Russell Davies

what, absolutely no chance?

I saw this at toys 'r' us at the weekend. How bad a design does this have to be? So bad that it demands this kind of warning. It's one of those Amstrad phone/emailler things. You almost take it as a challenge, just to see if it can be done.

i am pedant, hear me roar

I know this is a real old sore. And I know this isn't the most grammatically correct, or well-spelled blog in the world. But I still get occasional delight from a bit of pedantry, especially spotting inappropriate quotation marks. Because they're always so undermining. Like this great example from the music shop in the Royal Festival Hall in the South Bank. Which you'd have thought would have pretentions to being quite a literate place. But no, they seem to be telling us that they're special offers aren't so great after all.

(and no, that incorrect 'they're' was not ironic. it was a mistake. i'm an idiot.)

more words

once upon a time all you had to say was this...

now, it seems, you have to say all this...

lost in marketing

Another great spot from things. The Park Hyatt in Tokyo is promoting the fact that it served as 'inspiration and backdrop' for the film Lost In Translation. I can do no better than quote 'things' : It seems strange to advertise the fact that your hotel was the central, defining element in a film about ennui, alienation and dislocation, emotions that were just as much a result of the Park Hyatt's globalised impersonal lobby aesthetic, all tinkling lounge singers, muted conversation and shiny surfaces, as by the soporific effects of jetlag.

positioning madness

I was loading the printer today, and I noticed what it said on the paper we have: 'multifunctional communications paper' Now I'm a big fan of the paper industry. Paper does not get the recognition it deserves. But this is positioning/marketing nonsense of the highest order.

butthead astronomer

from American Invisible.

Sagan was known to have a bit of an ego. In 1994, Apple Computer began developing the Power Macintosh 7100. They chose the internal code name "Sagan", in honor of the astronomer. Though the project name was strictly internal and never used in public marketing, when Sagan learned of this internal usage, he sued Apple Computer to use a different project name. Though Sagan lost the suit, Apple engineers complied with his demands anyway, renaming the project "Butthead Astronomer". Sagan sued Apple for libel over the new name, claiming that it subjected him to contempt and ridicule. Sagan lost this lawsuit as well.

rd

idiot architects

generally, I'm a big fan of architects. i like design and buildings and all that. but there's something they do (or designers or someone) which drives me mad. this lloyd's shop is a good example. but you see it on 'prestige buildings' all the time. they design a gorgeous, thought-through door / entrance / portal / reception area. and make no provision for the inevitable stuff that people are going to want to stick on the door. so you see a fantastically glamorous building with a badly printed bit of paper saying 'deliveries round the back' or 'please use other door' or whatever. they just don't think about the real usage of the things.

ah, brand as elixir of life

"word of mouth will be the new advertising"

"word of mouth is set to become tomorrow's TV"

"the ultimate stage is brand as elixir of life, the spark from which a new life grows, and the unique DNA that shapes the development of every aspect of an organization is formed. This is what I mean when I use the word 'brand'.

all from Brand Storm by Will Murray (the website is well-worth a visit for students of bollocks: 'if you cut your company in half, does it read customer?' )

ah, upbeat and energetic

Procter & Gamble Rolls Out Pringles Pop Quiz Summer Concert Promotion

Procter & Gamble and SFX have launched a music-themed game show called the Pringles Pop Quiz at 31 of SFX's amphitheatres across the country during the 2001 summer concert season.

"We think our patrons will really enjoy Pringles Pop Quiz," said Paula Balzer, Chief Marketing Officer of SFX. "It will provide a unique pre-show experience that's not only fun for everyone attending the concerts, but will enable Procter & Gamble to effectively interact with multiple demographics directly in an upbeat and energetic setting."

P&G/SFX press release

ah, ideation

Our mission is to uncover the key insights that build and drive groundbreaking brand solutions. By employing a brand-centric (rather than advertising-specific) focus, we create ideas that can be communicated across all points of contact. We have extensive experience in researching visual identities, names, Web sites, POP materials, and advertising. And we've created a number of proprietary tools and ideation techniques to better understand a brand's current equities as well as possible new positionings. We strive to gain the greatest insight in the least amount of timeall in an effort to build your brand quickly."

from the Martin Williams website