Design Strategy Design can provide a tactical advantage by delivering a powerful brand message
One of the hottest trends within corporations is using design research strategically to help identify new product categories and extend core brands into other markets. The tools of design research, such as consumer observation and fast prototyping, can challenge conventional wisdom and promote innovation. And by aligning design with advertising, marketing, packaging, and service, companies can deliver a more powerful brand message.
A research team of designers, engineers, anthropologists, marketers, and managers observed people showering (in swimsuits). Their discovery? People liked different kinds of showers in the morning, after sports, and at nighttime. $66.
Car accessories are usually about the car, but the MINI_motion brand is about the lifestyle of the driver. It captures the emotional spirit of the Mini Cooper -- urban, fast, different, cool -- and translates a sense of motion into a series of high-end products. It marks "the death of the logo and the birth of the motif as brand strategy," says juror Michael McCoy.
MINI_motion Strategy
The MINI_motion 2-part driving shoe has a soft bootie worn inside to drive and a sturdy outer sole for walking outside. $125. The carpack fastens to the seat belt, preventing laptops and lunch from spilling. $179.
Copyright 2005, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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