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December 9, 2015
Star Struck – Finding a Celebrity for your Brand
When David Beckham came to the Mall of the Emirates recently he was mobbed. Thousands blocked the Mall and security had their work cut out to control proceedings. He was coming in his role as brand ambassador to endorse Adidas as a footballing icon (even though he is an ex player).

But it is his personality, built on style, success and glamour, and yet simple boyish charm that keeps him grounded and strangely ‘one of us’, that Adidas wants to engage to reinforce their position.

Brand David BeckhamDoes it work ? Is it the right match ? Does his personality influence the way those people perceive Adidas ? Do they believe Beckham is the man he is today because he shares an ‘All In’ approach to life with Adidas ? Does it make them adore the brand, be loyal, unfaltering consumers, and coerce friends, family and their social network to join the fold ?

All brands have personalities, sometimes dangerously unmanaged and sometimes meticulously strategized and activated. Generating the brand’s personality is essential and born of a clear understanding of the defined purpose, position and values. They are the real conduits to the target audience beyond functional needs.

Celebrities, with their pumped up, PR driven, ultra managed brand personalities are quick and easy ways to tell the story to consumers and attach it to their brand.

But it’s a big decision, the investment is considerable – David Beckham’s contract is worth US$160 mn plus profit sharing – you place all your eggs in one celebrity basket and you can’t necessarily control the way that personality behaves in the vagaries of real life – ask Nike.

Brand Nicole Kidman

But get it right and you will engage fast and furiously. Locally celebrities have recently been enrolled in the battle for the skies. Etihad have selected Nicole Kidman for her position as glamorous, elegant, refined, and exclusive (maybe even aloof), expressing the elite premium positioning of their airline.

Brand Jennifer AnnistonEmirates in turn selected Jennifer Anniston. Still glamorous butmore fun, practical and approachable someone you could probably talk to on board. Both seem appropriate with Aniston probably having more room to deepen the relationship. So far ‘hit numbers’ seem to strongly favour Anniston too.

However you choose to build and activate your brand so much of its effectiveness will come down to how well you know your brand – understanding, defining and creating a relevant and authentic brand personality and then bringing it to life consistently, sustainably and contextually. Which celebrity would you choose to be your brand’s champion?

January 30, 2014
GLOBAL MOBILE USAGE STATISTICS

GLOBAL MOBILE USAGE STATISTICS FOR 2014

A couple of weeks ago We Are Social Singapore published a comprehensive global snapshot of predicted mobile penetration across the world in 2014. The full report presents a rich variety of key statistics, data and behavioural indicators for social, digital and mobile channels around the world. The report also presents in-depth analyses for 24 of the world’s largest economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazile, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the USA.

Click here to view the full report.

January 25, 2014
FOR THE LOVE OF TYPOGRAPHY…

FOR THE LOVE OF TYPOGRAPHY…

Below are a few typography-related articles and news from around the world that crossed our radar over the last couple of days. Enjoy!

1. Helvetica Or Garamond: Typography-Inspired Eyewear – Japanese company Type, draws inspiration from ‘Helvetica’ and ‘Garamond’ typeface and creates two lines of respective eyewear. Link here.

2. A Rustic Bespoke Typeface That Is Carved Out Of A Fallen Tree – London-based firm Carter Wong Design recently embarked upon a lovely hand-made project to create a bespoke typeface for organic clothing company Howies. The resulting font is named Castan—instead of creating the typeface digitally, the firm had the letters carved out of a tree before printing them out onto paper and uploading them onto the computer.

3. Top Web Fonts of 2013: Extensis Reports. Link here

4. 26 famous architects designed an alphabet – Archibet is an illustrated alphabet honoring 26 rock star architects, from Alvar Aalto to Zaha Hadid. Archibet is a playful spin on the idea of architectural design as visual communication, as letters are the primary building blocks of meaning. The project beautifully conflates architecture and typography. Link here.

5. Typeface Designer Creates Book That Teaches Toddlers About Typography – ‘The Clothes Letter Wears’ is a picture book that teaches toddlers about the different typefaces through illustrations that shows each font as text playing dress-up. This book also features the “Cabrito”, a custom typeface based on the Bookman Old Style that the designer has made for the project—it has been designed to be especially legible for young eyes. No doubt a great gift idea for designer friends & colleagues with tiny tots to start them of on the right career path :)  Link here

January 22, 2014
SHUTTERSTOCK PREDICTS GLOBAL DESIGN

SHUTTERSTOCK PREDICTS GLOBAL DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2014

Shutterstock released its 3rd annual infographic revealing design and emerging visual trends around the world. For the 2014 edition, Shutterstock used data from their over 350 million all-time image downloads to reveal these recent and emerging visual trends from around the world. Shutterstock licenses 3 images every second from a collection of over 30 million photos, illustrations, vectors and video clips to businesses and visual communicators, making them a world leader in volume stock image downloads.

Some of the trends that came out in latest edition of the study include the rising popularity of video as a medium for storytellers and Instagram-inspired images as the top visual theme for the year. The infographic also shows the search terms with the largest year-on-year growth and the varying design themes across different countries in the world. Below are some of the trends outlined in the study which is presented as an infographic include:

No two countries design alike: From pastel colors in China to vibrant textures in the Netherlands, unique themes around the world continue to emerge.

Flat, minimalist design elements replace skeuomorphism: Led by changes in app and software design, downloads of flat design elements increased by 200% over the past year.

Instagram-esque images were a top visual theme of the year: With the popularity of retro cameras and mobile apps, searches for filtered images soared 661% in 2013, with no signs of abating.

Video is an increasingly popular medium: For visual storytellers and access to new image-capture technology such as 4K is growing. Popular video content topics include education, 3D renderings, transportation and cityscapes.

In an official statement released by Shutterstock, VP of Content Scott Braut said “The increasing demand for imagery is leading to new and innovative content types. Our data reveals how photographers, illustrators, designers and videographers are influencing design trends on a local and global scale.”

The full info graphic can be viewed here.

January 4, 2014
ON ZAMAN’S RADAR – FIRST WEEK OF JAN 2014

ON ZAMAN’S RADAR – FIRST WEEK OF JAN 2014

Kicking off the new year, our first post is a roundup of news and happenings that are on our radar as we gear up for another year of exciting year of inspiring projects and continued collaborations with our valued clients.

1. 2014 Digital marketing trends

a) Content continues its royal reign as king

2013 saw an incremental embrace by marketers that content is a critical resource in their efforts. So much so that studies conducted by social media blog Social Media Today reported that 78% of CMO’s believe custom content is the future of marketing. Likewise, on the platform side 2013 also saw the influx of content discovery apps which support the growth trend: Flipboard, Pulse, Fancy, Houzzer, etc. This trend is expected to continue in 2014, with marketers, more likely to consider allocating better budgets to the content development process.

b) Video marketing will continue to grow

In past posts we’ve underlined the power of story telling. The delivery format of the story is just as important. Videos have the ability to convey a message that is ten times more powerful than text content. Campaigns such as KONY 2012 that gained viral fame are proof that great video content has the potential of becoming an overnight viral success. Also, with apps like Instagram, Snapchat and Vine, videos are increasingly being easily created, viewed and shared on mobile devices. Facebook has also introduced and enhanced their mobile ads platform.

2. Five brands that are winning on Pinterest

Screen-Shot-2014-01-05-at-12.14.38-AM

When it comes to Pinterest, many brands aren’t quite sure how to turn boards and pins into followers and potential customers. However, now more than ever it is important to not overlook this image sharing social network. Numerous studies suggest that online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from Pinterest. The same studies indicate that Pinterest generates 4x more revenue per click than Twitter and 27% more per click than Facebook.

3. Augmented reality continues to inspire brands

Today we live in a world where brand and project launches have to compete to create amazing, engaging experiences in order to win the attention of intended audiences; and experimenting with interactive technologies is certainly a good place to start. In a promotion for the recently released game, Forza Motorsport 5, Pizza Hut UK has teamed up with Xbox One and augmented reality app, Blippar, to provide customers with exclusive game content directly on their smartphones.

4. The power of brand advocacy

In previous posts we have mentioned our belief that brands that act in an authentic manner & stick to a clear brand story will be rewarded by loyal customers. People who love your brand will introduce you to your new customers. Recommendations come from your advocates – a network of highly satisfied, passionate and connected customers who love your products and service. It can create awareness of your brand, help increase your sales, and increase consumers’ trust in your brand. 50% of advocates recommend a brand because they had a good experience with a product or service.

Recently we came across an infographic, which illustrates the importance of brand advocacy in your marketing strategy using the digital space as a context. Customers trust people like them, and that is who you’re brand advocates are. They are customers who love your product and want to recommend it to the people they care about. Click here to view infographic.

November 27, 2013
INFOGRAPH: PANTONE COLOUR

INFOGRAPH: PANTONE COLOUR FOR 2014

An unofficial panel of senior designers from countries including Australia, Japan, Brazil, Italy, UK, Germany and USA cast their votes for Pantone’s 2014 Color of the Year. They predictions are presented in the infograph below:

August 4, 2013
INFOGRAPHIC – WHAT HAPPENS

INFOGRAPHIC – WHAT HAPPENS ONLINE IN 60s?

A few days ago I discovered this interesting infographic below, created by MyCleverAgency, which presents what exactly happens on average every minute of every day on the most popular digital platforms.  Highlights include:

  • 2 million search queries are entered on Google
  • 41 thousand posts, 1.8 million likes and 340GB of data are shared on Facebook
  • 278 thousand tweets are published on Twitter
  • 72 hours of videos are uploaded to Youtube
  • 204 million emails are sent
  • 3,600 photos are shared every second on Instagram

Original article spotted on Wamda.com

July 29, 2013
DESIGN IN A NUTSHELL

DESIGN IN A NUTSHELL

‘Design in a Nutshell’ is an interesting six-part series produced by free learning platform The Open University. Initially published earlier this year in May, the series provides a lowdown on six key design movements that had significant impact on various design disciplines from architecture to the revolution of design education via the introduction of a cross-disciplinary curriculum.

The six disciplines presented in animated primers are: Gothic Revival, Arts & Crafts, Bauhaus, Modernism, American Industrial Design & Postmodernism.

All six animations, which can be viewed on Brain Pickings, are definitely worth a bookmark for design professionals.

May 4, 2011
PSFK INTERVIEW

PSFK INTERVIEW | Grace Yacoub on Middle Eastern Brands

For the online interview log on to www.psfk.com/2011/05/the-100-most-authentic-arab-brands.html

Branding agency Zaman is embarking on a remarkable initiative as they campaign to consolidate votes to determine the best brands in the Middle East. The initiative includes not only regional product and service brands, but also blogs, media outlets, and even festivals.

PSFK caught up with Zaman’s Founder and CEO, Grace Yacoub, to get a better idea of what they are doing.

Tell us about what you hope to achieve with your initiative.

Throughout our 16 years of practice in the Middle East, we have tried to make Arab companies focus on creating meaningful experiences around their brands. We felt that is the only way they could penetrate a market that is saturated with international established brands. We have oriented companies to be more honest about their offering so they are perceived as real and genuine. We believe that authenticity drives brands to be successful and loved.

We initiated The 100 Most Authentic Arab Brands to celebrate the companies that are behaving in an authentic way and inspire customers and brand owners better understand the ins and outs of successful brand behavior. We hope it will be the platform for measuring the real value of brands in the mind of the customers. Perhaps after this exercise, brand owners will learn what people truly care about.

In your manifesto, you mention 3 criteria: authenticity, taste, and innovation. What do each of these terms really mean for brand building?

Authenticity

The markets are saturated with products/services. In the Middle East, consumer expectation is growing especially after the financial crisis. They have become immune to hollow messages and superficial design. So branding is only effective if a product or service is wrapped up with true value. And unless the brand is really genuine and committed to practice what it says it does, it will become obsolete. Authenticity is about honesty.

Taste

Brands need to find a way to appeal and become relevant. We believe Taste plays a major role in presenting a message simply without fanfare. It is about harmony and original compositions and recompositions that make a brand live its story in an infinite dimension without looking boring or sounding phony. It is about the attention to detail that any discerned person can detect and appreciate. Nowadays customers have become more sophisticated and learned.

Innovation

Consumers’ expectations are growing. Today’s game is no longer about awareness. It is about differentiation. The more original you are, the more you stand out and if your story is original, believable and credible the consumer will adopt it and even market it for you. In 100 Most Authentic Arab Brands, we decided to go viral to demonstrate that consumers today talk with each other before talking to brands. And if they love a concept they will drive it. It is interesting that the brands that are most popular on our site are not necessarily the most established. Some of them are not even three years old.

How do you define authenticity for brands?

A brand is authentic when:

  • It has an original story that engages with the customers
  • It consistently delivers what it says it does
  • It initiates or participates in activities that support its messages which usually match the customers needs and values.
  • Most importantly authenticity comes from business owners who have real passion and therefore keep challenging themselves to do things better.

Who is voting? Any notable differences in how a consumer votes vs. more professional voters?

It doesn’t particular matter if their online fan community base is big or small. Some of the brands that are reaching the top ten most voted have a very mixed number of fans.

Take for example the Brand Rajadano, they have been on our top ten most voted list since the start. It is a young Arab Fashion brand that has great ambitions to grow on an international platform. What is most interesting to see is that Rajadano has no Facebook Fan page, only a twitter presence and without a large number of followers. So far, we have noted that there isn’t a direct link between our votes and the number of fans. Our voters are responding to real experiences that they have with the brand. They somehow connected with the brand and their messages relate to pride and ownership. We have also noticed that we have managed to create a dialogue as brands are listening to people and establishing a two way conversation, building closer and more personal relationships generating evangelists for their brand.

What trends make you optimistic about the future of brands in the Middle East?

Arab societies are changing. There is absolutely more awareness about what the international brands are doing and hence they are now expecting the local brands to level. In certain industries such as fashion, luxury goods, companies in the Middle East have started to have more confidence in their offering and their ability to anticipate what customers want. So they are addressing the needs of customers and even creating astonishing quality. Local customers are responding positively.

Whilst these brands are quite popular locally or regionally, they have just begun to venture on an international level. So the potential is immense. Take Sauce for example or Animals of Lebanon. They seem to have gained good awareness and popularity amongst regional audiences in very little time. That means they must be doing something right. However, these brands are still working on a niche proposition. As the markets are maturing, brand owners are challenged to improve their offering. I believe the economic crisis made brands strive harder to survive and by doing so they learned to do things better.

Thanks Grace!

The 100 Most Authentic Arab Brands

Zaman

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