Australia day is here for another year, along with painted faces, flag flying, boxing kangaroos and, of course, companies trying to leverage patriotic feelings for their brand’s benefit. Coles and Woolies are fighting it out to prove who is ‘more Australian’, Vegemite has renamed their famous spread to ‘Australia’ and Lamb has again released their annual Lambassor, Sam Kekovic, for another ripper viral session – this time trying to get him the number 1 on the pop charts.

But this year, it is Wine Australia that has caught my attention with their idea to ‘de-stride’ those drinking foreign vino.

Aussie Wine is suffering. The Australian Dollar combined with the fledgling European economies has caused a flood of cheap imports, making European wine cheaper than ever.

It seems quite ironic, after years of investment to dispel the image of ‘cheap plonk’ and ‘wine casks’, Australian wine has a reputation of being ‘too expensive’.

Aaron Brasher, Regional Director of Wine Australia, believes Australian wine brands, like many Australian made products, are under attack. Australia Day is the perfect opportunity to get us to rethink what we drink.

“It makes sense to drink Australian wine while eating Australian produce, watching Michael Clarke and the Aussies do battle with India and wearing as many boxing kangaroo emblazoned items of clothing as possible,” Brasher said.

Wine Australia’s PR convinced The Age and Sydney Morning Herald to sell their message and they were impressed by the ‘campaign’.

“Wine Australia wants Australians to stick to Australian wine on Australia Day and, if they catch someone drinking an offshore drop, to ”pull down their strides” reports Ben Butler and David Fickling.

What a ballsy idea! Eager to see how this has been executed, I trawled through various media, including Wine Australia’s website, twitter and Facebook pages.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But all I could find was a very safe and uninspiring promotion for “A+ Australian Wine Celebration”. Unfortunately this just lacks any of the Aussie wit and cut-through of the ‘de-striding’ idea.

Finally, after searching their Facebook site I found an image for the ‘five tips if you catch someone drinking French, Italian or (even worse) Kiwi wine on AUSTRALIA day’ – which includes the clincher in point 4; “pull down their strides”.

Not exactly a campaign! What a missed opportunity to really get their message out there in a truly Australian way.

Maybe they got a little shy and were worried about really dropping their pants.

Enjoy your Australia Day!

Michael Hughes
Director of Brand Strategy

With the usual Aussie rock suspects will be being played to death at many barbies, I thought I’d get in first. I know it is un-Australian to admit it, but I was never a fan. However, I couldn’t pass the thought of Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel belting out “Cheap wine” at the very parties where people will be ‘de-striding’ those quaffing overseas wine.

Click here to view the embedded video.

‘Summer Wine’ ad from 1983 – hence the ‘cheap plonk’ reputation!

Click here to view the embedded video.

2012 will continue to be a tough environment for retailers. Consumers have no reason to throw off their new found sense of caution and propensity to put saving ahead of spending. If anything 2012 may produce even more reasons for them to retreat with some recent news of the financial services sector spruiking the need to lay off workers, and a sense that flat retail sales is placing huge pressure on retailers to reduce costs.

Retailers will need to re-think everything. At the top of the list will be how they deliver value. This needs to extend beyond simply running sales events. It requires a wider gambit of thinking that includes the sort of retailer experience shoppers are exposed to, product selection and where possible the merchandising of exclusive products, finding the sweet spot at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds etc. It means re-thinking what your value proposition is and why it is or is not compelling. At its heart it is seeking ways that move beyond discounting as the foundation for delivering value. If regular discounting is to be your mantra then it will only make sense if you are positioned at the low end of the market and your operations are geared to deliver a sustainable outcome.

But yes, I agree, nothing new in the above comments. In fact like a lot of things easier said than done. However the retailers who have been inspired to reinvent their value chain are reaping the rewards. Think Ikea (stylish flat pack furniture). Think Zara and Top Shop (fast fashion). Think Bunnings (first mover in box format hardware in Australia). I suggest you at least explore the possibilities by deconstructing your value chain and appraising it against your competitors to determine how it may be reconfigured or amped up to provide yourself with a more differentiated value proposition.

In addition to having a rethink in terms of the value you offer, every brand should also be consciously determining the values it seeks to express. Phillip Kotler in his recent book Marketing 3.0 notes a growing trend in society, whereby consumers are now not only looking for products and services that satisfy their needs but also searching for experiences and business models that touch their spiritual side. Supplying meaning is the future value proposition in marketing. He sees the values-driven business model as the new killer app in Marketing 3.0. Marketers need to identify the anxieties and desires of the consumers to be able to target their minds, hearts, and spirits. In the globalization paradox, the generic anxiety and desire of many consumers is to make their society—and the world at large—a better, perhaps even an ideal place to live. Brands need to share the same dream with consumers and make a difference.

When you consider the Australian retail sector I challenge you to identify a major player who distinguishes themselves by being known for their social conscience. In most categories the competitive dimensions remain entrenched in product, service and other functional attributes. Seeking to build social equity by being a values driven branded organisation represents a fertile territory for retail brands to ponder, particularly if we find 2012 to be a year where economic confidence remains shaky and Governments struggle to craft a reassuring narrative of the future.

Peter Singline
Brand Scientist

The ever-changing digital reality for Brand Communications – 60 Seconds on the Net
Recently a friend emailed me this iconographic of what’s happening every 60 seconds in the online world. The numbers are seriously noteworthy, especially for someone who works in the brand space day-in and day-out. What was equally of interest was how these numbers have changed since we last looked at them just six months ago.

The way in which brands connect into the ever-changing behaviour of consumers in the digital space needs to be front on mind as brand strategies are developed for 2012 and beyond.

The stand-outs for me in the current infographic are:
• First and foremost the most significant impression I get is Integration. No longer is the digital world just about web sites, blogs, etailing and social media. More than ever before the digital world is seen in a broader context of customer behavior. Whether you work in retail, B2C or any part of B2B, you must get your head around the way your customers and clients integrate digital into their consideration, selection and buying decision making process.
• Love it or hate it, PayPal is becoming the standard for non-direct online payment. The perception of security through an additional layer between buyer and seller continues to resonate with customers online.
• The way we communicate has reached the tipping point. The days of phone, email and face-to-face communication have evolved to also include facebooking, SMS and Instant Messaging of all sorts.
• Welcome to the concept of e-Waste – yup, even the internet has an impact on the global environment. Those businesses who position themselves as being environmentally conscious will need to get and understanding of the concept of e-Waste before it sneaks up and bites them in the brand.
• The more than 1000 smart phones and device sold each seconds is another powerful indicator of the way we are absorbing information – another challenge for brands of every shape and size. And with around ten times the number of smart Apple devices sold over Blackberry, the post-Jobs tech brand is set to continue its role as major influencer of the way we interface our lives through technology.

And here’s the graphic from just six months ago:

Dave Ansett, Brandamentalist
Designer of Brand in the Digital Space and Beyond
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In 2011, Twitter’s influence in shaping brand reputations continued but most content was driven by the public. This year, Twitter’s new Facebook-style brand pages promise to provide more opportunities for brands to customise and highlight content.

This also creates opportunities for brands to take Twitter parties to whole new level as HP and Intel showed us this week.

Twitter parties are like virtual gatherings that have become another popular tool within the marketing mix. With the use of a specific hashtag (#) fans are encouraged to join in on the conversation around a particular topic or event. Now, with live streaming, the party takes the virtual reality one step closer.

To show us the future of Twitter, HP and Intel teamed up with Tiësto, one of the world’s biggest DJs, to host the first live Twitter concert.

The concert was streamed simultaneously on the HP and Intel twitter brand pages from an exclusive party for the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Fans were encouraged to interact with each other and share the experience – as if they were there.

Video streaming by Ustream

If you missed it, you can see the concert on HP and Intel’s Twitter pages for the next day or so, or watch it on Ustream.

Rob Pietsch, Twitter’s director of West Coast sales, told Mashable, “HP came to us with the idea and we couldn’t be more excited to hear how the company and Intel will be using their Twitter brand pages to reach out to the public and become destination sites. It’s a first for us, and we expect in the future that more companies will integrate streaming video into their pages.”

Tiësto added: “I am always connecting with my fans directly through Twitter and other social media, so this was an exciting way to help launch the ‘In the Booth’ series and do something special for my fans. One of the key reasons to collaborate with technology giants such as HP and Intel on my new show is the chance to try new things and go after big ideas.”

The concert is also part of a series on YouTube called “In the Booth” that looks at Tiësto’s life and his impact on the electronic dance movement.

For HP and Intel, this is a great way for them to interact with techno savvy Tiësto fans across the world. It is also a good example of brand partnerships that work with technology and dance music a natural fit. The result is a nice brand gesture with a boost to brand recognition in a very short period.

HP and Intel will no doubt be hoping they can harness this opportunity by growing their brand ‘likes’ so they can continue dialogue and build an ongoing connection with fans.

HP and Intel are among the first of 21 brands including Dell, Disney, JetBlue, Nike and Paramount Pictures have access to the new Twitter brand pages. However, Twitter has promised to make it more widely available in the next few months.

You may not have the budget of HP or Intel, but there are still plenty of smart brand opportunities to use Twitter and other social media to ‘punch above your weight’, build deeper connections with your audience and strengthen your brand.

If you’d like to chat about ideas to grow your brand in 2012, we’d love to hear from you.
Michael Hughes
Director of Brand Strategy

eTailers Change the Rules of Christmas Retail
Online etailer eBay is set to launch a pop-up store in London. The eBay Christmas Boutique is a new way to do your Christmas shopping. There are none of the usual checkouts, bags and queues – the store uses smart p[hone QR technology to link a High Street retail experience seamlessly with online processes.

In a wonderful gesture of retail brand design, the eBay Christmas Boutique will stock more than 350 items, and with payment by smart phone or tablet only, just use your handheld electronic device to scan the QR codes of the items you want to buy and then let them pop up in your online eBay basket.

In a clever piece of co-branding, HTC is kindly lending out tablets in-store to help you browse the gifts, set up an eBay account and make purchases. if you don't happen to own a smart phone. The boutique is divided into three sections: gifts for her, gifts for him, and gifts for the kids. Unlike the online eBay experience, there will be no bidding wars - everything in the store is brand-new and sold at a fixed price. The store features the visual language of the eBay brand identity and includes eBay's top 200 items available. Customers can use the Ebay App on their mobile phones to scan a barcode on an item's price tag and have them delivered to their homes within a slick three days. The store will be open for just five days and will close on Monday the 5th of December. The first week in December has traditionally been the busiest shopping week in the lead up to Christmas and the opening is designed to coincide with this.

This weekend looms as ebays busiest Christmas shopping period, when they expect more than 5.8 million shoppers to visit the site. At the peak of the Christmas frenzy, eBay expect to be selling two items each and every second.

Surfing brand Billabong International is moving down stream into retail to better control how its products are sold. An increasing trend amongst the large retail chains is to increase the proportion of merchandise they sell under their own brands. Brands like Billabong can either cop it sweet and sit back and let their share of floor space and sales decline or they can take steps to control their own destiny. It is pleasing to see that Billabong has opted for the latter. Billabong is increasingly seeking to make retail acquisitions as a way of gaining greater control to their route to market. Last year they acquired the California based RVCA brand,  the West 49 retail chain in Canada, Surf Dive’n’ Ski  and Jetty Surf in Australia. Likewise Billabong is investing to build its online sales, which currently makes up 3% of their revenue.

Billabong is not alone in needing to re-think its strategic direction in terms of its consumer interface. For a long time brands have been sensitive of creating channel conflict and ever so respectful to the large retailers. But the respect is increasingly not being returned , brands need to seize the initiative back. Brand management needs to in fact be just that, brand management. Online represents the most obvious space to be managing more intensively. Why wouldn’t a big brand like Billabong not wish to offer the most compelling, engaging and intuitive online offering in its market category?

In terms of a retail footprint the investment required is significant, and for many manufacturing and wholesaling brands beyond their financial means or scale to create their own retail chain. For those retailers there is a need to be a little more creative. Why not seek to joint venture in a retail business? Seek out a number of complimentary brands and underwrite a shared dedicated retailing arm. Yes, it is difficult finding partners of the right size and same motivation, but they are there in many categories. When there is so much focus on co-creating with your customers, why not co-create with your peer band owners.

If your key major retailers are losing the spirit of collaboration and pursuing a more intense self interest position, reinvent your market interface, at the very least creatively explore the options.

Peter Singline
Brand Scientist

Two Bronze Awards and Two Highly Commended Awards.

On Friday October 14th the winners for the 2011 Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MADC) Awards were announced. The annual MADC Awards celebrate excellence across a range of advertising and design categories, encompassing print, radio, television and ambient media.

We were thrilled to see that the Truly Deeply ’My Right Arm’ 2010 IGNITE Awards Poster took out the Bronze award for The MADC Award for Best Typography and also received a further Bronze award for The MADC Award for Best Illustration for the ‘Spudbar Visual Language’.

Above: ‘My Right Arm’ 2010 IGNITE Awards Poster

Typographer: Lachlan McDougall
Executive Creative Director: David Ansett
Creative Director: Derek Carroll
Copywriter: David Ansett
Account Team: Dominic Guthrie
Retoucher: Rachel O’Brien
Illustrator: Lachlan McDougall

Above: Spudbar Visual Language

Illustration: Veronica Fever
Creative Director: Derek Carroll
Art Director: David Ansett
Copywriter: David Ansett, Peter Singline
Account Team: Malcolm Harvey
Retoucher: Rachel O’Brien
Designger: Lachlan McDougall, Cassandra Gill
Typographer: Lachlan McDougall, Cassandra Gil

We were equally as thrilled to receive two Highly Commended Awards for The MADC Award for Best Corporate Identity Design for the ‘Spudbar Packaging’ and one in The MADC Award for Best Miscellaneous Design category again for ‘Spudbar’.

If you’d like your brand communications to grab the spotlight and be the talk of the town then why not give us a call.

Dominic Guthrie
Client Account Director

The 21st Century has brought with it drastic changes in the business environment with consumers and businesses alike becoming increasingly concerned with the sustainability of nature’s resources. Many argue that this shift has been the result of an increased awareness of global climate change, largely due to Al Gore’s Nobel Prize-winning film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, and the introduction of political policies surrounding sustainability. These initiatives have impacted the way in which consumers view their purchases and influence their end decisions and have inevitably influenced the way in which marketers must operate.

This shift towards protecting these finite resources is not only a result of new government policies and regulations, but also internal business efforts from forward-thinking ethical companies. This market is set to grow as companies recognise the financial size of this market, and the backlash threat of non-compliance. Several large Australian retailers already ahead of the pace, will join together next week to educate and inspire other companies to implement environmentally sustainable workplace practices at the National Retail Association’s (NRA) annual Sustainability Forum.

The forum, to be held at South Bank, Brisbane, on October 27, will profile key retailers, such as Target and The Good Guys, and give them an opportunity to outline their initiatives in environmental sustainability, and illustrate ways retailers can implement sustainable practices to have a positive environmental impact and reduce costs.

NRA executive director Gary Black said retailers comparing notes on their workplace sustainable practices was fantastic for both the greater good of the community and for business growth. “Retailers realise that while they work in completely different sectors that have very different demands, they share the same consumers and have to respond to the same changing behaviour needs,” said Black. “The corporate social responsibility demonstrated by the organisations at our upcoming forum, reinforces the important leadership role retailers can play in driving the shift to sustainability. Exploring ways to introduce sustainable and efficient business practices offers new opportunities for cost reduction which should not be ignored,” he said.

The retail sector is one of the largest users of resources and producers of waste, yet awareness of environmental sustainability remains relatively low across the sector. “Retailers must work together to foster the implementation of cost-effective actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Black. “We are committed to educating retailers on the environmental and economic benefits of improved environmental performance.”

To be successful in marketing their product or service in an environmentally friendly way, an organisation must overcome consumer concerns that the organisation is simply acting in their own best interests and convince them that they are committed to sustaining society’s long-term interests at the same time. To do so, the organisation must look at all aspects of its business and seek ways to introduce environmentally friendly practices into their every day operations. Despite the risks, if it does successfully implement green policies there is potential for huge benefits, both from a consumer and sales point of view, as well as through a boost in its internal capabilities. Not only will a green approach offer positive benefits, but also as nature’s finite resources become more and more at risk, it will become a necessity to ensure their survival. Organisations who do not look for green solutions today, may find themselves out in the cold in the future.

Lachlann McDougall
Design Creative

Originally spotted in Inside Retail.

I just experienced a strange case of brand deja-vu on a mini break at Silverwater Resort. I was struck by the similarity of the Silverwater Resort brand to that of Emaar Properties.

The resort is in an idyllic spot overlooking Phillip Island. It has a lot going for it, especially if you have kids. But the similarity of the brand identity made me feel like the whole experience was not authentic.

The Silverwater and Emaar brand marks are very similar in graphic style and elements used. So much so, that without putting the logos side by side, the Silverwater logo seems like the Emaar logo in another colour. I even queried whether they were owned by Emaar, which would have made sense – apparently not!

Of course, there are several possible scenarios. One of the logos could be an imitation of the other, it may have been inspired by an already present design style or it could be just by chance that the designs look similar. Unfortunately, with brand identity design, there is a thin line between plagiarism, inspiration and coincidence.

I am surprised that this hasn’t been picked up before. Sure, I am very familiar with the Emaar brand, having spent six years in Dubai. I have also worked withe Emaar as a client, developing brands for their communities, shopping malls, destinations and buildings including Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building).

Emaar is also not a small, shy regional brand. It is one of most well known brands in the Middle East and also has extensive developments across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. A significant amount of Australians in the construction industry have worked for them or know of them. If you’ve visited Dubai, it is likely you would also be familiar with the brand.

The Emaar logo in its current form was launched in early 2004. The Silverwater Resort was launched in 2008. It seems unlikely that Emaar copied Silverwater.

However, apart from lazy design, it is also doubtful that Silverwater would benefit from an association with Emaar’s brand with local Aussies. However, international tourists, particularly from the Middle East might feel cheated that the familiarity and confidence in choosing the Silverwater Resort based on brand familiarity is not genuine – especially if they are expecting an understanding of Middle Eastern culture when they get to the resort.

To give either brand the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume the emulation was not deliberate. The idea behind both logos is not incredibly distinct or well crafted so it is possible this could be a coincidence. This is also makes it difficult for either to defend legally.

A brand’s identity is an important representation of the company’s image and reputation. It’s far more than a logo and needs to be carefully considered and crafted around a distinctive and authentic idea. Choosing a strategic brand design partner is essential to uncover your brand’s DNA and then bring it to life in a unique and compelling way to truly connect with your audiences, build loyalty and help your business survive and grow. Protecting this intellectual property legally is equally as important.

If you’d like to hear how Truly Deeply develops authentic and powerful brands that significantly enhance a company’s ability to compete and grow, I’d love to hear from you.

Michael Hughes
Director of Brand Strategy