Adventures in Candyland

I know I am always harping on the importance of good branding and design, but it’s only because I know it makes such an important, though sometimes subconscious, impression in people’s minds when they are choosing which product or service to use.  They don’t say “it’s all in the marketing” for no reason.

Case in point: Pangea Organics – body care products sold at stores such as Whole Foods.  Pangea Organics was a winner of the Business Week’s Annual Design, Catalyst Award, which measures commercial market success for well-designed products.  I go to Whole Foods (yes, very expensive but in my opinion, no better marketing experience exists – and I mean that in marketing and in buying food) probably twice a week.  I often make it into the vitamin and grooming area, and only recently did I notice these Pangea Organics products – they don’t look as though they belong in a health food store.  Every time I walk by, I come closer to buying them, primarily because they look cool and designey (is that a word?) and they are organic (obviously) – the products meet my standards in a number of ways.  I know that may sound ridiculous to some, but it is true.  Fortunately for Pangea Organics, I’m not the only one who feels that way.  Business Week states that once the company redesigned the product packaging, revenues tripled.  Though some of the other organic products I see are ok, and some are so not (still packaging for the granola bunch), this brand keeps bringing me back and I know I will buy something one of these days.

Does your brand and the design that surrounds it draw customers in like this one does?

In part two, I’m going to talk about another Business Week Design Award winner, Eclipse Aviation.  Check it out….

In May, I read a profile about the Development Events Director at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA, Vanessa Gonzalez.  I was impressed by the sheer number of events she produces on an annual basis, and her creativity in planning those events.  So I was glad to see her as a panelist in one of the sessions at an events industry conference we attended last month.  Her passion about the events she plans was pretty inspiring, and I hadn’t been to MOCA in quite some time, so I thought I would check out one of their events.

Last Saturday night Limor and I headed downtown with our husbands to MOCA Nightvision, the seventh in a series of ten Saturday night summer events at the museum.  We got there on the early side and were disappointed by what we thought was a small turnout.  But by the time we left around 10:30 the place was packed with probably 500-600 people.

We started the night with dinner from the cafe (nothing special) while we listened to the live DJ.  Then we walked around the galleries (I loved the MOCA Focus exhibit of Alexandra Grant) and stumbled upon an interesting spoken word performance by Ruben Martinez in one gallery.  Then we went back outside for drinks and to listen to the live musical performance by Busdriver, who we loved.  Finally, we all collaborated on an art project at the workshop area, which we found very therapeutic.

There are three Nightvision events left, and if you are in LA and haven’t been, you should check it out.  In a city where you often have to scratch the surface to find some culture beyond Posh & Becks, it was refreshing to experience it on an average Saturday night, in jeans, for about $8 and with hundreds of other, mostly young folk.  Kudos to Vanessa!

And we still had time for Pinkberry!  (but that’s a whole nuther post…)

Is anyone else sick of celebrities?  Of course, I used to check out perezhilton.com everyday, that was until I started my own business.  Now, I barely have time to read my email let alone pay attention to what some rude, blobby gossiper has to say about self-obsessed people who believe what they have to say is more intellectual and insightful than Pulitzer Prize winners.  Umm…hello, Tom Cruise. But, even if I did have the time, I wouldn’t spend it reading about someone leaving the Ivy.  

I only bring this up because I opened the LA Times online one night last week, and the first thing I see is Posh and Becks.  You know, the two platinum Brits who are being fawned over by the entire city of LA. Boy, is this a superficial city (not like that’s a shock or anything).  But, can these two really love each other?  Is it possible?  Or are they just two marketing entities that work together to produce this odd pop star/athlete money-making combo.  I mean how can he love her really – she always looks pissed off.  Ironically, she probably thinks she looks chic.  

I don’t know…I guess I just feel like celebrity culture is so oversaturated and its overrun people’s individuality.  That’s why it frustrates me when clients are so interested in getting their products to and on celebrities.  They think it’s the only way to get their product noticed and purchased.  I know it helps, but there are other ways that don’t have you begging some high school dropout to say they like your product. 

I know and hope it’s only a matter of time before people will flip again and they’ll decide they like something because they like it, not because some drug-addled, pregnant, anorexic girl does.

A few weeks ago Lauren wrote about the Mean Green Media Machine and pondered whether the current eco-craze is being perpetuated by the media and will turn out to be a fad, or if we are in fact becoming a “greener” society.  Since then, we have read countless articles about all things green, worked on an event to raise money for an environmental cause and attended a conference that included sessions about planning green events.  And we have had several conversations about the inconsistencies that still exist in the media about these issues.  Here’s one small example we recently experienced:

We went to a conference for event planners last week that was produced by the publisher of events industry news magazines.  After a session about the greening of events that featured a presentation by an NRDC board member, a conference organizer told us that in an attempt to be a greener event, they would not distribute any handouts during the day.  He received a round of applause.  At lunch, we found it interesting when we went downstairs to the event’s lounge-area that was decorated with about 200 mylar balloons.  Here’s what the Balloon Council, a coalition of balloon manufacturers and distributors, says about mylar balloons:  “Mylar balloons are made with mylar nylon, a material developed for use with the US space program. Balloons made from mylar are often coated with a metallic finish and are available in a variety of shapes and imprinted designs. Mylar balloons are not classified bio-degradable and should not be released.”

It can be tough to know how serious some of the media is about all this environmental stuff.  It can sometimes seem like perhaps they are jumping on a bio-diesel bandwagon.  But here’s an eco-friendly promotion that makes sense.  WIRED has teamed up with LivingHomes to create the first WIRED Home.  Its high tech and low impact.  And its coming to L.A. this Fall.  We’re hoping to check it out to see if its the real deal or just part of the Mean Green Media Machine.      

So Friday I was walking down Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and you couldn’t help but notice this gargantuan line that went for like five street blocks. In fact, I didn’t even see where it ended so I have no idea how long it really was, but the people in it looked pretty exhausted, slouching in their lawn chairs or even laying in sleeping bags??  What were so many people waiting for?  But of course, the iPhone.   It began selling at 6pm on Friday and obviously people were very anxious to be the first to own this little treasure. 

Now, I know people love them some Apple.  I mean the iPod is one of the best inventions of the century if you ask me and millions of others, so I guess I kinda understand why they would want to be the first to try this sleek sucker out.   But, once again I must play the contrarian and ask is a new cell phone that sells for $500 worth sleeping on the concrete for?  Especially since the phone is probably going to improve dramatically over the next few years.  Apparently the early adopters who probably love waiting in line for these things just so they can bond in the same way Trekkies and Star Wars freaks do, are giving it mixed reviews – well they seem more bad than good if you check out CNET.

I don’t know.  Maybe I’m just jealous because I can’t have one.  What’s up with that Verizon???