Liquid is included in new “Copywriting” book by Mark Shaw.
New book includes an interview with Alfredo Muccino, Chief Creative Officer for Liquid Agency and projects for Olive and City of San Jose.
A couple of projects produced by Liquid Agency are featured in the recently published book,”Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing” by Mark Shaw. Published by Laurence King, a company focused on the creative arts, with a global reputation for books that are acclaimed for their quality, vision and erudition, this book makes a nice addition to any library that includes books on commuications, marketing or branding.
Mark Shaw ran across some of Liquid’s work in the process of doing research for his latest book and called Alfredo Muccino to discuss potential inclusion in his new book. Alfredo and Mark chatted on the phone…Mark calling from London while Alfredo paced his office in California. The result of the conversation is a few pages focused on the approach that Liquid took to develop the brand voice and tone for Olive Media. Additionally, Mark decided to also include one of the posters that Liquid designed for “Music in the Park”, the annual music festival that takes place in San Jose.
“Copywriting” is a great book, and I say this not because Mark has included our work, but because well written copy and a clear brand voice are absolutely necessary in order to establish differentiation from the competition and accomplish communication and marketing objectives…and anyone that is interested in producing effective work should keep this in mind! Mark ought to know…he is the founder of Jupiter Creative, a very successful creative communications agency specializing in retail and consumer brands….and one of the best in England (and beyond).
To purchase the book on Amazon, just click here: “Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing” by Mark Shaw.
1 commentLiquid Agency delivers seminar on retail branding practices at GlobalShop09.
Between March 23rd and 25th, Las Vegas became the destination of choice for the most influential retail marketing people in the world, as they gathered for GlobalShop, the industry’s biggest expo and conference. GlobalShop is where retailers and brand managers go to find retail design, in-store marketing, and technology solutions – and it is where Alfredo Muccino, the Chief Creative Officer of Liquid Agency delivered a timely presentation addressing how brands can leverage technology to stimulate sales at retail.
This year’s event was a definite reflection of the state of the industry. More than other sectors, retailers are feeling the effects of the economic downturn, which means that with lower revenues and decreased spending, many people that usually attend the show decided to eliminate this year’s trip from their budget. The crowds were thinner, yet the atmosphere was far from somber and while organizations like POPAI – The Global Association for Marketing at Retail – celebrated the growth in their membership, retailers looked for ways to create more impact for less money.
Alfredo Muccino delivered a one hour presentation titled “How are brands using technology to drive sales” that was attended by a cross section of retailers, brands and their agencies. The presentation uses a variety of case studies (including best practices from Apple, adidas, Intel, Starbucks and Nike) to illustrate how savvy brands are incorporating social media, mobile technology, RFID, widgets, e-couponing and other technologies to create traffic, drive sales and promote loyalty.
We’re making the presentation available here, so feel free to download it and let us know if you have any questions. Download: The GlobalShop 09 Seminar Presentation. If you have specific questions, please contact:
alfredo@liquidagency.com
Alfredo Muccino to speak at GlobalShop09.
Alfredo Muccino, Liquid Agency’s CCO, is scheduled to deliver a seminar about using technology to drive sales at retail.
GlobalShop is the largest annual tradeshow of its kind in the world, featuring more than 800 exhibitors of fixtures, digital signage, visual merchandising and in-store marketing products. GlobalShop’s conference program which has hosted more than 50,000 attendees features experts in store design and shopper marketing…and Alfredo Muccino, the Chief Creative Officer is amongst the speakers at this year’s conference.
As part of GlobalShop 09, Alfredo will be delivering a presentation on March 24th at The Sands Expo in Las Vegas titled “Technology, Brands and Retail: The New Landscape”. The one hour seminar will address the many different ways that brands are leveraging technology to make a bigger impact at retail. Using real case studies and current examples, Alfredo will explore how savvy brands are connecting with customers online and in-store using new technologies—ranging from social media to mobile devices. The presentation will focus on how brand managers and retailers can leverage the opportunities inherent in this new marketing landscape to create traffic, drive sales and build more loyalty from customers.
Last year Alfredo delivered a seminar on “Building Brands at Retail”, which was very well received and was attended by over 300 retail professionals, including retailers, brand marketers, creative agencies and merchandising fabricators.
Due to the difficult economic landscape, everyone expects that attendance at this year’s show will not be as high as last year’s event - however the folks that will attend will be the ones that are serious about their business. According to Alfredo, “The retail industry is being gravely affected by the economic downturn, and every brand and every retailer is interested in ways to drive sales. This seminar will help people understand how they can leverage technology to do just that - and do it cost-effectively”.
For more information visit www.globalshop.com
No commentsLiquid Agency re-brands the California Association of Museums.
On Thursday morning, February 25, 2009, Alfredo Muccino, Chief Creative Officer at Liquid Agency, unveiled the new brand identity that Liquid designed for the California Association of Museums at the Annual CAM Conference in San Francisco. This year’s conference was held at the Kabuki Hotel in San Francisco, and was well attended by members of the association from across the State. To very positive response, the new logo was shown to CAM members for the first time immediately following a panel discussion moderated by Don Sanchez, the arts and entertainment reporter for ABC7.
A few months ago, Liquid Agency was hired by the CAM board of directors to craft a new brand identity for the association. The project was initiated in part as a way to celebrate the organization’s 30 year anniversary, but also to represent the growth of the association – in terms of its membership and also in terms of the services and resources that it provides its members. As the next phase in the assignment, Liquid will start designing a new website and the organization’s marketing collateral.
According to Alfredo Muccino, “Designing the new logo and brand identity for CAM was a distinct honor. Getting a chance to work with an organization that helps support museums in California and contributes to the cultural wealth of our communities is extremely rewarding at many levels. Liquid has participated in the branding of many local cultural projects, but this one was special since its reach was statewide.”
The design work was well received by the association members and its board of directors. Here’s a quote from Celeste DeWald, Executive Director, California Association of Museums: “We’re very pleased with the work that Liquid Agency has done on our brand identity. The new logo is distinctive and clean - and it reflects the diverse and dynamic nature of the association and its members. We’re very excited about it.”
Above are images of the current logo and the new one, as well as applications of the new identity to conference bags, t-shirts and business cards. As soon as we launch the new website, we will let you know.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear your opinion on the new identity.
2 commentsTake a look at which brands stood out at CES 2009!
In early January, Las Vegas hosts the biggest technology marketing event of the year, the Consumer Electronics Show.
For the last ten years, we have made the pilgrimage to CES in order to observe how consumer electronics brands are presenting their latest products and positioning themselves.
CES 2009 was no exception. We walked the show floor and noticed what brands were doing with their booths and their marketing campaigns. We took a lot of pictures, then published a report that showcases what caught our attention.
This year’s report includes a review of the following brands: Edifier, HiVi, BUILT, SanDisk, Lexar, HP, Kodak, Sony, BOSCH, LG, Microsoft, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and DMC.
The report is available for free on our home page, under “downloads”.
Here’s the link: http://www.liquidagency.com/
Check it out, and let me know what you think.
Ciao!!!
Alfredo Muccino Chief Creative Officer Liquid Agency
No commentsRebranding… Let’s hope it’s more than cosmetic
Is it just me or is 2009 going to be the Year of the Rebrand? From political parties to Pepsi, from banks to bailout programs - every day companies, countries and entire industries are trying to transform themselves. Some rebranding efforts, like those coming from beverage giant PepsiCo seem purely cosmetic with not much changed besides the exterior package.
More interesting to watch will be those coming from the troubled financial industry where Wall Street and Main Street banks must rebuild trust in their brands while simultaneously grappling with how to integrate acquisitions or spin off once powerful brands. These financial industry rebrands will be challenging which makes them fun to watch. Here are a few rebrand moves that brand marketers will find interesting.
Bank of America deals with the Bull
Over the years, Bank America has abandoned dozens of acquired institutions brand names opting to bring them into the B of A fold. Now the bank is breaking with tradition as it combines operations with its latest $24 billion dollar purchase - Merrill Lynch. This time, both the Merrill Lynch name and iconic bull logo will survive.
Here’s how they plan to manage the two brands:Bank of America Merrill Lynch will be the name of the new corporate and investor bank. It will fly under the Bank of America flag identity. Merrill Lynch Wealth Management will be the combined firms’ financial advisory, brokerage business – this group will retain the iconic bull logo.I’ll be curious to see how this dual brand strategy plays out over time - provided B of A gets through its latest public relations disaster. AIG subsidiary runs away from homeAIG Financial Advisors, a subsidiary of bailout poster child AIG is changing its name in an effort to distance itself from its continually troubled parent. But rebranding itself as SagePoint Financial – seems a bit hard to swallow. I have a hard time associating wisdom and knowledge to anything ever connected with AIG. Perhaps this rebrand should be put on pause – allowing the company to rethink how it should move forward – keeping in mind that a brand is not what you say it is – it’s what customers say it is. They’ve got a difficult and maybe impossible task ahead – but this rebrand went too far.Watch for more posts coming on the financial industry’s rebranding efforts - I’ve got to think this is only the beginning.
2 commentsThe Designful Company: Another thought provoking book by Marty Neumeier
The Designful Company is the latest installation in an intriguing series of books by Marty Neumeier, who has also authored The Brand Gap, and ZAG.
I think it is quite appropriate that I write this blog entry on the heels of today’s historic Presidential Inauguration. After reading Marty Neumeier’s latest book, I will think of Obama as the Designer in Chief….even if he did not use the word “design” in his inaugural address. 
Each of Marty Neumeier’s books is described as a whiteboard overview, and in fact, the books are not your typical business book or design compendium. Mr. Neumeier (and I will refer to him as Marty, from here on) proposes big ideas in simple words that leave you wanting for more. I find that his books raise more questions than they provide answers…and it is my experience that they stimulate great professional dialogue and a fair share of stimulating thinking.
In The Brand Gap, Marty tackled the gap that exists between business strategy and creative execution…or, as he eloquently puts it, “how to bridge the gap between logic and magic”. In ZAG, he discussed the need for radical differentiation, advocating the advantages of zagging when everyone is zigging.
The premise of The Designful Company is that in order to gain control of a company’s future we need to embrace the practice of design. Of course, in Marty’s language “design” is a very powerful transformational tool that does a lot more than just “styling”. Instead, Marty’s design is about process and people and ideas driven by a desire to improve “performance” not aesthetics.
Within our business, I’ve always insisted that “design” has little or nothing to do with “art”. I believe that design is about creating purposeful change for the better…and I think that for design to be effective one must have a clear set of goals. In his book, Marty argues that the ultimate goal of a sustainable business is long term profit….and design is the starting point for a chain reaction that goes something like this: Design drives innovation; innovation powers brand development; brand builds loyalty; and loyalty results in profits.
Of course, I don’t agree with everything that Marty proposes…but there’s plenty in the book that I found to be intriguing and inspiring. For example, I loved the way that Marty re-invents the idea of aesthetics, and catapults it to an entirely new level that goes well beyond making things pretty. Marty’s chart titled the “Aesthetics of Management” completely redefines the meaning of aesthetic principles in terms of business issues…and I will definitely be using this in future meetings and presentations (and, obsequiously credit the author). In this chart “Contrast” deals with “How do we differentiate ourselves?”. “Depth” defines “How can we succeed at many levels”. And, “Focus” refers to “What should we NOT do?”.
Halfway through the book, Marty suggests that there are 16 “levers for change”…and that these “levers” hold the key to designing a new future for business. Apparently, you don’t have to use all of them…and they need not be applied in any particular order. I found that some are more helpful than others…but I guess that this is exactly the point: Marty is inviting us to pick and choose which to use and which not to use…and therefore become the designers he invites us all to be.
In summary I really recommend this book, however, I found Marty Neumeier to be a little misleading when he described his book as a “quick read”. That may very well be, but The Designful Company is far from light reading. It is a thought provoking, idea changing, extremely powerful book that will greatly influence the way I think about how design can change my company, the companies of my clients, and the world as a whole.
I’d love to hear what any of you think about this book.
Alfredo Muccino
Chief Creative Officer
Liquid Agency
How will brands survive and thrive in 2009?
2008 saw many established brands disappear. Lehman Brothers is no more. Neither is Linens and Things. Aloha Airlines went bye-bye. Bear Sterns is gone. So is Mervyns.
OUCH! 2008 was a tough year. And 2009 promises not to be much better. Some analysts predict that more retail stores will close down this year than at any other time in the country’s history. And the side effects of this will hurt many other businesses.
Yet, I think that all this turmoil will be good in the long run. That’s because I believe that great brands are the ones that survive. Great brands, in my opinion, are the ones that are managed closely and know how to adapt to changing marketplace conditions.
I believe that successful brands are constantly evaluating their audiences, the competitive landscape, the economic situation, and their offerings…and making shifts to address these conditions in order to stay relevant with their audiences, build loyalty with their customers, and stay one step ahead of their competitors.
This does not mean that brands should constantly change what they stand for. On the contrary, once a brand defines its essence and vision…it should stick to it. Yet, a brand is more than just the products and services. I define a brand in terms of the relationship of trust that it builds with its audiences. A trust built by being consistent to its vision and by delivering on its promise.
For example, I think that the American car brands have failed to stay relevant to consumers and have created products that are no longer in touch with the needs and wants of their audiences. On top of that, they have failed to run their businesses in a manner that is financially responsible.
What does “made in America” and “American car company” mean today? In many ways I believe it stands for an industry that has not invested in innovation in terms of manufacturing processes nor product development. And that, is not consistent with what those brands should be about.
Instead of adapting to the changing needs of consumers and the changing economic landscape, the American car companies became obsolete dinosaurs and are now suffering the consequences and looking for bail outs.
I like to think that things would have been different if the American car companies had focused on developing fuel efficient vehicles that were well designed, safe, inexpensive and reliable. “Made in America”…should have meant leveraging technology to create manufacturing efficiencies and innovative products.
In my opinion, the changes I have suggested would have enhanced the value of those brands and would have lived up to the expectations consumers have of American ingenuity and creativity.
I believe that many of the brands that have failed recently, have done so because they have not been true to their vision. They have been victims of corporate greed and mismanagement. They failed to adapt to the economic conditions… they did not deliver on their promise, and they did not build trust with their audiences (customers, investors, analysts, etc.). Many of these brands should have failed long ago.
Undoubtedly, the year ahead will see many more brands fail. Yet, I believe that the brands that will survive are the ones that know how to adapt and evolve. And, those brands will emerge stronger and more valuable than ever.
So, our advice to our clients is to focus on the basics: Remember what you stand for and deliver on that promise in accordance to the needs and wants dictated by the current economic and social conditions. Be innovative, be agile, be open to change. This is what great brands do all the time, and great brands will survive.
So, let 2009 be the year of the great brands.
Please let me know what you think.
1 commentHope for the future.
Most people that know me know that I’m not very fond of Christmas. I don’t enjoy the crowds…nor the decorations…or the last minute shopping. And, as much as I like writing notes, I never send Xmas cards. So, it is surprising – even to me – that I am writing this blog entry on Xmas eve.
In many ways this has been a very difficult year. Wars and the economy have taken a toll on people across the globe, and as I sit at my kitchen table, I find myself wondering what we should celebrate.
The word “hope” comes to mind.
Obama won the presidency on a platform of hope and change. And in the process he has inspired me with a sense of optimism for the future. A sentiment, that I believe is shared by many, regardless of political affiliation, or even nationality.
I hope that during this Holiday Season people will take a moment to celebrate each other, and their own individual hopes for the future.
I believe that hope is about possibilities and dreams. Hope is about potential. Hope is about the future. And so, I hope. I hope for peace and for love. I look forward to this evening and tomorrow and to the New Year. I am hopeful for change…but I will also take it upon myself to do what I can to make it happen.
So, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season….and a New Year filled with hope.
Ciao,
Alfredo Muccino
No commentsAlfredo Muccino and Scott Gardner featured in Joe Claus portrait exhibition.
Joe Claus lives in downtown San Jose. He is a photographer residing in Silicon Valley, yet he likes to work with what many considered antiquated equipment…a film camera. For the last few months he has been building a portfolio of portraits of business people that work downtown San Jose. The range of his subjects is vast - both in terms of ethnic background, ages and types of businesses.
As part of this body of work, he shot portraits of Scott Gardner, the President and CEO of Liquid Agency, and his business partner – Alfredo Muccino – the agency’s Chief Creative Officer. The black and white portraits turned out great - and they are part of an exhibition titled “My Neighbors” currently being held at Dr. Martin Luther King Library in San Jose. Click here to find out more.
Alfredo Muccino’s picture was used to promote the event…which was very flattering to Alfredo.
If you’re in town, go see the exhibition. It’s been getting great reviews. Below are both Alfredo and Scott’s photos.
Here’s a link to Joe Claus’ site: www.joeclaus.com
Justin Vandeberghe
Marketing Designer
Liquid Agency | Brand Marketing