British Airways x London 2012 Olympics Advert

I just watched this British Airways spot by BBH London

In this ad, different bags from different airlines are 'racing' to the finish, a lighthearted way to show British Airway's affiliation with the London 2012 Olympics.

I'm such a fan of the emotions that come out of this ad, from the anxiety building sports commentators from across the world to the innocence of the little girl on the airplane with headphones around her head and a skip-hop when she gets to roll away with her luggage before everyone else.

And in terms of a social media aspect, negative commenters are not being ignored, and instead being answered by a community manager. 

Tim Brown on Design Thinking

 I just finished watching Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, share his thoughts on urging designers to think bigger.

I wrote down a couple notes that I found interesting/inspiring:

"By focusing on a single design, I was being incremental, not having much of an impact"

Design has become a tool of consumerism

Basic ideas

• Design is human centered
• It starts with what humans need, might need
• What makes life easier? Technologies
• Prototypes speed up the process of innovation, from those we can understand strengths and weaknesses

What about the destination? Primary objective is not consumption -- instead it is participation. The shift from a passive relationship from consumer produver to the active engagement of everyone.

Why design thinking?

Gives us a new way of tackling a problem. We are able to take a divergent approach, taking new approaches to problems and creating solutions we've never thought of before.

So what's the design brief?

Get the process out of just designers, get the questions to the communities. By focusing on systems we are able to have a bigger impact.

Hunch Insights

Random Thought.

I feel as though, when I'm a-strategerying that i'm not going 'deep enough' (a la Inception). Simmons, Social listening tools, and focus groups can only go so far... What can I do to understand humans in a primitive and reactive sort of way?

Shopping Sprees vs. Stockpiling: Women and Men Shopping Habits

Photo credit (nytimes)

I just read this NYTimes article titled "Men Shop in Bulk". The article sheds light on the fact that men tend to stockpile when they shop versus for the experience. Men typically buy a lot of what they like at a time whereas women generally shop to relieve stress, as an impulse, or just for enjoyment.

What an interesting insight! It may seem like an obvious assumption that men shop with a utilitarian or time saving mindset, but the magic lies within the brand applications from this derivative. There is much to be said on where clothing brands can position themselves.

Levi's does exceptionally well with 21-25 year old males and the brand is positioned as "American", "Original", "Classic". Men typically are not trend-finders; a well tailored suit, a classic pair of jeans will last longer in the wardrobes of men. For women, so many different options of headbands, platform vs. stiletto heels, jewlery.

Nick Wooster, Nieman Marcus' Men's Fashion Director, claims that men looking to qualify their wardrobes need only to buy quality basics (A great suit, or a solid cashmere sweater). Brands looking to advertise or communicate to this male crowd should cleverly fight for the stake to position themselves as original, long-lasting, and make the experience quick. Men deem much more likely to grocery shop and pant shop in the same day whereas women enjoy the feeling of shopping, and craft the experience with their day to associate with 'feel good' stimulations.

Of course there are many factors like price, availability and convinience, but men to not tend to try different types of clothing once they have found a brand they find reliable -- and positioning a brand to be making quality over making multiple styles seem to resonate much more with this demographic.

I can only imagine how the brain biologically trains men and women to complete tasks differently. Does the satisfaction women get from shopping satisfy a desire for feeling good (scoring a great deal, looking great in a pair of jeans) versus men's shopping satisfies a desire to complete a task (buying socks after buying eggs at a grocery store)?