UNIT 1

INDEX

p. 2-7 Study Proposal

p. 8-11 Shared Language

p. 12-17 Camden Council

p. 18-19 The Art of Looking Sideways

p. 20-31 Research Report

p. 32-33 Google Spell Check

p. 34-35 Loyalty Cards

p. 36-37 M&S kills it off?

p. 38-39 Halifax messes up

p. 40-41 Wrap Rage or why Larry David should work in branding

Head proectors at the protests in Egypt 2011Images: Getty via Reddit.com

2 3

Study ProposalMACD 1

Project Area

Communication and design strategies that enable a company, service or product to create a user journey that creates a positive emotion towards the particular company, service or product.Self named brand business Wolff Olins way of working is: strategy, innovation and transformation creating communication (Wollf Olins, 2010)

Starting with research to identify a problem and area of improvement (‘Keep the Change’ account service for Bank of America, IDEO, 2006) based upon customer interviews and observation.

In identifying the problems and needs of customers, solutions can then be devised to solve and improve the situation. Finding a way to create a positive user journey and creating positive emotions towards the brand. Innovative ways pave the way for transformation of the organisation.

Project Summary

My project is looking at user journeys and emotions towards a certain company, service or product (the brand). Defining a user or customers journey as the first time he comes into contact, or has the intention of using or purchasing a product or service. (Moggridge, B., 2006)

In regards to creating a customers journey, Paul Hugh-Jones as quoted by Kornberger (2010, p. 121 Brand Society) says ‘...the objective is to make interactions memorable.’ I am looking at what it takes to make these interactions memorable.

As also mentioned by Paul Hugh-Jones (Kornberger, 2010) the key to achieving a positive memory of the interaction is to be an easy and pleasant business partner. For me this means looking at ways to enhance the user experience not only by design of the product or communication material, but also a strategy of how the company interacts with its customers or clients (Olins, 2003, 2008)

See IDEO case study p. 22

See Resarch Report p. 29

UNIT 1

Core Question

The central question is how to create a positive user or customer journey in relation to a certain company, service or product (the brand).

Resulting out of the basic core question several other questions may emerge:

• How is a user’s journey and his emotion shaped within the frame of his interaction with the company, service or product.

• What are the factors that make the interaction a positive one.

• Is a positive emotion towards a company, service or product always coupled with a good product or service. • How important is a good business strategy in terms of customer interaction.

• How much of the customer’s opinion is shaped by factors that don’t relate directly to the product or services’ performance i.e. advertising.

Personal Objectives

Having grown up in two cultures and having been exposed to a third during my secondary education, I have always enjoyed being in a new environment. It always takes time observing and understanding in order to integrate into a new society and culture.

I believe that this ability is also key to successful communication design, as also outlined in the project rationale as well as the project subject area. Being comfortable in three cultures enables me to see certain things from a different standpoint, which is often key in creating change.

I want to be able to understand, create and innovate in the same terms as the practitioners at IDEO, Wolff Olins and Michael Wolff & Company.

4 5

Project Rationale

Drawing both from IDEO (IDEO, 2011 Our approach: Design Thinking) and Wolff Olins (Wolff Olins, 2010 About us) the approach to defining a brand, has gone beyond mere packaging of a product, service or technology.

Looking at the human factors first, i.e. cultural, societal and desirables of the people that will be using the product or service.Taking this approach into consideration has created successful campaigns and business approaches (Michael Wolff, Pyjom) that have not only fitted the companies and services with an appropriate design, but also redesigned the way the companies do business by responding to the customers needs. Being able to respond to customer or user needs requires an understanding of the audience on which sort of emotional and behavioural levels they operate (Norman, D. A., 2005).

I believe that this approach, which can be applied to commercial and non-commercial briefs alike (Olins, 2008) is the

way to create a positive user journey by innovating business strategies and creating good customer or user relations. I am of the opinion that the ability and willingness of a company to adapt and listen to what the customers desire is key to creating a successful business (Neumeier, 2003)

Companies that have failed to adapt to the changing needs and desires of their users and customers have often not survived or are faltering; the decline of Myspace against the rise of Facebook being one example (Financial Times, 2009).

Project Audience

The audience of this project and research are companies who want to create a better experience for their users or customers. The aim is to understand how a successful user journey and brand is created. This knowledge will enable companies and brands to tailor themselves to what the customer or user really needs.

Study ProposalMACD 1

See Resarch Report p. 22-23

UNIT 1

Proposed Approaches

I will start my project based upon cultural studies, which I consider key to the creation of a successful product, service or brand.

I have approached Michael Wolff with the aim to secure project guidance from him. I am going to start this project with research, starting with the research report that we will be handing in.

I want to speak to other practitioners in the field and collect their observations and opinions. Once I come across an opinion or piece of information I will interrupt my research and conduct a project around it.

Health and Safety concerns would be addressed by the workshop inductions. I will obtain clearance of any copyright needed if it hasn’t been cleared via the CC (Creative Commons) licence beforehand.

Possible Outcomes

At this moment I would predict the outcome to be a collection of small essays and observations of brands, design and business innovation such as those mentioned by Erik Spiekermann in his TEDx talk (Berlin, 2009). Included in the project would be case studies of projects that have innovated certain businesses through ‘design thinking’.

I also expect to design responses, or conduct 1 hour or 1 day projects to respond to a discovery or interesting point I have found.

See IDEO case study on p. 22

6 7

Bibliography

Print

Blom, P., 2010. A Wicked Company: The forgotten Radicalism of European Enlightenment, Basic Books, New York.

Brown, T., Kätz, B., 2009. Change By Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. New York, Harper Business.

Gobé, M., 2001. Emotional Branding, The new Paradigm for connecting Brands to People. New York, Allworth Press.

Klein, N., 2000. No Logo. London, Flamingo.

Kornberger, M., 2010. Brand Society: How Brands Transform. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Kries, M., 2010. Total Design: Die Inflation moderner Gestaltung. Berlin, Nicolai Verlag.

La Rochefoucauld, F., 1969. Les Maximes De La Rochefoucauld 3rd ed. Heidelberg, Lambert Schneider.

Moggridge, B., 2006. Designing Interactions. Cambridge, Mass., The MIT Press.

Neumeier, M. 2003. The Brand Gap, How to Bridge the Distance between Business Strategy and Design. Pearson Education, Indianapolis.

Norman, D. A., 2005. Emotional Design, Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Basic Books, New York.

Olins, W., 2008. Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook. Thames and Hudson, London.

Olins, W., 2003. On Brand. Thames and Hudson, London.

Papanek, V. 1985. Design for the Real World. Human Ecology and Social Change. Thames and Hudson, London.

Print Periodicals

Knight, R., 2010. Schools learn from the world of design. Financial Times, 13 September.

Text Web

IDEO, 2011. Our approach: Design Thinking. Available at: http://www.ideo.com/about/ Accessed at 30 January 2011.

Study ProposalMACD 1

UNIT 1Study ProposalMACD 1

Wolff Olins, 2010. About us. Available at: http://www.wolffolins.com/about.php Accessed at 27 January 2011. Web Periodicals

Design Week, November 2009. Michael Wolff leads rebrand of Russian bank. Available at: http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/News/Articles/3d15647f292041cbaf729e61b89c3b3a/Michael-Wolff-leads-rebrand-of-Russian-bank.html Accessed at 28 January 2011.

Economist, February 2011. The printed world. Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/18114221 Accessed at 18 February 2011.

The Guardian, January 2011. Starbucks joins Nike and Apple in the big league of no-name logos. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/09/starbucks-new-logo-no-name Accessed at 27 January 2011.

Financial Times, November 2009. M&S to expand brands sales in grocery wars. Available at: www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96a146be-c8a6-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.html Accessed at 27 January 2011.

Financial Times, December 2009. The rise and fall of Myspace. Available at: www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fd9ffd9c-dee5-11de-adff-00144feab49a.html Accessed at 30 January 2011.

Video Web

Brown, T., Tim Brown urges designers to think. [Video] July 2009, February 2009, TED: Ideas worth Spreading, Oxford. Available at: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/engtim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big.html Accessed at 30 January 2011.

Spiekermann, E., Redesigning Design. [Video] November 2009, TEDxBerlin. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAljDx_lSQ4 Accessed at 26 January 2011. Wolff, M., Olins, W., Wolff and Olins-The reunion. [Video] October 2009, Kyoorius Designyatra, Mumbai. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/user/CreativeReviewTV Accessed at 27 January 2011.

Film

The Century of the Self, 2002. Adam Curtis, BBC, London.

8 98

UNIT 1Shared LanguageInteractive dictionary app

9

10 11

Shared LanguageInteractive dictionary app

An app that lets you edit, share and download pronunciation guides all on your mobile device. This software combines all the elements of a classic dictionary app with interactive elements that link in with existing social media networks.

Explore other user profiles

Word of the day

User guide

Invite a friend

View profile

Social media plug-ins;connect your dictionary with your account. No need for any extra set-up

Search function

Clearly structured home page

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

UNIT 1

Edit, download pronounciation and

share function

The search function is a constant element in the design

1

Word and pronuounciation

2

3

A user may chose to make his profile availble to others

4

12 13

Camden Council - Live BriefUrban Gym

12

memegenerator.net/Y-U-N0

UNIT 1

13

14 15

Camden Cycling - Live Brief Bike Buddy Scheme

Camden is a borough with a high discrepancy in life expectancy with increasing strain on the Camden NHS. Cycling is seen as one way to increase health and ease congestion.

Studies have shown that after only a 10 minute bikeride 93% of non cyclists have cycled again

Using the existing infrastructure of the Barclays Hire Bikes we pro-pose to get people to experience what it is actually like to cycle. This way one can quickly break down negative perceptions. A short ten minute ride somewhere quiet and safe is all it takes for people to change their attitude towards cycling in the city.

Our proposal

Every first Sunday of the month volunteers will be positioned at the four Barclays Hire Stands located in Regent‘s Park. They will offer passers-by a free ride for 10 minutes or to the next Barclays Hire Stand. The pedes-trians will be accompanied by a volunteer in order to give them all the necessary information and to make them feel safe.

CTC Challenge for Change (2008) Swindon Workplace Cycle Challenge.

UNIT 1

93% of participants cycled again after a 10 a min ride.

7% of participants did not cycle again after a 10 min ride.

16 17

Camden Cycling Web strategy

Another strategy to increase the number of cyclists in Camden is to make the Camden Council website easier to navigate and to place sports related content on the home screen. This will increase the usability which in turn increases the click rate. Only users who are aware of the possibilties of cycling and the related services will be able to use them.

The sitemap before and after restructuring of content to have more access points to cycling.

UNIT 1

Home

Transport and Streets Leisure

Cycle Information

Green Transport

Transport and Streets Leisure Get Active

Gyms Get Active

Green Transport

Cycle Information | Maps | Safety | TfL Bikes | Training

Maps | Safety | TfL Bikes | Training

Home

Increasing the sports related content on the home screen raises awareness of the services offered.

18 19

How to make people behave as if there were no antibiotics?*

The Art of Looking SidewaysEvolution

What if there were no modern medicine? Would humans take better care of themselves if there weren’t any cures of common ailments that are currently beaten by simple oral administration.

RESISTANT STRANDS OF BACTERIA.AN EVOLUTION OF CARELESSNESS IN HEALTH AND HYGIENE.

UNIT 1

125m

gA

ntib

iotic

This medicine may harm your child.Don’t overuse antibiotics.

20 21

Research ReportMACD 1

This review is looking at literature about branding, customer interaction and user journeys as well the necessity of combining brand and business strategy and the ways to achieve this.

Brands as we know them came to life after manufacturers in the late 19th century, such as soap manufacturer W. H. Lever in England, spent time and money making their products have uniform quality. Putting an identifying mark on their produce meant that the consumer, who previously had a good experience with the product knew which bar of soap to choose the next time (Olins, 2003).

Today the brand experience is shaped by the way the brands communicate and interact with its customers or users every step of the journey, the commu-nication no longer follows a one way model (Olins, 2008). Since the rise of the internet the way companies speak to their customers has changed. Customers or users can now speak to the companies directly for everyone to see.

Ignoring a letter is easily possible, ignoring a critical blog post less so (Olins, 2003, p.66; 2008 p.40-41). This means companies need to engage in a dialogue (Gobé, 2001) with their customers and react to what they are saying (Neumeier, 2003) Neumeier suggests that brands become living organisms that are able adapt and change to satisfy the customers needs, and argues that good branding includes a good business strategy.

Branding as it is viewed by Neumeier (2003) and Olins (2003; 2008) follows the rationale that the outward personality of the brand needs to stem from the core beliefs the company stands for. The interaction between customer and brand needs to be cohesive, in every stage of the interaction the brand needs to convey who it says it is (Olins, 2008). Early adaptors of this model of cooperate communication have been Shell, London Transport in the 1920’S. who thought that ‘good design meant good business’ (E.W Decalour, Shell advertising manager, 1926) and AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts Werke) as a early as

A brand is simply an organization, or a product, or service with a personality. Wally Olins, 2008

See diagram on next page and IDEO case study on p. 22

UNIT 1

1907 (Olins, 2003). However, it wasn’t until the 1970’s and 1980’s when this mode of thought became widely popular, examples being Nike and Body Shop (Olins 2003, 2008).

To achieve this cohesive model of communication and business strategy the review looks at literature that deals with the emotional and contextual nature of a user or customer journey as well as methods that have been put forward to create a successful user or customer experience (Brown, Kätz, 2009; Norman 2005).

The review does not include literature on how to best graphically design a product, brand or user journey. The literature selected has been chosen because of the comprehensive explanations of the topic at hand and the relevance of the texts in the industry at present.

Branding relies on interaction design and the creation of user journeys. These tasks have continually gained recognition since Viktor Papanek (1984) who has laid many of theprincipal ideas that todays

leading practitioners (Brown, Kätz, Kornberger; Moggridge; Norman; Olins) draw upon. Describing the necessary appropriateness and relevance of culture in design and the need for design that goes beyond pure appearance (Papanek, 1984, p7., p.18-19). Applying this to branding means that if a company wants to be successful it needs to start from the inside and not be a ‘...stylistic veneer but a pattern of behavior that grows out of character.’ (Neumeier 2003, p.136)

Good design and branding draws upon a process (Neumeier, 2003) which will determine the end result. The end result, also by process, is an evolving one. Evolution of a product or service should occur when new insights are given that may improve it (Norman, 2005).

Quoting from Emotional Design, Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, 2005, p.225

The best kind of design isn’t necessarily an object, a space or a structure, it’s a process – dynamic and adaptable.

22 23

k k

Research ReportMACD 1

Old communication model, after Neumeier, 2003

UNIT 1

New communication model, after Neumeier, 2003

24 25

One of the main aspects of the designing interaction (also referred to as user journey) process which has emerged is being able to understand what the customer wants or needs (Drawing from Papanek: Moggridge, B., 2006; Brown, T. Kätz, B., 2009).

In order create a successful user journey, innovative product or service research is needed (Case Study, ‘Keep the Change’ Account Service, IDEO 2006)The research described by Brown and Kätz (2009) dictates a very hands on approach. Research is not limited to theoretical work. User testing and more importantly user observation as mentioned by Norman (2005) and Neumeier (2003) is not always carried out by the companies who are already seeking to launch the next product or service. When designing the extreme users are observed, i.e. users from both ends of the scale. The complete novice and the expert both have tales to tell (Brown, Kätz, 2009). The novice about first hand usability problems and the extreme user about product improvements he has made or can suggest. This

sort of observation would help to ‘understand the unmet and unarticulated needs of the users’ (La Zar Bell, H. quoted by Norman, 2005 p.74) and improve the design for the users or customers on either side of the spectrum. The rise of rapid prototyping has also enabled designers to test and observe a product in use before it goes to market (Economist, 2011) and minimising the risk of failure by being able to adapt the product during the design process, not after (Neumeier, 2003).

Norman (2005) suggests that all design and interaction has three aspects the user or customer would react to.

Firstly, the visceral aspect; prewired response that we have no control over. For example a negative reaction to a bad smell or a positive reaction to an ‘attractive’ person.Quoting from Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook, 2008, p.34

In our minds, a pepper bought at a farmers’ market tastes better than the same one sold in a shrink wrap at the 7-Eleven on the corner.

Research ReportMACD 1

UNIT 1

Facing the challenge of enticing people into opening new accounts, Bank of America came to IDEO in search of ethnography-based innovation opportunities. To better understand the desired market -- boomer-age women with kids -- IDEO traveled with members of Bank of America’s innovation team across the United States, conducting observations in Atlanta, Baltimore, and San Francisco. They discovered that many people in both the target audience and the general public would often round up their financial trans-actions for speed and convenience. In addition, the team found that many moms had difficulty saving what money they had, whether due to a lack of resources or willpower.After bringing these observations into a series of brainstorming sessions, the team arrived at a solution that uses the habits existing on one hand to resolve the problems persisting on the other. Ultimately dubbed “Keep the Change,” the service rounds up purchases made with a Bank of America Visa debit card to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference from individuals’ checking accounts into their savings accounts. The convenience and ease of rounding up now helps members save money over the long run.After Bank of America’s extensive testing, refinement, and validation of prototypes, Keep the Change launched in October 2005. Inless than one year, it attracted 2.5 million customers, translating into more than 700,000 new checking accounts and one million newsavings accounts for Bank of America.

26 27

Research ReportMACD 1

Secondly the behavioral aspect; we judge the pleasure and effectiveness of the product or service.

Thirdly comes the reflective aspect; the user or customer will reflect on the self image he receives when using a certain product or service. For example when buying a four wheel Jeep even though he lives in suburbia, and never drives in rugged terrain. Personal satisfaction and the memories that become linked to the object or service will also create emotions that don’t always have to sit in line with the visceral aspect (Norman, 2005 p. 45-46).

Norman also states that when customers or users are not appealed on the visceral aspect of a product or service, they suffer from distress (referring to the negative impact of stress. In relation to eustress, stress that has a positive effect, Wikipedia, 2011.) and aren’t able to deal with difficult or slightly awkward functions of a product or service.

He refers to an article published in the New York Times:

In reviewing BMW’s MINI Cooper car, the New York Times observed: ‘Whatever one may think of the MINI Cooper’s dynamic attributes, which range from very good to marginal, it is fair to say that almost no more vehicle has produced more smiles.’ The car is so much fun to look at and drive that the reviewer suggests you overlook its faults.

Norman is arguing that if the user is pleased on the visceral level, he will be relaxed and happy and therefore more able to deal with potential flaws in the product. The user will rate happiness above functionality to a certain degree. On the same product, Olins observes that this car is ‘personality-driven’ within a brand that is foremost ‘product-dominated’ (Olins, 2008, p.32-33) rather than creating the product predominantly via the reflective aspect as mentioned by Norman (2005) the first goal is to create a great car.

Understanding the way humans work and including what has been called the ‘human factor’ by Papanek (1984), is the key to a successful user journey.

UNIT 1

Mini Cooper at southeast.inetgiant.co.uk

28 29

Paul Hugh-Jones (as quoted by Kornberger, 2010 p. 121) former British Airways marketing consultant now employed at leading Australian law practice Mallesons says:

It is the same with British Airways or Mallesons: the objective is to make interactions memorable. How to create brand experience? Well, first of all, get the basics right; there is no point in designing a brand experience if the plane is late. The same is true of the legal profession: we analysed all the touch points that our clients have have with us. We found that the key value is ‘being easy to do business with’. So everything we do is aimed at being easy to do business with.

Focussing on the ‘being easy to do business with’ aspect which as argued is integral to creating a good brand; the key point to take away is to build value not solely based on the visceral aspect of design. Yes, it would help the product, but only if the behavioural and rational aspect of the design are satisfied to a certain degree. If the fundamental requirement of understanding the needs of the

user are ignored, failure is likely (Brown, Kätz 2009; Kornberger, 2010; Papanek, 1984). Good branding is also good interaction design, user journey creation and understanding of the human factor (Papanek 1984; Brown, Kätz ,2009). If the basis of the product or service are good, then pleasing of visceral needs of the user can be very significant in the success of a product (Noam Tractinsky’s study on ATMs, Norman, 2005 p.17) and must be taken in to account.

Myspace on the other hand, had strong brand recognition, many people who were familiar with the internet had at least heard of it. However membership has been plummeting since the rise of Facebook. This fall has been attributed to the purchase of Myspace by Rupert Murdoch’s Newscorp and the resulting sluggishness in implementing innovative new features that were needed to keep up with Facebook’s rising popularity. The Newscorp structure was unable to react quickly enough for the needs of the fast paced user (Financial Times, December 2009).

Research ReportMACD 1

UNIT 1

Facebook has 500 million members of which 50% sign in daily. In comparison Myspace has 122 million active members who spend on average 2 hours a month on the site (That Agency, 2010).Good branding hence also relies upon being able to understand and adapt to the changing requirements of the user or customer. Having an effective process on hand to deal with such needs as a business strategy that encourages the implementation of innovative functions will enable a company to keep its client base (Neumeier, 2003).

The literature reviewed has explained that good design is a process based upon research and understanding of the target audiences’ needs (Brown, Kätz, 2009; Norman, 2005). Understanding the human in the customer or user is key to creating a good product or service. This should extend to branding as well, good branding is a good business strategy with the customers or users needs at it’s core. The leading brand practitioners (Kornberger 2010; Olins 2003, 2008; Neumeier 2003) written about in this

review understand that branding is a process that relies upon more than just a smooth design, the motto should be after Michel de Montaigne (17th century), that ‘actions speak louder than words’

‘You see, Jeeves, actions do speak louder than words’.

mem

gena

rato

r.net

/phi

loso

rapt

or

30 31

Research ReportMACD 1

Bibliography

Print

Brown, T., Kätz, B., 2009. Change By Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. New York, Harper Business.

Gobé, M., 2001. Emotional Branding, The new Paradigm for connecting Brands to People. New York, Allworth Press.

Kornberger, M., 2010. Brand Society: How Brands Transform. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Moggridge, B., 2006. Designing Interactions. Cambridge, Mass., The MIT Press.

Neumeier, M. 2003. The Brand Gap, How to Bridge the Distance between Business Strategy and Design. A Whiteboard Overview by Marty Neumeier. Pearson Education, Indianapolis.

Norman, D. A., 2005. Emotional Design, Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Basic Books, New York.

Olins, W., 2008. Wally Olins: The Brand Handbook. Thames and Hudson, London.

Olins, W., 2003. On Brand. Thames and Hudson, London.

Papanek, V. 1985. Design for the Real World. Human Ecology and Social Change. Thames and Hudson, London.

Financial Times, December 2009. The rise and fall of Myspace. Available at: www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fd9ffd9c-dee5-11de-adff-00144feab49a.html Accessed at 30 January 2011.

Text Web

Economist, February 2011. The printed world. Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/18114221 Accessed at 18 February 2011.

IDEO 2006, ‘Keep the Change’ Account Service for Bank of America. Available at:http://www.ideo.com/work/keep-the-change-account-service-for-bofaAccessed at 25 February 2011.

UNIT 1

That Blog, The Official Blog of THAT Agency, August 2010. 2010 Social Media Statistics. Available at: http://www.thatagency.com/design-studio-blog/2010/08/2010-social-media-statistics/ Accessed at 6 February 2011.

Wikipedia, February 2011. Stressor. Available at: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stressor Accessed at 18 February 2011.

‘Why did we design these to have individually controlled sides?!!!’damontoo at reddit.com

32 33

Writing an essay, I am unsure about the spelling of a certain word. I could run the spell check, but it often won’t recognise words and is slow. It’s quicker to toggle to the Google search bar in my browser.

1

I head over to the Google toolbar in my browser and start typ-ing the word. Immediatley Google comes up with the correct spelling. I can also do further reading on Wikipedia. I select the correct spelling and copy & paste it into my document.

2

Self InitiatedGoogle Spellcheck

UNIT 1

Integrating the function in to my text editing software, enables me to spell chack quickly and do further research without leaving the interface of the software.

3

4 From: bizdev@google.comDate: 7 February 2011 14:25:39 GMTTo: anishapeplinski@gmail.comSubject: Re: [#761785388] BizDev Contact Form

Thank you for your note. While we are not able to personally respond toall proposals, please be assured that we review every email we receive. Ifyour proposal matches our current business and technology developmentneeds, a Google representative will be in touch with you shortly. If youremail is not related to business development, we encourage you to submityour message through the online contact form athttp://www.google.com/support/

We appreciate your interest in Google, and thank you for taking the timeto write.

Regards,The Google Team

34 35

Self InitiatedLoyalty Card App

Store and Loyalty cards have become so frequent that it’s sometimes impossible to carry all of them in a wallet. A solution to the problem of not having the right card handy is the iWallett App. Loyalty card Apps are availble already, however there isn’t one that is aimed at the UK market yet. This app lets the user chose or input his card data and present it to the cashier upon paying. New offers and deals can also be sent to the app whilst the shopper is in store. The shopper and the store have to gain from this app. The shopper won’t lose points and offers and the store gains the coveted information about customer habits.

Other feature include:

• Link to store homepage and customer services

• Store locator

• Price comparison feature

• UK based consumer rights advice

US based loyalty card app

US based loyalty card app

UNIT 1

36 37

ObservationM&S

Are M&S selling out their brand?

I noticed recently that Marks and Spencer has started selling house hold name products. You can now find your Heinz Baked Beans next to your M&S tinned tomatoes, or Coco Pops next to the Crunchy Almond Muesli. It makes for a funny picture as the company starts to take on Waitrose.

Suddenly, the careful colour scheme, uniform typography and product hierarchy is broken up by the loud design of the foreign brands. The rationale is clear, who hasn’t done their last minute shop at an M&S Simply Food and bemoaned the fact that they didn’t sell your preferred brand of baked beans or cereal.

This change in strategy is clearly for the benefit of the last minute shopper who desires his or her favourite brand. Non the less it takes away the distinct Marks and Spencer feel when you step in to a store. The pleasant colour scheme and the uniformity of the products makes it, amongst other things, an easier shop than at many large supermarket where every product is fighting for your attention.

At M&S you don’t have a choice but the ‘guarantee’ of good products. This lack of choice incidentally has been on of the USPs of M&S and the choice consumers made.

The question is whether the brand erosion that has taken place will harm M&S’ bottom line by having become too regular or whether it will lure in more customers who need to purchase Coco Pops for their fussy eaters.

October, 2010

Update: M&S has now indicated that it will slash the amount of branded goods from 400 to 100.

November, 2010

UNIT 1

38 39

From: Scaramanga Silk (Comms) [mailto:comms@scaramangasi.lk] Sent: 23 February 2011 15:07To: $careersSubject: Halifax job vacancy

Dear Halifax (c/o Lloyds Banking Group),

I am writing to you as I would like a job at Halifax FM (as seen on TV).

My experience in radio DJ’ing is extensive and I feel that I can increase your listenership as I already have a loyal following.

I have also noticed that you currently employ two staff for each radio show. One member of staff ap-pears to be the producer as they control the faders on the mixing desk whilst the other member of staff is the DJ as they speak / sing into the microphone. It is of great surprise to me that you are using such an out of date set-up. I can bring my equipment to your studios. It is state of the art and contains a limiter on the microphone channel. This means that when I speak, the music automatically dips in vol-ume so there would be no need for two members of staff for each radio show. This would make your business more cost efficient and effective.

If there are no vacancies, I have an old mixing desk that has the limiter function on the microphone that I would be willing to sell you for a reasonable price.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, John (a.k.a Scaramanga Silk)

ObservationHalifax

A humorous e-mail to Halifax regarding their recent advert which shows Halifax employees running a radio station. The reply from Halifax was euqally as amusing and on point. It showed genuine understanding of the situation and replied in an appropriate manner. Using humour in advertising campaigns has proven very successful (Compare the Meerkat, for example).

However, the employee who sent the reply got sacked. Halifax has thus managed to turn a corporate communication which made people (many of whom despise the original advert) smile and think better of the brand in to negative publicityfor the organisation.

NB: All source material has been made available to me.

Still from Halifax Radio advertdailyshame.co.ukView at: http://youtu.be/HVIMMmqwe6Q

UNIT 1

From: careers@lloydsbanking.comTo: comms@scaramangasi.lkSent: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 9:41 amSubject: RE: Halifax job vacancy

Hello DJ Silk, Thank you for offering to improve the set-up used by our Halifax FM DJs. We have been considering use of the ‘ducking’ method to reduce the music volume whilst the microphone is in use. However, our analysts have suggested that this would reduce opportunities for two-person horseplay and banter. At Halifax we naturally value cost-efficiency in staffing, but we would also like people to want to party with us. A big part of cultivating this image is the visual spectacle of the wacky, over-staffed radio shows. Please also bear in mind that our radio staff are actually branch staff on a musical second-ment. We are aware of your standing as a renowned DJ and whilst we are unable to offer you a vacancy at this time, a positive, upbeat song about our bank posted on a web site such as YouTube would be greatly appreciated. Ideally the track would be hip and groovy, ‘down with the kids’, if you will, but it would also mention our competitive products and services repeatedly. Something along the lines of ‘ISA, ISA Baby’, but not that. Thank you very much for your interest in the Halifax / Lloyds Banking Group. We wish you every suc-cess in your career and hope that you continue to enjoy our radio station. Please find attached an autographed picture of Howard. I know this isn’t why you contacted us, but he insisted. Kind regards, Lloyds Banking Group Careers Email Address: careers@lloydsbanking.comWebsite: www.lloydsbankinggroup-careers.com

40 41

ObservationAmazon

Wrap Rage

I purchased a book the other day via Amazon. When it was delivered I opened the delivery quickly to marvel at my new book. I disposed of the carton it came in. After a few minutes I backtracked and fished the cardboard packaging out of the recycling bin. I realised that the packaging was so good that I didn’t think about it. It was easy to open and easy to discard. It wasn’t the most beautiful packaging I had ever seen, but it was appropriate for the moment. Amazon had clearly thought about this aspect of a users journey, they even ask you to rate the packaging on its website.

Too many companies wrap their produce in difficult to open and dispose of packaging. Observe Larry David in Curb your Enthusiasm trying to open up a blister pack. This exaggerated account of a users journey displays how the joy of a new purchase or gift can be ruined by bad packaging. Packaging companies need to address the situation their consumers are clearly aware of.

January, 2011

C.Chong

UNIT 1

Curb your Enthusiasm, HBO 2008

42