This is a presentation that I gave for the Crafts Council of Ireland to a group of multi-disciplinary craft designer/makers on branding with a particular emphasis on adapting to these challenging times. I focused on social media as a cost-effective way of bringing a human dimension to a craft brand. I also focused on pop-up retail as a cost-effective way of overcoming the issue of accessibility which is a major barrier for many craft products.

1. Branding for Irish Craft
Designer/Makers
Siobhan O’Dwyer
Threesixty
November 19 2009
for the Crafts Council of Ireland

2. Let’s start
by getting
to know
each other..
(quick introductions please and what you
hope to get from today)

3. agreeing
what we
are here
to achieve…
(stepping outside of the day-to-day and into
the footsteps of our customers)

4. and how we’re going to do it!
INTRO:
• Coffee / introductions
• Quickfire trends analysis using real niche brands
• Key branding trends
BRAND STRATEGY AND CREATIVE FOR CRAFT BUSINESSES
• 10:30 – 11:15 Brand platform
• 11:15 – 11:30 Coffee break
• 11:30 – 12 Case studies
• 12 – 1 Breakout session: each group devises a very different brand strategy for the same product
LUNCH BREAK
• 2 – 2:30 Social networking
• 2:30 – 3:30 Brand Experience in a Retail Setting
• 3:30 – 4 Case study presentation: Pop-up shop
WRAPUP 4 – 4:30
• Thinking Big
• Final Q&A

5. Watch out…
Thinkpink
There’s no one-size-fits-all rule
for branding. Every so often I
will throw in a different
perspective, idea or statistic to
keep us all thinking fresh!
Watch out for the pink box…

6. So let’s take a look at some
niche lifestyle brands who
have achieved success with
clever branding strategies….

7. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
A very clear,
pioneering
market position
(ethical yet
chic) with a
clear view of
her target
customer (20 -
40 female)
www.peopletree.co.uk

8. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Who they are,
why it is
important,
external
endorsement -
all in a very
engaging
written style.

9. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
The person
behind the
business, her
values, her
lifestyle (and
style!), her
crusading
activities etc.

10. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
A blog is a
great way to
communicate
in a less formal
way.

11. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
PR (critical for
a niche brand).
Used to be
loved by the
media simply
because they
were Fair-
Trade, now
elevating
themselves to
fashion brand.

12. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
But what about traditional advertising?
Recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions
posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of
advertising, according to the latest Nielsen Global Online
Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50
countries.
Ninety percent or consumers surveyed noted that they trust
recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent
trusted consumer opinions posted online.
“The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last
couple of years means consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in
the decision-making process, either from people they know or
online consumers they don’t, has increased significantly,” says
Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the
Nielsen Company.”
Source: blog.nielsen.com

13. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Pop-up - a
cost-effective
way of
extending
distribution,
creating an
experience and
leveraging
someone else’s
brand and
community.

14. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Guerilla design
- strong graphic
style, cost-
effective
execution.

15. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Youtube: low-
cost, easy-to-
use, highly viral
if carefully
planned.
Opportunity to
“meet” the
person behind
the product.

16. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Twitter: very
simple way of
reaching high
numbers of
people very
quickly. Great
way of
promoting
events, special
offers etc.

17. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
Ethical doesn’t
have to look
ethical any
more.

18. Quickfire trends
1. Peopletree
Facebook:
interactive,
lively, visual,
makes people
feel part of
something
bigger.

19. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
Is Facebook just for kids and/or social use?
•More than 300 million active users
•50% of our active users log on to Facebook in
any given day
•The fastest growing demographic is those 35
years old and older
Source: facebook.com

20. Quickfire trends
2. Patchwork Pate
Clear market
position, strong
personality,
great name,
clarity of offer,
friendly and
interactive.
www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

21. Quickfire trends
2. Patchwork Pate
Standout
packaging with
strong shelf
appeal and
great product
names.
www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

22. Quickfire trends
2. Patchwork Pate
Ideas for how
to use the
products,
emphasising
their value and
deliciousness!
www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

23. Quickfire trends
2. Patchwork Pate
Clever use of
social media
drives traffic
back to the site
as well as
building
community.
www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

24. Quickfire trends
2. Patchwork Pate
Online and
offline reviews
are a cost-
effective form
of advertising.
www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

25. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
How can you keep an eye on what people are saying about you?
1. Addict-o-matic - Allows you to create a custom-made page to display search results.
2. Bloglines - A web-based personal news aggregator that can be used in place of a desktop client.
3. Blogpulse - A service of Nielsen BuzzMetrics. It analyzes and reports on daily trends within the blogosphere.
4. BoardTracker - A useful tool for scanning and tracking within forums.
5. Commentful - This service watches comments/follow-ups on Blog posts and similar content such as Flickr or
Digg.
6. FriendFeed Search - Scans all FriendFeed activity.
7. Google Alerts - Daily or real-time alerts emailed to you whenever a specific keyword (chosen by you) is
mentioned.
8. HowSociable? - A simple way for you to begin measuring your brand’s visibility on the social web.
9. Icerocket - Searches a variety of online services, including Twitter, blogs, videos and MySpace.
10. Keotag - Keyword searches across the internet landscape.
11. MonitorThis - Subscribes you to up to 20 different RSS feeds through one stream.
12. Samepoint - A conversation search engine.
13. Surchur - An interactive dashboard covering search engines and most social media sites.
14. Technorati - Search engine and monitoring tool for user-generated media and blogs.
15. Tinker - Real-time conversations from social media sources such as Twitter and Facebook.
16. TweetDeck - Not only a great way to manage your Twitter account, but the keyword search means you can
see what people are saying about you.
17. Twitter Search - Twitter’s very own search tool is a great resource. Can be subscribed to as an RSS feed.
18. UberVU - Track and engage with user sentiment across the likes of, FriendFeed, Digg, Picasa, Twitter and
Flickr.
19. wikiAlarm - Alerts you to when a Wikipedia entry has been changed.
20. Yahoo! Sideline - A TweetDeck-esque tool from Yahoo. Monitor, search and engage with the Twittersphere.
Source: Econsultancy via Futurelab

26. Now that we have seen some
inspiring ideas, let’s get back
to basics with how to build a
Brand Platform for you…

27. What is a Brand Platform?
It is the blueprint for your
brand, the output of a process
where you have thought about
what market position you want
to own, who you are, why you
are different, what’s important
about what you do, who loves
you and why…

28. Brand Platform
Start with your strategic objectives
1. 2.
Own a Create
Market Core
Space Difference

29. Brand Platform
Start with your strategic objectives Then get creative
1. 2. 3.
Own a Create Build a
Market Core Sticky
Space Difference Story

30. Brand Platform
Start with your strategic objectives Then get creative And finally, tell the story..
1. 2. 3. 4.
Own a Create Build a Engage
Market Core Sticky the
Space Difference Story Market

31. Brand Platform
Start with your strategic objectives Then get creative And finally, tell the story..
1. 2. 3. 4.
Own a Create Build a Engage
Market Core Sticky the
Space Difference Story Market
Visualise where you want your business to go to Creative messaging / story Create brand gameplan
Define the market you want to own Name Apply to key touchpoints
Build the story for why you should own that market
Trueline Equip sales teams & partners
State the value that you bring to your customers
Identify what is unique about you / your work Visual style
Define your core difference relative to competitors
Why is what you do important and necessary? Logo
Identify each of your key audiences and work out what is Visual branding system
most important about what you offer to each of them

32. Brand Platform
What steps should you take to
really think about what your
brand stands for and how to
bring it to life for your
customers?

33. Brand Platform
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Fact-finding Research Brand Brand Brand launch
platform development
workshop & strategy
Understand all Understand all Bring it together Build your brand Focus on generating
about you about your into a coherent strategy, evaluate awareness into the
customers, your picture of where your existing brand, long-term. No point in
competitors and you fit into the develop your brand, having a great brand
market trends market work out how to and product if nobody
apply your brand to knows about it
all the touchpoints

34. Brand Platform
How should you apply
all of this to the different
brand touchpoints?

35. Brand Platform
Rule 1:
Think about •“Noisy” market
your customers •Competitive “clutter”
•Price sensitive (?)
and the reality
•Time-poor
of their lives. •Seeing similar but
cheaper alternatives
that may be more
convenient
•Design is often a
“safer” bet than craft
•Spending less and
less time reading
traditional media
•And ?….

36. Brand Platform
Rule 2:
Think about •Friend recomendation
how to guide •Review from a trusted
source
them along a
•Endorsement
journey •Exhibition
towards you •Website
(AIDA). •Email / Facebook
relationship
•Pop-up shop
•Retail outlets
•Studio / online
purchase

37. Brand Platform
Then weave your story
through the touchpoints,
remembering that not
everyone will interact
with each one.

38. Brand Platform
Who you are How this comes to life for your customers

39. Brand Platform
Thinkbox
Product styling
is a powerful
way of
engaging with
your target
customers.

40. Case Studies
Case Studies
Time to hear from the
people who are actually
putting this into practice.

41. Breakout Session
Breakout Session
Time to get your creative hats
on and think about building a
brand strategy for…

42. Breakout Session
Breakout Session
Time to get your creative hats
on and think about building a
brand strategy for…

43. Breakout Session
•Describe the brand personality
•Describe the brand difference
•Describe the brand position in the
marketplace
•Describe the brand customer
•Create a brand look and feel
moodboard (logo, display,
packaging, graphic style, materials)
•What are the most important
touchpoints for this brand?
•Come up with creative ideas about
how the brand should come to life
through the most important
touchpoints

44. Breakout Session

45. Social Media
How can you harness the
power of social media to build
your brand…

46. Social Media
How can you harness the
power of social media to build
your brand… Blogs
Twitter
Facebook
Flickr
YouTube

47. Social Media
Blogging
Blogs are a look behind the scenes,
a great way of letting people get to
know you, what’s important to you,
what influences you, how you work New work
You making
and so on.
Your studio
Your way of life
Why is this important? Because Exhibitions & events
people buy from people with the Things that inspire
same values. This is a way of cutting
through the marketing b******!

48. Social Media
Thinkbox
Don’t be afraid
to have a bit of
fun with your
blog!

49. Social Media
Twitter
A fast, easy way of sharing
knowledge and letting your friends
and wider community know about
what you are up to. New work
New retail outlets
Awards
Events
Offers
Interests

50. Quickfire trends
Thinkbox
Twitter can
also be used to
overtly promote
your website.

51. Social Media
Facebook
An interactive and informal way
of sharing, updating and building
a community of like-minded
people. Also a powerful way of New work
You making
networking into groups that don’t
Your way of life
know about you. Exhibitions & events
Things that inspire

52. Social Media
Think carefully
about your
Facebook and
Twitter avatars.

53. Social Media
Flickr
Very effective away of bringing
work & exhibitions to life and
also driving traffic back to your
site, particularly after an event. New work
Your way of life
Exhibitions & events
Things that inspire

54. Social Media
It’s an informal
medium but
you still need to
be mindful of
your own
image

55. Social Media
YouTube
A very simple and cost-
effective way to tell your
story with great viral
potential. How you make
Launches
Exhibitions & events

56. Social Media
Low production
values are
absolutely fine
but think
carefully about
scene-setting.

57. Retail Brands
How can you bring your
brand to life in your own,
or someone else’s,
retail space? Let’s step into
the shoes of a customer and
answer these questions…

58. Retail Brands
How can
you cut
through
the clutter
and stand
out?

59. Retail Brands
How can you
create a
brand with a
strong visual
style that
resonates
with your
customers?

60. Retail Brands
Well,
that’s
one
way…

61. Retail Brands
How can you
have a
distinctive
presence in an
environment
where
everything is
displayed in a
uniform way?

62. Retail Brands
How can you
control how
people view
your work
when it is
taken out of
context?

63. Retail Brands
How can you
create theatre
while retaining
a sense of the
unique and
precious?

64. Retail Brands
How can you
communicate
your ethos,
heritage and
provenance
without being
cheesy?

65. Retail Brands
How can you
help people
picture what
your product
might look like
in their lives?

66. Retail Brands
How do you
send them
away knowing
that they got,
or will be
giving,
something
really special?

67. Pop-up Retail
Accessibility is a huge
challenge for many
designer-makers.
Could pop-up be the
answer?…

68. Pop-up Retail
Before you start, consider:
What is the commercial objective?
Who is your target customer?
Where is the right space for commercial success?
Who can you partner with?
How can you make the space & experience reflect your brand?
How can you create a PR-worthy event that will cut through to new customers?
How can you use the event to build a community / database?
Can you piggy-back to maximise publicity / footfall?

69. Pop-up Retail
Sketch at the Royal College of Art

70. Pop-up Retail
Commes Des Garcons

71. Pop-up Retail
Louis Vuitton at Commes Des Garcons

72. Pop-up Retail
Adidas

73. Pop-up Retail
Kenzo / Vacant

74. Pop-up Retail
Dover Street Market

75. Pop-up Retail
And finally, let’s look at some
topline trends that are driving
a new form of consumption (or
nonsumption)…

76. URBAN FARMING

77. URBAN FARMING
Future ecological living is going to be urban-focused. But
nonsumers have a new appreciation for the local and the
natural alongside an understanding of the spiritual importance
of connecting with Nature’s biodiversity. Here are some ideas
that bring the farm back into the city…

78. Eco-pod
A living skyscraper

79. Aquaponics
Farm in Box
A rooftop
fish pond
that grows
vegetables

80. Biosphere Farm
Futuristic kitchen garden
from Philips

81. The Bikube
An urban
beehive that
attaches to your
outer wall

82. The Eglu
A town garden
chicken coop

83. Vbites
New family-friendly
vegan fast-food
restaurant led by
Heather Mills

84. Stuwer
A vending
machine for local
farm produce

85. MULTIFUNCTIONALITY

86. MULTIFUNCTIONALITY
For people who are trying to live with less “stuff”, multifunctionality not
only makes financial sense, it makes ecological sense. Products that
are cleverly designed to perform more functions and to extend their life
will be valued. Here are some innovative designers who are
responding to this trend.

87. Vanishing
Creatures
Packaging
that turns
into a bird feeder

88. (and allows you to eat
chocolate rhinos…)

89. Solo Ora
Clock, mirror and
lamp in one object

90. Andrea
Decorative indoor
planters that filter
and purify the air

91. 1to3
A garment that
changes form
and function

92. Energy Belt
Monorail system by Iosa Ghini in Bologna,
a multifunctional structure that incorporates
a solar system and pedestrian walkway

93. Iflect
Fashion that
becomes reflective
at night for urban
cyclists

94. Solar panels shaped
like clay roof tiles

95. Trask
Low-energy LED
lighting system that
can be reshaped as
a standard lamp,
desklamp or
overhead track
lighting.

96. THE HUMAN TOUCH
A combination of factors - technology & social media, the global recession,
an appreciation of the simple way of life, a straightforward reaction to the
highly technical forms of the past 10 years - is driving a return to products
and services with a spirit of humanity.

97. Good Hotel
Guest co-creation
wall in a low
carbon hotel

98. We are scarf
Community-created
design for a design-
led fashion scarf

99. Calgary Society for
Disabilities Annual Report
Entirely written by hand on
objects bought through
fundraising efforts

100. Scott Chair
Gathers fibres from
bottoms to create a
story of all who sat in it

101. aboxlife.com
Recycled box project where
people can add to the story
of each box via a tracking
number on web/ mobile/
twitter/ flickr

102. Kinded.com
Community brand-building initiative by kindsnacks
where an act of unsolicited kindness is supported
by a card which is tracked as it travels the world

103. The Forever Story
A public online
story-telling project
to raise funds for
autistic children

104. Fabric Calendar
A slightly sinister
photographic take
on middle England

105. FUTURISTIC ECO

106. Tofu Chair
100% recyclable
breathable chair
that moulds to the
human form

107. Lanana
Shopping bag
made of folded
recycled paper

108. Philippe Starck & Ballantyne
Multifunctional ergonomic garments
made with “intelligent cashmere”

109. Ecopod coffin
It's made only of earth-friendly materials, such as
papier mache, which readily biodegrades when buried.

110. CRUSADING
COMMUNITIES
The collapse of many of the stable structures within society -
religion, global peace, the environmental health of the planet, our
financial system - is spurring the search for a new meaning in life.
Crusading brands with evangelistic qualities and genuine integrity
that allow people to gather around a common purpose will win in
this new economy.

111. Change
Obama’s use of social media united
America around a common crusade for
change

112. The Human Race
Nike united a global community around
running and tapped into running’s
spiritual qualities

113. Earthkeepers
Timberland’s eco outdoor boots were supported
by a viral tree-planting campaign and an online
community of Earthkeepers activists

114. Earthkeepers
Activist website and online
shop

115. 1010
Public campaign with a simple rallying call - cut carbon
emissions by 10% by 2010

116. 1010
Twitter page that
makes you feel part
of something big

117. LoFi
Aesthetics that are driven by content and functionality combined
with an appreciation of the hand-made and the authentic.

118. Sew Sew
Handstamped branding system by
Because Studio

119. Wolf Olins
Deceptively underdesigned website with
“elastic” pages

120. Twitter
Inclusive, easy to
use, open &
sharing ethos.

121. Blogs
Free Wordpress templates rule! The lo-fi
website that values content above all and still
allows you to express your personality.

122. Hattomonkey
Uber modern milk
packaging design that
embroidery as the graphic
device

123. CRADLE TO CRADLE
Highly innovative designs using environmentally-friendly
production processes that incorporate an ecological end for a
product when it comes to the end of its life.

124. Cradle to Cradle
Technical nutrients and
biological nutrients to
remake the way we make
things. Essential reading.

125. Sebola
Technical sportswear that is Aesthetic, Technical
and Ecological. Great brand, great ethos.

126. EcoATM
An ATM for recycling
consumer electronics

127. Bloomcard gift card
When you’re done, cover it in soil and it
turns into wildflowers

128. Are these just niche ideas
with niche appeal?

129. 83% of global consumers say they are willing to
change their consumption habits if it helps make
the world a better place to live, and 68% feel it's
becoming unacceptable not to make efforts to
show concern for the environment or live a
healthy lifestyle.
Source: Edelman global survey of 6,000 consumers, Oct 09

130. Thank you
Siobhan O’Dwyer
Threesixty
www.wearethreesixty.com