The ultimate digest

How come The Economist is so successful when so many other weekly news magazines aren’t? Michael Hirschorn of The Atlantic magazine identifies several possible reasons:

A ‘regular’ cookbook for digestive troubles

Svetcov's categories for effective regularity are fruit, legumes, chocolate and coffee. Recipes include bourbon truffles, gorgonzola-stuffed dried fig salad, chorizo and chickpea stew, and red wine compote with crème fraiche.

The new authenticity

45s are back. iTunes is going retro with the launch of the new ‘D45’ – a throwback to the old days of the two-song 45 rpm vinyl record. The D45 section on the iTunes Store features discounted prices on packs of two digital song downloads. Just like old 45s, the D45 selection includes a popular single accompanied by a B-side song. Prices range from $1.49 to $1.99. (A very big thanks to Ben and Tim.)

The real thing can be a good thing

This promotional pack for Red Bull Cola presents a can of the drink alongside the 17 natural ingredients that go into it. In our increasingly virtualised-digitised world, this display is a great testament to the commanding presence of physical objects.

Ref. http://www.psfk.com/2009/07/pic-red-bull-ingredients-in-the-raw.html
http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2337/the-power-of-the-physical-red-bull.html

‘Be awesome’ more often

A person walks into PF Chang’s and tweets how much she loves the lettuce wraps. Since PF Chang’s is active on Twitter, they see the message and decide to ‘be awesome’ and send the Tweeter a free dessert and appetizer.

A simple thought – PF Chang’s reached out and delighted a customer in a way she wasn’t expecting. And this person wasn’t a celebrity or an ‘influencer’ in the foodie world in any way. And PF Chang’s had NO expectation of getting anything more out of it. They just decided to take the opportunity to thank the Tweeter and thereby humanise their brand.

So, this question to people in marketing: when was the last time you actually thanked a customer? When was the last time you tried to ‘be awesome’? Does your company even have the systems in place to let you do so? If not, maybe it’s time to start making a change.

Ref. http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/07/11/a-case-of-why-brands-need-to-be-awesome-more-often/

‘Upcycling’ – a great idea still waiting to happen (again)

‘Upcycling’ is a 21st century term, coined by Cradle to Cradle authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart. But the idea of turning waste into useful products came to life brilliantly in 1963, with the Heineken WOBO (world bottle). Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the ‘brick that holds beer’ was ahead of its ecodesign time, letting beer lovers and builders alike drink and design all in one sitting.
Mr. Heineken’s idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he’d witnessed on the islands.
Crazily, a shed at the Heineken estate and a wall made of WOBOs at the Heineken Museum in Amsterdam are the only structures where the ‘beer brick’ was used. As to the remaining WOBOs, it’s not clear how many exist, or where, but the idea even some four decades later remains a lasting example in end-use innovation.

But why didn’t this project didn't take off, and why aren’t other brewers, or Coca-Cola for that matter, thinking like this? Certainly there are shipping efficiencies to packaging square bottles, and there's no cost to the company if people decide to build things out of them. Re-use is always better than recycling, and if properly done, this could result in a virtually waste-free product.

Ref. http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/13630

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/10/11/heineken-wobo-the-brick-that-holds-beer/

Step into someone else’s shoes and feel more exclusive

Tokyo’s Louis Vuitton flagship store in Omotesando has been given a complete makeover in the style of pop designer, Takashi Murakami. This is the latest project in their six-year relationship. The influence has seeped into every aspect of Vuitton, from the product design, to shop interior, to the mobile and web presence. Scattered throughout the shop are large-scale and miniature versions of Murakami’s plush figures and artwork. They range from large centerpieces to tiny figures playing among the items for sale in the store.

The figures are Vuitton-inspired, but still maintain Murakami’s anime-loving sensibilities. In fact, the opening ceremony was highlighted by one of Akihabara’s (Tokyo’s geek heaven) most popular girl groups, AKB48, along with the more hip productions of Fantastic Plastic Machine who produced a song for the campaign called Superflat First Love.

Ref. http://www.cscout.com/blog/2009/06/26/murakami-themed-vuitton-shop-opens-in-tokyo.html

Something to ‘perk’ you up

Starbucks and Unilver are giving away coupons worth over 800 free pints of the newly launched Starbucks Ice Cream on Facebook – every hour.

US-based Facebook users need only visit the site’s special promotion page at the start of any hour, and be ready to click quickly before that hour's set of coupons is gone. If they succeed, they can keep the coupon for themselves or send it to a friend (on or off Facebook). Either way, the coupon can be redeemed for either Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino or Coffee flavours. There’s a limit of one coupon per household, and you can keep trying until you strike lucky, or until the 20,000 free coupons run out.

Ref. http://www.springwise.com/marketing_advertising/starbucksfacebook/

How can you provide antidotes to dishonesty?

Take inspiration from the Indonesian government. In the province of East Kalimantan, whose natural resources have been routinely plundered by corrupt government officials and businessmen, the government has opened almost 1,500 cafes without cashiers. At these ‘honesty cafes’, people are expected to take what they want and leave the appropriate payment behind. The cafes will first be introduced to schools, then offices and even the street.

“It is so important that Indonesia’s younger generation grow up with a better understanding of right and wrong, so they’re more disciplined and less likely to take part in corrupt activities," says a government spokesman. "This anti-corruption campaign targets the youth so that Indonesia can have a better future.” By 2010, they hope to have opened more than 10,000 similar cafes.

Ref. http://www.shapingtomorrow.com/trendAlert.cfm?id=1004
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/indonesia/090512/indonesias-honesty-cafes

How can make sure you design the ‘right’ choice?

America’s Yellowstone Park discovered that signs reading ‘Please don’t litter’ actually caused littering to increase. The words weren’t ‘positive’ enough, so they changed the signs to the more engaging, ‘People who love the environment take their litter home’ – and more people started taking their litter home. (Merci, Le Nic)

Take a look at ‘Nudge’ by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein for more on this insight. The book shows how people often behave irrationally, and offers some gentle 'nudging' techniques for making them behave more responsibly and sensibly.

For example, the bosses at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, fed up with urine all over their floors, painted black flies in the centre of the urinals. By giving men something to aim at, accuracy was dramatically improved.

Ref. http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?Eden_Project_head:_Government_lacks_courage_on_climate&in_article_id=700408&in_page_id=11

How can you help your customers shape your future?

Think like Starbucks who’ve introduced ‘My Starbucks Idea’. This is based around customers knowing better than anyone about what they want from Starbucks. And however simple or revolutionary the idea, Starbucks want to hear it. The call is for people to share and discuss their own and other people’s ideas, and then vote on their favourites. (Cheers for this one, Simon R).
 

And the team then let you know about the ideas they’ve launched…

Ref. http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaHome

Colour crafting – too simple to 'own'?

Bold, modern typography, like Chocolat Factory's packaging, has a super-simple, stripped down approach. But is this its primary flaw? This popular look, if applied without enough of a differentiating element, can end up looking generic. Colour blocking is great for differentiating flavours, but something else has to be going on to create an 'ownable' design.

Below are some examples. Some seem to rely too heavily on colour and don't make their packaging distinctive enough from other brands, while others are doing a better job. Can you tell the difference between the brands well enough? Are the differences memorable enough so you'll know where to go back for your next chocolate fix?

Ref. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2009/06/branding-with-color.html#more

Take the long view

People are buying Knob Creek bourbon quicker than they can make it. But rather than bottle their bourbon before it’s finished aging the ‘full 9 years’, Knob Creek are simply stopping production until it’s ready – and really ‘living’ their equity of ‘uncompromising quality’ into the bargain. What they’re doing is right for both their customers and right for the brand. An admirable example to set.

Ref. http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/07/01/brands-i-love-knob-creek-tells-the-world-thanks-for-nothing/

How can you be more generous?

Take out a mortgage with ING. Through ING’s new Huis voor een huis (‘home for a home’) program, Dutch borrowers can now help families in Bangladesh and India to build homes of their own. ING's clients can opt to donate €300 when they sign for their mortgage, which the bank then doubles to €600.

To maximize the impact of those donations, ING has partnered with Dutch non-profit Wereldfoundation. So instead of simply handing out the money, the foundation provides microfinancing: borrowers who have previously taken out a business loan and have shown that they're financially responsible, are eligible for a home loan. As the microloans are paid back, the money can be made available to more borrowers, with the goal of helping entire villages build new homes.

At a time when banks are seen as greedy and incompetent, it's a well-considered approach to being generous.

Ref. http://springwise.com/financial_services/huisvooreenhuis/

It’s good to fake it

There have been a myriad ‘faux’ trends for accessories and home furnishing: faux-wood, faux-leather, faux-fur, you name it. Now Dutch copywriter, Peggy van Neer, has created a faux-cardboard bed linen design, which you can buy online. Forty per cent of the sales proceeds of the ‘Le Clochard’ duvet cover goes to a Dutch foundation for the young homeless. The money helps fund housing projects, which also create jobs and education opportunities. The duvets are made of 100% soft combed cotton and available in three sizes.

http://www.le-clochard.com/index.php?pageid=101&language=EN

Ref. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/luxury-for-the-homeless-faux-cardboard-or-clochard-duvet-covers