Cultural Cartography

Celebrating good communication

I have to be honest that Adidas' communication has never stood out to me as being particularly bad or good. I might have missed something. But this week I saw their piece of communication for the 60th anniversary of Adidas Originals and it really worked for me. Now that I have looked into it a bit, I find out that they have been doing House Parties all over the place to celebrate. So it could be that this ad is the culmination of a big long series of parties; it definitely feels like it. It feels fun, and funky and like there was definitely stuff going on off camera, which makes it all the more genuine. I particularly like the fact that Beckham is in it, but hardly. He is not the main focus. He is just there, enjoying it all and looking more relaxed than I have seen him for a while on shots. And isn't that the best way to use a celebrity, not as a speaking testimonial (So you do really use that hair dye, Eva Longoria) but as someone who is part of the brand's world and likes what they do.   There are also other videos, including an invitation to the party and a print ad, which I also like. And above all, to beat the drum again, they are not trying to sell anything. They are just communicating the emotional energy around the brand, and that is what works.

Waterloo

Now that we have survived our move without any major disasters, it is time to get back to work and blogging. As I said, we didn't have any major disasters but I kept on thinking that we would and that this one thing (whatever it was) would be the thing that would finally trip us up. 

I was trying to explain this to a friend and wanted to say to him that I thought something (the stairs to be precise) would be the thing that threw everything into disarray. I realised that what I wanted to say was that I thought the stairs might be our "Waterloo" and then I realised that that saying doesn't exist in German. 

It got me thinking about what it means "to meet your Waterloo" and how apt it often is. I also wonder if it is only us Brits that use that phrase because for such a long time Napoleon was the big bad enemy and we were over the moon with the result of the battle of Waterloo. Germans just say a terrible defeat. 

And finally it made me start wondering what everyone else then thinks that the Abba song means! 

We are moving house in about a week. So I am going to take a conscious break from posting for a while. That's opposed to an break that happens, but where I spend the whole time thinking I should be posting

I am not the only one I know but I love the communication and corporate positioning of the Berlin Stadtreinigung (responsible for all kinds of waste disposal and street cleaning in Berlin). Their colour is orange, a nice bright friendly orange and for several years now they have been running communication which is just simply intelligent and fun. They have of course loads of space to communicate; as well as the classic ATL posters etc, they use all their trucks, their tools, their clothes and even the bins on the streets.

The photo here was taken a while ago and was obviously a tie up for the launch of Wall-E. But it's perfect- a little friendly robot that cleans up the world that has been destroyed by humans and ultimately finds love. It's not only the perfect fit which I find so good but also the wit and style with which these things are done. I didn't take a photo of my absolute fave bin, but someone else did, so follow this link to Flickr to see some more of these classics. Flickr MAEDios' photostream

I have to confess that when I am out and about now, I look out for BSR to see what they have got up to now - in a positive sense. 

Out of the mouths of babes and innocents comes the truth as the old quote goes. I was waiting at the bus stop yesterday when a little girl pointed out a building across the road to her mother and said "So that is new or old then?" The mother answered, "I don't know, dear". The little girl said in reply "Yes, it's a Plattenbau isn't it?", which I think meant in their terms that they weren't sure, is that new or old or just something different. 

Then there was a pause. As the bus turned round the corner, the little girl excitedly turned to her mother "So can we play the game on the bus? New or old Berlin or Plattenbau"

Where do they sit - Prefabs? New or old Berlin: a deeply culturally relevant question. 

Sorry, had a bit of a break there. Work. Being freelance is great but does mean that it's not so easy to predict your working day. 

Interesting developments afoot in the world of Big Tobacco. This article here tells it all. There is pressure on governments to restrict tobacco companies to plain packaging, or to limit their options when it comes to packaging. One thing that the convention taking place in Durban at the moment wants to definitely curb is the use of colours to depict the strength of cigarettes, as it implies semiotically that green for example is healthier than red! 

I find this fascinating, if only because one of the principles that I have upheld in my life as a market researcher and advertising planner is that I won't do work for tobacco. As I said to my mates, nothing more genuinely interesting than trying to find that insight that would really work to sell tobacco again, but not an insight that I want to be found. 

If this comes through, we will finally see the power of the product, as there won't be any packging or brand to speak off. To what extent will a premium cigarette really be recognised as being premium? It's like the Pepsi test gone wild. And it would be great. 

Semiotically of course cigarette companies have been really clever for ages. Any Brit who grew up in the UK in the 80s will remember the Silk Cut ads, which were simply witty and brilliant and ended up not showing the brand at all. 

The other thing that could happen is that the companies have to put more graphic pictures on their packs. Also not a bad thing. The first time I saw this in Canada I almost threw up. It worked for me. 

Bad title for the  post. But I am feeling slightly embarassed. The fact is that I have just been in Tokyo for the first time. I loved the city and the people and the way things are done there, and I really wanted to write something intelligent and highbrow about a culture that has perfected the art of eating, dressing, interacting with one another so that everything is thought of and conscious. However I can't come up with anything that I am sure hasn't been said before. One thing that I didn't know though, is that the Japanese with their ever present knack of spotting when something could be embarassing to someone, have added a soundtrack to their toilets. This means when you are just about to (or think you are about to) produce some horrible noise or revealing sound, you press the little button and it plays the sound of the toilet flushing. The toilet of course does not flush. But you feel better and dare I say safer to release whatever it is you needed to do in peace. I did wonder if the other users of the toilets think "Oh there is someone flushing the loo" or "Oh, there is someone playing the sound of the toilet flushing". But to be honest it doesn't matter. It gets you and everyone around you out of potential embarassment. Oh and yes, the seats are generally warm. 

More from someone who di more research on the matter

PS. I hope to come up with something more erudite about Japan soon. But I am now in Shanghai! 

The house that I saw that had shoes all down the front of it turns out to be a really interesting project, particularly for someone like me interested in the intersection between brands and culture (in this case high culture - art). It is an empty house where different artists have been allowed to install their work in the different flats. And the whole thing is sponsored by a DIY chain, Hornbach, here in Germany. I like that. I think it's quirky and interesting. And above all surprising for a DIY brand,which are generally much less interested in art and more interested in wallpaper. So good on them. I am definitely going to go and have a look. And you should too, if you are in Berlin. Torstrasse 166. Open from 12-22.00 til 12 October. 

Saw this being put up yesterday on the way to see a friend. Proof that Berlin really is the home of modern art at the moment. Even the houses are getting involved. Don't know anything else about it though. Despite having googled "Immer was zu tun" which fittingly means there is always something to do. Which is of course true and particularly in the case of this house.

A very brave friend of mine has flown this week to Haiti to work with an aid organisation for 3 months to help provide medical assistance and distribute aid. I had a quick look through the documents that she was sent to help prepare, in particular the Security Manual. It was a very scary document, especially because up until then, I hadn't really thought about the dangers that go along with the sort of crisis situation which now exists in Haiti. The Manual was a general manual so it tried to cover everything - situations where you are threatened by people and situations where you are threatened in other ways. One of those other situations is minefields!! In minefields the signs and symbols that you see have a very concrete meaning: they are there to warn you and hopefully protect you from injury. 

Some of the symbols that are used are stones painted red, coke bottles on a stick and cairns. Now interestingly I have just come back from hiking in the Lakes (beautiful!) and we saw lots of cairns. In fact up Great Gable it was the cairns that helped us find our way. 

On a minefield the cairns have a very different meaning. Instead of meaning walk here, they mean precisely the opposite: Don't walk here. And sometimes, my friend was told, the signs for minefields aren't even obvious, unless you know they are there. 

It's a very good lesson in the importance of context in semiotics. 

And of course a lesson in altruism for us all.  

Moving games

We are moving house in about a week. So I am going to take a conscious break from posting for a while. That's opposed to an break that happens, but where I spend the whole time thinking I should be posting

Loving the bin men

I am not the only one I know but I love the communication and corporate positioning of the Berlin Stadtreinigung (responsible for all kinds of waste disposal and street cleaning in Berlin). Their colour is orange, a nice bright friendly orange and for several years now they have been running communication which is just simply intelligent and fun. They have of course loads of space to communicate; as well as the classic ATL posters etc, they use all their trucks, their tools, their clothes and even the bins on the streets.

The photo here was taken a while ago and was obviously a tie up for the launch of Wall-E. But it's perfect- a little friendly robot that cleans up the world that has been destroyed by humans and ultimately finds love. It's not only the perfect fit which I find so good but also the wit and style with which these things are done. I didn't take a photo of my absolute fave bin, but someone else did, so follow this link to Flickr to see some more of these classics. Flickr MAEDios' photostream

I have to confess that when I am out and about now, I look out for BSR to see what they have got up to now - in a positive sense. 

New or Old Berlin

Out of the mouths of babes and innocents comes the truth as the old quote goes. I was waiting at the bus stop yesterday when a little girl pointed out a building across the road to her mother and said "So that is new or old then?" The mother answered, "I don't know, dear". The little girl said in reply "Yes, it's a Plattenbau isn't it?", which I think meant in their terms that they weren't sure, is that new or old or just something different. 

Then there was a pause. As the bus turned round the corner, the little girl excitedly turned to her mother "So can we play the game on the bus? New or old Berlin or Plattenbau"

Where do they sit - Prefabs? New or old Berlin: a deeply culturally relevant question. 

It's all about the product

Sorry, had a bit of a break there. Work. Being freelance is great but does mean that it's not so easy to predict your working day. 

Interesting developments afoot in the world of Big Tobacco. This article here tells it all. There is pressure on governments to restrict tobacco companies to plain packaging, or to limit their options when it comes to packaging. One thing that the convention taking place in Durban at the moment wants to definitely curb is the use of colours to depict the strength of cigarettes, as it implies semiotically that green for example is healthier than red! 

I find this fascinating, if only because one of the principles that I have upheld in my life as a market researcher and advertising planner is that I won't do work for tobacco. As I said to my mates, nothing more genuinely interesting than trying to find that insight that would really work to sell tobacco again, but not an insight that I want to be found. 

If this comes through, we will finally see the power of the product, as there won't be any packging or brand to speak off. To what extent will a premium cigarette really be recognised as being premium? It's like the Pepsi test gone wild. And it would be great. 

Semiotically of course cigarette companies have been really clever for ages. Any Brit who grew up in the UK in the 80s will remember the Silk Cut ads, which were simply witty and brilliant and ended up not showing the brand at all. 

The other thing that could happen is that the companies have to put more graphic pictures on their packs. Also not a bad thing. The first time I saw this in Canada I almost threw up. It worked for me. 

Japan a go go

Bad title for the  post. But I am feeling slightly embarassed. The fact is that I have just been in Tokyo for the first time. I loved the city and the people and the way things are done there, and I really wanted to write something intelligent and highbrow about a culture that has perfected the art of eating, dressing, interacting with one another so that everything is thought of and conscious. However I can't come up with anything that I am sure hasn't been said before. One thing that I didn't know though, is that the Japanese with their ever present knack of spotting when something could be embarassing to someone, have added a soundtrack to their toilets. This means when you are just about to (or think you are about to) produce some horrible noise or revealing sound, you press the little button and it plays the sound of the toilet flushing. The toilet of course does not flush. But you feel better and dare I say safer to release whatever it is you needed to do in peace. I did wonder if the other users of the toilets think "Oh there is someone flushing the loo" or "Oh, there is someone playing the sound of the toilet flushing". But to be honest it doesn't matter. It gets you and everyone around you out of potential embarassment. Oh and yes, the seats are generally warm. 

More from someone who di more research on the matter

PS. I hope to come up with something more erudite about Japan soon. But I am now in Shanghai! 

Of course it isn't just art

The house that I saw that had shoes all down the front of it turns out to be a really interesting project, particularly for someone like me interested in the intersection between brands and culture (in this case high culture - art). It is an empty house where different artists have been allowed to install their work in the different flats. And the whole thing is sponsored by a DIY chain, Hornbach, here in Germany. I like that. I think it's quirky and interesting. And above all surprising for a DIY brand,which are generally much less interested in art and more interested in wallpaper. So good on them. I am definitely going to go and have a look. And you should too, if you are in Berlin. Torstrasse 166. Open from 12-22.00 til 12 October. 

"Always something to do"

Saw this being put up yesterday on the way to see a friend. Proof that Berlin really is the home of modern art at the moment. Even the houses are getting involved. Don't know anything else about it though. Despite having googled "Immer was zu tun" which fittingly means there is always something to do. Which is of course true and particularly in the case of this house.

Signs that save lives

A very brave friend of mine has flown this week to Haiti to work with an aid organisation for 3 months to help provide medical assistance and distribute aid. I had a quick look through the documents that she was sent to help prepare, in particular the Security Manual. It was a very scary document, especially because up until then, I hadn't really thought about the dangers that go along with the sort of crisis situation which now exists in Haiti. The Manual was a general manual so it tried to cover everything - situations where you are threatened by people and situations where you are threatened in other ways. One of those other situations is minefields!! In minefields the signs and symbols that you see have a very concrete meaning: they are there to warn you and hopefully protect you from injury. 

Some of the symbols that are used are stones painted red, coke bottles on a stick and cairns. Now interestingly I have just come back from hiking in the Lakes (beautiful!) and we saw lots of cairns. In fact up Great Gable it was the cairns that helped us find our way. 

On a minefield the cairns have a very different meaning. Instead of meaning walk here, they mean precisely the opposite: Don't walk here. And sometimes, my friend was told, the signs for minefields aren't even obvious, unless you know they are there. 

It's a very good lesson in the importance of context in semiotics. 

And of course a lesson in altruism for us all.