livingbrands

Wouldn't want to say I told you so ;-)

About a year ago, Media Guardian ran a piece in praise of 'modern' (not really) advertising, in which they put the boot into...and 'killed off' as archaic...the good old 'catchphrase'. Being (in some ways) a bit of a traditionalist at heart, I disagreed. Well I ranted, really. Because I thought they were wrong. And also because most of the examples they gave for the 'future of advertising' seemed pretty conventional to me.

Anyway, a few months later, Mars announced a new line for their energy drink - 'work; rest; play harder', a variation on the 'a Mars a day helps you work rest and play' line, first aired in 1959, but ditched in 1995. Felt slightly vindicated. Had some more words to say.

And now, in today's Campaign, we hear that the line for the new main brand work (after a decade of various nonsense) will be 'work, rest, play'. Nice (although I obviously haven't seen the ads yet!).

As Caroline Jary, the Mars brand manager, says: "we echoed the strapline because it's part of the brand heritage. The updated message helps communicate the brand values as much today as in yesteryear". Exactly. And welcome back...until the next time someone kills it off for being 'old fashioned'.

I'll leave the final word to the Undertones.

Fear of a black planet?

THE BEEB SEEM TO BE MAKING THIS AS INVISIBLE AS THE GUY IN THE AD, BY WIPING IT OFF YOUTUBE...FOR NO GOOD REASON I CAN UNDERSTAND (ANY THOUGHTS?). IT'S ALL PROMOTION SURELY. ANYWAY, IT'S BACK. BUT FOR HOW LONG, I DON'T KNOW!

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Nicely controversial promo for the BBC's White season...

More info here.

Free the ghost in the machine

The Pirate's Dilemma isn't out till May (although if anyone wants to send me an advance copy, it will be gladly received), but everything I've come across so far from author Matt Mason suggests it will be well worth reading.

There's a blog here; a presentation on the thinking in the book here; and an interview with Steve Hardy of Creative Generalist here.

From this, I particularly liked a bit about remixers (of all types, not just music), and how they are inspired by the 'ghosts in the machine': the background 'white noise' that exists in all products and markets, but which often goes unnoticed until a remixer comes along and unlocks the hidden benefits contained within...

"One of the major benefits of the remix is its ability to eke out the “ghosts in the machine.” In music, ‘ghosts in the machine’ is a term producers use to describe the happy accidents that occur when sampling an old sound. Some of the best bits of samples are the white noise that is recorded unintentionally - hidden information in the audio that distorts and makes itself heard when the sample is changed in some way. Remixing allows us to find the ghosts in all kinds of machines, not just the ones that create music. We can find these same original elements of innovation inside business models, and pull out and amplify the weird and interesting noises nobody thought to look for in the first place. Letting others remix our ideas too further increases our chances for finding the ghosts. Letting others remix your work leads to more people pitching with suggestions and ideas, who have a different perspective and can see things that we cannot."

We all have our ghosts. We just can't see or hear them. It needs a remixer without any constraints to come in and set them free. So let the pirates come and play, and benefit from the results.

10 things we didn't know before the 8th week of 2008

1. If housewives got salaries at the going rate for doing household chores, they would on average earn £30,000.
2. Pacifist John Lennon was once an air cadet.
3. Women in Ivory Coast buy “bottom enhancing” injections for $2.
4. Whales catnap.
5. Young dinosaurs were prey to a giant frog.
6. John Prescott played in a parliamentary football team in the 1970s with Jonathan Aitken, Robert Kilroy-Silk and Neil Kinnock.
7. The female G-spot can be located by ultrasound.
8. People can have four kidneys.
9. A replica Statue of Liberty exists in Kosovo.
10. The first pop concert Barack Obama attended was as a 10-year-old watching Elton John.

(Source: BBC)

Lateral packing

For anyone who knows Lush and all they stand for, their approach to packaging will come as no surprise - minimal to non-existent in some cases, and just bog standard cardboard where boxes are required (albeit nicely wrapped).

But what's interesting is what goes in the boxes. In the past, I'm pretty sure they used shredded paper...which is good and green, but labour intensive to produce (probably). And you need a lot of it.

Well now, as I discovered recently, they've switched to something else: popcorn (unsalted)...

What a brilliant and lateral idea. Take inspiration from man-made packaging materials, such as polystyrene balls, and look for something functional similar but more sustainable in nature.

Though you can't actually eat them (I don't think), they are completely biodegradable. And, counter to the laws of processing (and intuitive sense), the finished product is actually much bigger than the raw materials. I think it's great.

Food philosophy

Dug this up the other day when researching something for one of the Kerry Foods' brands we work on: it's from uber foodie and culinary scientist Heston Blumenthal's philosophy for his Michelin starred Fat Duck...

"The whole process of flavour perception is multi-sensory. We all have our own perception of life. Not only do we see, hear and taste differently but we have our own, individual personal experiences, emotion and memory. As long as this continues, the world of eating will be a very exciting place."

Thought it made a nice pair with my previous post on Slow Food. And (given the kind of dishes Heston magics up in his 'lab') shows care, consideration and craft aren't at odds with experimentation, innovation and dynamism.

Sexy stilton

If this week's Grocer Magazine is to be believed (and someone may be pulling their leg...or they may be pulling ours), these are real. Cried with laughter. Not sure if that means they've worked or not.

All this cheesy nonsense comes thanks of the Stilton Cheesemaker's Association (apparently).

The importance of clarity when briefing

Thanks to Gareth for pointing out this Mitchell & Webb sketch that I had managed to miss.

Lessons for briefings everywhere I think. Cut out the ambiguity and waffle, get straight to the point and be clear about it.

10 things we didn't know before the 7th week of 2008

1. A white stag lives in the Highlands.
2. Brain tumours can be diagnosed by a handshake.
3. Ian Fleming's contract with the Sunday Times allowed him to spend winter in Jamaica.
4. Kosovo's dialling code is the same as Monaco's.
5. A fire at a landfill site in Guernsey has been smouldering for three years.
6. Staffordshire bull terriers are one of only two breeds that the Kennel Club recommends as suitable with children, the other being a Chesapeake Bay retriever.
7. 99% of beekeepers are hobbyists.
8. The Billy Bunter author, Charles Hamilton, is the world's most prolific, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
9. The UK spends more on cosmetic surgery than Germany, France and Italy put together.
10. Giving birth to a boy may increase the likelihood of severe postnatal depression.

(Source: BBC)

Take it slow

Some years ago, at a previous agency, we nearly had a meet 'n' greet with Sacla, the Italian sauces brand. It never happened. But one thing from the background research always stuck with me...

Sacla are from Piedmont, which is also the home of the Slow Food Movement.

The idea of Slow Food was not something I'd (explicitly) come across before, and as well as offering a potential angle on the brand to talk about, the 'slow' ideal really resonated with me.

Maybe it's not living in the Big City; maybe it's the suggestions of craft, care, quality, simplicity and naturalness intrinsic to the concept; maybe the spiritual dimension implied - of 'being' not 'doing'; or maybe I'm just a bit boring! But whatever the appeal, I have always liked (and tried to live out) the idea(ls) of taking things slow.

Which is why I've watched with interest as trend spotters various have recently started to latch on to all things slow - from food to fashion to travel. I particularly like the irony of an industry fixated on quick change fixating on something which champions lack of change and longevity. I also like the fact that it seems to have taken so long for them to 'spot' the trend (it's been around since the mid 80s!).

Maybe it's the first in a new trend for slow trends. Or maybe will find out next month that fast is the new slow (think I'll skip that one).

Anyway, an opportunity to revisit one of the best spokespeople for slow ever, who I think was also once voted sexiest cartoon animal (or something similar)…