In this week’s Round-Up we are discussing ill-advised logos, digital transformation, and the very public fallout of Elon Musk’s tweets.
Taste the transformation
Source: Coca Cola
It may be the real thing, but it looks like Coca-Cola is incorporating augmented reality into their latest brand strategy. This came to light earlier this week as the soft drink company shared plans for its digital transformation.
Speaking to a full house at the Adobe Symposium held in Singapore, the Vice President of Digital Transformation for Greater China and Korea, Mariano Bosaz, detailed the four-point digital change being implementing to the brand.
The four focal points of the transformation are as follows:
- Experience transformation – to enhance the overall experience for customers.
- Operational transformation – to use data and technology to improve internal process and speed to market.
- Business transformation – to combat against outside elements such as competitors.
- Cultural transformation – to further touch consumers’ hearts and minds.
The Coca-Cola Company has long been a pioneer in terms of both business and advertising so, FMCG or not, we are sure that many brands will be waiting to see what will come of this exciting transformation.
Time to evolve your ads
Source: Kantar Media
The verdict is in and it looks like long advertisements are out. That’s according to The Drum, who are taking a lengthy look at the time it takes for advertisers to engage consumers. While the latest trends are showing an increased affiliation with shorter, more ‘snackable’ content pieces – the road to snappy storytelling is not always smooth.
Head of Planning at BBH Singapore, Thomas Wagner, is apprehensive of the shorter form. He believes focusing on such a short piece of content could be a “missed opportunity for marketers who are looking for the kind of fame we know longer format ads can deliver.”
On the other hand, Adam Singolda, founder of content firm, Taboola, believes that though snackable content is the way forward, how we measure the engagement of that content must evolve too.
“Right now the metric is completion rates, but obviously six-second videos get completed more compared to 30-seconds. It doesn’t mean it’s better all the time though. That should be a work in progress for the industry, brands, publishers, and platforms.”
Burberry goes bold
Source: Burberry
Change isn’t easy for anybody, and multi-billion dollar British fashion houses are no exception to the rule. Earlier this month, under the newly appointed Chief Creative Officer, Riccardo Tisci, Burberry unveiled its brand new logo. The collaborative effort born from Tisci and renowned graphic designer, Peter Saville, has lost the knight, added a country, and reworked the typeface to a bolded Sans Serif.
If you think that this revamp sounds a bit boring, you are not alone. The new logo has been met with extremely mixed reviews, with ‘basic’ being among the descriptive words of choice.
But, aside from actual aesthetic opinion, the logo is coming into more issues. While Tisci and Saville may have hit the nail on the head when it comes to simplicity, it could be at the brand’s expense. Concerns have been raised that, in its simplicity, the logo has become much easier for bootleggers to imitate.
Globally, the sale of counterfeit handbags is already a multi-billion dollar industry; will Burberry’s bold new logo add even more fuel to that fire?
Bee the change
Source: Bermondsey Street Bees
As we embark on what could be the beginning of the extinction of many species of bees, the world finally starts to take notice. And, better still, action. Case in point, the latest campaign collaboration from Bermondsey Street Bees and creative agency, Imagination.
The aptly named #BeeCause presents itself as an immersive public installation in a London green space, aiming “to raise awareness of the vital role bees play in human survival and provoke action among Londoners to help save bees via planting.” This hexagon-shaped haven is filled with flora from local London suppliers. It will be used to host talks discussing the current urban bee issue and make plans on how to help solve it.
Twitter happy
Source: CNBC
Talk is cheap, but tweets, at least for Elon Musk, can cost a whole lot. That’s after the business magnate and Tesla CEO recently posted on the social platform that he is not only considering taking Tesla private but that he already has “funding secured” for the operation.
This statement, naturally, sent stock values into overdrive, with a 10% jump followed closely by a 5% drop. To what end? None it would seem. Since this very public announcement, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an investigation into Musk’s funding claim and it has come to light that there may not be any truth behind the CEO’s statement
So what’s in a tweet? Quite a lot, at least according to Harvey Pitt, the former Chairman of SEC – if Musk does not, in fact, have funding secured, he could face civil and criminal penalties.
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