Have you ever worked on bringing a product to market that was based on a formulation, product, or system that is already successful in the market? Almost everyone has. Market demand forces supply,  and before you know it,  your sales reps are begging for a product just like “X.”

We at MSLK believe it’s how you handle this situation that is the critical difference. Will you saddle right up to your competition with another “Me Too” product?  Or will you learn the essence of what consumers find so appealing, and offer them an alternative that is uniquely yours?

This is where we as outsiders can help. Often, fresh eyes are required to find the essence of appeal and to notice the patterns in the market.  We can help you zig while others are zagging.  It requires a step backwards and asking “stupid questions” that your internal team may be afraid to ask or has long since decided to take as givens.

There are many steps to a successful brand positioning, but here are two crucial stages that MSLK uses time and time again.

1. A competitive set analysis (the diagnosis)
2. Defining a unique position (the solution)

Stage 1 involves getting out and looking at the competitive space. It’s amazing what you can see when you simply put images of your competitors’ offerings side by side. Our team looks for patterns and for best practices.

So if you were looking to launch a new line of naturally formulated beauty products, we might show you a shelf set of all the hundreds of green plastic packages out there.  Then we might challenge you:  Why launch your product in yet another green plastic package when there are so many opportunities to use post-consumer recycled content or plastic alternatives?  We believe there is a reason for Pangea’s break-out success, which is certainly attributed in part to their innovative paper-pulp packaging and unique style.

Stage 2 involves documenting these opportunities to zig while others are zagging. These collective opportunities become the framework for your unique positioning and are often documented in a Creative Brief.

We used this process extensively during our work repackaging Wigwam socks. We saw throngs of blue-and-silver “cold” packages touting socks for snow sports, so we chose to package ours in red and focus on warmth.

We also found many competitors used product photography which quickly looked dated, so we chose to focus on the emotional strengths of illustration to not only set Wigwam apart, but also to establish their Native American, 100% Made in the USA heritage.

As you can see, Stage 2 can really only be achieved by your creative team with the aid of Stage 1, which is why Pattern Recognition is crucial. I’ll be exploring this topic in detail on a panel entitled Pattern Recognition 101: The Importance of Identifying Trends at
the HBA Conference September 30th at 11 am.

Ironically, Stage 1 is often the stage that is most overlooked, which is why there are  opportunities for your brand to break out. If you and your team are jumping into the creative without these steps, you’ll end up going back to look at your competitive analysis at some point anyway because those sluggish sales figures will be staring you in the face.  This is why we highly advocate taking the time to look at the patterns from the start.

If you’d like to join me at the HBA, please register here and use priority code: GPSZ  to save 30% off any HBA Conference Pass and to get a FREE Exhibits Pass to HBA Global Expo and the Spa & Resort/Medical Aesthetics Expo.

What does it take to launch a fashion line these days? During New York’s Fashion Week, Nolcha’s Beyond the Runway competition has emerged as a solid platform and a reputable outlet for launching top-tier designers from around the globe.

As MSLK digs deeper into the world of social media campaigns, it seems that time and time again we are discovering our clients have the same challenges. Small companies see social media as an exciting opportunity, yet quickly become overwhelmed by the variety of media platforms. It may seem like one needs a bottomless pit of time commitment to enter the arena. On the other hand, larger companies who have ample resources to maintain these platforms struggle to let go of their carefully crafted brand image and to open up to the more relaxed format. Larger companies need to learn how to have a casual voice. By doing so, they will invite the maximum customer engagement.

In both cases, the majority of our clients are already convinced that they need a social media platform and marketing arm. They see the benefits, they’ve been worn down by the hype, but they are still struggling with the what, where, and how.

To some degree, their concerns are valid. In social media, content is king. It’s one thing to set up these platforms, but the true cost and commitment is in maintaining them. There are two levels to this effort, the active daily maintenance and the overall strategic planning for this content to ensure your efforts remain on track. MSLK helps our clients do both.

In creating a comprehensive social media program, we look at your goals.  We determine the features that need to be included in your social media platforms and the content that will populate it.

For features, this may include things such as polling software, platforms for fans to upload personal photos, or mailing list captures. We then ensure you have content strategies to activate those techniques. What kinds of polls will you run throughout the year? What photos will fans be uploading? Perhaps we will create a contest like the recent Matrix Mannequin Mania to encourage uploading. These are the tactics that engage fans and that engagement builds virally to their friends and contacts as well.

We’ll also look at the types of articles, tidbits about your brand, and special offers you post throughout the year. What aggregate message will be established? What are you training your customers to think of and associate with your brand?

Because blogs, and now Facebook and Twitter feeds, are index-able, this messaging becomes equally important from a search engine optimization standpoint. Especially if you are a small company, these regular bits of content you are posting and control become important tools for establishing threads for how you can be found online.

As your company grows, we also listen. What key phrases are consumers using most often when they talk about your brand? These phrases should be incorporated into your strategies as well, online and off.

In my upcoming panel discussion at the HBA Global Expo this September 28th at 2:30 pm, I will be exploring the topic of  social media marketing plans further. My presentation, Social Media: Marketing For the 21st Century, will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities within this process.  I’ll then explore five strategies you can use to kick-start your own social media presence.

If you’d like to join me, please register here and use priority code: GPSZ  to save 30% off any HBA Conference Pass and to get a FREE Exhibits Pass to HBA Global Expo and the Spa & Resort/Medical Aesthetics Expo.

Our website, www.mslk.com, is cited in the current issue of How Magazine in an article entitled, “The Marketing-Smart Website” written by Ilise Benun. The article gives examples of what to do — and what not to do — for designers setting out to redesign their site. Our site’s innovative and sorting features were given the following compliment:

“There are 90 examples of work in the portfolio section of MSLK.com, but it’s not overwhelming because visitors can sort by medium or industry category to find what they’re looking for. Mouse over any thumbnail and it automatically enlarges and identifies the image.”

We’re so pleased that we’re being recognized for this feature. After all, it was the main concept that our whole site was built around: giving the user a wide sampling of our work, and the ability to sort and refine.

That feature, combined with our site’s videos, continues to receive compliments from clients, potential clients, designers, and colleagues alike.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE4lqYzS2m0

In today’s multi-media extravaganza, it’s hard to get anyone exited about one of the world’s oldest mediums, paper. However we at MSLK don’t think that paper has lost it’s place just yet, in fact, we believe that the true presence and importance of paper as a tactical impression you can touch, engage with and hold onto is even more important in this new world of virtual gratification.

Of course the costs and permanence of something paper based makes it even more of a commitment when putting ink to paper, but that type of thinking isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a more eco-friendly behavior than the careless printing of years past.

We are encouraging our clients to think twice about printing and print either only essential elements, driving customers online for more info and/or printing wonderful keepsake items that can serve as long term brand advocates for the experience of your brand.

So what creates an experience in print? It’s a gut reaction you have the minute that piece touches your hands. From the feel of the paper, to the messaging you are greeted with, to the experience of unfolding and unfurling the contents. Like holding a child for the first time, it is a beautiful gift and fête accompli.

To get inspired on the wide possibilities and wonderful experience paper has to offer we suggest catching a glimpse at “Between the Folds,” a new documentary chronicling the stories of ten fine artists and theoretical scientists who have carved out for themselves unconventional lives as modern–day paper folders.

Their paths to paper folding converge on the ancient art of origami. The film follows them as they demonstrate both the science and the art of transforming a 2D medium into new and fascinating 3D art forms and experiences. They even ponder, what can the permutations for paper teach us about science at large?

I for one look forward to being inspired by the possibilities.

A new trend in advertising has hit the streets, though it’s tough to say whether it’ll catch. QR codes — a digital barcode common in Japan — are meant to be decoded by smartphones, so an advertiser’s special offers, promotions, or (in the case of Calvin Klein) their NC-17 commercials can be seen.

It’s an interesting technology whose sole purpose is to engage audiences in new ways. Rather than simply being part of the background noise of the urban landscape, you’re required to act.

Barcodes are nothing new, and there are still very innovative uses of them. In NYC, it seems that most people have smartphones, though I’m not sure if that is the same for the rest of the country.

Passing fad, or new reality of advertising? Below I’ve taken a look at some of the recent trends…

QR codes are indeed popping up everywhere: magazines, subways, postcards, and billboards. Usually they act as a value-added bonus to the ad, sort of a special offer at the end that looks like an afterthought. In theory, you see it, shoot it (scan it) and are given access to something you couldn’t see before.

However, the new Calvin Klein billboard on Houston street in NYC reverses this by placing the emphasis on the QR code itself with the headline “GET IT UNCENSORED.” Not exactly subtle, yet not exactly unexpected from that advertiser either— especially at that location, where CK has been holding court as the provocateur for decades. And the payoff for actually seeing the ad? You can see it here and judge for yourself.

The field for QR innovation appears to be wide open, given that the codes leave enough room for design that does not need to be decoded first.

Here’s a quick scan (pun intended) of what’s out there:

Artist Pedro Morales Creates Handmade Art for Interactivity
His “Puras Flores” is artwork made from fabric and floral forms to create large-scale QR codes.

Japanese Company Folli Follie Uses QR Codes as Window Art

Hair Salon Uses QR Codes in Storefront as Art and Promotion for Discounts
DC’s Axis Salon has their codes link to YouTube videos of beauty icons, along with coupons for discount services.

Louis Vuitton and Artist Takashi Murakami Partner for Custom QR Code
Created by Japanese ad firm SET, the project is mostly just to promote other work the two companies have done together, and it’s the first time that the artist’s work has been interactive.

McDonald’s Uses QR Codes to Tag Food With  Nutrition Information
Again, only in Japan… for right now.

These are just some of the innovative ideas that can be done with this new technology. Need some fresh innovative ideas of what can be done for your brand? MSLK has a whole bunch of great ones we’d love to try out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiHQbcxgjOs

This fall during Fashion Week, MSLK will be judging the Nolcha Beyond the Runway competition to discover and support the industry’s next hot up-and-coming designer. During the competition, 50 independent designers from around the world will put on a traditional runway show featuring their personal collections. These shows will run over the course of three days during the traditional 7th on 6th tent shows. The focus of the event is to give these designers exposure to press, buyers, and industry figures in the New York fashion market.

The will be the 9th annual Beyond the Runway competition organized by the leading fashion business consultancy, Nolcha. The Nolcha platform helps fashion designers via educational workshops and events. As a judge, MSLK will be helping the Nolcha team determine which of the contest participants shows the most potential to launch a viable business.

The winner of the competition will receive an entrepreneurship accelerator package that is aimed at growing the fashion designer’s career beyond the runway. This package will include online retail placement on LooseButton.com, a profile on GlobalFashionBrands.com, as well as legal, accounting, and brand design services.

We look forward to this great opportunity to help give back to the fashion design community and to help designers understand what it takes to launch a successful brand in today’s highly competitive market.

Personally, I will be looking for brands which serve a niche demographic and designers who are able to create a unique point-of-view and style that their market will find appealing. A highly targeted and narrowly focused position will make it easier to break out and make a splash on the fashion scene. This will ultimately help the designer with brand positioning, messaging, PR, and retail strategies.

MSLK will certainly be participating in the shows and parties around this event. If you are attending or want to join us, please let us know!

These days many people are visiting websites from their mobile devices. As we become as completely untethered and free to roam the internet at will, customers are checking emails and Googling key phrases as soon as the mood strikes.

Is your website ready for their call?

Apple’s iPhone captures the largest percentage of mobile users, and with the launch of the latest iPhone and iPad, we can only expect those numbers to increase. What does that mean for you? It means that any Flash technology on your website won’t be visible on a mobile device. To read my previous thoughts on why Apple isn’t playing friendly with Flash you can read this article here.

MSLK has been feeling the effects of new challenge for a few years now, and as a result we’ve come to limit our use of Flash on websites. However, when it comes to movement, effects, and a seamless control of the design experience nothing compares to Flash.

It’s ironic that Steve Jobs calls the iPhone the “ultimate web viewing experience yet it cannot handle many of the best online experiences created to date.

There’s new technologies on the rise like HTML5 and JQuery which promise to take some of Flash’s… well, flash, and bring it to the mobile realm. Another option is to develop a mobile-friendly version with content and design specifically tailored to the platform. That’s exactly what we did by developing an alternate site which has the ability to detect which browser you’re on (Safari, Chrome, etc) and it automatically redirects to the mobile.mslk.com address.

This mobile site is not a mere translation of our main site. Rather, it’s optimized for touch screens by having large buttons for easy navigation, and simplified content.

Instead of getting mad, we got even better. Have a look on an Apple — or any — mobile device!

It’s interesting to see how brands either are leading or following visual trends, especially as technology impacts the media that brands are showcased. The old rules about logos (i.e. must exist as a black & white version for faxing, fewer colors for ease of printing) are being completely re-written in the digital age.

MSLK’s logo — the embodiment of our brand featuring overlapping initial of its founders “MSL” and “SLK” — was borne from the concept of wanting to showcase that the company is the overlapping of two initials, and  talents. We experimented with a number of different ways to showcase this (different fonts, different sizes, etc.), and has existed intact for almost 14 years. The result still garners compliments from those who are being introduced to our brand.

I was reminded of this while looking through the latest issue of Graphic Design USA, as it featured logo trends from Logo Lounge, and it gave me a chuckle to see a trend they’ve identified as “Shift,” using examples of recent logos using a similar effect as the MSLK logo:

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While these logos share the same visual trait of overlapping colors, none seem to have been done for any particular reason other than to add “pizazz” (my least favorite reason for anything.) Don’t get me wrong, they’re all very nice… but I’m not really sure of the significance of the overlapping “ones” in the One Journal Square logo. Is there more than one “one”? Or did it just look nice?

It also brought to mind another project we created for my high school reunion a few years ago. My good friend Mark  was our class president, and didn’t realize that it was his duty to organize our first reunion. Time had passed, and our 10-year reunion was more likely to be a 12-year reunion. Rather than sweep this issue under the rug, it seems like perfect opportunity to embrace it.

Sheri and I found the solution again using the so-called “shift” technique, which in this case was more of an overlap:

This epitomizes the unique way MSLK approaches design: boil the problem down to its smallest part, and make the unique point the star of the show. As a result, we managed to turn this 2-year oversight into a selling point, rallying more people to turn out due to this “special” reunion.

It’s not about following what’s “hot” or the latest visual effect.

What your brand’s unique selling point? Are you exploiting it as well as you can?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwEBIC0a4RY

New Rule: If you’re going to redesign your highest denomination, then hire a designer! This is an abomination which appears to have been driven by no aesthetic principles. Just a bunch of engineers who tried to cram everything into our nation’s most valued denomination.

I am aware that we live in extraordinary times with ne’er-do-wellers have ever-more sophisticated tools to create phonies, but really… I am sure this could have been done with a bit more reverence.

For example, have a look at some other countries who indeed have some beautiful currency:

Hong Kong:

Comoros:

Switzerland:

The Maldives:

Iceland: