Anthem Sightings: Volume 2, 2011 In this issue of Anthem Sightings, we are making connections, going back to our roots, and thinking outside the box.

1. SIGHTINGS
VOLUME 2, 2011

2. IN THIS ISSUE
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2 SIGHTINGS 2011

3. MARKETING
BRANDED CITIES medical campus, luxury hotels, boarding
Lavasa at night: The city
in India will be entirely Cities Branding For schools, sports academies, a Nick Faldo–
Economic Development
developed and governed by a
private corporation.
designed golf course, a space camp,
and, its developers hope, animation
We live in a branded culture and see branding and film studios, software-development
applied to all manner of people, places, and companies, biotech labs, and law and
things. Here we focus on place: cities that are architectural firms—in short, all of the
applying the basics of branding to accomplish knowledge industries at the heart of the
their goals—whether that be to attract “new India.”
investment or human capital or to draw more
tourists. From India and China to Russia and the Given the corporate governing structure of this
UK, we see cities taking different approaches to city, it makes sense that its planners would
brand development to improve each city’s overall approach the development much like a business
“brand” image. project, starting with the brand. Partnering with
U.S. branding firm Landor, they developed the
We found Lavasa, for example, a new urban brand idea of “Life in Full” which was designed
planning project that will be the first city in to convey a complete experience, in harmony
India to be developed and governed entirely by with nature. The name itself is designed to evoke
a private corporation. The city has been built on feelings of fulfillment and freedom. In developing
the principles of New Urbanism, which include this highly optimistic and aspirational brand
creating highly livable spaces, to “work, learn, image for Lavasa, the city planners hope to
and play in harmony with nature.” The long-term attract residents, investors, and tourists alike
plan for Lavasa is ambitious: who seek a better way of life with a focus on
sustainability and peaceful co-existence.
…Lavasa will eventually house more
than 300,000 people in five distinct China provides similar examples of cities that
“towns.” It will also have a world-class are being built or rebuilt to attract investments
3 SIGHTINGS 2011

4. MARKETING
from around the world and improve the overall Songdo has successfully become a destination
experience in the city. For the 2010 World for multinational firms and expatriate employees.
Exhibition in Shanghai, the government tore down It will likely be a matter of time before we see
and rebuilt large areas with the tagline “Better these sorts of prototype communities spreading
City, Better Life.” U.S. real estate development throughout China.
and investment firm Gale International is seeking
to capitalize on this trend of urban improvement Similarly, in 2010 Russia made a splash when
in China by marketing “cities in a box” to Chinese they announced to the world their ambitious plan
government officials. Literally turning a city to build a leading science and technology hub
into a product emphasizes the need to consider outside of Moscow (modeled off of Silicon Valley)
fundamental elements of branding as it relates to known as the Skolkovo Innovation Centre. The goal
the city such as naming, creating a differentiated of developing this new “Science City” is twofold:
positioning, and the overall brand experience. to attract the best human capital and to develop
new technology and innovations to compete
The first successful model of this type of city globally. In August 2010, the city planners
development is found in South Korea: announced MIR LLC and SPN Ogilvy Public
Relations as the winners of the tender to develop
Songdo International Business District, the brand for the innovation centre. Given the
[is] a $35 billion city being built from importance of this initiative, it will be interesting
scratch on a man-made island off the to track how Skolkovo builds its brand image to
coast of South Korea. At completion effectively deliver on these goals.
(currently scheduled for 2015), it will be
roughly the size of downtown Boston, with Finally, London and Moscow have recently
65,000 residents. rebranded themselves in a more traditional sense,
Songdo International
Business District, a city built
from scratch on a man-made
island off the coast of South
Korea, hopes to attract
multinational firms and
expatriates to its locale.
4 SIGHTINGS 2011

5. MARKETING
LEFT: London hopes to step
out of the shadow of the
economic downturn and
reveal its true personality.
RIGHT: Architect Nicholas
Pereslegina and designer
Alexander Pershikova created
the “Surprise + Smile”
branding in an attempt to
lighten up the city’s image
and appeal to a younger
crowd.
with designs of vibrant colors and taglines. In Smile” further conveys the positive energy and
London, the mayor announced a public tender in playful nature of the brand.
August 2009 over which many prominent design
firms competed. London’s main motivations for These examples from India, China, Russia and
rebranding were a desire to disassociate itself the UK all demonstrate the need to consider the
with the financial turmoil of recent years, to “brand experience” in each city and show how
prepare for the upcoming 2012 Olympics, and municipal governments have used the city’s
to “tidy up” their communications by unifying brand to help achieve their economic and social
the messages from the disparate promotional goals. Consider your own city and think about
organizations (i.e., Visit London, Think London, its personality, voice and overall look and feel.
Study London, and Film London). Saffron Brand What does your city promise? Is it delivering on its
Consultants, led by industry guru Wally Ollins, promise? How does it use its image or brand to
won the business and recently relaunched the accomplish its goals? Marketers can learn from
new London brand. The rebranding is a cheeky, these examples and the cities’ savvy application
vibrant execution with messaging that effectively of branding fundamentals to improve the overall
captures the spirit of the city. According to “brand” image for residents, tourists, and
Saffron’s website: investors alike.
The brand expresses the quirky,
understated, confident, self-deprecating
style that anyone who knows London will
recognise.
While not officially sanctioned by the government,
architect Nicholas Pereslegina and designer
Alexander Pershikova recently launched a rebrand
for Moscow which appears to be an attempt to
lighten up the city’s overall image while appealing
to a younger crowd. The “Wow Moscow” branding
incorporates emoticons to convey excitement and
wonder, while giving a nod to the proliferation
of texting and new language patterns that have
emerged as a result. The tagline “Surprise +
5 SIGHTINGS 2011

6. MARKETING
BACK TO THE PAST
Old is made new again
edge gadget, the My3D 360 viewer. It snaps onto
The past is often mined by the fashion and your iPhone or iPod Touch and creates a 3D visual
entertainment industries for creative inspiration, environment. Another example is Instagram.
taking something familiar or classic and updating Leveraging the instant camera craze from the
it for the current marketplace. For example, the ’70s, they have created an app for your iPhone
skinny jean, while currently popular, is not new. that uses filters to convert the style of any picture
There have been numerous updates on the tight or into a stunning photo that is fun and easy to
skinny jean since the ’50s. Or consider the recent share with family and friends.
slate of TV and movie remakes recently released
or in-the-works: Hawaii Five-0, 90210, Charlie’s Another route to the past is not so much an
Angels, Karate Kid, Arthur, and Footloose. update but a direct throwback to yesteryear.
Brands like Tide and Tootsie Roll are using
Nostalgia is becoming a goldmine for the packaging or advertising from their archives to
consumer packaged goods world, as well. play up the retro vibe. Tide is showcasing vintage
Similar to the fashion and entertainment fields, packaging and print ads in Target stores. Tootsie
companies are reviving “old” products with Roll has been smartly targeting tweens and their
modern twists. For example, Hasbro has brought parents on the Disney channel with the classic
back the popular View-Master toy as a cutting Owl Tootsie Pop commercial from the ’70s.
Hasbro’s My3D is reminiscent of the View-Master
of the late 1930s and just one of the modern day
interpretation of classic products.
6 SIGHTINGS 2011

7. MARKETING
After seeing successes with the reintroduction of its retro Pepsi
and Mountain Dew designs and recipes, Pepsi announced the
products would become a permanent addition to its product line.
Signs are pointing to the fact that this is not a up potent memories and emotions. It harkens
passing fad, that nostalgia branding may be back to a simpler time with fond childhood
here to stay. Back in 2009, Pepsi and Mountain recollections that evoke strong emotions of
Dew introduced “throwbacks” as limited time comfort.
only products. They featured packaging from the
’80s and the original sugar formulation replacing Whether it’s reaching back to the past to
the current high fructose corn syrup. Their refashion old products for current sensibilities or
ongoing success has led the company to recently “retro”-fitting current products to evoke the past,
announce that both items will become permanent brands are finding that “old” can be relevant
products. Following suit, Doritos, which offered a and compelling. Nostalgia has become a great
retro package early this year that quickly soldout, shorthand to create an instant trusting and
has decided to make it a permanent item with emotional connection with consumers, making the
’80s packaging and a reformulation. old new again.
In addition, the trend is extending beyond food
and home care products. In February, Nike
introduced an Air Jordan 13 Retro Playoff sneaker
based on the original from 1998. Similarly, Forty
Seven Brand, licensor of Major League Baseball,
is launching nostalgia apparel for all 30
baseball clubs.
So why is nostalgia resonating with consumers?
The answer is twofold. First, the past speaks
directly to a product’s or brand’s heritage, and
heritage is one way for a brand to demonstrate
authenticity or “realness.” These products or
brands are tried and true, have withstood the test
of time, and have earned consumer trust. Second,
for Generation X and Boomers, nostalgia brings
7 SIGHTINGS 2011

8. MARKETING
MAKE IT MATTER
Connecting With Millennials economic climate in recent times. Unemployment
rates for those in their early 20’s have risen to
Their generation is optimistic, aspiring and nearly 20%. To Millennials, success now comes in
skeptical. They’re moving at an unimaginable the form of reaching personal goals and building
pace—absorbing knowledge, making an infinite real emotional connections—they seek meaning.
amount of connections and sharing information And according to Glenn Heimstra of Futurist.com,
rapidly through their networks. They have it’s unlikely that this value shift will reverse even
grown up in a world where, with the help of the once the economy rebounds. With this in mind,
Internet, Christmas shopping could be done it’s not enough that businesses offer material
in the comforts of their own beds and sending offerings—there must be a real emotional
mail takes a matter of seconds. The Millennial element for Millennials to embrace, as well.
generation, those born between 1977 and 1994,
You should care about this cohort because
are characteristically candid and confident—
Millennials are a connected force. They have
unafraid to call a spade a spade. As such, they
networks of hundreds and the tools to spread
seek in their brands what they see in themselves:
information like wildfire. They have influencing
real, transparent and genuine voices. They are a
power and are unafraid to express their honest
force to be reckoned with, changing the modern
opinions. Just look at the social media sites
marketplace and searching for meaning in a fast
popular amongst Millennials like Twitter, for
paced environment. To appeal to this mass, you
which the average user has 126 followers. Or
need to be sure that there is meaning behind
even Yelp, whose users are free to rant or rave
what you do—whether it comes through your
product, your business model or your culture—so
that Millennials can truly rally behind and build FAST FACTS: MILLENNIALS
an intangible connection with your brand.
• Children of the Baby Boomer
Why do they seek this meaning? Because the generation, born between 1977 and
meaning of the “American Dream” itself has 1994 (ages 17-34 in 2011)
seen drastic change with this generation. Where
prosperity and success were previously linked • Millennials make up 23% of the
to material wealth, they are now growing more United States population
and more concerned with personal fulfillment. • New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Surely the domestic and global events that have Dallas and Houston have the largest
occurred in the backdrop of this group’s rise and population of Millennials
development have effected this change. From the
Dot-com bubble to the housing boom and bust, • A diverse generation: Only three in five
from the War on Terrorism to the Global Financial Millennials are non-Hispanic whites
Crisis, Millennials have faced the toughest
8 SIGHTINGS 2011

9. MARKETING
Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky
and Nathan Blecharczyk
took the initiative to
create AirBnB after finding
there was a need for
more accommodations
in San Francisco
when conferences and
conventions came to town.
about local businesses. Businesses who can were fully booked. Realizing this was a common
successfully build solid, meaningful relationships problem facing many travelers, they created this
with Millennials have the opportunity to turn their community marketplace for travelers to find short-
young followers into their brand ambassadors term hosts. It’s a prime example showing that
given these connected communication mediums. if businesses fail to understand and act on the
In fact, a study released by public relations needs and problems of consumers, they should be
firm, Edelman, found that globally at least 80% sure that Millennials—despite their youth—have
of Millennials have “taken action on behalf the capability to take the bull by the horns and
of a brand they trust—including sharing come to the rescue.
brand experiences with others, joining online
communities, and posting reviews online.” Some companies are answering the call of
Millennials and providing them the connections
And if you don’t connect with them, they’ll just they’re looking for. Whole Foods is one where
find a way to do it themselves. If there is a need the focus on product has led to a brand that
to be met, Millennials—a skilled and confident Millennials can trust, supplying fair trade items
group of go-getters—are perfectly adept and and sourcing from local producers. They have
willing to find a way to meet it themselves. Their even become more transparent with their “Whole
generation has bred some of the most successful Foods Market Responsibly Farmed” seal and the
ventures of recent times, and it doesn’t stop with wild-caught seafood sustainability rating system,
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Joe Gebbia and showing the best options and which to avoid in
Brian Chesky, founders of AirBnB, first offered their stores.
up their San Francisco loft when they found that
visitors to a nearby conference had trouble finding Toms is a great example of a business model that
a place to stay, as all the hotels in the area resonates with Millennials. Millennials have been
9 SIGHTINGS 2011

10. MARKETING
shown to be more socially aware than previous
generations, and businesses can benefit from
partnering with them on social causes. With the
goal of placing a pair of shoes in need for every
shoe purchased by its customers, Toms and its
One for One business model has been able to
connect with Millennials in this way, appealing
to those hoping to take their dollar further and
be part of a social movement. (Read about
Toms’ recent expansion into eyewear, officially
transforming from a shoe company to a One
for One company in “How Far Can the Brand
Stretch?”.)
Some businesses are also creating cultures in
their companies that will attract Millennials. Take
a look at how Method has brought some fun to the Toms encourages its consumers to take photos of how they wear
lackluster soap and laundry detergent categories their Toms and post them on their website. After seeing teens sport
and you’ll see that much of that has to do with their shoes at proms and brides and grooms wear them on their
special day, Toms came out with a formal line including shoes
their culture where being “weird” is embraced made with grosgrain materials and even glitter.
and individual personalities can be expressed.
Even Andrew Mason, founder of group buying
website Groupon, is bringing “meaning” into
his culture and business dealings, choosing his
business partners based on if they are “genuine
and real.”
So while the immense purchasing power of the
Baby Boomer generation is well deserving of
attention, the growing force of the Millennial
generation should not be ignored. They’ve
grown up in a very different environment and
are placing more value on the intangibles than
their predecessors. They’ve proven themselves
to have substantial influence in our society and
if you don’t connect with them soon, there’s no
guarantee they’ll wait around for you to do so.
They’ll just go and create a brand of their own.
10 SIGHTINGS 2011

11. MARKETING
THE ZEAL FOR ‘REAL’
In authenticity we trust
The marketplace today requires a “realness”
or authenticity to be in every brand. Different
forces have shaped this requirement: lack of
trust in institutions built-up over time, informed
consumers that are marketing-speak wary and
weary, economic pressures that necessitate value
justification and an empowered consumer base
with communication vehicles that can expose
falsehoods.
The dictionary definition of authentic is genuine,
real, true, original. For brands, there are different
ways to demonstrate or communicate this
“realness.”
When one first thinks of an authentic brand,
they often think of a brand with heritage or a
story like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream or Virgin. Or
realness can come from a specific source such
Ben & Jerry’s recent marketing campaign focuses on its roots,
as Evian water which is solely collected from reminding consumers of its history and its accomplishments since
an aquifer in the northern French Alps. Another its first shop opened in 1978.
common association with authenticity is around
craftsmanship or technique. For example, Peet’s Consistent brand messaging across all touch
Coffee hand-roasts its coffee in small batches. points is crucial. Imagine if you called, emailed
Realness can also come from brands that look or texted Geico and the customer service
beyond profits and that have strong beliefs representative was serious and rude? That would
or missions. Consider Clif Bar, which has a totally throw you off based on the humorous TV
quintuple bottom line: planet, community, people, commercials. How would you now trust that they’ll
business, and brands. For brands that play in save you money, have you covered, and have your
these spaces, authenticity is built in. interests at heart?
For those brands that don’t have realness built in, In our highly connected world, brands must be
how do they bridge the gap to be true and real? completely honest and transparent in words and
Here are some key considerations, some familiar actions. Take for example, Burt’s Bees, a personal
and some new, to building trust and authenticity. care company that clearly states on their website
11 SIGHTINGS 2011

12. MARKETING
that they are striving to be 100% natural. They
even helped to create The Natural Standard for
Personal Care Products. Yet, they admit that
currently only half their line is 100% natural.
This transparency is extended to packaging where
they include a graphic bar indicating exactly what
percentage of each product is natural. It’s okay
not to be perfect, as long as you are honest.
Another reality of the current environment is
that real communication is two-way. Brands
need to embrace what is consumer generated.
Case in point, the Domino’s Pizza turnaround.
The company took to heart consumer comments
and completely revamped its nearly 50-year-old
pizza recipe. Along the way, Domino’s continued
to engage consumers (and employees) through
the transformation. Ads showcased the company
ultimately turning around their harshest critics
with the new recipe. The “real” approach
and better product boosted sales well beyond
expectations.
At the end of the day, it’s about trust. Trust is
the first building block to creating a relationship
between a brand and its consumers. Realness
or authenticity helps to build that trust and
in today’s marketplace is crucial for brand
development and growth.
Burt’s Bees admits that not all their products are 100% natural
and goes as far as to print on each of its products the actual
percentage of natural ingredients.
12 SIGHTINGS 2011

13. INNOVATION
HOW FAR CAN A
BRAND STRETCH?
Start with Credibility & that allow a brand to stretch, marketers can start
with two key questions:
Permission 1. Where does the brand’s credibility lie?
In today’s tough marketplace, we are seeing
2. Where does the consumer give you permission
more and more brands trying to grow through
to stretch?
stretching their equities, sometimes pushing
the envelope and challenging consumers’ Several examples demonstrate how brands have
perceptions of what the brand is all about. These leveraged their credibility to enter new markets
days consumers generally accept the concept and where their consumers have effectively
of a lifestyle brand that effectively stretches, granted them permission to stretch.
and we frequently see big brands like Ralph
Lauren, Quicksilver, or Patagonia stretching to Moleskine, the makers of the legendary notebooks,
provide their target consumers with the newest has recently launched a reading collection
accessory or product to suit his or her lifestyle. that includes reading glasses, a portable and
Another example of a well-known brand with rechargeable booklight, and an e-reader and
broad stretch is Arm & Hammer. From a humble book stand. According to their website, these
Moleskine stretches its brand start as a baking soda brand, the company products are
to include everything for
the “modern-day nomad,” leveraged its potent ingredient to stretch into …designed to complete the kit for the
including laptop cases, pens, kitty litter, oral hygiene, fabric care, and more. modern-day nomad who loves travelling,
and reading lights. But how far is too far? In looking at the factors writing and reading.
Moleskine has embraced their consumer and
come to know him, understanding his lifestyle
and behaviors, thus anticipating a wider range of
needs and providing solutions for more situations.
The Toms brand has taken its mission-based
one-for-one (“one person buys, one person is
helped”) business model and has shifted from a
shoe company to a much broader platform, most
recently expanding to eyewear. The brand anchors
13 SIGHTINGS 2011

14. INNOVATION
Skinny Cow expands e-reader, the Kindle. From the Kindle, Amazon
its brand of guilt-free quickly went on to extend the e-reader capability
indulgence from frozen into online media, offering MP3 downloads and
novelties to candy.
streaming videos on demand to compete with the
likes of iTunes and Netflix. Finally, Amazon has a
successful B2B offering, which leverages its core
competencies into other services, such as hosting
and cloud computing. This unprecedented brand
stretch leverages Amazon’s unmatched capability
of providing secure, online transactions. It’s
on the goal of trying to improve as many lives as Amazon’s easy-to-use and reliable online
possible, which ultimately delivers a powerful platform, which has built incredible trust and
emotional benefit for the consumers buying and loyalty among its consumers, that has ultimately
a powerful functional benefit the people in need allowed the brand to be much more than just an
on the receiving end. This broader social mission online bookseller.
platform could in theory be applied to a near
endless list of everyday products, but for now the Although we’re talking about a trademarked
brand is focusing on the highest impact needs whole grain and sesame blend and not an online
that are also operationally feasible. Based on transaction capability like Amazon, Kashi has
Toms’ success and the credibility the company leveraged a core product feature to extend well
has gained with its consumers, the question for beyond its initial product offerings. While Kashi
this brand is not about where they can stretch, has successfully grown into a broader lifestyle
but how they’ll be able to keep up operationally to brand that supports a healthy, natural lifestyle,
deliver on their mission as they continue to grow. the brand has stayed true to its start throughout
its stretching. Their tagline “Seven whole grains
The Skinny Cow brand provides another example on a mission” has been very powerful in its
of a brand that has anchored on a key benefit— simplicity. Given the health benefits of grains and
indulgent, guilt-free treats—and recently the market’s appetite for health and wellness
stretched into new categories. The brand started solutions, this simple notion of creating a wide
with indulgent, good-for-you frozen novelties and range of good-for-you products with their famous
has extended its expertise to now offer multiple grain medley has allowed the brand to effectively
products with the same benefit in the candy aisle. stretch throughout the grocery store.
With the ever growing obesity rate in the U.S. and
American consumers’ insatiable sweet tooth, this From these examples we see that brands typically
benefit will likely fuel Skinny Cow’s innovation anchor in one of three areas to stretch their
pipeline for some time to come. brands into new categories: consumer target
(Moleskine), benefit (Toms, Skinny Cow), or
The Amazon.com brand has come a long way features and attributes (Amazon, Kashi). Stronger
since its beginnings as an online bookseller. The brands utilize two or more of these aspects to tie
first step was to reach beyond just selling books their portfolio together. But before considering
to become the largest online retailer of all goods - which anchor to use to stretch your brand,
the complete source from A-Z. Miraculously, at the always begin the discussion with credibility and
same time the company was also able to expand permission—what are the limits of your brand’s
their expertise in books to redefine “bookstore” relationship with its target consumer, and what
again, launching the first widely accepted will your consumer allow you to do?
14 SIGHTINGS 2011

15. INNOVATION
RETHINK
Some believe great innovations are those
that re-invent business models. Think Apple
with iPod coupled with iTunes to redefine the
music industry. Think FedEx evolving how
REINVENTION
communication gets delivered around the world.
Think Amazon changing the way we acquire and
read books. Another current thought surrounding
innovation is that great ideas come from holistic
thinking and associating different, unrelated
things—if I take this from here and marry it with
that from there, eureka! Steve Jobs even said,
“Creativity is connecting things.” For example,
Making it happen through micro-funding Harvard Business Review reported back in 2009
how eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar, created this
groundbreaking platform—by being enthralled
with the creation of new markets, understanding
his fiancée’s desire to buy hard-to-find Pez
dispensers, and witnessing how ineffective
old classified ads were in helping to solve this
problem. Voilà! A great new business idea, and
how we buy has been forever changed.
We’re seeing this reinvention of business models
and this behavior of association taking place with
the marrying of “the power of crowds” and the
old axiom “take small steps.” The combination
is leading to the reinvention of everything from
music creation and promotion, funding of the
arts, and allocation of college scholarship
funds. All of these examples demonstrate how to
reinvent the distribution of capital to get out from
under the thumb of more powerful or ambiguous
institutions, all through accessing crowds to take
back the power.
Kiva.org paved the way with its unique micro-
loan approach, seeking out investors to provide
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Micro-funding projects on My
small investments to make a big impact. The
Music Company, Kickstarter trend now takes a slightly different angle—it’s
and ScholarMatch. micro-funding, which breaks a larger investment
up into smaller chunks and then recruits a large
number of people so the dollars add up. President
Obama’s 2008 campaign was a leader in this
type of financing; 49% of his funds were made
15 SIGHTINGS 2011

16. INNOVATION
in the amount of $200 or less. This approach is Eggers of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering
unique in that it also doesn’t represent your usual Genius fame. Inspired by both Kiva and
exchange. Those who participate tend to get value Kickstarter, he’s borrowing this funding model
from the personal connection they are making to help kids get to college. ScholarMatch helps
through the investment itself, and thus don’t connect college-ready kids to those willing to
require as much in return. Just having a unique invest in their future. The needs vary from $3,000
product from a Kickstarter project and helping to $10,000 and sometimes more. Seeing so many
an artist bring their idea to fruition is thank you talented, eager, worthy, in-need young people
enough for some. on the site packs quite an impact and is very
motivating.
My Major Company (MMC) is another company
reinventing the music industry. MMC allows What can marketers learn from this? Think
normal folk to invest in a new band, providing the revolution. Think borrow and build. Think new
micro-funds to raise sufficient cash to get a band ways to do the same thing, just better. Innovation
started. With the funding, bands record their is about seeking inspiration from outside,
songs through MMC, which is an actual label, combining ideas from elsewhere, and trying to
get distribution, and can potentially even go on create new models and ways to solve consumer
tour. The revenue from music sales, concerts, and problems or meet their needs and desires. These
merchandise gets divided among the investors, are prime examples that the world today never
MMC, and the artist themselves. And we aren’t stands still. There are way too many empowering
talking chump change. One investor in France tools to have the status quo stay the status quo
turned $6,850 investment into $150,000. The for long.
benefit here is not just for the bands, it’s also
for the music industry as a whole since music
companies can’t afford to fund as many acts as
they once used to.
Kickstarter.com provides the venue for creatives
to land benefactors to help them bring their vision
to life. People can “pledge” money to “creative
projects” and if the project gets fully funded,
the project owner is off and running. If they can
pitch their projects successfully, they get cash to
bring their idea into the world, as well as moral
support from all those ponying up the cash who
want them to succeed. What do the funders get in
return? Rewards as determined by the creators,
which can be anything from the product being
created to benefits to experiences. And if the
project isn’t 100% funded, you aren’t out any
cash. They’ve created a system that is rightly low-
risk, taking away any barriers to participation.
Finally, ScholarMatch is a program based in San
Francisco, California that was started by Dave
16 SIGHTINGS 2011

17. INNOVATION
CONTAINED QUARTERS
Smitten, an ice cream
shop housed in a shipping For Dine, Play or Stay instant ice cream machine named “Kelvin” in
place of the traditional ice cream freezer.
container, is the first
business to open on the two- Innovative thinking happens when you remove
block “Proxy” project in the Smitten will be in good company soon. The
constraints. Over the past few years we’ve
Hayes Valley neighborhood of complete Proxy project is projected to be
observed the rise of pop-up shops, which removed
San Francisco. a “vibrant focal point for commerce and
the constraints of long-term leases and large
community” and is planned to include a
inventories. An interesting take on this theme
beer garden by nearby German restaurant
of late has been the use of shipping containers,
Suppenküche, an outpost of the ever popular
repurposed to be temporary accommodations and
Pizzeria Delfina, Ritual Coffee Roasters, 4505
retail or food vendor spaces. This trend shows
Meats, and an art gallery.
what can happen when you mix sustainable
thinking and remove the constraints of traditional San Francisco is not alone. The repurposed
bricks and mortar foundations. The results speak shipping containers are popping up globally. In
for themselves—truly beautiful, unexpected
innovations.
One of the best examples of urban planning with
containers is the project in San Francisco’s Hayes
Valley called “Proxy” developed by architecture
firm Envelope A+D, based in Oakland, CA. We had
the pleasure of attending the launch of the first
business to open in this two block complex, an ice
cream shop called Smitten.
Smitten is a truly innovative business: steel
In Texas’ Cinco Camp, containers serve as a boutique hotel with
instead of bricks and mortar, iPads in place minimal impact on the surrounding environment.
of cash registers, and a liquid nitrogen based
17 SIGHTINGS 2011

18. INNOVATION
Swedish architecture firm
Jagnefalt Milton envisioned
a city rolling on preexisting
railroad tracks where mobile
buildings would house local
businesses.
Londrina, Brazil, we found another example, this Finally, a container concept by Swedish
time a car dealer. The franchisee of an Asian architecture firm Jagnefalt Milton recently
car assembler used ten containers to create won third prize in the Norwegian master plan
part of the building’s façade, which will contain competition for the city of Åndalsnes. The
sales and service operations. Not only do the proposal envisioned a city rolling on wheels,
highly functional looking containers give a nod utilizing preexisting railroad tracks and creating
to the imported nature of the product and create mobile buildings to house local business and
considerable word of mouth marketing for the services including a hotel, a public bath house,
company, they are also sustainable in that they and a concert hall. The stunning photography also
can be taken down and recycled or reassembled in went a long way to bring the concept to life.
a new location.
The temporary nature of these structures and
Deep in the heart of Texas, we found Cinco Camp, the ultimate mobility of these venues challenge
a boutique hotel constructed out of five 8’x10’ our perceptions of space, our relationship with
shipping containers and designed to blend into the environment, and the usual constraints of
the environment to have the least impact on construction and the immobility of structures.
the land. Is there an advantage to having a traditional
foundation, solidly staked into the ground, or are
These temporary spaces are truly growing in portable structures the wave of the future?
acceptance and execution. According to Urban
Space Management Ltd in the UK, their Container
City product “…offer(s) an alternative solution to
traditional space provision. [The containers] are
ideal for office and workspace, live-work and key-
worker housing.” Their website features a wide
array of work/space creations
(www.containercity.com).
18 SIGHTINGS 2011

19. DESIGN
DESIGN
BEYOND
THE SHELF
A look at design beyond
packaging and how it’s
being used to blur the lines
between form and function.
19 SIGHTINGS 2011

20. DESIGN
BEAUTIFUL &
Bringing numbers to life
Browsing your favorite blog recently, you may
have run into some visually stunning graphics
PURPOSEFUL
visualizing the data referenced in the writing.
Information graphics, or infographics, which use
visuals to present data and knowledge instead of
relying solely on numbers and words, are nothing
new of course. Open up a newspaper from years
ago or today and you’ll find them in the form of
bar graphs and pie charts. Maybe you took the
subway recently and used a color-coded map to
get you on the right route to your destination.
Despite not being new, infographics are popping
up more and more today and are being used to
show everything from the spread of diabetes in
the United States to explaining the complex dream
layers of the film Inception. But why now?
Our society has made leaps and bounds in
making information more accessible to the
average person. Thanks to the Internet we’re now
able to generate infinite amounts of information
in just seconds (or tenths of seconds as Google
likes to measure for us), making information
overload a problem in our society. Bing’s recent
marketing campaign even tried to position the
search engine as the “Cure for Search Overload
Syndrome.” Infographics help solve this problem
by making it easier to show a multitude of
complex facts and figures in a single, easy to read
graphic that leverages visuals instead of words
to communicate information. It’s also undeniable
that we’ve become a quicker society. And
because—as David McCandless, author of the
book Information is Beautiful points out—sight is
our quickest sense, we’ve embraced infographics.
By presenting data visually, they’re helping us
absorb more data faster than ever before.
Another reason we may be seeing the proliferation
An infographic created by GOOD and Hyperakt, in partnership with
University of Phoenix, uses color and impactful juxtapositions to show
of infographics is the rise in availability of
the gap between the educational requirements of the current job data visualization tools. The website Wordle
market and the reality of educational attainment in the United States. makes it easy to create word clouds showing
20 SIGHTINGS 2011

21. DESIGN
the frequency of words that appear in a body
of text. Google’s Public Data Explorer provides
various demographic and economic datasets that
users can choose to create their own compelling
infographics. So, you can even try it yourself.
If you do decide to enter the world of infographics,
remember that while they may be beautiful to
look at, infographics still serve a very functional
purpose. Keep these five tips in mind to make sure
your infographic is effective.
WHEN CREATING INFOGRAPHICS...
1. MAKE IT VISUALLY APPEALING
This one is self-explanatory. As McCandless
puts it, “We’re all visualizers. We’re all
demanding a visual aspect to our
information.”
2. MAKE IT IMPACTFUL AT FIRST GLANCE
Effective infographics will use visual
elements to emphasize size differences,
trends and movements that give viewers
quick takeaways.
3. SHOW PATTERNS AND CONNECTIONS
One of the great strengths of infographics
is its ability to aggregate information and
reveal patterns and connections that could
otherwise be overlooked when presented in
plain numbers and words.
4. SHOW RELATIVITY VS. ABSOLUTENESS
The current unemployment rate is
noteworthy, but compare it to the rate a
decade ago and it becomes meaningful.
5. HELP VIEWERS DRAW INTENDED
CONCLUSIONS
Having many stunning bar graphics and
pie charts is great, but if they don’t get the
viewer to where you need them, they haven’t
VisualEconomics’ infographic shows the dramatic rise of the served their purpose.
unemployment rate in the United States over the 2000-2009 period.
21 SIGHTINGS 2011

22. DESIGN
LIQUID
If color patterns follow trends then why not shapes and
forms? Could it be that power brand Apple is driving
the easing of rectangle edges on many of today’s
electronic gadgets? Historically, form was said to
follow function, but with today’s super materials and
PRECISION
manufacturing capabilities, forms are able to almost
defy function and simply demonstrate or exploit what
is capable with a medium.
Enter the liquid form. Metals, resins, and polymers
have the ability to transform from liquid to solid.
Recently, some clever artists and designers have been
When Forms Defy Function manipulating this unique feature to make functional
items that appear as liquid but work as solids in their
tasks. Liquid tables for contemporary environments,
A retail display fixtures for LVMH and even sunglasses
that visually defy logic but perform just the same
as geometric counterparts. Who knows what will
materialize next.
(A) A store window display from Louis Vuitton places a purse on a
pedestal that appears to be melting.
(B) A concept table designed by John Nouanesing called “Paint or Die
But Love Me.”
(C) Anna Ter Haar designed a pair of sunglasses for a Klavers van
Engelen fashion show that used the melting effect.
B
C
22 SIGHTINGS 2011

23. SEE & BE SEEN UPDATES ON OUR
SIGHTINGS OF INTERESTING TIDBITS TRENDS FOR 2011
LOCAL: A PLACE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Amy Cortese, author of Locavesting: The revolution in local investing
and how to profit from it, hopes to spread the idea of investing
in local businesses, bringing the world of capitalism—so often
associated with Wall Street—closer to Main Street.
NO FREE TV
YouTube will be joining the ranks of Netflix and Apple with the
unveiling of its movie rental service. Over 3,000 movies will be
available for streaming on its website.
SMALL IS BIG AGAIN
Staples and Kohl’s will be rolling out smaller stores as they
expand. Kohl’s will be reducing store sizes to be better suited for
densely populated areas while also reacting to increasing online
WHEN PRICE IS NO OBJECT shopping and the need for more efficient operations. Staples
hopes to build on its “one size does not fit all” model, building
With all the focus on cheap-chic and value stores with varying square footage. Meanwhile, Best Buy will be
over the last decade, it’s good to see that subleasing space at its stores to downsize and capture cost savings.
luxury has not gone out of style. Consider
Renova’s multi-color, extra soft, designer
toilet paper made of 100% virgin pulp. This
LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
soft, colorful toilet paper may just convince Old Navy encourages consumers to “Put on your happy life” in its
you to pick up a roll for $3. While you’re in the recent campaign while Unilever’s HB Ice Cream brand in Ireland wants
spending mood, you can also consider picking to spread moments of happiness with its delicious frozen novelties.
up a bottle of Lambda’s ultra premium olive
oil—a 100mL bottle runs for a mere $185.
WE, THE ORDINARY PEOPLE
Amanda Hocking began as a self-publisher, uploading her pananormal-
romance books just last spring on Amazon. Hocking became an instant
hit—her books reached the Amazon Kindle e-book best-seller list and
soon after she was able to score $2 million for her next four books.
QR CODES IN PLACES WE NEVER THOUGHT
HOWARD SCHULTZ & ONWARD
After sighting them in our local window displays last quarter, QR codes once
again came on our radar in ways we never thought they would. John Fluevog Howard Schultz made an appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San
printed QR codes directly onto its recent collection of clog shoes, directing those Francisco earlier this Spring to share some insight on where Starbucks
who scanned them to a video of how the shoes were made. Diesel has been is heading in the future and to promote his recent book, Onward: How
integrating QR codes into their social media campaign by allowing visitors to Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. Schultz noted China,
their shelves to “like” them on Facebook instantly. For the artist in all of us, mobile payments, and Health & Wellness as huge areas of opportunity
Barcode Gallery will create custom QR codes and frame them into artful pieces. and when asked about the primary driver behind his decision making,
QR codes appear to be easily applied, but the jury is still out on user adoption. Schultz credited simply—“love.”
23 SIGHTINGS 2011

24. Anthem Worldwide, the brand development division of Schawk,
Inc., is an integrated global network that provides innovative
solutions to articulate, unify and manage brand impact. Anthem
creates compelling brand experiences by aligning its strategic,
creative and executional talent worldwide with the business needs
of companies seeking a competitive advantage. Anthem offers a
full range of branding and design services. For more information
on Anthem, please visit http://www.anthemww.com.
© 2011 Schawk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work
may be reproduced in any form without written permission from
Contact: the copyright holder. Schawk is a registered trademark of Schawk,
Kathy Oneto, Vice President, Brand Strategy Inc. The Anthem logo is a trademark of Schawk, Inc. All other
kathy.oneto@anthemww.com trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
24 SIGHTINGS 2011

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25 SIGHTINGS 2011