23 April 2009 /
by at 4:29 am 23 April 2009
Filed under: Branding
…and then you catch it doing something you’ve never seen it do before.
Like McDonald’s having this ice cream-only counter in the metro in Santiago, Chile.
As a frequent traveller with a penchant for fast food (hey, you can’t thrive on local cuisine alone) I really thought I’d seen every Mickey D’s incarnation under the sun.
As a branding consultant, I’ll take it as a reminder: it’s great when even the biggest brands — maybe especially the biggest brands, the ones at risk of over-familiarity with what they do and how they do it — mix it up here and there.
20 April 2009 /
by Ben Knapp at 3:34 pm 20 April 2009
Filed under: Architecture, Art, Home Page
Wally’s on the 
weekly audio digest. He discusses Saffron’s work on place branding, shares thoughts on the old (non-)contest between India and China and reveals who usually decides on a new logo (the CEO…or his bedfellow).
8 April 2009 /
by Ian Roberts at 10:33 pm 8 April 2009
Filed under: Branding, Luxury, Typography
Tags: arm, brand, Identity, intel
There is a huge battle brewing in the technology industry right now. Netbooks and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) are finally becoming the capable machines that science fiction always told us they would. Laptop grade processors are finally small and efficient enough to fit in devices like iPhones. At the same time, processor lines that have been traditionally designed for mobile phones are now able to run a full web browser and laptop computer experience. We are at a crossroads.
This intersection between the iPhone and the Eee PC will be the computing platform for the next five years, dominating market growth in the PC sector. But who will own this market?
All of the handheld/smartphone makers as well as PC vendors all have a shot. It is the Wild West right now, with everyone staking a claim. No one is sure which operating system, hardware, or brands will prevail. One thing is certain however, there soon will be a blitz of advertising aimed at consumers which will confuse and alienate them.
That is why it is important for the players involved to establish their brand now. One doesn’t have to look but a few years back to see how this story will play out for all of the processor companies.
AMD, in the very late 90′s, was able to introduce a 64-bit chip that blew Intel’s best offering away (Intel invested in another technology which wasn’t accepted by the market at that time). They had a lead on Intel chips for the next few years but weren’t able to capitalize. Read more…
