360 DEGREES Weblog

Gavin Green on the trend for giant car badges
By Gavin Green

A (cynical) friend of mine once commented: ‘You can tell when a trend has peaked. It’s when the motor industry cottons on to it.’

A little unfair, I feel. But, as with many generalisations, there is a grain of truth there. The car industry is rarely an early adopter of new design trends – be it colours, textures or materials. It’s been very slow with connectivity. Automotive apologists may point to the long gestation period between conception and birth of new cars. I would argue that siting your finest design brains in cultural backwaters – few car companies are headquartered in energised cities – doesn’t help.

Oversized car badges: the latest fashion

Take the motor industry’s current obsession with oversized badges. It’s the sort of thing that the fashion industry used to do: logos and brand names writ large and oversized. ‘Armani’, ‘GAP’, ‘Polo’, ‘Gucci’ – they were all at it. One’s chest became a billboard.

It all seems a bit passé now. Yet successive car models get bigger badges and logos, especially on their prows. Marketing and design bosses will tell you that it promotes their brands and improves marque differentiation. Perhaps. But if the only way a car buyer can tell a Vauxhall from a Hyundai is by the badge, then there’s clearly something rotten in the state of car design.

I can excuse the big three-pointed star in the grille of the current sportier Mercedes models – it’s an attractive and identifiable logo, and one steeped in heritage (as worn in the grille of the SL and SLR of the ’50s). Who could object to the prominent prancing horses clinging to the front wings of the latest Ferraris (although Ferrari nose badges are often surprisingly inconspicuous).

Intriguingly, Porsches and Aston Martins have discreet badging (so does the new McLaren). BMW and Mini don’t shout loud either; nor do the better Fiats and Alfas. They rightly reckon that the overall design of their cars differentiates enough. Their badges do not need to bellow.

The brands with the weakest images often have the biggest badges

But when I see chunky Vauxhall griffins on the prows of Astras and Corsas, vast stylised Hs on the maws of Hyundais and Hondas, giant round Nissan logos on the noses of Qashqais, and almost life-sized lions on Peugeots, I say: Enough! They are meaningless adornments, little-recognised totems, irrelevant to owners, useless design frippery. Few drivers of these cars wish blatantly to advertise their brand allegiances, so why force them to do so?

In the litany of oversized car company logos, the most unprepossessingly pumped-up is surely the giant golden Elastoplast on the grilles of the latest Korean Chevrolets. When I first saw a car disporting this nose patch, I assumed some yellow piece of street detritus – a large piece of plastic, perhaps? – had blown onto the grille of the poor chap’s car. But no!

The Chevrolet logo goes back to 1913 and has been worn on a succession of memorable American cars, not least the meatier Camaros. But they were historically discreetly designed in the grille. It was a tactful piece of jewellery, not tacky brand embellishment.

Now that the fashion brands are ceasing to scream quite so loudly, surely the car industry will follow? Of course they will – in about two or three years, or so my cynical friend will say.

Gavin Green writes for UK’s CAR magazine

We’ve seen an app designed to help motorists avoid picking up tickets, and we’ve seen communities band together to provide extra parking for one another. It wasn’t until recently however, that we came across Ticket Angels, which combines aspects of both with a ticket prevention service monitored by watchmen within a community.

The service began when one of the Ticket Angels founders walked passed his neighbor’s car, spotted that it was a risk of being ticketed, and warned him. Thankful for having dodged a fine, the two decided to create a service that could offer something similar to the entire Santa Monica area. For USD 61 — the price of a single parking ticket — subscribers to the service receive a Ticket Angels sticker to be placed on their vehicle. Ticket Angels then monitor the relevant road in the hour before parking restrictions come into effect, checking to see if the vehicle is at risk of receiving a ticket. If they see that it is, they will notify the vehicle owner with either a text message, a phone call, or by knocking on their door. If they fail to spot that a vehicle is at risk and that vehicle is subsequently ticketed, Ticket Angels will reimburse the owner to the full value of the ticket.

In a report in the Santa Monica Daily Press, co-founder Matthew Parker is quoted as saying, “The signs are insanely complicated. Santa Monica is known all up and down the West Coast as being one of the worst places to park. People live in fear of parking here, so we’re trying to alleviate that.” However, this seems like an idea that could be popular in any area where there are heavy parking fines.

Thanks Springwise

Regular readers are well-acquainted with the many creative uses of the shipping container, including pop-up health clinics, hotel rooms and nightclubs. The latest spotting? Boxpark — a pop-up shopping mall planned for launch this summer that’s created out of no fewer than 60 shipping crates.

Slated to appear in London’s Shoreditch area this August, Boxpark will house more than 50 small stores in a two-story structure constructed on Bishopsgate Goods Yard, a former railway site that’s been unused for more than 40 years. The site isn’t scheduled for development for several years still, so Boxpark’s temporary solution works well for all parties. Conceived by Roger Wade — creator of the Boxfresh brand as well as fashion brand consultancy Brands Inc. — in partnership with real estate developers Hammerson and Ballymore, Boxpark will focus on small, independent brands that are hand-selected and offered space by invitation only. The result will be a mix of international fashion, arts and lifestyle brands along with galleries and cafés.

Dynamic, stunning, and powerful are just a few words to describe Sony Epic’s newest recording artist, sixteen year old Jasmine Villegas, known to her fans as Jasmine V, this talented teen is about to set the music world on fire! In September 2010 she joined the second leg of Justin Bieber’s My World Tour as an opening act.[2] All These Boys is the first single of her album, which was released in 19 October 2010 on iTunes. The release of her debut album is forthcoming. Now jasmine V is also the first startlet without an first album out to have reached 600.000 followers #!/JASMINEVILLEGAS.

Just J Jewels and Jasmine V teamed up in LA where the soon to become super star choose the Happy Symbol Free/Key bracelet as her favored charm.

JUST J Jewels Happy Symbol Free Bracelet $79

JASMINE V wears JUST J Happy SYMBOL “KEY/Free Bracelet

Butler For Hire is aiming to make the traditional picnic altogether less stressful.

Netherlands-based Butler For Hire’s service runs from April to August in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Upon receiving a booking, a butler is sent to the park to set up the picnic, consisting of crystal glasses, picnic rugs, china crockery, pillows, and a menu of hams, cheeses, breads, jams, chicken legs, salads and wine. All of this is available for EUR 30 per person. For those who like to picnic in style, extras are available at an additional charge, such as Prosecco, champagne, lobster, oysters, prawns, shrimps and salmon. Once the picnickers have put aside their desire for food and drink and are ready to go home, a phone call to Butler For Hire signals it is time for the butler to return and clear up.

In addition to the picnics, Butler For Hire can provide dinner and breakfast services, providing the same level of personal care at home. Services such as these can often leave the user with a sense of exclusivity and elevated status, which carries huge appeal.

Jennifer Lopez’s twins, Max and Emme, were the stars of Gucci’s advertising campaign to publicize its designer munchkin wear (0 to 8 year-olds) which debuted late last year. Lopez said this week she only agreed to let her kids be photographed because it was for a good cause. Gucci pledged $1 million to UNICEF’s Schools for Africa initiative.

Also just-launched is Stella McCartney’s line for little guys and girls, 0 to 12 years old. McCartney has gone to great lengths to make the line accessible to mere mortals with a price point that hovers within $25 for a T-shirt to about $200 for a coat. That’s not exactly bargain basement prices, but a lot more reasonable than many of her contemporaries.

Fendi and Paul Smith have also recently jumped into the fray with bibs and strollers (Fendi) to floral shirts and socks (Smith). So has Tommy Hilfiger and Carolina Herrera. Even indie designer Preen has plans for a “mini-Preen” line.

Designers are also beefing up existing childrenswear lines by adding fun products and activities. A year ago, Ralph Lauren launched the RL Gang, an online storybook that recounts the stories of eight real children and their first day of school. You can click to buy the pieces worn by the children in the story, kinda like a storybook-alogue.

Clearly, there’s a big incentive for adult designers to get into the childrenswear business. The rush can be explained because it was one of the few areas that experienced growth during the economic downturn. Apparently, some people feel much less guilty buying designer duds for their kids than for themselves. But don’t kids grow out of clothes in a minute? And wouldn’t it be smarter to invest in a pair of Prada shoes that you can wear for the rest of your life?

Clearly, there’s a more emotional motivation here. You want the best for your kids. It’s proved lucrative for Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana. And, with the latest wave Hollywood baby fever, things will only get better.

EXCEPTIONALL | “Exceptional B2C innovations will increasingly come from all corners of the globe, with brands and talent from emerging markets in particular getting ready to shine.”

Now that virtually the entire world has joined the consumer arena, prepare for an avalanche of new brands, entrepreneurs and innovations from ‘emerging’ markets that will have global potential and appeal. From aggressive Chinese brands to Turkish creatives to Brazilian apparel, we’re seeing a sharp increase in world-class companies that can and will compete for consumers’ Dollars, Reais, Euros, Pounds, Rupees, Rands, or Liras.

Sure, the expansion of global markets creates new opportunities for existing well-known brands, but the real story of the rise of these new powerhouses is the new brands that are making waves, both within their domestic markets, but increasingly outside these, competing and even beating the established, entrenched incumbents at their own game. One thing’s for certain – the range of brands that consumers covet will be even more diverse in twenty, ten or even five years.

Go over to Trendwatching and read the report

Aimed at amateur cooks who dream of starting their own restaurant, a Dutch site called Tweetjemee helps people sell home-cooked meals and desserts to others who live nearby.

After signing up with Tweetjemee, the Buurtchefs (neighbourhood chefs) upload pictures and descriptions of the meals they’re offering for sale. They list when the food will available, their preferred pick-up times and the item’s price. Customers select a meal in their neighbourhood, make payment to Tweetjemee and pick up the food at the agreed time. Payments are transferred to the chefs monthly, minus a 30% listing fee for Tweetjemee. 10% of that cut is donated to The Hunger Project, a global non-profit organization committed to ending world hunger.

The notion of selling home-cooked meals seems to be catching on — last year we covered BookofCooks, the US-based online marketplace for home-cooked meals, and earlier this month we wrote about Super Marmite, a French network that enables cooks with too much food to sell their extra servings. While food safety might be a concern, we like the concept of neighbourhood chefs offering busy or kitchen-averse consumers an alternative to professionally prepared meals.

Thanks Springwise

The most recent Duracell Toy Report suggests that kids don’t have no mo love for the Nerfs and Legos of our childhood. I say yours and mine because I’m relatively young for the world and I only got my first computer when I was in my teenage years, and I know the majority of the people on the internet still are people my age. I enjoyed action figures. According to Duracell, kids have switched over to Apple gadgets, Playstations, and Harry Potter video games.

Children quizzed this year added up to be thus: approximately 39 percent of children of all ages quizzed wanted Apple gadgets this year. Seventeen percent of 5-8 year olds, 50% of 9-12 year olds, and 66% of 13-16 year olds all had Apple right up on top of their lists.

The top 10 toys for Christmas 2010, according to the report are:
1) iPhone 4 (14%)
2) iPod touch (13%)
3) iPad (12%)
4) Kinect for Xbox (6%)
5) Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters / Kung Zhu Hamsters (5%)
6) Flip Video Camera (4%)
7) Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
PlayStation Move (4%)
9) LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 Video Game (3%)
10) Barbie Video Girl (3%)

The report was made up of 2,138 children and parents equally quizzed. The report found that 3 out of 5 parents asked would be buying presents that would “keep their youngsters quiet throughout the holidays.” That’s scary. I mean it makes sense, sure, keep the kids quiet so you can live your life, but that’s a kid. Parents, do you want a world where everyone is busy on a screen forever? Do you want that kind of world for future generations?

The Luxury Institute conducts independent research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. Their white papers on luxury trends and consumer attitude change emerge consistently throughout the year. The most recent was published on October 10, 2011, on emerging luxury trends for 2011..

The Institute states, ” As the luxury industry enters the last quarter of 2010 and prepares for 2011, executives are grateful for what could have been a worse year considering the state of the world’s economy. The truly global top-tier luxury brands are surging in China, while holding their own in the US, Japan, and Europe. Leading public companies have done much better than privately-owned brands by using their heritage, innovation, and resources to gain market share. Many family-owned European brands, rich with history but lacking innovation, have suffered and are desperately looking for capital. Overall, the industry has seen tepid growth; this trend is likely to continue for the next three years unless some unforeseen, and highly unlikely, positive event occurs and saves the global economy.”
According to the Luxury Institute, here are some trends that have emerged in 2010 and should continue in 2011:

1. A Deepening Focus on Brand Values and Service Values
In his recent book on luxury strategy, Jean-Noel Kapferer stated that unlike mass consumer brands, luxury firms don’t need a brand positioning (e.g. Hertz: #1 in Rent-a- Car , Avis: We try Harder), but they do need an identity. The Luxury Institute states, “Brands must create their identities not only by the name, personality and style of the founder, but also through values by which they should be known and publicly judged. They can be one comprehensive set of brand values that establish the company personality while also acting as service values which define the customer experience.” Brands can also choose to develop two distinct but related sets of brand values and service values. In a recent Luxury Institute LCRMA (Luxury CRM Association) survey, 90% of luxury executives agreed that luxury culture and values are directly linked to positive financial results. .

2. Luxury Brands Purge its Out-of-Touch, Arrogant Staffs
“As top-tier luxury CEOs and their Boards discover the importance of a benevolent culture and values,” the Luxury Alliance states, ” they are also beginning to realize that the people who manage and deliver customer experiences must fit the new customer culture In the sales and customer-facing ranks, people will soon be selected on their abilities to be brand and product experts, earn trust and build lasting customer relationships. Lone Ranger, toxic sales professionals who are currently tolerated will soon be out of fashion. Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Lexus and Nordstrom have been doing this for years, but even they will have to move to a higher level of cultural relevance and practice, as companies like Zappos prove that there is far higher ground to reach in terms of selecting customer-centric people, living the values and transparency.”

3. Websites!
One senior luxury executive recently told the Luxury Institute that “It’s a dark day for luxury when Zappos delivers a far better luxury experience than any luxury brand”. As luxury retailers learn to leverage the Internet for e-commerce, they are also learning that one thing affluent consumers expect from their online experience, if the need arises, is the availability and opportunity for quick, easy and immediate direct communication. In a recent Luxury Institute WealthSurvey, 62% of affluent consumers stated that when shopping online they feel more comfortable if they can call someone directly for assistance, and 60% said they are likely to abandon their online purchase if they cannot find quick answers to their questions on the website. In addition, 45% expect an obvious phone number to speak with a live sales or customer service representative. While luxury struggles with the answer, Zappos has beat them to it and gained the high ground. The secret that Zappos has learned is that only a small percentage of people need this call service very often. Look for most luxury brands to understand the connection between the call center and online channels and create a far better experience for customers in 2011.

4. Clienteling Goes from a Hobby to a Discipline
In a recent Luxury CRM Association Clienteling survey, only 25% of affluent consumers reported that they have a relationship with a sales associate at a luxury brand. That was actually a high water mark, as other surveys that Luxury Institute partners have conducted indicate that only 8-15% of customers report having a relationship with a sales associate at top luxury retailers. Why is this important? Because this small group of luxury consumers give a retailer almost twice as much in wallet share. They also are likely to continue buying more over time if they have a relationship with a dedicated sales professional.

5. Luxury Mobile Applications Come of Age
Top luxury brands now well into a few years of e-commerce, and having finally ventured into social media, are determined not to miss the soon-to-explode mobile device shopping party. Luxury Institute research on the wealthy consumer use of mobile devices shows that 76% compare prices via mobile devices, while a rapidly growing 27% have purchased via a mobile device. In addition, 21% report that they use mobile devices to look up respective product information while shopping in stores. We are near a tipping point where mobile devices will replace the laptop for many activities and transactions and luxury brands are racing to be a step ahead for a change. Tiffany’s recently-launched mobile application for finding your perfect engagement ring is a good example of a simple and practical innovation that seeks to serve its customers.

6.Luxury Equips Sales Professionals with In-Store Mobile Devices
Luxury is about to begin testing equipping its sales professionals with mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones in its stores. They can also be used to take customers through rich sales presentations that include video and audio enhancers. They can be used to search out-of-stock inventory anywhere in the retail system, conduct an online transaction, and arrange for delivery in real time. As customers opt in to having their own mobile devices announce their arrival at the store, sales professionals can be alerted to greet customers by name with custom offers ready, or at minimum be aware of what offers have already been sent to them. These applications are only the beginning of the use of mobile in stores as a customer experience enhancer for the sales professional as well as the customer. Mobile devices combine personalization efficiency and effectiveness with an unprecedented touch of caring and nurturing that are the Holy Grail of a true luxury experience.

Thanks Luxist!