Extra Extra Extra; September – Can't forget the motor city

A monthly newsletter wrapping up what's going on in branding, business and bands.

Brand Extra!

What's going on in the world of branding?

This month saw the global roll-out of the brand refresh for Johnson & Johnson one of the world’s most famous and largest healthcare brands. There was plenty of commentary about the move away from the soft script to a more formal font (and legible ampersand!).

• Some people don’t like it.
• Some people don’t like change.
• Some people don’t care.
• Some people won’t even notice.

I wasn’t convinced by the corporate speak on their website; “Each letter is drawn in one pen stroke, creating a contrast that delivers both a sense of unexpectedness and humanity.”

But I am sure in time this will help position the company away from a world of baby oil and cotton buds towards the healthcare innovation company it is focused on becoming.

Read more about the rebrand on Creative Review>>

Read more about the rebrand on Johnson & Johnson’s website>>

This reminded me of my own brush with a global rebrand; Ford Motor Company which I led the design of whilst working at The Partners in 2003. It’s still an honour (and a slight buzz) to know I played my part in the evolution of a global icon.

• Some people didn’t notice the change.
• Some people didn’t really care.
• Some people didn’t understand how it cost £1m.

But most importantly we solved a huge conundrum for Ford.

In our brief, we were given two distinct directions.
1. Don’t change the Ford Motor Company parent brand.
2. Don’t change the blue oval

I think the hope was we create new elements for everything else (colours, fonts etc) and sort out the brand architecture so that their vast array of car brands (from Aston Martin to the Focus) made sense to customers.

We ignored both directions.

Got rid of the parent brand and created a new global standard.

Result; a new global identity that could be rolled out consistently and easily across all territories (which had never been achieved before) and the symbolism of taking down the long script version of Ford Motor Company from the headquarters in Dearborn and replacing it with the blue oval created a renewed sense of pride amongst the workforce.

Read more about the Ford rebrand and why we kept an error in the artwork here

Global error

Perfection often hides in mistakes.

Blah, Blah, BlahNigel Davies

Read more about the evolution of the Ford logo here>>

Ford rebrand © The Partners 2003

What can you learn?

Insight; make your brand relevant
You can challenge a brief if the answer is going to produce a better solution (but don’t annoy the client!!!).

Story; make your brand unique
Be wary of justifying design changes with post-rationalised nonsense, that takes away from the credibility of what can sometimes just be ‘the correct design choice”.

Engage; make your brand memorable
Making mistakes can create unexpected outcomes. You don’t always have to fix them. If it looks right. Then it’s right.

Business Extra!

What's going on in my business?

Last month I wrote on LinkedIn about the Rolling Stones sending me a piece of direct mail to promote their new album “Hackney Diamonds”. There were many comments suggesting that direct mail is still an effective way of promoting a business. So, I’ve created my own printed newspaper.

Message me to get a copy

It’s shameless self-promotion, but it's printed, so you can fold it up and read it at your leisure.

Read the original LinkedIn article here

#untangleyourbrand #brandinsight #brandstory #brandengagement #rollingstones | Nigel Davies | 40 comments

Last week I received an unusual item in the post. Brown envelope. Nothing that unusual. Not the shape of a vinyl record. More unusual. Very light. Maybe nothing in it. No sender address. Curious. Inside was a small plastic sleeve containing a small, printed sticker. Large, bold words, in red, reading; “DON’T GET ANGRY WITH ME” next to, a small, disjointed symbol. What had I done? Who was it from? Who was angry with me? What did it mean? Moments later it clicked. The symbol was the ‘Hot Lips’ logo and could only mean one thing. The Rolling Stones. It was a piece of direct mail, sent to promote their latest album “Hackney Diamonds” and lead single “Angry”. Why would one of the most famous bands on the planet, use an outdated mode of marketing; printed DM? They’ve sold over 200 million albums, and their first new material in over 18 years is bound to be a massive success. The hype around the press conference the following week to announce more details was front page headlines all over the world. I guess it’s targeted. I bought the last album from their website. They had my details. I guess it’s aimed at my demographic. They probably know I’m not following them on TikTok. Ultimately, I think it’s lovely to celebrate that connection we have with music, imagery, graphics, print media and the joy of unexpected gifts in the post. Will I buy the album? I was going to anyway. But now I’ll definitely buy it from their online store and probably throw in the 7 inch single. Not that I need it. But now I want it. You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometimes, well, you might find You get what you need [And they’ve just sent me an email to remind me to pre-order the store-exclusive blue vinyl version with a limited edition cover, plus I only just turned the print over to reveal the website address!!!]. #UntangleYourBrand #BrandInsight #BrandStory #BrandEngagement #RollingStones ---------- In the August edition of my LinkedIn newsletter, Extra! Extra! Extra! I suggested that to make a brand more memorable you could engage using non-traditional media. Such as print. So, why not print a limited edition of Extra! Extra! Extra! in September. Admittedly a shameless piece of self-publicity, but if it’s good enough for the Rolling Stones, then it’s good enough for me. Grab a free printed copy of Extra! Extra! Extra! by signing up here or message me for details https://lnkd.in/e4Vvpe6G | 40 comments on LinkedIn

LinkedInNigel Davies

Band Extra!

What's going on my turntable?

A playlist for this month, listen on Spotify Can't forget the motor city

From the birth of Rock’n’Roll (Bill Haley), the creation of the Motown sound, the garage rock blues of The White Stripes and the creation of Techno, Detroit is more than just a motor city. While spending time there finishing the Ford logo, I visited the Museum of Techno and discovered The Dirtbombs. Enjoy a selection of Detroit’s finest…

• Martha Reeves & The Vandellas; Dancing In The Street
• Bill Haley & His Comets; (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock
• The Supremes; Baby Love
• The Spinners; It's A Shame
• The Dirtbombs; Kung Fu
• The White Stripes; Hotel Yorba
• The Stooges; Down on the Street
• Electric Six; Danger! High Voltage
• DeBarge; Rhythm Of The Night
• Rhythim Is Rhythim; Strings Of Life
• Inner City; Good Life
• David Bowie, Mick Jagger; Dancing in the Street

🤘 Keep on listening.

🍩 Keep on branding.

Nigel