Literally the world's coolest fitting room

I actually saw this a couple of weeks ago now, but forgot all about writing a post about it, It wasn’t until I stumbled across it again today that I was reminded of its sheer brilliance. What am I talking about? - The world’s coolest fitting room in Sweden.

Selling coats for extreme weather conditions, the best place to test them out probably isn’t your normal retail store where the temperatures are usually well above normal room temperature, let alone the conditions they are actually made for. The solution then – to make the world’s coolest fitting room from 10m3 of snow and 200 kilos of dry ice to create a room at -25 degrees Celsius. I’d reckon if the coat is going to keep you warm(ish) in there, it will anywhere.

The concept was marketed through one ad in a daily newspaper, by posters outside the store, pictures were taken by a web cam and spread on the internet, then spread by word of mouth, radio and the newspapers. And the result – the store in Stockholm drew 400% more customers in (the target was 100%) and more than 100% more jackets were also sold against their goal. I’d say that made it a rip-roaring success. Well done Äkestam Holst (the agency behind it) and Playground (the brand behind it)!

Just wish they had one over here too...

Via directdaily

Just in case it does rain...

If you are still looking for presents for Christmas, never fear, I've found the perfect product for you - especially if the intended recipient is living in Scotland!

Found through Angus, via SwissMiss, via Zinc Details - an umbrella stand with a difference.

OK, granted, at $155 there are cheaper options on offer, and probably you wouldn't manage to get it before the 25th - but if you happen to have a natural sponge lying around and some metal and a blow-torch you could knock one up for yourself.

Love it!

Dragon Lisa

Last week I had the pleasure of going to Blacklands Primary in Kilwinning and acting as a ‘Dragon’ for their ‘Dragon’s Den’ pitches. Four groups of the Primary 7s had been working for a number of weeks on a project, researching, designing and marketing a desk tidy that they then pitched to us through presentations, 3D images, i-movies and fielding any questions we threw at them afterwards.

And I have to say that I was immensely impressed by all the children who took part. Not only did they learn to work together well in a team, they also put so much effort into everything they had done and really showed an enormous amount of imagination and thought.

When I was in Primary 7 I can’t imagine how I would have approached something like this, but I think it’s fantastic that schools are now giving children projects like this, preparing them for life outside the school walls. My only worry is how good they are going to be by the time they come out!

Unfortunately we didn’t have any piles of cash to hand over, just a winner to pick out of the groups and it was a hard decision as they all did so well. In the end it was the level of research one group had put into their processes over the others that just swung it, but it was close, very close.

So well done again to all the kids in Primary 7 at Blacklands and thanks for letting me be one of you your dragons!

Print and presentations

Two things caught my eye today on today’s trip round the blogosphere. First up a print ad from Audi which is so simple, yet so clever. I’m amazed it’s not been used many times before, however I suspect it’s one of those ideas that people would probably think someone must surely have done before. Interested to see whether a few more will pop up after this one mind you...

The second thing to get my attention was a presentation from The New York Times. Not your usual Powerpoint effort, the style of the presentation seems very apt considering the subject matter. Instead of detracting from what is being said, the voice-over and powerful images help to add to what is already a powerful story anyway. You'll find the presentation here.

Two great examples of how to get print and presentations right.

Inspiring logo?

So, apparently Edinburgh's "Inspiring Capital" slogan, logo and brand is set to be shelved within the coming months, less than three years after it was unveiled. Shortage of political support on the new city council, concerns about the lack of impact the image has had and problems with funding are all posing this threat its future.

Before its unveiling, around 18 months of research reportedly went into the launch of this Edinburgh brand. The finished logo was said to represent the city's "sense of energy" as well as famous images such as the Forth Bridge, the Festival fireworks and Arthur's Seat. While the aim of the brand was to persuade people to visit, live, work and study in the city.

And at a cost of £800,000, with a further £120,000 being ploughed into the project since its debut in 2005, the logo and brand should really have delivered. So, what went wrong?

Well, in my opinion at least, inspiring it is not. Looking at the logo, images of the Forth Bridge and fireworks are no more conjured up than they would be by looking at a bunch of other squiggly lines. In fact, the image makes me think more of the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow. But quite apart from all that, even more telling is the fact that this is the first time I’ve even seen the logo – when it has been out for three years now. As a Scot within travelling distance of Edinburgh for day trips, etc., surely I am actually in one of their target groups. So the question remains, why have I not seen this logo or even heard anything about ‘Inspiring Capital’?

Perhaps the fault lies with the logo itself. Perhaps hiring a London agency to create a logo for Edinburgh was a bad idea; perhaps they should have used some of the local talent, people who have a real insight into Edinburgh and all it has to offer. Perhaps the fault lies in the marketing surrounding the logo and the brand in general. Or, perhaps the fault lies in all these things and more. But with issues such as school closures, overspends in the budgets of a number of council departments, and demand for investment in the likes the Commonwealth Pool and the King's Theatre in Edinburgh, it may very well be the case that the brand is buried as quietly as it appears to have been unveiled.

The other question of course is, will anyone even notice?

Retail goes green

Today’s shaping up to be all about green. First this morning I received an e-mail reminder about Blog Action Day on October 15th, then I read about the Howies store on Northern Planner and then read about the new Marks & Spencer ‘green’ store in Bournemouth. So, although Blog Action Day isn’t until Monday, I have to squeeze a green post in before then to speak about the two stores, but don’t worry, I’ll think of something else for the 15th!

First off then, the Howies store:

Nice company, good quality, nice products and now a nice, shiny new store. Keeping in line with their ethos, the new store uses sustainable, low-impact materials wherever possible, from their ‘T-trees’, T shaped modular shelving made from ‘sustainably sourced oak from a council run project in Pembrokeshire’; to replacing plasterboard with wool-board and wood chippings with recycled glass. Energy saving has also been big on the agenda which could have posed a slight problem given its Carnaby Street location as the street has a rule that all shops must keep their lights on at night. However, Howies managed to get round this in a novel way, placing a light switch outside which customers can press if they want to see the store lit up. Ergo, no energy is wasted during the night – genius! Taking into consideration the commitment to quality and sustainability the company have put into their clothing, it’s really nice to see the same commitment when it comes to their store. Even nicer, they have dedicated a ‘power of 10’ wall to products they love, one of which happens to be a reusable drinking bottle at the moment, which can be refilled at the tap in-store. Unfortunately I doubt I’ll be in the store any time soon since I don’t live in London, but still, even just reading about it and seeing the pictures has made me smile. Well done Howies. I hope the store is as successful as its online counterpart and concessions.

Next, from small to large, and the new Marks and Spencer store in Bournemouth. Well, I say new, it’s not actually new per say, it’s just been made-over, green stylee. How you may ask? Well... the many modifications include: Daylight sensors in the windows which are designed to switch off spotlights when the sun is shining; two sets of doors to help save heat; infra-red sensors in the changing rooms which mean that the lights are only on when there is someone in them; store lights which automatically switch off when the burglar alarm is set for the night; air conditioning which is not only supplied by a green energy company but also only chills the air at head level; freezer cabinets with small LED strips instead of fluorescent bulbs, with their doors shut to conserve energy; escalators which run at reduced energy when no-one is on them; shelving units made from a light, easy to transport, scratch-resistant material called Enviro-wall; toilets with a dual-flush system which allows you to use less water per flush if you wish; a roof full of green plants that need little watering; staff with fleeces made from recycled plastic bottles (granted, I know little about textiles or recycling processes, but I’m pretty amazed at this); AND, even more green products on the shelf. Phew, that’s a long list! All this speaks for itself really, but in case you’re wondering, it should mean that the store should use 25% less energy than before and 90% of its carbon output will be eliminated. Even the waste from the refurbishment didn’t go to waste, with 80% being recycled, the flooring for example being turned into traffic cones. Pretty good going, especially considering that, if successful this concept will be rolled out across more of its stores and warehouses – which total more than 550 altogether. Hopefully then this is just a sign of things to come for the high-street retailer.

Big pats on the back for Howies and M & S then. It’s a bit of a suck-up post for the both of them, but I think it’s well-deserved. And although I’m much more convinced that the motives behind Howies actions are pure, the fact remains that both have made a commitment to being green and that’s the most important thing. Time more retailers took a leaf out of their book (pardon the pun – they seem to be coming thick and fast this weather).

N.B. Photos nabbed from New Consumer and Northern Planner

Judging a book by its cover

Reason to love marketing number 12: It can make the world a more beautiful place (or in this case, your coffee table or bookshelf at least).

Over at We Made This today I came across these beautiful new book covers from Gollancz, the science-fiction and fantasy division of Orion Books

, which the lovely people at WMT had found while in Foyles.

The new covers, produced in-house by Emma Wallace, were developed from the brief ‘do what you want, but bring them to a new audience.’ I think she’s certainly going to do that. It appears from the online forums that WMT had browsed that traditional fans of the books were not exactly over-enamoured at the new look. However, I would guess that these customers will still be buying the books, no matter what they look like. With the aim of attracting a new type of audience, these books should not only entice new audiences for the stories inside, but also for the book covers themselves. I don’t think I’m the only person who judges some books by their covers and who likes to have good-looking books in their collection (incidentally though, not to sound like too much of an airhead, I do buy most books for their content).

Regardless, compared to what had gone before (see below) the new covers are a complete departure and a fresh, exciting change.

All eight covers are devoid of any mention of the title, author or publisher on the front and each has a different feel due not only to the different graphics used, but also the difference in the finishes of each one. The remaining five of the series can be found below, although I doubt these pictures do the covers justice. All are available for purchase on Amazon and I would imagine, all good book shops.

They really are a truly beautiful series and visually, quite stunning. I wonder if this will be the way forward for book cover design?

That logo

You’ve probably seen it already, heard the complaints and possibly already made your mind up about it, so what do you really think of the London 2012 Olympic logo? Designed by brand consultants Wolff Ollins at cost of £400, 000, the organisers seem to love it while many of the public have vomited at the sight of it.

The idea behind it was to be”…dynamic, modern and flexible”, symbolising “the dynamic Olympic spirit and its inspirational ability to reach out to people all over the world.” International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge obviously feels it has managed to achieve this, saying that “This is a truly innovative brand logo that captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games - namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values… the brand launched today by London, is, I believe, an early indication of the dynamism, modernity and inclusiveness with which London 2012 will leave its Olympic mark.” Well, at least they seem to be happy with it. And public opinion?

There has been a furore in some quarters, with a petition having been started already to change the logo or use the Candidate City emblem. 17, 000 had signed already at around 12pm today and 2, 000 more were reported to be adding their signatures hourly. To be completely honest though, I don’t hate it. But then, I don’t love it either.

My first reaction was, what are those shapes supposed to be? Then I thought, ‘Duh! They’re the numbers 2 0 1 2.’ All the same, on first glance, it isn’t really evident and I’m not the only person I know who didn’t realise they were numbers straight away. Then, there’s the font they’ve used for London, or “london” as they have it in lower case (which I have to say I don’t particularly like, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a “disgrace” as some have, but I feel it takes away a little of the city’s importance). Granted the font is not the dreaded Comic Sans, but it’s heading that way. A big no-no. If ever you want some reasons why you shouldn’t use Comic Sans, please feel free to drop by the office or give my colleague Graham a phone, you might be talking to him all day mind you as he rants on about it. But back to the logo. Yes they want to appeal to young people, but that doesn’t mean they have to use almost cartoon-like writing. There is also criticism that the logo is imbalanced as both London and the Olympic logo appear at the top. This may be true, but it would have been difficult to place either elsewhere on the logo. And I don’t think it’s really that much of an issue.

With regards to the colours, red, white and blue would have been obvious choices, but at the same point, they reflect the heritage of the country staging it. What does shocking pink, blue and orange really mean. Vibrant? Yes. Modern? I suppose it depends how you look at it. He colours remind me of the 80s I have to admit, especially in the film here about the brand. Which, while we're on the subject, I do hate. If the logo hints at the 80s, the film screams it, I feel like I’m back watching kids TV again, I keep expecting the ‘Grange Hill’ or ‘Why don’t you?’ tunes to come on, or, as my colleagues started singing when they watched it – Queen’s Kind of Magic. I feel a bit like it’s so ‘modern’ though it’s almost out of date already. And flexible? That’s a hard one to answer.

But, I did say I don’t hate it and have just spent the last couple of paragraphs pulling it apart. What do I like about it? It’s definitely different, and, memorable. It will, I believe have a certain appeal to kids and is reminiscent of street art which seems to be more and more prevalent in advertising at least at the moment. So perhaps it scores some ‘cool’ points there, (conversely, perhaps people will just feel they are trying too hard), but regardless, they are trying something new and by doing so are letting the world know that they will be taking the same approach to staging the games. Some traditionalists may not like it, but London is saying that it’s time to take the event into the 21st Century and really make it something to remember.

For me, the jury is still out. I like what they are trying to do at least, whether I actually like the execution, I’ll have to think more about it. Many of the general public might hate it, but I don’t see it being changed. And lets face it, do they really want another £400, 000 spent coming up with an alternative? I doubt it.

So, love it or loathe it, time to start getting used to the logo I think. It might look “like a car crash in Mr Men world” as CMM News (who is a fan of the logo incidentally) so nicely puts it, but we have 5 years to let it grow on us. What’s more important is the brand as a whole rather than just the logo by itself, that’s what the organisers will ultimately be judged on.

Update: The 'logo in action' film has now been withdrawn after it sparked epileptic fits in at least ten people. For those of you who did not have the misfortune to see the film, be very glad. However, what they have replaced it with is no more inspired.

Stick it to them

While reading The Marketing Blog today I found an article on eco-friendly, wooden USB sticks from a company called Eco Incentives. The company sell these memory sticks as eco-friendly business gifts and as such, they can be personalised with your corporate logo.

I’ve heard of USB sticks being offered as corporate gifts before, in fact, I have received one myself. I can imagine also that in the current climate many companies are trying their best to appear eco-friendly. But ‘wooden memory sticks that have been “manufactured from the windfall branches that have fallen to the forest floor” before having a USB added to them’ is a new one on me. Nice idea though.

As well as these memory sticks, the company also offer mouse mats, organic clothing, jute bags, recycled glassware, biodegradable pens and even bamboo computers. Yes - bamboo computers. Well, not the whole computer, just the monitor, but still pretty impressive.

Switching now from marketer to consumer, I doubt I am the only one who feels a sense of satisfaction and warm glow of ‘doing the right thing’ when I purchase something fair-trade or eco-friendly. I feel as if I am helping, just a little bit, to support and save the planet, I feel as if that little bit extra money I may have spent on the item was justified and is going to a good cause, and most of all, I feel I’m a good person. Being the giver of eco-friendly business gifts, I’m sure I would feel the same. And, as a receiver, it would perhaps lead me to view the giver more favourably, perhaps…

I care about the environment, but I know that I don’t do enough. For example, I use energy-saving lighbulbs, I recycle my old papers and magazines, I re-use plastic bags, I switch things off when I’m not using them (most of the time) and I try to buy ethical products. But, I still take plastic bags when I don’t always need them, I charge my electrical appliances longer than necessary at times, I sometimes buy from companies with less than squeaky-clean images… I could go on. And as a business too, AME Marketing cares about the environment, but again, we don’t do enough.

Sometimes it’s hard to always do the right thing by the environment. Sometimes it’s too expensive. Sometimes we’re just too lazy. But when we can be ethical so easily, we should.

I love the idea of these quirky objects, not only do they come guilt-free, they also stand out. Corporate gifts are often an effective way to keep in the minds of your customers. As with any of your marketing activities though, its important that its relevant to your company / product. If you operate in a B2B environment then this type of gift may work very well. Your customers are likely to use such gifts and each time they do, your name can catch their eye. And, they will know that you are a company who cares. Perfect.


(Note to self: Next week plug our products, not someone else’s…)

Just what we need in Scotland

A new product caught my eye this week while I was reading the Marketing blog – The Sun Shower from Sentavi. We’re all familiar with the ordinary shower, but this one lets you tan while you shower. Just what we need living in a country like Scotland I think!

Apparently, “With this product, Sentavi brings all the goodness of the sun into your bathroom. This exclusive system allows you to tan while taking a shower. Your bath time ritual becomes a delightful experience of water and light, giving you the feeling of freshness and warmth. Sunshower brings beauty, relaxation and harmony of body and mind. Looking great with a minimum of effort! The Sunshower offers a sensible way of tanning, so that a healthy tan can become part of your daily beauty routine and it will stimulate the production of vitamin D.”

I do wonder however how even your tan will be when you are lathering soap over yourself, and indeed, what products would be safe to use in this shower. Will you need to wear those black goggles every time you go in the shower? How much electricity will this thing use? Is it actually safe to tan every day?

It seems that almost every new product that comes out nowadays is trying to combine more than one function. Your mobile phone is expected to do more than just make and receive calls, it has to take pictures, play music, and even let you watch the TV. Your games console doesn’t just play games; it also plays CDs and DVDs. So now, someone somewhere has decided that those of us who want a healthy glow shouldn’t have to slather on fake tan after a shower or take time to go to the sunbeds. God forbid we have to conduct one activity at a time. There just simply isn’t time in all our manic lives.

I’m unsure if this is one such time saving device that will take off. But, time will tell. Given that our fair country is normally devoid of sunshine for around 11 and ½ months of the year, this could be the answer that all us pasty-faced Scots are looking for. Yet, given the amount of rain in this country and the threat of global warming, perhaps we won’t have to buy such a product, the earth will provide it in a matter of years.