Copywriting samples

Copywriting samples Simon Heptonstall

1.

NGO development project summaries (selection) Content creation for new Soroptimist International of Europe website

Germany Introducing girls to the wonders of STEM

Did you know that the first computer programmer was a woman?

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) showed talent for mathematics from an early age and went on to become one of only a handful of pioneering women scientists. Her ‘notes’ – algorithms written for Charles Babbage’s early calculating machine in 1840 – are widely referred to as the first ever computer programs.

Though things have obviously improved since the days of Victorian England, there is still a significant gender imbalance in the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (‘STEM’, or ‘MINT’ in German) subjects at school ongoing project 2016 and, consequently, under-representation of women in scientific careers.

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In conjunction with Ostfalia University and with support from Soroptimist Club Uelzen, the ‘MINT Camp’ runs exciting courses introducing young girls to subjects mputer programmer was a woman? Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) such as robotics, GPS, structural engineering and hydrology designed to spark their s from an early age and went on to become one of only a handcuriosity about science. In today’s fast-moving, technology-driven world this can tists. Her ‘notes’ – algorithms written for Charles Babbage’s open the door to well-paid, stable employment in a scientific profession or simply 840 – are widely referred to as the first ever ‘computer prodevelop flexible, logical minds, ready for a lifetime of learning.

‘MINT Camp für Mädchen’ on Facebook

improved since the days of Victorian England, there is still a n the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematand, consequently, under-representation of women in scientific a Lovelace (1815-1852)

me one of only a handniversity with support from Soroptimist Club Uelzen, or Charlesand Babbage’s courses introducing ever ‘computer pro- young girls to subjects such as robotics, nd hydrology designed to spark their curiosity about science. logy-driven world this can open the door to well-paid, stable England, there is still a rofessions or simply develop flexible, logical minds, ready for neering and mathematn of women in scientific TEilnahmeBedingungen

1815-1852) nly a hand-

WER kann daran teilnehmen? Max. 20 Schülerinnen der 8. und 9.

Klasse (LeG, HEG, Theodor-Heuss-Oberschule, KGS Bad Bevensen), Eltern, Lehrerinnen und Lehrer sowie auch FreundInnen sind herzlich eingeladen, an der Abschlussveranstaltung am Freitag, dem 28.8. von ca. 13.00 Uhr bis ca. 14.00 Uhr teilzunehmen.

mathemat-

WAS ist für die Teilnahme erforderlich?  Interesse an MINT  Verbindliche Anmeldung über die jeweilige Schule mit Teilnahmegenehmigung des / der Erziehungsberechtigten (gesondertes Formular) Anmeldestart: 2. Mai 2015 Anmeldeschluss: 31. Mai 2015  Einverständniserklärung des / der Erziehungsberechtigten für die Verwertung von Bildaufnahmen z.B. für die Berichterstattung über das MINT Camp durch die Ostfalia oder Dritte (hier: Soroptimist International) –(gesondertes Formular)

imist Club Uelzen,

abbage’ssuch as robotics, jects ter proriosity about science. e is still or to awell-paid, stable

ogical in scientificminds, ready for

Uelzen,

Das MINT Camp Wir machen MINT Gemeinsam Zukunft erkennen und erleben

Auf die Innovationskraft und Leistungsfähigkeit von Mädchen und Frauen in Wissenschaft, Industrie, Handwerk und in technischen Berufen können wir heute und erst recht in Zukunft nicht verzichten.

Daher bieten Soroptimist International (SI) Club Uelzen und die Fakultät Bau-Wasser-Boden der Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften am Cam pus Suderburg interessierten jungen Schülerinnen ein einwöchiges MINT Camp an.

Während dieser Woche erhalten sie die Chance, sich intensiv und auf ihre Weise mit Themen aus den MINTDisziplinen (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaf-

Switzerland Helping women achieve financial independence

In the mid-1970s Muhammad Yunnus’ Grameen Bank pioneered the concept of using small loans to give lowincome people an opportunity to become self-sufficient.

Once his ideas had proved their effectiveness in Bangladesh, it was only a matter of time before microfinance made its way to Europe.

Following the likes of Maria Nowak and ADIE in France, retired Vaudois businessman Georges Aegler founded ‘Action Solidarité et Création d’Entreprises’ in 2000. The organisation, which he described as a ‘banque des pauvres’, was later renamed ‘Microcrédit Solidaire Suisse’(MSS) and is now active throughout Switzerland.

For over a decade, MSS and the SI Union of Switzerland have worked together on Microcredit Soroptimist. This scheme supports women who seek financial independence by starting a small business, but who lack the guarantees needed to be able to obtain traditional bank loans.

With a rigorous selection process, where a candidate’s business plan is evaluated and followed-up with coaching from professionals in the fields of finance, management and marketing, the project has been a great success. CHF 2.5 million in loans have generated businesses which have achieved total revenue of CHF 20 million.

Thanks to this microcredit scheme, a 30 year-old makeup artist in Lucerne launched her own independent studio and a young woman in Montreux opened an interior decorating business. These are just two of over 150 small business ventures initiated by women that Microcredit Soroptimist has supported.

Italy SI Clubs add ‘women and work’ to a Talent Scout competition

Work experience schemes are like gold dust to students seeking a first step on the job ladder.

In addition to allowing students to demonstrate their dedication and enthusiasm to prospective employers, such schemes let them see what working in a particular firm or industry is really like. Young people can also make valuable contacts that may lead to a full-time position.

One such scheme is ‘Talent Scout’, an annual competition run jointly by the local Chamber of Commerce and Young Entrepreneurs Group in the cities of Cremona and Crema for the past 13 years. Some 350 final-year students from the cities’ secondary schools are whittled down to 20 semi-finalists using simulated job interviews. Ultimately, two overall winners are chosen for one- day internships.

Sponsors of ‘Talent Scout’ include the Italian branch of recruitment consultants Randstad, Bosch and two local banks, Banca Cremonese and Banca Cremasca.

This year the Soroptimist Clubs of Cremona and Crema took part in the project, organising activities around the theme of ‘women and work’, funding a course on how to use Facebook for business and awarding a ‘women’s prize’ to two of the Talent Scout competitors. The event was reported extensively in the media, greatly increasing the clubs’ visibility in the area.

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Italy PFR SIE-07893 Talent Scout

Work experience schemes are like gold dust to students seeking a first step on the job ladder.

In addition to demonstrating their dedication and enthusiasm to prospective employers, it is a chance for them to see what working in a particular firm or industry is really like and to make valuable contacts that may lead to a full-time position.

One such scheme, a competition taking place annually in the cities of Cremona and Crema for the past 13 years, is ‘Talent Scout’, run jointly by local Chamber of Commerce and Young Entrepreneurs Group. 350 final-year students from the cities’ secondary schools are whittled down to 20 semi-finalists using simulated job interviews. From there, two overall winners who are offered one-day internships, are chosen.

Sponsors of ‘Talent Scout’ include the Italian branch of recruitment consultants Randstad, Bosch and two local banks: Banca Cremonese and Banca Cremasca.

This year the Soroptimist Clubs of Cremona and Crema took part in the project, organising activities around the theme of ‘women and work’, funding a course on how to use Facebook for business and awarding a ‘women’s prize’ to two of the Talent Scout competitors. The event was reported extensively, greatly increasing the clubs’ visibility in the area.

France ABC…123’ – an educational game fosters literacy

Roughly 2.5 million people*, or 7% of France’s adult population, suffer from some degree of illiteracy.

71% of those affected have grown up in a French-speaking home, over half are employed and only 10% live in what the government describes as ‘sensitive urban zones’.

To promote literacy and strengthen language skills, the Soroptimist Union of France has developed ‘ABC…123… j’apprends’, an educational game designed to encourage creativity and stimulate the imagination. Players soon find themselves expressing ideas, conversing and writing… and having fun in the process.

In addition to helping children it can also give parents with literacy problems the confidence to restart their studies or learn new skills.

Since 2014, the game has been distributed through schools, hospitals and literacy workshops in France, and further afield to classrooms in Mali, Senegal Madagascar and Cambodia.

A partnership ABC…123 agreement has now been signed between SI France and the General Directorate of the national Gendarmerie for ‘ABC…123’ to be supplied to police Some 7% of France’s adult population suffer from some degree of illiteracy – that’s roughly 2.5 million people. Contrary to popular perception, 71% of these have grown up in a stations throughout the country. The games will go into their 250 victim-friendly French-speaking home, over half are employed and only 10% live in what the government describes as ‘sensitive urban zones’*.

‘Mélanie’ rooms, where children’s depositions are taken.

France

To promote literacy and strengthen language skills, the Soroptimist Union of France has developed ‘ABC…123…j’apprends’. This educational game is designed to encourage creativity and stimulate the imagination – players are soon expressing themselves, conversing and writing… and having fun in the process.

The ANCLI, France’s National Agency for Fighting Illiteracy has recognised ‘ABC…123’s given the game its stamp of approval.

In addition tousefulness helping children it can alsoand give parents with literacy problems the confidence to restart their studies or learn new skills.

2014, the game has been distributed through schools, hospitals and literacy workshops * source Since in France, and further afield to classrooms in Mali, Senegal Madagascar and Cambodia.

ffer from some degree of illiteracy – that’s roughr perception, 71% of these have grown up in a ployed and only 10% live in what the government

A partnership agreement has now been signed between SI France and the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie for ‘ABC…123’ to be supplied to Police stations throughout the country. The games will go into their 250 victim-friendly ‘Mélanie’ rooms, where children’s depositions are taken.

The ANCLI, France’s National Agency for Fighting Illiteracy has recognised ‘ABC…123’s usefulness and given the game its stamp of approval.

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Portugal Heart pillows for breast-cancer patients

Every year some 5000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Portugal.

A significant number of these result in a mastectomy – a painful procedure both physically and emotionally.

Breast-cancer charities in many countries produce heart-shaped pillows, which are designed to fit comfortably under the arm, thus relieving pain around the surgical area after the operation. The pillows also provide emotional comfort: patients know they aren’t alone and others are thinking of their needs.

The relatively young Soroptimist Club Lisbon Caravela decided to launch this project in Portugal, first contacting the League against Cancer for advice, then approaching hospital oncology departments throughout the country. With fabric, stuffing and labels provided by commercial partners Lameirinho Textile, Maitex and Passamar, the club got to work cutting and sewing.

Three years and 4000 pillows later, partnerships have now been launched with a number of Portuguese NGOs, such as Porta do Mais, an association that brings African women and children to Europe for medical treatment. Porta do Mais’ patients report that producing heart pillows alleviates the boredom of long periods of inactivity and gives them the satisfaction of being able to ‘give something back’.

Norway Educational and leisure activities for refugees

‘Norwegians come from north Norway, the middle of Norway, from the south and all the other regions... [but also] from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria’ remarked King Harald in a powerful plea for inclusiveness and tolerance during a recent garden party at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Anti-immigration rhetoric has been on the rise, as the country of 5 million seeks to integrate roughly 30,000 asylum-seekers.

Hvalsmoen, a former military barracks, is now Norway’s second-largest refugee transit centre. Under the motto Aktiv Soroptimist, SI Club Ringerike has set up a wide range of educational and leisure activities for the centre’s 250 residents.

Particular attention has been given to supporting women and children. Female migrants receive assistance in accessing socio-legal services and language tuition. Sports are organised in collaboration with local clubs and associations (such as local athletics and ski clubs, football teams and the Norwegian Trekking Association). These activities give young refugees at Hvalsmoen an important first point of contact with Norwegian children before being transferred to local schools.

The Club also collects donated clothes for adults and children, and its ‘Soroptimist Santas’ distribute Christmas gifts.

Lithuania

One of the goals of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is ‘[to] strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage’.

These important assets for a country’s economy attract investment and create locally based jobs through tourism. Often traditional means of production and land use are also intrinsically the most sustainable, as in many cases they have evolved over centuries or even millennia.

The Pasvalys Area Museum is dedicated to keeping Lithuanian history and culture alive through its displays of ethnography, archaeology and folk art. In collaboration with the museum, Soroptimists of Pasvalys organised a cultural heritage event for local youth called ‘Know rye straw’. Participants were shown the various uses of rye straw, such as making traditional Christmas and Easter decorations, and also heard about the history and development of agriculture and rural life in their country.

A number of other Lithuanian Soroptimist projects have focused on the links between local identity and sustainability. At the child care home in Saugos, pupils learned about environmentally friendly ‘green cooking’ during an event organised

by SI Club Silutes. They produced and sold 120 pots of pumpkin jam.

The proceeds were used to purchase a swing for the play area at the home. There were also demonstrations of bread-baking techniques during two educational events organised by SI Club Raseiniu. These help pass yet more traditional knowledge from one generation to another.

2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (UN website)

Romania Raising awareness of the dangers of trafficking

The Soroptimists of Romania are on the frontline of the war against sex trafficking – estimated to be worth some US$ 35 billion* annually.

Campaigns have been organised throughout the country to increase awareness of trafficking and to alert young people to its dangers. Students from rural areas who move to the city are particularly at risk.

In Cluj, 920 students in 10 schools took part in bi-monthly activities aimed at increasing awareness, developing social skills, and sharpening their ability to identify and defuse the family conflicts that can push children into the arms of traffickers. Participants themselves produced an illustrated pocket guide for parents.

With the support of the SI Union of Denmark, Soroptimists in Craiova ran a campaign to show the film ‘My lover will sell me tomorrow’ to students. The screenings were accompanied by panel discussions, theatre workshops and a poster design competition. Some 500 students in the city and the surrounding Dolj region attended the events.

Taken as a whole, these initiatives have reached over 600 children in Romania, who are now significantly less likely to end up as victims of this appalling trade. * source

Croatia Proceeds from a lingerie exhibition given to orphanages

Underwear has historically been used to shape the ‘appropriate’ female silhouette of the time.

Think, for instance, of corsets narrowing the waist and restricting movement from the 16th century onwards, or of the 1960’s cone bra, which Germaine Greer described as an instrument of male oppression. Indeed, seeing how underwear has evolved through the ages provides a fascinating reflection of social changes to women’s lives.

Two members of Soroptimist Club Zagreb have a unique family collection of lingerie spanning half a century. The oldest pieces were made from embroidered linen and lace from the late 19th century, while the lingerie from the 1950s was machine-sewn from new fabrics such as nylon.

The Soroptimists and the Zagreb City Museum jointly organised a catwalk show for Museum Night on 30 January. The event was also used to draw attention to the needs of orphaned girls and to highlight their integration difficulties once they have completed their secondary education.

Models were recruited locally and photographed by one of Croatia’s leading fashion photographers, Mare Milin, for an accompanying exhibition. The proceeds from the sale of these photos went to orphanages in Zagreb and to the Ozana Association, which works to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and to support their families.

Turkey Drama therapy project targets victims of abuse

We normally think of acting as simply ‘pretending to be someone else’ …but it is now increasingly recognised as a highly effective therapeutic technique for combatting destructive patterns of behaviour – and particularly those associated with violence against women.

By providing a safe emotional ‘distance’ from events, drama therapy can give victims the confidence to share their personal story and experiences with others.

Gaining an objective view of their own situation, and a greater understanding of their ability to change it, can then help women overcome the feelings of powerlessness associated with being a victim of abuse. As such, it is also a powerful call to action.

The Soroptimist Union of Turkey has partnered with the ‘Modern Drama Association’, an organisation founded in 1990 which is already working to promote acting in schools, on a large-scale drama therapy project called the ‘Evaluation Workshop’ (‘Degisim Atolyesi’).

At these events, participants received training in strategies to combat and control violence. The topics covered include interfamily communication, recognising and managing conflict situations and building self-esteem. They also learn how to apply to public institutions and NGOs for assistance.

Over 8000 women in nine Turkish cities have benefitted from these 30-hour ‘Evaluation workshops’, with a number of awareness-raising events and press conferences also organised as part of the project.

Turkey The World of Butterfly project effects changes

In 1979, mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz famously suggested that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could set off a tornado in Texas.

The message is clear: small changes in one area can grow into much greater changes elsewhere. Believing that by supporting women’s personal development through education and assistance with childcare the benefits will be felt throughout wider society, Soroptimist Club Uludağ launched the ‘World of Butterfly’ project at the Yeşim Textile Company in 2013, which employs a large number of female workers.

In cooperation with the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV), the Club organised in-company lectures and training courses on three main topics: ‘Women and Health’, ‘Women and the Law’ and ‘Women and the Family’. So far, 62 educators have given 124 hours of tuition with sessions being attended by over 3000 women. A dedicated ‘World of Butterfly’ room was opened at the company on 6 March 2014 – just two days before International Women’s Day.

FYROM Soroptimist Leadership Academy for Young Women

Countless studies have argued that and self-confidence than men …and, consequently, that they are reluctant to take on leadership positions.

SI Club Struga in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, together with Soroptimists from SI Turkey, decided to tackle this issue head-on by setting up a course to teach young women leadership skills. The high-level training would ultimately help them access their individual potential.

The result was the creation of the Soroptimist Leadership Academy for Young Women. Through a series of workshops, presentations and activities, this event shows participants – young women from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds – what it means to be a leader and to serve a community.

During this first Leadership Academy, 28 young Turkish, Macedonian, Lithuanian, Danish and German women spent ten days with several highly successful professional women – making friends, networking and learning from each other. In an impressive show of international cooperation, 40 Soroptimists from FYROM, Turkey, Portugal, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and as far away as New Zealand volunteered their time to help organise the event.

Tanzania Mabinti Centre comes to the aid of fistula survivors

Some 8000 women* in Tanzania die each year due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth.

Many more are affected by fistula, a condition caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without medical intervention, where the birth canal and bladder are damaged, resulting in incontinence.

Fistula is treatable, but sufferers are often excluded from daily village activities or rejected by their husbands and are thus still socially and economically stigmatised, even after surgery.

Realising that support was needed to help women heal from the emotional trauma of fistula, in 2007 CCBRT, a local NGO, set up the Mabinti Centre. Mabinti (‘girls’ in Swahili) seeks to empower former patients economically and assist their recovery by teaching them craft and entrepreneurship.

In a supportive and safe environment, the women learn sewing, screen-printing, batik and crochet in parallel with budgeting and the skills required to run a business. At the end of their training, graduates receive a business starter kit, containing a sewing machine, scissors, a supply of fabric and a calculator. For a year, follow-up visits are organised to ensure that their businesses are sustainable and to check on their emotional and physical wellbeing.

By organising sales of Mabinti products in Norway, including stylish bags and accessories that have been showcased at the Swahili Fashion Week, Soroptimist Club Kristiansand øst is doing its bit to support the centre and to bring these wonderful craftworks made by brave women to a much wider audience.

Rwanda Keeping artisan skills alive

Traditional skills fundamental to a country’s national identity can often be washed away in the ever-rising tide of globalisation.

In Rwanda, the production of jewellery made from vegetable fibre was in decline and slowly dying out, as competing products from Asia and Europe flooded into the country.

Soroptimists from the Union of Luxembourg and Club San Marino as well as Kiwanis ofoften Esch-sur-Alzette and Kigali set up the Centre d’accueil de al skills fundamental to athe country’s national Clubs identity can be washed away in growing tide of globalisation.

In Rwanda,‘San the production of jewellery made from to train new jewellers (19 so far) and to sell formation Marco’ at Kanombe e fibre was in decline and slowly dying out, as competing products from Asia and their products overseas under the brand name ‘Atelier Rwanda’.

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ists from the Union of Luxemburg, San Marino and the Clubs Kiwanis Esch/ There was, however, oneof major stumbling block: a lack of the specialised nd Kigali set up the Centre d’accueil de formation ‘San Marco’ at Kanombe to train metalworking skills required for the final stages of the production process. ellers (19 so far) and to sell their products, under the brand name ‘Atelier Rwanda’,

As a result, cutting and setting the jewellery had to be completed in Italy. To overcome this problem, was established with Venice’s IUAV School of s, however, one major stumbling block: a lackaofpartnership the specialised metalworking nd uired for the final stages Architecture of the production process, and setting and cutting Design and the thejewellery, Claudio Buziol Foundation, whereby Italian d to be completed in Italy. To overcome this, a partnership programme was estabmaster-jewellers now travel to Kigali to teach these skills. th Venice’s IUAV School of Architecture and Design and the Carlo Buziol Founda-

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Rwanda A kitchen and canteen for the Ecole des Hirondelles

Some 3000 teachers were killed or driven into exile and some 600 schools were closed as a result of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, according to UNICEF*.

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In response to the resulting desperate need for educational resources and infrastructure, the Soroptimist Club Kibungo set up a school, the Ecole des Hirondelles.

From humble beginnings in a hall rented from the local parish church, the school now has 20 classrooms, a computer lab, a library and a science lab. There are over 400 pupils, with 16 teachers and 7 administrative and maintenance staff.

Asas partners of SI Club Kibungo, the Union of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg ols were closed a result Ministry of Foreign Affairs are building a fully equipped kitchen and canteen at nse to the resulting desperthe Ecole des Hirondelles which will provide 300-400 meals per day and help the school to(link expand still further. mist club of Kibungo

In addition to the obvious benefit of fighting malnutrition by offering students balanced meals, this new building will serve as a valuable educational tool by urch, the school now people has 20for jobs in catering. The Rwandan tourist industry is growing training rapidly and over 400 pupils, with 16is crying out for qualified professionals. Workers at this new, modern facility will be trained in all aspects of food preparation and cooking. Graduates will be ready to fill the many vacancies that exist in kitchens throughout the mburg and the country.

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Madagascar SI Clubs promote cancer screening and early detection

Madagascar, with a population of nearly 23 million, has only one* radiotherapy machine.

It is located at the 60-bed oncology centre of Antananarivo’s Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital and is frequently broken. Cancer care is beyond the reach of all but a tiny minority. For those in rural areas, the vastness of the island poses an additional challenge: the cost of travelling to the capital for treatment. Patients have been known to simply walk out of the centre midway through their treatment once their funds are used up.

Gynaecological and breast cancers are leading causes of mortality among Madagascar’s women. Here again there is a catastrophic lack of medical equipment (six mammography devices for the entire country). Cultural barriers must also be overcome. For example, there is a stigma about gynaecological examinations, especially among rural women. This means that some 60% of cancers are only spotted at a late stage and are consequently difficult to treat.

The Soroptimist Union of Madagascar has mobilised its network of 13 clubs, some in very remote areas, to encourage screening and early detection. They have also carried out over 150 medical checks. Working with SI Club Saint-Denis de la Réunion, these activities have included school visits and awareness-raising events with film projections and the distribution of a breast self-examination guide. * source

Nepal Sponsoring micro-finance projects in Nepal

Nepal’s Dhulikhel Hospital, about 40 km east of Kathmandu, is ‘[…] a centre for the poorest of the poor, but it is not a place to practice poor medicine’ … according to its founder, Dr Ram Shrestha.

Indeed, with quality levels similar to European institutions, it functions as a University Hospital, producing qualified medical staff, and is one of the fastestgrowing organisations in the country.

Community outreach centres perform an important part of Dhulikhel hospital’s work. Here, the hospital connects with local people through pre-existing structures such as mothers’ groups. It also uses micro-finance and micro-insurance arrangements to help local people provide for themselves. Training in health, family planning and hygiene is offered as well.

Dr Shrestha has strong links to Austria where he completed his medical training at the University of Vienna and spent time training as a surgeon in Feldkirch. He is also married to a Carinthian. Soroptimists from Club Windischgarsten- Kremstal heard about the hospital’s activities and decided to sponsor some micro-finance projects.

Club members have since visited Dhulikhel and were also able to stop off for a meeting with the women of the SI Club Kathmandu, which was considered a particular highlight of their journey.

Haiti RE -VOLT brings electricity to rural Haiti

A major obstacle to investment, growth and povertyreduction in Haiti is the unreliable, insufficient and overly expensive supply of electricity.

Only about 30% of the population is connected to the national grid, and blackouts are frequent and long.

When it gets dark at around 6pm, reading or studying can be difficult if not impossible for the island’s children without access to quality lighting.

Utility start-up company RE-VOLT is on a mission to bring electricity to families in rural Haiti. Using an ingenious system consisting of a solar panel, a power nt, growth and poverty-reduction in Haiti is the unreliable,lights and a phone charger, it currently serves over 2300 storage unit, several sive supply of electricity. Only about 30% of the population is households in La Gonave, one of the most isolated and impoverished communities dm and there are frequent, long blackouts. in Haiti. which, for the island’s schoolchildren, reading or studying can LT

Soroptimist Club Val Brabant-Waterloo heard of this very promising system through a member whose nephew is one of the company’s co-founders and decided to support the project. Fund-raising activities included a second-hand jewellery andto bring a ‘Soroptimist golf tournament with 122 participants, organised with startup company RE-VOLT is sale on a mission electricity to families in Cup’ rural ant-Waterloo this veryofpromising oneseveral sing an ingeniousheard systemofconsisting a solar panel,system a powerthrough storage unit, a sister club SI Vannes of France. nd a phone charger. It currently serves over 2300 households in La Gonave, one of

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VOLT is on a mission to bring electricity to families in rural ed to the national grid and there are frequent, long blackouts. em consisting of a solar panel, a power storage unit, several alls around 6pm after which, for the island’s schoolchildren, reading or studying can currently serves over 2300 households in La Gonave, one of cult if not impossible without access to quality lighting. rished communities in Haiti.

w is one of the company’s co-founders, and decided to support vities included a second-hand jewellery sale and a ‘Soroptimist roptimists of Val Brabant-Waterloo of club this very promisingof system through one 22 participants, organised withheard sister SI Vannes France.

st isolated and impoverished communities in Haiti.

Through Greater Good Haiti (Pi Gwo Byen in Creole), an organisation committed embers, whose nephew is oneto of the company’s co-founders, and education decided to support in La Gonave, five more families have been equipped primary school (Pi Byen activities in Creole), an organisation primary ect. Gwo Fund-raising included a second-handcommitted jewellery saletoand a ‘Soroptimist withequipped Re-volt, and their will now be able to continue studying after the sun olf with 122have participants, organised with club SIand Vannes ofchildren France. ve,tournament 5 more families been withsister Re-volt, their continue studying the suninhas gonean down. h Greater Good Haiti after (Pi Gwo Byen Creole), organisation committed to primary has gone down.

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2.

News item - ‘The week in numbers’ digital publishing platform

Bill Gates gives USD 4.6 billion to charity 4,600,000,000 is the sum in US dollars that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has recently donated, without any fanfare, to charity.

The news was first announced by Bloomberg on Tuesday, with documents filed at the US Securities and Exchange Commission later confirming that the transfer of funds had taken place two months previously. Representing around 5% of Gates’ overall fortune, this donation reduces his remaining stake in Microsoft to 1.3%.

The recipient has not been named, but is expected to be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Established in 2000, the foundation seeks to fight extreme poverty and promote health, education and development. It awards grants to UN organisations, NGOs and academic institutions. The Gates Foundation was already the world’s wealthiest private charity by quite some distance, even before this latest boost to its finances.

Gates, 61, was briefly overtaken last month as World’s Richest Person by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos thanks to a surge in the online retailer’s share price. He has now regained his place ahead of Bezos, Amancio Ortega, owner of clothing brand Zara, investment guru Warren Buffet, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim.

3. ‘writing test’ Private aviation company

We would like you to do a short writing test in English. In no more than 250 words, please could you discuss two or three of the biggest challenges currently facing the aviation industry (you can focus specifically on private aviation if you prefer, or widen the topic out to include the aviation industry as a whole).

Perhaps the most immediate challenge facing the executive air travel industry – and indeed the airline industry as a whole – is the current economic crisis.

Adverse publicity and pressure to cut costs are likely to lead many companies to dispose of their aircraft. But for private airlines, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Demand still exists but executives are increasing turning to chartered, rather than company-owned jets. Charter companies are responding to the difficult economic climate by developing new business models. One is a ‘timeshare’ approach, in which a client can buy the use of an aircraft for a pre-arranged number of days per year. An Irish start-up, JetBird, proposes to launch a low-cost, EasyJet-type service for business travelers and intends to reduce the cost of flying private jets (or ‘air taxis’) by 50%.

The other major challenge, in the long run an even more serious one, is the impact of air travel on the environment. Executive charter companies have been quick to develop new strategies to reduce carbon emissions and pollution. One approach is experimentation with biofuels. Industry-leader NetJets, owned by Warren Buffet, is sponsoring research into the development of low-emission jet fuels at Princeton University and aims to be 100% carbon neutral by 2012.

Similarly, the recent decision by Geneva-based PrivatAir to add two state-of-theart Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliners’ (which are lighter, and hence more fuel-efficient than other similar-sized aircraft) to its fleet is a further sign that private aviation companies are adapting to respond to this challenge.

(250 words)

4.

Interview Self-initiated

Roland Aeschlimann has agreed to meet me at a café in Geneva’s cobblestoned ‘Old Town’ district, where his design studio is located. The terrace of the ‘Hôtel de Ville’ is crowded so I sit inside – the walls are wood panelled and hung with antique engravings. A few minutes later Mr. Aeschlimann appears: he is a tall, sprightly 70-something with a long, white pony-tail and a friendly smile.

I first encountered Aeschlimann’s work while studying graphic design at art school in the late 1990’s. The prevailing style was so-called ‘deconstructive’ graphics: playful, heavily layered, and sometimes unreadable compositions which made a virtue of their origins on the Macintosh. The posters and publications that Aeschlimann produced for a number of cultural institutions in Geneva (the Opera, the Grand Théatre, the Ariana museum of ceramics) were from a different tradition altogether. Swiss Modernism is the restrained, well-organised design which emerged in the 1950’s from a number of art schools in Basel and Zurich. They had a timeless quality and clarity that appealed to me.

I had acquired the catalogue of a 1985 poster exhibition, Quatre Expressions Graphiques d’une Décennie, that took place at Lausanne’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, showcasing works by Aeschlimann and three fellow practitioners also from Swiss Germany: Paul Brüwiller, Werner Jeker and Roger Pfund. When I mention that I wish to ask him about this exhibition and his work from the period he laughs and says ‘this is so old’ [meaning, obviously: ‘this was such a long time ago’] and seems genuinely surprised at my interest.

Each of the Quatre Expressions Graphiques d’une Décennie designers had produced their own poster for the show and I begin by asking about his, and how he had made it. The exhibition date is significant from a technological point of view, 1985 being only a year after the introduction of the Apple Mac and Laserwriter that would quickly revolutionise printing. As I had expected Mr. Aeschlimann recalls giving his instructions to a typesetting bureau and receiving the results on transparent film. This is referred to as ‘photocomposition’ – the expensive and time-consuming process of assembling text and image, then using photography to produce the printing plates that will be used on an offset press.

We move on to Mr. Aeschlimann’s background. He is from Bern and after secondary school was apprentice to a reputed Bernese graphic designer [he uses the German term Grafiker] named Hans Hartmann. Following this, in the late 1950’s, he attended the legendary Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel. The school is famously one of the birthplaces of Swiss Modernism, its reputation is to a large extent derived from two of its teachers: Emil Ruder and Armin Hoffmann.

I ask Mr. Aeschlimann for his recollections of his former tutors and his eyes light up. ‘Ruder was such a great guy, he taught me so much’. Aeschlimann paints the picture of someone strict and disciplined, with very clear ideas about what constituted ‘good design’ but extremely charismatic as well. Armin Hoffmann, who joined the school a few years after Ruder, is fondly remembered as well. He seems to have been rather more relaxed and less dogmatic than Ruder but also a brilliant, inspirational teacher. ‘They both taught me so much about design’ he repeats, with obvious affection in his voice. Fascinated, but mindful that I am asking about events of over half a century ago, I decide not to press Mr. Aeschlimann for further details.

On completing his studies at the Basel School of Design, Aeschlimann worked at the in-house studio of the Geigy (later to become Ciba Geigy) pharmaceutical company. His boss, Max Schmidt, was a close friend of Armin Hoffmann’s and offered him the job on the strength of his portfolio. He clearly enjoyed the experience, as it allowed him to work on large-scale commercial projects for the first time – ‘in the real world’, as he puts it. In 2010, the Zürich Design Museum organised an exhibition about the work of Max Schmidt and his team, called ‘Good business – Good design’ featuring a number of works by Aeschlimann.

A subject that we return to a number of times throughout our conversation is Japan.

Aeschlimann tells me of developing a fascination with the country as a boy, after seeing pictures of Kyoto’s Shugaku-in, a 17th century villa set in picturesque, manicured gardens. ‘I had never seen anything quite so spiritual’ he tells me, emphasising the last word.

Offered a position at a Tokyo design company after his stint at Geigy, Aeschlimann jumped at the chance to visit Japan. He was the only non-Japanese at Nakamura International Agency. I ask how he communicated with his colleagues and he reveals that by that time he had learnt to speak Japanese.

There are clear affinities between postwar Swiss graphic design and East Asian aesthetics, notably in Swiss Modernism’s fearless use of ‘negative space’, the unprinted area of a page, and the notions of ‘empty’ and ‘full’ that appear in Taoism. I had come across an article on the subject written by Emil Ruder titled ‘On tea drinking’. In it, Ruder examines Kakuzô Okakura’s The Book of Tea, a 19th century treatise on aesthetics, for information that might be relevant or transferrable to graphic design. I mention this to Aeschlimann and he confirms that his former tutor at Basel was indeed passionate about Japanese art and would often discuss it during his classes.

We have been talking for roughly an hour and the café is now beginning to fill up. Mr. Aeschlimann suggests that we continue chatting in his atelier, which is just around the corner. I am led through the entrance of a building to the foot of a steep, narrow staircase. My host smiles and says ‘Five floors, no elevator’, then disappears upwards surprisingly quickly. I follow as best I can. Aeschlimann’s studio is a duplex with attractive exposed roof beams and is flooded with natural light from Velux windows. Looking around, I spot a large wooden display cabinet filled with Japanese earthenware, including the slightly misshapen cups used for the Tea Ceremony with their distinctive, uneven glazing. Once I have recovered my breath and my heartrate has returned to normal, I ask Mr. Aeschlimann about the collection. He proudly tells me that they are antiques – mostly gifts received from Japanese acquaintances. On closer inspection, I realise that the cabinet, too, is Japanese.

I raise the subject of printing technology– there had been three distinct phases since he began his career. At Basel Mr. Aeschlimann had been trained in setting movable type – with letters held together in a wooden frame, inked and physically pushed against paper. Then, in the 70s and 80s, the of photocomposition, mentioned earlier, had opened up whole series of new possibilities. Finally, in the late 1980s, came the desktop publishing revolution: the advent of the Apple Mac, the Postscript programming language and software such as Aldus Pagemaker and QuarkXpress. I ask for what he feels are the ways in which digital technology has changed the design profession and am surprised at the reply: ‘Graphic design is over for me. Now everyone can do it.’ I quickly realise that Mr Aeschlimann is not being entirely serious – simply purchasing a Mac and the Adobe Suite does not instantly transform one into a graphic designer (though some may believe otherwise). ‘Now you can do anything, but this is not necessarily a good thing’, he continues with a sad smile. Aeschlimann tells me that he still works in the

‘old way’, developing his ideas by sketching in pencil on paper before moving to the computer. An important component of his training as a designer at the Basel School of Applied Arts had been drawing individual letterforms by hand, a difficult and laborious activity. This discipline, which he learnt from Armin Hoffmann, has been washed away in the rising digital tide and disappeared from design curricula. ‘You can’t understand design properly until you and have studied Roman stone carving and can understand the old letters’.

‘The painter’s instructions might be: spend ten years observing bamboos, become a bamboo yourself, then forget everything and paint’.

E. Herrigel - Zen and the Art of Archery

A few days after our meeting I am suddenly struck by the parallel between Roland Aeschlimann’s views about the desktop publishing revolution and his background.

From the youthful epiphany at building design, to living and working in Tokyo, his entire life had been imbued with Japanese culture.

The process of learning traditional arts in Japan is perhaps most famously described in Eugene Herrigel’s Zen and the art of archery, documenting the Austrian diplomat’s efforts to learn Kyūdō in the 1920s. Once Herrigel had painstakingly acquired an understanding of bow and arrow through repeating movements, he was faced with the further difficulty of trying to ‘forget everything’ and transcend his technical knowledge. Another important component is respect for the wisdom and experience of a ‘master’. One would struggle to think of design instructors more deserving of this description than Ruder and Hoffmann.

I then understand the point that Aeschlimann had been making: now that computers had removed the ‘difficulty’ from graphic design, something else had clearly been lost.

5.

Product review - Lindt Hello Brand Management course at the University of Geneva Business School

1.

Introduction

1.

Introduction

In September 2012 the German arm of Switzerland’s Lindt & Sprüngli, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium chocolates, announced the launch of a new series of chocolates, called ‘Lindt Hello’. With their distinctive packaging, bearing slogans like “Nice to you” and a youth-focused marketing campaign, represents a clear break & Sprüngli, one of the world’s Insweet September 2012 the German armLindt of Hello Switzerland’s Lindt from Lindt products of the past. It also raises important questions about how the new prodleading manufacturers ofbusiness premium chocolates, announced uct line fits into the company’s overall strategy and its possible feedback effects on the launch of a new series of Lindt’s corporate brand. chocolates, called ‘Lindt Hello’. With their distinctive packaging, bearing slogans like “Nice

to sweet you” and a youth-focused marketing campaign, Lindt Hello represents a clear break

2.

Lindt: theproducts early years from Lindt of the past. It also raises important questions about how the new prod-

uct line fits into company’s overall strategy and Chocoladefabriken Lindt the & Sprüngli AG ‘s roots stretch backbusiness to the 19th century.

This was the its possible feedback effects on pioneering era of Swiss chocolate manufacturing and of personalities like François Cailler Lindt’s corporate brand. (who set up the country’s first chocolate factory near Vevey in 1819) and Philipe Suchard who would both go on to establish famous chocolate companies.

Founded in Zurich in 1845 by David Sprüngli, Sprüngli & Son were the first company in the German-speaking part of Switzerland to produce chocolate. An important turning-point came with the acquisition of a small but prestigious Bernese chocolate manufacturer, Rodolphe Lindt & Fils. Lindt had developed a revolutionary process of combining cocoa beans, cocoa butter and sugar, grinding them together in a machine originally intended for Chocoladefabriken Lindtproduced & Sprüngli roots stretch back to the 19th century. This was the milling spices. The Lindt technique chocolateAG with ‘s a particularly smooth texture

2.

Lindt: the early years

pioneering era of Swiss chocolate manufacturing and of personalities like François Cailler (who set up the country’s first chocolate factory near Vevey in 1819) and Philipe Suchard who would both go on to establish famous chocolate companies.

Founded in Zurich in 1845 by David Sprüngli, Sprüngli & Son were the first company in the German-speaking part of Switzerland to produce chocolate. An important turning-point came with the acquisition of a small but prestigious Bernese chocolate manufacturer, Rodolphe Lindt & Fils. Lindt had developed a revolutionary process of combining cocoa beans, cocoa butter and sugar, grinding them together in a machine originally intended for milling spices. The Lindt technique produced chocolate with a particularly smooth texture

and removed any bitter taste in the finished product. Purchasing the company, for what was at the time an astronomical sum (1.5 million gold francs), in 1899 Sprüngli & Son not only acquired Lindt’s manufacturing secrets but also the rights to the Lindt brand name which had already become famous throughout Europe1.

3.

Lindt: international expansion

Lindt’s first period of international expansion in the early 20th century was cut short by recession in the 1920s and increasing government protectionism throughout Europe in the run-up to World War II. Post-war, the company concentrated mainly on the Swiss market: until 1980 roughly 80% of its chocolates were consumed domestically. It was only in the 1980s that Lindt & Sprüngli developed into the international group that it is today, becoming a public company listed on the Swiss stock exchange in 1986. Lindt Germany in Aachen became a wholly-owned subsidiary in the same year. In 1989 Lindt USA, located in Stratham, New Hampshire started production. By 1992 Lindt Germany had already overtaken its parent company in sales and employed more people.

The current chairman and CEO Ernst Tanner, formerly of Johnson & Johnson, joined Lindt in 1994 and initiated another round of international expansion, this time primarily through acquisitions such as US chocolatier Ghirardelli and Austria’s Hofbauer.

4.

Lindt: the current situation

Tanner’s nearly-20 years at the head of Lindt have been a time of stability and prosperity: sales have tripled and profits have increased sevenfold. Tanner is also the company’s largest shareholder.

Though the global crash of 2008 caused the first fall in Lindt’s share price in the entire Tanner period, the premium chocolate market has shown itself to be largely recession-proof.

This is because premium chocolate is a ‘lipstick luxury’2 – a relatively inexpensive indulgence that people continue to buy during an economic downturn when they have had to forgo costlier luxury purchases.

Even so, as the market for premium chocolate is decelerating in Europe and the continuing high value of the Swiss franc is making exports less competitive. Lindt & Sprüngli clearly need a strategy to revive sales – either bolstering demand for their existing products or by developing new products to appeal to new markets.

The US economy shows signs of revival and the US, as the world’s largest confectionery market, offers significant opportunities for growth. According to Lindt USA, in 2011 Americans consumed roughly half the amount of chocolate per capita as the Swiss (11.6 lb compared to 23.7) but, significantly, a far smaller proportion of that consumption was in the premium category (0.3lb compared to 4.3lb in Switzerland)3. Industry analysts Vreeland & Associates predict continued expansion of the US chocolate market from US$ 17.3 billion in 2009 to $19 billion in 2014 with the premium sector set to grow from 12% to 17% of the total during the same period4.

5.

Lindt: brand positioning

Although Ernst Tanner is considered to be the person most responsible for positioning Lindt as a premium chocolate brand, this process in fact started earlier 1979, when it adopted the slogan “The finest chocolate in the world”. Previously, Lindt’s marketing communications played on the association of chocolate with childhood, often using images of children and dolls, with little to suggest that the company wished to be seen as more upmarket that Swiss rivals Suchard or Cailler.

One can easily extrapolate Lindt’s current brand attributes from their corporate slogan/ logo strapline. In “Master Swiss Chocolatier since 1845” we can read: 1. Mastery of the techniques of chocolate production, expertise hence high quality.

2. Origin of the brand in Switzerland, as prestigious for chocolates as origin in Belgium.

3. A long-standing tradition in the chocolate industry.

To ‘quality’, ‘prestige’ and ‘tradition’ we can perhaps add enjoyment of consuming such a high-quality and exclusive product. When giving Lindt chocolates, these attributes add value to the gift and reflect positively on the giver (Kapferer (2008) underlines the importance of a brand’s reflective component – the effect it has on how a consumer is viewed by others).

The ‘Maître Chocolatiers’ key visual, introduced in 2004 and seen on all of Lindt’s print, poster, TV and web communication, encapsulates Lindt’s positioning very effectively. In a spotless kitchen, bathed in warm orange light, one or more ‘chocolatiers’, all in their 50s and dressed in white chef’s uniforms are seen delicately whisking melted chocolate in a brass bowl or carefully placing a roasted almond on top of a Lindt praliné. Though Lindt’s chocolate production is of course now fully-automated, the Maître Chocolatiers communicate the attention to detail and expertise that justifies its higher price and premium positioning.

The Maître Chocolatiers campaign, developed by Lindt marketing chief Dr. Uwe Sommer and the FCB Wilkens advertising agency (now Draft FCB), has been extremely successful. According to a 2005 report by market research company GFK, its introduction was found to have immediately increased awareness of Lindt as a manufacturer and reinforced the image of the brand, all this while spending significantly less than its competitors. Images of the Master chocolatiers at work also serve to differentiate Lindt from its competitors who have tended to use lifestyle concepts in their communication, rather than images of chocolate production.

Mahmud (2010) has suggested that the 2010 introduction of tennis star Roger Federer as the first brand ambassador in the company’s history has been a subtle way of modifying Lindt’s positioning in response to the 2008 recession. Using the star by himself or next to a Maître Chocolatier chimes with the company’s Swissness and exclusivity (Federer also endorses Rolex watches) but his reputation for being down-to-earth allows Lindt to speak to customers in a slightly more casual way.

Lindt posters: c. 1910, 1949, 1968

6.

Hello: product description

In the Hello range there are various boxes of pralinés, 100g tablets and 39g ‘chocolate sticks’.

The flavours are: Caramel Brownie, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Cheesecake and Nougat Crunch (colour-coded orange, yellow, red and blue, respectively). The packaging, covered in English-language slogans like “I’ll make your tummy yummy” and “I just wanna say thank you”, differs significantly from Lindt’s usual, elegant design. The background for the group pack-shots appears to be a New York skyline, complete with a stylised version of the Chrysler Building. There is no sign of a Maître Chocolatier anywhere and we are clearly a long way from Switzerland!

To promote ‘Hello’, Lindt chose a new agency, Rapp Germany, rather than Draft FCB Hamburg. Rapp describe the campaign in the following terms: “The strategy consists of presenting the product as a desirable ‘lifestyle accessory’: just like the TV ads that resemble music videos try to arouse the same feeling as savouring chocolate in the viewer. [...] corresponding print and online communication, along with a social media campaign can turn consumers into fans and a website provides guidance and makes them want more.”5

Video is at the centre of the Hello campaign, with a spot for three of the four Hello flavours.

Rather than trying to attach human personality traits (Aaker, J. 1997) to Lindt Hello in general, each 26-second spot presents a different stylishly dressed 20-something character as the embodiment of a particular flavour in the Hello range. The male character personifying Hello Nougat Crunch, for instance, is seen first jumping a motorcycle over shipping containers, then smashing up an electric guitar, Pete Townsend-style, and finally Karate-chopping through a concrete block: presumably all ‘crunchy’ activities. Strawberry Cheesecake is a blonde girl who plays tennis and wears lots of pink clothes. Cookies & Cream is represented by a shorthaired brunette in a plaid shirt. This type of youth lifestyle imagery has often been used by other confectionery companies in the marketing of chocolate bars, chewing gum or soda.

Using short video clips are an effective strategy for delivering branded content. TV and web video and mobile telephony have already converged and online video consumption is predicted to sky-rocket this year due to the increasing popularity of tablets and the imminent arrival of 4G wireless protocol.

These videos, shot in Milan by French/Lebanese director duo Leila & Damien de Blinkk, can be watched on lindt-hello.com The website also provides product information, online ordering and competitions.

The Rapp campaign also gives Lindt Hello a presence on a number of Web 2.0 community-building/social websites: Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook (with 6500 ‘likes’ at the time of writing). This is in line with current thinking on the need for brands to encourage engagement and participation in spite of their subsequent loss of a certain degree of control over their communication. Moon et al (2008) state that people are becoming less and less inclined to trust governments, religions and figures of authority but will listen to the opinions of other consumers, preferably friends or members of their own social networks. It is consequently more profitable to use the abovementioned websites to encourage the devel-

opment of a thriving Lindt Hello online community than to attempt ‘top down’ communication that may be viewed with suspicion. Thought the technology is new, the objectives are those of what, since the early 1980s (Agaraya & Singh 2011), has been termed ‘relationship marketing’ or ‘customer relationship management’: to interact with customers building up loyalty and trust as awareness of a product and a favourable image alone are not sufficient to guarantee customer purchase decisions in the long term.

Another pillar of the campaign was a high-profile event, the ‘Lindt Hello VIP Nite’ that took place at Berlin’s Goya nightclub (described by Time Out as a ‘glamorous and glitzy’ venue) on the 4th of September 2012. Here a number of German celebrities (mostly from reality-TV shows such as ‘Germany’s Next Top Model’) danced the night away with Boris Becker’s DJ son Noah at the turntables.

In short, neither the new products nor the manner in which they are being promoted have much in common with Lindt’s established traditions.

a Maître Chocolatier

7.

Mr. Hello Nougat Crunch

Hello positioning

The Rapp agency’s press release spells out who they imagine to be a typical Hello customer: “Our client Lindt & Sprüngli, the premium chocolate manufacturer, has entrusted us with creatively communicating the launch of the new brand “Hello”. With this new brand, they aim to reach new target groups by appealing to open-minded world citizens who care about quality and who maintain an urban and sophisticated lifestyle. To achieve this we are devising a strategy to position “Hello” as an international fashion brand [eine Trendmarke in the original text].”6

Lindt’s usual target demographic has been described by one researcher as being “women aged 30 and over with higher incomes and education levels”7 and by another as “35 to 54 years old females with a household income of over $50,000” (Brandweek 2001). Hello is clearly designed to appeal to a younger customer. Judging by the ages of the people in the Hello campaign videos (two female, one male), the ‘new audience’ that Lindt is targeting is the ‘young adult’ segment, aged between 22 and 30. The reference to consumers ‘who value quality’ and the fact that Hello is priced firmly in US trade journal Candy Industry’s ‘Upscale

Premium’8 category suggests that these young adults are also professionals with a reasonable amount of disposable income.

Rapp explicitly aims endow Lindt with a Premium’8 category suggests thatGermany these young adults are also to professionals with aHello reasonable cool andamount trendy of personality order to appeal to this new market disposablein income.

Rapp Germany explicitly aims tosegment. endow Lindt Hello with a coolofand trendy personality in order toassociations appeal to this new market One way doing this is by developing between the segment. product and the fashion One way of doing this is byindeveloping between product the fashion industry. An important precedent creating aassociations Trendmarke, whichthe must haveand influenced the industry. An important precedent in creating a Trendmarke, which must have influenced the agency’s thinking, is Diet Coke’s success in establishing itself as the fashion industry’s fizzy agency’s thinking, is Diet Coke’s success in establishing itself as the fashion industry’s fizzy drink of choice. Starting in February 2011 this has involved using personalities from the fashdrink of choice. Starting in February 2011 this has involved using personalities from the fashion world as ‘brand ambassadors’ (first Karl Lagerfeld, then ion world as ‘brand ambassadors’ (first Karl Lagerfeld, then Jean-PaulJean-Paul Gaultier) or to design limited-edition DietDiet Coke Gaultier) or to design limited-edition Coke bottles, as well as partnerships with fashion magazines, thethe bottles, as well as partnerships with fashion magazines, sponsorship of fashion partiesparties and events.

Using events as as sponsorship of fashion and events.

Using events of a marketing strategy to connect young ‘fashionpart of apart marketing strategy to connect withwith young ‘fashionistas’ has also been done by Diet Coke, who have organised istas’ has also been done by Diet Coke, who have organised parties very similar to the ‘Lindt Hello VIP Nite’ during Lonparties very similar to the ‘Lindt Hello VIP Nite’ during London and New York fashion weeks. Slim, glamorous catwalk don and New York fashion weeks. Slim, glamorous catwalk models drinking a beverage aimed at women interested in models drinking a beverage aimed at women interested in losing weight is a very compelling image. Associating chocolosing weight is a very compelling late (which is not known forimage. helpingAssociating weight loss)chocowith the Lindt Hello ‘VIP Nite’ Diet Coke Gaultier Launch late (which is not known for helping weight loss) with the fashion world is a rather less obvious ‘fit’!

Lindt Hello ‘VIP Nite’ Diet Coke Gaultier Launch fashion world is a rather less obvious ‘fit’!

8.

8.

Hello: a line extension or a sub-brand?

Hello: a line extension or a sub-brand?

When a firm is seeking to expand or attract new customers, introducing new products has always been a popular strategy. It can either add a new model to the range that it already proWhen a firm is seeking to expand or attract new customers, introducing new products has duces (a product line extension) or can put its brand equity to work and move into an always been a popular strategy.

It can(aeither a new model to the range that it already proentirely new product category brandadd extension).

For chocolate manufacturers such cateduces (agory product line extension) orMars can ice-creams put its brand equity work and move into an extensions have included or milk drinkstoand Lindt cake decorating entirely new product category (a brand extension). For chocolate manufacturers such cateproducts.

A tablet of Lindt Hello isMars essentially the same as a barand of their existing Excelgory extensions have included ice-creams orproduct milk drinks Lindt cakeLindt decorating lence line.

Both are comprised of a flavoured, sweet filling that is encased in chocolate.

Both products. areofdesigned to be is broken into squares before being as eaten. are wrapped aluminum A tablet Lindt Hello essentially the same product a barBoth of their existinginLindt Excelfoil and then paper. This is an extension to Lindt’s product line rather than a move into a lence line. Both are comprised of a flavoured, sweet filling that is encased in chocolate. Both new product category. are designed to be broken into squares before being eaten. Both are wrapped in aluminum There are many advantages to extending a product line as a means of reaching a new cusfoil and then This is anasextension to and Lindt’s product line range ratherofthan move into a tomerpaper. segment.

As well reduced costs catering to a wider tastes,a an extended new product category. product line discourages new entrants to a particular market and, if stocked, increases a Therebrands are many to extending a product line as aprospective means of consumers. reaching a new cusshareadvantages of shelf space, attracting more attention from Quelch Kenny (1994) also point the particular appeal of line extensions to mantomer segment.

As&well as reduced costs andout catering to a wider range of tastes, an extended they are a short-term method delivering growth impatient shareholders and a product agers: line discourages new entrants to of a particular markettoand, if stocked, increases avoiding the career risk of being involved in the unsuccessful development of a new brand. brands share of shelf space, attracting more attention from prospective consumers.

For chocolate manufacturers, an extended product line has been found to create a Quelch & Kenny (1994) also point out the particular appeal of line extensions to manfavourable image in the minds of consumers. Investigating the effects of product variety on agers: they are a short-term method of delivering growth to impatient shareholders and the perception of chocolate, Berger, Dragnska, and Simonson (2007) conducted a number

avoiding the career risk of being involved in the unsuccessful development of a new brand.

For chocolate manufacturers, an extended product line has been found to create a favourable image in the minds of consumers. Investigating the effects of product variety on the perception of chocolate, Berger, Dragnska, and Simonson (2007) conducted a number

of experiments where subjects were asked to compare two fictitious brands, one said to produce 30 different flavours, the other only 10. They found that when respondents were asked to choose between the two they were more likely to pick a chocolate made by the supposedly high-variety brand. They also perceived it as being of higher quality and even claimed to prefer the actual taste of the product.

There are, of course, potential drawbacks to product line extensions. Multi-item lines cost more to produce and the introduction of a new model or flavour can cannibalise the sales of a firm’s existing products. Extensions also run the risk of diluting the image of a brand in customers’ minds or contaminating it by creating new associations. Janiszewski and Van Osselaer (2000) warn that vertical line extensions to a lower-quality are particularly dangerous because they threaten to taint a brand’s otherwise higher-quality image.

Because of this, for a line extension to be successful there needs to be a degree of consistency. Wicke10, responding to Quelch and Kenny (1994), warns managers that they must: “[...] carefully evaluate not only how the brand affects the line extension but also how the line extension affects the brand. A brand’s equity consists of the key elements that drive demand for brand products and services. This includes some aspects of how customers perceive and experience the brand – its image – but not necessarily all aspects. It is critical to identify the key equity elements and to ensure that the line-extension strategy is appropriately designed to leverage, protect, and reinforce the brand equity. Consistency with brand image may not he enough; consistency with the brand equity is required. If the line-extension image jars with any of the brand equity elements, it will erode the entire line.”

If there is a risk that a new product will create dissonance with existing brand elements, firms can create a sub-brand which is endorsed by the parent brand. This is essentially the halfway point between using an existing band name and creating an entirely new brand with ownership ‘behind the scenes’ (the method Proctor & Gamble and Unilever have used until recently). Marriott opted for this strategy when launching a series of lower-cost hotels in the US they named them ‘Fairfield Inn by Marriott’ and ‘Courtyard by Marriott’11. This puts Marriott’s brand capital to work attracting customers but, crucially, provides a mechanism for differentiation. Being seen as separate but also linked to Marriott hotels is intended to protect the parent brand against negative spillover effects.

With the total break with Lindt key imagery and tone of voice in the Hello campaign, the company is encouraging customers to see this new range as being different to their existing offerings. They stop short of making Hello a sub-brand, however, as the logo makes it clear that we are supposed to read ‘Lindt Hello’ and not ‘Hello by Lindt’ or simply ‘Hello’12.

The Hello packaging layout is another case in point. Exactly like all the company’s other chocolate products, the gold foil-stamped and embossed Lindt logo is centred at the top of the wrapper or box. Under the logo, separated by a horizontal line, the product name (‘Petits desserts’, ‘Lindor’, ‘Création’ and so on) is always written in capitals in the Optima typeface.

Here Hello breaks with Lindt design conventions and uses two separate handwriting typefaces.

This use of handwriting (‘informal script’) typefaces for “Hello my name is” and the

flavour is intended to make the packaging look ‘informal’. According to Dr. Adalbert Lechner (CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli Germany): “The world has become more informal and world-famous firms are led by people in Tshirts and sweaters with rolled up collars. The way we speak is changing, we chat, we tweet, we send short text messages: today even relationships can be ended with an SMS. Our “Lindt Hello” is thus an informal product.”13

What it actually does is to make Lindt Hello look less of a premium product and more like a downward vertical line extension (even though it is in a similar price bracket to the company’s other offerings). Lindt Hello’s refusal to commit to proximity to or distance from the company’s existing range results in a hybrid: a horizontal line extension that looks like a lowcost sub-brand. This risks creating the negative feedback effects mentioned earlier. Seeing Hello products on a shelf next to Lindor or Excellence could very easily make Lindt itself appear to be moving downmarket.

9.

The removal of ‘Swissness’

Perhaps the most striking thing about Lindt Hello is the removal of any reference to Switzerland.

Swiss goods and services enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide, maybe more than those of any other country. They are seen as representing quality, exclusiveness and reliability. This reputation enables goods of Swiss origin to be to be positioned in higher price brackets.

For Keller (2008) Swiss origin is a ‘secondary association’. The country of Switzerland has its own associations that are borrowed and leveraged by Lindt whenever it describes itself as a ‘Swiss Master Chocolatier’.

Interestingly, the 2006 University of St.Gallen ‘Swissness Worldwide’ survey stated that this process actually works in reverse with it being the quality of Swiss products that provide the country itself with a favourable reputation. Because of this, they declare that Swiss companies and Switzerland as a country are ‘in a relation of mutual dependence’.

“Brand Switzerland is less influenced by concerted communication or specifically targeted brand management; rather, it is Swiss companies conduct that provides the main impact. Swiss goods, products and brands have had the greatest influence on the positive image of Switzerland. The management of Switzerland as a brand is thus taken on daily by all the actors who present themselves as Swiss.”

For chocolate, Swiss origin has been found to go a great deal further than simply providing a favourable reputation. In a recent study, Wilcox, Roggeveen, and Grewal (2011) conducted a series of blind tests during which people were given identical pieces of unbranded (American) chocolate to taste but told the first chocolate was from China then from Switzerland. A majority of respondents claimed to actually prefer the taste of the same piece of chocolate when told it was Swiss.

In his statement at the launch of Hello, Ernst Tanner does voice his initial concerns about the removal of Swissness from Lindt Hello. He also introduces a distinction between German and Swiss Lindt products.

“One can accuse us Swiss of being stubborn and our stubbornness is perhaps justified as this may be the reason why we are so very successful in certain areas. I must admit that when I first saw that brand name of “Lindt Hello – Nice to Sweet You” I said to myself, this time the German team has gone crazy! After all we are a conservative firm and we are proud of our Swiss traditions.”14

Tanner then backtracks and takes ownership of Hello for Switzerland, suggesting that the meaning of ‘Swissness’ itself has changed and needs to be revaluated. Switzerland is a land of innovation and Lindt Hello is a product that epitomises this modern, forward-thinking country, just like the Swatch. “... Yet on the other hand I can think of numerous Swiss pioneers, of those courageous and inventive people who, thanks to their single-mindedness with innovative and groundbreaking ideas achieved success and revolutionized entire industries. The Swiss who turned the watch trade on its head with colourful plastic

Lindt POS display, Zürich airport

watches or transformed the European breakfast tradition with their “Müsli”. You do not necessarily have to feel like William Tell to be convinced that “Lindt Hello – Nice to Sweet You” hits the right spot and will create enthusiasm among Swiss consumers.”

The head of Lindt Germany, Dr. Adalbert Lechner appears to contradict Tanner’s statement.

Rather than Lindt Hello being the product of a ‘new’ Switzerland, Lechner sees it as a global product for a smaller, more interconnected world.

“Why is Lindt heading in a new direction? The world is changing at great speed so that even a tradition-based brand cannot remain static (…) The world has also shrunk, we now live in a global village. An ever-increasing number of people can be part of the jetset, on condition that they have friends to take them to the airport as taxi fares these days are more costly that plane tickets to London. English has become the global lingua franca and expressions like ‘Germany’s Next Top Model’, ‘Fashion Week’, ‘Catwalk’ now sound perfectly normal to us in German. This is why ‘Hello’ conveys a feeling of urban living.”15

In his influential 1983 essay ‘The Globalization of Markets’, Theodore Levitt had excitedly predicted that in the future companies would offer standardised products for sale globally.

“Corporations geared to this new reality benefit from enormous economies of scale in production, distribution, marketing, and management. By translating these benefits into reduced world prices, they can decimate competitors that still live in the disabling grip of old assumptions about how the world works.”

There are in fact important barriers to creating a ‘global’ chocolate of the kind that Levitt might have envisaged: local tastes. Firstly we are said to develop preference for a certain type There are in fact important barriers to creating a ‘global’ chocolate of the kind that Levitt of chocolate in childhood, be it Lindt, Cadbury’s or the much sweeter Hershey’s which might have envisaged: local tastes. Firstly we are said to develop preference for a certain type becomes strongly-ingrained. According to a Cadbury Schweppes public relations manager of chocolate in childhood, be it Lindt, Cadbury’s or the much sweeter Hershey’s which quoted in Margolin (2001): According to a Cadbury Schweppes public relations manager becomes strongly-ingrained. quoted in Margolin (2001): “By and large well-established markets have an established chocolate taste – the UK and commonwealth countries are defined by Cadbury chocolate, the US by the Hershey Bar “By and large well-established markets have an established chocolate taste – the UK and and the Continent by high-cocoa content products such as Lindt and Suchard. With the commonwealth countries are defined by Cadbury chocolate, the US by the Hershey Bar taste chocolate defined in earlycontent childhood, it is thus difficult to break.” andof the Continent by high-cocoa products suchpretty as Lindt and Suchard.

With the taste of chocolate defined in early childhood, it is thus pretty difficult to break.”

Then there are localised tastes for flavours and fillings, such as the prevalence of peanut and peanut butterare chocolates the for US.flavours It would seem to besuch on this distinct US market that and Hello Then there localised in tastes and fillings, as the prevalence of peanut butter chocolates in the US. It would seem to be on this distinct US market that Hello is peanut targeted. is targeted.

10. A product for the US market?

10. A product for the US market?

In the Lindt press release accompanying the Goya Berlin party, Ernst Tanner had already In the Lindt press releaseand accompanying the isGoya Berlin party, Ernst Tanner had already stated that, after Germany Austria, Hello set to be launched worldwide: stated that, after Germany and Austria, Hello is set to be launched worldwide: “Hello, the new generation of chocolates will first be available in Germany then launched “Hello, the new generation of chocolates will first be available in Germany then launched worldwide in 2013”. 16 worldwide in 2013”. 16

With Lindt Hello being produced in the quintessentially American flavours of brownie, With Lindt Hello being produced in the quintessentially American flavours of brownie, cheesecake and cookies & cream (the cookies in question being Nabisco’s ‘Oreos’, the US’s cheesecake and cookies & cream (the cookies in question being Nabisco’s ‘Oreos’, the US’s best-selling biscuit), the presence of US imagery on the website and the fact that the product best-selling biscuit), the presence of US imagery on the website and the fact that the product already You”...etc)one onemight mightspeculate speculatethat thatit it has fact already‘speaks’ ‘speaks’English English (“Nice (“Nice to to Sweet Sweet You”...etc) has in in fact been presence of of Hello Helloproducts productsininLindt LindtUS’s US’s ‘Spread beendesigned designedfor forthe the US US market. market. The The presence ‘Spread Chocolate catalogueof ofproducts productsavailable availabletotoorder order this would cerChocolateCheer: Cheer:Holiday HolidayGifts Gifts 2012’ 2012’ catalogue this would certainly tainlysupport supportthis thistheory. theory.

There has been a increased investment investmentby byLindt Lindtinto intoitsitsUSUS subsidiary There has been aclear clear pattern pattern of increased subsidiary – – the its Stratham, Stratham,New NewHampshire Hampshirefactory factory 2006, thecompany companyspent spent $30 $30 million million to expand expand its in in 2006, more constructionof ofaanew newin-house in-housebean bean roasting facility morethan thandoubling doublingthe theplant’s plant’s size. size. The construction roasting facility wasalso alsoannounced announcedAugust August 2010.

2010. was Extensionsare arean animportant important tool for expansion Extensions expansioninto intocouncountriesoffering offering higher higher growth growth opportunities. opportunities. In tries In 2011 2011 Mars Mars introducedaapeanut-butter peanut-butter version version of of its introduced its Snickers Snickersbar baronto ontothe the US market to compete with the hugely popular Hershey’sUS market to compete with the hugely popular Hershey’sownedReece’s Reece’speanut-butter peanut-butter cups cups and and aa limited-edition owned limited-editionmaple maple syrup Snickers in Canada.

Nestlé have pursued a very successful syrup Snickers in Canada. Nestlé have pursued a very successful product-line extension strategy with its KitKat bar in Japan. product-line extension strategy with its KitKat bar in Japan.

Launching no fewer than 19 varieties of KitKat (including Launching no fewer than 19 varieties of KitKat (including Soy sauce-flavour KitKat green tea, soy sauce and sweet potato flavours) in 2009 has Soy sauce-flavour KitKa green tea, soy sauce and sweet potato flavours) in 2009 has made it the number one confectionery brand in the country. made it the number one confectionery brand in the country.

Conclusions While Lindt Germany deserves credit for its willingness to take risks and develop innovative new products rather than just sitting back and hoping the good times will continue, there are serious problems with Hello. These stem from an unwillingness to decide how similar or different Hello is to the rest of Lindt’s products.

If it is to be seen as part of the Lindt range to the same degree as a Lindor truffle or a golden Easter bunny, there needs to be consistency and what Kapferer (2008) terms a confirmation of the presence of brand core facets (in this case: prestige, quality, Swissness and tradition) in each product. Apart from a general consensus among reviewers that Lindt Hello is high-quality chocolate, these core facets are glaringly absent.

If, on the other hand, the company wishes to indicate difference between this new product and the rest of the Lindt range, a sub-branding strategy would have been preferable in order to avoid negative feedback effects. While developing ‘Hello’ as a new brand without any clues as to ownership would be expensive and risky, using an endorsed identity: ‘Hello by Lindt’ rather than ‘Lindt Hello’ would have provided customers with a mental framework for differentiation and protected the parent brand from contamination.

Usual Lindt product naming convention

Lindt Hello, official logo

Option 1: Lindt Hello as a coherent line extension

Lindt Hello, logo as seen on packaging

Option 2: Lindt Hello as an endorsed sub-brand

At present, Lindt Hello falls somewhere between the two and there seems to be a very real danger that by introducing a line extension that looks ‘cheaper’ (even if it is only intended to look ‘younger’ and ‘more informal’) than its other products, customers will infer that it is Lindt itself that has somehow become less of a premium chocolate manufacturer. The company therefore risks alienating its core customer base.

Notes 1.

Almost 200 years later another chocolate company would purchase a rival for what appeared to be an inflated price. During the hostile takeover of Rowntree by Nestlé in May 1988. The Swiss company paid 6 times Rowntree’s share value. not just for manufacturing plants and distribution channels but to acquire ‘Smarties’, ‘Quality Street’ or ‘After Eight’ and the equity that these brands had built up over the course of a century of existence.

2.

The lipstick effect also explains the resilience of the restaurant and entertainment industries during recessions.

3.

Figures quoted by Lindt USA CEO Thomas Linemayer in: Candy Industry ‘Positively Premium’ May 1, 2011

4.

Figures quoted by Steven Rosenbush, Vreeland Associates Chocolate Market Trends Monday, June 4, 2012 (from: http://www.vreelandassociates.com/demand-forpremium-chocolate-is-booming-despite-the-recession/)

5.

From: http://www.rappgermany.com/de/arbeit/Lindt-Hello.html

6.

ibid.

7.

„Kernzielgruppe sind Frauen ab 30 Jahren mit gehobenem Einkommen und Bildungsniveau, die Wert auf einen gepflegten Lebensstil legen.“ (from: http://www.gwa.de/images/effie_db/2005/250965_128_Lindt.pdf)

8.

US trade journal Candy Industry divides the premium chocolate category into three segments: ‘everyday gourmet’ at $8.00-$15.99/lb, ‘upscale premium’ at $16.00$23.99/lb and ‘super premium’ above $24.00. At $5 for 3.5oz, a bar of Lindt Hello works out at $22.86/lb.

9.

From: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/diet-coke-to-extend-fashionistastrategy/4000613.article

10.

Same reference as Quelch J. & Kenny (1994) page 59

11.

The example is from Aaker (1997) pages 138-139

12.

Though the three videos do in fact start with the word “Hello” and close with a “by Lindt” endorsement.

13.

From http://suite101.de/article/ausserst-gelungene-premiere-von-lindt-hello--niceto-sweet-you-a137941#ixzz2JZgPZhad

14.

ibid.

15.

ibid.

16.

From: http://www.nachrichten-aktuell.com/lindt-hello-vip-nite-suser-abend-mit-vielprominenz-in-berlin.html

6.

Article about corporate graphic design and globalisation Architecture and visual culture magazine

Tailfins and Telephones Visual references to nationality – crowns, eagles, lions, and flags – have long been used as components in the identities of state-owned companies.

As the world becomes more networked and globalised we might expect our sense of collective or national belonging to become progressively weaker and that this loosening of ties it likely to be reflected visually in changes to the corporate identities of formerly public companies before and after privatization.

Comparing the logo of Gaz de France (now GDF Suez) before and after its partprivatisation in 2005 one can observe the red and blue elements from the national flag have been removed. Do all privatised companies follow this pattern and, if so, what can it tell us about the implications of current transformations to society for the field of corporate design?

After a survey of changes to corporate identities in the European telecommunications sector this hypothesis was found to be to be only partially valid. Sweden’s Telia, for instance, follows the Gaz de France model by dropping the crown from its logo but KPN only acquires its crown after being privatized and applying for Dutch ‘royal company’ status.

The changing use of the Swiss cross on the corporate design of the country’s airline and PTT over time reveals similar contradictions. Swissair was a governmentowned airline, proudly displaying the national flag on its tailfins. What we now know as Swiss International Airlines (which evolved out of another airline, Crossair, after Swissair was famously ‘grounded’ in 2001) is in fact a wholly owned subsidiary of German carrier Lufthansa. Yet this new company continues to use a white cross on a red background on its tailfins with the word “Swiss” featured prominently.

In a press release the branding consultants Winkreative who designed the Swiss International Airlines scheme go even further in saying that it “stands firmly

in the tradition of Swiss graphic design” and on their website refer to Swiss as ‘Switzerland’s national airline’. The Swiss flag would appear to signify one thing on the identity of Swissair (state-ownership) but something quite different on the identity of Swiss. This leads one to ask how a company can still be considered to be a ‘flag-carrier’ when it is owned by a number of international shareholders.

It would appear that rather than uniformly developing feelings of being ‘global citizens’ and deterritorialised or transnational corporate identities, the increasing cultural diversity of our western societies can lead to strong counter-reactions and actually strengthen our emotional attachment to symbols of local belonging.

This global/local contradiction and the question of whether globalisation somehow means the ‘end’ of the nation state has been discussed by a number of prominent social theorists, among them Zygmunt Bauman. In his essay ‘On Glocalization’ he states: ‘There seems to be an intimate kinship, mutual conditioning and reciprocal reinforcement between ‘globalization’ and the renewed emphasis on the territory principle. By common agreement among the analysts of the contemporary scene, globalization does not mean cultural unification (and) does not lead to the emergence of anything like a ‘global culture’.

Self-differentiation turns into a globally determined characteristic of the […] postmodern or late-modern world’ 1

This led me to re-examine the decision by British Airways to famously remove the Union Jack from its tailfins in 1997 and replace it with a number of different patterns and artworks sourced from around the globe. The stated aim was to “create a new global personality” as the airline needed to be “more modern, dynamic and responsive to the differing cultural needs of its 38 million customers a year, more than 60 per cent of whom originate from outside Britain”.

Even though there were other forces at work in the collapse of BA’s share price, the subsequent media storm and decision three years later to abandon the multiethnic ‘Utopia’ scheme and reinstate the flag somehow embodies this globalising/ localising contradiction.

By placing the change to BA’s identity in a series of matrices with UK economic and cultural indicators running alongside one can, however, see that the adoption of the ‘Utopia’ tailfins might have been unpopular.

The new scheme coincides with the arrival of Tony Blair’s New Labour government and the country’s first real attempt at nation branding which would become known as ‘Cool Britannia’. A 1997 report by thinktank Demos2, commissioned by the UK Design Council, had warned that the country was seen as backward-looking and in need of an image overhall.

The Union flag has periodically made its appearance in popular culture. Examples include the Mods in the 1960s and the bands they listened to, notably The Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks. It was used ironically by the punk movement after 1977 and non-ironically as an appeal to nationalist sentiment by Skinheads and football supporters. 1997 was one such period and corresponded with the rise of ‘Britpop’ – normally considered to be a patriotic counter-reaction to the US grunge that had come before it.

By noting that the flag had been transformed into a fashion accessory by Britpop musicians such as Suede’s Brett Anderson and Oasis (and perhaps more famously by Geri Haliwell of The Spice Girls) at the very moment that it was being removed from the British Airways tailfins, we could also argue that corporate design as a discipline tends to be self-referential and should, where possible, be informed by analysis of trends and events in wider society.

The study provides a starting point for an examination of our emotional attachment to images of localised belonging and how this can be leveraged to create symbolic capital for brands. Peter Odermatt mentions this in his discussion of the Euro and its role in the creation of a European identity, ‘Complex organizations (especially those whose aims are of an ideological nature) can present an outwardly unified appearance by way of symbolic emblems such as flags and the like; nor does this process require any consensus as to the precise content of the symbol.

The affective value which may be attached to, say, a flag is a matter of subjective, individual response. It is this emotional significance […] which forms its symbolic value’3.

What else can we learn from all this? British Airways may have wanted to use corporate design to position itself as ‘the world’s favourite airline’, but it is not viable without its national market. It learnt the hard way that its global aspirations did not mean that it could ignore the way that it is seen in Britain, especially by ‘Middle England’. Many international players face the same dilemma. The reactions of the national market may be emotional, sentimental and irrational, but they are real, and it is foolhardy to ignore them.

1 Bauman, Z ‘On Glocalization: Or globalization for some, localization for some others’ in The Bauman Reader, Beilharz, P (Ed.) Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass, 2002 2 Leonard, M. ‘BritainTM: Renewing Our Identity’ Demos, London, 1997 3 Odermatt, P. ‘The use of symbols in the drive for European integration’ in Leerssen J, Spiering M (Ed) National Identity: Symbol and Representation, Rodopi, Amsterdam, 1991

(Published in ‘Volume magazine #19 - the Architecture of Hope’, 2009)