May 2009
6 posts
NO BRAND LIKE HOME
In an effort to keep my brand fresh and more legit I have relocated this blog to: www.nobrandlikehome.com. Come visit yall.
BEER ESSENTIALS
The beer market is one place where marketing decisions really shine. There are just so many products at a similar price point. The intangibles make all the difference. And while variety may lack from product to product, from brand to brand variety is everything.
Everyone knows that Miller/Bud taste like shit. Yet they are the two leading US beer manufacturers. because of the care they put...
THROWBACK PEPSI
Pepsi is attempting to balance their recent re-brand, which has been criticized by some as being overly simple and unnecessarily modern, with a throwback campaign.
The retro graphics are nice, but not quite original:
Of the two major soft drink companies, Pepsi has always been more modern stylistically. Their attempt to suddenly approach Coke’s “classic” brand-share...
BRAND OF THE MONTH: CHEAP MONDAY
To begin with, there is the bold logo, a crude etching of a skull, the default symbol of mortality. The skull-as-icon has become ubiquitous in pop culture where it usually loses all meaning, its morbid implications awash in cliche. Yet a well-done skull image can still make a striking impact. Damien Hirst knows this. So does Cheap Monday.
Cheap Monday is a rare company. It’s name...
DIESEL: WALKING THE FINE LINE BETWEEN GOOD STYLE...
I can’t decide exactly how I feel about the Diesel brand. Anyone who’s ever tried on their denim can not deny the high quality and perfect fit. There are few companies that can compete on purely quality of jeans. And yet, there’s their brand image…
Diesel ads are aimed single-mindedly at the typical douchebag, a good looking and well off individual completely lacking...
POSITIVITY VIA BRANDING
Should we be cynical when we see brands base campaigns around messages of positivity and inspiration?
I would like to take messages like this at face value. I think overall its a good thing to walk around and see messages of hope and positivity. It reminds me of the cityscape in “They Live” in reverse.
Still, I can’t help but recognize the self-serving nature of...
A[DADA]VERTISING
Blame the king.
At some point during the past couple years, commerical advertising has really embrassed the concept of absurdity. It seems like off the wall characters who generate a gutteral WTF?! have become the new standard brand spokesmen. I think the general tone of advertising has become so stale and monotone that nobody even notices commericlas any more. They have become so easy to...
April 2009
3 posts
BRANDING A WAR
It’s easy to sometimes forget the amount of marketing that goes into politics. Every single political decision requires a calculated strategy on how to best angle the story for the public. Policies must first be sold in order to succeed.
The “War on Terror” was a perfect example of calculated phrasing, and an insightful look inside the marketing strategies of the Bush...
HAVE OLD SCHOOL SNEAKERS JUMPED THE SHARK?
When throwback sneakers first made their comeback they were different and unexpected. There was a lot of ‘so bad it’s good’ cache that naturally accompanies the the changing cycle of fashion. The hip hop scene was littered with style trying too hard to look tough and dangerous. Black hooded jackets, baggy jeans and clunky Timberland boots were the hip hop uniform at the turn of...
October 2008
1 post
WatchThose who can’t do, teach. While Seth Godin has not created a fortune 500 company or created award winning marketing strategies, he is a tenured professor of 21st century marketing. This speach from the 2003 TED Conference, despite the fast moving nature of the branding industry, is more true than ever.
September 2008
7 posts
NO LOGO / MO LOGO
Is it cool to hate branding? Is advertising really detrimental to society? Can marketing be pure and enlightening or should we just give up and start neo-grunge anti-capitalistic rock bands?
Kids in the early 90’s really had it out for advertising. Was that just a backlash against the capitalism-as-religion Regan era while kids in the 00’s think it’s ok to brand because Bill...
I COULD HAVE SWORN PHARRELL WAS A MAC
Microsoft has joined the ad wars. Mac has finally gained enough popularity that Microsoft has come out of commercial obscurity to fight back. This is the first post-Seinfeld Microsoft ad that debuted during Sunday football. I’m not sure exactly why these people are PC’s but its good to see Microsoft poke fun at the overplayed Mac commercials.
I think this is great branding for...
STEVE JOBS / AA : PLAIN AND SIMPLE
I’m beginning to think Steve Jobs has more to do with American Apparel’s success and “cool factor” than Dov Charney. After all, who was it who introduced stylistic minimalism and bare utility to both America’s mainstream / alternative communities? Who was it who told us that less choices meant more freedom and intuitive simplicity begets clarity and efficiency?...
Band Image →
I’m surprised more bands haven’t gone in this direction. Although they are supposed to be more pure and more meaningful, bands are definitely brands with specific products and demographics. I suppose a lot of bands don’t want to get overly involved in the corporate ad world for fear of “selling out” and attracting fan backlash. But a well thought out and cohesive...
CARTOON AS HIGH DESIGN??
Sometimes I’m confused about what exactly makes certain brand images work. For instance, why is The Hundreds such a kewl brand? Their incorporation of cartoon as high design is part of a larger trend that attempts to establish cartoony imagery as a legitimate part of the fashion/fine art industry. Is this just a fad based on nostalgia, similar to wearing “ironic” tees and...
COKE: STILL THE REAL THING??
Coke is eevveerryywwhheerree. Are they still cool / were they ever cool? In the 1950’s Coke was a cool brand. Soda was the original energy drink. Kids would rush to the malt shop (or Sadie Hawkins dance or lookout lane or wherever kids in the 50’s wore their poodle skirts) to get a taste of the addictive sugary goodness. Plus, most likely (and what is a key ingredient in the recipe...