The UK's Coolest Brands Report

Coolbrands is an annual initiative to identify the UK's coolest brands based on independent voting and consumer feedback. Today here are the top 5 coolest brands in the UK.

1. Aston Martin

2. iPhone

3. Apple

4. Bang & Olufsen

5. YouTube

The 2008 results featured many of the world's best known brands, but what was also interesting is that 55% of the Top 20 brands were technology & internet related brands. Making the Top 20 list: iPhone, Apple, YouTube, Google, Nintendo, Playstation, Bang & Olufsen, Sony, Bose, Facebook and Skype.

Are we becoming a more web influenced society? Will internet advertising influence consumers purchasing decisions even more in the future? Comments? 

Access Copyright Enhances Shareholder Communications

A strategic shareholder communications strategy can be instrumental in elevating the brand for many public companies. We had the opportunity to tackle this type of business challenge with Access Copyright.

The organization wished to refresh the look of their Annual Report and take it into a new direction. Wishing to imply a sense of trust and full disclosure to the general public, our theme for the new Annual Report was an "open book" which was a perfect fit as Access Copyright works with publishers to regulate and manage the distribution of copyright fees.

The new Annual Report was combined with new brochure designs and banners leading up to the annual meeting of the board of governors and stake holders in order to enhance their communications and elevate the Access Copyright brand.

A Logo does not make a Brand

Many companies struggle with the challenge of building a strong brand and get caught in the myth that a logo is a brand. We like to challenge that myth.

A well designed logo and corporate identity is important but it is just the starting point of building a strong brand that will attract potential customers. Brand strategy impacts all the potential contact points and experiences you have with your customer and is much more than your logo.

How you communicate with your customers. What level of service & support you provide them. How you engage them and meet their needs also are important aspects of your brand. Building a brand takes time and a step by step strategic approach.

Comments? Thoughts?

The Art of Hotel Design

The travel industry has definitely raised the stakes in the last few years and realized that a good hotel is more than location, a bed, and room service. While the grand hotels still exist and attract a certain clientele, the new "boutique" hotels have come up with innovative product offerings tailored to the tastes of their guests.

The key to any successful business is knowing your clientele and then offering an experience that will bring them back again and again. The Drake Hotel in Toronto & Listel Hotel in Vancouver have certainly taken that approach.

The Drake has become a landmark for what is happening in art & culture in the reinvigorated Queen West neighborhood and serves up a great hotel with a enticing dessert of music, entertainment, and art to its guests.

The best hotels are more than a place to sleep but rather a destination to explore at the end of a journey. The Listel Hotel boasts art, elegance, and culture in each room with a showcase of art via a partnership with the British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology and the Buschien Mowatt Art Gallery.

Good music, art, & sweet dreams! The perfect way to end the day.

Is Microsoft cool?

The ad agency of Crispin Porter + Bogusky has a reputation for advertising campaigns that generate excitement about a brand, but they certainly have taken on a big challenge with the task of making Microsoft cool!

The reality today is that it is not just about MAC OS vs Windows anymore! While Microsoft still remains a technology brand, Apple has successfully become a lifestyle brand. Apple has managed to craft an experience with Mac OS, iMac, iPod, iTunes, and now iPhone that melds design, technology, media, photography, and communication into a beautiful roller-coaster ride.

The highly anticipated $300 million Microsoft ad campaign recently launched but response from viewers has been pretty bland.

Jerry Seinfeld is funny for sure, but is he cool? Not in 2008, and Microsoft isn't cool yet either. This will be an interesting campaign to watch!