Sandra Mardin

@sandramardin

cultural insight - trend analysis - brand strategy

25 posts

When Netflix released the new season of sitcom Arrested Development last month, the tepid initial reception made investors rush to sell the stock. After watching all the episodes in a single marathon session, however, one fan decided to experiment with the format. Rearranging the show's original nesting-doll narrative in chronological order, Andy Gilleand shared his work on Reddit – and became an instant hit. So what are the wider implications of such bootleg efforts?

(via Arrested Development: the viewer's cut)

#netflix #arrested development #remix #andy gilleand #prosumer #portfolio

The number of smokers in the US has halved since the 1960s – and the trend is continuing downward, spurred by regulations and increasing health consciousness among consumers. The question facing the tobacco industry and their declining market is simple: can they shift consumers from one old habit to another more modern habit? America’s second-biggest tobacco company, Reynolds American Inc., is launching an updated version of its Vuse e-cigarette brand in a bid to diversify beyond traditional cigarettes amidst dark markets, packaging bans, tax hikes and social stigma. Sales of e-cigarettes are estimated to double this year, to $1 billion (annual) in America, but still only represent 0.5% of total tobacco volume. Digital vapour cigarettes are anticipated to be the future, with its new ‘perfect puff’ technology, but only by being culturally relevant can new e-cigarette brands such as Vuse stand out in the increasingly crowded category. Will this high-tech alternative be enough reason for smokers to switch entirely?

(continue: How Vuse hopes to make smoking ‘cool’ again)

Who’s the better assistant: one who does what they’re told, or one that knows you so well they’re able to anticipate your next move and tell you what to do?

Google Now, a new addition to the Google Search mobile app, is an intelligent ‘predictive’ assistant that provides the right information at the right time without being prompted. Named Innovation of the Year for 2012 by Popular Science, Google Now is hailed to irreversibly change the way we interact with the web. Yet, riddled with privacy and ethical concerns, the reality is not so simple. (via Google Now: the power of context)

Sandra Mardin, semiotician, explains how handbags have taken on the mantle of primary storytelling devices for fashion brands.

There is a central paradox at the heart of a handbag: the less useful it is, the more necessary it becomes. This contradiction transforms an ordinary handbag into an object of adoration. Once its primary function of carrying objects is no longer so important, there is an empty space to communicate a bigger story. The bag becomes what semioticians call a cultural symbol, an artefact that tells an underlying story about the people & society of an era.

(continue: This is not a handbag: contemporary handbags & their true meaning | Marketing Magazine)

The rapid rise of smart technologies can make creating and maintaining meaningful human relationships a challenge. In response, EatWith offers its users an authentic dining experience coupled with the opportunity to form new social bonds. Touted as the Airbnb for dinner parties, EatWith is a community marketplace that lets members enjoy authentic and intimate dining experiences in other people’s homes. Currently available in Israel and Barcelona but with the ambition to spread worldwide, EatWith enables locals to open their kitchens to people from all over the world. By doing so, it provides the opportunity for a new kind of serendipitous socialising within an intimate setting. (via EatWith: social dining experiences)

From offal to breast milk, experimental eating is grabbing headlines, and Mexican street food chain Wahaca’s new grasshopper dish is no exception. While the high protein content is a potential selling point, the real offering is a taste of authenticity – the introduction of genuinely ‘foreign’ foods to a cosmopolitan London. Previously the preserve of the occasional enthusiastic journalist returning from South East Asia, an emerging culture of experimentation has seen creepy crawly snacks gain traction in the West. Yet despite this, the ‘yuck’ label remains; novelty – and a degree of bravado – are still intrinsic to their appeal. With the recent horse meat scandal eroding consumer confidence in affordable meat, is the time right for novelty sustainable dishes like Wahaca’s grasshopper fondue to broaden their remit?

(…continues @ A taste of authenticity: Wahaca’s grasshopper fondue)

A new project at Selfridges is the latest experiment in the power of silence. A quiet oasis in the midst of a hectic shopping environment in central London, it testifies to a growing interest in the benefits of quiet introspection.

UK department store Selfridges has launched a No Noise project based on their Silence Room, re-opened for the first time in over 90 years to offer a quiet oasis in the midst of the hectic shopping experience in central London. The campaign invites customers to “celebrate the power of quiet, see the beauty in function and find calm among the crowds.” Launched immediately after the frantic seasonal sales, the campaign has effectively turned the natural tendency of the post-Christmas wind-down into a shopping opportunity.

(via How Selfridges made noise about being quiet, Canvas8)

Rebellious fashion brand Diesel is encouraging people to go offline. Is this just controversy for controversy’s sake or does it reflect a real and growing disillusionment with online experiences? At a time when most brands are anxious to find even better ways to connect with youth and catch up with the fast-paced digital age, Diesel has taken the counter-intuitive approach and invites the world to disconnect, take a step back to the pre-internet times and do ‘real’ things. The occasion of the call to go offline is the international relaunch of the 1993 classic YUK shoe, which pre-dates the internet. Therefore, the act of putting on the shoe is presented as an opportunity to step back in time, “do stuff, meet people and have real offline fun!” In this spirit, Diesel asks its audience a few key questions regarding their connected life, such as: “When did sharing become annoying, and liking just a pointless online gesture?”, and “Why do you know what your friend’s lunch looks like, and how is this making the world a better place?” But how can Diesel connect with fans while promoting disconnection?

(via Diesel YUK relaunch: promoting ‘pre-internet’ experiences)

In 2006, Ford Motor Co. mortgaged its logo in exchange for a $23.5 billion restructuring loan. Last month, however, Fitch Ratings raised the automaker’s credit and the company is now on the way to regaining one of its major assets. In the words of Ford’s former CFO Lewis Booth (1), getting the Blue Oval back would have an “enormous” psychological impact on the company. So why was it initially dropped for the Go Further campaign? (via Sandra Mardin - Go Further without a logo)

With virtually every aspect of our lives becoming an opportunity for brands to try to sell things to us, a new generation of consumers is looking to escape the ubiquitous ‘sponsored experience’ which characterises many festivals. At the same time, brands are becoming more attuned to the needs and attitudes of festival-goers. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Getting away from it all: the changing face of festival branding)

Touted as the first social credit card, Barclaycard Ring Mastercard has been built through the power of an online community. As the typically impersonal, business-like sector of electronic banking goes social, what are the potential challenges and implications? (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Barclaycard Ring: the crowdsourced credit card)

Imagine gaining 190,000 new customers overnight. That’s what energy companies in Britain are doing thanks to the Big Switch, a new reverse auction hosted by Which? and 38 Degrees. The idea is to help consumers get a better deal on their energy bills by using the group-buying model largely associated with Groupon. So far, it has attracted over 190,000 signatures in just one month and has won the support of over 100 British MPs representing all three major parties. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Which? Big Switch: the collective consumer)

Holvi replaces the standard bank account with a service that offers a smart checking account for group activities. This Finnish pan-European company offers a new online banking experience for small teams, integrating the checking account with bookkeeping and fundraising services. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Holvi)

As cloud computing and streaming services proliferate, we wanted to understand how young professionals are adapting to the new technology and particularly where they place value in the cloud. We spoke to five young adults in their twenties– four from the UK and one from Sweden – about their digital streaming and storing habits. While impermanence and control seem to be the prevailing issues, our interview revealed additional perceived drawbacks. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Value in the cloud)

With an increasing number of marketing-savvy homegrown brands taking on China’s beauty market, how can the multinational giants keep up? From the ‘Yue-Sai’ look of the 90s to the ‘Chen Man’ look of the future, this report explores how different colours have been used in China’s beauty sector to signify deeper levels of meaning. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - The Chinese beauty industry: a fine balance)

Maison Cailler is a new luxury brand from Nestlé that offers a unique customer profiling system which personalises chocolate. However, consumers in developed markets often remain cynical when it comes to the attempts of big corporations to offer the niche and boutique. So how can Nestlé tackle this challenge? (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Maison Cailler: chocolate with personality)

Sharing office space – or ‘co-working’ – with other independent professionals is a familiar concept to many freelancers. Beyond just being places to work, co-working spaces are built around the idea of community and sustainability. Loosecubes is a New-York based online database of co-working spaces which hopes to take the trend mainstream. (via Canvas8, Sandra Mardin - Loosecubes: the future of workplaces?)

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