A playful twist for a (previously) dull passage

I’ve been writing my blog for 6 years and I have never praised projects that I have led (at least not until today). However, on November 2020 while Greece is experiencing the second phase of a lockdown, I had the honor to receive a Platinum distinction in the Event Awards 2020 organized by Boussias Communications for the project “The First Interactive Under Passage in Greece”. I felt that amidst these tough times, this is the right moment to write about this case and highlight the significance of brand experience as we navigate through Covid19. Let me break down for you, why I believe this is a particular good story to share.

In early 2019, I took the courage to propose to my manager an idea to revamp an underground passage in the city I grew up. Why does it take courage to propose something like this?  There are numerous reasons but let me provide my top 5: A. It needs a good amount budget B. You face the risk that the project gets vandalized C. Initiatives like this are often mistaken for CSR actions and not perceived as brand initiatives (ie. there is a weak brand role in the renovation) D. It is almost impossible to hit the right balance between a branded intervention (which also included a high risk of vandalism) and a restoration that cannot be attributed to a brand (ie. this is nice but we don’t know that OPAP did it) E. Collaborating with the Public Sector can be long and cumbersome. Even one single reason of these, could have discouraged us and force us abandon the idea.

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A playful twist for a (previously) dull passage

Breaking the clutter – the two angel debate

Have you noticed to how many ads you are exposed everyday? From TV spots in lengthy commercial breaks, to skippable ads and pop up banners, advertisers go fiercely after our valuable attention. They aim for message reach, they want to maximize click through rates and conquer top of mind awareness for their brands. In this struggle, marketers set KPIs, follow metrics and peruse market research studies in an endless (and probably vain) race.

But wait a minute… Let me slightly rephrase the sentence above: “Advertisers go after our valuable attention, mainly while we are in front of a screen.” What happens when we are off-screen?

 – “You can’t measure that!” says the online communications angel sitting on the right shoulder.

– “It is when you are off-screen where amazing happens!” says the offline communications angel sitting on the left shoulder.

I guess professional photographer Joanna Skiftou, listened to the last angel and decided to snail mail me (yes you heard that right!) two printouts with a small sample of her portfolio to my office address. Since we haven’t physically met before, but we were only connected on LinkedIn, I quickly figured out that she preferred to quickly google search my office address and post me a small but distinctive sample of her work instead of sending me a digital message with her full online portfolio. She decided to proceed with a traditional mail so that the prospect pauses and considers her extraordinary sample of work. Why did I like it? Because the communication was super targeted (to a marketing professional, during working hours time slot) and because she used an alternative uncluttered channel. In this way, she achieved literally to come in touch with her work, breaking the overwhelming digital clutter.

Going offline when everyone else is online can work truly well.

What are you planning to do differently, in the environment we operate today?

Breaking the clutter – the two angel debate

Product Experience in a NON Digital World

Much ink has been spilled over the term product experience when it comes to apps, high tech gadgets, mobile phones or automobiles. Marketers and product managers try to create this extra value of a product or service in order to shift positively customer perceptions as they use the products in order to get ahead of the competition. Customization, personalization, intuitive user interface, human centric design, usability etc. are coming first in mind to the makers of services and high-end products. But what does it take to create a unique product experience when it comes to a relatively simple category like ice-cream?

Nestle Pirulo Jungly – engaging product experience

Well Nestle with Pirulo Jungly had a blast on me, when I watched my son literally peeling a banana shaped ice-cream in the same way he would have done with an actual banana. An amazing sensory design hack, which made the product experience unique for a young kid. It’s easy to debate for hours on worth mentioning examples of successful product experiences in complicated products or services, but having such unique product experiences in the ice-cream product category is pure genius.

Any other example of a unique product experience when you least expect it?

Product Experience in a NON Digital World

On Naming Your (Soap) Product

Nowadays, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, we wash our hands several times a day. Since I was looking for a milder alternative for washing my hands, I drew some Marseilles soap bars from the cupboard, which I had purchased from France some time ago.

Marseilles_Soap_Bars

While smelling their scent for picking one of them, I noticed that the names were not descriptive but rather conceptual: Je t’aime, Masculine, Nuit d’Orient.

Amidst negative news on the virus, even while just reading the soap names, I experienced for an instance a warm feeling. I believe it is a great idea, to tie your product name with the feeling you want people to have when using it. Product names should indeed create positive associations and evoke an emotion. Naming your product in the right way, can build a story that affects how customers perceive the value of it.

Stay home, stay safe, stay calm and wash your hands.

On Naming Your (Soap) Product

Vans – Staying consistent and true pays off

On Tuesdays, I walk after work to my Tai Chi class at Psyrri neighborhood in Athens. As I walk through some of the oldest neighborhoods in the Greek capital, I wind down and get myself mentally ready for the class. During a walk few days ago, I noticed something different adjacent to BIOS bar located at Piraeos street that had not been around previously. There were some people chilling on the pedestrian street, who seemingly belonged to the same “tribe”. I quickly figured out they were all somehow related to skateboarding. The rather “rough” signage outside BIOS signaled that this is an event by the Vans brand. For those who are not familiar, Vans is a manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, based in California.

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Vans – Staying consistent and true pays off

Marketlikes – L’édition parisienne

Paris, France. The city of love, the city of lights, the city of fashion. Whatever you call it… you are probably right. Paris est magnifique!

However, very few talk about the retail in Paris. By retail, I do not necessarily mean the top notch Champs-Élysées fashion windows, but rather the great merchandising and retail practices you meet in many shops in the French capital. If you work in retail, you would better take a closer look at Paris, since things there are getting vibrant.

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Marketlikes – L’édition parisienne