Magnus
Wednesday at FUSE
Wow!
What a kick-start futurist, Magnus
Lindkvist gave the FUSE audience this morning. One of the most entertaining, engaging and informative talks
I have ever heard (and I have heard a lot of talks in the past). Magnus not only gave us an articulate
vision of the future but a way of dealing with it. He enticed us with the challenge, 'Letting go of ideas is
the pinnacle of inventing the future'.
Free yourself from conventional wisdom and anticipate new thinking.
What a kick-start futurist, Magnus
Lindkvist gave the FUSE audience this morning. One of the most entertaining, engaging and informative talks
I have ever heard (and I have heard a lot of talks in the past). Magnus not only gave us an articulate
vision of the future but a way of dealing with it. He enticed us with the challenge, 'Letting go of ideas is
the pinnacle of inventing the future'.
Free yourself from conventional wisdom and anticipate new thinking.
He
discussed globalization and mentioned that we have not truly realized this imagined
status. Only 5% of people live
outside o the country where they were born. He bemoaned the fact that globalization is simply 'copy and
pasting' culture, architecture and experience from one location to
another. Tokyo looks like New
York. Shenzhen looks like Dubai. Magnus sees this same copy/paste mentality in
branding and product innovation, renaming R&D 'Rip Off and Duplicate'. This iteration rather than true
innovation causes lots more competition between similar brands rather than a
truly new experience.
discussed globalization and mentioned that we have not truly realized this imagined
status. Only 5% of people live
outside o the country where they were born. He bemoaned the fact that globalization is simply 'copy and
pasting' culture, architecture and experience from one location to
another. Tokyo looks like New
York. Shenzhen looks like Dubai. Magnus sees this same copy/paste mentality in
branding and product innovation, renaming R&D 'Rip Off and Duplicate'. This iteration rather than true
innovation causes lots more competition between similar brands rather than a
truly new experience.
He
suggested that rather than these 'horizontal' shifts in culture; we need 'vertical'
shifts. Technology is one of these
vertical shifts. Digitization and
Digitalization will truly accelerate change and make the future more radically
different than today. Part of our
future we can predict now with certainty.
We now for example how many 70 year olds we will have in the next 50
years, but we do not know is how they will behave.
suggested that rather than these 'horizontal' shifts in culture; we need 'vertical'
shifts. Technology is one of these
vertical shifts. Digitization and
Digitalization will truly accelerate change and make the future more radically
different than today. Part of our
future we can predict now with certainty.
We now for example how many 70 year olds we will have in the next 50
years, but we do not know is how they will behave.
And
so, in this uncertain future we need to determine if we are going to just
compete or truly create. He
offered 3 tenants that we need to embrace if we are to be truly creative.
so, in this uncertain future we need to determine if we are going to just
compete or truly create. He
offered 3 tenants that we need to embrace if we are to be truly creative.
1.
Willingness
to Experiment- the need to try new and potentially dangerous things. He showcased a book called '50
dangerous things you should allow your children to do'. He suggested we teach our
kids how to take safe chances and learn from them.
Willingness
to Experiment- the need to try new and potentially dangerous things. He showcased a book called '50
dangerous things you should allow your children to do'. He suggested we teach our
kids how to take safe chances and learn from them.
2.
Embrace Failure- be willing to recycle
past failures and improve upon them.
He mentions that nothing ultimately fails faster than success. When we are successful we feel that we
are immune to change, and that always catches up with us.
Embrace Failure- be willing to recycle
past failures and improve upon them.
He mentions that nothing ultimately fails faster than success. When we are successful we feel that we
are immune to change, and that always catches up with us.
3.
Foster
the Virtue of Patience: Success
takes time but persistence and willingness to learn from failure is the only
way to guarantee lasting success.
Foster
the Virtue of Patience: Success
takes time but persistence and willingness to learn from failure is the only
way to guarantee lasting success.
He
ended with a truly compelling video clip of a lone dancer at an outdoor music
concert who was unabashedly just going for it. Slowly one by one he gathered followers. Soon there was a tipping point where
those who were sitting started to feel out of place and then everyone got up
and danced. He used this as analogy
to the designer and encouraged us to be the crazy dancer. I wanted to rip off my
sport coat and shirt and dance as we all gave him a standing ovation.
ended with a truly compelling video clip of a lone dancer at an outdoor music
concert who was unabashedly just going for it. Slowly one by one he gathered followers. Soon there was a tipping point where
those who were sitting started to feel out of place and then everyone got up
and danced. He used this as analogy
to the designer and encouraged us to be the crazy dancer. I wanted to rip off my
sport coat and shirt and dance as we all gave him a standing ovation.
Dennis Furniss- VP Global Design
Unilever then took
up the goal of designing brands for life.
As the first VP of Design in this huge, 100 year old company, Dennis
mentioned that creating brands for life is very different from creating brands
for consumption. Unilever's goal
is to improve life through their products. He talked about this mission and how
his management team is driven to shift thinking within this huge organization
to make products that are relevant, ethical and responsible. Their measure of
success is to double the size of their business but not increase their carbon
footprint in the process.
Unilever then took
up the goal of designing brands for life.
As the first VP of Design in this huge, 100 year old company, Dennis
mentioned that creating brands for life is very different from creating brands
for consumption. Unilever's goal
is to improve life through their products. He talked about this mission and how
his management team is driven to shift thinking within this huge organization
to make products that are relevant, ethical and responsible. Their measure of
success is to double the size of their business but not increase their carbon
footprint in the process.
He
sees the goal of design at Unilever to solve problems not just create
solutions. This interesting
distinction was then further defined in the remainder of his personal story and
his relationship with design.
sees the goal of design at Unilever to solve problems not just create
solutions. This interesting
distinction was then further defined in the remainder of his personal story and
his relationship with design.
He
had a short video clip of 6 boxes being opened, each containing an object that
helped him tell his story. An
orange is a perfect object that reflects the never-ending cycle of
re-generation. The year 1969 reminded him of being a boy and watching the lunar
landing while still using an outhouse and marveled at this contrast. This served to highlight how Unilever
is now on a quest to provide proper sanitation to developing worlds. The
erector set called Mecano was used as an analogy for building things, breaking
them down and rebuilding them, learning from the mistakes and enhancing
mastery. The empty box was the analogy for inventiveness. It's not an empty box but a container
for a gift, a child plaything, and endless number of things that come from
looking beyond the expected and developing the unseen opportunity. The stone became a symbol of
usefulness. Design is purposeful
and concrete.
had a short video clip of 6 boxes being opened, each containing an object that
helped him tell his story. An
orange is a perfect object that reflects the never-ending cycle of
re-generation. The year 1969 reminded him of being a boy and watching the lunar
landing while still using an outhouse and marveled at this contrast. This served to highlight how Unilever
is now on a quest to provide proper sanitation to developing worlds. The
erector set called Mecano was used as an analogy for building things, breaking
them down and rebuilding them, learning from the mistakes and enhancing
mastery. The empty box was the analogy for inventiveness. It's not an empty box but a container
for a gift, a child plaything, and endless number of things that come from
looking beyond the expected and developing the unseen opportunity. The stone became a symbol of
usefulness. Design is purposeful
and concrete.
In
the end he left us with the idea that design needs to influence how we think
and not just how we execute. He
represents the next generation of Unilever thought leadership and the courage
to be bolder, more assertive, more daring.
the end he left us with the idea that design needs to influence how we think
and not just how we execute. He
represents the next generation of Unilever thought leadership and the courage
to be bolder, more assertive, more daring.
The senior vice president of one of our collective mentor brands then took us on a case study of the evolution of Target's design-driven differentiation. Shawn Gensch, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Target gave us an understanding of how design differentiated the Target experience from the other discount retailers who were formed in the same year, Wal-Mart, and Kmart. Shawn acknowledged that differentiation based on the lowest price is a 'zero sum game,' a race to the bottom. Target played this game well for a period of time, but because of the size and scale of Wal-Mart, they would never be able to win. Rather, in the late 90s, they embraced design to transform the bullseye into 'an icon of affordable chic.'
He deconstructed ad campaigns and early relationships with Michael Graves, Philippe Starck and other designers to bring style to everyday things. By representing even the least design driven, commodity products in a new, fashionable way, it gave the everyday elements some flair. They moved the ad campaign to the runway and used a fashion parable to further differentiate the brand. This spawned the Everyday Collection and their limited-time fashion house offerings. Social media helped continue the story and close the gap between the brand and its guests.
Shawn left us with an important and reoccurring theme of the day, take chances, embrace change and have fun!
Virginia
Postrel, Author of 'The Substance of Style' and her new work, 'The Power of
Glamour', then diligently deconstructed the history and current redefinition of
Glamour. Virginia grounded us
in the entomology of glamour with its mystical roots as an illusion of
reality. She traced the use of the
term through literature, the military and aviation and into its contemporary
description of indulgent luxury.
She aptly defined glamour as 'an inarticulate longing' It creates the
feeling, 'I wish I could be like that'.
The perception that life would be perfect if I had that home, that watch,
those shoes, etc.
Postrel, Author of 'The Substance of Style' and her new work, 'The Power of
Glamour', then diligently deconstructed the history and current redefinition of
Glamour. Virginia grounded us
in the entomology of glamour with its mystical roots as an illusion of
reality. She traced the use of the
term through literature, the military and aviation and into its contemporary
description of indulgent luxury.
She aptly defined glamour as 'an inarticulate longing' It creates the
feeling, 'I wish I could be like that'.
The perception that life would be perfect if I had that home, that watch,
those shoes, etc.
She
even looked at the visuals that defined Obama's 2008 campaign suggesting that
it embodies everyone's ideal of what they wanted in government, in American
society.
even looked at the visuals that defined Obama's 2008 campaign suggesting that
it embodies everyone's ideal of what they wanted in government, in American
society.
Glamour
provides a promise of escape and transformation. From the indulgent fashion and travel photography to the ad
campaign for Corona beer and the offer to 'find your beach'. Glamour also has a grace to it, the
appearance of effortlessness that masks any possible flaws. She highlighted the power that
this experience has and will always have in allowing us to imagine and ideal
possible within our lives and to attach that to an object or a brand. Powerful indeed!
provides a promise of escape and transformation. From the indulgent fashion and travel photography to the ad
campaign for Corona beer and the offer to 'find your beach'. Glamour also has a grace to it, the
appearance of effortlessness that masks any possible flaws. She highlighted the power that
this experience has and will always have in allowing us to imagine and ideal
possible within our lives and to attach that to an object or a brand. Powerful indeed!
We
had the chance to explore the mind of the independent film maker and story
teller Tiffany Shlain as she
introduced us to the 'cloud film making', or requesting video clips through a
global social network and weaving them into a unified story.
had the chance to explore the mind of the independent film maker and story
teller Tiffany Shlain as she
introduced us to the 'cloud film making', or requesting video clips through a
global social network and weaving them into a unified story.
She
chronicled her career from early days of collecting film clips and
re-assembling them to her new venture of sending a message out through the
internet and assembling many messages into one unified story. She embraced the Internet very early on
recognizing it as a social phenomenon.
She founded the Webby Awards and owned it through the dot com boom and
bust. She explained that 9/11 had
a profound impact and encouraged her to go back to filmmaking but to incorporate
new technology to dramatically simplify the process. She celebrated our global
collectiveness, our inter-dependency through a cloud film from the contribution
of people across the globe. She
then provides this film to not for profit organizations to support awareness
and development funding. She left us with the thought that since every smart
phone now allows you to take video, there is no barrier between the filmmaker
and the storyteller. Stories are
more real, more authentic. This
will only become more evident as new generations and the rest of the world
comes on line.
chronicled her career from early days of collecting film clips and
re-assembling them to her new venture of sending a message out through the
internet and assembling many messages into one unified story. She embraced the Internet very early on
recognizing it as a social phenomenon.
She founded the Webby Awards and owned it through the dot com boom and
bust. She explained that 9/11 had
a profound impact and encouraged her to go back to filmmaking but to incorporate
new technology to dramatically simplify the process. She celebrated our global
collectiveness, our inter-dependency through a cloud film from the contribution
of people across the globe. She
then provides this film to not for profit organizations to support awareness
and development funding. She left us with the thought that since every smart
phone now allows you to take video, there is no barrier between the filmmaker
and the storyteller. Stories are
more real, more authentic. This
will only become more evident as new generations and the rest of the world
comes on line.
A
panel of corporate design leaders and a consultant explored the client/agency
relationship. Moderated by Wendy Orner
of Procter & Gamble, corporate design leaders Adrienne Powers of Kraft, Jon
Denham of ConAgra, Jennifer Giannotti-Genes of Colgate-Palmolive and Rob Swan
of Brand Image provided a candid analysis of what works and what does
not. The metaphor of
'marriage' was offered up and then discussed as it relates to the best
agency/client relationships. The
definition of 'partnership' was explored.
Elements of trust and mutual respect were outlined with specific antidotes. Both sides discussed the value of
making an investment in each other and the brand stewardship that evolves. Honesty, directness, transparency and
empathy were also featured as essential components of every interaction.
panel of corporate design leaders and a consultant explored the client/agency
relationship. Moderated by Wendy Orner
of Procter & Gamble, corporate design leaders Adrienne Powers of Kraft, Jon
Denham of ConAgra, Jennifer Giannotti-Genes of Colgate-Palmolive and Rob Swan
of Brand Image provided a candid analysis of what works and what does
not. The metaphor of
'marriage' was offered up and then discussed as it relates to the best
agency/client relationships. The
definition of 'partnership' was explored.
Elements of trust and mutual respect were outlined with specific antidotes. Both sides discussed the value of
making an investment in each other and the brand stewardship that evolves. Honesty, directness, transparency and
empathy were also featured as essential components of every interaction.
The
ideal client was describes as one who has courage and conviction, who maintains
consistency of direction and helps navigate the complexities of the large
client organization. Borrowing
Steven Webster's quote, the ideal client is 'a preacher, a teacher and a game
show host', evangelizing best practice, educating its team on the process and
rewarding those who follow it.
The design director as an enabler, a creator of design thinking
culture. A translator, of the
internal culture's language, helping tell the back-story and unmasking the
hidden politics and cultural traps that live under the surface. And the design director must be a
soldier, fighting for best practice, protecting the consultancy and allowing
them to do their best work.
ideal client was describes as one who has courage and conviction, who maintains
consistency of direction and helps navigate the complexities of the large
client organization. Borrowing
Steven Webster's quote, the ideal client is 'a preacher, a teacher and a game
show host', evangelizing best practice, educating its team on the process and
rewarding those who follow it.
The design director as an enabler, a creator of design thinking
culture. A translator, of the
internal culture's language, helping tell the back-story and unmasking the
hidden politics and cultural traps that live under the surface. And the design director must be a
soldier, fighting for best practice, protecting the consultancy and allowing
them to do their best work.
Wendy's
presentation with Leo Burnett and her design firm partners from yesterday were
referenced as one of the most effective case studies of advertising and design
collaboration. The agency
relationship is determined and run by executive management while the design
firm selection does not have access to this level of decision makers. Adrienne
suggested that this collaboration could become a reality when the design firm
is engaged on a longer-term retainer rather than a project-by-project basis.
presentation with Leo Burnett and her design firm partners from yesterday were
referenced as one of the most effective case studies of advertising and design
collaboration. The agency
relationship is determined and run by executive management while the design
firm selection does not have access to this level of decision makers. Adrienne
suggested that this collaboration could become a reality when the design firm
is engaged on a longer-term retainer rather than a project-by-project basis.
This
session ended way too soon for many of us. Later discussion suggested that an
entire day could be devoted to just this topic at future FUSE sessions.
session ended way too soon for many of us. Later discussion suggested that an
entire day could be devoted to just this topic at future FUSE sessions.
Daniele Monti of Starbucks then detailed
the Tazo tea brand identity evolution.
Since its launch almost a decade ago the brand went through a series of
what Daniele called 'face lifts'.
New products were added periodically but the brand had not been truly
renovated in some time and its relevancy had eroded. So much so, that in 2009, the brand was pulled from
international markets and replaced with the Starbuck's logo'despite the fact
that this old logo still had the word 'coffee' in it green circle. This did not matter. In fact, this rebranding increased
sales significantly. It was
time that the Tazo brand owned its own story.
the Tazo tea brand identity evolution.
Since its launch almost a decade ago the brand went through a series of
what Daniele called 'face lifts'.
New products were added periodically but the brand had not been truly
renovated in some time and its relevancy had eroded. So much so, that in 2009, the brand was pulled from
international markets and replaced with the Starbuck's logo'despite the fact
that this old logo still had the word 'coffee' in it green circle. This did not matter. In fact, this rebranding increased
sales significantly. It was
time that the Tazo brand owned its own story.
The
first step in Starbuck's rebranding process was to identify and personify its inspirational
user. They named these users Zack
and Zoe and defined them as highly discerning and somewhat skeptical
authenticity seekers. They defined
what brands Zack and Zoe had real affinity with and imagined what was in Zoe's
bag and Zack's backpack.
first step in Starbuck's rebranding process was to identify and personify its inspirational
user. They named these users Zack
and Zoe and defined them as highly discerning and somewhat skeptical
authenticity seekers. They defined
what brands Zack and Zoe had real affinity with and imagined what was in Zoe's
bag and Zack's backpack.
The
compelling brand experience that Tazo could uniquely own was 'life
reblended'. Tazo is
cultured, refined without being unapproachable. Daniele shared an interesting chart where the design exploration
was mapped out in context of how evolutionary or revolutionary each aspect of the
exploration should be. For
example, the logo could evolve, but because other elements had little equity,
the design architecture, the product segmentation strategies, the flavor
communications, the color palettes could all be revolutionized. And team leaders courageously determined
they wanted to see some totally revolutionary concepts just to learn from. The resulting design exploration was
more focused and effective.
compelling brand experience that Tazo could uniquely own was 'life
reblended'. Tazo is
cultured, refined without being unapproachable. Daniele shared an interesting chart where the design exploration
was mapped out in context of how evolutionary or revolutionary each aspect of the
exploration should be. For
example, the logo could evolve, but because other elements had little equity,
the design architecture, the product segmentation strategies, the flavor
communications, the color palettes could all be revolutionized. And team leaders courageously determined
they wanted to see some totally revolutionary concepts just to learn from. The resulting design exploration was
more focused and effective.
The
selected design architecture eliminated the restrictive holding shape behind
the logo and celebrated the ingredients in an unconventional and beautiful
way. Herbs were photographed in a
unique way. Powdery ingredients
were represented in new, playful shapes.
The design's shelf impact was enhanced with a color device that appears
to link adjacent packages. This
new brand identity system was then transformed into new communication
standards. Typestyles, boarders,
textures and all other visual elements were defined and their usage
confirmed. This was used to design
the brand's web site and its signature retail store in Seattle. Overall this was a compelling
presentation of design processes that resulted in a most successful new brand
experience.
selected design architecture eliminated the restrictive holding shape behind
the logo and celebrated the ingredients in an unconventional and beautiful
way. Herbs were photographed in a
unique way. Powdery ingredients
were represented in new, playful shapes.
The design's shelf impact was enhanced with a color device that appears
to link adjacent packages. This
new brand identity system was then transformed into new communication
standards. Typestyles, boarders,
textures and all other visual elements were defined and their usage
confirmed. This was used to design
the brand's web site and its signature retail store in Seattle. Overall this was a compelling
presentation of design processes that resulted in a most successful new brand
experience.
Bringing
insights from her work on both the client and the consultancy side of the business,
Karen Laisster-Bryan of Design Resource
Center described the tenants of the design best practices. She suggested that the brief must
include objective success criteria and the analytical tools to determine they
are maintained. This prohibits
arbitrary critiques and a moving target that causes scope creep. She warned that design couldn't precede
strategy. One must know the brand
story first and design against it.
She warned that research is not a diagnostic tool, 'which one do you
like best', but rather an opportunity to gain an understanding of how specific
design elements make the consumer feel, using research to help shape the best
strategies and only then execute against them.
insights from her work on both the client and the consultancy side of the business,
Karen Laisster-Bryan of Design Resource
Center described the tenants of the design best practices. She suggested that the brief must
include objective success criteria and the analytical tools to determine they
are maintained. This prohibits
arbitrary critiques and a moving target that causes scope creep. She warned that design couldn't precede
strategy. One must know the brand
story first and design against it.
She warned that research is not a diagnostic tool, 'which one do you
like best', but rather an opportunity to gain an understanding of how specific
design elements make the consumer feel, using research to help shape the best
strategies and only then execute against them.
Lastly
she suggested that the design process should know when to stop, to question the
last tweaks. Designers and
decision makers should not loose conviction or chicken out but remain consistent
and vigilant in maintaining objective criteria. She left the team with the idea that the 'bake off' or
selecting multiple firms to do an initial design exploration dilutes the impact
that one dedicated firm can create.
This comment brought a number of big smiles on the faces of the
consultants in the room.
she suggested that the design process should know when to stop, to question the
last tweaks. Designers and
decision makers should not loose conviction or chicken out but remain consistent
and vigilant in maintaining objective criteria. She left the team with the idea that the 'bake off' or
selecting multiple firms to do an initial design exploration dilutes the impact
that one dedicated firm can create.
This comment brought a number of big smiles on the faces of the
consultants in the room.
Steven
Peters of No Mimed Media ended a most successful conference with an engaging
story that used text messaging, web site access, a Youtube posting, Google
search, and cell phone calls to tell a story that can become more compelling if
delivered in multiple and unexpected touch points across multiple tools.
Peters of No Mimed Media ended a most successful conference with an engaging
story that used text messaging, web site access, a Youtube posting, Google
search, and cell phone calls to tell a story that can become more compelling if
delivered in multiple and unexpected touch points across multiple tools.
He
painted the vision of entertainment where once you have purchased the tickets
to a movie you get a phone call from the characters to give you a bit of a back
story before you enter the theater.
After the movie, you could dial the character's cell number and hear a
message from them that gives you a richer context. He warned that it's easy to be sucked into the allure of new
technology but suggested that the story is paramount. Only engage when the story will benefit from the use of
technology.
painted the vision of entertainment where once you have purchased the tickets
to a movie you get a phone call from the characters to give you a bit of a back
story before you enter the theater.
After the movie, you could dial the character's cell number and hear a
message from them that gives you a richer context. He warned that it's easy to be sucked into the allure of new
technology but suggested that the story is paramount. Only engage when the story will benefit from the use of
technology.
------------------------------------------
This,
the largest and most successful FUSE conference ever, concluded with sincere
thanks to Debbie Millman and Cheryl Swanson, co-chairs who created and evolved
this brand with the help of IIR's Kim Rivielle and Krista Vasquez. We as an industry owe a great debt of
gratitude to their collective efforts.
They are to be acknowledged for their vision, their passion and their
incredible contribution to our industry's success. Again Deb and Cheryl, thank you!
the largest and most successful FUSE conference ever, concluded with sincere
thanks to Debbie Millman and Cheryl Swanson, co-chairs who created and evolved
this brand with the help of IIR's Kim Rivielle and Krista Vasquez. We as an industry owe a great debt of
gratitude to their collective efforts.
They are to be acknowledged for their vision, their passion and their
incredible contribution to our industry's success. Again Deb and Cheryl, thank you!
Looking
forward to engaging with all of you again next year!
forward to engaging with all of you again next year!
Rob
Wallace
Wallace
Managing
Partner, Strategy
Partner, Strategy
Wallace
Church Inc
Church Inc
Rob@wallacechurch.com