1 week ago
3 weeks ago
Our Calendar of Festivals & Events- created for Failte Ireland- is in today’s Irish Times.
3 weeks ago
Want to reach a customer’s heart? Try their stomach.
There is something very American about this idea - yet it is also quite appealing. (At least to a sweet tooth like me.)
In two relatively disparate market sectors - hotels and airlines - two established US brands have built their brand difference on giving fresh-baked cookies to customers. (Click on the picture to read a NYT article about these accidental confectioners.)
Midwest Airlines started their cookie-iniative in the mid 80s, after an inquisitive employee discovered that the (rather limited) in flight cooking facilities were actually great for baking cookies. Just imagine the powerful aroma of baking as it wafts around the confines of a plane: It would be a sensory overload hard to resist, and creates a tangible promise of real hospitality in an industry better known for plasticity and discomfort.
Hotel group DoubleTree Hotels’s commitment to the cookie promise extended to refit of all their reception desks: Each now has a heated “cookie drawer” to keep them warm and ready for each guest’s arrival. In a sector where the promise of a warm welcome is frequently diluted by a cold reality, the gesture of a warm cookie makes a memorable difference.
Caveats do apply: Yes, the idea is not very on-message for current worries about obesity and healthy eating: Yes, the idea is relatively generic and easy to copy; And yes, one warm cookie will not solve an otherwise dreadful customer experience. But as a way to turn a brand promise into a memorable and tangible experience, these warm cookie are a powerful tool.
1 month ago
We’re operating a virtual studio today: The picturesque weather that hit Dublin yesterday made cross-city commutes nigh impossible, so we sent home the designers with computer (or files) in hand. Brendan’s managing ice-station Nutgrove today, while everybody else logs in from the relative comfort of home. Hope you’re all enjoying the weather!
1 month ago
Brand your business better in 2010 «
For 10 years, DesignTactics has been helping clients - from blue-chip to start-up - to create or improve their brands.
As Ireland experiences a new wave of entrepreneurship, we’re using our expertise to help new businesses understand the benefits of branding.
Partnering with the County Enterprise Boards, we’re delivering a presentation on “Branding for Business Growth”. This seminar offers a practical introduction to the principles of branding, and shows how a brand-led approach can connect your offer to your customers in a more consistent, relevant and engaging way.
Click on the link to see details of the first date in 2010 for this presentation:
Tuesday 12th January in Dublin.
Please note new date - event rescheduled!
Tuesday 9th February in Dublin.
The presentation is delivered by Brendan Donlon, the founder and Creative Director of DesignTactics: In his career as a designer, Brendan helped Irish brands such as Goodfella’s, Glanbia and Eircom to improve their customer connection. With his team at DesignTactics, Brendan has created and revived brands like Java Republic, Freshways Sandwiches, Dawn Juices, Waterford Stanley, and the National Dairy Council.
1 month ago
2009: A year when Ireland’s bestselling book was the (partly-fictional) story of a much-loved brand.
1 month ago
Donate here to the St Vincent de Paul «
Finally, we round off our little set of Christmas blog posts with something more important: After a year when more Irish people than ever have needed their help, here’s a link to the online donation page of the St Vincent de Paul. They do astonishing work every Christmas, but this year they really need all our support. Happy Christmas, everyone!
New York Times takes an intellectual sledgehammer to Santa «
Sustaining the US news-media tradition started with an 1897 editorial in a neighboring paper, here’s a rather earnest debate between child psychologists on when and how to talk to your kids about Santa.
In the “great minds think alike” department, one of our fellow Tumblrs posted the same link today a few clicks before us in the timeline - props to the far more prolific evangotlib.
A quirky Christmas Tree made with recycled bicycle wheels to promote Re-Cycle, a UK charity that sends refurbished bikes to Africa. Design by the wonderfully named (and very worthy) Sarah Wigglesworth Architects.
For the kids - or the kid within... «
Fancy getting a personalised video message from Santa? (Or sending one, if you’re just too mature for this kind of thing…) - Here’s a site that does just that, and does it very well.
