Throughout history there are examples of outstanding creativity that are immediately embraced by consumers. As the popularity of the creative work grows, it’s inevitable that a marketer will come knocking at the door, looking to ride the work’s coattails to build its own brand.
For some reason, Wallace & Gromit, the beloved creation of Nick Park’s Aardman Animations, have retained their charm despite numerous efforts by marketers to make it their own. The most recent example? The Royal Mail, the British version of Canada Post. The Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps for 2010 will feature the fun-loving pair. If the images on the stamps are any indication, Christmas mailings should see an increase.
Here’s the interesting part. This co-opting of Wallace & Gromit by a mainstream British marketer does not bother me. I don’t know why, honestly.
Perhaps its just that the characters are so fun, so genuine, so animated that they remain immune to blatant attacks of commercialism. Of course, I don’t live in Britain, so perhaps other attempts have indeed sullied the W&G brand. I also know that Park has leant his unique style of claymation to marketers, including Sealy Posturpedic (the sheep) and many more. Indeed, I believe (although can’t be sure) that this is exactly how the studio got funding to create Wallace & Gromit in the first place.
How deliciously ironic.
September 2010 Archive
The W & G Brand. Stronger Than Marketing?
Data: the Next Frontier?
I don't care. I want data.
Was anyone truly surprised when wireless carriers revealed pricing plans to use Apple’s new iPads over their networks? I don’t think so. No carrier divulged their data plans until the day before the iPad was released and probably with good cause. You just need to look back at the launch of the iPhone in Canada, when Rogers published their data plans well in advance of the smartphone’s release. Potential buyers were outraged at the data cap and this prompted Rogers to create a limited-time, high-volume data plan which has since returned with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 (assuming, of course, you can actually find an iPhone).
So what’s all the fuss about data? Well, as I’ve often suggested to those who’ve asked, it’s not the phone that cost money, it’s the data plan. Take a look at my plan. I have 1GB of data usage per month; however, I never used more than 15% of it. So why not switch to a cheaper package? Well, it’s not that simple. I would lose other features that I do use and in the end, I wouldn’t save that much money. When the iPad was released, I—like many others—quite foolishly (or naively) expected that we’d be able to use these new devices on our existing data plans. Not so. I would be required to purchase an additional plan to use the iPad, even though I’m wasting 85% of my existing plan.
And so, here’s an obvious wedge for carriers to use in a fight for my monthly mobile dollar. In the past year, Canada has seen more than a few new players enter the mobile market–Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Moblic, Rogers’ own Chatr. The big telcos–Bell, Rogers, Telus–have tried to counter with discounts on voice but for me—and a growing number of subscribers, as usage trends indicate—this means nothing. I want better prices for data. And I don’t think I’m alone.
So, as stated in today’s Globe and Mail, is data the new front in the wireless war?
Geeking on Arcade Fire
Please allow me a moment to geek out.
This article is less about Arcade Fire’s latest album, The Suburbs, which is fine in its own right, and more about their experimental film created by Chris Milk. The film uses HTML5, the latest revision of the HTML web language, plus the band’s song We Used to Wait to tell an immersive story. As you watch the film, you’ll find multiple windows opening, moving and resizing to choreographed points in the song, plus custom Google maps (which should look familiar) featuring animated composites and more. It’s a great demo of both technology and people’s ingenuity.
But enough talk. Head over to www.thewildernessdowntown.com to see experience the film for yourself. One caveat: you should install Google’s Chrome browser for the best performance.
