What’s the easiest way to get our attention? Chocolate! Ok so what’s the second easiest way to get our attention? Do a motion graphics piece that doesn’t just tickle the eye but teaches us something as well. Taking into consideration recent innovations in communication and publishing, these kinds of info-tainment pieces will become more needed. And, for a change, I’m not the only one that thinks so.
We recently read a post from Jay Kinghorn, a photographer, who thinks that multimedia’s the way of the future for his profession. And advertisers might be taking advantage of the full media experience available through Apple’s iTunes for books, seeing this as a new media channel (see: revenue stream).
Downtown natives have probably already noticed the newest addition to our restaurant selections, Leoci’s just around the corner from us on Abercorn Street. We’re always glad to see existing buildings being rennovated and reused, especially when they serve up sumptuous Italian food. But what really excited me (after I got over the smell of basil in the air) was their logo. Anyone know who’s responsible?
This past Wednesday SCAD presented a lecture by expert brand strategist Lee Hunt. The event was well attended, and even though his talk focused on media brands, his insights were relevant for anyone dealing with the creation or maintenance of brands for any consumer product.
First the Basics
He did a great job of covering the basics of what a brand is and what it needs to do. Anyone unfamiliar with the idea of a brand being more than just a logo would’ve gotten a lot out of this part. In short, a brand is:
the perception that exists in people’s mind
a set of expectations - promises the product makes to the consumer
a shortcut - an easy way to understand why the product you’ve chosen is superior to its competitors
But most importantly your brand isn’t what you say it is,
it’s what they say it is.
With that in mind, any successful brand needs to do 3 things:
Define the asset - this is the easy part, basically just communicate what it is you’re selling.
Differentiate - now it gets a bit trickier, you need to set yourself apart from the competition.
Establish relevance to the consumer - even more difficult, this means finding a way of convincing your target audience why you belong in their already media and product saturated lives.
Now the Meat
With a broad understanding of the challenges of branding down, Hunt went on to the crux of the presentation, which he calls the Paradox of Media Brands. Because of the space they occupy in our lives, media brands have a particularly tough job when it comes to defining their offering, differentiating themselves from the noise and connecting to an audience whose tastes change hour by hour, day-part by day-part and click by click. They need to:
Expand, Contract and Stay the Same all at the same time. Memes come and go. What was cool at 10am is no longer interesting at 11am, and networks need to always be aware of what’s considered interesting by their market in order to command their attention. So they need to be flexible enough to flow with the ever shifting tide of the cultural zeitgeist, but as they’re doing that, never lose sight of what makes them unique.
The example he used for this was the usa network. Given the challenge of finding a single idea that embraced the diverse programming they offered (syndicated dramas, Wimbledon, WWE wrestling, original comedies), while staying away from messaging that their competitors were using (TNT already knew drama, tbs focussed on being “very funny”, and Hallmark was where “stories come to life”) usa zeroed in on the central component of all stories… characters.
With their “characters welcome” tagline, they were able to bring everything they did under 1 umbrella idea while laying the foundation for connecting with their viewers as characters themselves.
Be Different Things to Different People, on Different Platforms, yet Stand for 1 Thing.
The perfect example of this was the Discovery Channel who took a risk when they decided to branch out from their usual nature-themed programming with a little show called “American Chopper.” The risk paid off as they managed to tap into an audience they hadn’t had access to before, yet were able to discover (sorry couldn’t resist) how sturdy their brand was in the minds of their loyal fans. This promo spot summed up the sentiment they were tapping into nicely…”The World is Just Awesome”
Be fresh, Evolve yet be Consistent and Reliable
TNT was used as a good example of how a channel can use their central idea “drama” and evolve not only the look and feel of their on-air promotions, but also the use of their tag line. When they launched their “we know drama” focus 10 years ago, the social landscape was different. People expected little more than interesting stories from their media outlets. Now with a more “me”-centric, interactive society, the audience needs to be engaged. We are users not just consumers of tv. Sensing this change, TNT changed their tag line subtly from merely “we know drama” (which is focused on the channel not the viewer) to a series of lines like, “we know drama inspires” “we know drama captivates” etc. with its implication of “you” at the end.
(images from dexigner.com)
Then there’s the Future
Hunt closed his presentation with a look forward into future of media. Even though this consisted more of questions than predictions, his ability to see how trends are affecting the landscape is a testament to his years of experience in this field. His main point as far as the future’s concerned is that the Paradoxes continue:
Fragmentation in the midst of Convergence - as we get more outlets, we get more ways to sync those into one device or portal
Mobile vs 3D - the screens are getting smaller in our hands, yet bigger in our living rooms
Narrowcasting vs Broadcasting - niche marketers have the reach of global audiences
iTunes in a world of YouTube - professional rights managed and restricted entertainment vs free and viral
In Conclusion
What can be said for media brands can be said for any brand. So I suggest you take Lee Hunt’s advice and make sure you build your brand so that it can:
Expand, Contract and Stay the Same all at the same time.
Be Different Things to Different People, on Different Platforms, yet Stand for 1 Thing.
Be fresh, Evolve yet be Consistent and Reliable
Or at least hire someone who can do that for you….
It is hard to consider our individual lives devoid of computers. Without one, you would not be ‘in touch’ with your daily tasks, your work, your news, weather or finances. You would not be ‘talking’ to your friends, getting your entertainment, purchasing from your vendors or reading this! We can safely say that computers are ubiquitous. They are the ‘gatekeepers’ for the information age and the Internet. Not having access to the Internet moves you into a sub-class of citizen that is completely out of touch.
If you’re not on-line due to your financial situation, your chances of being able to pull yourself out of that situation are greatly impeded. Many job application processes are only available on-line. Unable to connect with the educated, informed, empowered world, you would be barred from involvement at all levels. According to the Ann E Casey Foundation, in the state of Georgia alone, 45% - 57% of the households have no access to internet nor a computer in the home. Of the people living at or below poverty in Savannah, GA, 78% are ‘not connected’ other than by access at school or in the public library.
Shocking statistics you might think, but let me add another disconcerting fact; in this technology-driven society, we have been driven to constantly upgrade our computers with such veracity that in the US alone, according to a recent Gartner Research paper, we throw out 133,000 PCs EVERY DAY! In many instances, these are 4 - 6 year old computers with plenty of usable life in them along with keyboards, monitors and mice. Hold on! We are throwing something away that is in complete shortage just down the street? A simple oversight you may think, or maybe it’s just way too complicated? Read More of this post
Yeah…so we see a lot of 3D reels. Mostly, they suck. There are only so many times you can watch the disproportionate model of a sci-fi character with ridiculously long limbs, executing a slow 360 degree spin. Usually we don’t even make it through to the end.
And then there’s this guy…incredible models, exciting camera angles, a storyline and humor.
Nice work Pantural!
I especially like this comment I just spotted on his Youtube channel:
filipepatcheco (1 hour ago)
I’m from Disney pixar and I want to give you a job! Interest??
During our panel discussion this past Geekend we promised a list of sources of inspiration for the parched designer running out of creative juice. A complete list is impossible but here are a few of the places the team here uses for a bit of brain caffeine, categorized by our different interests for your browsing comfort:
I can’t take credit for finding this (a friend emailed it), but it’s too good not to share.
The Fun Theory (thefuntheory.com), an initiative of Volkswagen, is a “site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, just so long as it’s change for the better.”
I. LOVE. THIS.
I dare you to watch these short clips and not be inspired to do something similar in your community:
Bottle Bank Arcade Machine
The World’s Deepest Bin
And my favorite…
Piano Staircase
If you’ve got a great idea for something similar, perhaps you should enter the Fun Theory competition…you could win €2500.
With a number of close photographer friends I have a real respect for their ability to tell engaging stories with their work. While on TED not long ago, I came across this beautiful story told by photographer Rick Smolan, of an Amerasian girl he photographed, and her resulting journey to a better life.
We all have those moments when we can choose to lend our efforts and resources to improve someone else’s situation. He moved from being simply an observer to trying to make a difference. What I love about this story is that their encounter not only changed her life, but you can tell how much it also affected him.
Hopefully you already know who Andy Goldsworthy is, but if not, consider this your introduction to a profound and unique artist who was a source of inspiration to just about every artist friend I ever met in college. His work is breathtaking yet intentionally temporary, and considering this time of environmental awareness, I find him even more relevant than before.
I am pulling the cover blurb of his book ‘A Collaboration with Nature‘ here (because I’m sure I cannot do a better job of summing him up):
Andy Goldsworthy is an extraordinary, innovative British artist whose collaboration with nature produces uniquely personal and intense artworks. Using a seemingly endless range of natural materials - snow, ice, leaves, bark, rock, clay, stones, feathers, petals, twigs - he creates outdoor sculpture that manifests, however fleetingly, a sympathetic contact with the natural world. Before they disappear, or as they disappear…
…He deliberately explores the tension of working in the area where he finds his materials, and is undeterred by changes in the weather which may melt a spectacular ice arch or wash away a delicate structure of grasses. The artist’s intention is not to “make his mark” on the landscape, but rather to work with it instinctively, so that a delicate screen of bamboo or massive snow rings or a circle of leaves floating in a pool create a new perception and an ever-growing understanding of the land.
