Obama + USA = a new and improved image?

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.

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.

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.

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

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…

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.

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.