Why Digital Marketing Has Become An Outdated Concept
Read More from AdWeek; http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/why-digital-marketing-has-become-outdated-concept-163339
Now roaming local food truck haunts on Oahu’s famous North Shore, serving up some very tasty and creative cuisine, is Smokin’ Jack’s Carolina Barbeque and More. Jack is the proprietor’s faithful companion and branding inspiration. GunnDesign’s challenge was to translate Jack’s personality into a brand and logo for the mobile restaurant, adding chef du cuisine and BBQ master, Lindsay Brown’s, flare and personal style. Smokin’ Jack’s Carolina Style Barbeque and More is a must find for anyone whether living in or just visiting near Haleiwa, Hawaii. Look for Jack on social media too. Aloha!
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…
GunnDesign hopes for a little magic this year to help pull us away from the Fiscal Cliff, and offers best wishes to all for a prosperous New Year!
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.
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]
A salute to mark our country’s birthday from Mark Bellerose, GunnDesign’s premier illustrator.
Identify all 10 iconic American landmarks in Mark’s painting to be eligible to win a giclee print signed by the artist. To enter e-mail info@gunndesign.com with your list.