Many e-mails and phone calls later, Tropicana announced they’d be bringing back the old package design – barely a month after the redesigned packages were initially released. In a recent article, The New York Times covers some of the reasoning behind the sudden change of heart, along with some other examples of the impact of social media on corporate branding.
Recently there have been a handful of rebrandings, mostly companies that have had the same recognizable logo since the beginning of time – soda brands like Pepsi, Sprite, Mountain Dew, bigger retailers like Walmart and Best Buy, and now the latest big guy… Kraft. There seems to be a trend in the styles chosen, things seem rounder and friendlier and more colorful. I am generally okay with this, except if this is the new trend, I worry that our world will start to feel like a child’s playground. I pondered why everyone has gone from their recognizable simple 1- or 2-color logos that have held up well throughout the years. Maybe it’s because full-color printing is so much cheaper than it was back in the day? As production manager, I can remember the days when they ran a specific red on Tuesdays and blue on Wednesdays, and so on. So in order to save money, you designed within those constraints. Nowadays, there isn’t much of a difference in pricing, so designers have more freedom when choosing colors for printing. And of course, logo usage today is much more varied and includes online and broadcast mediums where extra color doesn’t cost more.
But do we really want everything to be so playful-looking? I am one for very simple lines that convey sturdiness and stability from a company. According to a recent article in Brandweek, there is speculation that the new trend in colorful rounded logos might be to offset the dreary economy. But to change your whole corporate identity to answer what is (hopefully) just a short blip in in the course of these companies’ long lives… not sure that’s a great idea. It leaves me wondering, will these new “happier” logos change how consumers think and feel about these companies?
Do you ever contemplate opening up your website to public reviews/comments? Many people fear they are shooting themselves in the foot by doing so, thinking they may get negative feedback that will then be publicly viewable. Well, recent research by Forrester reports that only 14% of online consumers always trust a negative review. And “about half of online shoppers surveyed by Forrester say that they have purchased a product despite reading a negative review” (Internet Retailer).
The beauty of Web 2.0 is that anyone can say whatever they want, wherever they want, to whomever they want. Some people talk because they like to feel that their opinions are being heard and possibly helping fellow online consumers. Some just like the sound of their own voice. But I do feel most truly understand the value and risks of user-generated content and take commentary with a grain of salt.
While opening up your website to unfiltered public commentary may seem scary, encouraging your customers to interact with each other and your company can yield some pretty cool benefits. It displays your company’s confidence in your products/services and can further develop customer loyalty. Some companies even use the comment platform as a way to explain or defend themselves by responding to negative feedback – sometimes to openly apologize for their error; other times to set the record straight. So if you’ve been reluctant to take that leap of faith and create an open forum, now might be the time.
So, I’ve spent a good many hours of my life as Creative Director matching colors. I pour over Pantone books, I match CMYK values to spot, I compare cool whites to warm whites, I look at tones in daylight compared to fluorescents. I know my stuff when it comes to the subtleties of color. So, I like to think this profession of mine has prepared me pretty well for my motherly task at hand of making birthday cakes. (If you think I go down to the local grocery store to buy a cake, you’re out of your mind…did you catch the title…Creative Director? Yeah, no store-bought cakes at my house. Even if didn’t want to bake, I’d have to scrape off the frosting and re-decorate.) So this weekend, my stepson (who loved the Spongebob Squarepants cake I did for him last year) decides he wants to stay with the theme and asks me to whip up a Squidward cake. “Squidward?” I ask. “What color is a Squidward?” “I don’t know,” he says, “kind of a pukey-gray-green-underwater-mucky color.” Excellent. So, I do my Squidward research, and he’s about right; Squidward’s a pretty good match for a PMS 5665 pukey-gray-green-underwater muck. So, I mix up some Betty Crocker whipped vanilla with a dash of green and blue food coloring for the green and the underwater tones. I spoon in about 2 tablespoons of Betty Crocker rich chocolate fudge frosting to help with the muck. I deepen everything up for Squidward’s pimples which my stepson was adamant that I not forget. Delicious. Add a couple of Peppermint Patties for the eyes, and, well, you can see how it came out for yourself. I, personally, thought it was disgusting, and much preferred the happy-go-lucky Spongebob.
Here are both for your viewing pleasure. I’ll be happy to go back to matching logos and ink colors come tomorrow!
In the spirit of the national phenom that is “25 Random Things about Me” (if you’re out of the loop, see these articles on nytimes.com and time.com), I thought I’d share 25 Things you may not have known about smith&jones:
We stream pandora.com tunes in our studio.
We receive the following publications, among others: Specialty Food, Metropolitan Home, Meating Place, AdWeek, Promo, Time, Saveur.
We laugh every day.
In case you hadn’t noticed, our company color is purple.
We are excited by the possibilities that new media holds. (Really.)
We are currently in our 4th office location, with no plans to move.
At our previous office, we had an occasional problem with unwelcome mice.
Our current office used to be an antiques store, and before that, a flower shop.
Our two founders’ birthdays are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, same year (and neither of them is named Smith or Jones).
After being in business for 13 years, we finally have a staffer with a last name of Jones (no Smith yet).
We strongly believe in Macs.
Candy does not last long in our office.
Everyone who works here has a personal pen color.
Beautiful logos make us happy.
Reflex blue does not.
We have cake for everyone’s birthday.
We share an office Happy Light; there is a daily schedule.
We recycle.
Mostly everyone here thinks Will Ferrell is funny.
We love paper samples.
Even though we love the web and all that it can do, we still believe in the power of printed materials.
Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, everyone I’m sure will be reflecting on the game (what a game!), the half-time show (fantastic!) and, of course, the advertising (…). I will admit that I missed about half of the first quarter ads; but overall, I wasn’t overly impressed. My favorite ad, however, had to have been for Miller High Life. Last Wednesday night, I saw their teaser spot featuring one of their deliverymen gawking at the $3 million companies pay for a 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl – that’s $100,000 a second! And suggested that all High Life would need is one second. After a couple hilarious examples of what this one second could hold, the commercial asked viewers to watch for their 1-second commercial during the big game. I’m not even a beer drinker and I was hooked. I had to visit their website, www.1secondad.com, and you can bet I was looking for the ad during the game. I began to worry after 3 quarters passed without sign of the spot, but minutes into the 4th quarter there it was.
Granted, this may not have made any sense to someone who hadn’t seen the teaser ad, but I was pleased. Not only as a consumer who appreciates a good laugh, but also as someone who always enjoys a clever tactic. This ad, standing on its own, is probably as effective as (insert witty analogy here), but when combined with teaser pregame ads, an interactive website, and a customer rewards program, is a great way to get customers involved and to keep Miller High Life on the brain.
Great job Miller High Life and congrats on a very clever ad campaign. As a non-beer drinker, I may never buy your product – but if I was…
“If you don’t have anything nice to say…”
Monday, February 16th, 2009Do you ever contemplate opening up your website to public reviews/comments? Many people fear they are shooting themselves in the foot by doing so, thinking they may get negative feedback that will then be publicly viewable. Well, recent research by Forrester reports that only 14% of online consumers always trust a negative review. And “about half of online shoppers surveyed by Forrester say that they have purchased a product despite reading a negative review” (Internet Retailer).
The beauty of Web 2.0 is that anyone can say whatever they want, wherever they want, to whomever they want. Some people talk because they like to feel that their opinions are being heard and possibly helping fellow online consumers. Some just like the sound of their own voice. But I do feel most truly understand the value and risks of user-generated content and take commentary with a grain of salt.
While opening up your website to unfiltered public commentary may seem scary, encouraging your customers to interact with each other and your company can yield some pretty cool benefits. It displays your company’s confidence in your products/services and can further develop customer loyalty. Some companies even use the comment platform as a way to explain or defend themselves by responding to negative feedback – sometimes to openly apologize for their error; other times to set the record straight. So if you’ve been reluctant to take that leap of faith and create an open forum, now might be the time.
Tags: comments, customer reviews
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