[ paul isakson ]

Away for the Holidays

I'm heading back to Colorado to celebrate the Holidays with my family and I know I won't be on here most likely, so I thought I'd leave a final note/post of the year on a more personal level.

2007 has been quite the year both personally and professionally. I wouldn't have predicted at the beginning of it all where things have ended up for me. It has all been very surprising and I guess it's just this that makes life interesting and enjoyable.

The posts on here have been infrequent since moving up to Minneapolis and I look to change that and start fresh in 2008. These last four months have been exciting and inspiring. The challenges of starting a new life in a new city have been helping me grow and learn in ways I never expected. I absolutely love it and can't wait to see what 2008 brings.

A lot of what has me inspired and excited is going to work each day at space150. I feel very fortunate to have landed at the space and I know that my move to the Twin Cities would not have been the same were it not for all the great people there who have shown me much kindness and made me feel very at home. I'm proud to work with such passionate, driven, and smart people.

To close, here is some of the work we've done in the past few months that I've been at space. This is just a small sampling of what was done this year and looking back at it now makes me look forward to all that 2008 will bring even more.

Happy Holidays!

See you in 2008!

Paul

giant tetris

Some of you have probably seen this already, but if not, here 'tis. Doing something like this with the right idea for the right brand could make for a very fun, engaging experience.

Enjoy.

apple's growing dilema?

Seth Godin brings up* an interesting point - what do you do if you're Apple and you become the popular choice for the masses when one of your main arguments for so long has been about being the one that's different?

Well, I don't know if Seth has been watching much of the tube lately, but the most recent campaign has been less about being different and more about kicking Microsoft and the PCs that operate on their software for being designed in a vacuum where real users don't exist instead of being designed to make people's lives easier and better.

I think this campaign is doing quite well at transitioning from being the one that's different to simply being the one that's designed for today's digital driven culture. TBWA \ Chiat \ Day and their counterparts at Apple have done a brilliant job in focusing in on the main problem that kept people from buying a Mac – their comfort with their PC and accepting its defects – and turning this on its head to show them that they didn't have to put up with this any longer.

Add to this that Apple is ahead of the curve in their industry for building their products based on user-centered design and that they are committed to wrapping it all up in the beautiful aesthetics of their physical design, and you're really distancing yourself from the PC market.

Seth is right though that it's a good problem to have. But maybe it's not a problem. If Apple doesn't care about how popular they become, then they can just keep doing what they're doing. Microsoft and the PC market will keep screwing things up and this gives Apple plenty of ground to just keep doing their brand jujutsu. Who cares if everybody has one. Isn't that the goal of most big businesses anyway?

But, if they do see this as a problem, then a few approaches quickly come to mind.

1) Become even more of an elite, luxury brand. Apple's prices are already on the higher end of the spectrum in most cases. They could simply raise these to a point where only a select group of people with a good amount of disposable income can afford them. They're arguably already on the lower end of the luxury spectrum. In my mind, they're a BMW-caliber brand. A decent price bump would take them to a higher level that makes them even less attainable but more desirable.

2) Only offer a limited number of products. This could also coincide (and likely would) with raising prices. When they're gone, they're gone. (Reactions probably wouldn't be too different from this for fanatical Apple fans.) Adjust your staffing, manufacturing and retail footprint to make the exact profit you want each year. Judging by what happened with the launch of the iPhone, it wouldn't be surprising if they sold out of the entire monthly supply within the first week of each month if it were limited enough. Even if the price were exceptionally high.

3) Restrict who they sell to. This could get into some legally challenging territory, but they could only allow certain professions to buy their products. Their brand was largely built for the creative economy, so they could make people apply for a Mac and in order to get one, you have to be a member of this group.

I realize there are some inherent similarities between the three of these approaches, but I think there are subtle enough differences to keep them as separate approaches. Speaking for myself, I would hate to see them take any of these approaches. I'd prefer they just stick to their current modus operandi. Not everyone will choose a Mac. Just as not everyone choses the same car or cell phone.

*Seth's post was based on what he saw when he walked into a Starbucks. The planner in me wonders if there is a correlation between the type of person who likes to sit in a Starbucks or other type of coffee shop to "work" on their computer and their propensity to own a Mac. Anyway...

image credit

the results are in. kind of.

An article on Financial Times today states that Cadbury Schweppes is reporting an up-tick in sales of their Dairly Milk Chocolate brand.

Are they thanking their recent percussion-loving primate ad? Not entirely. But that's not shocking really. It seems fairly common in many companies that advertising is quickly blamed for poor sales but when things go well, everyone is looking for some place else to give the credit.

One of the highlights of the article for me:

Laurence Green, chairman of Fallon London, the advertising agency behind the campaign, said: "The link between a man in a gorilla suit and a chocolate bar is the one the man in the street finds easily, rather than people in the ad industry. Like the chocolate, this is just a bit of harmless fun. That may not strike people as logical, but when people see the ad they are not scrutinising it for meaning, they are doing the ironing or waiting for the rugby to start. They want to be entertained."

Hmm. Is that a polite way of telling those in the ad industry who wrote questioning posts and articles on the spot when it first aired/broke to bugger off?

Personally, I'm glad to hear that Cadbury's numbers were up on the heels of this advertisement. It's clear from the number of remixes created (my favorite) and the well-produced spoof from another widely known brand that this ad struck a chord with people - it brought them joy, just as intended.

What I'm most interested in seeing now is if Glass And A Half Full Productions lives beyond this one spot. Looks like we'll just have to be patient and see what comes in 2008.

explosions in the sky

Came across this Explosions In The Sky video on VIRB just now. I suggest you go to their post of it and watch it even larger on the dark screen (just click the light bulb on the upper right corner of the video - very nice feature if you ask me). I thoroughly enjoy watching musicians who simply love playing their music. Very inspiring.

new snoop video

A new sound for Snoop? Or just on this single? Guess we'll have to wait and see. For a little behind the scenes info go here (just a heads-up, not the radio-friendly version on this one).

found

brands that win, go beyond

As to be expected, a new job in a new city means forming a lot of new relationships. Like having to find a new person to cut my hair. When it came time for me to get the ol' ears lowered, I asked around the office for a suggestion on who to go to. A salon around the corner came highly recommended - Brian Graham Salon.

I can see why. It wasn't just that the stylist (Trish) did a great job making sure I had a wonderful first experience. The day after my visit to the salon, Brian Graham called me to thank me for coming in and ask if there was anything they could have been done better. (I'm sure this is done for all first time customers.) A few weeks later, Trish followed up with the above hand-written thank you card.

When I went in for a second appointment two weeks ago, she made sure to ask me again how everything was and if there were anything I didn't like. (Not quite so short, please. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to appreciate it.) This is all in addition to how well they take care of you when you're in the salon.

The thing is, they don't have to do any of this. They could simply just provide their customers with a haircut, a style, a color, a trim... Whatever they came in for. Just do it well and they'll probably return. But they don't just stop there. They go beyond the basic expectations.

What's the point of all of this? Well, it's a good reminder. Every day, someone is in some way, having an experience with your brand. And it's quite possible that at least one person is experiencing your brand for the first time. It might be your product or service. Or it could be a visit to your web site to figure out if you're the right choice for them. Odds are, you probably aren't there in person to ensure a great experience.

So what are you doing to make sure that experience is one that makes them want to choose you if they haven't already? And if they have already chosen you, what are you doing to not only make them want to choose you again, but one that makes them want to recommend you to others?

I hope you're doing something more than just meeting the basic expectations. I hope you're going beyond.