Fall in to the trap.

Gap recently unveiled their new logo on the company's website.

Bad news travels fast and let's just say the new identity has not been well received. Not just by the design community, but more importantly by loyal Gap shoppers.

Viral feedback is the straw that stirs the marketing drink these days. One negative comment can quickly become 700 and suddenly your facebook page turns in to one huge focus group room. Minus the bad deli-tray.

All the negative uproar has gotten the attention of Marka Hansen, President of Gap North America. Read her response here regarding her company's fashion faux pas.

"We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas."
- Marka Hansen, via Gap's facebook page

Excuse me, I'd like to see the manager please. Is this really the ideal way of developing an intelligent, strategic identity for a global brand? It insults professional designers everywhere. The same reason buying a guitar doesn't make you a musician, is the same reason buying photoshop doesn't make you a designer. Use a reputable agency for a logo of this magnitude. Not the dude that lives 2 doors down from me.

That's not to say amateurs can't leave a lasting footprint. Arguably the most recognizable trademark in the world, Nike, was designed by a student. But more and more global companies are putting their advertising and marketing in to the hands of consumers. Reaching out to connect with them on a more personal level is one thing. Asking them to photograph your pizzas, shoot your commercial and design your logo is another.

Could this new Gap logo turn out to be a hoax? Just some sneaky way of generating buzz about their brand? It's possible. But it's also possible for someone to design a bad logo. Time will tell.

For now Gap is just shopping this logo around. We tried it on and it just doesn't fit. Now it's time to return it.

Original thinking in risk-averse times

Saw this quote from Esque Studio describing their mental approach to their latest glass-blown art endeavor:

"It was also important to take such a bold step, that people would not be willing to imitate what we did."

So think about that. Be bold, so no one dare imitate you. When you're carving out your brand territory, be conscious of the competitive landscape. Could others follow you easily? Could they make the same claims? Even surpass you without much effort? If yes, then consider a path over more rugged terrain.

Of course, your trailblazing must be in lockstep with your target audience's needs and wants. After all, what good is leapfrogging the competition if you're going over customers' heads.

But just because your branding and product presentation logically follows the research, that doesn't mean you can't surprise and delight people with an imaginative and perhaps unconventional take on their needs and wants.

It's a much more savvy way to show that you 'get' them rather than merely regurgitating the demographics data - data that your competition is likely using as well.

We’ll leave the ambient lighting on for ya.

Watch out Ace, James and W. Motel 6 is coming for you. Well, maybe not exactly. But if you never thought “European and stylish” would describe the low-budget hotel chain with questionable taste, think again.

Starting with a few prototype locations (they’re calling the Phoenix project), the company is currently undergoing a major facelift lead by the London design firm Priestmangoode. Bright accent colors, platform beds, granite countertops, 32-inch flat-screen tvs and wood (effect) floors freshen the look, while multifunctional furniture pieces and modular storage optimize the room’s space….all this, still for $39.99.

“This design embodies the heart of Motel 6 – it’s no-frills, uncomplicated and efficient with a new modern edge,” said Jim Amorosia, president and COO of Motel 6 and Studio 6. “The Phoenix prototype offers the best of both worlds – an upscale feel at the lowest price of any national chain. True to the spirit of Motel 6, the new design is simple, functional and straight to the point.“

While the interiors will be updated in the next few months, so too will the exteriors, lead by the firm BOKA Powell. Motel 6 plans for about 120 properties to have the new Phoenix look by the end of 2010.

And competitors Super 8 and Red Roof Inn are beginning to renovate their properties similarly, all aiming for the budget traveler with design as the weapon of choice.

Redecorating may be a big task, but overcoming their brand perception might be the hardest challenge. Will the current customer base feel comfortable staying in a room resembling an IKEA or BoConcept showroom? Will prospective style-conscious patrons be able to overcome their Motel 6 fears?

And where does Tom Bodett fit into all this? Or does he prefer “Tomas” now?

Say goodbye to the ol' gas guzzler, Russ.

Bummer, Hummer. Apparently, you were the one thing in this recession that wasn't too big to fail. With the falling through of a deal with Chinese heavy machine maker Sichuan Tengzhong, GM has decided to cut its losses and shut down the brand altogether.

Hummer was a Brand with a capital B - unique in that it had a tiny niche in the marketplace, but whose name and personality pervaded throughout the entire consumer conscience. Whether you loved it or hated it, you have to recognize that the Hummer brand was larger than life. While it was alive anyway.

Nestle didn't phone this one in

Congratulations to Nestle for taking one of its most important consumer touchpoints and actually making it entertaining for the consumer by creatively crafting their new 800 hotline. Usually, this number is only used by moms with a dire chocolate emergency, but thanks to some Quick thinking, Nestle has cleverly turned it into a source of amusement that, with the help of Facebook and Twitter, people are finding and embracing.

It's sort of like the notion that it's best to meet your neighbors early on when things are good, rather than wait until their dog/children/music/hygiene has become a nuisance.

Here's the Facebook post:

Call the Nestle Crunch Hotline at 1-800-295-0051. When you are asked if you
want to continue in English or Spanish, WAIT QUIETLY for about 7 seconds and
you will smile. Promise! Keep going and press 4. Listen to the
options...then press 7.

We won't give away the gag, but it is worthwhile. And a good reminder of how social media can magnify even the smallest thing a brand can do.

Image up your retail

No project goes without love at HRW. Not even those freebie-coupon ads you get in the mail each month. And in a Great Recession, it's even more important to lay out price points with pride and making sure the brand is alive and well in every medium. After all, if it's intended to be seen, it may as well be entertaining. Hear that, air duct-cleaning service place?

Die Hard or Diff'rent Strokes? HRW debates headline for Sears Tower name change

The beacon of the City with Broad Shoulders is about to undergo a major change.

London-based insurance company, Willis Group Holdings, will be the new tenant in Chicago's iconic Sears Tower. Check that: Willis Tower. Yes, for a skosh over $2 million USD, Willis Group will move its area offices into 140,000+ square feet of the skyscraper that will also bear its name. The naming rights were part of the deal negotiated for the space.

The name change may seem a little upsetting (and confusing for those of you riding in that taxi) until you realize that the Sears Tower was named after a company itself, a company that hasn't occupied the building in 17 years. So let's bow our heads in a moment of reverence and then hold our heads up high to the fact that this deal will help offset the loss of Ernst & Young when it moves out this summer. Still, are you going to call it the Willis Tower?

So we indulged in some free word association to commemorate the event, but before we could complete Gary Coleman's catchphrase, we saw that although clever, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis Tower?" will be remembered as the most obvious pun of 2009.

We're just happy it's not a promotional stunt for Die Hard 5.

G gets F

atorade - from here on out referred by its new moniker, G - is confusing us.


Let's start with the initial campaign, "What is G?" It scrolls through on-camera appearances of every big name in sports past and present with a V/O that sounds like he's reading from the agency brief: "G is golden, G is glamorous, G is gritty...." It plays through to the point that you think it's a spoof. Like the next guy coming will be making S'mores (G is for graham crackers) or sporting a jogging suit and a gun (G is for Gandolfini).

And then there's the commercial with John Wooden who looks like either A)he doesn't know where he is, B)he doesn't know what the commercial is for or C)all of the above, and then some. We won't show it out of respect for the Wizard of Westwood.

And now we have the Quest for G: the Monty Python take-off.
To be fair, the web site brings it to life a lot better, but the whole thing falls woefully flat given the potential, even in the bright spots (by default). Sure the face-off with the Jabbowockeez is cool and has a huge offline following, but when Mel Brooks marries hip-hop with history better than you, you've got a problem (Granted, he had Dave Chapelle.) Although, we do give a big thumb's up for the appearance of Usain Bolt's ego. Too bad it's lost in a please-everybody ensemble cast.

Speaking of getting lost in this ensemble cast, it seems that the sports drink formerly known as Gatorade forgot the most obvious tie-in: G is for Garnett. Let the Captain of the Fun Police out and play with this ridiculous premise, instead of locking him into playing out a bad movie. You don't have to move a plot along. And you certainly don't have to stick to the script. Launch mascots instead of farm animals and underwear from the French fortress. Instead of the French, how about making refs or Sixers fans the antagonists? Change the fire-breathing poodle to the Phoenix Gorilla or San Diego Chicken. Get silly with it, for the love of G!

It just seems that it is getting shared on YouTube and other sites in large part because there is a strong relationship between those who like computers and those who like Monty Python and those who didn't date a lot in high school. This author being one of them. It just seems remarkable that this is the impression G wants to put out there.

Hopefully, G will find the good sense next time to give us something completely different.

Nougats of wisdom

Snickers' latest campaign, Snacklish, heads out into the world today, hitting out-of-home, broadcast and Facebook. Snickers sources say that in tough economic times, the #1 candy bar in the world is in the unique position in that it doesn't feel it competes with off-brand products in the same way cereals, detergents and other white-goods do.

Unfortunately, we've already discovered a bit of a shortfall. If you Google certain words that pop up in the campaign's ads like "nutlegience" as in "pledge your nutlegience," you will not find anything. Even if you spelled it "correctly" with an "a." Nothing?! (Except maybe this blog.) As consumers are more and more conditioned to think in terms of search words, it seems that Snickers should at least have the words in their unique word-driven campaign lead their fans to their site, their retailers or at least to other fans.

But it is just Day One. And it is a fun idea that's easy to grasp and play along with. But will consumers caramel?

Editor's note: As we dug a little deeper it seems like the online component of the campaign may be intentionally almost totally user-driven. It's the only logical conclusion, given the creative firepower behind it. Maybe Snickers is trying some sort of simple Web experiment to see if the words and word creation can be soaked up into the vernacular by bloggers, Urban Dictionary, Wikipedia and the like. Still seems like they should have greased the skids a little. Without some web legs, this campaign may be remembered best as a grammatical parlor trick. And a missed opportunity.

All dressed up for Lookbook.nu

When a McCafe replaced the designer waters and champagne at this week's New York Fashion Week, it became apparent that the fashion world is also tightening its belt. While extravagant fashion may be taking a hit, this industry obsessed with the new and the next can be reassured that creative style is still alive and well.

Enter Lookbook.nu. Describing itself as a “collective fashion consciousness,” Lookbook is an online social network of stylish youth eager to share their wardrobe successes with the world. It’s like Facebook for international fashionistas in training -- some more successful than others of course, but all putting it out there nonetheless, which is what it’s all about. more >>>

And the real beauty is the immediate widespread influence. No more waiting for a trend to begin in Europe or on the coasts and slowly creep its way to middle America. Now, a misunderstood, artsy teen in Duluth can find inspiration and admiration from her style soul mate in Dusseldorf.

Is this a glimpse into the future of fashion marketing? Perhaps. Contrary to the name, you can only “LOOK” and not “BOOK.” No apparel is available for purchase directly from the site, and no “models” are available for bookings. Yet. The photos are, however, brilliantly sorted and tagged by brands, items of apparel and location. So it likely will just be a matter of time.

No doubt the major fashion brands are onto it. Members show love for favorites by awarding lookbook points or “hype” as they call it. And isn’t hype what every brand wants after all? But unlike the rest of the highly-critical fashion world, what you’ll find at Lookbook is largely encouragement and compliments for each other’s creative expression through apparel.

If nothing else, Lookbook is a goldmine for designers, photographers and stylists seeking inspiration. Not to mention casual people watchers. Since fashion isn’t fashion until someone embraces it, these kids have taken back the reins and are showing each other what fashion is to them, creating a runway from their living rooms.

But rest assured, fashion world. As most stylish scenes go, you can belong to Lookbook by invitation only. Some things will never change.

H-O-R-S-E with no name

Product placement is so easy, even David Stern can do it. Check out the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend and you'll notice a new twist on a classic game. This year H-O-R-S-E will be called G-E-I-C-O. Yes, every missed shot will spell the word Geico. Will young fans care? Probably not. But they're not cynical like me. I guess it could be worse. It could be H-E - W-E-N-T - T-O - J-A-R-E-D.

Lessons from a dope-smokin' dolphin

You know Michael Phelps - the golden boy who could do no wrong in the pool and a seemingly safe (to the point of boring) bet to endorse dozens of products. And then we find him again barely coming up for air, this time his head buried in a bong at a college party.

It is fascinating when icons (particularly with lucrative endorsement deals) taint their public image. But what is even better is that Phelps' sponsors all stand behind him. No one yet has yanked a deal from him, even though several of those contracts explicitly state that he needs to keep out of trouble. more

It is a common dilemma in advertising when you are looking for that one famous person to stand up and say "Nothing is better than Brand X. I love it." Do you look for a real person that fits, but is human and can screw things up? Or do you go the route of other brands and create a fictional character whose persona is under your complete control, like the King of Burger King?

It seems that there is room for both. The whole Phelps' thing will blow over. After all, most people don't even realize he also has a DUI on his record. Not to condone such repeated stupidity of anyone, let alone one making millions as a role model to kids, but people do like their flawed heroes.

Maybe the King can take a few cues from his real-life spokesperson brethren. CPB, if you're listening, have the King go berserk on the set of his next commercial (or movie?), dropping enough F-bombs to make Christian Bale blush. Or have him get into a fight in the alley over the superiority of democracy over constitutional monarchy as a political theory. Or just release some underground photos of him cavorting with Amy Winehouse for a spell.

We like our stars flawed and flayed. And the stars surely do, too. It keeps them (and the products they endorse) relevant and part of the conversation.

The pressure to be interesting

Publishing posts on a regular basis can be nerve-racking. One dynamite thought can send a horde of humanity flocking to the site. Conversely, a boring one can turn readers off for eternity. Neverminding the hyperbole, there is a pretty good lesson here for brand champions to not just be relevant but also to be worth remembering.

Boring = bad. Plain and simple. So as you plan for '09 and beyond, find ways to capitalize on your brand's personality. Take it to the nth degree in your emails and your couponing, your broadcast and your web site. Do something new this year, too. Go mobile. Go grassroots. Just don't go bland. Stand out even if that means sticking out like a sore thumb.

As long as you stay true to your brand and are bold with letting people see and interact with the personality of it, people will talk about you, share you and hear what else you have to say.

Word to the Wise: Connect

Don't let your site be a dead-end.

Include links whenever possible, and you'll prove to be a resource to customers and create fans of your brand in ways you have never considered. (Don't be afraid to surprise them.) By existing as a learning aid rather than a lecturer, you'll give people a reason to come back beyond the transaction.

Of course, it is probably a good idea to take a quick course in Weblinking 101. Especially you bigger players out there.

HRW develops Indy Tire mascot

Done in the throwback style of the 60's and 70's, the classic pop-culture icon gives the brand a friendly face.