Activating Creativity

Bringing brands to life across channels and disciplines moves people to action

Hub, October 5, 2009 — When the legendary New Zealand All Blacks rugby team lost unexpectedly at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, its sponsor, Adidas, realized it had an opportunity to restore the team’s close ties with its disenchanted fans and, in the process, make real its own brand purpose.

To do this, Adidas employed a “new world” manifestation of creativity to bring the brand to life for its fans. Specifically, the sports footwear and apparel maker drew from the fans’ deep connection with the ultimate symbol of the All Blacks, their jersey. Adidas made it both the message and medium.

IKEA's Burbank store and the guerrillas in housewares

Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2009 — For reasons known only to the pop-culture gods, IKEA — the Swedish retailer of cheap, lingonberry-flavored furniture and other shinola — has suddenly become a ubiquitous presence in the ether. Example: in August, when the 2010 IKEA catalog came out, people went utterly bonkers because the designers had changed the print font from the familiar Futura to Verdana — an esoteric difference, to be sure.

Brandinavia: Why Nordic Brands Rule

Brandchannel.com, July 13, 2009 — How did this small geographic area in northern Europe, comprised of countries with little political capital, become such a branding powerhouse? The story starts around AD 900, according to the book The Viking Manifesto: The Scandinavian Approach to Business and Blasphemy by Steve Strid and Claes Andreasson (Marshall Cavendish, 2008). The authors point to the Vikings as the admittedly barbaric forerunners of contemporary Vikings: “The Viking is more soft spoken, but alive and well. Without any army to speak of, they still invade with a better idea and a new approach to marketing, advertising, culture and corporate culture.” The book’s premise is interesting: that the Viking philosophy survived and has been updated, resulting in modern business success.

A Cheap Date, With Child Care by Ikea

New York Times, June 11, 2009 — IKEA’S inexpensive, contemporary furniture has attracted frugal shoppers for years, but a different kind of bargain is luring deal hunters to the Swedish retailer as the economy struggles to recover. And this offer doesn’t even require you to use an Allen wrench.

Over-stretched, money-conscious parents are using the store’s supervised play area as their personal baby-sitting service.

Key of IKEA

Bill Agee of IKEA says innovation begins with a culture of courtesy and a sense of community

Hub, January 5, 2009 — It’s not every day that hot, spicy cinnamon is the first thing you smell when you go shopping for furniture. But it is the sweet scent of sticky buns in the oven that greets shoppers as they approach the front doors of IKEA’s New Haven, Connecticut, store.

Bill Agee, marketing chief of IKEA U.S., agrees that sugar and spice is not a bad way to say “hello” to customers, but says it’s just a coincidence. “It’s not planned,” he says. “It’s just that the HVA system wafts out into the parking lot at some of our stores.”As Bill puts it: “At IKEA, it’s this idea that, ‘you do a little and we do a little’ … and together we save.” A Princeton poli-sci major who went into the advertising agency business before joining IKEA about 15... continue reading

Marketers, Seize the Opportunity to Help Heal Society's Ills†

Do the Right Thing: Motivate Consumers With Responsible Marketing That Doesn't Exploit Trends

Advertising Age, November 12, 2007 — We should not be afraid of marketing's power. Through effective marketing, we can make a difference. The question is: What kind of a difference do we wish to make?

Ikea: How the Swedish Retailer Became a Global Cult Brand

BusinessWeek, November 14, 2005 — Penguino is a citizen of Ikea World, a state of mind that revolves around contemporary design, low prices, wacky promotions, and an enthusiasm that few institutions in or out of business can muster.

Apple edges out google as top brand

Yahoo! News, January 31, 2005 — In the survey of almost 2,000 ad executives, brand managers and academics by online magazine Brandchannel, Apple ousted search engine Google from last year's top spot, but the surprise to many will be Al Jazeera's entry into the top five