WestEast consulting

During Human Resource Management module, we happened to teamwork to present a rapport and a lecture. The group I belonged to chose to deal with the issue of recruiting in both Germany and Japan. However, not only we had to produce an overview of the topic, but also we were supposed to build a brand that represents our group and our purpose. Hearing of image, I obviously offered to design our logo, and here it is.

The colors are to suggest the rising sun, the ideogram in the middle (with the orange, the t of West and the e of East) means West in Japanese language, and the typo is similar to typography on maps.

Is Madonna a trendsetter or a trendspreader?

Yesterday Madonna was performing in Moscow, at stadium Luzhniki and whatever media are broadcasting I didn’t witness any fervent orthodox demonstration, it might due to the huge number of soldiers and policemen devoted to the security.
The music and the show were great, even though the Kabbalah inspiration is far more visible than her previous tour, damaging the show. I expected great motion design on the background screens but they displayed a lot of too-explicit anti-war clichés (Bush’s diatribes, poor Africans…) while the warwear defile was, according to me, more pertinent and much more performance-focused.
Well in fact in this post I’d like to deal with two weak signals, not so weak actually, which can help in fashion prospective. The secret is Madonna doesn’t do the fashion but follows it, much earlier than mainstream I must admit, but anyway the both trends I am to develop could be witnessed before.
Confessions Tour starts with a horse-playing theme. However the polo was yet the new golf: Citizen K and Diesel both sponsor the Open de France de Polo and Ralph Lauren has turned hype since they had made the logo bigger, so equitation uniform should hit the street soon.
Second trend is about wearing only the sleeves of a t-shirt and having the body of t-shirt behind the neck. Madonna didn’t dress this way, only some dancers of her crew. Nevertheless now that perfect abdominals only request reading a book, more and more men wanting ROI from sport club membership show off their body. Now you know how to do it trendily.

JCDecaux goes to CIS

The French outdoor advertising company is to enter Ukrainian, Russian and Uzbek market. Another French outdoor advertising company, whose aim seems to be resizing every Russian building up with bling-bling billboards and making them visible from Moon, is Defi.

Sachet Marketing

I’m still bewildered to see that most Russians can’t help walking by without a second-hand plastic bag to carry umbrella, books and other stuffs that don't get into a regular bag. Speaking of plastic bags and seeing that trendwatching has recently popped up a new briefing, let me introduce the concept of Sachet Marketing, which fits Russia (actually the BRIC and emerging countries). Sachet Marketing is about designing products for less wealthy consumers that match their needs without damaging overall quality. From Renault’s Logan to 3G-free stylish Nokia.

Fashion never ends

Today the fashion fair Collection Premiere Moscow is to open, providing the very occasion to get a look on street fashion in Russia. Some tells the Russian extravaganza is to be out, other shows it is still alive. The fact is that you feel free to dress anyhow. But please avoid the so-obvious-there-are-machine-used jeans, there are enough around.

23+

You don’t understand you’ve got in unless you’re actually in. You don’t believe it could happen before it indeed did. Now that I’m 23, it was hight time to enter the grown-up age group, keeping in mind that every steps request to complete a trial to let you in. Since our societies have not built-in adulthood trial, I had to coin it by myself. So I did Saturday. Although it could turn as cosmetics, I didn’t care. I was too focused on listening to secrets. Even though these secrets are to be uncovered soon.
I want to tell you that you mean but don’t remember where my phone is and why I’m surrounded with water and I try to guess what’s next and I guess well and I fall asleep again and again.

is blog-supported advertising the new 30’ TV commercial?

Blog is emblematic of the web 2.0 vogue. It engages the surfer furthermore by providing accurate information, allowing self-expression and feed back, and sharing experience. As the web 2.0 killer application, marketers have shown a strong interest in blogging. Nevertheless, are the blogs the ultimate place to advertise? What are the horizons, both prospects and restrictions, of such a medium?

Web 2.0 appeals to marketers – that is why they have coin the label marketing 2.0 – for they use blogs more and more. Nevertheless, a blog is not enough for an overall campaign and should be use purposefully otherwise it could be counter-productive. Marketers have indeed to namely follow web 2.0 rules to reach to the blog audience.
This analysis, after listing a typology of kind of marketing blogs one can witness among the blogosphere, focuses on the way how a blog can contribute to advertising. Then it provides relevant key elements to make a blog-supported ad campaign a real success.