by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Marketing 2.0, Retail, Trends | Nov 8, 2009
Photo A indulgent luxury that is flourishing even in recessionary challenges. It’s what we walk on. It’s what we walk with. Or what we’ve got on our feet. And for some of us, the concept of the shoe is just “down there”, something to...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Trends | Oct 26, 2009
What if your brand is about a cause? What if your brand is humanity? What if your real messaging reach is love? This is an overview of Girvin’s strategic thinking about the nature of humanitarian and cause-related branding strategy and tactics. There have been a...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General, Storytelling, Trends | Sep 25, 2009
Exploring exchange, love, cultural branding. We’ve been exploring this idea of brand, love, warmth and community; and we all know that any enterprise relationship will center on several things — the notion of relevance (“it’s something that I...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, General, Retail, Trends | Sep 20, 2009
Go back to the brand | The 60s and finding brand patterning, resonance, reminiscence. Recently, I’ve been going back. I’ve gone back to wearing clothing that ranges back decades for me, yet is still inherently simple and classic: open 100% cotton shirts;...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General, Marketing 2.0, Motion Pictures, Storytelling, Trends | Aug 30, 2009
Exploring the fashionability of the preternatural (brand) Lina Leandersson | “Let the Right One In” Magnet Releasing I’ve made some observations in the past, about the patterning of doom — the idea that in the midst, or in the emergence of...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, General, Marketing 2.0, Trends | Aug 1, 2009
Exploring social networking tools in building sharing communities: blogging and direct selling relationships. We worked with Kajeet’s founder, Daniel Neal, to build out the opening of a brand proposition for a children’s mobile phone technology a couple of...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Interior Design, Retail, Trends | Jul 4, 2009
The revelation of Starbucks retail design prototype two. I have a funny relationship with Starbucks. I’ve really never worked with them, yet I have these links to the creative leadership that allow for an intriguing consciousness about what lies at the heart of...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General, Trends | Jun 21, 2009
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times Warmth, affection, connection, community: physical social networks and emerging branding trends. It’s been suggested that the phenomenon of teenagers hugging has something to do with Michelle Obama. She hugs everyone....
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General, Marketing 2.0, Trends | Jun 8, 2009
What brands face, in Facebook? Many, if their culture is robust enough… In the metaphor of communing, there are layers — circles — of connections that we have with each other and our friends. A drop, ripples. Stories are told — they are shared,...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Marketing 2.0, Retail, Trends | May 26, 2009
Marketing sex, retail and the recession There’s been a dire downturn, underlining the bleakly obvious. And it’s been down for everyone — everything — everywhere. All markets — and each of us — everyone’s been affected,...