Mutt Media | Daily Bone 11.12.09 Social Media Revolution

This weeks’ inspiration…….

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 10.27.09 Entering Second Life

Just registerd for what I think will be a really cool new media experience in Second Life. I will be attending an Event on The Power of Youth Voice. “What kids learn when they create with digital media”. You should sign up if you have children as I think this will be pretty awe-inspiring.

FYI – Second Life is new to me, too, so let’s learn together! Remember, Mutt Media was created to keep you plugged in to the latest trends, help you keep up and take the fear out of new technology.

My Second Life avatar name is Brooklyn Macpherson if you would like to attend. Let me know if this is of interest to you and if you have any questions about how to set up in SL….Here’s the link to Holymeatballs.org if you’re interested!

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 10.8.09 On the Duane Reade redesign

Photo courtesy of NY Times blog

These days I’m into branding. Logos. Due to the nature of what I get to do for a living and in pursuing my degree, I get to really evaluate things that maybe one wouldn’t stop to notice. I do it for work, for inspiration or sometimes, just because I have to.

This week I’ve been asked to look at logo redesigns that don’t work. It’s a pretty subjective concept at first blush, but when you begin to research any subject, you find that people usually come down pretty hard on one side or another. There are two ways to look at this.

1. Examine the logo and react strictly upon your impression and whether it works for you.

or

2. Ask yourself (objectively), “Does this image still represent the brand I’ve come to know and trust?”, “How does the redesign change the image of the company?”

I’m going with #2 for this assignment because a logo redesign doesn’t have to just look pretty or appealing. It’s important that all of the positive traits of the company still be exploited, while bringing a fresh, updated look. I’ve spoken here about the bomb of Tropicana’s redesign, when the public outcry resulted in a rush back to the old packaging. (See Daily Bone 9.3.09)

After a bit of research, it seems that DR undertook not only a complete redesign of the logo and signage but an overhaul of their overall brand, their offerings and their approach according to an interview I read on Brandweek with DR Chief Marketing Officer Joe Jackman. The firm DeVito/Verde was hired to spearhead the project. Just this week, the store introduced a new line of private label products called DR Delish and paired it with the new slogan, “Your City, Your Store”.  By December, the goal is to have 100+ new items for sale under the DR umbrella – all being glueten free with no trans-fats, reduced calorie and made with natural ingredients. Some of these will (or do) include fresh sandwiches, new cosmetics and a Doctor on Premises program.

Example of new products/packaging:

DR Delish

Thus far, 30 of their 256 stores have been remodeled including a shift within the store of their products and placements of various inventory.

Personally and aesthetically, I like the new design as I think it looks more modern and simple. However, when I ask myself the questions above, I have to agree with the popular consensus that the redesign does not meet the objectives of brand recognition. I couldn’t find a good image of the new storefront, which is a complete departure from the two images shown here, using all grays and silvers, giviing a pretty futuristic and cold effect.

In my opinion the old logo was outdated and in need of a redesign, but the brand is going to now have to fight a bit to win back some great traction that they had with their customers. They should’ve kept a greater portion of the elements in the old logo, such as color or the interlocking letters.

What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Does the redesign make any sense to you? These are important questions when undertaking the branding of a company, especially one that has been around for 40+ years.

Here’s a link to a great article that was posted on Brandweek.com if you’d like to get some insights as to why the brand was redesigned and the philosophy behind their new offerings.

Jackman maintains that the campaign thus far has been successful, however I have found comments posted online by Duane Reade customers who have a different opinion, stating that the relocation of products within their store has left them confused. Another big complaint is that the staff at Duane Reade is not knowledgeable, friendly or willing to help when asked. Customer Service seems to be a huge complaint and now that consumers have many other choices such as Walgreens and CVS, they are inclined to go elsewhere. Those are items that no amount of “redesign” can fix but maybe their new products and look will generate enough buzz to bring people in and make them want to remain there.

Time will tell.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 10.1.09 My Woodbury Magazine Article on Social Media & Internet Security

Click here to read the article Beyond facebook ©2009

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Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 9.14.09 at 7AM top site: Yahoo Blog: Kanye Loses It at the VMA Awards

Top web site visit as of 7AM according To Alexa.com

When I went to sleep last night I plugged my phone into the charger and did a last check of my emails.

I saw a flurry of Facebook updates from friends who suddenly seemed really angry at Kanye West. No, I mean really angry. People calling him names and expressing their disbelief at his actions at the VMA’s (Video Music Awards).

I had spent the day working and the night watching True Blood, Hung and Entourage so I had no idea what the %$#%^&* was going on. So I did what any curious/lazy person would do at that moment. I updated my Facebook status to read, “what happened today? fill me in on the Kanye thing” (or words to that affect. Within minutes a friend sent me a YouTube clip. [Thank you ].

This is amazing to me. Amazing that Kanye was so rude and amazing that this was like the shot heard ’round the world.

I had the clip up here on this post but it’s been removed from YouTube by Viacom and AP.

Here’s the link to the most popular site according to the Alexa toolbar. He has subsequently apologized.

Have a nice day

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 9.3.09 Ikea changes it’s font typeface after 50 years. Will anyone notice?

Ikea changes font from Futura to Verdana

After 50+ years, the furniture store IKEA has changed it’s signature font from Futura to Verdana. For those of you who do not already know this (and why would you?), Verdana is a what we call web-friendly; this means that when you view it on your computer screen, it will appear as the designer intended and further, this will apply to all computer screens, using all browsers and operating systems.

With a font like futura, which was designed way before there was an internet, the words (or logo) will not look the same on the screen as it would in print. Then the designer must make a decision – what font would be a good replacement for the web?

Well, Ikea doesn’t need to worry about that any longer since Verdana is nothing if not consistant. Apparantly, this caused quite a stir on the internet. Google Ikea font change and you will see a host of articles from the Associated Press to Business Week and many assorted blogs.

Of course, I cannot present a piece of tech “news” without a little commentary.

While it seems on it’s face to be a somewhat insignificant news item, Corporate Identity is a really important component of any business. Ikea’s 50-year run with the Futura font has ensured that the logo and associated catalog, advertising and other printed media is instantly recognizable and associated with the Ikea brand.

Some of the online commentary has been in the vein of “who cares?” while others (typofile.com) proclaimed it “a bad day”. Change can be a very good thing, but when it comes to your corporate identity, you’d be surprised at how it can affect your customers and your bottom line.

Case in point – did anyone else notice the huge change in the Tropicana Orange Juice packaging? I did and I can say that it was lost on me. They have gone back since to get closer to their “roots” and it’s better now, but for awhile it was looking like the generic supermarket brand. Tropicana is a premium product and the package redesign simply did not reflect that. Consumers were in an uproar and so the decision was made to pull the plug on the new look.

Take a look and let me know which you prefer. No matter what your preference, we can all agree that the change was dramatic and the end result was not the desired one. No one wants their well-established brand to mistaken for something else.

A good lesson.

Re-designed Tropicana packaging

The preferred "oldie" version of Tropicana

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 8.20.09 kamouya1@yahoo.com is the “anonymous” insulting, defaming blogger

kamouya1@yahoo.com is the "anonymous" insulting, defaming blogger

Yesterday Liskula Cohen won her court battle to unveil the identity of the offensive Blogger responsible for the “Skanks in NYC” blog in which Cohen was the sole subject.

I, for one, applaud this ruling as I feel strongly that people should not be allowed to hide behind a cloak of anonymity to make negative, offensive and hurtful statements – about anything. Whether you are ranting about an Obama policy, your unfair boss or the hit your stock portfolio just took, I say stand up and, if you can’t (or won’t) take on the responsibility that comes along with your rant – then sit down and shut up.

This may seem like a harsh viewpoint (and maybe it is) but I am not a believer in stirring up the pot and leaving a big old mess for others to deal with. If you feel that you have a valid viewpoint that is worth sharing and you can take the time to say it, then sign your name to it.

It is completely irresponsible and cowardly to throw out your opinions without taking on the fallout they may create. I believe we should all be able to broadcast our opinions – that is what free speech is all about but hiding behind a cloak of anonymity absolutely removes the validity of your viewpoint.

Ok. So preachy portion of today’s blog behind us, I can now comment about what little we know about kamouya1@yahoo.com. She is a woman who was, according to Cohen, nothing more than a passing acquaintence. What then, did the model do to so offend?

Cohen appeared on Good Morning America.  So she now knows the identity and claims that she forgives her but will, nevertheless, be filing a civil defamation suit.

I, for one was shocked to find out that this blogger was another woman who would resort to attacking her “friend” by claiming that she was dirty, skanky and sexually promiscuous. Disgusting!

Mutt Media will be following this story as it progresses so stay tuned to see how and if this lawsuit materializes and the eventual outcome.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 8.18.09 Judge rules Google must give up identity of “anonymous” blogger

Google must give up identity of blogger who posted defamatory remarks about model Liskula Cohen

Once upon a (recent) time, there was a blog site on Blogger.com (Google-owned) called “Skanks in NYC”. Isn’t that charming?

According to Timesonline.com, the blogger posted remarks such as the following:

“I would have to say the first-place award for ‘Skankiest in NYC’ would have to go to Liskula Gentile Cohen,” the blogger “Anonymous” wrote in one posting. The blog, since removed, ridiculed the former Australian Vogue covergirl as a “40-something” who “may have been hot 10 years ago”, when she was actually 36.

Justice Joan Madden rejected the blogger’s claim that the blogs “serve as a modern-day forum for conveying personal opinions, including invective and ranting”, and should not be treated as factual assertions.

The model was looking forward last night to discovering the identity of the alleged acquaintance who insulted her. “Everybody is waiting to see who this coward is,” Steven Wagner, her lawyer, said.

Andrew Pederson, a Google spokesman, said: “We sympathise with anyone who may be the victim of cyberbullying. We also take great care to respect privacy concerns and will only provide information about a user in response to a subpoena or other court order.” (author: James Bone)

This is not the first time Cohen has been in the news for something conflict-related. A couple of years back while at the Hudson Hotel, she got into an argument with a guy who took a drink off of her table. After throwing a drink at him, he hit her in the face with a bottle of vodka, causing her to get over 40 stitches and, according to her account at the time, effectively end her modeling career.

How do these scrapes with others keep ending up in the newspaper and why does trouble seem to find her? I haven’t a clue. But I do know this: there is no guarantee of anonymity on the internet!!!!

Very soon this blogger will be forced out from the shadows and his/her identity will be known. Soon after that, no doubt Cohen will file a defamation lawsuit and will hopefully prevail, sending a strong message to anyone who seeks to publicly defame another.

I applaud this ruling, how about you? Post your thoughts!

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 7.21.09 Chase Employee arrested for ATM heist

So today I read in my favorite newspaper, The New York Post – that a 24 year old employee of Chase Bank named Robin Katz was arrested for illegedly stealing from one of her wealthy Clients.

How did she do this? Well, she got her hands on a duplicate ATM card in the Client’s name and began to slowly make withdrawls, using the card dozens of times in less than a year. In all, she managed to take over $110,000.

How was she caught? The Client noticed a six-figure differential in his seven-figure balance and notified bank officials. If this Client was anything like yours truly, this scam could’ve gone on for years without Katz’s shenanigans being discovered. Luckily, he was diligent about checking his statements.

Things like this happen all the time. Identity theft with credit cards and insurance scams are all too common. What I find interesting about this story is how the Post does research for their stories….they went on Katz’s MySpace page where she claims she is a “…rocket scientist by day, party fool by night” and her interests are “Politics – F Bush, Sex – F Me”. Photos are of her in tight, low-cut clothing doing all sorts of fun and adventurous things. She says she would most like to meet her “good twin”.

Hmmmmm. People – please think about your social networking sites and the material you post. Not that there’s anything wrong with a 24 year old single girl who likes to party, but if you’re going to commit a crime or gain any sort of notariety, have a little foresight.

She’ll probably get a reality show out of this.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 6.2.09 Ever hear of a “jobvite”?

Read an interesting article in the New York Times on Sunday 5.31.09 called, “Finding New Employees, Via Social Networks”. You can click on the link to read the full article but to sum it up, Julie Weed tells the story of Alan Kennedy, a 54 year old man who found himself unemployed. Kennedy is now working at Hubspot, thanks to some social networking and Facebook.

I’ve spoken here before about how Facebook profiles can be used FOR and work AGAINST you during your job search. Cleaning up your account for your job search is paramount but once that’s done you can begin to take advantage of some third party applications that are designed to assist you in your search using social networking.

Jobvite & Appirio are two companies that an employer may seek out to fill positions. Keep in mind that these cater to the Company, not the individual.

Go check out how they work and how they can affect your job search!

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