Is Monocle the New Louis Vuitton?

I’m not sure the people at Monocle would like their well-cared for magazine to be positioned as a luxury product brand — but it’s not always up to the people who work at a brand to decide what the brand is about. Today, many luxury brands feel manufactured and the holding company’s strategy of putting them through a BCG Matrix lifecycle of stars to cash cows must be plainly obvious to any premium product-buying customer. They want more. They want better. Brûlé and his team have not only had the opportunity to write about fashion, travel, automotive and jewelry — they have had the opportunity to create world-leading businesses in each market by leveraging a very 21st century top-of-the-market brand.

- Piers Fawkes, "Is Monocle the New Louis Vuitton?", PSFK.

I am inclined to agree. It's the information age, and Monocle is a luxury purveyor. You can feel it at first touch; even its ads are a tribute to content.

Obsessively Interested ... in Everything.

Today on AdVerve, Darryl posted this beautiful video featuring Michael Wolff for Intel Visual Life. I just felt so much better after watching it. It's pleasing to the eye and commands your attention, but in quietly; something in you just gives pause. It's the story of the work that we do and the story of us, as individuals, traveling quietly through our lives.

You'll see here that Wolff emphasises the importance of curiosity, appreciation and imagination -- none of which are possible without really taking the time to see. We know this intuitively but it's harder to live; our inherent desire to be simpler is in constant combat with the world's desire to populate us with itself. I wish I could carry this sensibility with me all the time.

Sometimes Brands Do Beautiful Things.

Profit for its sake, and capitalism for its sake, will actually become unstuck, unwind and not work.

-- Global CEO David Jones of Havas Worldwide

Witness while:

Pepsi gives grants to world-changing initiatives, chosen by you.

Humor me ››

Mickey Gets Makeover.

I wanted him to be able to be naughty — when you’re playing as Mickey you can misbehave and even be a little selfish.

- Warren Spector, CD of Junction Point, game dev for Epic Mickey

Nothing is sacred anymore. But for what it's worth, a meaner Mickey is infinitely more palatable than a skanky Rainbow Brite.

Brooklyn Fare: Branding Stripped Bare

Brooklyn Fare from Mr. Mucca on Vimeo.

One typeface. Four colours. A wee bit o' wit, and a happy ending.

v.

Apple Isn't Perfect, But Its Fanbase Loves it Anyway.

I don't know why this is. Maybe because it's unapologetic: historically social media-shy, not into competitive price-slashing (it makes price cuts, but usually only after the launch of a new-generation item, not because of cheaper rivals), and not terribly discreet about its feelings about Microsoft.

Why is Apple able to behave this way when other brands can't afford to?

Humor me ››

On Treasure.

The Man™ came over the other day and observed this sign - CHANEL: 31, RUE CAMBON, PARIS - hanging over my bookshelf.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded.

"At a flea market in New York!" I gushed. "It's from the original Rue Cambon store."

"What did you pay for it?"

I told him what I paid and he started to laugh, even after I said I had it checked by a couple of lifer antiquers that assured me that forging this cardboard relic would cost more than the sign itself is worth.

"You're so impulsive," he sniggered.

"But it's treasure," I insisted pathetically. He turned away and quietly finished his giggle.

Okay. For him I may just be a 'tard who bought a really old sign for too much money (still less than the cost of a Chanel handbag!). But seriously: for me this is treasure.

(And here's where the post gets corny.)

WHY MY 80-YEAR-OLD CHANEL SIGN IS TREASURE:

• It represents a young woman who carved an independent living with the resources she had,* creativity and gumption.

• It represents a whim that became an icon, a name -- it could've been any name -- that leaped into history by both manipulating and defying the conventions of the time.

• It speaks to a piece of entrepreneurial success forged in Paris -- just a handful of métro stops away from my house!

• It represents the timelessness of a clean, straightforward brand approach. The Chanel of today also maintains fidelity to the founder's spirit and style, which you can see and feel in the (admittedly not great) film Coco Avant Chanel.

In a period where change happens fast, and user reactions are near-instant and highly vocal, it's hard for brands to remember the importance of holding your ground -- in terms of style, approach, persona -- when you have the conviction that you're right. This is true if you're just creating something, or if you're trying to change your existing position in the market.

People almost unfailingly react negatively to something unexpected. Get over the negging and give your approach time to simmer and set before deciding it's a certified fail. Otherwise you give users a sense you'll move where the wind blows you, and in that case you're effectively pasting a big-ass OBO on your forehead.

Greatness is forged with heat, provocation, commitment and a dash of volatility. Everything else is relegated quickly and efficiently to the bargain bin.

---

*Okay, the business was funded at birth by a doting significant other, but hey, work that shit. Let's think of him as an emotionally invested VC. And if you ever read her bio, L'Allure de Chanel, the cat that funded it was later dismayed to find he ultimately created Coco Chanel's ticket to financial freedom -- because he thought the whole thing was just a hobby.

One Heist Worth an Emmy

Congrats to Psyop and Wieden + Kennedy/Portland for "Heist," their Outstanding Commercial coup:




The brand Coca-Cola was born in 1887, and it's done a stunning job of maintaining fidelity to its good, clean Happy! worldview -- even as the world changes dramatically around it. Check out this piece from 1889:



Worth noting: technology -- and all its advancements -- is your tool. Staying relevant doesn't mean peddling who you are in exchange for every Hype Choo-Choo that comes rambling 'round the hill.

Rishad Tobaccowala Talks Brand-Building, Damage Control and the Art of Seduction

At ad:tech Chicago last week, and prior to his opening talk, I approached Denuo CEO Rishad Tobaccowala in hopes of scoring an interview later on. He was in a hurry and answered in a way I found brusque and upsetting -- which ended up colouring my feelings about the keynote.

He emailed to apologize immediately after reading the article I wrote, and was also good enough to give me almost three hours of his time in an interview -- more of a conversation, really -- later that week.

We never did get around to a formal Q/A. But he taught me so much about branding and relationships that most of the gems would be lost if I didn't whip out the cam and start recording.

Four Things Your Brand Shares with Your Soulmate:



Second Chances at First Impressions, and Thinking Fast When Your Brand Gets Sullied:



This is the longest of the videos. At the start, Rishad gives advice on what leaders should do when traveling abroad to impart wisdom: Google yourself in the country to find out "who" you are to the inhabitants.

He also details how he approached remedying our first impression -- and why he plans to turn it into a case study for brands. For him, it was a colourful example of how marketers and clients need to resolve issues now: in real-time.

And I realized that there's an intuitive "ethic" associated with being a persuader (like a blogger). After he took action to ramify our awkward exchange, he consulted with his social media team to gauge how I might react. They gave him three possibilities; I did them all within 24 hours.

Rishad's Exercise for Building Your Personal Brand:



It sounds simple, but it's hard; I've spent two weeks trying to nail the first part. He also reveals his own results.

And that was that. Once we wrapped up, I crept around his house touching porcelain, glass and stone things that I probably shouldn't be touching. He was cool about it, and wrapped up our afternoon by showing me an amazing view of Chicago from his terrace.

It's incredible what kind of power comes with taking a bit of time to bandage a bruised user experience. Because today, whenever somebody says something about Rishad Tobaccowala, sunbeams and rainbows come shooting out of my face.

Perspectives on Trojan.

Chelsi: When you think about it, 'Trojan' is the worst name to ever give a condom brand.

Me: How do you figure?

Chelsi: Why do we remember Troy? Because a wooden horse slid covertly in. Then lots of men spilled out and ripped the city apart. FROM THE INSIDE.

Me: ...

This is true.

Roll Your Smokes for a Treat

Explanation here.

Bill and Ted, Ben and Jerry, Bill and Jerry.

Two of a kind? Birds of a feather? Something like that.




See the review.

@drtobiasfunke Singlehandedly Restores Love of Show, Faith in Twitter

I am a huge Arrested Development fan, going as far back as when the show was actually running (which is rare!). And my loyalty only improved with age: I turned at least five people (now enthusiasts!) onto it, and watched Seasons 1-3 at least five times straight through.

It was my religion.

But even zealots move on. The last time I touched my AD DVDs was maybe summer of last year. I've since rediscovered Buffy, Angel and Star Trek: Deep Space 9. If anybody asks me, sure, I still dig the show. Have I got high hopes for its return, or for a full-length movie? Not really. The fire's become ash; I have officially Ceased to Care.

So it was with surprise and pleasure that I returned from vacation late Sunday to find @drtobiasfunke following me on Twitter. For non-ADers out there, Dr. Tobias Fünke is a (blazing!) closet homosexual, prone to awkward Freudian slips and just generally icky.

As a character, Tobias is totally rich. His clothes are disgustingly frumpy, he can never be completely nude, and he has anal-rapist -- short for psychoanalyst and therapist -- printed on his business cards. He's also married to the gorgeous and sex-starved Lindsay Bluth, played by Portia de Rossi (who's gay in real life! IroNY!)

In contrast, Dr. Fünke's Twitter personality is newborn and still sorta fætal. Whoever's behind it depends heavily on jokes that were thrown around during the short life of the show. But he's willing to interact and try giving the character off-network legs, which is ridiculously appealing. To my Twittered glee at him following me, @drtobiasfunke replied, "I'm only electronically following you. Physically, I'm attracted to women that have more of a Redford-esqe quality."

Hilarity ensues. I'm in love with a dead show all over again.

There's a lot to be said for an emotional connection forged by brand appropriation. If the cats behind Arrested Development hope to build momentum in its existing fanbase, maybe to help hype some future film in the make, microblogging is a good place to start. (A Dr. Tobias video blog would be awesome, too. I would watch it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Or maybe week.) I'm looking forward to seeing how @drtobiasfunke develops, and to following other AD characters as they appear.

Other fictional characters thriving on Twitter included the cast of Mad Men. Twitter personalities like @Don_Draper and @PeggyOlsen enjoyed a good run until AMC pulled out its bitch pistol and sent Twitter a legal takedown notice. Way to be wet blankets, guys: nothing like hosing the people that made you. UPDATE, 8:58pm: Looks like the Mad Men team's back on Twitter. Three cheers!

But back to the point. I'm not sure whether @drtobiasfunke has ties to Arrested Development's production team, but he got me into the show again. Hit me with ads, invite me to groups, send me petitions. I'm back on the team, ready to bring my favourite TV icons back to life.

To Face McDonald's, Starbucks Gets Gritty

To edge gourmet caffeine peddlers off the dance floor, McDonald's goes highbrow.

So Starbucks goes low?! (And don't even get me started on the fucking doughnuts.)

I'm sorry, but into what warped universe have we stumbled?

This is almost as bad as that one time Wal-Mart alienated all its thrifty little shoppers and took out ads in Vogue for, like, two months so it could compete with that other big-box. And we were like, "Uh, Wal-Mart, you know Target worked over a decade to earn the upper middle-class vote, right?"

You don't win people back by wooing the other guy's customers. It's trashy and no one respects you more for it. (Ask Dunkin'.)

When you waste all your time reacting to competitors instead of improving life for your obviously disgruntled demographic, you are playing very bad brand chess. And yeah, I just said "brand chess."