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12 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: The unce... · 0 replies · +2 points

I think Steve Jobs is a "once in a generation" type of leader, and what he brought to the table will be impossible to replicate. He'll still be the Chairman, but his departure from the day-to-day operations, to me, says that Apple has peaked and there's nowhere to go but down, down, down. Jobs left Apple once before, and company hit its all-time low during his absence. I don't think Apple will tumble out of relevance anytime soon, but I think they'll never get better than they are right now... which is pretty good, btw. But all suns have to set at some point.

12 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Will Pri... · 0 replies · +1 points

Martin: great observations, as usual.

With regard to Tesla, I think their biggest problem is pricing. I actually saw a Tesla Roadster in the "wild" in my Noe Valley neighborhood a few weeks ago. (I posted pictures of it on my photoblog, here: http://lagtime.posterous.com/tesla-roadsterin-my-...

It was parked outside of a hospital, and there was a couple of Tesla technicians there -- they had a van parked in front of the roadster -- and they were waiting for the new owner of this vehicle (presumably some high-salaried doctor) to come out so the could give "instructions."

While I snapped my shots I asked them, "So how much does this go for?" And they said: $109,000!!! They went on to say the battery system alone cost about $40,000. So, this is not a mass-market vehicle. What working man can affort a $40,000 car... let alone a $109k one?

But the Tesla techs there on the curb told me that they were working on more affordable models, that should hit the dealerships in 2012. I asked what's the starting price. They said: $77,000.

Apparently, sustainable driving is only a rich man's game at the moment

12 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Jacobs b... · 0 replies · +1 points

Do not feed the trolls, Martin. Life is too short.

12 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Jacobs b... · 0 replies · +1 points

WOW! That label is like one of those M.C. Escher paintings that keep going round and round and round...to infinity.

13 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: It\'s no... · 1 reply · +2 points

@Armanda: because they have a huge influence over public opinion... and that's not just in the USA. anywhere in the world were there is Big Media -- which is pretty much everywhere -- the people "reading the news" as you put it, have a lot of power when it comes to influencing public opinion. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a different discussion.

13 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: The bran... · 0 replies · +2 points

Great food for thought Frank. I might even take it farther by saying that brands are becoming THE most important thing in a world that's becoming ever more commoditized. After all, what's the fundamental difference between an iPhone and a Blackberry? Besides a few features differences, they both accomplish the same essential tasks for their respective owners. The difference is the story, the brand. What's the fundamental difference between Virgin Air and a lower-tier airline, when at the end of the day, they both exist to move people from Point A to Point B. The difference—the most important difference—is the cocoon of experience and story that wraps around these entities: the brand. I think brands have never been more important than they are today, because so many things have been reduced to commodities.

.LAG

13 years ago @ [ caught |n between ] ... - [ caught |n between ] ... · 0 replies · +1 points

The Ajiguara CLS is located on the northeastern coast of Japan. Reports differ, but it may have been damaged by the recent earthquake. (http://j.mp/gTs5fO )

13 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Over "Co... · 0 replies · +2 points

We need more branding professionals like Rob Walker, and you Ayo. Stating the obvious, if you want to keep your job, you need to constantly deliver value to your clients. If innovation is an outcome those efforts, then all the better. But by being conscious of, and sensitive to branding's negative effects on the minds and attitudes of not just the young, but the old and middle-aged too, then perhaps you'll help discover alternatives to the spend-and-consume-until-we-die treadmill that seems to define modern life.

13 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Where is... · 0 replies · +2 points

Julie: I loved the VW Passat/Tiny Darth Vader spot, a nice little bit of childish whimsy and sci-fi folklore. And I loved the Chrysler/Detroit spot... great storytelling, attitude, and production values. So many car ads during the big game.

13 years ago @ Landor - Landor: Blog: Groupon&... · 0 replies · +3 points

I agree with you Russ: huge missed opportunity for Groupon on Super Bowl, but maybe it can't be missed if they weren't shooting for it in the first place.

As I argued in my Monday Morning quarterback blog on this topic: http://j.mp/dVqbFA I don't think the brain trust running Groupon cares two squirts about Tibet, or rainforests, or dying whales. In their short history, they've been making a habit of wiping egg off their face, for example, their New Years Day blunder where they took a traditional and important meal in Japan and turned it into a cultural mockery: http://j.mp/hwW2vI. Want to have fun? Google the words "Groupon apologies"...

But who knows, maybe they're mastering the art of "committing huge and tasteless gaffes and then begging for forgiveness" as a brand-building strategy. According to a CNBC report http://j.mp/fBCeD8 the Super Bowl stunts actually led to a net gain in subscriptions.

So maybe they capitalized on the opportunity they were after.

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