zeitgeist 2012 // year in review

google, the search engine that forever tugs at the heart strings.

most contagious 2012

Most Contagious 2012 from Contagious

worth a look through of 2012's big trends.

its been swell swedish house mafia

you've heard the news by now, yep swedish house mafia are calling it a day. rest assured we will be seeing them on their final world tour, both east coast and west coast! it's been amazing, track after track, gig after gig since 2005, thanks lads see you in a couple of months. 

throwback vimeos

if you haven't seen these yet now's your chance for some gorgeous action candy.


Dear Suburbia: Trailer from Kai Neville Studio on Vimeo.

Danny MacAskill - "Way Back Home" from Dave Sowerby on Vimeo.

GLOBE'S ELECTRIC BLUE HEAVEN from GLOBE on Vimeo.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

life behind bars

latest episode is up!

i believe i can fly

andy rocked out to r.kelly in san fran while witnessing some flying contraptions and madness. peep the vid.

the invisible bike helmet

The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

and boom goes the dynamite.

what if? pepsi on createid

our pepsi bevvy concepts been featured on createid, the art of packaging! check more pepsi goodness on our website.

gymkhana sf edition

first person to find andy in this wins a prize.

pl buyer reflects on united*

united* always always pushing the envelope. Perry gets recognition from one of private labels go-to's:


In my three years of working on PLBuyer, one thing that I’ve definitely noticed is that there is much confusion among consumers of what private label really means.

Whether you call them private labels, private brands, store brands, consumer brands, own brands or something else, we were talking about them at our first conference held last month at the Hilton in Chicago. I was very pleased with how the event turned out, and I heard a lot of positive input from the attendees as well.
My own personal thoughts on one of the best presentations of the whole conference was Perry Seelert’s presentation on Being Comfortable With Uncomfortable Ideas. He very much captivated the room with his speech. He basically said that too many retailers out there are patting themselves on the back and thinking they're doing a good job with their private label programs when, in fact, they ought to be digging deep down and really looking at what could take their program to the next level...

Full article over at PL Buyer.

put some beer on it

Let's hope your salad and meats are ready for flavor country. Donovan's has released his beer infused dressings to the masses in collab with Southampton Micro-Brewery. The only way you could get more New York is that you would have to be eating it off the subways 3rd rail.

Beer can chicken has never had a higher ABV till now. Designate your chef's please.

truth or consequences

Perry spitting truth over at mypbrand.com

There are plenty of reasons why consumers have a healthy dose of skepticism today, and a lot of it is fueled by more marketing exaggeration and puffery than ever. Products that overpromise, taglines that overreach and “oneupsmanship” that doesn’t pass the smell test. For many marketers, pursuing a strategy of authenticity, raw honesty and truth in your brand storytelling is much more emotionally engaging, and for private brands a way of better countering the CPGs.

Over promising
In the transparent world we live in today, where almost every fact is discoverable, it is amazing how many people and CPGs still try to twist the truth on what a product delivers and the story of their brand. Scott Thompson was the short-lived CEO at Yahoo, the latest exaggerator getting caught, for claiming a computer science degree on his resume he never attained. Cheerios in the CPG world through visual symbology (the heart-shaped cereal bowl) and through “lowering cholesterol” front-of-pack claims tries to own heart-healthiness, but this has never seemed credible. Many eco-friendly efforts like Huggies “Pure & Natural” diapers feel like classic cases of greenwashing, and the consumer is sick of it. Stay true, be real and don’t fall into the trap of puffery the consumer doesn’t believe.

Tagline-mania
Many retailers and CPGs feel like they have to have a tagline to be a fully-functioning brand, but more often than not it actually detracts from their message by aspiring too far. Just take the repetition and grandiose nature of the following: Panasonic is “ideas for life”, Safeway is “ingredients for life”, GNC is “live well”, and LG is “life’s good”. If you feel like a tagline is a good distillation of your brand, make sure it is unique for starters, but ensure that it is believable too. Taglines that are a call to action often fundamentally work better (Apple’s “think different” and Nike’s “just do it”.), as they are both aspirational and credible.

1, 2 or 3
Be ridiculously good at clarifying one thing that makes you different, whether that is a product or service attribute. Depending on the brand, you might be able to claim a subordinate attribute or two, but don’t go beyond that hierarchy as a rule of thumb. Many CPGs try to claim way too much, and the consumer gets lost in the claims and the clutter. Private brands often try to do the same. Distill ruthlessly and you will be much better received and believable.

Oneupsmanship
5 Hour Energy transformed the energy category when it came on to the market, shaking the leadership of Red Bull by introducing the idea of a sustained, crash-free experience. But 6 Hour Power, 7 Hour Energy and yes, 8 Hour Energy by a company called Mr. Energy? Seems like it might be a powerful strategy to claim one additional hour of benefit, but to the consumer these are copycat brands all the way. Take this to the world of private brand, and there is an analogy to be drawn as it applies to NBE tiering strategies.

In the game show “Truth Of Consequences” the consequence was always an embarrassing stunt of some sort, but in the world of national/private brands the consequence of exaggeration is a lack of consumer credibility in your brand story. Veer towards more ownable, credible language in your marketing overall and you will be positioning yourself in line with the consumer of the future and the transparent world that is unavoidable.

being comfortable with uncomfortable ideas

Let’s be honest, we have lived the high life over the last couple years, reveling in the greatness of private brands. Sales are up, consumer indicators are up, retailers’ overall enthusiasm for their own brands is up; but there is a self-congratulatory syndrome at play that is dangerous. We have been lulled into a false sense of security. Following up on his provocative three part series from this site, United* strategic partner Perry Seelert will talk about Being Comfortable With Uncomfortable Ideas at the PLBuyer Conference June 5-7 in Chicago. United* is a leading authority in retail branding, with partnerships in five classes of trade, all focused on dramatically improving their clients’ private brand programs, and in this presentation they will pull no punches. They will offer a bold and unique critique of the industry, and suggest that it is good thing to feel uncomfortable with the industry’s branding progress. The capstone will be their five top marketing initiatives and recommendations for taking your program (and the industry) to the next level.

Register by April 20 for the early bird discount. Visit www.plbuyerconference.com.

Be sure to check the article over at My P Brand and give Perry some comments!

kayne raymond // nkr 02 new zealand

don't miss episode 2 of no kitchen required with our kiwi homeboy kayne raymond! will kayne kill it on his home turf? he best represent!

kayne raymond identity

because we are in kayne-sanity mode right now, naturally we had to do his identity. check out kayneraymond.com, follow him on twitter and tumblr. cuz if you were stuck in a deserted island, you'll want kayne raymond cookin for ya.

no kitchen required // kayne raymond // trailer 2

our favorite machete-wielding chef kayne raymond is back with another trailer. be sure to check it!

the self-congratulatory syndrome : shows & awards

Perry takes off with another jab at bringing life back into the private label world. Check out his article here.

no kitchen required // kayne raymond

ever remember having an idea for a survival show but with really awesome chefs? well it's finally happened.
bbc america is premiering a new show called no kitchen required where a good bru of united*, kayne raymond, is one of the three competing chefs! you really can't go wrong; survival, outdoors, adventure, food, competition, the judges are the locals, and of course so many awesome accents! its premiering april 3 on bbc america we'll definitely be tuning in!

update: i just discovered that the producer and director of the series was my high school film teacher chachi senior! you go, chachi!!

this is just a really good ad

nice one by BBH.

branding tidbit of the day

Apple is brand driven where most brands are product driven. Apple doesn't necessarily have the best technology on the market but people are buying into the brand promise and emotion.

wholesome goodness in america AND canada!

Growing like wildfire, Wholesome Goodness is expanding its presence into Wal-Mart U.S., after its continued success throughout their Canadian division. Huge win for the "better-for-you" category and a huge leap forward in making the design standard and consumer appeal much more credible. Here are some initial shots (iPhone for the win!) we have captured of Wholesome Goodness and the 50+ natural products now available
in Walmart.

Just united* going out for a quick riff

Just riffin' off those company outing vibes.

m&c saatchi giving uhaul a run for their money

look who's entering through the back door, and getting into the moving business...

m&c saatchi, launched a new ad campaign to promote new pr0nographic digital real estate via .xxx domains.

united* (and tom cruise), applauds you on the risky business.

see the collection here // http://www.mcsaatchi.com/

donovan's cellar // webshop now open!

it's an exciting time for donovan's cellar - they have just opened their web store to the masses, making all their artisan products available via the interwebs.

regardless if you're a pickled goods fan or not, shake things up in 2012 by testing one (we suggest all) of his products; we assure you that they won't disappoint.

in fact, every time a jar of his nana's b & b pickles are sold, a portion of the proceeds go towards cancer research.

that sh*t cray.

donovan's cellar web store // www.donovanscellar.com/store

donovan's cellar on gilt taste!

Donovan's cellar is on gilt taste! Hats off to gilt for the beautiful photos, well done.

red bull supernatural

feb 3-8, here we go.