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Picking up a copy of USA Today this morning it was easy to be struck by the negativity of the content.

- Nelson Mandela is a terrorist

- Jet fuel prices set to make air travel a luxury item

- Fed rate cut does nothing to change Wall St. sentiment

Basically, doom and gloom all around.

Then there was this Harley ad, which offered a contrary point of view.

It reminded us that America is a strong nation and it's bounced back from tough times before.

It took the long view and reminded us not to be fearful with the simple statement:

"We don't do fear"

Some might say this irresponsible, but I say it's brilliant to seize on the moment and offer a counter point that's so true to the brand and its ridership.

It's brave and gutsy, just like the brand.

I don't have the ad, but there's a taste of it on the Harley web site.



Posted by Ed Cotton AEG Electrolux has embarked on an interesting campaign in Europe, the company sells quieter washing machines and has developed a campaign about noise pollution to sell them.

I've often talked about the need for brands to rally around a big idea that transcends their products, but I am not sure about this one.

It certainly works great in the cities where AEG's innovative interactive billboards inform citizens of noise levels, but it seems a little far removed from the washing machine that creates a fraction of the noise compared to construction work and of course, transportation.

On the positive side, it demonstrates good citizenship in helping drive awareness about an important and often ignored topic. I also wonder if AEG has got themselves wrapped up in an issue that's too big for them to make an impact?

When Unilever celebrated the goodness of kids getting dirty and playing, they could demonstrate their belief in the idea by taking urban kids on trips out to the countryside.

Other than pointing out the issue, I am not sure what role AEG can play?

While Unilever's kids can get their clothes clean with Lever detergent after playing in the dirt, I am not sure how quieter washing machines really help city noise levels.

Perhaps AEG needs to close the loop on this for us?

Any thoughts?


Posted by Ed Cotton Back in March, Starbucks asked their customers for ideas, it created a website and the ideas have been been flooding in, exceeding the expectations of the company.

It makes me thing that every brand should be doing this, why not?

Here are the top 20 ideas that are being considered.

It's a great list that includes new products and experiences, ways to reduce waste and more healthy items.

Option to not print Receipts



Posted by Ed Cotton Social networks are now becoming corporate and if you are a company there's no hiding.

This trend means the people behind the company get to show themselves and interact with other human beings in the real world.

The idea of one-on-one interaction can happen. If you trust your employees you can let them out of their cages and cubicles and empower them to represent your brand in the real world.

They can solve problems, answer questions, entertain and inform.

They can become friends with customers and in short, they can be your pure brand ambassadors or the best ads you ever had.

Of course, this all depends on how brave you are.

It also depends on how much you value and believe in your employees.

If they are merely dispensable drones who you believe are stealing from you, you know only by their employee number and zip code, you may have some work to do.

Welcome to the death of the faceless corporation.

There is no nowhere to hide and if your people aren't out there interacting, you are missing a massive opportunity.

It appears that Zappos gets this idea big time.



Who else is brave enough to follow its lead?


Posted by Ed Cotton What can your brand learn from Van Gogh?

He never went to art school
He didn't start painting until he was 30
He started a movement called expressionism
He wasn't an elitist
He wanted everyone to see art differently

Take a look at this painting



It breaks the rules

He rewrites the history of landscape painting
He reverses perspective
He scrambles our assumptions
Are the crows flying towards you or away from you?
What are the green things- trees, hedges?
He makes paint talk

All this has been stolen from Simon Schama's excellent BBC series "The Power of Art."

How can your brand behave more like Van Gogh?
Can it challenge conventional thinking?
Can it change our assumptions?
Can you start a movement?
Can it make us see the world differently?


 

Posted by Ed Cotton Mcmenamins has spent the last 30 years building a local empire in Oregon.

Starting out with brew pubs and moving onto hotels, wineries and a distillery. The brand remains true to its roots and exhibits a wonderful, infectious and quirky character that helps it to stand way apart from the boring franchise chains.

You find character in the names of its beers- Terminator and Hammerhead, in the design of its pubs and hotels and in its graphic design and in hotel rooms named after and dedicated to local musicians. Even its events pack the same quirky feel, from UFO festivals to acoustic sets from local musicians played in an eight-seat capacity bar.

Great stuff.

Mcmenamins is a testament to what nurturing and sticking to your personal vision can create for a brand. It also shows that you can build a little empire without going national with VC cash and do it all in your own locale.

Thankfully, the brand hasn't taken a bucket load of cash from an international brewer to expand the concept globally because it would kill its charm. McMenamins remains Oregonian and in that lies its appeal.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to stay in the brand's Hotel Oregon, deep in the heat of wine country. I took some local quality pictures on my iPhone, which can be seen below.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Posted by Ed Cotton