We’re not like you, that’s why you’re like us
Media Bounty’s Monica Kulkarni shares what the Harris campaign can teach ethical brands about unity
The pursuit of creative expression
From music to theatre, fashion to food, we are finding ways to side-step the establishment and do things our own way. Driven by a desire for creative expression and the pursuit of individuality, people of all ages are looking to make their mark on the world.
With limited editions and product personalisation becoming a definition of luxury, there’s a new wave of commerciallydriven DIY ventures launching. Unmade collaborates with leading creatives from across fashion, art and design to create one-off garments. Customers can choose a design, modify the pattern, and Unmade will knit the bespoke piece in Central London. Combining industrial and digital processes, they are able to produce clothing at scale in a way that’s sustainable.
“27% [of young people] say that they feel very much more connected to a brand when they can put their own stamp on a product, rising to 47% among respondents from London,” according to Young Blood, a white paper exploring modern. British youth culture by creative agency Amplify.
Sports brands are leading the way in customisation. In 2012 Nike launched NikeiD, an online and in-store service encouraging customers to personalise Nike clothing and footwear. In Japan, Converse have just opened White Atelier, a store and studio space for fans to create their own All-Star designs.
In March this year Lululemon launched their second lululemon lab, an exclusive line of clothing designed and made locally with an in-house production team. The retailer invites customers to collaborate in-store, bringing a new transparency to the shopper experience. Fashion is not the only sector embracing this trend. From technology to automotive, we’re starting to see more brands handing creative control over to their customers.
Read on for examples…
Google asked the question, how do you get girls interested in coding? The answer, to show them that their favourite passions are made with code. Things like art, music, dance, gaming and fashion. Instead of making girls connect to code, Google let code connect them to their creativity making code more accessible and less intimidating.
Madewithcode.com introduces girls to 12 inspiring mentors, each showing how code has helped make their ideas bigger and brighter. Using their visual coding language, Blocky, Google designed 13 projects that could be accessed across all devices. A programme was also built to handle more complex tasks including 3D rendering and animation. Millions of girls began to code musical beats, gifs, and their own 3D printed bracelet.
Made with Code was picked up by celebrities and news outlets and is fast becoming a hub for girl coders across the US. Google are looking to expand the scheme internationally.
Agency: Red & Co., Portland
Nike Tech Pack is innovative sportswear engineered to the specification of champion athletes. To launch this new range, Nike hosted an event that brought to life the product’s technological innovations whilst boosting awareness. Media and influencer attendees were invited to customise their
Tech Pack garments and have a picture taken with UV photo technology against a London skyline backdrop. The bespoke event amplified the tailored and technical aspect of the garments, carving a definite space for Nike Tech Pack in key audiences’ wardrobes.
Agency: Exposure , London
GoDaddy is a brand built on customisation. Championing the individuality and creativity of small business owners is at the very heart of their new global campaign ‘Go You’. The story follows an eccentric cat lady who quits being a theatrical performer to pursue her big idea: hats for cats. The TV spot and extended online version point to two websites, catswithhats.com and gatochapeau.com. Each cleverly showcases the various tools GoDaddy provides in the guise of Cat Lady’s online storefront.
Agency: TBWA, New York
Heinz is giving tomato ketchup lovers the opportunity to grow their own. DIY ketchup encourages a new green fingered army to discover the joys of growing their own food. Heinz gave out 20,000 packs of seeds to customers who signed up to their micro site and 400,000 packs on promotional sauce bottles. The amateur gardeners were asked to send in pictures of their plants via social media. One overall winner had their tomatoes collected and shipped to the Heinz Innovation Centre in the Netherlands, where they were used to make one bottle of ketchup with a personalised label.
Agency: We Are Social, London
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