In the Know
Aug 22 2010, POSTED BY Jon
FILED UNDER: Eco-Friendly, Outdoor, Packaging
"Write Onethings post" has become a fairly standard fixture on my TeuxDeux list. I've learned, after many months, not to even bother crossing it off - I just keep moving it around from one week to the next because as soon as a new post is written, it's time to start thinking about the next one. And trust me, coming from someone who loves cross-off gratification, that sucks. The challenge in uncovering new Onethings is, unfortunately for us, a direct result of the very definition of a Onething - it's not something that you can just go "find." They oftentimes come out of nowhere (the really good ones, anyway) - they're experiential and tend to be the result of an actual encounter with something great; something that makes us stop and say, "nice." Two days ago I stumbled on such a product (quite thankfully because I was in a bit of a OT drought). Ironically enough, it was a total accident and happened only because of my own poor planning. I was on my way out for a run and had forgotten to restock my arsenal of Hammer Gels - my go-to energy gel product. Annoyed at myself, I went rooting through our backup stash (comprised of samples from various events) and pulled out a Clif Shot (a comparable packet of goo). The Clif Shot probably wouldn't have made it on to my Onethings radar screen if it hadn't also been for the fact that I happened to be wearing a pocket-free combination of shorts and shirt - which lead to the inevitable question, "where am I supposed to stick this thing?" Clearly I'm not the only one who, with packet in hand, has asked this, and Clif has thought of a clever little way of addressing this issue; in all stages of product use.
Click here to continue reading In the Know
Before It’s Even Opened
Jun 25 2010, POSTED BY Jon
FILED UNDER: Customer Experience, Packaging, Story
The topic of today's post comes to us from our friend Greg Ash and the very talented team at Able (thanks, Greg). We're big fans of timing around here, and we had just recently been discussing new areas of focus for Onethings - topics that we've yet to discuss on this site but that play a key role in business differentation. Packaging was one of these areas, so when Greg's email came in with a sample of some recent work for One Village Coffee, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to not only talk about some killer design, but also to talk about the experiential nature of this medium in general.
Click here to continue reading Before It’s Even Opened
Argumentum Ad Numerum
Jun 14 2010, POSTED BY Jon
FILED UNDER: Ask [wp]
If we've learned anything about our business (and the industry in general) over the past years, it's that this question comes up in every one of our projects - and if it doesn't, it's something that we most certainly have to address:
From whom should I solicit feedback on this new strategy that we're thinking about adopting?
I think what I love most about this question is that it's one of the few times when my personal and business ideologies are at total odds with each other, and yet I'm completely confident in the validity of both sides. Personally, I've always been a big believer in the importance of multiple opinions and outside feedback (at least from trusted sources), and I guess I would default to the idea that two brains are better than one, three better than two, and so on. That's 'personal Jon.' 'Business Jon' learned early on that when it comes to business decisions, especially those that exist in the world of brand strategy, this philosophy is not only flawed, but it can also be quite detrimental to actual progress.
Click here to continue reading Argumentum Ad Numerum
