Its a common strategy among many brands to release a different holiday packaging reflecting the spirit. Coke followed suit and released a white can with red Coca Cola lettering. The can also had polar bears and snow flakes on it. The original plan was to keep this on shelves till Feb. But, here’s what happened - 

Why did they do it?

Coke executives wanted a disruptive shift and the white cans were unique enough to Coke’s usual red. They wanted it to be bold and attention-grabbing. Also, it fits in with their effort to raise awareness about global warming being a threat to polar bears. Coke has pledged $3 million toward this cause.

What really happened?

1. Consumers are so ingrained to associate red with Coke that it created a psychological impact on taste. Many people thought it tasted “funny.”

2. Also diet Coke had diet written in black on the cans. Usually, diet Coke comes in a white can. Many people confused the normal Coke for Diet and returned half empty cans to the stores demanding a refund.

It got so disruptive that Coke had to remove the cans in a month from the shelves. Here are some golden words from a victim directly -

“Coke = red.

Diet Coke = gray/silver/white.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Fiat Linea Punto releases its new TVC shot underwater. Here’s their list of reasons why and what they were trying to communicate -

1. The TVC shows two cars being assembled against all odds in a challenging environment.

 : Actually the serene blue sea makes me feel more comfortable and relaxed. Gives no indication of ‘against all odds.’ I am sure the production would have had a challenging time shooting this, but that is not translated in the TVC. #fail

2. The upgraded four features to communicate were powerful ground clearance, automatic rain sensing wipers, brighter dual-tone interiors and automatic headlamps.

: First two times I saw the TVC, the features did not really catch my eye. VO was more powerful. Post reading an article on the upgraded version, I saw the TVC again which then made more sense.

3.  The underwater rendition has a multi-fold purpose. Firstly, it is a literal as well as figurative manifestation of the brand’s ability to dive deep into core consumer wants and needs.

: What? How? I don’t get that one bit. I did check with few other people in case my myopic vision is messing around. They didn’t get it either.#FAIL

4. Secondly, the depth of the ocean is symbolic of the depth of passion needed to achieve something special, and this drive to achieve against the odds was something that was found to resonate with the personality of the brand’s TG (target group). This is reflected in the phrase used at the end of the film — ‘Got Heart!’.

: Well, no. More than the depth of the ocean, I get the passion quotient with the Voice over.

5. Additionally, it conveys the availability of the two cars in a new colour — oceanic blue.

: Seriously, come on. Now you are just being ridiculous. More like everything remotely connected with the underwater concept is being force fit as a reason why.

Now see it for yourself -

Establish the brand + Build a huge community + Move the community to do something together = Create brand evangelists and fans

Sound similar? This is the social media dictum laid down for us to follow. Brands are today stepping on each other to get the consumer’s attention, let alone engagement. The holiday season has just gone past and you saw every brand trying to outdo each other in being more festive and generous with their freebies.

But here’ s a different technique altogether. This brand has managed to attract 300,000 people (and still counting) to not just “Like” them, but move the community to do something together. All in 72 hours!! 

Meet Codecademy. Their idea was to leave Christmas and New Year to those with humongous budgets.  They took the next ritual – New Year resolution. In 2012 they have taken up the task of assisting the growth of many code monkeys around. 300,000 people took this up as a resolution and codecademy will send lessons once a week to our (yes, Im learning too) inbox. Options to learn coding was always available, but knowing that there are so many people out there who are taking the same lessons at the same time makes people more comfortable.

The possibilities for doing great things with a community like this is endless. Think about sharing lessons and tips on fb, freelance jobs to code websites, maybe even begin a business together online. Got more to add to this list?

Burberry wins the most prestigious award in Luxury marketing. They have just been named Luxury marketer of the year 2011. Following Burberry is Ralph Lauren and BMW.

Ever heard of a high fashion brand wanting to be more reachable? Here’s one.

Indigo announces its International foray via a TV spot.  Everybody remembers their old “On time” ad. Will this be just as memorable, or will it be yet another 60 secs of channel surfing?

So, since the designyatra post went up, I received 12 emails asking for Adrian’s 10 things that designers do. Here’s my version of the stuff  -

1. Good designers are selfish egotists:

Imagine a world where designers were empathetic toward the clients. Where the advertising team put the client at the center and gave them all they wanted instead of the brand.  Sure, it would make life a lot easier but what about the work? Wouldn’t that begin to look shitty if directed by somebody else with a completely different mindset?

2. Good designers have verbal skills to match their visual skills:

No piece of work is ever what the client expects. If you are asked to explain your work and your response is “i think it looks nice”, even the best work is bound to be trashed. To articulate the creative process is just as important as designing itself.

3. Good designers stand up for what they believe in, even when it harms them.

Hence the daily dose of fights in agencies. The conviction in work stems from the fact that, what lies in front of you is your sole creation. Of course you will stick to it even if your backside is kicked.

4. Good designers are liars and cheats

In case you haven’t watched Mad Men yet, torrent right away.

5. Good designers are also teachers

As a designer, you become so fanatical about design that you desire to pass it on. Of course, it also leads to self improvement.

6. Good designers are ethical, usually.

“ I began to worry about what we designers, who are very skillful and have powerful tools at our disposal, are doing in the world making a filthy oil company look ‘clean,’ making car brochure higher quality than the car. Is that all okay, or just the level to which design and many other professions have sunk?” So the main question is “What is a Code of Ethics to a graphic designer and what use is it? Isnt it just another boring slab of legalese, more pompous than pertinent?” .. Tibor Kalman

7. Good designers are plagiarists and copyists

“But suppose copying is what makes us human—what then? More than that, what if copying, rather than being an aberration or a mistake or a crime, is a fundamental condition or requirement for anything, human or not, to exist at all?”  .. Marcus Boon

8.  Good designers know that the non-design part is just as important

Well, if you don’t know what to do with the design, then it becomes just another hobby.

9. Good designers are aesthetes – first and foremost

Every good designer work on their pet projects on the side. Something that is not directed by a client / brand blah.

10. Good designers are outsiders

When you are outside looking in, a fresh perspective can be formed. If you are terrorized by clients, you will never be able to see what others don’t see.

If you are looking for more stuff like this, check The Denver Egotist. Some kick ass write ups.

A bunch of us from ANC visited the designyatra 2011 last week. Midst the sun sand and alcohol, we managed to attend the talks. Many thanks to Alok for not only flying us to Goa, but also for putting us up at the Hyatt. In case you missed out this year, here’s a gist of some interesting stuff-

Anomaly

Nathan Cooper from Anomaly presented some of their work and here’s what I found most interesting. Many clients scream out for higher facebook likes and becoming the trending topic on twitter. In this digital world, the challenge is not in getting people to visit their page, but in retaining them. Nathan says,”Value is not in people coming to you. Value is in engaging them to do something.”

He demonstrated how a simple idea can spin out into a large scale customer engagement idea. Using facebook as a platform, Converse allowed its customers to design their own shoe online. They were given a plain white shoe as a base to begin with and every part of the shoe (even the stitch) could be customised. Once you are done, you can order it online and the shoes will reach your home in 3 weeks. You can post this on fb store and if 5 people pick your shoe, you get a free pair!

Unit Editions

Adrian Shaughnessy from Unit Editions had something different to say. Instead of showcasing their work, he talked about 10 things good designers do. If you are interested in details, write to me / ping and you will have the stuff.

Typeradio

The learning here lie in the uniqueness of their business model.  While type is speech on paper, typeradio is speech on type. Three partners who basically meet only during conferences like the designyatra interview different designers on their radio channel. When asked why they do this, Donald says, “It’s important for the the students to listen and learn from stories in the design community.”

Their prized project is the Chinese whisper with typefaces. Check them out here.

Irma Boom

She sat behind a desk with one camera pointing at her and another placed over her head focused on the desk in front. One weird way to present to a large crowd. But, without moving from the chair, she managed to capture everybody’s attention with her fantastic collection of books and equally appealing stories for all of them. I was in awe with her attitude toward critics and ability to pick up from where she left. A gist won’t do her justice. A separate interview is in order. Keep checking this space for an exclusive interview with Irma Boom.

Since almost everybody from the crowd wanted to talk to Irma about her books, the Kyoorius team has decided to reprint one of her tiniest books with design guidelines and give it away to those who attended the conference. Of course, you have got to ask them first. In case you are wondering how tiny can tiny be, here goes

Deisgnyatra 2011 Part 2 will cover talks and some fantastic work by Jeroen Van Erp, Troika, Novi Rehman, Perfect Fools, Land studio and Devilfish.

So Volkswagen has released their new Jetta, a premium car you should consider buying seriously if you have an extra 15 lac lying around somewhere. With its looks to die for and the all famous German Engineering, I would definitely love to own one of these beauties. Sadly, I don’t have the extra 15Lac.

Owning this brand has been on my must-have luxury list for quite some time. Apparently the dream might just come true sooner than I expected. All I have to do is tweet something quirky about what I will do for a jetta and I just might be able to cruise around the streets of Mumbai on one! So now, that Volkswagen has given me a shortcut to getting there sooner, why does it just not feel right to tweet? Why do I feel like they have managed to successfully bring the image of Volkswagen down by at least 10 levels.

So all my deal hungry friends, after praying to every idol, have tweeted and are constantly looking for ways to get hold of this car. So dear Volkswagen, here’s a question. Do you think, the ones that didn’t win will actually pull up the 15Lac to buy one?  The campaign might just work for a Polo which costs around 5Lac. But a Jetta is premium for God’s sake!

The only good part about this campaign is the manner in which they have tried to create a community online awarding points for tweets, sharing and retweeting. But what will you do with a community that can only afford this car 5 years from now.

If the response to this cry is yet another “we are trying to create a cult following”, then know this –  ”You cant create a cult.”

Will I do anything4jetta? No. I will not. Will you?

The latest hot property that sells brands real quick. The newest addition to every marketing text book, especially selling the digital way. But, what happens to the age old concept of customer loyalty?

P&G’s everyday solutions is a great way to hold on to the customer loyalty and sell efficiently. For all the coupon enthusiasts, instead of hunting down every site, you get all your needs at one stop. But what about a site like groupon that ends up in invariably everybody’s inbox with deals that are hard to resist. Some marketers stick to the fact that with the not yet stable economy, spending on brand building is difficult. So coupons is the way to enthuse people and push to buy. But, will this ever remain long term? Coup

on enthusiasts can never be brand loyal. The amount spent to enter into couponing by a brand can never seek long term results. Sure, they push toward first time purchase, but what about retention?

In India, a land of deal hungry consumers, what is the future for coupons here? Though snapdeal is doing one hell of a job here, will that translate to consumer loyalty? Being a snapdeal addict, I have opted for many, thanked the service provider and continued looking around for the next best thing.

Deals can penetrate into the core FMCG in India if they begin catering to the local households where the consumers flock into Big Bazaar for their monthly grocery purchase. Digital coupons don’t work for this audience. The day when one of the ‘cost-effective-outlet’ comes up with a monthly coupon booklet to be released along with the newspapers, people will cut them up and devour them. This day will come very soon.