Alan Gilbody

It isn’t difficult to see the effects of globalisation on brands, pretty much any major city you go to will have a Mcdonald’s at the end of the street. 

Does this mean that companies are becoming more global and in effect forcing a homogenous voice onto consumers? Or are consumers around the world becoming more similar and as such demanding more similar products?  We’d like to examine this by analysing the market presently and the growing trends emerging.

In 1983, Theodore Levitt, a professor at Harvard championed the idea products were becoming more standardised in order to help growth.  Levitt argued that by stripping the products, services and communication down to the most uniform level, companies would be able to find a voice that would work on a global level. 

Understanding the complex effects of globalisation on consumer purchases is an important point to address.  Consumers are becoming more similar as a result of globalisation. Whilst retaining differences due to “demographics, psychographics, personality, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and feelings”.  It is understanding this delicate, ever evolving relationship which is key to the success of global brands.

Globalisation & Homogeny

With globalisation comes great opportunity for businesses. Both large and small, to participate in shared dialogue by throwing ideas, products and cuisines into a large mixing pot. This is not to say, however, that all products and consumables will end up being the same around the world.   

With the rising population in developing countries, companies can not ignore the importance of managing their global characteristics. It is reported that by 2030, 90% of the world’s population will be living in developing countries.  The global brands who are successful have learnt to adapt and integrate popular elements of the host countries culture. For example KFC’s in Shanghai serve porridge for breakfast and Peking Duck burgers for lunch. In a similar vein, Starbucks in Beijing serves an array of green and aromatic teas which are popular in that culture. 

However, there is an inevitable movement of worldwide supermarkets looking more and more similar through global acquisitions and JV’s.  Although it makes the supermarkets look more similar, some may argue it actually provides more variety in the brands offered.

Ideas and trends are also becoming more global through a common conversation had via marketing, social media, etc.  A recent global trend is the demand for breakfast “on-the-go”, which provides consumer’s with a more convenient morning meal to be had in-between their ever busy schedules.  This movement may have had more impetus in Germany initially, but it now set to expand on a global level.   

Global trends – the coffee boom

The tea industry has definitely felt the effects of the globalisation of coffee shops.  About 1.7bn cups of coffee are sold each year in the UK from more than 18,000 outlets – a total set to grow to almost 21,000 by 2020, according to Allegra Strategies. In the UK people consume an average of 2.8kg of coffee each year.

Last week JD Wetherspoon, the caprice pub chain, brought the coffee price war to the boil by cutting the price of its Lavazza filter coffee to 99p, with free refills. The company now sells almost 1m coffees a week and more people visit the pubs for breakfast than Pret A Manger or Caffè Nero, according to CGA Peach, the food and drinks consultancy.

Reports have shown that global coffee chains such as Starbucks, Pret and Costa have still been able to hold their standing in the wake of the coffee boom. With consumers continuing to choose to frequent chains that they know and trust.  Interestingly, we have also seen a growth of strong artisanal independent coffee shops for those consumers who are rejecting the standardised offering of coffee.

Health concerns go global

Another result of globalisation and the common dialogue had is that trends now prevail on a global level.  In recent years, there has been growth in a worldwide health consciousness through education. This has resulted in an explosion of health related products being brought to the market.  A growing trend is for natural foods which also have an added benefit.  Drinks are appearing on the market which have “added benefits” such as antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics, electrolytes and fiber.

Resistance to globalisation

As with any significant socio-economic movement, globalisation has been met with some resistance. Transnational companies such as Apple and Starbucks have been at the forefront of this backlash. The more global the company, the more scrutiny on practises such as their corporate responsibility to environmental issues, staff wages and so on.  A response by a number of consumers is to reject transnational companies which do not speak to them on a “personal” level. 

Personalisation

As a result of this, we have seen a number of companies attempting to appease these consumers through a more personal experience.  A particular industry which has focused on this recently is the beauty industry. Reports suggest that there is a strong movement to the “personalisation” of beauty products to serve consumers individual needs.     

Craft

The rise of all things “craft” in the liquor world also indicates the rejection by some consumers of big, global, impersonal brands.  The term “Craft” has become synonymous with the idea of a premium product, manufactured with experience and skill, and often produced on a more limited scale.  The success of the craft movement has now spread to spirits, soda and coffee.  It is forecast by some that the craft movement can expand to 30% of the market share in the beverage sector. A caveat would be that due to the popularity of the craft trend, some brands are attempting to capitalise on this by duping consumers into marketing global products as “craft”. 

Conclusion

It could be argued that by way of force, globalisation of companies and the expansion of their brand reach, consumers are being ‘forced’ to chose the same brands. be that if they consume them in Finland, China or Argentina.

Although participating in this transnational dialogue will no doubt help aid companies global growth, it would be naive to assume that all consumers are wanting to participate in the exact same way. There is strong evidence to suggest that although a common, global voice is evolving. This does not mean that consumers want to reject the specific influences of their cultural upbringing.  Therefore companies contending on a global scale will need to consider specific consumer needs and cultural influences.  By perhaps rather delicately incorporating both elements, companies can find great success.  What is certain is that the world and the way in which consumers are engaging is ever evolving. As such companies need to continually monitor this and strategise accordingly.

Let us know your thoughts on the above here.

Following our previous post “New Survey reveals “simplest” Brands”, we have looked at brands who have followed this trend and opted for a more simplistic logo design.

All new brand logos on the right…

1. Co-op

In 2016, Co-Op reverted back to their roots by modernising a version of their 1968 cloverleaf logo.

Co-op group design director Ben Terrett says:

“With the new membership offer our own brand products become more important than ever and this new look brings a simplicity and helps them stand out more.We want all our products and services to be simple and user focused and this is an essential part of that work.”

2. Kodak

Kodak also took a step back to their past by re-designing their logo which mirrored their classic logo used between 1971 and 2006.

3. Deliveroo

Deliveroo’s new logo includes a more simplistic character turned into a bold icon for impact. See their redesign story here.

4. Mastercard

Mastercard have also taken a cleaner approach re-branding and for the first time in 20 years re-designed a new logo.

Whilst the logo has been stripped back to its core, research conducted by Mastercard following the rebrand found that more than 80% of consumers still recognised the symbol without inclusion of the name.

5. Gumtree

The new Gumtree logo reduces a lot of clutter which the previous logo had. This new simplistic approach will hopefully convey to customers how seamless their service is.

6. Instagram

Now for the one that caused the most controversy. The retro looking camera icon was replaced with a colourful, simpler logo that wasn’t liked by many.  Slice Design’s Director, Alan Gilbody, discussed his views in the blog post “Following the herd” which you can read here. 

A spokesman for Instagram said: “We’ve been inspired by all the ways the community has grown and changed, and we wanted to create something that reflects how vibrant and diverse storytelling on Instagram has become”

What do you think of these more simplistic logos? We’d love for you to tell us below.

Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude. You can see some of our recent packaging design work here.

Simplicity is key; especially when it comes to brands and consumer engagement.

In a recent survey conducted by Siegel+Gale, 14,000 respondents across US, UK, Germany, Sweden, China, Middle East, India and Japan ranked 857 brands in terms of simplicity. 

The survey results revealed that 64% of consumers were willing to pay a higher price point and 61% would recommend a brand because of a simpler experience.

So, who are the winners and losers?

The Top 10 are as follows:

1. ALDI
2. Lidl
3. Google
4. Netflix
5. IKEA
6. Amazon
7. KFC
8. YouTube
9. McDonald’s
10. SUBWAY

Aldi has held the top spot title for the 4th year running. Go Aldi!

“Aldi was recognised for its simple, consistent store layouts alongside affordability and a stress-free customer experience, while Google was recognised as having a pristine and no-nonsense homepage and an intuitive user experience. Its changing logo also demonstrates  personality and a sense of humour. Ikea was recognised for its “minimalist” designs and variety of products, while Amazon was noted for its two-click online user shopping experience.”

At the bottom of the survey were brands including AXA, followed by Aviva, Bupa, Linkedin, Avis, MetLife, Hertz, HSBC, Ryanair and Budget.  Results from the report suggested consumers perceived these brands to be complex and confusing.

Interestingly, brands such as Co-op and Kodak have recently reverted back to their former logos for a more simplistic and straightforward approach. So, is this the way forward?

Howard Belk, chief creative officer at Siegel+Gale says the research shows that “brands that embrace simplicity are more profitable”.

What can brands do to deliver more simplicity?

The Simplicity Index reveals what brands can do to deliver more simplicity to consumers:

• Empower people
• Reimagine experiences
• Remove fiction
• Save time
• Provide unity

To visit the full report click here 

Do you agree with the top 10 list? Let us know brands you think are the most simplistic below.  Amazon tops the list for Charlotte, our account manager at Slice.

Discover Slice and Creative Logos on Design Rush. 

Anyone who has not lived under a rock for the past five years must have noticed the astronomic rise in craft gin. Gin lovers have truly been in heaven, lapping up the genièvre syrup in gin specific bars and even restaurants across the globe, with its epic centre in London.

However, it seems there’s a darker, more sweet liquor making its mark recently.  Golden, dark rum, produced from sugar cane, was discovered by European explorers in the 1400’s in the West Indies.

In the 17th century, thousands of sugar works dotted the islands landscapes and nearly every plantation employed a copper pot still to make alcohol from the fermented skimmings and molasses.

Although a very old drink, it has not had its proper heyday….until maybe now!

With the connoisseur and more crafty spirits movement growing by the day, it seems the need for alternative tipple has flowed onto rum, which is now becoming a favoured drink in bars and at home.

The amount of rums launched within the past two years alone, bears great witness to the rise in popularity and demand!

Given that the provenance for this spirit is so rich, it further offers ample inspiration for branding and packaging design.

The Duppy Share are a rum company taking London by storm.  Last Friday, we were lucky enough to welcome them into our studio and try out their delectable rum concoctions.

We had the pleasure of tasting a delicious “Duppy Conqueror” cocktail, which certainly got us in the mood for the weekend!  If you fancy trying it for yourself, check out the recipe below…

Our Favourites 

Some of our favourites, in terms of design and taste are;

• The Duppy Share
• Ron Zacapa
• El Dorado
• Rumbullion!

Whether you take it neat, or in cocktails such as a rum old-fashioned or a Dark and Stormy, ensure you stick to the holy trinity of rum; aged, dark and from good heritage!

From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

You can see some of our recent packaging design work here

Team Slice are very pleased to announce that we will be moving back to our old stomping ground of Hammersmith in the first couple of months of next year.

We have secured gorgeous new studio space, slap bang in the middle of Hammersmith – More details to follow!

We look forward to moving and welcoming you to our new offices.

Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.

No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.

From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

You can see some of our recent packaging design work here

Feel free to drop us a line or pop in and meet us in person!

Team Slice.

Nope, you don’t need new glasses – there really is a wave of new products emerging onto the market selling insects in a variety of forms, from organic roasted cricket flour to Chocolate cherry insect brownies.  If you’re a health foody, you’ll be interested to discover that there are a number of health & nutritional benefits to the foods, being low in levels of complex fat and full of protein. 

How did this new trend start?

All you reality television lovers will know that “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!” is back on our TV screens, and with it comes a multitude of cringe worthy, watch through your fingers moments of celebrities eating all sorts of unusual animal parts from Kangaroo testicles, to insects such as beetles and spiders.

But is this really so shocking?  Eat Grub, a food company looking to bring insects to the masses, use the witty slogan “2 billion people enjoy insects globally…Be different, join the crowd”. Is our reaction to such foods not just an example of social conditioning?  After all, fried spiders are a delicacy in many parts of the world. Half of us aren’t even sure what we’re eating when we tuck into a hamburger after a night out, so why the repulsion against an organic, natural ingredient such as an insect?

What have we tried?

Slice Design’s very own designer, Paolo, has tried fried crickets on his travels around Borneo and likened them to a mixture of white bate with a chicken-y texture.  Would YOU be prepared to give this kind of food a try?

• Spicy grasshoppers with beansprouts
• Buffalo worm macaroni cheese
• Grasshopper stir fry
• Buffalo worm fried rice
• Cricket and mushroom stroganoff

To leave you with a joke.  What’s a bug’s favourite sport?

(Cricket)

That’s all from Team Slice today. You can see some of our recent packaging design work here

It’s the 1st of December and you haven’t started thinking about Christmas presents yet – but do not fear! We’ve done the hard work for you and scoured the internet for some pain-free, easy DIY Christmas gifting ideas (shhhh, we won’t tell if you don’t). So why not avoid the crowds and spend some time at home making these thoughtful gifts which will leave the recipient feeling rather special! Here are our favourite picks for you to give to the ones you like the most…

Bespoke tea-cup candles

Make use of some waif and stray teacups (charity shops usually have LOADS of sets if you don’t have some already) and create some extra special bespoke candles. You don’t need a million different materials for this gift and can personalise it with your favourite essential oils scents.

Blackberry Gin

Let’s face it, we love our families but more than a few hours with them will have us reaching for the nearest bottle of alcohol.  Why not soften the blow by coming prepared with a bottle of homemade blackberry gin to share amongst all.  This is a super simple and delicious sounding recipe to knock up a personalised gift in minutes!

Nail Polish Marbled Mugs

Ok, we are a design agency so not all the DIY gifts can be food/ drink related.  We thought these marble effect nail polish mugs were pretty snazzy and a great way to brighten up any Christmas hamper! Nail polish, plain white mugs and toothpicks are all you need for this creation!  Instructions can be found via The Sweetest Occassion. 

Gingerbread popcorn

Add a little festive spirit to this DIY gift by popping corn and coating in some deliciously sweet spices.  Tesco’s have a fabulous gingerbread recipe to follow here.  Bag up in some cellophane, tie with some ribbon and use as a stocking filler for all.

Bath salts

Everyone loves to relax over the festive period, and what better way than with a soothing bath.  This little DIY recipe for Lavender mint bath salts is nice and simple and will make the perfect gift for Mum/ Grandma! 

Packaging ideas

We’re used to creating bespoke packaging, so were quite impressed by the ingenious use of toilet rolls, paper and ribbon to create a perfect little gift box.

Homemade christmas crackers

It wouldn’t be christmas without some cheese and crackers!  Box these yummy homemade cheese crackers up with some chutney for a savvy present. Recipe courtesy of Sainsbury’s.

Home made cards

Making your own homemade cards doesn’t need to be painful! Print off some christmas carols and rip the paper into shapes to form a Christmas tree – great fun to get kids involved too!

We are definitely going to give some of these a go – how about you?  We’d love to see some photos if you do so please share!

Yes you heard that right. Sustainable packaging company TIPA have created packaging that turns into fertiliser and decomposes like orange peel after 6 months. They are the first to do so in the UK.

The new packaging is for Snact’s fruit jerky range who were after an environmentally friendly option for their packaging. This certainly fits that brief!

TIPA’s CEO and co-founder, Daphna Nissenbaum, says: “Over 9.6 million tonnes of plastic waste is sent to landfill every year in Europe and something has to change. We look forward to the beginning of a new era in packaging where for the first time, viable end-of-life solutions are available on the market.”

What does it look like?

Below is an example of how the packaging decomposes. TIPA have run many tests simulating different conditions, which sometimes led to the decomposing taking as little as 24 weeks!

Here at Slice we think that it is a great idea to turn packaging into fertilise and impressive effort towards reducing the amount of waste from packaging! How many of you would keep this for 6 months just to see it decompose?

Original post courtesy of design week

About Slice Design

Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.

No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.

From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

You can see some of our recent packaging design work here

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!

Friday the 25th of November may be a date you don’t recognise, but you’ll certainly know the name “Black Friday.” Yes it’s that time of year again, where retailers offer large discounts and people clamber over each other for biggest flat screen TV.

But what makes people so frantic on this specific day?

Black Friday has now become the biggest shopping day of the year in the UK with the Salmon network predicting we will spend £5 billion during the Black Friday 5-day-week. This day is traditionally American and falls the day after Thanksgiving – ironic how on one day Americans will be enjoying turkey and giving thanks for all the blessings in their lives, and the next they will be arguing over a blender in Target.

The UK soon adopted this tradition with Asda and Amazon among the first to jump on the bandwagon. The day has now spread to countries including India, France, Romania, Mexico and Canada.

After the mad rush in 2014 turned violent in some stores (who remembers the riots in Tesco?) there was a rise of people looking for deals online – which is certainly the safer option! Cyber Monday which follows after Black Friday gives customers the opportunity to shop online and still get bargains.

Are you getting a good deal though?

Or is it just that you know your saving a bit of money that makes the day such a success?

Louise Haggerty, 56 said “I got a Dyson but I don’t even know if I want it. I just picked it up. It was mental in there. It was crazy. It was absolutely disgusting, disgusting.” and Andy Blackett, 30 said “I got two coffee makers, two tablets, two TVs and a stereo,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you the prices, but I know they’re bargains.”

In 2015 “Which?” investigated deals from Amazon, Argos, AO, Curry’s and John Lewis on Black Friday for months before and after and discovered that only 90 out of the 178 deals were actually cheaper on the day. So, you may get a deal, but be smart about it and do your research.

Some of the retailers who will be participating include: Amazon, Argos, Boots, Currys, PC World, GAME, House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer and very.co.uk. Next, Apple, IKEA, Asda will not be participating in Black Friday this year.

Slice’s top tips are:

• Make a wishlist of items
• Research and compare the prices before the day
• Get there early
• Before buying; think do you need it/where would it go?
• Wear protective headgear
• Don’t wear open toe shoes
• Don’t forget your wallet
• If you can, avoid the shops and shop online

Everyone understands that if you see something for a discounted price, you are more likely to want it, even if you don’t need it. We’ve all been there. We’d love to know if you’ve got any great deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Have you braved the crowds? Tell us here.