I’ve been known to do a little doddle on my shoes, even had the fabulous Brennan & Burchdoodle on some old Adidas trainers for me. So when Bucketfeet caught my eye it nearly made me open up a new pack of felt tips.
Bucketfeet is a footwear company that collaborates with global artists to produce colourful graphics for basic pumps. The philosophy is that each pair of pumps are a blank canvas for a means of expression and an opportunity to contribute to the founders passions. Providing arts and sports programmes for poor children around the world, with 5% of their profits going to their charitable partners.
Love the concept. Love the product. However what I wasn’t so amoured with the ‘brand’. The fashion industry is a tough market and taste maker fashion is an even tougher gig, usually reliant on a bunch of trendies to take said style to heart and proliferate to the masses while they move on to the next thing.
For a style conscious brand with an actual conscious, it’s important to be able to compete on all levels as your competitors. That means paying attention to the total communications package. A slick website, beautiful photography and a brand proposition that screams ‘buy me’ are must haves. The good news is that this is something Bucketfeet can easily rectify in time, allowing them to access an even wider market and share more profits with their chosen causes.
The world’s economic paradigm is shifting quicker than Lewis Hamilton would in a Red Bull. Brazil has officially overtaken the UK to be the 6th largest economy and Africa is the new China.
The relatively recent growth of the African nations is based on rich commodity resources (but that’s nothing new), improved infrastructure and a generation of young folk wholly embracing technology.
However, the perception of change on the continent will be a tad slower. Decades of mediated images and reports of famine, war and dictators has left westerners with a single vision perspective.
Afrographique is a blog that consciously aims to change that through infographics based on economic and lifestyle data from the African continent. From countries broadband speeds, Co2 emissions to foreign investment in Africa. Created by Ivan Colic, an art director at Zoom Advertising Cape Town part of the Ogilvy and WPP group, is an interesting story in itself.
The repositioning of the African continent for the 21st century has only just begun. First step first though, and it’s an important one. Repeat after me; Africa is not a country.
There’s an array of ideas of what makes for a vibrant, thriving community but derelict buildings and dirty streets rarely feature highly.
Taking a simple yet innovative approach to unused spaces, car lots and factories - Tony Goldman partnered with Jeffrey Deitch to create the Wynwood Walls project in 2009. In essence the project uses community spaces as a live canvas, inviting artists to create murals in areas that could more than do with a lick of paint. Since then the project has gone global, attracting high profile artists such as Shepard Fairey.
HCTN have recently launched a docuseries archives the transition of a neighbourhood; “exploring the power of Public Art and innovation to uplift and revitalize urban communities.”
Hopefully this regeneration concept really does catch on. With the global economy as it stands, approaches like these could help arrest the decline of communities everywhere.
What’s that saying; two things you can be sure about in life is death and taxes. May I suggest that the other inevitability is change.
Civilisations come and go, fashion and cultural trends rotate and someday we’ll all turn into robots. In the mean time, the global economy is imploding and the 99% are voicing their opinions on an economic system that has a few inherent flaws.
So where does this leave advertisers? Well it’s clearly not a time to only ‘sell’. One good and jolly sensible reason being that there’s generally less money flowing in the 99% sphere. This means an opportunity for communications that engage and create dialogue.
Inspired by some art house sensibilities, Motorola have started the conversation with a series of ads that pose an existential question of ‘What does Abundance mean to you?’.
Featuring a range of Japanese creatives and thinkers, each one in turn answers that very question. An interesting and innovative strategy that proves particularly poignant given the Japanese peoples’ attempts to recover from national and personal tragedy.
In times of uncertainty, nostalgia is often the prescribed remedy. An alignment with an audiences real concerns though, has to be the future. I’m not sure how radical the ‘brand message’ will get over on this side of the pond, but the consumers appetite [and taste] is slowly changing; becoming just that little bit more discerning.
Leading brands of the future will have to extend the idea of purpose to more than CSR policies, making them integral to their brand values and indeed communications.
Our studio mate Craig Murray can be usually found up in the wee hours of the morning and is known to survive on very little sleep. This may well have inspired his latest promo vids for new club night Pap-il-lon and their iD teasers.
Craig captures a trippy dippy fantasia with healthy dollops of retro chic to create films that are both super psychedelic and warm. They feel like they could have been shot in the 70′s and wouldn’t be out of place advertising the latest designer fragrance. Good work Mr Murray!
The portrait is something that we’re all familiar with, from the annual school photograph to the self portrait number that may graces your Bookface account. However when we’re not taking pics of ourselves it is usually an interpretation by some extent of the artist or photographer.
Dan tells stories of redundancy and demise of a town in Papiers Gaspesia, the frailty beauty of the human condition through distressed surfaces for the Face of the City, while the striking Regents Park project features local social housing residents using the estate as the canvas.
Making larger than life portraits that hang in a billboard fashion around in his homeland Canada,Dan Bergeron is able to make statements about culture, environment and the personal - which my old uni lecturer Sandy Brewer taught me is always political.
NTS: a new community radio station based in Dalston, launched in April this year. The community in this instance is the bubbling sub-culture of electronic music influenced by a staple of soul, funk and jazz amongst others.
Their recent short gives you a glimpse into the beginnings of the station, their developing culture and a five-a-side football team. Que Umbro’s involvement and the second reason for my musings.
Umbro having taken tips from Adidas and Puma, have been quietly repositioning the traditional football gear company as a lifestyle brand, producing content featuring musicians Chase & Status, Liam Gallagher and Murkage and other sports stars.
En route to embedding themselves in pop culture, the Umbro Industries campaign focuses on supporting fledgling creative entrepeneurs in Manchester with £10k bursaries.
The trend of courting creative communities looks like one that will last for a while for culture savvy brands, ensuring buy in from taste makers and all that goes with it. Thus giving creatives alternative forms of investment from financial to profile raising.
It’s been no secret that the music industry has been put through it’s paces over recent years, with the internet forcing the industry re-evalute it’s business model and marketing strategies.
One thing that small independent labels have as an advantage over the large corporations is the ‘niche’. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, independents use selective tastes and underground relevance to be perceptive as well as receptive to changes in audiences tastes. One such movement that looks like it could be on to something is the Independent Label Market.
Last May saw the launch of the initiative on Berwick Street where independent label bosses from labels such as XL, Rough Trade and Mute set up stall and quite simply flogged their gear, which included back catalogues and limited editions and the odd pop star like Jarvis Cocker making an appearance.
In marketing speak, we would call this experiential; bringing the brand to the audience. On October 8th ILM go Stateside, setting up shop at Brooklyn Flea with MTV Hive and The Daily Swarm as partners. As a concept it creates a sense of exclusivity that indulges the senses of avid music fans while at the same time continuing a sense of community. Niche in this instance equals community building, which any brand worth their stock value are trying to invest in.
You may be familiar with Natty’s 2008 pop hits Bedroom Eyes, July and Badman, however you might not know of Natty the activist. Teaming up with friends and some like minded folk Vibes & Pressure was born – an event that mixes music, art and activism.
Tonight at Passing Clouds, Vibes & Pressure present Steppin Raiser – a chance to debate the recent UK Riots with young people, community leaders and musicians. As well as food for thought there will also some for the belly, plus live music.
For more information please visit the FB page here.
It’s Bank Holiday Weekend! If you’re in London for the weekend we have two hot spots for the diary.
This Sunday Earnest Endeavours, Black Atlantic and Dante Fried Chickenteam up to bring you Ride or Fryan alternative carnival cook up. DJ’s include Alexander Nut and Fatima, Jon Phonics and more. What started as the KFC R.I.P. loft jams in New York almost a decade ago comes to Mare Street, Hackney. Good music and music come as standard, so do like me and start making room in your belly now.
On Bank Holiday Monday, The Insomniaxwill be hosting an After Carnival Party Special at Life on Old Street,with DJ’s Rapzcallion (Blacktronica) and Dan Anderson (A2B Records), not to mention a live performance of material from The Insomniax’s forthcoming Love She Wants EP, and live radio broadcast on Nasty.fmfrom 12-2AM.
