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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: SIPPING DANNY DEVITO
Schadenfreude means taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.
I always come down with a whopping case of it when the annual TippingSprung survey of brand extensions arrives on my desk.
Why? The study casts a glaring and unforgiving light on brand extensions that are weak, dilutive and ill-considered.
If I get called on the carpet for making bad decisions from time to time, why shouldn't others?
This year, however, I feared a let-down because so many of the extensions noted in the report turned out to be smart, sensible and successful; witness PetSmart PetsHotel and Food Network kitchenware, for example.
Or La-Z-Boy Outdoor furniture, PBS Blend premium coffee, Huggies Little Swimmers sunscreen and Tommy Bahama rums.
Or Blue Man Group Creativity Center and the Smithsonian collection of furniture and home decor. Pretty great, overall.
But just as despair was settling in, I stumbled, mercifully, on to my annual fix of losers.
Among them are Precious Moments funerary urns and caskets, Trump Steaks, Bumble Bee Chicken, the Ferrari Segway, Danny DeVito Lemoncello and Hooters Energy Drink.
(Hooters, by the way, has the dubious distinction of twice winning the title for "worst extension" in it's category, the previous time for Hooters Airline in 2004.)
And why anyone thought that NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon could put across a premium wines collection, I will never know.
For me, Disney Wedding Gowns remains a mystery; survey respondents love it, the logic escapes me.
Anyway, let's raise a glass of Danny DeVito — or Jeff Gordon if that's your poison — to the folks at TippingSprung, their collaborators at Brandweek and, of course, to schadenfreude.
— Gordon Kaye
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
No Waste
The United Negro College Fund has launched a branding campaign that emphasizes its memorable, three-decade-old tagline "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" by making it a highly visible part of its new logo.
At the same time, the organization has removed its full name, including the problematic term "Negro," and choose instead to give prominence to the abbreviation "UNCF."
"I see the essence of our brand identity and our logo still there," Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president of the fund, said at a press conference at Spellman College.
The logo emerges from a four-year effort involving Landor Associates, Young & Rubicam, Peter D. Hart Research Associates, McKinsey & Company and IEG, a facilitator of sponsorship deals.
Hayes Roth of the Landor design firm said that research into the old brand showed that, while the "mind" slogan was widely known, just 56 percent of people mentally connected it with the funch. To convey a sense of momentum, the old logo's torch was redrawn to add color and to have the flames furl leftward.
Reassure Me
Pantone names Blue Iris as 2008's color of the year. The color experts contend that Blue Iris best represents the color direction for the coming year in fashion, cosmetics and home products.
The hue is said to combine the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple — satisfying the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement.
"From a color forecasting perspective, we have chosen PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris as the color of the year," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
She added: "As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic."
 Bottoms Up
To promote Ocean Kayak's new kayak, Peekaboo, Hanson Dodge Creative crafted a campaign with two main concepts.
The first idea—"fun"—was realized by shooting the product from the bottom up.
The reason: what differentiates the Peekaboo from other kayaks on the market is a larger and more strategically placed viewing window.
The second idea, "togetherness," promotes paddling as a shared experience.
Media included print, web and a buyer's guide.
Credits go to creative director Jason Reimer, art director Kristel Cornell, copywriter Marc Glazer and photographer Douglas Peebles.
Pushing the Envelope
Graphic design and direct marketing professionals have a new online resource for information about the power of print in the communications process—with a special focus on envelopes envelopes.
Created by the Envelope Manufacturers Association Foundation (EMAF), the site is divided into sections such as Designers Corner, Creative Campaigns, Trends & Technologies, Eco-Friendly Envelopes and more.
"Creative professionals are using envelopes in ways never seen before and consumers are responding," says Tonya Muse, executive director of EMAF.
"Our goal is to inspire others to look at envelopes in a new way and to use them as their communications vehicle of choice." Chech it out at www.powerofenvelopes.org.
Deeper Red
In a sweeping identity transformation, Xerox has introduced a new logo which is intended to make the company more modern and approachable.
Interbrand worked with a Xerox team to develop a mark that would work as well on the web as in print, television and events.
Interbrand served as design firm. "The Internet, sponsorships, all kinds of 3D icons — none of that existed when Xerox adopted its old logo," explains Maryann J. Stump, senior director of brand strategy at Interbrand.
"And you can do animation with a symbol that you just can't do with a wordmark."
Lowercase letters were decided on because they seemed friendlier — the FS Albert font has rounded corners which make it seem less technical and more human.
And a deeper red was chosen to stand out better on the web and HDTV. The ball suggests forward movement and, says Stump, "a holistic company."
It is expected to take two years to convert all packaging, marketing materials, office stationery and signs to the new look.
 Here Hear
New York City public radio station WNYC tapped Poulin + Morris, an award-winning Manhattan design shop, to create and implement a comprehensive environmental graphics package for the station's new studios.
Currently on display are bright digital vinyl window coverings, which mask the construction underway in what will become a ground-level auditorium and performance space.
A visually kinetic graphic equalizer crosses multiple windows, and the copy plays on the words "here" and "hear." Poulin + Morris is presently creating an environmental graphics, wayfinding and donor recognition program for WNYC, which will deepen and expand upon many of the same visual themes.
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 TAKE FIVE! CAREER TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP: YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION
Is your online reputation in check? Making a good impression on the job hunt may include managing your online reputation. Half of advertising and marketing executives polled by The Creative Group said they search online for information about prospective hires. Following are five tips for creating an impressive digital footprint:
1. Stack the deck in your favor. Websites such as ZoomInfo.com allow users to post information about themselves, so consider including details about your professional involvement and qualifications on these types of forums.
2. Utilize social networking sites. Sites such as LinkedIn.com are good venues for learning about job openings and making new contacts. But be selective in who you allow into your network — potential employers who have access to your contact list may ask these professionals for referrals.
3. Share your insights. Posting your comments on industry forums or authoring online articles in your area of expertise is a smart way to reinforce your professional reputation.
4. Create your own website. A personal website showcasing work samples, your resume and testimonials is especially beneficial as many employers will want to see prior projects before arranging a job interview.
5. Be prepared to explain. If there is unflattering information about you online that you cannot remove, be prepared to offer an explanation to employers who might inquire about it.
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project basis. Please visit www.creativegroup.com.
TRENDSPOTTING
iTude
This just in: Mac users are self-satisfied, vain and perfectionist. Also creative. A recent survey of 7,500 Nielsen online consumers by internet ad network Mindset Media aimed to distinguish the personalities of Mac and PC users.
The surveyors found that Mac users feel superior — like the Mac guy in those "Mac vs. PC" commercials.
Mindset CEO Sarah Welch told age AdAge.com that Mac users regard themselves as "extraordinary."
She added: "Steve Jobs, from a design perspective, certainly, is a perfectionist, and the Mac users tend to share that trait."
Mindset found fewer cohesive traits among PC users, which makes sense since they make up the vast majority of the population but, if anything, they were more realistic, more emotionally stable and happy to work with whatever they're given.
In Your Face
Marketing budgets will increase modestly in 2008, but spending will be based on revenue and demand, according to a new Chief Marketing Officer Council survey of 800 senior marketers.
This results means that budget dollars will move away from advertising and public relations and towards customer-facing, lead and response generation — more specifically, events and trade shows, direct marketing, sales support and online marketing.
Six areas are expected to top investments: email campaign management, customer relationship management, marketing performance measurement dashboards, customer intelligence and solutions, search engine marketing and sales and marketing integration tools.
Naturally Stylish
What will the top color trends be in 2008? The Color Marketing Group, an international association of color design professionals, has an opinion backed by a 43 year track record.
Says executive director Jaime Stephens, genuine concern for the environment remains the strongest influence on the colors we'll see and buy next year.
First among CMG's predictions: People will want the things they wear and use to look "green," no matter what color they actually are.
In 2008, looking stylish means looking natural. Materials will appear hand-made, un-dyed and unbleached.
Products will look more like what they're actually made of, with lots of texture and all natural imperfections proudly showing through.
Off-whites, sandy and linen-y colors, rock and soil colors, brownish-greens — the colors of nature are seriously fashionable now.
Below the Belt?
Doritos, Dove, Toyota and Heinz have all held contests for consumer-generated advertisements.
Soon, however, such competition could end — or, at least, be curtailed and have their terms drastically altered — if sandwich chain Subway prevails in a lawsuit against its competitor Quiznos.
The lawsuit alleges that ads created by Quiznos fans, and hosted on a website owned by Quiznos, make false and disparaging claims about Subway sandwiches.
Representatives of Quiznos have responded that, since the company did not author the ads, it should not be held responsible for their content.
The trial is set to start in 2009. Consumer-generated ads are a relatively new but increasingly popular marketing genre.
Admen (and, presumably, sandwich lovers) across the country are paying close attention to this case.
Sticker Shock
As result of the stiff postage rate rise and the softening economy, First Class Mail volume declined in the first fiscal quarter of 2008, while Standard Mail, which generally makes up for a decline in First Class, also fell.
First Class, made up of personal letters, most bills, and Standard, which includes catalogs and direct mail, combined account for 94 percent of the total mail processed by the Postal Service.
More specifically, Standard mail declined by 2.6 percent to 27.7 billion pieces in the quarter and First Class declined by 3.9 percent, to 24.4 billion pieces.
Revenue was actually up slightly because of the rate increases, but it ran considerably less than forecast.
The decrease is "very, very troubling," said Glen Walker, chief financial officer for the USPS, at the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee Meeting last month.
CALL FOR ENTRIES: AMERICAN INHOUSE DESIGN AWARDS
The 2008 American Inhouse Design Awards, presented by Graphic Design USA and sponsored by The Creative Group, is now open for entries. The original and the largest showcase for outstanding work by inhouse designers, it represents a unique opportunity for design and marketing departments to be recognized by clients, colleagues and upper management. To download an entry form, please visit...
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/aida.php
ON THE WEBSITE: PEOPLE TO WATCH
The perennially popular People To Watch feature is now up on site. If you missed it in the January magazine, you can catch up at...
http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2008/01_jan/
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