My world of brands

Liguria in style.

2011-10-25T22:25:00.000+02:00

What is the definition of "Italian"? Is it Sicilian mafia, big gestures, great food or the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (the furniture fair)? Or is it perhaps traditional villas climbing the terraced hills of the Ligurian coast line?

Or maybe it's the perfect combination of old and new, traditional and modern, Italian and Scandinavian? At Villa Rosmarino, where I spent a night recently, it all comes together, and makes perfect Italian sense. Even on a rainy day. The traditional villa is renovated into a stylish and comfortable getaway by Mario Pietraccetta and Fulvio Zendrini, and is positioned on the lush slopes of little fishing village Camoglia.

Absolut/ely person/al

2011-02-15T12:56:00.000+01:00

We relate to brands much like we relate to people. Some enhance our personal image, some we feel indifferent towards, and yet some we would never want to be associated with. And we make a mistake if we think this only applies to B2C brands. Research show that the more complex and the higher the economical risk is, the more likely we are to be influenced by our emotions when making a buying decision. And even more so for B2B.

This is why my main focus in my brand strategy work is usually the brand personality. Getting to know it internally to form a mutual agreement, and then making sure everybody in the organization live and communicate this personality to the people on the outside (and new people coming in).

Some brands take this a little bit further. In a former bank in Stockholm, in a space called "Absolut Atelier", the brand Absolut Vodka moved in last November. It's said to be the home of the vodka brand, would it be a person. This is a place where the brand hosts creative workshops, bartender courses (Absolut Akademien), gala dinners and social interactions between employees, partners, media, creative collaborators and ambassadors of Absolut "in the true spirit or Absolut Vodka" (Bartenders Choice). I guess this is proof of concept of the Absolut philosophy: "Doing things differently leads to something exceptional in an Absolute world."

So, what does the home of the Absolut brand person look like? Anna Kamjou, Global Design Director and Björn von Matérn, Global Director Absolut Brand Education, describe how contrasts has been cruical in the eclectic miljeu, decorated with avant garde design mixed with cosy seating arrangements in the library. With its long history of artists creating Absolut art for advertising, this art is also an element present.

Absolut Atelier will stay open until November 2011 (who knows where the brand person will move next). Perhaps there is time to get invited for tea and get to know the Absolut brand person.

iPad magic saving the paper world.

2010-11-26T17:05:00.000+01:00

Read today that Richard Branson, or excuse me, Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin is launching a magazine only for iPad. Tuesday next week there will be a press conference in New York about "Project", the working title of the project.

Virgin has done virtually everything else in media but magazine publishing, and perhaps the timing is connected to a new subscription solution that Apple is launching for iPad. But it's most likely also connected to the fact that Branson wants the Apple magic to rub off onto Virgin and himself.

But Branson is obviously not the only one to spot a business and brand opportunity. Most major news conglomerates are lining up to create iPad versions of the dying paper dittos.

And, by the way, we are still awaiting Rupert Murdoch and News Corp's The Daily, said to launch in December.

Bred development.

2010-11-16T20:30:00.001+01:00

As we buy more and more semi- and pre-manufactured food, a counter-trend is simultaneously getting increasingly stronger: cooking advanced dinners and baking bread (particularly sourdough) will get you a lot of brownie-points in front of your trendy city-friends. I have to admit I fell for the sourdough movement and have been baking sourdough bread for the past two years.

The food chains are naturally catching on to the trend of the increased interest in cooking and, more recently, baking. And today I saw these two additions in my grocery shop.

One is a mix for making "lussekatter", a traditional Swedish kind of buns eaten before Christmas, and the other (and a greater surprise to me) is the super-flour Manitoba Cream, well-known in the sourdough subculture. The latter somewhat magical, in the sense that we've heard about this super flour, but very few of us have actually used it, since it's been very difficult to find in Sweden.

And so, today, I found Manitoba Cream in my regular food shop. No surprize, the front of the packet displayed a picture of one of Sweden's top names in baking, Jan Hedh. His brand promoting the flour brand and perhaps helping the brand to position itself among the speciality flour brands. The price? About €5 ($8)…

Peter Saville and the horrible branding people.

2010-11-15T23:38:00.001+01:00

A rainy day in November, I listen to Peter Saville talking at the University of Design and Craft in Gothenburg. Peter Saville, the designer behind legendary album covers for Joy Division and New Order and one of the founders of The Factory in Manchester in the 60's. He later worked in fashion, and with Yohji Yamamoto he challenged consumerism in the early 90's.

Peter Saville knows what he likes and what he doesn't like, and one thing he dislikes is marketing, communications and "the horrible branding people", who he feels are steeling our cultural heritage to position businesses.

Obviously knowing a lot about the music industry, Saville dismisses the idea that there is a clear communicative goal when designing a record cover:
– There is no real message that needs to be communicated on a record cover. It doesn't matter. The brief is that the artist is happy, that Madonna is happy. In the case of Joy Division and New Order there was no brief.

Peter Saville at the University of Design and Craft

Saville is today the Creative Director of the city of Manchester, his home city, where he feels he's got a certain obligation to give something back, since the city "made my career in the first place" and it is perhaps a way to continue to make a difference, an idea he holds high. But the position is also a way to reposition himself, his own brand.
– I hated what had happened in design, so I started working for Peter Saville.

Another way of expressing himself today is through art, and he states that the right place for self expression is at an art gallery. He will do a commercial job if he likes the people involved, though.
– It's ok to help someone communicating if they have something worth communicating.

His website is yet to come, or so we hope. I think there are lots of people who are interesting in finding out more about the brand of Peter Saville.

Recycled ideas

2010-11-05T11:34:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since my last post. The reason for this is that I've been busy. Not a really good reason, so I'll try to make it up to you from now on.

Today I came across an advert for T-Mobile which mimics the famous Mac Ads, and at the same time ironizes over the lately more and more criticized Apple brand. I'm not sure what I think about it. An avid Apple lover, I too have not been completely unaffected by the latest flaws and stories concerning the Job-run giant.

Here it is, see for yourselves:

A meter of African culture.

2010-06-23T16:16:00.001+02:00

Vuvuzela. The word reminds me of African smells, colours and moods. I find it fascinating that a whole world gets so upset over a one meter long piece of plastic. The vuvuzela was not, despite what many people might think, invented for the world cup this year, but has been used for years. Freddie ”Saddam” Maake claims to have invented the vuvuzela in 1965, and it has been popular since th 1990's on football games to annoy the opposite team and its supporters.

I don't mind a ban in other countries, but when in Rome… Or South Africa…

Royal theme.

2010-06-20T20:01:00.001+02:00

South Africa and royal weddings – it's the shit (pardon my French). For a weekend the wedding between Swedish princess Victoria and her now prince Daniel yesterday overshadowed the Football (Soccer) World Cup in South Africa. At least in Sweden, Germany and a few other countries i suspect.

Even I found myself in front of the TV to watch the king hand over his daughter to Daniel (you might know my feelings towards that detail…) and in today's paper wedding was the theme of the day, even for adverts. Here is one. (Congratulations to the bride and groom. Hope you'll soon be 3.)

Slow Brands 1.1

2010-06-04T14:11:00.000+02:00

A while ago I wrote about Slow Brands, admiring the famous but soon to be extincts advertising murals painted on walls in major American cities, such as New York. Like slow food is becoming increasingly more popular as people start putting value on their time, perhaps we're seeing a new trend of advertising murals appearing.

Design and brand agency Hedlund Noodapera has painted the walls at Helsinki International Airport, Vanda, and Kastrup in Copenhagen for client First Card (payment system for administering travel costs for larger companies). The choice of painting the walls instead of printing on another material was chosen to achieve the brilliant colours that are impossible to get when printing. But Clear Channel, in charge of the advertising space at Helsinki Airport had first to be convinced through example screens made in scale 1:3.

The murals now cover a total area of about 100 square meters. Perhaps a good reason to travel via Copenhagen or Helsinki this summer?

Read article (in Swedish) about the project.

Arnell's oranges and other tips on personal branding.

2010-05-25T18:09:00.001+02:00

Brand guru / Mad Man / Brand Genius / Bernie Madoff of brands / one of the great brand impresarios of our age. Peter Arnell has been called many names. Last year his reputation was at stake with the Tropicana packaging fiasco, but Arnell has a long list of successful work for brands like Samsung, Donna Karan, Banana Republic, McDonald's, Home Depot and Pfizer.

A few years ago Arnell lost 250 pounds, partly by changing his diet into an extensive amount of oranges (as many as 50 a day). He has now written a book, Shift, about personal branding. Some of the chapter names: Start Your Own Orange Revolution, Reinvent The Obvious, Un-write Your Life, Go Helium, Create A Fan Club and Making Our Place in History tells something about the kind of content one can expect to find. Foreword by Martha Stewart and endorsed by Donna Karan and Mark Wahlberg among others.

Read an excerpt here.

Over and out – we'll miss you Mac and PC.

2010-05-25T00:35:00.002+02:00

A legendary ad campaign has come to an end: After 66 movies with Justin Long and John Hodgman starring Mac and PC, Apple has decided to abandon the famous and appreciated campaign Get a Mac. The "Why you'll love a Mac" campaign has now replaced all the fabulous Mac ads on Apple's website.

The campaign was created by TBWA Media Arts Lab, and it recieved an Effie in 2007 and was named the campaign of the decade by Adweek. It was probably the reason behind Microsoft's decision to hire Crispin Porter + Bogusky to fight back Apple's attacs on PC.

I have used the Get a Mac movies in many seminars and workshops and I promise they'll become even more famous in the afterlife.

Royal place branding.

2010-05-21T15:55:00.000+02:00

Sweden is considered one of the most modern countries in the world. Yet we are a monarchy. Perhaps it's by habit, or possibly because it gives people a sense of historical connection. One thing is clear though, the spotlight have been pointed to the members in the Swedish royal family lately, for different reasons.

What I'd like to address today is the royal wedding between crown princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, a boy from a small town in the middle of Sweden, and how their wedding will affect the brand "Sweden". A few weeks ago I laid my eyes on the wedding invites at the printing house who printed them (I did unfortunately not take a photo…), and my reaction was instant: How bland! Take a princess belonging to the royal family of one of the world's most modern countries, a country which is known, among other things, for its design. Result: a new royal (soon to be) married couple, becoming ambassadors for new Swedish design?

Not at all. Instead we see design which is very correct, very well made (it's not bad at all), but oh so boring and safe. But come to think of it, why should we be surprized? The princess herself has wished for her father, the king, to lead her to the altar, a tradition abandoned many years ago by the Swedish Church, as a symbol of old stereotypical gender roles and not worthy any modern woman of today.

Back to the royal design. The pattern that has been created for the royal wedding is now seen on a number of product ranges (by companies that have been approved to carry the stamp "Kunglig Hovleverantör"), from chocolate, to cookies, to coffee. All are part of promoting the royal wedding (and thus gaining from it) and by this shaping the brand image of a country.

Here are some examples from around town:

Slow brands.

2010-05-17T14:47:00.003+02:00

I just watched a fantastic little documentary on the men (it's always been and still is men) who paints the murals on walls in New York. I'm fascinated by the patience and love these men convey when performing the artistic masterpieces on walls high above the hustle and bustle of the city.

Slow brands, like slow food, is a fantastic way of displaying and devouring a brand. The murals are taken over by quicker methods, like printed vinyl, but they are still there.

Film by Malcolm Murray. Concept: Mother NY. Production Co: Mekanis.

Up there.

Another gadget.

2010-05-04T17:55:00.000+02:00

I recently wrote about how to avoid buying unnecessary gadgets. Well, I recently made a trip to the Big Apple and guess what, I've bought THE completely unnecessary gadget: the iPad (or maxiPad as it is called by some). They're not yet on the market here in Sweden and I couldn't resist buying the upsized version of the iPhone.

It started the day after my arrival. I visited the 24/7 Apple Store on fifth avenue and quickly found out the new 3G version would be released at the end of the week and so decided to wait. The day after the release I went back. In store after store (there are four around Manhattan) they were sold out. Both versions. And after much discussion with the Apple people I decided not to buy the 3G version after all since nobody could promise it would work in Europe. Now I just had to find a place where they weren't sold out. The day same day I was scheduled for departure I found my iPad. In the store on fifth avenue where my search had started a week earlier.

After returning home yesterday we have now been introduced and slowly getting to know one another. The problem right now is how to buy apps since it doesn't connect to the Swedish iTunes. But after mirroring my iPhone apps, at least I've got started with Spotify and a few necessities.

So, here she is:

Place branding: South Orange, New Jersey

2010-04-24T14:04:00.000+02:00

If you would have asked me in the late nineties what I thought about New Jersey, the answer would have been: "I don't". I was living in New York at the time, and New Jersey was a black hole. Crossing the Hudson river was something you did only when homesickness struck and you took the free bus to Ikea, to eat Swedish meatballs and watch the Scandinavian Airlines planes lift and land at Newark Airport.

Manhattan was the place to be. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was slowly starting to wake up and attract artist souls, like my my photographer friends, but walking there at night was still an adventure. My base was the Spanish Harlem, which also made New Yorkers frown and ask how on earth I could live there, and if it wasn't really dangerous. 105th between 5th avenue and Lexington still left a lot to wish for, but you couldn't beat the location right next to one of the nicest little parks in the Park (Central Park that is).

But New Jersey (or New Joycey as it was sometimes referred to)… Later on it became Soprano land, but then all we thought about in connection to it was house wifes and conservatives.

Yesterday I arrived in Newark airport. Luckily, I might add, considering the volcano ash adventure. I took a cab to South Orange, NJ. My friends from back in the nineties live there today. So much has changed. New Jersey still sports the image of a lesser brother to New York, but there are parts, like South Orange, with a completely modified brand image.

In South Orange you find the New Yorkers who wanted to continue their free minded New York lives and still start a family. The people caring for community gardens and organic food. People of mixed backgrounds, still working on Manhattan.

I've only just arrived but I'm looking forward to find out more and add some pics. For now, see the link.

Puma's clever little bag.

2010-04-16T13:50:00.003+02:00

Puma is taking a step in the sustainable direction as they introduce a new shoe box, which is more like a shoe bag: Clever little bag, designed by Yves Behar. The thinking behind it goes along with the Puma vision: Fair, honest, positive, creative.

The brand aims to save 8 500 tons of paper, 20 million megajoules of electricity and 1 million liters of water, and to reduce carbon dioxide by 10 000 tons. Their goal is to change the industry and eventually the world.

I'd like more of this. How about for tooth paste? Or the fast food meal?

Winds of change.

2010-04-15T00:53:00.000+02:00

I mentioned a while ago that I'm searching for a new name for my company. I'm also, as we speak, working on my new website. It will be launched in August/September if everything goes according to plan. In the meantime I am going to start using this space to show a little bit of what I do. For a quick look at a project I have been very involved with, look at GLC:s website.

GLC is short for Göteborgs Lastbilcentral (quick translation: Gothenburg Truck Central), and the transport and logistics company has been central to Western Sweden's business life since 1935. I'll tell you more about the change management process they went through as their new CEO entered the scene (from DHL), and the brand workshops, seminars, brand platform and communications work (where the website is but one small but important part) I did together with advertising agency InTime more thoroughly another time.

The 60's is back.

2010-04-14T10:08:00.004+02:00

The good old days is an expression used in all kinds of situations, usually referring to some nostalgic notion that today's world is harsher, colder, more stressful, less happy, you name it. Since Mad Men entered our lives the good old days seem to be here again, at least if you are to believe the less than subtle signs around you.

So here are just some: Which advertising agency today does not want to be compared to the Mad Men team? Any interior design magazine with any sense of self respect is reporting about the new 60's trends in interior and product design.

Another example is the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet) in Malmö, which opened up a few months ago in the old center for electricity building, which was rebuilt into a 60's pop colour shock in orange and bright yellow (both interior and exterior!) by Tham & Videgård arkitekter. They museum opened up with an exhibition called Spectacular Times, which showcases the museum's collection of art pieces from the 60's (there is also a part of the exhibition called Pierre Leguillion features – Dianne Arbus: A Printed Retrospective, 1960-1971).

I wonder which of these 60's brand markers we'll see more of this summer: Swedes skinny dipping in cold lakes at night, house wives cooking dinner with one hand and cigarette in the other… Finally an ad in the paper last weekend, and an article from the latest issue of Elle Interiör (Swedish Elle Decoration).

How to not buy another gadget.

2010-04-13T10:43:00.001+02:00

I've got a small sailboat. It sleeps four but you can't stand upright in it (it's a 24 feet Misil II from 1976 in 1970's yellow, for those of you who might be interested). It's the same type I sort of grew up in, and my dad built, so it's a lot of nostalgia for me. So far all I've used for navigation is the sea chart and the compass. But this year I started thinking about finally getting myselt some sort of GPS plotter (reluctantly, I might add).

After investigating brands like Garmin, Lowrance, Eagle and Humminbird I was still not convinced I should buy yet another gadget. What about my iPhone? Wasn't there some clever application I could buy, that would work not on the 3G network (not very reliable on the ocean) but on satellite?

A few days ago my dad told me he had read about a new app, 88 sea, made by a Gothenburg based company. And it's a fraction of the price of a small, handheld GPS plotter for boating. If it's good I've saved myself another gadget, which is good both for my bank account and for the environment. Perfect!

Finding new interpretors.

2010-03-26T13:51:00.007+01:00

I spent my lunch hour today listening to Roberto Verganti – professor at Politecnico di Milano – as he spoke about "Design Driven Innovation" at HDK design school in Göteborg. To be honest, I was a bit distracted during his speech – I am quite preoccupied by thinking about my own company and it's offerings at the moment – but some of the things he spoke of caught my attention.

His main topic discussed the fact that lots of companies today use design as an advantage in driving innovation, which makes it no advantage at all anymore (everybody is doing it). The challenge is instead to give meaning or significance to the products we make, in order to create an advantage. This is something I can relate to in my world of brands where the brand core is not about what a company does but how.

Roberto went on to speak about the importance new interpretors of a product/concept when working with innovation. He used Apple as an example (not very unique but a good example indeed) and how the company not only appointed Ken Segall as Creative Director, but also worked with designers who had never designed computers before. The outcome in 1998: The iMac, looking nothing like our idea of a computer (and the name was long debated too before "i" became the most used prefix in the world of technical devices), and the device "Think different" (it was dreamed up by an art director, Craig Tanimoto). The computer was a radical proposal on a market filled with grey boxes, but became a success, by fitting very well in a home environment, at a time when the Internet was exploding and people started surfing from home. (Read more about the birth of the iMac here.)

Roberto's final call to action was to find the new interpretors to create the advantage. Something to think about in the world of branding indeed.

Read more about Roberto and his new book "Design Driven Innovation" here and here.

The book by Roberto Verganti

The name game

2010-03-25T15:45:00.003+01:00

I'm running my own company where I develop brands for different companies. Up until now I've been using my own name (Ida Alfredsson) and added "brand & design consultant". It's worked fairly well, but recently I started a branding process for my own company (I decided to pay someone else to do it for good sports). And needless to say, I was thrown into the name game. So now I'm consulting everybody around me and getting all sorts of suggestions (with varying quality, I might add) as to what the name of my company should be.

The challenge is this: I work with both strategy/analysis AND creativity/design. I work with developing brand strategies, analyzing the souls of brands, visualizing brand cores and personas, helping companies implement brand strategy internally and externally, creating brand identities, and even doing campaigns (advertising if you will). Sometimes alone and sometimes with other specialists. And sometimes in bigger agency teams. I also do brand seminars and workshops. I sometimes teach /visual/ communication to university students and I occasionally write about brands in design magazines. Oh, and I wrote a book about the communication between creatives and their clients. I'm based in Sweden but occasionally do work for companies in other countries.

So if you have any ideas for a name, they are more than welcome!

A brand gathering.

2010-03-22T14:50:00.009+01:00

The Swedish Franchise Association gathers franchise companies around Sweden – from Swedish McDonald's to Swedbank – and has been a client of mine for quite some time now. I've helped them mostly with smaller pieces of communication, but a while back the board decided it was time for a new logo, and later on, also a new name for marketing purposes (Svensk Franchise).

After a number of drafts the logo was developed – based on the idea of the dandelion symbolizing a n organic gathering point for numerous individual seeds, or what the association aims to be for its members.

A few days ago the new website was launched, which aims to be a living channel to existing members as well as a window for marketing the organization. The site targets mainly a Swedish audience but a short summary in English is available. The site is maintained and updated by the association.

A brand new decade.

2009-12-18T08:54:00.010+01:00

Over the past months (it's been almost nine months since my last brand confession) I've gone through a brand crisis, asking myself what good brands really do in the greater scheme of things. Can brands make the world a better place? Can they help stop climate change? My questions led me to take an indefinite break in writing.

During this time the world has continued on its own. Social media exploded. The climate debate is getting louder. I don't think there are really clear answers to my questions, but I've decided to break the brand break. Below are five brands that are doing their bit in changing the world.

1) Avaaz is a "global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people want".

2) TOMS shoes is saving the world by giving a way one pair of shoes for every pair sold.

3) Aspen design summit gathered top executives in search for solving global challenges.

4) Cop 15 (15th United Nations Climate Change Conference) failed to create a world wide contract of CO2 emission decrease, but succeeded in raising climate awareness among people all over the world.

5) Creatables is a small Swedish design firm started by an engineer. They design products from industrial waste materials.

6) In November this year, AIGA and Winterhouse Institute organized the Aspen Design Summit, who brought together some 60 top executives (Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO was one of them) with the aim of solving large social problems by applying design thinking.

I wish you all a brand new decade!

A brand at heart

2009-03-23T17:39:00.004+01:00

Ronja was my favourite, wild and dreamy, doing what she liked. And Madicken wasn't so bad either, though sometimes the stories around her a bit scary, like when Lisabeth hitch-hiked with the evil man and was left in the snow, before the nice couple picked her up. And Pippi, of course. And the Lion Heart Brothers…

There is no author that has shaped my childhood more than Astrid Lindgren. Just as she has influenced children all over the world.

The brand of Astrid lives on, not just in the hearts of all of us, but also on the Internet. The official website of Astrid Lindgren (run by her family, through the company Saltkråkan AB) has just been updated (in time for the Astrid Lindgren award), eleven years since it was first launched. So far it's in Swedish, but an English version is on the way. And perhaps other languages too.

In my opinion the site is a bit PC (politically correct), but anything for Astrid, hey!

To Mexico with love

2009-02-08T18:57:00.005+01:00

Ever since I laid my hands on The New Guide To Identity, by Wolff Olins, I've been an admirer of brand guru Wally Olins. His approach to brand strategy is more accessible than for example David A. Aaker's.

Olins is now the chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants, and to make a long story short, I came across their identity work for new Mexican bank El Banco Deuno – ‘One's bank’ (I don't think Saffron is responsible for the website, at least I hope they're not). Although the logo has a slight resemblance with Dunkin Donuts, I like the way it feels like Mexico (where I've never been, by the way, but have a clear brand image of it in my head). It's warm, welcoming and playful, but slightly serious at the same time (which could be good for a bank, right?). "The new bank for the new Mexico" is the tagline.

All in all I like the handling of typography (the alphabet is inpired by a pre-Columbian pattern), but what's up with the C? It doesn't optically align with the B and the U in the logo (sorry, I'm getting tangled up in details here). But, as I said, I like it, and here it is:

But hey, what's up with the name? I'm getting confused. Saffron calls them El Banco Deuno, but they call themselves El Banco de Uno (which of course seems more right, if you know a bit of Spanish)… Anybody know?

30 year old new design

2009-01-28T18:59:00.007+01:00

Brindfors (or Lowe Brindfors) is one of Sweden's larger ad agency brands (with clients like Saab and Tiger of Sweden). In time for their 30th anniversary, Brindfors is launching a new graphic design program, with funny stickers and a touch of the seventies. The base is a specially designed typeface – called Brindfors. Colours are said to be inspired by the office building the agency is calling their home.

The aim is to make something "personal and yet professional, and it was important with the witty tone of voice", says Art Director Noel Pretorius who worked together with Time Scheibel on the project.

People already find the new desig to be a bit too close to multi-talent brand Acne. I have to agree.

Overview of the graphic design program

Brindfors Black Display and Text

The old logotype

Time to move back to NYC?

2009-01-27T13:56:00.004+01:00

There are more reasons to love New York than the fact that there is strong support for the new president. In February, my favorite brand, British Orla Kiely, is launching their new collection for Target.

From beautiful place mats, storage boxes and serving ware to a fabulous 50's apron, the collection makes me question ever leaving the Big Apple. I even heard rumors of the opening of a brand store, but so far I haven't had that confirmed. Anybody know if they've opened yet?

My favourites are the place mats and the apron…

No more bush

2009-01-23T09:30:00.002+01:00

Another example of a brand that exploits the Obama fever, in another fashion, is Veet. I don't know about you, but it made me smile.

Wonderland chocolate

2009-01-22T08:50:00.004+01:00

When I was young, my parents used to read to me. If I can remember correctly, it was mostly Astrid Lindgren, but on occasion the quirky tale by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, or Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland.

Perhaps Switzerland really is where Alice's went down the rabbit-hole, but I always imagined Wonderland to be positioned in England. In any case, Swiss chocolate brand Alice doesn't contain any visible anthropomorphic creatures, but experiencing the website with its music box tune somehow still puts me in that special, sad but wonderful mood I felt when listening to the story about Alice.

The combination with the packaging and the dark and mysterious (?) chocolate, makes me start believing in this little world…

Change is in the air

2009-01-21T15:05:00.007+01:00

With a new president in the world's (still) most influential nation, the US brand is about to change. At least this is what the world, and most US citizens, hope for.

Like many other companies, Swedish furniture company IKEA surfed on the Obama change wave, and launched the outdoor campaign Embrace change 09. A full scale replica of the Oval Office was placen at Union Station in Washington and furnished by the furniture giant. Barack Obama was offered free furniture if he chose to furnish the Oval Office with IKEA's products.

I'm quite disappointed with IKEA's choice of furniture. Being Swedish, I regard them as having a better sense of interior decoration. And I also wonder if the chosen furniture would be Obama's chioce. I hope not.

In an online part of the campaign, even non-presidents have a chance to furnish the Oval Office. The link Change begins at home takes the user to a virtual office to furnish. Quite funny, but they could have made more realistic furniture graphics.

Another company that is cleverly hitch-hiking on the Obama fever is upmarket pre-designed corporate id oneline shop johnlook.com. With the new concept, Look for change, you can easily get you Obama-like business cards, complete with the same typface (Gotham, by Tobias Frere-Jones, made for GQ magazine in 2001) that the American president has been using in his campaign. Clever John!

Beautiful brands with a history

2009-01-19T17:13:00.005+01:00

Packaging is one of the traces that a brands leave behind, and a very tactile expression of identity. On Rue Anchieta in Lisbon, Portugal, resides a store with an interesting mix of old brands. A Vida Portuguesa, open since May 2007 and owned by Caterina Portas, focuses on brands 40 years old or more. Have a look at some of their beautifully packaged brands!

SAS takes off?

2009-01-19T15:33:00.007+01:00

With the late financial turbulence in the airline industry, it was surprising to read about Scandinavian Airlines, SAS, and their initiative to invite the public to take part in a marketing contest. The aim was to collect ideas for SAS's marketing.

The airline company collaborated with Mypitch, and 51 entries were collected, ranging from clients and creatives in different countries. Three finalists were chosen on January 12th and on January 15th a winner, graphic designer Joakim Werner, was announced.

Werner's campaign idea, "Up and down" is exploring the phenomenon of up and down movements in an airport. "Planes taking off, putting down suitcases, lifting suitcases, standing up, sitting down, etc."

The words from SAS about the winner: "This synopsis shows good balance between emotional and rational. We land in a clear sense of where the airline through smooth and good service will be an enabler for customers' personal meetings, private as well as for business purposes. In short, brilliant and modern interpretation that may well be on to a production company."

Many of the entries were of high creative standard, but marketing director Ulf Hermansson-Samell says SAS is unsure if the winning campaign idea will be used.

Personally I think it's questionable for companies to collect possibly brilliant marketing ideas for almost no money. The best three pitches were awarded €1000 each, and the winner recieved additional €2000.

Part of Joakim Werner's pitch

Enough is enough in the world of graphic software.

2009-01-15T16:11:00.009+01:00

Back in the days when QuarkXPress still held the graphic design and advertising world in a firm grip, we were all complaining about the prices they charged for an update, or worse, buying the program anew. PageMaker had become obsolete, and we were all confined to Quark world, which gave us no option to choose a different software provider. On top of it all, the Quark service had hit rock bottom.

Then came InDesign, and eventually even the most adament of us Quark users slowly gave up and finally surrendered. It felt good to use three programs (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) made by the same company, Adobe. Programs that worked well together. So all should be fine and world peace and all of that?

Not really. Now running a monopoly in the world of graphic software, Adobe has increased their prices by packaging their software in new and clever ways (the Creative Suite, CS), and by gradually giving their brand a more exclusive and modern polish, we are made to believe we're paying a resonable price.

Just recently, The Creative Suite 4 was released, and Adobe charges the stunning €3 569 for the full version (InDesign itself costs €1 010). That's much more than I paid for my new MacBook Pro, including the extra memory I installed.

If you ask me, Adobe is slowly killing their brand, and their relations to the users, by charging a fortune for their software. Computer-literates already crack every new version that's released onto the market, and I'm convinced we'll see other brands taking market share within a few years.

Creative Suite 4 by Adobe.

An apple a day.

2008-12-30T23:09:00.006+01:00

My first acquaintance with a Mac, 14 years ago, was a revelation. I was working at my first advertising agency and convinced I'd always get a headache when approaching one of those grey PC monsters.

Then one day a big box arrived, and from this box a new computer was unveiled. From the first moment we were introduced I realised I had met a computer that understood the way my brain worked (as you all know, computers are all creatures and work either for or against you). I've been an Apple fan ever since.

Today I became a proud owner of a new 15 " MacBook Pro. My old PowerBook G4 work horse has been a loyal friend for a stunning four years and three countries, and I am a bit sad to say goodbye. I hope my new beauty will be just as faithful.

Recycled Christmas

2008-12-16T12:23:00.004+01:00

I'm so happy I'm going away for Christmas this year and don't have to join the buying frenzy, which I have come to detest. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept, or brand, of Christmas. The food, the gathering, the candles, the singing… It's all a fantastic way to survive the darkest period up north. And Christmas stands for something precious, for me anyway.

But all this hysteric shopping I just can't stand. Why not do something sustainable for Christmas instead, I thought, and decided to contribute to a slightly better world.

This is my recycled Christmas tree – which probably belonged to someone else last year – complete with decorated with street art angels from Cape Town, South Africa.

And here are another tip for helping shape the Christmas brand into a more sustainable tradition: Give your loved ones an experience, like a spa treatment, a movie ticket, a night of baby sitting or a ticket to the hockey game.

Merry Christmas!

Another brand not quite as stylish

2008-12-11T22:23:00.004+01:00

I just read in BusinessWeek about another brand that's trying to shift its position in the marketplace with the help of packaging, namely McDonalds. As we all know, the giant chain has been under pressure for some years now due to health issues, and with its new and crispier looking packaging McDonalds are trying to "create unique personalities for our menu items by telling a story about each one" according to Mary Dillon, McDonald's global chief marketing officer.

Creating brand personalities, for the consumer to connect to and identify with, is an often used tool in branding, and I suppose the big chain wants to do some buddying up with health concerned people to keep its market share. According to an article on the blog Fast Food News the packaging is first introduced in the UK, the US and Ireland, adn will be rolled out world wide during 2010, so I'll have to go out and decide if it's better than before.

I'd still rather have my burgers grilled…

Drinking glögg in style

2008-12-11T15:59:00.007+01:00

This is the time of the year for drinking glögg here in Sweden. For those of you not familiar with the beverage, it's Sweden's version of Glühwein (but in my opinion glögg tastes much better).

Blossa is probably the most famous brand of glögg around, and since 1993 they have released a special edition of glögg each year, each designed by one of my favourite design and branding agencies, BVD.

This year's blueberry edition of 500,000 bottles was released on November 3 to Systembolaget's outlets all around Sweden (and sorry, I don't think you can buy it outside Sweden). Since then the bottle has won a number of design awards for it's packaging. And it's indeed nicely designed.

And just to show you the development over the years, here are all bottles since 1993.

Here's the Blossa website. Skål!

Brand inspiration

2008-12-05T19:21:00.007+01:00

Dispite the aftermath of a 48 hour migraine, I was determined to attend today's seminar with Mary Jo Hatch, professor emerita in organization theory who has worked as a consultant within branding in the US, Europe and Brazil for brands such as LEGO, Intel, Nissan, Johnson & Johnson and others. The seminar was arranged by Business and Design Lab at The School of Business here in Gothenburg, and it was worth the effort.

For those of you remotely interested in the connection between branding, design methods, identity and orgaizational culture, she is a person of real interest. Her two topics for the afternoon were the research she has conducted within branding and organizational culture together with Majken Schultz, resulting in the book Taking Brand Initiative - How Companies Can Align Strategy, Culture, and Identity Through Corporate Branding. Her description of her and Schulz's theories in general, and the Lego case study in particular, illustrated her theoretic models about identity, image, culture and vision nicely.

Hatch's other topic covered German artist Joseph Beuys' thoughts on social scuplture, and Hatch's theories of the connection between that and organizational culture. The bottom line was that organizations are a work in progress, and that the moment they stop evolving they become obsolete.

Hatch's seminar was a great inspiration. Her words about marketing consultants' and companies' fascination with core values will stick with me: "We live values. We don't state them."

On the way home I had to stop by my favourite burger place brand 7:ans to get myself a coffee milkshake.

I have no pics from the seminar, but here's one of her book (you find it in most online book shops).

Wine weekend

2008-11-28T14:44:00.004+01:00

It's Friday and I have a recommendation for the weekend wine purchasing. Being a fan of South African wines I mostly favour labels like Porcupine Ridge and Roodeberg. But now I have a new favourite ("bubblare" as we say in Swedish): Lat 42. It's a Rioja Gran Reserva from 2001 and I'm not sure if you can still buy it around the world, since Swedish Systembolaget (still a state monopoly) seems to have stocked up on all of the bottles. But give it a try! It's definately worth the € 8.

Here it is. Skål!

Baking course at Saltå Kvarn

2008-11-22T10:50:00.008+01:00

The fact that Saltå Kvarn is one of my favourite brands you probably know from before. Last weekend I finally did what I've been longing to do for a long time. I went to a sour dough baking course with Manfred, the head of the bakery at Saltå Kvarn. I'm not going to bore you with the details of different sour dough starters, wild yeast, barley bread and measurements of ecological flour, but I'll proudly show you some pics from the experience.

Sour dough day 2.

Dough sample…

Rye bread in the oven.

Sample, ready to eat…

The shop next door. For all your flour needs…

If you think it looks tempting I can only recommend to contact Manfred.

Late night peer group special

2008-11-21T14:28:00.003+01:00

Late last night I cycled down the street of Avenyn in central Gothenburg. It's a street known for its night life, its nasty bouncers and for hords of brats. As I passed by the mosts popular hot dog place (for those late night snacks…) I suddenly stopped. In addition to their usual range of burgers, hot dogs, tacos and vegetarian dishes, I saw this sign:

Fantastic! For a mere 5000 Swedish Crowns (equals to €500) you can, if you have the right manly size wallet, order a gold plated veal burger with an engraved metal plate… Such a nice idea considering the clientèle…

Obama + USA = a new and improved image?

2008-11-11T20:15:00.004+01:00

On the topic of place branding, I just have one small thing to write today. I will call it the question of the day: What will Obama do for the brand of the US of A?
I'm sure we'll come back to this topic in the future.

A love affair.

2008-10-31T23:27:00.009+01:00

I've got to admit it. I'm having an affair. It started that day in New York, in September 1999. A friend was getting married and I was back in town, invited to the wedding as a friend and entertainer (maybe it was those sweet love songs that inspired me).

It was in the Meatpacking District. I was hooked by the style – stylish, simple and yet so passionate. And one thing led to another. You know how it is… But time passes and lovers turn into friends. Other lovers come and go and the years pass on…

And then it happened again. It's when you fall in love the second time that you're really hooked. This time it was in Göteborg, Sweden, and there was nothing I could do. The revival was total. Both of us had grown up a bit – I suppose that's what life's all about. We found each other yet again and this time there's no turning back. The love affair is a fact and I admit it.

Which is why I couldn't resist it. I know I shouldn't have, but here it is, my latest addition to my traveling kit. The bag. The myth. The magic. My love.

Brand coincidence – a rude awakening.

2008-10-31T22:16:00.006+01:00

One good thing about being based in Sweden is the easy access to skin and hair products with no perfume or unnecessary additives. And you don't have to pay a fortune for them either (thank you, Apoteket!). So I'm always welcoming new brands providing an even wider selection. And if the packaging looks decent, it's even better.

Last week I read about newly launched brand Estelle & Thild (the name derives from owner Mathilda Rönnberg's two daughters) in this article in Resumé (text in Swedish!). It's a line of ecologically certified (by Ecocert) skin and hair products for babies and children, and I could bore you with all the details about how wonderful they are, but I won't, since that's not my point.

What I'm getting at is this: A few days ago I opened the latest issue of Residence (Swedish edition), and found an ad about Estelle & Thild. Or so I assumed. When I looked closer it was an article. A coincidence? I think not. Don't get me wrong here, a magazine can chose to write about anything they like. Anything at all. But I'd like to think of some magazines as being a little bit more picky than to write about what companies feed them in press releases.

Ok, maybe I've been living in a bubble, but it's still a rude awakening. And that's coming from someone who deals with the brand thing all day long. I think I'll go tend to my sourdough bread instead.

(Oh, and if you want to have a look at the brand, here it is.)

When branding becomes personal.

2008-10-28T13:26:00.002+01:00

What happens when branding moves into the personal level? If you used your own self and created a set of guidelines for how to be displayed in various situations?

A while ago I came across an interesting blogpost at johnson banks' "Thought for the week". The people at johnson banks had been sent a set of graphic identity guidelines. For a person. It was Sydney-based designer Chris Doyle (he works for Moon Group in Sydney) who was wondering how his personal identity would be documented if it were considered in graphic design terms.

Colour variations, formal, casual, what not to do, clearance space… It's all there. "Christopher Doyle™ Identity Guidelines 2008" was entered into a competition, where he also displayed himself live.

Does it sound weird? It's hilarious! I have to get my hands on this printed piece! If you haven't looked already, do so here!

Youth brands

2008-09-17T17:30:00.003+02:00

Just a few days before Interbrand reveals it's Best Global Brands 2008 (22 September is the day it happens), Swedish The Tomorrow Story came out with Brilliant Brands, a survey among Swedish youth about the hottest brands in this target group. Surprisingly (apparently), both brands that aim for this segment in their advertising, as well as brands that don't target the segment at all, are among the highest rated.

So, here's the list of the hottest brands for 15-24-yearolds:
Jeans – Cheap Monday
Sneakers – Converse
Sport – Nike
Cell phones – Sony Ericsson
Operators – Comviq
Make up – Make Up Store
Drink – Coca Cola
Chocolate – Marabou
Chewing Gum – Extra

View the full list here!

Sweden is…

2008-05-21T21:20:00.003+02:00

It's about time for another brand insight. What can I say, it's the time of year when Sweden is changing. From suicidal to extatic. From grey, dark and depressing, to light, green and promising. The same country, same brand. How is this possible?

Brand dissonance - or why we should read for ourselves.

2008-02-10T20:09:00.000+01:00

One of the strongest personal brands in the world right now is Nelson Mandela – or "Madiba" as he's called by his fellow South Africans. We all have a pretty unified picture of who he is, or at least of what he's accomplished, helping South Africa on the way to a brighter future. And still today, at the age of 89 (he is turning 90 in July), earning the respect of the people of his country and world leaders alike.

Since my first visit to South Africa in 1999, I have been meaning to read Long Walk To Freedom, Mandela's autobiography. The book has been staring at me from my bookshelf, no matter where in the world I have been residing. But I haven't gotten around to reading it. And then, last week, I saw the recorded CD version at the library, and thought it would be the perfect book to listen to during my trip to Barcelona. So I borrowed it and started listening, excited about finally "reading" it.

From living in South Africa, I know some of the different cultures and language fine tuning. Mandela is Xhosa, whose language contains three click sounds. He's also born and bred in a country where lots of words are influenced by Afrikaans (the "africanised" Dutch).

Then came the disappointment. The book was read by Danny Glover, the American actor. I have nothing against Danny – he makes a fine cop in Lethal Weapon and The Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favourites. But I could bear only a couple of minutes of listening. This was not the Mandela I knew, and not the country which I call my other home. Listening to Glover trying to pronounce the Xhosa and Afrikaans words didn't turn me on at all. It was merely confusing.

The morals of this story? Most likely: any brand dissonance, even if it concerns a country or a person, is confusing, and thus creating frustration among the target audience. And: God is in the details, like the design guru said.

Or perhaps: Don't be a lazy ass. Read the book yourself.

The brand as a year.

2008-01-13T18:00:00.000+01:00

We're used to thinking about the brand as a product, a company, or even a person. Something with some sort of image attached – whether you like it, detest it, would like to be friends with it, or simply don't care. Perhaps we've heard companies talking about brand equity, and we've definitely seen tons of adverts trying to change our attitudes towards a specific product or a whole company.

But even years can be seen from the brand perspective. Have a taste at these words: The brand as a year. 2008 is lying mostly untouched ahead of us, and it's time to think about what we want it to be like. For politicians it's about the nation, the region, or the city. For you, the individual, it's about matters closer to home. Is it finally time you stop smoking? Or buy that house despite the rumble on the property market in the big country out west? Or perhaps make the biggest decision of your life and move to another country?

There is no telling what our perception of 2008 will be, in retrospect. Just think about 1968 – what does that year bring to mind? Or 2001? We all have personal perceptions about certain dates in time, but from a bigger perspective, don't we all share some common perceptions?

2007 has ended and initially I thought of nominating all the brands of the year – such as the person of the year, the decision of the year, or perhaps even the nation of the year (and I may still, later). But instead I want to pose the following question: which will be the prevailing image of the year 2007? For me, 2007 was the year when I returned to Göteborg, Sweden, from Cape Town, South Africa. As well as the year I started my brand & design consultancy company.

But which will be the unified image of 2007? The image most people will share? Perhaps the year when the world finally awoke to find the environmental nightmare to be true? Or the year when Benazir Bhutto was assasinated? The year when Carl von Linné would have turned 300 (he was born on 23 May 1707)? If we ask Wikipedia, 2007 is the year of Rumi, and the dolphin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007). And what will 2007 be remembered as in 100 years?

Happy New Year!

merry christmas cards

2007-12-13T10:25:00.000+01:00

To do or not to do (and when)? And what do they tell people about you and your brand? That is the question when it comes to the annual christmas cards. At least if you are a trained graphic designer, currently running a brand and design consultancy. The pressure is massive, or perhaps that's only in my head.

I was, however, delighted to get an invitation by design studio mermermer (www.mermermer.com), run by seven talented designers, to get the christmas card business taken care of. The simple recipe was to hand in a list of recipients and 25 SEK (€ 2.50) per card. The rest was to be taken care of by mermermer. Including sending the cards out on time!

It was an absolutely fabulous idea. But pressure got the better of me and here I am, without the, no doubt, ingenious and very special christmas cards designed by mermermer. Instead I made them myself. Again. Now, what does that say about me (and my brand)?

So, merry christmas to all of you! I hope the holidays will be filled with rest and no decision making. And perhaps a bit of snow. Or sunny summer days.

Soul food

2007-11-27T10:35:00.000+01:00

I'm in love with a brand. I know it's unorthodox, but this one deserves it. Since 1964 the company, Saltå Kvarn (Saltå Mill) in Järna, Sweden, has been in business – in the field of biodynamic and ecological crops.

If you walk into a fairly well stocked food shop in Sweden today, you will find anything from dried apricots and pineapple juice to bulgur wheat and rye flour. All ecologically grown. All biodynamic. By Saltå Kvarn.

A few years back Saltå Kvarn redesigned their packaging, giving the brand a real energy injection. It's a pleasure to see the retro looking packages in basic colours stand out from any food shelf. The packaging is what made me, and many others, I'm convinced, rediscover the brand. And it's a pleasure to buy biodynamic food when the whole experience feels good.

PS: If you're in Sweden, don't miss their sourdough baking courses, using their traditional stone ovens.

www.saltakvarn.se

guess my country

2007-11-18T17:10:00.000+01:00

There has been a lot of focus on nation branding lately. At this year's Design Indaba (www.designindaba.com) in Cape Town in February, brand and design guru Wally Olins spoke about the nation as a brand. And in the September issue of Monocle (www.monocle.com) a whole section (40+ pages…) is dedicated to the basics of country construction. And honestly, we do have strong ideas about certain nations. Which country is associated with skillful engineering but a lack of emotionality? Where does a cheerful, blond, cross-country skier have his home?

Some nations lack images. Olins gave a good example:
– Ask someone in South America what they think about Lithuania. They don't.

Another issue that's currently on everybody's lips is global warming and the need for a change in our behaviour, or else we'll have to find ourselves a new home in a not too distant future. I'm just wondering which nation is going to be the first to make a real effort to become the "green nation", the nation we will all associate with ecological efforts and sustainable thinking.

Welcome to my world of brands!

2007-10-18T21:12:00.000+02:00

This is a forum for brands, and everything that relates to them. From strategy to creativity, products to communication, nation branding to the logo of the local pizza place – it's all part of the world of brands. This is a forum for obsession, random thoughts, analysis and critique. So let's start. Here and now. Welcome to my world of brands!