The Business Of Branding @swystuncommunications - Tumblr Blog

He almost took my entire foot off! Kidding, he wanted to know about my hiking shoes.

This Burger King ad from 1982 is pop culture history. In the front here, we have Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lea Thompson, and Elisabeth Shue (the latter two would reunite a few years later in the Back to the Future movies!). All have had amazing careers.

#advertising #history #pop culture #Burger King #Sarah Michelle Gellar #Leah Thompson #elisabeth shue

My latest book. Please give it a go. Here's the description:

From lobster to liver, from instant noodles to bone marrow, foods once considered too humble for polite society now grace the menus of high-end restaurants and Instagrammable posts. Humble to Haute explores how low-cost, working-class, or even "undesirable" foods rose through the culinary ranks to become gourmet status symbols.

This is a story of social change told through what we eat — and what we once turned our noses up at. The book traces the cultural, economic, and psychological forces behind these reversals: war-time shortages, shifts in class identity, global migration, media hype, and the creative reinvention of chefs and marketers. Why are organ meats now called “nose-to-tail dining”? Why did lobster go from prisoner food to prestige plate? Why do we call it “artisanal” when it's the same bread your grandmother made out of necessity?

Through vivid storytelling, historical deep-dives, and drawing on interviews with chefs, sociologists and anthropologists, celebrities and food lovers, Humble To Haute reveals how the meanings of taste and luxury are anything but fixed — and how food often tells a truer story about status, power, and culture than we realize.

Swystun's earlier work, TV Dinners Unboxed: The Hot History of Frozen Meals, has become a pop culture and foodie favourite. Join him on this more recent journey that also examines foods that were once expensive but are now staples. This is an illuminating romp and wild ride through the history of food, status, and class.

#creativity #food #books #culinary #history #lobster #caviar #oysters #cooking #recipe #savory

This pro bono project was fun. THINGS is a longstanding store, staffed by volunteers, whose profits go to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. They needed a refresh to shift perceptions, attract a more diverse range of customers, and grow revenue. It sells amazing finds from estates, consignors and generous donors. We landed on a sophisticated look with clear and compelling language. With help from the RWB marketing team, the brand is now rolling out to make the shift from classic to cool and antique to unique.

#marketing #branding #design #creativity #advertising #packaging #swystun #swystun communications

Let’s give kids plastic bags as toys! These restaurant promo hand puppets were everywhere fifty years ago.

#advertising #design #brands #promotions #mcdonalds #burger king

Trade Mark Canada.

#marketing #advertising #branding #design #ads #swystun communications

The bottle opener built into the bottom of the bottle is cool, but where the brand loses me is the pee bottle .

#marketing #branding #creativity #brands #ads #beer #packaging

#advertising #ideas #writing #authors #quotes #swystun communications

Behind the scenes! A difficult shoot, but people appear to be having fun.

#retro #jaws #steven spielberg #movies #summer #amity #sharks #hollywood

Sterling Cooper client campaign strategies from Mad Men. A couple are fan art executions but are well done.

#marketing #advertising #branding #retro #design #creativity #ads #brands #mad men #topaz pantyhose #Heinz #life cereal #swystun

The more things change…

It is a fine line between telling employees how to appear and not insulting on basic hygiene and presentation. But they are called uniforms for a reason…to be uniform.

#design #uniforms #fast food #restaurant #branding #customer service #employees

Groovy or goofy? Retro uniforms were wild.

#design #retro #stewardess #flight attendant #airlines #flying

A Mad Men Mystery Solved

During Mad Men’s run, the fictional ad agency chased, landed and lost some great accounts. Heinz, Kodak, Cool Whip, and John Deere were all part of the plot lines. When it came to food, Sterling Cooper serviced Howard Johnson’s, H. Salt Fish & Chips, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Burger Chef.

The Burger Chef story was an excellent reminder or education for millions on the defunct fast food chain. In the mid sixties, it was the model that competitors followed but went out of business. That is a story for another time.

The show found an old Burger Chef location and revitalized it for a few scenes. The location is in dispute by blogs. Some claim it is Jim’s Burgers at at 765 East Foothill Boulevard in Rialto, California along Route 66. Others say it’s Chris’s Burgers at the same address. We surmise both are right. The show brought Jim’s building up to snuff and it became Chris’s. The photos show it is the same building and surroundings.

UPDATE: The Burger Chef scene was filmed at a former Burger Chef location, now Jim's Burgers, in Rialto, along Route 66.