Evita Bezuidenhout (played by South African satirist Pieter Dirk Uys) is a character created originally to mock society in the white ruled days in South Africa. the character allowed him to mock and taunt the government. The character has lived on as he still mocks the political world in South Africa.
I thought when someone sent me a link to a new Nandos (the chicken fast food chain) form South Africa that he was "selling out" and going for cash by getting involved in ads. However, as the ad shows, he has still managed to get a barb in at the nature of the political landscape in the country.
It is funny and pointed at the same time! Also interesting to see a client being bold enough to make a political and selling statement in one!
(In case you are not up on the political world in South Africa the main political party is the ANC)..
Watch the ad on YouTube: click here
or on the blog posting:
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE SECOND LIFE OF YOUR PACKAGING...
I was very taken today by a concept about how to re-think your approach to packaging during a visit with Fabrice Peltier of P'Reference design in Paris.
This engaging, passionate man who has a packaging gallery/ shop on the ground floor of his studios called Design Pack Gallery with exhibitions that change monthly (often accompanied by books he writes on the topic of the exhibition) is very inspiring - and thoughtful.
His simple premise is: think about the 2nd life of your packaging.
He challenges as lazy the thinking, and even sees it as an opt-out, the notion of recycling and recyclability of materials! What he argues is that you should think about how your packaging itself can and should have a second life.
So examples could be:
- turning it into other products (using bottles to make candle sticks etc) - this is of course interesting but more limited
- making the packaging the product. So he had examples of lamps that were actually the pack itself sold on shelf.
- the outer pack (often thrown away) becoming the primary or playing a role after open (such as a washing powder box that looks like a small washing machine so you can refill and see how much product is left through the window of the "machine")
- the pack becomes something meaningful. Such as a box holding alcohol that included a bulb and plug so it became a lamp
I found the concept of thinking about the 2nd life of packaging thought provoking and big. Do you?
If in Paris his exhibitions and small bookshop are worth visiting.
This engaging, passionate man who has a packaging gallery/ shop on the ground floor of his studios called Design Pack Gallery with exhibitions that change monthly (often accompanied by books he writes on the topic of the exhibition) is very inspiring - and thoughtful.
His simple premise is: think about the 2nd life of your packaging.
He challenges as lazy the thinking, and even sees it as an opt-out, the notion of recycling and recyclability of materials! What he argues is that you should think about how your packaging itself can and should have a second life.
So examples could be:
- turning it into other products (using bottles to make candle sticks etc) - this is of course interesting but more limited
- making the packaging the product. So he had examples of lamps that were actually the pack itself sold on shelf.
- the outer pack (often thrown away) becoming the primary or playing a role after open (such as a washing powder box that looks like a small washing machine so you can refill and see how much product is left through the window of the "machine")
- the pack becomes something meaningful. Such as a box holding alcohol that included a bulb and plug so it became a lamp
I found the concept of thinking about the 2nd life of packaging thought provoking and big. Do you?
If in Paris his exhibitions and small bookshop are worth visiting.
Friday, September 11, 2009
There is wisdom in what Paris Hilton says...scary
I never expected to hear a phrase from Paris Hilton that I thought would be very meaningful. But recently she said "life is too short to blend in". She was talking about dressing to stand out and be noticed.How right she is! As a brand and marketers, you need to remember just that. You need to stand out and not blend in. You need to challenge the norms.
So even in a store, maybe all your competition are in bold bright colours, or all black. To stand out maybe you should be pastel and light. Think about how you dress up your brand packaging, point of sale and ads: life is too short to blend in. If you do you may both metaphorically and literally disappear....
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