How can you soothe shoppers’ troubled minds?

Think like Tide: shout less to reduce the ‘visual noise’ that causes sensory overload, and place more emphasis on clean, more refined graphics that focus on a simple message instead. . . Aaaahh doesn’t that feel better?

There’s a growing trend to ‘make do’ with what you got, so how can your brand make less stuff and still do well?

Take inspiration from Nokia, which, as part of its new ‘we:’ strategy to save energy and reduce waste, will ship its N79 Eco without a charger (the idea is to use your old one), this means it can also come in a smaller boxes.

The phone costs the same as the regular N79, but for each one sold, Nokia will donate £4 ($5.56) to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It is all about consumers saving some money as well as the environment.

Self-help is on the rise so how can you make the most of it?

Think like PatientPak – a collection of antimicrobial and other hygiene items for those planning a hospital visit. Its aim is to kill 99.99% of bugs, including nasties such as MRSA, salmonella and E. coli.

How can your brand act with a sense of humour in these tricky times

Think like women’s hair removal brand, Veet, which capitalised on Dubya’s departure with this punchy little ad.

 

How can you make the most of people’s retro skills?

Think like Oxfam who’ve tapped into the older generation's ability to make the most of limited resources. They’ve recruited a team of ‘Green Grannies’ to  advise the UK public on everything from how to darn socks to how to make delicious food from leftovers.

How can you take advantage of mobile ordering?

Think like Chipotle, the burrito-centric Mexican (-inspired) grill, which recently launched an iPhone application which allowed customers to order your meal from their phone and then pick it up once it’s prepared.  Users could find the nearest location, customize their order, pay for their meal and even save favorites for later.  The application was built on their already efficient online ordering system, but taken a step further to a smooth graphic user interface for the popular iPhone.

What packaging format can you adopt from a different industry?

Think like South African’s The Company of Wine People who’ve unveiled their new eco-friendly design:the wine pouch, a product that on first glance resembles a Capri Sun for grown-ups! According to South Africa’s The Company of Wine People, wine pouches consume about 20% of the energy for production that a glass bottle does and has around 20% of the carbon footprint of glass (Tetra Paks use only about 5% of the energy of a glass bottle and has 5% the CO2 footprint). Pouches weigh 20 times less than bottles, wich means they are a lot easier to lug to

How can you appeal to the new sobriety?

A whole new generation of consumers is facing the current economic slowdown with the exacting approach to quality and ethics they have acquired over the last few years. Packaging takes a sober turn, adopting a no-nonsense approach to attract consumers in search of a product and brand they can trust. Limited colour palettes, and bold typography with little ornamentation and patterning offer clarity in a sea of choice. New functionality can still be about art, integrity and beauty, but is also about purity, weight and consequence.  

 

How can you tap into the simpler things from times gone by?

 Think like North Carolina-based Happikins who remember that not everything used to be disposable. We used to for example re-use hankies and napkins!  Happikins recently launched an eye-pleasing line of reusable lunch box napkins.   

What can you take from another industry and make a fresh impact in your brand’s world?

Think like French dairy company Yoplait which has created Dizzy – a sparkling, refreshing milk-based drink aimed at young adults. (Thanks to Joe in Oz for this one). Dizzy is presented in a style of packaging that adopts a polysensory, psychedelic decor taken from ‘clubland’. This distinguishes the drink from its competitors and imposes itself in an extremely crowded market segment.

 

What goes around comes around, so how can your brand spread a little goodwill?

It's not unusual for a clothing brand to build its reputation on being kind to the environment, by promoting its use of sustainable materials, production methods and packaging.  A new line of clothing out of Northern Ireland, however, strives to inspire its wearers to be kind to others each time they wear its clothing.

 The brainchild of Cameron, an 18-year-old guy from Northern Ireland, ARK stands for ‘Acts of Random Kindness’, which is just what the brand hopes its clothes will inspire customers to perform. The company sells a line of logo-emblazoned shirts for men and women, and each time a customer wears one, it asks that they do something kind for someone else. Cameron explains: "The idea—one ARK every time the clothing is worn. That's it. Buy someone a coffee, give up your seat on the bus, help a drunk home.”

 

 http://www.arkchangeyourworld.com/ Ref. Springwise

How can you help people feel better when the going gets tough? Be an anti-dote to the global downturn.

Think like Copenhagen boutique L.U.I.S which is currently claiming to sell Happiness, whether in the form of a small white dog, the smell of new leather, or a piece of artfully displayed wood.  L.U.I.S is the brainchild of three Danish Design School students who are keen to explore notions of happiness, content and inner calm in these difficult, market-lashed times.  

How do you build your brand through a limited edition?

Think like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark.

What we wear and own isn't just about self-expression and individualism; these things broadcasts our affiliations and display our social capital. People pay a lot of money for limited-edition Aston Martins and LV handbags, while others take pride in their Karmaloop hoodie or copy of Tigermilk on vinyl.

Social Souvenir, an interactive art installation that was housed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, took this clothes-as-community concept to the next level by bring social networking into the mix.

The concept was based on 300 T-shirts that were exhibited and put on sale at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde, Denmark. Each T-shirt was imprinted with a text fragment inspired by 15 renowned artists represented in the museum's collection, including the likes of Yoko Ono, Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp and Per Højholt.Visitors could buy a T-shirt of their own choice, on condition that they share a bit of personal information about themselves, or more precisely, their name and address.

When paying for the T-shirt at the museum-shop, the information was automatically mapped in Google Maps, thereby making it possible to see where each T-shirt ended up after leaving the museum.
 
During the course of the exhibition, the 300 T-shirts gradually disappeared from the physical museum space only to re-appear on the web.

Consequently, by buying a T-shirt visitors did not simply get a personal piece of the installation - they also helped contribute to its collective development and distribution.The aim of Social Souvenir was to re-activate the museum's collection and make it available to the public in a new way using new forms of media and to create social links between (random) museum visitors, resulting in a stronger sense of community.

 Ref: PSFK