Dan23

http://www.dan23.com/

Unfortunately my french isn't brilliant but this up and coming designer has some really interesting fresh work in his portfolio, take a look to see what you think. I particularly like his black and white images that he has used for 'al green'.

Fuel for Life

The new diesel fragrance has really strong branding. I first noticed the advert on television and decided to look into the new diesel fragrance further by going to their website. I was really impressed. The website reflects the urban image of diesel and trys to draw the viewer 'into the unknown' by spinning fortune wheels and answering questions to determine where you are navigated to. The snippets of film within the website also add to the feel of the product, there is also a small section where you are able to view the tv ads, which is unusual for clothing websites. They are usually more concerned about getting you to the checkout. The diesel website is updated with the seasons, therefore it stays in touch with the fashion and doesn't have a generic shopping website feel about it. http://www.diesel.com/ Diesel also host a competition: see the website for more information.

Hoax crisp packet collections

I was shocked when I read an article about hoax collections of weightless objects such as crisp packets and bottle tops. People were being encouraged to collect such items under the premise that companies such as Walkers would fund life saving operations or give valuable medical equipment to hospitals. This such collection hoax became so well known that it was parodied by Walkers in their Gary Lineker "No More Mr Nice Guy" series of ads. In the ad (ca. 2000) schoolteacher Lineker exhorted his class to bring in Walkers crisp packets - the catch being that the packets had to be full for the crisp-munching teacher. To read more about the hoaxes click on this link:

http://www.messybeast.com/dragonqueen/walkers-hoax.htm

This just shows how powerful word of mouth can be, nobody collecting the packets really knew where the hoaxes had come from, however they still believed them to be true.

Why do promoters use flyers?

As we approach a new term in Leeds, the thought of walking to uni can be a daunting thought. 'Flyer's' are everywhere! By the third year at university most people know whats on offer in terms of nightlife and stick to what they know, the real bait are first years.

Every promotional flyer is thrust towards you in the hope that you may consider visiting that particular bar or club on that certain night. It makes you wonder when you see so many flyer's on the floor whether this promotional tool really works. However after talking to nightclub owners and working for promotional companies (yes I admit that I might be thrusting a flyer in your direction in the next week or two!) I have found that even though there are many other avenues that club promoters can go down to encourage people to go to their nights, flyering is always the most effective. “With flyer's, people are actually able to talk with the flyer distributor, ask questions, and get responses that may be available through an e-mail blast,” says Sean Saladino, director of operations for PK Graphics.

This is targeting at its best, each promoter can asess who they would want to attend their night, and based on what people look like, can make a quick decision as to whether they would be likely to attend. These people can then ask questions about the night and develop a 'relationship' with the flyerer, they then hopefully remember more about the promotion and are then more likely to attend the night. This method is proven to be much more effective than sending an email or text. The other benefit of flyering is that more than one person can be targeted at once, giving one person in a group a flyer encourages conversation, and word of mouth advertising begins. So although it is a pain to receive handfuls of flyers when you don't have a hand spare, you could see it as a compliment that the promoters want you in their club!

Express v's Innocence

I recently went to Pizza Express to grab something to eat before going to the cinema, as I entered the restaurant I began to feel a little confused as the name no longer matches the style. I was expecting a quick easy fast-food style restaurant (much like Pizza Hut) however it has been refurbished to look more up market and contemporary. This is not a bad thing of course, but I got the impression that they were trying too hard to be something they're not. Sometimes you need somewhere you can just pop into to get something to eat without feeling that you need to be wearing your Sunday best! I got over the initial shock of my surroundings only to be more bemused by the menu. This has also been revamped, and is supposed to conjure up thoughts of Rome. Again I felt that I was being cheated into thinking something that the restaurant didn't actually live up to. For example there were only two traditional Italian style pizzas on the menu- they made a point of saying that these two pizzas were cooked in a particularly Italian fashion. (Thus implying that the others were typically English counterparts.)

The reason behind the title of this blog is that the menu and new attitude of pizza express is trying to go down the route of an honest approach with humour thrown in to keep people interested. Much like Innocence juice. However you just feel that it is so forced you can't believe that they really believe in what they have written.

For example in the passage above (featured on the menu) they suggests that their 'new menu comes from Rome. Not the Rome from postcards, but the real Rome.' They then go onto say that they have two 'Romana' pizzas on the menu - surely this doesn't justify initially saying that the whole menu is inspired by Rome. This passage is on a double page spread the facing page has a very 'touristy' picture of people enjoying themselves in Rome- not a gritty image of a true Italian going about their day to day business, as you may expect to see after such an 'honest' spiel. The whole place, including the menu contradicts itself. Unlike the innocent approach of the juice company. You just don't believe what they are saying. Even the typeface that they have used on the menu is unconvincing, it is very ridged, justified text that just doesn't fit with what they are trying to say to the consumer. They make bold statements such as 'Rome is Brash' but these are written in an odd typeface that bares no relation to anything else on the menu.

When I left Pizza Express I felt cheated. The food was fine, but the service was slow - not reflecting their name. I wanted a quick bite to eat, that was easy with no frills. They have obviously tried to go down the innocence approach to marketing but it just doesn't seem truthful. You really get the feeling that they are trying too hard to be something that they are not.

Gouranga

When I first went to Leeds I was puzzled by the appearance of 'Gouranga' on the M1 motorway bridges, I originally thought it might be advertising for a nightclub as there are flyer's and posters all around leeds for events etc, however I have done some investigating and apparently this is the reason for the repeated use of the word is as follows:

'Gauranga (Gouranga) was a nickname of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a monk in India who 500 years ago founded the branch of Hinduism that during the 20th century was brought to the west by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as the "Hare Krishna" sect).
Years ago the name Gouranga appeared on motorway bridges in the North of England and on various stickers, causing people to wonder what it was all about. It has been rumoured that the Scottish branch of ISKCON has been trying to spread the name of their spiritual ancestor through a guerilla-type campaign.' (http://www.joewein.de/sw/spam-neateye-gouranga.htm)

As I researched more into the subject of 'Gouranga' it appears that 10 years ago in Scotland everywhere was plastered in posters saying 'Gouranga' they have gradually been removed, and even though everyone seems to know about them few realise what they actually mean. So I don't know whether this is considered to be a good marketing campaign or not, the interest is there but nobody knows what they are interested in!

Shadows

Shadows have many psychological connotations, they are used by interior designers concerned with lighting to created atmosphere, but to many they are eerie, as they suggest a sense of not knowing the full story, and not being able to see everything. Many artists overlook the possibility of using shadow to create art, often they unknowingly produce work that casts very unusual shadows (sometimes more successful than the work itself). Cornellia Parkers 'Cold Dark Matter' shows how shadow can change the meaning of an object, in her 'exploded shed' toy cars cast dramatic shadows giving them a unusual deeper sense of being, as well as an unnerving exaggeration of size. There is currently an exhibition at Compton Verney that showcases artists work (many of which are contemporary artists) who's primary concern is the effect and illusion of shadow. The exhibition includes painting, sculpture and video by international contemporary artists such as Doug Aitken, Laurie Anderson, Christian Boltanski, Ceal Floyer, Mona Hatoum, Gary Hill, Tracey Moffatt, Anri Sala, Fiona Tan, Andy Warhol, William Wegman and Francesca Woodman.