MURKETING

Band logo power

Interesting fact in this Montreal Gazette review of a book called The Art of the Band T-shirt. The authors apparently interviewed a number of T designers, including Arturo Vega, who did the Ramones’ visuals. He says band T’s, or maybe T’s in general:

“are the single most important part of popular culture. People want to identify with something.” Maybe this is why Vega-designed shirts outsell Ramones albums by a factor of 10 or more.

Why kick out the jams when you can rock the T? The presidential seal remix is, after all, one of the best band logos ever.
(Thanks Dave!)

The Product Is You, No. 7

[The Product Is You is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. Previous installments here.]

This somewhat recent summation by Seventeen Magazine of who its readers are, and why advertisers want to reach them, is a model of the form. The first page panders to the marketing-world viewpoint that today’s teens are incredibly difficult to understand, practically another life form, and whatever “your idea of teens” is, it’s wrong. Then page two brushes aside the entire notion that teens are scary aliens — or at least the teens who read Seventeen aren’t. In fact, they are consumption machines. They have money to burn, and you need to get your brand in their face right away. By advertising in Seventeen, of course.

After the jump, a second ad from the same campaign further reassures potential advertisers that not only is the Seventeen reader jarringly shopping-mad, but so are her friends — and she works hard to make sure they follow her example. Read more

Pringles & Marlboros for everybody

I’ve read a slew of articles suggesting trouble for U.S. brands in non-U.S. markets, as the global opinion of America has soured in the last few years. Nevertheless, USA Today reports that consumers are “developing a taste for American-brand products” in … Iraq!

The story quotes one Baghdad resident describing the flavor of Pringles as “incredible.”

A couple neighborhoods away at the upscale Honey Market, shelves are stocked with Duracell batteries, Dove soap, Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal, and Kent and Marlboro cigarettes….

Any anti-American sentiment does not extend to commerce, shop owners said.

Via Agenda.

Cast call

Blogger Tokyo Times claims there’s a “burgeoning predilection for casts and covered body parts” as a fashion statement (or, um, something that some people find attractive) in that city. Above: “Kegadol, a book bursting at the steams with such stuff.” Maybe it’s all just a prank. Via Vulture Droppings.

Swede imagery

Coudal says: “Posters from the original Swedish releases of Ingmar Bergman’s films. Lovely collection, including many I’ve never seen before.”

Blame Gwyneth

Anya Hindmarch, designer of the cotton tote with the words “I am not a plastic bag” printed on it, which has inspired some consumers to stand in line and in a few cases knock each other down to acquire it, is sticking with her story that if the fabulous people in her customer base blare their eco-concern, the rest of us will fall in line. “There was a time when what was cool was drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes,” she tells Time Magazine. “Now it’s all healthy living, and I think fashion had a part in that–people seeing photos of models and celebrities–Gwyneth Paltrow walking around carrying yoga mats and bottled water.”

Bottled water? Wait a minute. I thought that the taste-maker set was against bottled water these days, having figured out that, among other things, discarded water bottles clog up landfills and take ages to degrade. (Just like plastic bags!) In San Francisco, ground zero of anti-plastic government efforts, the mayor has moved from banning plastic bags to barring the use of city funds to buy water in plastic bottles. And according to something I read, some restaurants there no longer sell bottled water, etc. Various articles in the press — such as this much-linked Fast Company piece — have railed against the foolishness of plastic water bottles. And so on.

Despite this, bottled water sales are robust, and now I know why. Because of Gwyneth Paltrow! Those of us down in here in, you know, the herd, we’re looking for signals from her, and last time we saw her she was loaded down with all those yoga mats and — I remember now — bottled water! She looked great, too. That’s when I gave up coffee and cigarettes and decided to get healthy. I bet you did, too.

Anyway, I guess the problem is that there’s nobody like Anya Hindmarch making really fashionable alternatives to bottled water. The Time piece mentions that Stella McCartney has a $495 cotton shopping bag on offer, and LV has one for a little over $1,700.

But who is making the high-end Nalgene alternative that celebrities can brandish? Apparently nobody.

One of these trend-leading designers needs to get it together and offer reusable water bottle that’s made of, say, platinum, and get it into some award-show goodie bags ASAP. To make sure the rest of us get the message, make sure it says, “I Am Not a Plastic Water Bottle,” on the side. Preferably in diamonds.

Related (and possibly useful, as opposed to a mere rant like the above) links:

1. Greener Penny overview of reusable plastic bottles.

2. Craftzine.com post on things to do with plastic bags.

[Time story via Agenda Inc.]

Thank you…

I am flattered to have been asked some interesting questions by some very clever people lately.

Shawn Liu, of Hear, Hear, published this Q&A recently. It was a lot of fun, and there’s a picture of my dog. Hear, Hear publishes many good interviews, and I’d particularly recommend this one with Draplin Design Co. Thanks, Shawn.

Alissa Walker, writer for Unbeige and many design publications, interviewed me right here in Savannah, with a fancy digital recorder, for Core77’s podcast. We were sitting outside, and the ambient noise is almost as entertaining as Alissa’s questions. Thanks, Alissa.

Moratorium

The following terms, whether used ironically, humorously, knowingly, or in any other manner whatsoever, are no longer acceptable:

1. Internets

2. Interweb

3. Intertubes

Please make a note of it.