One of a Kind




What do Cesar Millan, Yo-Yo Ma, Kenny G, and Jacques Cousteau have in common? They are all famous. At first glace, that may seem to be little more than a cheeky answer, but I'm serious. To me, the fact that each of these figures is famous is nothing short of a huge accomplishment. The reason that is intriguing to me is that each of these people is famous for doing something that very few ever become famous for. In fact, I would argue that these figures are the only famous people for their respective fields.

Think of it, how many famous dog trainers, cellists, saxophonists, or scuba divers can you name? Unless you are in some way linked or partial to one of those categories, you probably can't name more than one. But you're probably familiar with these people.

These people made a name for themselves outside of their given fields, and left an impression on a general population that didn't actively lend their attention or interest. The fact that they did so is remarkable, and something that we should all consider how to do in our own areas of expertise.

The Wallet of the Future (update)

Last year, I wrote about my dream wallet; a gadget that could consolidate my keys, phone, and wallet into one device. It looks like that dream might become a reality sooner than later, as many tech companies are coming out with some pretty cool software, apps, and gadgets. Here are just a couple of examples:



How your phone will replace your keys.

How your phone will replace your credit card.


I still haven't seen anything in terms of a digital driver license and other important document, or a good system that will track purchase receipts and loyalty programs. If anyone has seen a good example of any of those things, send me a tweet @brandbadger.

I used to think that we as a society couldn't possible continue making breakthrough innovations year upon year, but it is definitely happening. It's so exciting to live in this age where technology is only restrained by our imagination.

Expensive But Fantastic!

This is quite possibly the worst ad I've ever seen. I found it in Delta's Sky magazine. It's so bad, it's actually quite funny. Click the image to enlarge.

Diddneyland

Last week, my 3 year old niece asked my sister, "Mommy, will you take us to Diddneyland?"


I think Walt must have grinned a little in his grave. If not him, then a few brand managers over at the mouse house at least. Somehow Disney has penetrated the American childhood so early that we have 3 year olds who not only know about an amusement park hundreds of miles away, but also have a sense of its enchantment, to the point that they beg their parents to go there. And seeing those cute, pouty faces is often just enough to convince us to pay the $68.00 ticket price (not to mention all of the other costs) for a 3 year old to enjoy the park for a day.

I can't decide if I should be impressed or worried. I think the marketer in me feels one way and the parent in me feels the other.

On an unrelated note, my other niece had a birthday and when we sang happy birthday to her, her siblings shouted "Charmin Ultra-Soft!!!" at the end of the song. Who started that, and how did it stick?

Keeping Busy!

It's been a while since I posted, so I wanted to give an update on what I've been up to with the projects I've been working on.


COMPSTUMES: Unfortunately, after I posted this project to KickStarter I got extremely busy with finals and going to Japan that I was not able to give it the attention it deserved. I did receive pledges from 7 backers, but it was not enough to meet my goal. I'll decide what to do with COMPSTUMES when I get back to Madison.

Orange Shoe: It took a lot of work and a couple of all-nighters to get it done, but my team (Topher, Laura, Carly, and Ernesto) and I finally finished and presented our report. Check out some of my contributions to this project.


Kobe Portopia Hotel: This is the project I am currently working on in Kobe, Japan. My team is working on a new brand strategy for an independent luxury hotel. I have been focusing my efforts on enhancing and unifying the hotel's digital presence. I've also thrown together some new logo ideas. You can see more about my trip so far here.

So that's why I haven't been posting recently. I'll spend another week in Japan, then a week in Utah. After that, I'll be headed to Cincinnati for my summer internship at P&G, which I am looking forward to. Once I get back into some sort of routine I'll be able to post more. Until then!