Bill Gardner from Gardner Design (and Logolounge.com) has been, since 2002, in the habit of each year compiling a report on logo design.
The 2011 report, published at the end of April, sets off claiming that “Last year was brighter. This year is lighter.” and sheds light over a few new trends:
shapes are airier, more transparent, signs seem to take their place more delicately on the layouts
black is out, gray and brown are in, while pink becomes more present
a strong “green” insert, with lots of trees and leaves
The wrap-up is metrosexuality for last year’s identities. The reason between the lines seems to be that post-post-post-industrial brands are becoming more womanish, burdened by social platforms and eco-momentum. May we be right or may we be exaggerating?
Know-it-all researchers have done it again. FOMO, “the Fear Of Missing Out” is scientifically brought to us as the new 2011 “social disease.
Below you will find an interesting presentation on this topic, an in-depth analysis, both from the psycho-sociological and media/marketing/advertising/entertainment points of view.
Briefly, this fear corresponds with the feeling that everyone’s at this huge party while you’re home alone on a Saturday evening. It’s obviously out there since humanity invented fun, but it’s never been as easy to catch as today’s social network era, when a simple click brings everything your friends are doing in front of your face. FOMO is not only applicable to events, but can also be extended to gadgets you haven’t tried, personal unfulfilled accomplishments and so on.
That is why it is essential to marketers to grasp it and utilize it, as all brands fight to become that ’something you must not miss’.
Logic and science say our personalities are determined by our childhoods. It’s also safe to assume the relation of interdependence between children’s thinking and advertising.
Crystal Smith, “social media and marketing writer” from Canada sheds light over the key-words of masculinity and femininity. Her study shows us the best used words in adverts directed at little boys and girls.
As we can see below, terms like “battle”, “power” or “heroes” trace out a warrior’s personality for boys, one of ready-to-take-life-in-their-power knights in shining armor. Nothing extraordinary here.
On the other hand, to be a girls means “love”, “magic” and “fun”. A dash of grace as counterpart for the so-called stronger sex.
Our perceptions about the two genders are confirmed now. As of the moment boys were discovering fire and girls were discovering needles, continuing with times when boys were fighting dragons and girls were making castles lovely and ending with toy-robots versus toy-dolls, one thing is for certain: boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Thank woman’s emancipation, however, that love and fun are being granted the same importance as war and battle.
The last GFKstudy about the Romanian consumer’s habits indicates fuel consumption as the most important criterion to buy a car. Data acquired by GfK MotoBus sheds more light on this topic.
63% of respondents take a look at fuel usage, while brand and price are relevant only to 44%. Comfort, in the end, accounts for 36% of the answers. This trend therefore, apparent since 2009, still stands today.
What conclusions may consequently be drawn?
1. Communication on this segment should reflect low consumption.
2. Promotions may also communicate similarly to “fuel for a year”.
3. Consumer experience should direct itself to “more fun for less fuel”.
4. Automotive brands need to better understand the consumer’s needs.
5. Developing the low-consumption car segment and reinventing the “think small” concept.
6. A stronger accent on the eco side of communication.
Just as news claimed that Facebook was optimizing its search engine, the clash of the titans goes on. News now are that Google has conceived its own “like”. Which may be quite suspicious from the people guiding themselves after the “don’t be evil” motto.
So here’s the Google “+1″. Short explanations are found here. Just as clear is also the reason for which Google is upgrading: the online has become social. Interesting to follow will be the search engine’s evolution. Will it step more and more determined towards the social slice or could this be just punctual tactics aimed to cut back on Facebook’s impetus? And most important of all: how will the consumer react to it?
The entrepreneurial spirit takes no break, especially when it’s about finding markets in search of new products. Foreign brands, inaccessible to core Romanians, catch on in our country as aspirational to consumers. Moschino, Back Werk, Gucci, Camaieu, SIX have set up in Romania over the last few months. Also, H&M will open its gates, as will Subway, Lidl and Burberry by the end of the year.
This new wave of brands confirms Maslow’s theory by marketing premises. Were the market an individual, it would seek to satisfy its needs of esteem and self-actualization, as new brands cover 62% of all clothing and accessories. This places the Romanian market in its stage of maturity.
Automatically, the increase in the number of brands will lead to competitiveness. But will brands fight on the ideas‘ or on the media front to attract target consumers? Good ideas vs. increased exposure may be the basic report to have in mind so that no one will feel suffocated.
No one can take from women what is rightfully theirs. And we are talking about pretty high standards, as pointed out by the most recent Gfk Austria study. It turns out that women delightfully consume steady job men (97%), successful men (96%) and intelligent men (93%). Only79% of them are in search of good looks.
Men’s expectations are rather different. 98% of them seek intelligence, affection and loyalty in a woman, while 95% look for attractiveness. Only 84% value successful careers in their partners.
What is there to be drawn out of this?
women consume success, men consume affection and looks
both sexes are fastidious about their partners
“the whole package” is being sought: looks, success, intelligence
Say agency X is briefed by client Y to raise curiosity about product Z. Before teasing and revealing, insight is needed, hence the fun: how do we trigger curiosity into our consumer?
In Romania, curiosity takes the most various of shapes. The most popular is peeking. We like to know what the one next to us is reading, be it on the phone, in books or in magazines. Yes, we do enjoy taking that glance, regardless of the many surprises we may find.
Renault has viagra curiosity and gave it that “va va voom”, that “je ne sais quoi” that easily expresses uncensored joy and attracts attention.
In this side of the world, curiosity hasn’t yet been communicated as elegantly as the French va va voom. Exhibitionism is still to discuss, but peeking and eavesdropping are just as highly regarded here as in other parts of the world.
The most feminine of all months comes upon us with lots of sun, colours and the loveliest of links, to thrill even the most pretentious ladies and young ladies: Advertising, Visual, Arts and Online Goodies.
A few good and very good people experienced in creation, PR, strategy and
project management with whom you can freely communicate here or at
aquarium@friendsadvertising.ro
Bill Gardner from Gardner Design (and Logolounge.com) has been, since 2002, in the habit of each year compiling a report on logo design.
The most feminine of all months comes upon us with lots of sun, colours and the loveliest of links, to thrill even the most pretentious ladies and young ladies: Advertising, Visual, Arts and Online Goodies.
