An updated version David Lemley’s article, How To Fail at Brand Revitalization is featured in the latest INNOVA, Food & Beverage Innovation Journal. In the article, Lemley breaks his silence on Starbucks since the return of Howard Schultz as CEO.
The Packaging Diva has recruited David Lemley to participate as a guest author on the subject of design and brand strategy for her latest web project. (more…)
David Lemley to speak at AIGA Cincinnati Green Salon on Packaging March 24, 2009. Location: Academy of Art of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Format will be a panel discussion moderated by Marc Alt. More information available at AIGA Cincinnati
Vancouver BC is even rainier than Seattle. Its true. Last weekend I had the honor of serving with Sarah Barclay, Kristen Curtis, Fabio Costa, Monique Gamache, Tim Gordon, PJ Pereira and Bob Pullum as a judge for the 2008 Lotus Awards, Western Canada’s regional creative showcase. (more…)
Can someone tell me the difference between window dressing and Brandscaping? After attending the IRDC in Seattle this month, its clear that my definition has grown a beard, gotten weird and disappeared into the mountains of The Grand Hyatt Seattle. Other than window dressers being heralded as big heroes, I enjoyed two surprises at IRDC. (more…)
I was recently interviewed by Chris Butler of New Fangled Web factory. My favorite Q&A is below.
What fascinates you about the web?
Pseudo-Instant gratification. Access to information and the sense of control it affords (looking up people on Facebook or Linked-In prior to a meeting, changing flight times from PDA, making dinner reservations from the taxi, not to mention its revolutionized holiday shopping).
CB: What would you change about it?
DL: I would add a food replicating device like on the original Star Trek. Then it truly would be instant gratification.
This was really fun and created Our First Digg thanks Chris.
Read the interview here
The Belltown Business Association invited me to speak about business branding to their group. Cooper Mills, one of the lovely folks with El Gaucho, belongs to the association. He asked me to share with them some of the truths we are seeing in the world of branding as of 2008.
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Packaging Magazine asks Lemley to chime in on the Brand called Obama.
In the Forum, Lemley’s states, “Obama has achieved groundswell by being a good brand (a collection of opinions we hold in our minds) with a sophisticated use of online media and social networking. Brand directors and CMOs are rubbernecking to learn which of Obama’s techniques they can swipe to get traction for their brand on the internet.” (more…)
Package Design Magazine asks Lemley for editorial on the redesign of PAM Cooking Spray packaging.
In the article, Lemley States, “Many times packaging updates are handled as knee-jerk reactions to marketplace performance and competition. The keys to managing frequent updates are to have strict, powerful, authentic (uniquely ownable) brand and packaging standards in-place prior to needing an update.
I do think the industry is entering a new era of frequent lateral design updates. I am not sure this is good for anyone except packaging design firms and the brand managers who are looking for a short term needle movement. Often the design details are trendy which ensures that they will need to be updated again as soon as the style changes.
The PAM update is nice; and yet, it’s also a good example of design eliminating consumer-centric point of sale relevance in the process of attempting to be optically pleasing. I suppose that PAM has enough brand equity in the non-stick coating spray category to forego showcasing what it is and how it benefits the consumer, but I would want to see data to prove this before modernizing anything, particularly the logo.”
View the entire forum here.
Originally posted on Linked-In.
The question: Do you care about Sustainability? Is it the right thing to do or just the latest fade?
My answer: My firm believes in creating design standards that empower and enforce this wherever possible. I have always directed my clients along the lines of “re-use is the sincerest form of recycling.”
When it comes to the idea that sustainability is the latest trend. I believe that people are throwing it about to either get on the band wagon of manipulating consumers and suppliers, or as an effort to beef up their Corporate Responsibility program while this is in vogue. There are a few organizations that do it because that’s their core belief system. I am not talking about them.
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