THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF RETAIL BRANDING.
Last month we wrote an article for The Melbourne Review that explored the direction of market focused specialty retail. In the article we mentioned a client we’d worked with many moons ago who had a concept for an all male retail store. Well, the innovative, revolving retail space STORY is presenting HIS Story for their summer concept, an installation of 140 brands focused on men’s fashion and grooming products.
Last year when we created the brand and identity system for the guys at Bounce we had no idea it’d be quite this epic… (Watch the clip after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »
The Art of Creating Evocative Spaces
Each June I look forward to clamping my eyes on the work from this year’s Venice Art Biennale. The breadth and quality of work represented guarantees there’s always something inspiring to be seen. This year as I admired the installations I was struck by how the Biennale differs from most exhibitions – and that is by the nature of art created for installation. Art installations take-on an empty, neutral space and create an evocative and meaningful experience for those who enter.
Having worked in the property category, creating brands for apartments, residential developments & larger planned communities for many years, I was struck by the relevance of the Biennale’s work to display execution of property projects. Display suites and larger display centers are first and foremost meant to be spaces that inspire, that move people – spaces that create an emotional response. Yet the universal approach of the industry is so one dimensional – to reflect the interior design of the product, with a brief tip of the hat to local amenity. Having worked on a few, I know all-to-well the consistency of approach – map of community/apartment, house layouts, list of local amenity, location map with local landmarks, photos of happy families/hip young apartment dwellers/empty nesters enjoying their new life style.
What an opportunity there is to take inspiration from the bold, emotive gestures of the Venice Art Biennale and turn your displays into surprising, memorable and striking spaces that move people.
Promises are easily made but delivering on them is a constant challenge for any brand. One of the biggest tests for a brand is not in making the sale – it is in how they respond when the customer has a problem.
How you treat customers and how willing you are to make amends can be the difference between not only losing a customer but also using the opportunity to create a brand advocate.
Just a week after I last wrote about The Rise and Potential Fall of the Tom Waterhouse Brand, Tom publicly apologised for excessive use of advertising. In the same breath that he apologised he justified the former over use of his advertising campaigns because of the need to keep up with overseas players in the market and that competition is good for punters. He went on to say “Because I stand up as the bookmaker, and do not present as a faceless corporation, I also have, somehow, become the public face of the entire Australian gambling industry.” An obviously intelligent young man, it’s surprising that Tom didn’t see this coming.
The wedding industry is a fairly unique retail category, with short-term customers who, whilst being ultra-committed, are generally inexperienced in the area and unlikely to bring repeat business. Brands in this sector are notorious for exploiting these short-term relationships by overcharging and often under-delivering. Read the rest of this entry »
Behind Every Great Agency Is…
Often we are asked what makes our branding studio ‘chug’ along like a well oiled machine? Our agency is no different from any other well run business, the secret to our success is organization, systems and processes. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 tips for best practice in a creative practice to share with you.
The Dutch do not have to market to me. I love Amsterdam and I love the confident and friendly demeanor of the people living there. But for the Americans who have not been touched by what Holland has to offer, the launch in May of the campaign ‘Holland: The Original Cool’ is sure to stimulate some attention. Read the rest of this entry »
The Australian skincare label Aesop continues to be innovative in the retail arena with it’s beautifully considered instore sensory installations. Last weekend I happened to be walking down Gertrude St Fitzroy and came across a floor of Autumn leaves in the local Aesop store. Not only were the leaves eye catching and a celebration of the present season, they made me want to walk into the store and jump and stamp my way noisily through. Read the rest of this entry »
Creating a Great Brand in this Tough Market
In all our years of creating brands, we’ve never come-across a tougher category than not for profit. High on passion with a gazillion competitors battling for the philanthropic dollar, not-for-proft organizations are typically well meaning, but poorly branded. Not-so Movember who have had a clear view of who they are as a brand, and beautifully communicated that to their market of hairy bros and sistas from day one.
