Archive for September, 2010

Design & the Modern Kitchen at MoMA

Headed to New York any time soon? Check out “Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen” at the Museum of Modern Art.

What does your kitchen mean to you? It seems as though we are no longer buying an appliance, but purchasing a status symbol, a new necessity to make our lives easier or to entertain effortlessly. Kitchen design and functionality has become of the utmost importance in our modern society as it is no longer a place to cook and eat, but spend time with family and friends. The exhibit explores the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen through design, technology and efficiency.

The most notable attraction of the exhibit is one of the earliest kitchens, the “Frankfurt Kitchen” designed by Margarete Schutte-Lithotzky for post-WWI Germany housing projects. The design is revered for its functional clarity and rational approach.

“Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen” continues through March 14, 2011 at the Museum of Modern Art; (212) 708-9400, moma.org.

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Give your customers a voice!

Consumer-focused marketing like social media is growing exponentially as traditional marketing takes a big leap into the digital world. Can you imagine life without Facebook or mobile applications that allow seemingly outrageous ideas to become a reality? Even checking in for a flight via mobile phone is considered normal today. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve come a long way.

One thing that has stayed the same is the true focus of marketing: the customer. Going back to the basics, businesses spend money on marketing to gain customers. More customers mean more money, which is the goal, right? From the beginning of consumerism, positive customer interactions were the main focus for businesses because a happy customer led to word-of-mouth referrals and more business. Marketing’s goal hasn’t changed; it’s how we get there that’s different.

Looking back at the Grateful Dead’s approach to marketing, many businesses want to feel closer to their fans or customers by getting them involved in the way they market themselves now and in the future. Just like the Grateful Dead included fan-created artwork on posters and even on album covers, businesses are giving customers a real voice nowadays. And they’re using the newest digital technology to do it.

One company diving right in is Chiquita. With a marketing mission that aims to get customers involved, the banana distributor asked consumers to design customized adaptations of its iconic, 50-year-old blue product sticker. From a group of 50 voted upon finalists, 18 grand prize winners will ultimately be featured on bananas nationwide.

The contest is the latest campaign on EatAChiquita.com, which drew more than 500,000 visitors in its first six months. The site offers fun tools that engage users by allowing them to create customized face stickers, play a “Banana Boogie Battle” video game, create and post Chiquita-themed videos, and blog with other fans.

Other companies like the 100-year-old Knoll Bouillon are following suit with consumer-generated content on its product labels in the form of recipes. Similarly, Mountain Dew is interacting with its customers and supporting local skate shops at the same time with new can designs.

What do consumer-influenced labels mean for the relationship between businesses and their customers? It means that businesses form a deeper relationship and get to know the people who are using their products everyday. It’s still all about them and probably always will be.

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What carrots can teach about brand management

When it comes to snack time, would you choose carrots over potato chips? Let’s be honest – probably not. You might change your mind if the packaging of foods in the produce section were as powerfully executed as their neighbor, junk food. Compared to snack foods, fruits and vegetables have a long way to go in terms of packaging. Sure they look delectable in perfectly stacked rows or even piles in the produce section, but they’ve got nothing on a tube of Pringles.

What can a simple package makeover do for a brand?

Baby carrots are ready to show everyone that they’re more than just a vegetable. Introduced in the mid- to late 1980s, baby carrots are not “babies” at all, but smaller carrots cut, shaped and peeled from the normal, larger carrots you’d find piled at the store. Their popularity is due in part to their versatility, size and convenience; however, they’ve remained on store shelves recently. Many are buying, peeling and cutting regular carrots in order to save money.

Baby carrot farmers are hoping to turn that around by launching a campaign that markets the crunchy snacks as daring, fun – even naughty – using crinkly packing, festive and bright colors and punchy messaging.

“This campaign is about turning baby carrots into a brand,” said Jeff Dunn, CEO of Bolthouse Farms, the nation’s top baby carrot producer. “We think ultimately long-term here we’re going to turn it into a very vital brand in the mind of consumers.”

Think about taking a lesson from baby carrots’ new look. A website adorned with rock and roll music, billboard messaging with a twist, television commercials depicting mad scientists and women lusting over carrots, and a fair amount of social media involvement – a vital component of successful marketing today – are putting baby carrots on a path toward success.

It’s what’s outside that counts.
The product is exactly the same. Just its packaging has changed. How can home and building products follow in baby carrots’ footsteps? Would different packaging change consumers’ opinion about say, a paint can?

The idea of re-vamping your brand every once in a while applies to any industry…whether it’s vegetables, apparel, or home products. By getting a little creative, your product could take on a whole new personality and function, appealing to a more widespread audience.

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