Superheroes, like science fiction, are now acceptable to like in public. This trend can be attributed to a number of events: the cult series Heroes, the popularity of the DVD box-set that helped cult TV go mainstream and the new maturity of superhero representations on the big screen. The corny comic-book adaptations of the 1980s are now cult cinema curios compared to the superhero films that will hit screens in 2012; Christopher Reeve's square-jawed Superman would get a proper kicking from Christian Bale's Dark Knight. Confirmation of the hero concept as trend, if any were needed, arrives in form of the new Lego Superhero series that hits shops soon.

When we were working on the branding concept for the BRAVES, superheroes became part of the imagery very early on. An award that celebrated the heroes of video, needed to have some heroic figures to represent them. Eventually, the perfect amount of caffeine and lively discussion created a brief for the characters who would become The BRAVES, and this brief was brought to life by the brilliant artist, Noma Bar. 

Bar is famous for his deceptively complex graphic illustrations. Using blocks of colour and simple shapes, the man is a master of negative space and efficient graphic style. In short, he's a bit of a genius, and it's a bit of a coup for the BRAVES that he agreed to produce our characters.

Introducing: TEAM BRAVES

CAMPAIGN BRAVE

Smart and strategic, Campaign BRAVE has a plan and is in control. A master of innovation and insight, his mission is to promote the best use of video in advertising campaigns. The Campaign BRAVES category promotes the best in video campaign innovation and creative planning. 

CONTENT BRAVE

Content BRAVE is an artist, always looking to capture that moving image and experiment with new techniques and aesthetics. The Content BRAVES celebrate the art in video and specifically reward the role of branded video content where there brand has been involved from the outset. 

TECHNICAL BRAVE

Nobody knows where he came from. With tools for platforms, players, analytics and distribution, strong, silent Technical BRAVE is essential to the video ecosystem. His best work often goes unnoticed, so the Technical BRAVES are designed to recognise the best technical contributions and innovations to the video landscape.

Information about the BRAVES.

Video-based case studies found on Cream.

An interview with Noma Bar.  

Cream dissects the roots of creativity in the Nordics and showcases some of the cleverest media campaigns that have hit the right note with their target audience.

The Playtype concept store in Copenhagen, a pop-up shop selling fonts from brand consultancy e-Types

Modern Nordic aesthetics are an amalgamation of Danish neo-classicism, Finnish craftsmanship, Norwegian folk art and the Swedish social approach to design. The result is a cool, blonde, refined look. Compared to other cultural centres in modern Europe, urbanisation and industrialisation came relatively late to the Nordics. This meant that values from a more agrarian culture were transferred directly into the new industrial setting, translating into an aesthetic movement rooted in a social setting.

Art and design had a responsibility to help create a world that was clean and functional. Influences of the British arts and craft movement found particular resonance in Sweden, and the style we today recognise as Nordic is easily identifiable. So much is design a part of the region's consciousness, that it is even possible to visit a font shop (pictured) in Copenhagen, run by a local brand consultancy. 

This design ethic is mirrored in the region’s media. A largely moderate political climate with social democratic leanings has created a culture of cooperation between individuals, which has enabled creative media industries to thrive. 

Sweden, in particular, has secured its place in the industry as a hub for digital excellence, with the work of Hyper Island, Prime and Perfect Fools winning plaudits and accolades at a global level. Sweden secured seven out of 80 Cyber Lions at this year’s Cannes festival, accounting for nearly 10% of the category. But digital excellence in one market hasn’t eclipsed the innovation and popularity of more traditional media channels. As recently as 2010, a newspaper-based campaign in Norway walked off with the ‘Award for Media Bravery’ at the Festival of Media Awards in Valencia. Print media enjoys a relatively healthy existence in the Nordics, particularly in Finland, which ranks third in the world for newspaper consumption with 31 seven-day dailies in circulation. At the first signs of contraction in the channel, Finnish print media has been quick to respond, launching campaigns to gently remind Finns that reading is a national pastime.

Subtle nuances make it difficult to generalise about the creative characteristics of a region, but there is a phrase on 358 Helsinki agency’s website that neatly sums up the creative pragmatism that is  present throughout Nordic media: “When Finnish old folks see something that’s good for someone they say, “that’s good advertising... Idea one: Anything that helps people like a company more is an ad”.

A quick tour of Nordic creativity

Norway: Heartbreaker (Starcom)

Since the birth of services like Napster, the traditional business model of phased single and album releases has died a slow death. Kaizers Orchestra decided, therefore, to shun CD, mp3 and vinyl formats and release its new single, Hjerteknuser, on paper. Before the song was heard was anywhere on the radio, the band made the sheet music available on posters,  forums and torrent download sites. The only way to hear it was to play it yourself. Fans started posting their covers in different styles and genres. As word spread, the band became a popular topic for bloggers on twitter and in the press.

Sweden: Chocography (Prime)

To learn where Marabou chocolates fitted the values and interests of Swedish consumers, the brand conducted a survey which identified a number of different ‘chocolate profiles’. The results revealed some chocolate truths; Fruit & Almond was the perfect gift for cultural city women, while a woman with a shoe fetish would love a Swiss Almond. The idea of ‘chocography’ was seeded among the blog community. TV, online and in-store advertising directed fans to the campaign site, which shared functionality with social networks.

Denmark: Extra summer (PHD)

Danish summers are very short and the winter dark. The 2009/2010 was the longest in 14 years and by February the Danes were craving light.By changing to daylight saving time (summer time) on 21 March instead of 28 March, Somersby could deliver an extra week of summer time to Denmark.From a pop-up campaign office in Copenhagen, it led the national rally for an extra week of summer, kick-started by a TV commercial introducing the ‘mission’ and running across multiple platforms to spur group involvement.

Finland: Burn (Helsinki 358)

When the Cancer Society of Finland wanted to communicate its non-smoking message to teenagers, it knew that talking to this audience required subtlety. So Cancer Society tapped into the teenage obsession with celebrity. The result was Burn, a magazine emulating popular lifestyle magazines, with celebrity gossip, showbiz news and light-hearted features. The difference in Burn was that all the content was related to smoking issues. Response has been positive. Initially intended as a one-off project, interest in the title has seen a steady increase and issue four is now due to be published. 

Pringles were featured on Cream recently for an excellent European campaign that allowed consumers to collect on-pack coupons and exchange them for some nifty speakers. But the stroke of genius that got the case study into Cream was the idea that the speaker could be attached to the famous Pringles tube, creating a ersatz speaker system that can be connected to an MP3 player - perfect for groups of friends enjoying music outdoors. 

Read the full case study and watch the video on Cream here. (This case study is free to view for a limited time only)

A recent poll conducted by entertainment news site Digital Spy has revealled that the vast majority of cinema visitors prefer their films in 2D format. 

When asked to vote on their favourite format, 77% of readers preferred standard 2D films, citing the high ticket price and poor 3D conversions as the reasons for preferring the traditional format. 

There are several high profile 3D films due to be released in 2011, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

There have been lots of attempts to bring sound into print, but not all these experiments could be described as 100% successful. While VW in India has experimented with bringing sound to newspapers, Playboy in Brazil has gone one step further.

The news that the Government is now planning to ban the display of cigarettes in-store, whilst a natural progression from the plain packaging it has demanded, is further proof that they do not understand the dynamics at play here.

The introduction of plain packaging removes the ability of consumers to make an informed choice. The removal of the packages from sight altogether is, to be frank, ridiculous and is likely to cost the economy more than it saves.

Tobacco has been a consistent force in the UK economy over the past fifty years. Removing branding from the packaging and trying to remove the product from the public conscious could dramatically impact on our ability to export tobacco goods and, therefore, the economy.

In addition to cutting potential export revenues, the Government’s proposals could see UK retailers having to pay for custom made drawers to store cigarettes away from the public eye. This will see retailers incur huge costs and, for many of the smaller independent stores, potential loses that cannot be recovered elsewhere. Tobacconists may well disappear from the UK and yet, because of duty free, smoking levels could remain high.

The Government has clearly not done their homework. Putting products you are trying to defer attention from below the counter in bland packaging only serves to make them appear illicit and, therefore, more appealing. If you need a proof-point here, you only need to look at drug popularity; illegal drugs are never branded, or indeed packaged in many cases, and are not on display but they are still desired and seen as ‘cool’ by many young people.

The saying actions speak louder than words couldn’t be further from the truth here. If the Government continues to invest in educating consumers here, they would not need to take this extreme action. Isn’t it time the Government stopped thinking of restrictions to put in place and started spearheading the innovative thinking that will solve problems such as this?

SEE ALSO: The cigarette brand blackout

Del Monte has announced plans to offer bananas in plastic wrappers to slow down the ripening process. To be frank, this is ludicrous, particularly when you look at where they plan to offer the newly packaged products. Consumers buying fruit from petrol stations, convenience stores, and, particularly, gyms are likely to do so because they want to consume the product there and then, not a couple of days later.

Excess packaging has been a huge issue for the industry and with items like this cropping up it seems it will be here to stay. However, there is another way.

By applying the principles of radicality (which ultimately entails us getting back to our roots) to buying and consumption habits, consumers can significantly decrease the amount of waste produced and brands can help this process. Indeed, if brands such as Del Monte acknowledge and act on the trends emerging around using fresh ingredients, recycling at home and re-using items, this return to our roots will be much more effective. Offering consumers longer-shelf life on a product is not, and should not be the focus for brands. Now is the time to be natural, now is the time to apply the notion of radicality. 

Andrew Lansdown wants cigarette brands to remove all branding from packaging and Greg Vallance, founder of Embrace Brands, is kicking off.

The news that Andrew Lansdown wants cigarette brands to remove all branding from packaging is creating a storm across the industry. To clear the air (excuse the pun) and shed some light on the issues brands should be aware of as the Government looks to push through its reforms, please see below comments from Greg Vallance, founder, Embrace Brands.

Greg comments: “The proposed move to remove all branding from cigarette packaging demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of the market and audience and, whilst unexpected by the industry, is shocking in its severity.”

If the initial plans are passed Greg believes we could see British brands suffering significantly, without any impact on smoking levels in the UK, particularly when it comes to teenagers / younger smokers:

“Advertising to teenagers has always been a taboo, with many industries finding themselves accused of ruining the innocence of childhood, or exploiting children’s desire to drive sales – especially at Christmas, where pester-power reigns supreme. However, the impact of branding on young people continues to be over-rated. Just because they are more impressionable does not make young consumers more receptive to branding. Indeed, young people looking to begin smoking, or any other activity for that matter, are far more likely to make their decisions based on price and peer recommendations rather than brand. ‘’Kids’’ will buy whatever is cheapest! If they could buy 2 sticks they would. Brand recognition and loyalty is something that develops with age.”

ILLICIT is MORE appealing – Government reverts to Draconian Steps

Greg continues: “Rather than continuing to invest in educating young people about the health implications, the government has moved directly to removing it from our consciousness. The day feared by the industry has come: the Government is, once again, taking a draconian step to crack a nut with a sledge hammer and, in the process, they are removing the ability of consumers to make an informed choice. This is especially ridiculous, given tobacconists aren’t even supposed to be selling to under 18s.”

 “If the hope of this extreme measure is that it will make smoking appear less cool, the Government has clearly not done their homework. Putting products you are trying to defer attention from into bland packaging only serves to make them appear illicit and, therefore, more appealing. If you need a proof-point here, you only need to look at drug popularity; illegal drugs are never branded, or indeed packaged in many cases, but they are still desired and seen as ‘cool’ by many young people.”

 “The saying actions speak louder than words couldn’t be further from the truth here. If the Government continues to invest in educating consumers here, they would not need to take this extreme action.”

Branding Crisis – the Death of the Preferred Smoking Brand?

Greg adds: “By removing branding from cigarette packaging the Government is leaving consumers open to abuse. A plain box effectively removes control over the contents – after all, who will be able to claim that their preferred brand is not right if there is no branding on the pack to claim that it is indeed their preferred brand?”

“This will also leave UK brands under threat from illicit foreign imports. Indeed, if imports remain branded then there will likely be a significant shift from UK brands to the branded imports, which will have a negative impact on our ability to export tobacco goods and compete at a global level as well as on the strength of the brand Britain.”

What should tobacco brand marketers do? Avoiding the Brand Blackout

Greg concludes: “Brands need to take a new tact here if they are to overcome the effect of this proposed Brand Blackout and it will be interesting to see who is first off the blocks here. To succeed I’d suggest the following course of attack:

• Be the first to launch the plain box:

The first brand to launch a plain box could gain significant advantage here, becoming synonymous with the unbranded box. But this opportunity will only be available to the quickest thinking brand.

• Win market share – drive innovation:

For those second or third to the party it is going to be all about trying to win share back from the first entrant. This could be done by something as simple as petitioning the government to allow differentiation by colour on pack – so you could be the brown pack, red pack, blue pack, etc – or something more elaborate; it’s really all about how far outside the box brands want to take this.

• Consider how removing the packaging from the equation will impact on your other marketing channels:

If differentiation on pack is proving difficult, brands should by-pass this entirely and focus on promoting off the box. Thinking about key images to include across the various other advertising media still at their disposal – whatever these may be – and devising a campaign incorporating TV, interactive and outdoor could be highly beneficial.

Revamp your split across channels wisely:

A note of caution here, however; be wary of the increasing restrictions around promoting tobacco products to consumers and keep your efforts inside these guidelines if you want to get anywhere. And remember, anything the pharmaceutical industry can do, can be done better (well, maybe not better, but certainly just as well!)”