brand | *IDEAorange

Windows Phone 7 it coulda been a contender.

03-01-2012

Windows Phone 7 actually stepped outside the Microsoft box in many ways. A breakthrough product for them. But way too late for the already wowed by iPhone consumer market.

The screen concept and tile based interface along with the idea of scrolling continuously (shown below) are actually pretty impressive. The interface stands out among mobileOS’s, distinctive. But that’s where the out of the Microsoft box thinking ends.

Why in such a super competitive mobile landscape would Microsoft name their mobile OS Windows Phone 7? Simply because the culture in the organization is still stuck in the days where technology buying patterns were determined by IT departments at corporations and Windows brought you job security. Microsoft doesn’t have brand equity as an innovative company.

Apple changed the patterns when employees started saying: “I want my iPhone. Support it.” After that happened there was no looking back.

Imagine if instead of Windows Phone 7 it was called Meteora or Voxbar or E-blips? Wouldn’t that compete better with iPhone or Droid?

Some smart naming could have made the Windows Phone a contender.

Understanding a brand, managing perception.

By: Stella Gassaway, stellarvisions

08-07-2011

design

To watch more, visit tag

A wonderful illustration about managing perception. The Margaret Thatcher brand was honed and polished and culturally in tune with strategic goals. What makes it even more memorable is the execution.

Scary to see Meryl Streep channel Thatcher.

true to itself : The New Yorker.

By: Stella Gassaway, stellarvisions

15-05-2011

culture

Love this New Yorker promo! Everything about it reflects the brand.

Branding Peace again.

By: Stella Gassaway, stellarvisions

23-12-2009

technology

The WAR IS OVER! campaign was originally launched by John and Yoko on 15th December, 1969. Billboards with the inscription “WAR IS OVER! (IF YOU WANT IT) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko” were placed in 11 cities worldwide: New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Along with these billboards leaflets were distributed, posters plastered up, newspaper advertisements placed and radio announcements made.

When John was asked how much the billboards cost, he replied “I don’t know– but it is cheaper than someone’s life.”

This year Yoko Ono continued the campaign: WAR IS OVER using new social networks and technologies to solidify the brand. The original campaign used the media of that decade billboards, television, print advertising, and radio. This is the second wave. Ms Ono enlisted followers on Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and her website imagine peace. Her twitter messages encouraged followers to take additional actions facilitated by social technologies. WAR IS OVER has been a viral campaign for 40 years.

Flickr included multi-lingual posters that visitors could download and an additional site to upload photos of yourself holding the printed posters and cards. YouTube included historical video of she and John Lennon when the originally kicked off the campaign.

“Henry Ford knew how to sell cars by advertising. I’m selling PEACE. And Yoko and I are just one big advertising campaign. It may make people laugh, but it may make them think, too. Really, we’re Mr and Mrs Peace”
John Lennon