Wolff Olins Blog

Collaborative Fund: Values Will Drive the Next Game Changers

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:11:17 -0500

Collaborative Fund: Values Will Drive the Next Game Changers:

Wolff Olins released a report this week identifying five traits driving game-changing companies. We love data. So we pulled some to tumble.

The report highlighted big companies like Apple, LEGO, Nike and Paypal to illustrate these traits.

Collaborative looks for particular values when…

Opening: Executive Assistant to the Global CEO @ Wolff Olins, NYC

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:23:38 -0500

What’s the role?

Provide day-to-day admin support to the CEO and CMO:

· Manage calendars and schedule appointments with an eye on all long and short term goals, priorities & deadlines

· Arrange complex travel plans and itineraries; compile documents & briefing packs for all travel-related meetings

· Ensure the timely flow of meetings & take care that meeting rooms are consistently clean and prepared before they start

· Provide admin support to members of the company’s global leadership team when they visit the New York office

· Organize quarterly global Leadership Team meeting by arranging travel, facilities and catering, issuing information and invitations, coordinating agendas & controlling event budget

· Research information & images and prepare background documents for meetings, speaking engagements, etc. as needed

· Develop and manage contact database for the CEO & CMO’s professional network

· Coordinate travel & delivery of all requirements on time and in the right format for global speaking engagements and media opportunities

· Prepare expense reports & enter weekly timesheets

· Maintain confidentiality of all corporate, personnel and research matters

· Take on ad hoc projects and tasks as needed

What kind of person are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone who will:

· Be exceedingly well organized with a proven history of success in time management, multi-tasking and prioritization

· Be stylish, articulate and personable, comfortable working with c-level executives as well as co-workers at every level and across departments within the company

· Exercise good judgement, identifying and resolving problems in a timely manner in a fast paced environment

· Blend professionalism, resourcefulness, efficiency & thoughtfulness

· Have strong written & oral communication skills, able to edit or draft correspondence & speak on behalf of the CEO & CMO

· Will be a good listener, quick learner and know when to ask questions

· The individual adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands and is able to deal with frequent change, delays or unexpected events

· Be driven and self-starting; able to stay motivated and work independently with little or no supervision and make good decisions on behalf of CEO & CMO when needed

· Enjoy the challenges and unique opportunities of the Executive Assistant role

· Work out of the NY office but be open to travel between offices as needed

You will need to have demonstrated in your career to date:

· Previous experience in a similar role

· Strong verbal & written communication skills

· Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

· The ability to handle pressure with grace and efficiency

Does this sound like you?

If so, email your resume to peoplenewyork@wolffolins.com with the subject: EA to CEO.

Please include a cover email explaining why you are the right fit for this role.

Feedback and photos from WONY strategists Melissa Andrada and...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0500

via ludobourgoin Co-founder of CoachOasi

via @rletada Co-founder of eKindling

Feedback and photos from WONY strategists Melissa Andrada and Amaris Singer’s brand workshop at General Assembly this past Tuesday!

What separates the best brands from the rest?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:02:00 -0500

For the last couple years, we’ve been traveling the globe talking to leaders at some of the world’s best companies and trying to learn exactly what separates the best from the merely good. Today, we’ve published our analysis of what we’ve learned, in a report called Game Changers.

A key takeaway was that even though companies today recognize the important factors required to generate long-term growth, many are not investing resources and energy into them.

Recently, Wolff Olins CEO Karl Heiselman sat down with Co.Design to talk about exactly what we found and how it applies to businesses aiming to grow faster and do better.

Read Co.Design’s story behind the report and check out Game Changers for yourself. And most importantly, let us know what you think! We’ll publish and respond to your feedback.

Watch Out Gilt

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:25:48 -0500

The MO of MO

By Marissa Vosper

This idea has the potential to put fashion flash sale sites to shame. And updates the business model.

More benefits to the customer. More benefits to the designer.

And still has the whole “buy now” urgency appeal.

Really differentiated in the fashion space.

It’s a win-win-win if you ask me.

via Moda Operandi

Lovely Lunch at WOLO

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:14:22 -0500

Brand, Be Mine?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:02:00 -0500

At Wolff Olins we’re enmeshed in the business of brand – consistently surprised, delighted, and challenged by what we see. While you can’t quite hold a brand or put one in your pocket, a strong brand – from chocolates to cleaning products – has the power to move you, sometimes to love.

This Valentine’s day we thought it right to express our love for our favorite ones and explain why it is they rock our world. Here’s to you, sweet brands…won’t you be ours?

The following were compiled in our New York and London offices:

I love Muji because they don’t impose their identity on mine.

I love Target because they democratise design.

I love Google for all the great things they allow me to do.

I love Jacques Torres ‘cause I use chocolate medicinally and they’re right around the corner.

I love the New York Times. I’ve been reading it since I was twelve.

I love Post-It because they’re still relevant and quirky in a digital age.

I love Vintage Seltzer for its blue and white label and because it’s so normal.

I (heart) Sol Moscot and Grenson. Two brands with a long line of tradition, both of which do not rest on that heritage while keeping their quality high and their brands fresh and contemporary.

I love Apple. The Mac and the iPhone changed my life, can’t live without my iPad.

I love Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products ‘cause they smell so good and all natural.

Uniqlo. What’s there not to love about this brand? In a recent brand campaign in New York they focused on the aspect that no matter what age, gender, race, income, their products can be worn by anyone. Plus every aspect of their expression and experience is really engaging too!

I love TIDE detergent. I want my clothes to be washed with only that. It takes me back to childhood and maybe a field of flowers.

I love Trader Joe’s because their employees give the best, most honest, recommendations and are outfitted in Hawaiian shirts. WIN.

I love PBS Masterpiece Theater. Why? Consistency (in storytelling, high production value, great acting, and intelligent, witty, entertaining programming, and nice online content to complement the show and grow viewership). (read: I love Downton Abbey)

I love J. Crew because even though their vanity sizing is absurd, Mickey and Jenna are retail visionaries.

I love Urban Outfitters– the Starbucks of casual wear. It may not be cool to admit you shop there, but I can rely on them for the basics I need with a fashionable twist, at affordable prices. Any young-ish woman who denies shopping there is lying!

I have a thing for Aveda Hand Relief. There’s just something about pausing in the middle of your day to put it on. I still remember the first time I used it and the soothing voice of the saleswoman who gave me that first sample in the Aveda store.

Equinox. Cold eucalyptus towels, top of the line machinery, no waits, great classes. Who knew I’d actually be excited to go to the gym?

I really love Burton. With these guys, there’s an obvious authenticity that really comes through in everything they touch. From their solid products to the content on their website (snow porn!) to how their flagship stores are designed, the brand is clearly built for snowboarders, by snowboarders.

I love the Mets—but it’s a seriously dysfunctional relationship.

What are the brands you can’t live without? Share your favorites with our team @wolffolins.

(Thao Nguyen)

The Bottom Line, The Social Way

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:38:00 -0500

By Melissa Andrada

How successful is social media’s impact on a socially responsible company’s bottom line?

This is the leading question framing a Social Media Week panel I’ll be speaking at this Thursday.

We know that social media has had a tremendous impact on society, but to what extent does it translate into real dollars? There are many metrics we can use to track engagement: number of followers, number of people writing about us, number of visitors, etc. However, it is still difficult to correlate the impact of social media on a company’s bottom line; it’s often an ecosystem of small, unordered interactions that lead to a click, a purchase, a donation.

However, for some organizations, the correlation is much clearer. There are many companies that would not exist without social media: Mashable, Kickstarter, Pinterest, Groupon. These platforms are social media, thus their entire business models are predicated upon it.

While not all companies can exist as social media, what we can learn from these startups is that social media has a greater impact on a company’s bottom line when it is treated as an integrated part of a company’s brand strategy, rather than just a marketing afterthought.

Social media should be less about platforms, more about people and purpose.

Being “social” means creating a brand of listening. It means creating a brand that engages in in dialogues rather than monologues, a brand that empowers people to do more. It means creating a brand that is driven by purpose rather than just the latest trends.

Your brand purpose, based upon the intersection between what people need and what’s special about you, should shape how and where you engage with your audience. Your purpose should be a unifying force that drives your entire business – from social media to business model to operations.

When social media is contextualized within the big picture, your brand presence on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms seems more authentic, human and individualized. When it is viewed as another tool for driving impact and profit, the correlation between a tweet and a new business prospect is much clearer. When social media becomes an embedded part of your company’s DNA, it becomes an even more powerful – and sustainable – force for good.

Here are a few guiding questions we ask our clients to ask themselves:

Given our brand purpose, what are the most appropriate channels for engaging with our audience?

How can we empower our customers to do more?

If we are trying to translate social media into real dollars, how can we connect the dots between action and impact?

Image via Thereza Rowe

_____________________________________________________________

As part of Social Media Week, on February 16, WONY strategist Melissa Andrada (@themelissard) will join a panel on “Doing Well by Doing Good,” hosted by SCENEPR in association with Design for Social Innovation (DSI) at SVA. With Brian Reich, SVP/Global Editor at Edelman, and others from Purpose, Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy, and Mark & Phil, the panel will explore how purposeful businesses can use social media for both impact and profit. Sign up to attend here: http://dogoodsmw.eventbrite.com/

2012 Spring Internship in Marketing/New Business @ Wolff Olins, NYC

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:34:00 -0500

About the internship:

We’re looking for a New Business & Marketing intern to work with our team in New York City.

You’ll get to:

Help us build the right perception of Wolff Olins for what we do and what we believe

Develop and manage new internal tools and systems

Research and coordinate thought leadership and content creation

Develop award submissions for top creative competitions

Manage our contact database

Assist with social media outreach

We’re looking for someone who is:

A ‘hands on’ individual with a high degree of initiative and dynamism

Reliable, organized and detail oriented

Resourceful, proactive thinker

Team-spirited, sociable, enthusiastic

Curious about the world + passionate about brands

Does this sound like you?

If so, please send to peoplenewyork@wolffolins.com:

Subject Line: NewBiz Intern – Spring 2012

Other Details

Timing: 3 full days per week, March – June 2012

Location: New York City

Compensation: This is a paid internship.

Who can apply? College juniors and/or seniors

Deadline: Your application must be received by February 27, 2012.

See Also:

We’re also looking for NY interns in other departments:

Strategy Internship

Account Management Internship

Doing Well By Doing Good @ Social Media Week

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:34:00 -0500

Social media is a powerful booster for brand authenticity and personality, but how successful is it in converting a good cause to sustainable dollars? In an atmosphere where customers’ trust and loyalty is increasingly earned through transparency and engagement there are new paths to the bottom line.

Doing Well by Doing Good

Thursday, February 16, 2012 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (ET)

New York, NY

Image via Intel Museum of Me

Ethics In Fashion

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:48:44 -0500

By Danielle Horanieh

I’d like to think I’m a pretty socially aware gal. I recycle. I volunteer. I buy organic, sustainable products and use a reusable bag whenever and as often as I can. But I’ve always had a weakness for clothing—lots of it.

Once a year, I perform a ritual “closet cleanse” and donate all the clothing I haven’t worn in the past year to the Salvation Army. It’s helped me realize (not proudly) how little I once considered the social and environmental impact the production, manufacturing and purchasing of clothes has on the world.

Since 2008, Americans have spent $250 billion on clothing and accessories every year. Worldwide, the fashion industry employs 25 million people. That’s an enormous amount of lives being impacted by American spending.

In my search for easier ways to shop consciously and understand the impact this pleasure of mine has on the world, I recently came across a new column in Good Magazine, Ethical Style: Fashion Advice for the Socially Conscious. Its author and creator Tabea Kay raises interesting questions to both companies and consumers. Why has the industry been slow to respond to its increasingly socially-conscious consumers? How can caring consumers who lack industry know-how spot the difference between greenwashing and actual commitment to better practices?

Today, the demand for socially and environmentally conscious business practices is growing. Consider the recent consumer backlash about working conditions at Foxconn, the Chinese factory where our dear and coveted Apple gadgets are produced.

For companies in fashion, an industry that’s long had a bad rep, this is an opportunity to creatively use brand to change the way they’re perceived in the world. It’s time to listen to the people who buy their products and change their business practices to give consumers (like me!) more ways to feel good about associating with them.

So how do you shift the conversation from apathetic to empathetic, from pretentious to considerate? Some brands are beginning to make headway in sustainable business practices: H&M has integrated organic and recycled raw material in their supply chain and Stella McCartney has been called “a forerunner of vegan fashion.”

Still, in H&M’s case, their sustainability efforts are dulled by a focus on throwaway fashion that only lasts a season. The waste piles up in our closets and then, our landfills. In regards to Ms. McCartney, her line, as ethical as it sounds, is hardly accessible to the main street consumer. The solution doesn’t scale.

Part of the problem is linguistic. Most industry leaders don’t have the language to conceive of what “ethical fashion” could be. To help, a U.K. non-profit called the Ethical Fashion Forum has begun creating guidelines for sustainable fashion. They call it the “triple bottom line.” Ethical Style summarized it briefly as “a sustainable company must consider the people, the earth, and the bottom line.”

I applaud the EFF for providing information and sustainable guidance to fashion industry leaders, but there is still another gap that needs to be filled. Consumers also need better language and information to guide their shopping decisions; in this sense, fashion is several large steps behind the food industry.

As consumers become more aware of their role in the global economy, new factors affect all of our buying decisions: What we buy and where it comes from reflects who we are. Right now, this presents a challenge, but also a unique opportunity for fashion companies to educate and engage their customers. What if they looked to the food industry as a model for how to build consumer loyalty by giving them more information?

Danielle Horanieh is an account manager at Wolff Olins NY.

Image via myfashionlife.com/

To Fly. To Serve?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:02:00 -0500

By Rose Bentley

It wasn’t British Airways fault that the snow fell last Saturday. And they weren’t solely to blame for the anaphylactic chaos at Heathrow. But for those of us who were caught up in it all, it was a ringside opportunity to experience a brand totally out of kilter with its promise.

Let’s start with that BA promise: To Fly To Serve. What does that mean to its people?

Not much to one BA steward who chatted to us during the hours we sat on the tarmac as the plane kept missing its slots. He shrugged and said that yeah, Management had done something with the brand but it didn’t mean anything to him: ‘ We just get on with it don’t we?’

Not by the BA ground staff who patronized us all as we were herded back through Terminal 5 when the flight was finally cancelled, aghast that we might want some more information rather than a vague wave towards the hotel bus. Or the ones who greeted us the next morning at Terminal 5 and replied to our questions with “No one tells us anything”.

And certainly not by the pilot of our second plane – which left 5 hours late and sat another two hours on the tarmac before take off – whose parting words as we landed at our destination were: “ It’s been a difficult time for all of us – especially for the crew. I hope all of you will agree that British Airways has fulfilled its contractual obligations to you.”

If BA had been true to its brand, that 36 hours could have played out so differently. I would not have reached my destination any sooner or less frustrated but my loyalty to BA would have strengthened thanks to a better experience.

But it didn’t. To Fly to Serve is not a promise, it’s a strapline. Its people don’t live by it, its consumers make a joke out of it.

That’s bad for the brand. Which means that’s bad for business.

Game-changing by Refusing to Play Ellen addresses her JC Penney...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:34:00 -0500

Game-changing by Refusing to Play

Ellen addresses her JC Penney critics

Brand Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word for Startups

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:43:00 -0500

By Melissa Andrada and Amaris Singer

A few months ago, we attended a class called “Making Something People Love” taught by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and director of marketing at Hipmunk. In his intro, Alexis admitted that the class was like a Branding 101 class, but he didn’t want to use the word “brand.”

Brand is a dirty word to many entrepreneurs, but their skepticism comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what brand is.

Brand is a lot more than just your name, logo or visual identity.

A strong brand should crisply encapsulate the role your organization plays in the world, and it should act as a filter to guide your business decisions. While a clever name and logo can set you apart from some competitors, a strong brand is what gets you your funding, builds your engaged community of users, and creates a focused vision for the future.

Brand is a platform for action, not a marketing afterthought.

Too often we hear of startups who are so busy getting their products out the door, they don’t have time to develop a purposeful brand. A recent Fast Company piece points out that in the past, “brands were simply too hard and too expensive to create.” Today, expectations for startups have changed and there’s growing acknowledgement that brand creation can no longer be considered an afterthought.

If we look at some of the most successful startups that have emerged in the past ten years, a strong, purposeful brand is the common link that drives their success. In a world saturated with ecommerce sites, Etsy has set itself apart from the competition by building a brand that stands for craft, creativity and community.

Similarly, Zappos has differentiated itself by cultivating a brand that delivers happiness to itsemployees and customers. Mint crafted a brand around the idea of simplicity—an idea that guided its name, UX, visual identity, and voice. In all of these cases, a clear and focused brand maximizes the potential of a great productidea by creating a coherent universe around it.

In today’s increasingly crowded startup space, a single product is no longer enough tomake you stand out. Your product, UI, look and voice need to be unified with a common purpose that resonates with your users. Brand is that strategic glue. It should guide your every venture and help it stand out to funders and to the world.

__________________________________________________________

Join Wolff Olins for the Brand Strategy Lab, a four-part workshop series at General Assembly in NYC this March. This series is an in-depth introduction to the fundamentals and tools of brand strategy, developed specifically for a startup audience. We’ll teach you the tenets of brand strategy and facilitate workshops to guide you as you create your own brand. The series will culminate in presentations and critiques so you can test drive your new brand and refine the direction it will take in the world.

2012 Spring & Summer Account Management Internships at Wolff Olins, NYC

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:41:00 -0500

About the internship: We’re looking for an energetic account management intern to work with our team in New York City. You’ll work on a range of client projects; gaining a real perspective on the many ways we help clients achieve their business and brand goals.

You’ll get to: Creatively problem solve a diverse range of challenges

Collaborate closely with an eclectic group of experts in design, strategy and production
Manage the many, many details that need to come together to create big impact

We’re looking for someone who is:
Energetic + enthusiastic

Organized + detail oriented

Good at herding a group together

An active listener
Curious about the world + passionate about brands
A strong writer
Collaborative + fun

Does this sound like you?

If so, please send to peoplenewyork@wolffolins.com:

(Subject Line: ACCT MGT Intern – SUMMER 2012)

Other Details:
Timing: Full-time spring and summer openings, 2.5 months

Start Date: TBD

Location: New York City
Compensation: This is a paid internship.
Who can apply? College students and recent grads –the internship role will be tailored based on experience.

Deadlines: Spring – due by February 24th / For Summer – due by March 23rd.

2012 Summer Strategy Internship at Wolff Olins, NYC

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:31:22 -0500

About the internship:
We’re looking for a kick-ass strategy intern to work with our team in New York City. You’ll work on a range of internal and client projects, experiencing firsthand how brands are created and evolved.

You’ll get to:
Contribute to the development of brand strategies
Research and analyze markets, technologies and trends
Develop new business pitches and proposals

We’re looking for someone who is:
A clear + analytical thinker
Curious about the world + PASSIONATE about brands
Energetic + enthusiastic
A great storyteller + determined to get to the heart of an issue
Articulate + organized
A strong writer + researcher
Collaborative + FUN

Does this sound like you?
If so, please send your resume to peoplenewyork@wolffolins.com

Subject Line: Strategy Intern – Summer 2012

Other Details:
Timing: Full-Time, starting in June
Location: New York City
Compensation: This is a paid internship.
Who can apply? College students – the internship role will be tailored based on experience.

Deadline: Your application must be received by February 24^th

Future Opportunities:

We hire interns every semester!

Michael Wolff: Don’t Trust Your Experience At Design...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:57:00 -0500

Michael Wolff: Don’t Trust Your Experience

At Design Indaba, Michael Wolff spoke about how to exercise your idea-creating capacity by first getting rid of your ideas. He also told great stories from his time with Wolff Olins and after, about the importance of language in design and some of the “little creatures” that have made their way into much of his work. Here are some of our favorite lines, though we encourage you to watch and choose your own.

On editorial design:

“When I hear the word ‘copy’ I always shudder, because it has implicit in it that language is just something you have to make a shape of. But language is a critical part of what we do.”

On simplicity in language:

In one scenario, there were “thousands of forms that were like the top one: ‘GIVE DETAILS OF ALL OTHER PERSONS RESIDING IN THE RENTED ACCOMMODATION WHICH YOU ACTUALLY OCCUPY OTHER THAN YOURSELF AND YOUR HUSBAND’ we asked 10 people ‘What does it mean?’ and they said ‘they’re trying to get us out of our accommodation.’ So, we changed it to ‘Who else lives with you?’

On the Shell logo:

“The colors had drifted off into bloodclot red and lemon orange and so we just warmed the colors up. Sometimes that’s all you have to do. Leave something alone. Then I started the conversation with the chairman of Shell saying ‘why do you say Shell on shell?’ and he said ‘You’re right, do you know how long it’s going to take me to get the word Shell off the shell?’ I said ‘no’ and he said ‘five years.’”

On other things:

“The wheel has existed for 8,000 years. How come we only put it on a suitcase 30 years ago?”

“What you must do with a great idea is immediately throw it away because otherwise you won’t exercise your idea-creating capacity. Just keep throwing them away because you’re going to get more and more of them.”

“I mistrust my experience in terms of using my imagination; it’s going to miscolor it, try to dominate it.”

Advertisers: How To Win The Super Bowl

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:27:00 -0500

By Sam Leibeskind

Between all the strategic pre-game leaks, Twitter’s Ad Scrimmage, and the NBC/YouTube partnership that created the Ad Blitz channel, the actual 30-second Super Bowl on-air spot is now the center of a more prolonged, immersive advertising experience. Often these experiences are so focused on the spectacle or story of a campaign that the real merit of the brand gets lost in them.

Marketers have done a great job of capitalizing on the one opportunity each year where people are actually anxious for commercials. And in turn, an estimated 54% of those watching last year’s game were actually more excited for the ad breaks than the game itself, according to a 2011 study by Harris Interactive.

But where advertisers think they’re speaking to people asking to be “advertised to,” most viewers are really just anticipating a series of performances. The commercials that people generally “love” (the ones that will appear on most bloggers’ “Top 10” list and the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter) aren’t the most effective, they’re just the most entertaining. While raw amusement is awesome for viewers (who doesn’t want to watch a series of 30-second comedies?), most of today’s Super Bowl commercials probably aren’t getting the job done for brands.

For a spot to be at its most effective and worth its $3.5 million price tag, it has to do more than entertain. It has to tell a worthwhile story about the brand in a way that gets attention for an appropriate reason. It also has to teach us something about the honest values and unique feel of the company it promotes. And it has to do all this strongly enough to inspire us to engage with that brand in the future, not just re-visit its commercial on YouTube. That’s an important distinction that often gets overlooked on this night. Pure entertainment gets the most hype (and yes, leads to temporary brand awareness) but it takes more than that to win true fans.

After the game (or now, since you’ve probably seen most of the commercials already), we’d love to hear your thoughts on which brands had the most effective commercials (not just the ones that made you laugh the hardest). In turn, we’ll share our own thoughts in an upcoming post. Comment below, on Facebook or tweet @wolffolins.

To watch the commercials with a more critical eye this year, here are a few fundamental characteristics to consider:

Is it entertaining? Is this commercial captivating enough to get a million views on YouTube? Does it put you in a good mood? It could be funny, surprising, dramatic or just plain cute, but a Super Bowl commercial today needs to meet a baseline level of entertainment just to meet viewers’ lofty expectations.

At its best: Audi’s “Escape from Old Luxury” (2011)- This commercial was funny, a tiny bit suspenseful, and in the end, staked out a real position for the brand. It proved that a commercial can use comedy without being completely empty.

Is it emotionally on brand? Did watching the commercial give you the same feeling you get when you’re in that brand’s store, using/consuming its products, and reading about its actions in the news? The commercial should create expectations that are in line with the rest of the brand experience and make a case for the importance of the brand’s own values in people’s lives.

At its best: Google’s “Parisian Love” (2010)- In addition to showing how easy and helpful its search features are, this spot simply oozed of the optimism and delight that characterizes Google at its best.

Is it Inspiring? Did the commercial realistically change your behavior? Did you quickly look up the new Mercedes models after (or even during?) the game? Did you buy a Pepsi Max the next day because you remembered it has zero calories? Did you rethink the value of an electric car? A spot doesn’t need to lead directly to a sale but it should inspire a viewer to do more than just watch it again and again.

At its best: Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” (2011) - Though I didn’t buy a car last year, this commercial definitely changed my perception of the brand, as well as the American auto industry as a whole. The day after the game, I remember spending a few hours reading all about the revitalization of Detroit, almost entirely due to the fact that I saw this commercial.

Graphic by Mads J. Poulsen

Off the Grid: Why I’m on a Facebook Cleanse

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:42:58 -0500

By Melissa Andrada

Last weekend, I did the unthinkable: I got off the world’s largest social network.

My sister changed my Facebook password, so for at least 30 days, I’ll be off the grid. This means no status updates, no news feeds or even Instagram integration.

It’s a social experiment I’m conducting to understand the value that Facebook brings to the way people connect with each other.

As Facebook gets ready to go public, Mark Zuckberg wrote a letter to prospective shareholders, sharing his mission and ambitions for the company. One of his goals is “to strengthen how people relate to each other.” To what extent can Facebook actually do that?

Malcolm Gladwell argues that “the platforms of social media are built around weak ties.” While I disagree with Gladwell’s critique of social media’s ability to create social impact, there’s some truth to what he says. The people I really consider my friends communicate with me through email, IM, text message, or in person. Of course, if you’ve lived in many places, Facebook is an effective way to keep in touch with friends who live in other parts of the world. Or, if you are seeking to promote your personal brand, it’s useful for staying on top of mind for your former bosses, clients, coworkers and employees. If you’re not on Twitter or Tumblr, it’s also useful for keeping track of news and inspiration through the pages you like.

But the user value tapers off there. If we are really honest with ourselves, we spend a lot of time on Facebook seeing people on our feed we really don’t care about: the middle school classmate we haven’t talked to in 10 years, ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, your old boss you never got around to de-friending. Even by curating your friends’ list, it’s impossible to game the Facebook newsfeed to see the friends you really want to see.

I thought getting off Facebook would be the equivalent of quitting smoking, but surprisingly, I don’t yet feel like I’m suffering from FOMO (“fear of missing out”).

My questioning of Facebook’s social value is actually part of a larger trend in the world. What I’ve observed is that the backlash against the “weak ties” we maintain on Facebook and other social media platforms has led to a demand for channels that create more meaningful, personal connections. We’ve recently seen this manifest itself through online communities like Path, a more personal network that limits your friends to 150, and Stamped, a sort of “stranger-less Yelp” that lets you keep track of the restaurants, books, movies, and other things your close friends have stamped with approval.

As people increasingly turn to other online networks and activities to keep “close ties” with the people they really care about, I know I’m not alone in questioning where Facebook currently belongs in my life. I’m not suggesting that people will soon stop using Facebook—last year Americans spent more time on the social network than any other website out there. But with its purpose and role in people’s lives always changing, it’s important that Facebook now focus on growing with its users and not against them. If it doesn’t, it could lose them, potentially for more than 30 days.

I’ll write a follow-up post once I’m back on Facebook, so stay tuned for post-fast thoughts.

Melissa Andrada is a brand and content strategist at Wolff Olins New York. She’s passionate about the intersection between technology, social good and brand. @themelissard

Image via Francois Coquerel

Click on the image for a high-res version. Recently, we created...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:28:00 -0500

Click on the image for a high-res version.

Recently, we created a little chart to help a client understand the role of design and information hierarchy in product packaging.

To keep it simple, we used a milk carton.

We used only three pieces of basic information: the manufacturer (Smith), the product identifier (Milk) and the milk fat content modifier (1%, 2% or Vitamin D Milk). It’s what Americans see everyday in the dairy aisle.

We then explored how design decisions affect the product – the basics like information hierarchy or the use of type (e.g. a script type to emphasize “freshness”), the use of language (e.g. cheerful “Mooo Milk)”, color (to reinforce differences in fat content), illustrations (to tell a provenance story) and even form factors (e.g. glass bottles for “premium”). You can see the complete exploration on the chart, especially when you zoom in.

On the bottom of the chart, there are two examples of how it all came together: ”Good, better, best” shows how design influences quality perception, emotional product narrative and differentiates products. ”Shelf Blocking” then proves the power of design to aid shopability and create shelf presence.

In the end, we were amazed what the humble milk carton taught us about the AWESOME POWER™ of design. Design affects product, and what affects the product affects sales.

(Christian Butte)