The internet

 

The Internet (or internet)^[a] is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP)^[b] to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the interlinked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.

The origins of the Internet date back to research to enable time-sharing of computer resources and the development of packet switching in the 1960s.^[2] The set of rules (communication protocols) to enable internetworking on the Internet arose from research and development commissioned in the 1970s by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense in collaboration with universities and researchers across the United States and in the United Kingdom and France.^[3][4][5] The ARPANET initially served as a backbone for the interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the United States to enable resource sharing. The funding of the National Science Foundation Network as a new backbone in the 1980s, as well as private funding for other commercial extensions, encouraged worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies and the merger of many networks using DARPA's Internet protocol suite.^[6] The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s, as well as the advent of the World Wide Web,^[7] marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet,^[8] and generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional, personal, and mobile computers were connected to the network. Although the Internet was widely used by academia in the 1980s, subsequent commercialization is what incorporated its services and technologies into virtually every aspect of modern life.

Hello world

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Brand France: Where smart money will hopefully go.

                                   

When I think of France the following images come up first: Men and women dressed to the nines with berets, riding on bicycles and acting haughty all the while surrounded by beautiful medieval architecture. While some of the generalisations of the French might be exaggerated, it is easy for one to accept them as true since the country is the fashion capital of the world. It is also home to world renowned luxurious brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, L’OREAL, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Cartier, LACOSTE, Givenchy, Garnier and LANCOME.

One of the country’s most well known landmarks is the Eiffel Tower located on the Champ de Mars in the city of Paris erected in 1889. The iron lattice structure has proven to be a favourite among foreign visitors looking to propose marriage to their partners at the top of the tower. There is even a case of an American woman with a fetish for inanimate objects who so loved the structure that she decided to marry it in a commitment ceremony in 2007. Now if you couple the country’s world famous brands with the love inducing Eiffel Tower you get a country known for opulence and romance. This would be a good formula for branding a country and making a stereotype work in your favour right? Well the French government doesn't think so, or at least not anymore.

As of the 28^th  June 2013 the French government has been in talks to rebrand the country. They are apparently doing so because they believe that the brand is suffering from the aforementioned stereotypes. They are also hoping it will improve the country’s global competitiveness globally while promoting the “Made in France” label. To kickoff the rebranding effort they launched a nationwide competition where professionals could submit new logos for the future French brand. The unveiling of the new brand identity is expected to be done sometime during 2014.

In my opinion France did not need to go on an effort to rebrand itself. These stereotypes its trying to run away from actually made it unique from other countries. I hope that the rebranding works in their favour and actually brings in more business and investment into the country, since this is the primary reason for the rebranding. What do you think, is rebranding to seem more business minded a wise route for France?

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower
http://www.countryreports.org/country/France.htm
http://cruciblebookii.com/2013/09/france-the-brand/
http://www.france.fr/en/news/french-invited-promote-french-excellence-france-brand
http://www.rankingthebrands.com/The-Brand-Rankings.aspx?rankingID=172&year=340
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2074301/Woman-with-objects-fetish-marries-Eiffel-Tower.html

Brand Sweden: reasons to Visit Sweden.

Have you ever thought about where popular brands like H&M, Absolut Vodka and Skype come from? Well they come from a country with a name that just rolls of the tongue, Sweden. Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe and the third largest country in Western Europe, and 53% of it is covered in forestry. In charge of the Swedish brand is an organisation called ‘Visit Sweden’. Their objective is to promote Sweden as a country and tourist destination. I often perceived the Swedes to be smug, cold, extremely self-disciplined and socially closed from what I observed on TV and in the newspapers. This might be attributed to an ancient Swedish proverb, which I found they still hold in high regard to this day, which goes “Talking is silver, silence is gold”. Here are some interesting codes of conduct I found they live by:

·         Do not look directly at another person in the eyes – Apparently doing so is considered cheeky, rude, aggressive, and sexually suggestive.

·         Do not sit next to a Swede – In the theatre, subway, bus etc. If there are empty seats , this arouses suspicion as to your intentions and is seen as an intrusion of personal space.

·         Do not greet a Swedish stranger – Swedes do not normally talk to nor do they take kindly to strangers talking to them unless it is a dire situation.

Judging by the above statements made by a Swede, it is understandable why Visit Sweden would be needed to work on changing the cold exterior that the country projects to its counterparts. A rebranding is just what the country needs. So what were your first impressions of Sweden?

Reference:

http://thougtforce.hubpages.com/hub/What-characterizes-a-Swede-and-the-Swedish-mentality-some-unwritten-laws-on-how-to-behave-in-Sweden

http://www.visitsweden.com/sweden/brandguide/The-brand/The-Platform/A-platform-for-the-Sweden-brand/

http://www.thelocal.se/20111108/37232

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Business/Reading/10-Swedish-companies-shaping-the-world/

Subculture alert: Black Diamonds

South Africa has many different subcultures across all nationalities that live in the country. A subculture is defined as a group within a larger culture which differentiates itself by status, ethnic background, religion, or any other factors that unify a group which acts in a certain manner collectively. Subcultures also act as a way in which to brand people and classify them. By monitoring a person’s behaviour you are able to get an idea of their interests and disinterests leading you to classify them with people who act in the same distinctive manner.

I had a brief at school where I had to pick a South African subculture and represent it with a font extended into a booklet in celebration of Heritage day which takes place annually on the 24^th of September. After much deliberation the subculture I chose to represent was Black Diamonds, one which is unique to South Africa. The term Black Diamonds was originally coined by the TNS Research Survey (Pty) Ltd and the UCT Unilever Institute to refer to a fast-growing, affluent and influential black community. This growth was accelerated by Affirmative Action, act which was introduced in South Africa in 1998. Many black people who benefited from the act got involved in South Africa’s lucrative gold and diamond mining industries, this involvement is what contributed to the term Black Diamonds being coined.

What started out as a term meant celebrate the arrival of a people soon turned into one defining a black elite middle class plagued with a love for material possessions, power, status and money. My 16 page booklet chronicles the evolution of the Black Diamond from what it was to what it is now. The font is inspired by diamonds and the clasps which hold the diamond in place on a ring. Feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions you might have on how I can make the booklet better.

 

 

Reference: 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/subculture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Diamonds_(racial_term)

Launching a brand: What you should consider revising.

So you have a brand in place and you have gone through all the necessary implementation steps and you want to share it with the world. You are sure that it will capture your consumer’s imagination, as it should because that will be the determining factor of whether your brand sinks or swims. Before you launch your brand there are a few points which you need to check repeatedly to ensure the successful launch of your brand, and they are as follows:

1.       Brand Identity

Does your brand inform your consumer about what it is and the position it is assuming? Or is your consumer left to decipher what your brand is trying to communicate. Your website and social media outlets must have a strong design which reiterates your brand identity. Some good questions to ask yourself when composing your brand identity are “what do you want to say”, “who do you want to say it to”, and “where do you want to say it”?

2.       Social Media:

Social Media when used right is guaranteed to be a brand’s best friend. You can use twitter and facebook to build anticipation around your brand launch even asking subscribers to spread the word.

Lastly the set design of the brand’s launch has to look absolutely amazing and captivating. Real thought process has to go into making it appealing. New and existing brands design elaborate sets and displays for their event launches. Here are a few designs I came across:

Although there are more these points I just shared are what I think has to go into consideration when launching a brand or a brand product. If you have any more you are more than welcome to share with me. Do you think an event launch is important to the success of a brand?

Reference:

http://www.workingmums.co.uk/working-mums-magazine/top-story/7420347/how-to-launch-your-brand-and-products-successfully.thtml

http://www.britopian.com/2013/10/20/top-3-considerations-launching-brand-advocacy-program/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-3-considerations-launching-brand-advocacy-program

http://www.pamlloyd.com/case-study-launching-brand

Brand Promise: The good, the bad and the ugly lawsuits.

Imagine you are driving back home from a long day at work or school and the day has rendered you tired and thirsty. You pass by a billboard for a popular beverage like Liquifruit with a tagline that goes something like “Refreshes like nothing on earth” naturally you would be compelled to buy it right? Or you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is look at yourself in the mirror, and all that you can see are the imperfections on your face e.g. pimples, wrinkles, uneven skin tone. Then your mind flashes back to an ad you've seen by skincare brands like Olay, Neutrogena, and Vaseline for Men etc. With a model who has flawless radiant skin supposedly achieved by religious use of the product. Naturally you would gravitate towards considering or buying the product right? Let us take a deeper look as to why that is.

To lure consumer interest companies utilise a little trick in the marketing sphere referred to as a ‘brand promise’. A brand promise is when a company makes a statement using images, copyright or both as to what you can expect from interacting with their product/ service. It is most effective when addressing consumer needs whether they are to look younger, quench a thirst, support a cause, feel secure etc. And the promise is often gets associated with the company name, logo and products/services.

Most of the time it works out well for the companies in that it garners brand loyalty and support. As long as consumers believe and experience a brand’s promise they will stand behind it. There is also a dark side to a brand promise such as what happens when a brand does not live up to it. Olay experienced the failure of a brand promise with their ‘Definitive Eye cream’ when female consumers did not achieve the same results as the products former model Twiggy. Dannon’s popular Activia brand yoghurt had consumers paying more for its product under the premise that it had more nutritional value that most. It was later found that Activia was as plain and ordinary as any other brand of yoghurt. Dannon ended up having to pay $45 million dollars in damages to consumers who had filed a lawsuit against the brand.

A brand promise can be as beneficial as it is damaging to a brand. So have you ever supported or bought a product/ service based on the brand promise only to be let down? Do you know any brands that actually live up to their promises?

Reference:

http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/brand-promise

http://www.businessinsider.com/false-advertising-scandals-2011-9?op=1

http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2013/08/19/when-a-brand-promise-backfires/2/