty badass no doubt. Ive always had a thing for the origin of band names, and while this takes the symbolics out of it, it adds some much needed hilarity.

NameYourBand

My New Favorite Site: The Dieline

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:56:00 +0000

ive really been getting excited about packaging lately. Maybe its because i have been working on CPG goods more so lately, but part of it could be a rise in my consciousness towards product lifecycle and waste.

There arent many good aggregrate sites or that approach packaging with a non-industrial perspective. These guys really know what they are talking about, and have a modern sensibility and practicality to their descriptive approaches. Check out these gorgeous pack shots.

TheDieline

More Play Please

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:49:00 +0000

"Researchers reported on Monday that a growing trend of curbing free time at school may lead to unruly classrooms and rob youngsters of needed exercise and an important chance to socialize."

I live near two schools and school behavior fascinates me as it infiltrates our neighborhood. From the hangout corner tribes, to the not exactly awkward-free process for entering school entrance everyday. What i do see is a complete lack emphasis on exercise and socializing. Kids will prolong entering to have that social period into the first bell's ring. Given how far and competitive academics are progressing, its no wonder it take longer.

Energy and Creativity are probably the two biggest benefits of physical activity and the socio-psycho inputs of social situations.

Why cant our schools foster innovation? Some do. But why do we restrict this?

And I wonder if this is applicable to adults as well? Few labor positions are built around socializing and physical activity. Maybe the modern agency? But how could we do better

Recess

Stories Move Us

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Look familiar?

Nike has always been open to focusing on the little things. That means bringing to human side of life to light. Human interest is what really captivates and moves us, not just technology, perceived value or other less than motivating product attributes that are commodities in today's day and age. These Nike dunks pay homage to Michael J Foxx who played as Scott Howard with the Beacon Town Basketball Team Beavers. Thats Teen Wolf for those youngsters or deep thinkers among us.

Sure there are time and places to be so literal, but this is brilliant acknowledgment of the cult classic movie Teen Wolf that will surely tug on nostalgic heart strings a bit. Nike's ability to take leaps in the name of culture create a curation-like role consumers crave. Dare i say few other brands can insert themselves into the saliency of culture with the tactfulness of Nike. Why dont more brands acknowledge pop history?

AirWolf

This should never happen

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:35:00 +0000

Despite many brands viewing logos as disposable, I think this represents a reason as to why it matters. Brand wranglers, please wake up at the wheel and differentiate your logo. Give it some meaning...please

[ed. note - Added Obama logo after kind observation. thank you friend!]

Clearly this three stripes bit means something like we are predisposed to like three stripes...err. What could this mean?

Proximity and the Right Place

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:50:00 +0000

Jeff Staple the "accidental" designer, who seems to create and dictate streetwear trends himself has an interesting article about the relevance of proximity. Such an interesting fellow, would really love to meet him one day! Specifically he talks about the new Kanye West CD. To me i myself have debated on its new direction, singing vs rapping , instrumentals vs productions and so forth. Jeff has a great analogy in his decision to place a logo in its proper or not-so-proper place depending on his desired effect. He enlightened me quite a bit by saying that the purpose of the first track is to ease you into the process and maybe better suited as a soundtrack for walking around a city or a personal adventure. Which got me thinking why i choose certain songs before i go out, or before a big day at work. Proximity matters. If anything Kanye probably brought back the importance of how someone listens or inputs a piece of media. Remember the magic of listening to a tape or cd the whole way through, and how songs held hands as tracks changed?

JS sums it up best as "I thank Kanye for showing me that "Placing Things Where They Should Be" works not just in fashion, but in all art forms." Rightly so, and brands should consider the importance of placing things where they belong versus where they necessarily want to be.

ToDarrinHudson

Here we Go...

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Back to Grind!

photo here

iPhone's Impact on the Election

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Finally a free moment!

Time to get back to expressing my curiosity through this blog too!

As i watched the world react to the historic election last night, I couldn't help but think about the impact on the iPhone on our daily coverage. You know the election.

Some have been in play for months, but everyone is touting this touchscreen business on their analysis.

Clearly an influence of the iphone? Do we really need this new interface, when its someone behind the screens pulling it up in most of the cases anyways? Or is it a sign of the times and our orientation towards visual user interfaces?

Either way it looks like they are playing with a giant iphone to me

score one for jobs...

Fresh Williamsburg Banksy?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:26:00 +0000

This went up a day or two ago. The artist has extraordinary talent. Made me wonder...

Alive!

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:03:00 +0000

A quick status...

At the urging of some new and old friends this blog is remaining open for business. Not that i ever considered it going away. But it really hasnt had its due course of attention or love. But that is forth coming, those who remain and shall remain nameless. Thanks for the support!

What has been taking up time?

new jobs....

new roles....

new opportunities...

new exposure to massive company vs teeny tiny startup....

new commute....

new distractions like rockband2.....

new friends...

new travels....

new clients...

new seasons...

new restaurants...

new excursions...

Perspectives are certainly being altered and im finding a new appreciation, often where i havent expected. I cant get away with not posting much longer either...

Goodbye Redscout, Hello Young & Rubicam

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:01:00 +0000

A few of you may know that i finished my last day at Redscout about 2 weeks ago. Personally, i wasnt getting the internal fufillment i craved and ultimately needed to keep up the daily doings. While i was sad to leave all my close friends, i was quite excited to start exploring other opportunities on the horizon. Sometimes you have to know when to call it. Redscout has been one of the most rewarding opportunities of my life, but has also been one of the most challenging. The folks there are really sharp, and all top-notch, which made me so apprehensive about facing outwards. I cant thank Jonah or anyone else there enough, as the Redscout fundamentals are so strong, each project is incredibly robust and tight. Im quite proud to have contributed the shop's growth, and success such as its purchase by MDC last year. Can't say much more, but i will certainly be in touch with all of them in the near and distant future. Good luck Scouts!

Ok...so what's next?

Good question.

I have taken quite a bit of time off for vacations, family, and mental clarity. I tend to think of NYC as a place where people come to find themselves. Having been in strategic branding for nearly 6 years now, i have found myself and dont necessarily need to build my book or work on a particular client. Not to say I don't have interest, but working on Apple isn't going to make or break my career. Ive been looking quite a bit at sharing my unique passions for culture and youth, and helping to cultivate strategists fresh to the scene. I have enjoyed leading projects, and have been looking for opportunities to flex my leadership skills. I have been involved with the Miami Ad School in the past and am looking to do more in the future.

I have also panned advertising quite a bit in my time there, fully drinking the innovation Koolaid. But sometimes viewing something from a different perspective, can change our mind. I am indeed going back to creative pastures, working at Young & Rubicam. I have an opportunity to help cultivate change, introduce some new philosophies and work on quite a few great brands in a large capacity. Im also helping with the introduction of innovation practices for existing clients. I'm really excited to have a new lease on strategy, and more importantl,y getting to work again with creative folks. The creative aspects of an idea, coupled with the vernacular of consumers led me to believe i would be better fulfilled outside of redscout. Its quite hard to take culture and stick it into a soda or skincare concept. It can certainly shape what goes into the product, but it doesnt necessarily help it move off the shelf.

This won't impact the blog one bit, but it will certainly infuse some perspectives on communication and creativity which were founding principles. Change is the only thing constant, and i'm enjoying the ride.

Vitamin Water's Concept Store

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:44:00 +0000

A bit of older news, but VitaminWater launched a 'pop-up' concept store in london. Featuring bright lights which change every 10 minutes in conjunction with six new products, it promotes a more lasting message of 24 hour hydration. It also has a thoughts wall to record consumer input and any terrible graffiti or slightly clever riffs you want to tag. Supposdly the store is designated as a hub for meetings, training, media events and sampling.

Putting a retail face on a brand seems to be hot at the moment, but generally speaking this is a great way to create an experience to engage consumers outside the product. While every product should be the brand, its not always true the brand gets to engage consumers on its own. The brand should be the bigger idea and be more leveragable. Pepsi could have used something like this to quell the Aquafina debacle. Retail creates meaningful consumer interactions in a place not often obtainable, in this case a bottle of sugar water. Excellent starting point to create brand equities.

The retail face is also a great starting point for innovation, in that consumers will engage with portions of the brand they like beyond the product. Determining these equities can eventually help dimensionalize how to stretch the brand into new products. Ok it can be communications too, but we digress. But it must be done right. Giving a place for tourists to use the bathroom and sample the latest from R&D really isn't adding value to the brand. But Glaceau and Coke are fairly smart. Somewhere a brand curator is probably devising some interesting psychology experiments to run on some unsuspecting visitors.

Pop

The Disturbia of Suburbia

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:22:00 +0000

I just read an incredibly interesting and robust discussion on Freakonomics about the future of a uniquely American infrastructure, our suburbs.

Quite a few hot topics have made the out-dated infrastructure quite the conversation piece ranging from rising oil costs, to increased sourcing materials, to population shifts with over half of societies now living in urban areas. Lets not forget immigration nor the housing market either.

Freakonomics then asked a group of very smart folks "What will U.S. suburbs look like in 40 years?"

Granted these are projections and the answers ranged from apocalyptic to utopian:

James Kunstler - “The suburbs have three destinies, none of them exclusive: as materials salvage, as slums, and as ruins.” Our structure requires an infinite supply of cheap energy to function and is now in the middle of a global energy crisis. We have "poured a half-century of our national wealth into a living arrangement with no future". Our focus is too auto-laden, and we must realize that alternative fuels will ween us off the interstates and automobiles that dominate our culture.

Thomas E. Antus - “To pay for the expanded services taxes will also increase exponentially to the point where individual pay checks are made payable to the government and deposited directly in the general treasury.” Interesting notion on expansive role of government in basic utilities. I dont quite see things becoming so china-like but, he also touches on the notion of large mega-regions and NYC stretching from Philly and all of New Jersey. Richard Florida has touched on this in his new book.

Jan Brueckner - “If [gentrification] continues in a significant way, large numbers of suburban households looking for urban stimulation may end up switching places with minority central-city dwellers, stirring the ethnic pot in both places.” Not so sure about this one but, race is a big factor here. "Suburbanization has shown a white bias, with most minority households yet to acquire their nice house in the suburbs. Some of this difference may reflect a history of housing-market discrimination, but lower suburbanization by minorities is mainly a result of lower incomes. As the black and Hispanic middle classes continue to grow and get richer, they are likely to follow the same suburbanization path as white households before them, restrained somewhat by higher gas prices." Suburbs might continue to diversify as ethnic groups' clout continues to grow.

Gary J. Gates - “The Will and Grace version of gay America — urban, wealthy, and white — is starting to look a bit dated.” Very true. They look like each and everyone one of us and do they necessarily want to do the crowded city bit? They probably enjoy fences and yards like the rest of us. Alternative orientations are going to be more visible, more suburban, less likely to be white.

John Archer - “Suburbia will be flexible, it will be smarter, and it will be hybrid.” I found this one of the most optimistic, and true. The suburb is becoming a "hybrid place that melds desirable traits of city living (activity, diversity) while still maintaining allegiance to primary suburban ideals of selfhood and domesticity (and, one might add, consumption)". I see this most attainable given the investments already within the current infrastructure.

Alan Berube -“in 40 years perhaps we’ll get beyond our fixation with “the suburbs” (love them or hate them) and develop a richer vocabulary for what lies beyond the city limits.” I love this, maybe because much of strategic work is really context. And it pisses me off when we drive through connecticut and each town bleeds into the next. Cant we agree its really one big sprawling town? He too sees new hybrid forms in transportation structure, demographic influx, and governance.

Lawrence C. Levy - “It depends — on how smart and bold we are willing to be.” Oh smart, but he is author on here, maybe he gets the reservation. "A cycle of survival and renewal that will save the suburb from itself. If the federal government reduces incentives for sprawl (by shifting funds from highway building, for instance, to mass transit or to sewer construction necessary for “densifying” suburbs), the so-called “smart growth” movement will hasten and spread deeper into suburbia." Levy really hits the nail on the head, in that the largest challenge is our want and ability to be agents of change.

Our infrastructure encourages excess and sprawl, and until our collective consciousness is more omnipresent than its current reactionary state, we will continue to deal with the side-effects such as congestion and pollution. The conversation is exciting in that we seem to already be aware of the challenges and working towards solutions. Worth a read or two.

Suburban Story

Innovation Watch - Glue Jeans

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:54:00 +0000

Sometimes innovation can be as simple as dialing up or dialing down a product trait.

This pair of Dutch jeans uses glue instead of the usual stitching. The glue comes in different colors and creates a rather brilliant contrast to the usual gold or dark stitching.

This isn't so surprising given the rise in the consumer's consciousness and importance of material sourcing. It seems everyone wants to know how something was manufactured these days. If people didnt enjoy process, things like Etsy wouldnt be around.

But this doesn't exactly demonstrate any hugely functional or emotional advantage for consumers. So for now its a simple process innovation with fanciful design. Just how motivating novel design is to consumers remains to be answered.

No word on if this is eco-friendly, but interesting to see where this lands.

via JoshSpear

Glue Jeans

Orchestration - Leaders vs Managers

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:33:00 +0000

Aaron Tang over @ DesignVerb points to a great article and accompanying graphic @PoetPainter exploring the differences between leaders and managers. While each has their own style, and purpose it goes to show the value of extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation.

Its a quick and concise exploration on why being a leader involves doing the correct things while a management centers more around doing things correctly. It also smartly explores that that being a leader involves creating a different type of environment, where one can rally and reach for a commonality instead of personal goals. It keeps running through my head how applicable this is to advertising and why some shops seem to fail so miserably despite oodles of talent.

I do tend to think though that everyone is required to do a bit of both managing and leading, when the time calls for it. Being aligned on objectives really shouldnt be an issue, or one shouldnt be in a leader/manager position in the first place.

Another rightly said point is that "much of what managers do is unnecessary when you have the right people. With the right people, self-management takes over for you. A good manager can accomplish only what has been defined and documented for him or her, yet a good leader constantly questions why things are done the way they are and is able to recognize the value and potential of doing things differently."

Next up its going to explore the qualities of a good leader. Should be an interesting discussion that will hopefully explore how people frame problems and objectives in the first place. Defining objectives in actionable ways should allow those providing solutions to structure deliverables that add value based on not only their leadership style but the strengths of the team as well.

PoetPainter

Occupant Insurgency

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:23:00 +0000

Back from the vacay! Fresh and so ready to roll

Jeff Staple points to this great illustration done by the brooklyn shop Fogelson-Lubliner for the NYtimes.

Simply an elegant way of articulating the mess we created.

Innovation Impact 3x - Walmart's Milk Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Heads up to Core77 for bringing this NYtimes article to my attention.

The NYtimes has a great article on the impact of rising resource costs and its subsequent influence on innovation. Walmart, wanted to change its milk system. It came up with a fantastic design solution to a mass-product/problem, is eco-friendly, and relies on smart design to impact both the consumer and the business.

Excerpt from Core77 & NYtimes: “Introduced by Sam's Club last November, the cardboard and plastic can be recycled, it eliminates the need to maintain and wash milk crates and reduces the typical number of weekly deliveries from 4-5 trips down to 2.

The redesign of the gallon milk jug, experts say, is an example of the changes likely to play out in the American economy over the next two decades. In an era of soaring global demand and higher costs for energy and materials, virtually every aspect of the economy needs to be re-examined, they say, and many products must be redesigned for greater efficiency.

Sam's Club who estimate this method of shipping has reduced labor by half and water usage by 60-70 percent. Sam's Club can now store 224 gallons of milk in a cooler that used to hold 80.”

This article got me thinking about what great innovation is. I think it can be broken into 3 more digestible areas, but i see this a fantastic example of what innovation should be. 1) the coming redesign of the American Economy and infrastructure due to the soaring costs of materials, 2) heightened importance of design, 3) impact of proper innovation

1)The Market (American Economy)
American Economy and other established nations face extraordinary challenges based on the current power and fuel infrastructure. This design solution has an instant impact that ripples across the broader market (the business, the transportation, the storage, the manpower). True innovation changes the market it plays in. There will be enormous opportunity to redesign the American Economy and its infrastructure due to the cost and availability of materials. Material sourcing could be HUGE!

2)The Consumer (Design impacts Consumption)
The consumer pretty much dictates trends, and developments these days. I would argue they brought about the whole design bit, given how they invest their values in the products they like, hoping they reflect emotions and beliefs they have. Sounds like the design is more family and fridge-friendly. Consumers are often slow to change, but this is where businesses and brands can lead. Plus the new design is a way to stand-out for those premium-mom types. Who wouldn't want to help the environment? Here design could potentially impact consumption habits, which is game-changing.

3)The Brand (Proper Innovation builds the brand too)
Lastly, proper innovation is one that encompasses the consumer, the business and the brand. Benefiting all groups, helps to establish the brand as a leader environmentally and fiscally. This is something unique to Walmart and there particular challenges. This reminds me a bit of Target and their pill holder redesign. Walmart really should try and play up the brand bit here, to get all they can from it. The more they can do to connect with the consumer, the more they can make consumers care about the behind-the-scene process/sourcing which seems to be a growing trend in the food world.

Very cool design solution to a business problem; It wasn't necessarily a consumer problem, but this innovation really stretched all three and when done right, looks to be spot on.

Ultimately this got me thinking about all the common everyday objects in need of efficient-design innovation.....

Core77

Brand Hosts and Reincarnation - Nau 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Cidlowski) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Nau, a clothing company which mixed high-fashion with high sustainability and regard for the environment underwent a metamorphosis as of late. The products were highly tailored and often made of recycled goods. It was even dubbed "Prada meets Patagonia".

First it launched, wasn't that successful, but garnered much praise and following.

Then it folded.

Now it has been acquired and will be relaunched.

Treehugger, has an in-depth article looking at the rebirth of the beloved brand. Distribution will apparently be more widespreadm including wholesale. This was apparently severely limiting growth, by being too niche and relying on the brands few boutique outposts (brands usually get distribution wholesale before launching their own channels). Fatal mistake! The brand had a few sustainability and philanthropy programs which may or may not continue. Also apparently revenue was off the charts during the 50% off sales, even more so than regular sales. That might beg to a too high of a premium pricing. But the brand is widely known, or so it states, for its influence amongst the broader outdoor market.

Certainly acquisitions aren't new and Its nice that it is coming back, but it begs a few questions:

- Is Nau really being incarnated or is it a different brand?
Horny Toad apparently stepped in and purchased the assets. While the brand is different, they do share some ideals. Its quite interesting to see the brand acting in a "big brother" capacity. Could we see more like-minded brands operating together in the future? Probably not if they aren't connected financially, but its an interesting notion.

-Can a brand's philosophy be bigger than a "brand" itself?
Nau failed for a reason, but remained popular based on its innovative and blend of outdoor-urban sensibilities. While there is some baggage with the purchase, it seems that HT is in fact accepting the ideals of a more popular company. This is to interpret that a brand's essence can define a brand more so than the brand itself? It really beckons towards strictly the strengths of the emotional equities of the brand. Consumers are ultimately more motivated by emotional values than the functions of products themselves. Or are they? A brand encompasses everything facing-forward about a company from products, to image to dialect. So what are the consumers connecting with? In this case its outdoor activity or urban sensibility. And experiences are certain bigger than brands themselves, and lend themselves most to creating emotional equity. Its difficult to pinpoint, but Nau seems to be perfectly balanced to deliver on style and substance. It's an ideal situation for HT, to take on a brand whose emotional equities outweigh the pull of its actual products. But it still has to sell the products come sunset.

-Is it possible to be a brand "host"?
This is the question which first popped in my head upon hearing this. Can brands curate other brands (not in the sub-brand type of way)? Is HT taking Nau on as a separate entity? Only time will tell. Many brands have swallowed others over time, but have brands "presented" other brands? Collaborations in the streetwear scene come to mind, with one brands almost always living off the other's coattails. It's a somewhat parasitic relationship. But it begs me to look at the inter-brand relationships. Is the connection via consumer values? Or is it brand values? Which matters more?

Ultimately it may not matter. Consumers invest their values through the products they buy, and if a corporation doesn't reflect it, they simply go elsewhere. Nau is living due to the overwhelming resonance of consumer values. The true test will be if consumer's behaviors actually match their stated values. In this case it seems potentially that distribution was truly limiting this; but will the masses care? Almost as important is the manner in which HT presents Nau, being the new curator and torch bearer. Consumer behavior didnt match consumer values. HT bought a brand based on its values and must live up to consumer's expectations by allowing the values to breathe.

Nau