Stefan's Branding Blog

Logo Impersonator

My cat, Miso, aptly posing as the McDonald's logo.

Searching for the Right Behavior

As in the case of people, brands tell so much more about themselves through their behavior rather than through their looks. A salient, unfolding example is Microsoft's impending launch of its new search engine, Kumo.

But there's a great point made here about Kumo (and the myriad of other search engines): what will we do with more of them? If Microsoft is trying to beat Google at their own game, I too believe they will lose, even if their new search engine is comparable or even slightly better than the current Google.com. The Redmond Goliath has it in its genes (remember old tricks played on IBM and Apple, as well as the crushing of Netscape, in more recent times) but has since long forgotten it's easier to do it when you're David. It sorely needs to change the game not for survival (I think it'll be around for decades from now), but for the kind of mental and technological edge that would make it perennially valuable to shareholders and employees alike.

What Microsoft needs Kumo to be is nothing short of disruptive. And at the same time, humble and meek so it stays out of the radar screen of industry hegemons while it grows. I'm not sure Microsoft can pull that kind of trick. Recent hardware-focused ad blitz notwithstanding, nothing in their recent corporate behavior has shown it can do it. What it should do, if it could, is to take a Benjamin Button-like trip back to its own youth and re-assess today from that standpoint.

The Weekly Wire Survey Results

Hi everyone on the Weekly Wire!

I thought it'd be great to share with you some of the findings of our first-ever survey. You know, the one that ran Mar 10 to Apr 10. Straight and to the point, as most of you like it:

Top likes, ranked:

• BY FAR NO. 1: short, simple, brief, concise, readable, accessible
• useful, relevant, educational, interesting
• diverse, wide range, variety
• News section
• fresh, up-to-date
• international, worldwide, global
• weekly, frequent, on time
• curated, selected
• Character (bio) section
• Case study section
• covers stuff I'd otherwise miss
• Opinions section
• ad-free

Top dislikes, ranked:

• BY FAR NO. 1: Appearance (old-looking, text-only, no pictures, too simple)
• Too few local topics
• Character section
• Low freq: only once a week
• No way to provide feedback, to discuss
• No original content: editorial, news analysis.
• Long wrapping links

Other findings:

• Over 80% of you would like to see relevant (original, non-promotional such as blog posts) content from other selected readers added to the Weekly Wire.
• Your preferred delivery methods are: plain email (57%), blog/RSS (28%), widget and social networks (~5% each)
• The Weekly Wire is most important and important as an information source to 55% of you. It is moderately important to another 42%.
• 85% of you would be willing to spread the word about the Weekly Wire among professional peers. By all means, do it! :)

As for our reaction to the survey results, some things will stay, while others will change.

The Weekly Wire will continue to be text-only, ad-free and broadcasted primarily by email on each Monday. That's what stays.

As for what changes, you may have already noticed something new: shortened URL's. Not only do they eliminate the wrapping problem, but they also help us track our own performance and the performance of our sources, thus leading to improved content. Next on my list are the following:

• With every issue, invite member/reader contributions and tip-offs, including links to new design/branding projects, as publicized by their originators
• Publicize the WeeklyWire Twitter account, where interesting news and articles are noted in almost-real-time several times a week. RSS will follow at some point.
• Editorialize & analyze, both ourselves (whenever time allows) and with the help of some of the great professionals currently on Wireality or reading the Weekly Wire.
• Set up an easy feedback tool for TWW subscribers only (Wireality members already have it in the form of the discussion list).

Heartily thanks to all of you who have taken the survey! And I hope to enlist your help in further developing Wireality and the WW.

Vintage Landor Video

Via Logoblink: Great short video featuring Mr. Landor himself. Nice watching experience (don't you just love the interviewer's hairstyle :). And great PR asset for the folks there. I think we should all shoot videos just in case we're (our shops are) among the lucky few who'll still be around three decades from now. Then have the retro card ready to play :)