“Information wants to be free.” It’s the unofficial motto of the free-content movementand the populist opinion of a society that lives through and makes a living out of the free information that’s a mouse click away. We’re all used to traveling quite a distance on the information highway without any tollbooths. So for marketers today (especially in an economic downturn where every expenditure is scrutinized), expensive subscriptions to trade pubs have become easy targets for the company chopping block.
Here are some periodicals beyond the standard list of industry pubs that we think are still well worth the investment. While the Web will always win the pace race, these unique pubs have found a way to deliver content in an inspiring, informative, “high-touch” experience that makes a pretty good case for hard copy.
Contagiousis a quarterly magazine with DVD that explores the relationship between brands, consumers and the ideas behind the world’s most creative marketing strategies across advertising, technology, retail, design and media.
Creamis a quarterly showcase of media creativity, innovation and excellence from around the globe. Part magazine, part directory, it features inspiring media case studies for progressive and creative-minded advertisers and media planners.
Monocleis a 10 issues/year global publication catering to cosmopolitan readers that explores world affairs, business, culture and design. Created to challenge new forms of media, Monocle places an emphasis on design & long-form journalism.
Viewpointis a biannual trends and insights magazine created specifically to inspire and inform marketers, creatives and strategists. Each issue is centered on a single theme and addresses what’s new, what’s next, and how that impacts brands.
There are the fragrances you know, which usually have the names of familiar designer brands: Gucci by Gucci, Armani Code and so on. And then there is Etat Libre d’Orange. Yes, you read that correctly: the Orange Free State, named after a 19th century Boer republic in South Africa, now half-forgotten by history.
Today you’ll find this strange state in the Marais district of Paris. It’s a small store that sells perfumes for men and women. The fragrances all have unusual names and even odder packaging.
For instance, Je Suis Un Homme (“I Am a Man”) features an image of an uncompromisingly phallic pistol. Putain de Palaces (“Hotel Slut”) shows a key inserted into a pink keyhole. And I think you can guess what Vraie Blonde (“Real Blonde”) depicts. Our favourite is Jasmine & Cigarette, whose logo is a smoking flower. Other names include Incense & Bubblegum, Virgins & Toreadors and Dark Sleepless Night. One is literally called “Nothing”.
Despite their teasing names, these fragrances have been created by some of the best perfumers in France. And behind them all is Etienne de Swardt, a young man born – surprise, surprise – in South Africa. Arriving in Paris, he got a job at Givenchy. Later he created a perfume for pets called Oh My Dog.
Now he’s the creator of this funky little brand, which relies for marketing on word of mouth, a great website, a store that’s also a billboard – and a growing band of cult followers. By the way, the store is also a bookshop where you can buy Taschen tomes or collections of erotic pinups. On the window is the brand’s slogan: Perfume is dead. Long live perfume!
Gatorade is all about blurring the line between professional and everyday athletes. So when TBWA\Chiat\Day LA heard the story about two famous rival high school American football teams that tied at 7–7 back in 1993, they decided to “replay” the game. After 16 years “on the bench,” the Easton Area High School Red Rovers and the Phillipsburg High School Stateliners took the field. More than 13,000 old and new fans packed the stands, selling out in just 90 minutes. Football stars Peyton and Eli Manning served as coaches for each team.
The original cheerleaders and band members even made it out. The event received over 130 million media impressions. CBS’s Katie Couric, CNN, ESPN, nearly every major American newspaper and thousands of bloggers and tweeters covered the story.
The entire event, and even the two months prior to it, was captured and made into a documentary. And even though in the end you could say sports (and Gatorade) won, the Phillipsburg Stateliners obliterated the Easton Red Rovers 27–12.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Ulrich Proeschel
Everything is information and information is everything. It’s the mantra of marketing in an age where people are constantly creating collectible data—all the things we do, say, use, buy, click and share are data points in the graphs of our lives. But in an increasingly visual society, pie charts and bar charts can’t begin to do justice to this wealth of information there is to digest now.
Data visualization tools are helping to change the ways we look at information and audiences. While a lot of these are just plain fun to look at, there is far more potential than just painting a prettier picture. Good data visualization communicates information clearly and effectively, where form and functionality work together to tell sophisticated stories, uncover relationships and patterns, and reveal insights that might otherwise go unseen.
While many of these tools are, at this stage, more about experimentation than expertise, they are indicators of the near future where we can make much smarter strategic decisions just by finding some cooler ways to crunch the numbers.
MINI just introduced the coolest feature in their second generation Mini convertible: The Openometer. This new tool records the time spent by the motorist with the top down. It actually helps drivers of a Mini convertible to measure their openness. And as Mini USA says on their website it helps “cultivating your open-mind and a tan”.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Ulrich Proeschel
This is the 100th post on mad-blog.com. Congratulations and a big hand to all those who have contributed so far. 15,000 individuals from 94 countries joined us, visiting more than 30,000 pages and spending an average of 2:28 minutes on the blog. Over 1,100 people have subscribed to our rss feed. Thanks for all the interest.
This is the perfect opportunity to share the 11 most read stories celebrating Media Arts and Disruption. Share and enjoy:
Ray-Ban loves its big idea of ”Never Hide”. With its ongoing series of great films based around this brand idea they manage to be seen, everywhere. See for yourself how the 6 ft. ball of yarn rolls through San Francisco with a surprise inside (Flickr).
Notably, this film is directed by Cutwater’s own, Chuck McBride.
AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR People expect companies to do more than just sell stuff. They want to know what you stand for, what choices you make as a result and what difference that could make in the world. So when it comes to people making their brand choices, Cause Marketing can be a tiebreaker. Almost 80% of Americans are more likely to switch to the brand supporting a good cause over a competitor with the same price and quality. But Cause Marketing is not just about photo opportunities, oversized checks and warm fuzzies. It can be an opportunity to turn commercial interest into real change. Cause Marketing usually means supporting social or environmental efforts, but to today’s cynical audiences, just choosing some cause to “believe in” doesn’t do much good if your audience doesn’t believe you. Don’t just search for a cause, be the cause you’re brand is already about. Who says that doing good can’t mean doing well?
BRAND BEHAVIOR Cause Marketing is by now the norm, but instead of sponsoring somebody else’s cause and giving back tax-deductable pocket change, identify a cause with authenticity that comes from a true passion and create real change. Authentic advocacy is about picking a self-motivated cause a company already genuinely believes in, and allowing that cause to be integral across the entire organization – not an isolated corporate responsibility program. Doing good doesn’t need to be altruistic. Real change doesn’t happen when it’s a sacrifice for the company, but rather if the cause directly serves the company’s commercial interest.
AMERICAN APPAREL: LEGALIZE LA
American Apparel is an anti-sweatshop apparel manufacturer that believes in humanity and that immigration policy should be fair. Its social cause ”Legalize LA” is about recognizing, celebrating and embracing the diversity of Los Angeles. It takes on the issue of the over 1 million undocumented migrant workers with the goal for them to become legal residents. All while serving its own benefit to be able to continue its operations in its beloved hometown and to keep its claim “made in LA”.
HÄAGEN-DAZS: HELP THE HONEY BEES
Honey Bees are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of our natural food supply and nearly 40% of the ice-cream manufacturer’s natural ingredients. With more than one in three Honey Bee colonies mysteriously vanishing in the US in the last three years, the company realized that the insects’ survival was one with their own. “Help the Honey Bees” is an activist campaign to raise funds for researching the alarming phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder and for building awareness to lead to individual action.
BURTON: POWER TO THE POACHER
Jake Burton, founder of Burton snowboard company, believes that snowboarders deserve equal access to the same resorts as skiers, a.k.a. “equal snow.” To liberate the remaining elitist ski-only resorts in the US, he offered $5,000 dollars to snowboarders who submitted the best video of themselves riding the four forbidden mountains – a practice called poaching. Burton’s challenge ”Power to the Poachers” didn’t just put his money where his mouth is but also potentially opened more markets for his business.
“Information wants to be free.” It’s the unofficial motto of the free-content movement and the populist opinion of a society that lives through and makes a living out of the free information that’s a mouse click away. We’re all used to traveling quite a distance on the information highway without any tollbooths. So for marketers today (especially in an economic downturn where every expenditure is scrutinized), expensive subscriptions to trade pubs have become easy targets for the company chopping block.
There are the fragrances you know, which usually have the names of familiar designer brands: Gucci by Gucci, Armani Code and so on. And then there is Etat Libre d’Orange. Yes, you read that correctly: the Orange Free State, named after a 19th century Boer republic in South Africa, now half-forgotten by history.
Gatorade is all about blurring the line between professional and everyday athletes. So when TBWA\Chiat\Day LA heard the story about two famous rival high school American football teams that tied at 7–7 back in 1993, they decided to “replay” the game. After 16 years “on the bench,” the Easton Area High School Red Rovers and the Phillipsburg High School Stateliners took the field. More than 13,000 old and new fans packed the stands, selling out in just 90 minutes. Football stars Peyton and Eli Manning served as coaches for each team.
This is the 100th post on mad-blog.com. Congratulations and a big hand to all those who have contributed so far. 15,000 individuals from 94 countries joined us, visiting more than 30,000 pages and spending an average of 2:28 minutes on the blog. Over 1,100 people have subscribed to our rss feed. Thanks for all the interest.
American Apparel
