Why Digital Marketing Has Become An Outdated Concept
Read More from AdWeek; http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/why-digital-marketing-has-become-outdated-concept-163339
Dipping into the GunnDesign’s 60 plus year history reveals some insight into who we are and how we came to be the GunnDesign of today. Today we feature a memorable press kit developed for a joint marketing initiative between our client Krups and Heineken Beer. Krups’ BeerTender will keep your Heineken at the perfect serving temperature while you enjoy watching this month’s NFL playoffs. Go Pats!
Surely you’ve seen this message, or something similar, in your inbox. Usually it’s tucked in under the signature block from well meaning folks. There’s actually a whole organization (thinkbeforeprinting.org) dedicated to increasing awareness and reminding folks that wasting paper, ink and toner doesn’t make economic or environmental sense. They are not opposed to the printing of e-mails, they just want folks to think before they print. Mostly I can get behind this concept, as I’ve seen my share of blank “page 2 of 2.”
Yet, this guilt laced directive, to think before printing, may be missing the point. Or at least missing another perspective on the topic.
A column hit my inbox recently (Johnson’s World: Trees Love Paper) that caused me to seriously reconsider the issue. After a bit of satire on our recent national elections, Mr. Johnson went on to make several points about paper in his column;
The last entry is the real kicker. Think about the rare earth minerals, heavy metals, petrochemicals, and other stuff that must be on some EPA list somewhere that abound in the computers and the digital devices we print from. What exactly was my concept of waste? I do think it wasteful to print out pages of information I know I will never refer back to. But I’m not out to save another tree from the paper mill. As a veteran of the printing industry, I know that the paper industry is ever mindful of its resources and manages its “cash crop” just as any other farmer seeking a fruitful future would. There is even an organization promoting this effort; PrintGrowsTrees.org.
So, what’s worse for the earth? I’m inclined to say the device you are reading this blog entry on!
Mr Johnson further writes about a Mr. Nathaniel Grant, CEO of G A M Printers in Sterling, VA, who includes the following statement with his email signature:
It is okay to print this email. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees. Growing and harvesting trees provides jobs for millions of men and women, and working forests are good for the environment, providing clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, and carbon storage. When you don’t need it anymore, be sure to put it in a bin designated for recycling and it will come back as new paper or cardboard.
As with most issues in life, it all depends on your prospective.
Now go ahead, print out this blog entry, pass it along and then recycle…
Tablets, smart phones and books.
Tablet computers, the latest craze driving our technological egos, are getting smaller and more powerful. Their smaller brethren, Smart phones, are getting bigger and more powerful. Soon they will be indistinguishable from one another. The recent releases of the iPhone 5, iPad 4, iPad mini, Kindle Fire HD and the Samsung Galaxy S3, etc. have garnered much attention in the media and activity in the marketplace. Today’s release of Microsoft’s Surface tablet and Windows 8 OS might not be as widely anticipated, but is, none the less, a milestone for the preeminent computing environment of the last 20 years.
Is all of this noise drowning out the death knell of books as we know them? Paper based, tangible and portable, they never run out of bars; battery or connectivity. They are easily passed from one reader to another. And won’t set off an airport body scanner. I’m not about to step in the path of technological progress, I do read from my Kindle in bed each night. But I have to wonder if books will ever again have a meaningful place in our lives, or are they destined to become just another element of the decor that surrounds us?
The folks at Type, a bookstore up in Toronto, have found another use for their books; the starring role in a short film. Apologies for the advert that YouTube insists on imposing, the film is worth the wait.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8?rel=0]
As much as I hated the London Olympics logo for all its zaniness and lack of relevance, I have to admit the eBay logo has grown on me over the years, and I will miss it. Perhaps it was the playful nature of the mark and how that related to eBay’s auctions in the early days. Back then buyers were pioneers on the new internet frontier, frenzied with finding a wonderful new treasure and trying to get the last and winning bid in under the deadline. Crazy bargains were there, somewhere, to be had. Surely.
But then along came programmed bidding, “buy it now” pricing, Daily Deals and the eBay storefront. How does one even find an item for auction today? Worst of all, professional buyers and sellers took over most of the space. eBay was no longer about the joy of finding something you just had to have, winning the auction, connecting with the seller, and receiving your treasure from the deliveryman. The thrill was gone. Killed off by real business interests, and the need to satisfy investors and a quarterly P&L.
Now, 17 years later, it does seem appropriate for eBay’s persona to reflect its current corporate culture of unwashed commerce and systemic procurement. After all, when was the last time you bid for something on eBay?
Read more… After 17 Years, eBay Tones Down Its Crazy Logo | Adweek.
Yes I did. I hated the London 2012 Olympic logo. From day one I guess I just didn’t get it. Missed the point. Failed to see any redeeming design value in it. Couldn’t embrace even the colors. I thought,”Who on earth came up with this?” Well the games were a smash! Thanks Great Britain! That’s what will be remembered. And with any luck this logo will fade into obscurity.
Next up, Rio 2016. I love this logo! The colors, the type, the way the human shapes embrace one another while encompassing a community. It flows. It has energy. It speaks to the culture and spirit of the Rio games to come. Rio has some big shoes to fill after the success of London, their branding has made a great step towards this, let’s hope the Olympic organizing committee can keep that spirit alive 4 years hence. I’ll be watching, will you?
Gorilla marketing snaps a few branches.
In a masterful stroke of marketing genius New Zealand’s Montieth’s Brewery inserted a small apple tree twig into its cider product cartons as they left the brewery. The resulting backlash from some “concerned” consumers was turned on its head with some tongue in cheek advertising and PR. Bottom line; sales went up 32%!
Not all PR is good PR unless it works in your favor. Cheers mate!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2chTI14FQQ&w=480&h=360]
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” – the Bard
In the brand battles raging across the globe, a relatively small state owned brewery in the Czech Republic has won another round in its fight to use its historic Budweiser trademark in Britain. A court in the UK believes that British beer drinkers actually can tell the difference between the original Budvar and its young pretender from the USA. The court rejected Anheuser-Busch’s request that brewery Budejovicky Budvar NP stop using the name Budweiser. This mirrors another recent decision from the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg affirming the use in Britain of the centuries old trademark by the brewery form the city of České Budějovice (Budweis).
What are the odds that beer drinkers on this side of the pond will develop such a discerning palate? Given the explosion of micro and craft breweries in the USA, I’d say the odds are pretty good. However, given AB’s deep pockets and the lobbying industry in this country, I’d also say that Davey will not beat Goliath on these shores any time soon.
British court rules in battle of the Buds – Packaging Digest.
A male snack category? yes, and Ruffles wants a piece of it. A large bite, if you will.
Is bigger, thicker and more flavorful ultimately the way to a man’s wallet? To get traction for your energy drink, you call it Pussy. To sell beer, well… just think St. Pauli Girl here. You get the picture. So what does Frito-Lay know that they would avoid all that T&A to go with big and bold? Bacon! Put it in or on anything and you have a winner! Guys love bacon. Surely it will sell your product.
Read more… Ruffles chips away at male snacks market | Packaging Digest.