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Color our world

You don’t have to be colorblind not to realize that manufacturers and marketers are waging a war for your attention—and thus your dollars—from every aisle of almost any store where you shop. Colors and packaging cues aren’t just aimed at what you can see but at your subconscious as well.

Although the connection between color and psychology is decades-old, it’s only been in about the last 10 years that companies have deployed color in a strategic way to get you to choose their product, says Cheryl Swanson, who is managing partner of Toniq, which is a brand strategy firm that developed the look for Gillette’s Venus and Fusion razors.

That’s an approach that will only expand in the future as companies fight for your dollars in an uncertain economy. DayGlo Color, which customizes color for packaging and consumer goods, is straightforward about it: Color, the company says, “is paramount to building brands and, ultimately, driving sales.”

A 2009 University of British Columbia study revealed that both red and blue are effective in stimulating your brain, depending on what message is being sent. The study found that red tones proved more effective in detail-oriented tasks. When used in fictional ads and product packages, the study found, the color red caused people to react favorably to specific details such as “cavity prevention.” Blue, which was linked in the study to thinking creatively, succeeded in messages that were more goal-directed, such as “teeth whitening.”

In the past, a company might have chosen a color just to be different from the competition (think Coca-Cola red and Pepsi blue). But now it’s more strategic: If a company’s product isn’t a leader, Swanson says it’s likely that it will co-opt a successful company’s color first, then encroach on the shape of packaging and logos—“As close as they can without being sued,” she says. That’s why you’ll find a lot of private labels that appear similar to national ones, and why you’ll find a lot of peanut butter-related candy that have adopted orange as a color—riding on the coattails of the popular Reese’s brand.

Green, which was little used for years, Swanson says, has found new legs to define anything that’s seen as nature-friendly, ecological or organic.

Expect future attempts to get into your head—and wallet—to tug at your heartstrings. One of the trends is to play on nostalgia to take advantage of our psychological yearning for simpler, more stable times, Swanson says. For instance, several Pepsi-owned brands are rolling out throwback packaging that looks similar to what they used 30 years ago. That’s aimed not only at Baby Boomers but also Gen Xers and Gen Yers who have a fondness for retro images.

“The next wave [in branding] is for companies to focus on what they do well,” she says. “Focus on good storytelling.”

– T. Williams

Please click here to read the article: Consumers Digest 

Company Aims to Build Buzz for Its 5 Brand of Gum as Players Chew on Its Alternate-Reality Clues

By JULIE JARGON

Wrigley's alternate-reality Web game.

In May, Aaron Allar saw an ad on the Web soliciting "test subjects" for an alternate-reality game, and he soon plunged into a world of pulsing beats and blinking lights, black packages arriving at his door and game clues that unlocked more games.

"This is the first alternate-reality game I've played, and I didn't know what to expect," the resident of Twentynine Palms, Calif., says. But he and other players he met through the game soon guessed "the test" must be a promotion for a new video game.

Instead, though, the teaser campaign is part of an elaborate marketing plan for Wrigley's 5 gum. Wrigley introduced the brand in 2007 to try to bring teens and young adults back to chewing gum. The company was acquired by Mars Inc. in 2008.

The gum maker's game, dubbed "The Human Preservation Project," claims to be recruiting players to take part in virtual experiments to save the human race by maintaining sensory experiences.

The "recruitment" began in May with ads on Facebook. In June, "confidential" materials were distributed to participants at the E3 Expo, a trade show for computer and video games, to create buzz among gamers.

Next came a stunt at the Bonnaroo music festival, where thousands of paper helicopters with glowing LED lightsrepresenting "ice flies" (a clue in the game) were dropped over the crowd by parachutists.

At the end of June, scavenger hunts in 15 cities provided clues to the next phase of the game, which included a new website featuring a short film.

So far, Wrigley says, 600,000 people have participated in the game in one way or another.

Until recently, the company and 42 Entertainment, the Pasadena, Calif., production firm that developed the Web content, didn't tie the game to 5 at all. While teaser campaigns by movie and videogame makers don't usually disclose what they are for, such reticence is unusual for a consumer-products company. It is also unusual to tease something that has already been on the market for awhile.

But lately, Wrigley has started dropping clues that 5 gum is, in fact, behind the game. There is a link to the game's website, survivalcode.com, on 5's Facebook page, and game codes are included in the gum's packaging.

"This is the true nature of the brand, which is exploratory," says Martin Schlatter, Wrigley's chief marketing officer. "You go down the rabbit hole, and you don't know how deep it is or where it goes."

Indeed, with 5, Wrigley countered the conventional packaging and marketing wisdom in the gum industry, choosing slim black gum packs and flavor names like "Cobalt" and "Rain." And instead of touting the gum as serving a function like freshening breath or whitening teeth, the company sought to position it as a provider of sensory stimulation. Some flavors provide a warming sensation, it said, while others offer cooling.

And the company's marketing efforts appear to be working. Wrigley says that 5 is its most successful brand launch ever and that it has achieved $500 million in sales in five years.

Brand experts say that Wrigley's elaborate game—and its lack of affiliation to thechewing gum early on—could also pay off.

"With the whole authenticity trend going on, people don't like brands not being transparent, but I think 5 gum has done a brilliant job," says Carol Nakamoto, director of business development for the brand-strategy firm Toniq LLC, which hasn't been involved in the Wrigley campaign.

Mr. Allar says he was disappointed when he eventually discovered that the only way that he could obtain the later codes was to buy the gum. But that didn't stop him from playing. "It's still entertaining," says Mr. Allar, who has since purchased 15 packs of the gum to get more codes.

Wrigley won't disclose how much it has spent to develop the game, but it does say it doesn't plan to pull the plug anytime soon.

That's good news for Sloane Koogle, a 15-year-old high-school student in Phoenix. She has become so enthusiastic about playing the game that she started a Facebook fan page that now has more than 400 members.

When she discovered that 5 gum was behind the game, she says, "I was kind of like, 'Wow, all this for gum?'" But she says that since then she has bought 17 packs of 5, and now she's sold on the gum, too.

Write to Julie Jargon at julie.jargon@wsj.com

Click here to see the article directly on WSJ: WSJ: Wrigley Targets Web Gamers 

Toniq Trends: Summer 2011

We hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Here’s a look at some summer trends from the Toniq team. 

Health & Beauty: SWEATPROOF

We all know global warming is not just hoax, this planet is getting hotter by the nanosecond and we can feel it. With summer in full swing, we have noticed that everything is now sweat-proof! From sunscreen to mascara, you can get hot, steamy and sweaty while looking good and staying protected.

Here’s a few Toniq faves:

Stila, Lash Visor Mascara – 100% waterproof, sweat-proof and melt-proof

Rimmel Lasting finish 25 hour Foundation - Sweat, heat and humidity proof for up to 25 hours

Coppertone Sport SPF – Very sweat resistant

Food & Beverage: SOCIAL DIGESTION

Gastronomy, the art and science of good eating, has taken on a new process. It seems like you can’t just sit down and eat a meal these days. Part of the new pre-consumption ritual is to set the scene, fork gently laid on the side of the dish, dewy cocktail close to the main plate, zoom in and take a picture, preferably a high quality digital, of what has just been served. Then you MUST post it to every social network you belong to for your friends and fans to salivate or be in sheer shock at what you are about to ingest. As of July 13, 2011, the Flickr group, Food Porn had 458,592 photos and the group I Ate This had 420,873 photos (by the way, members are limited to 50 pics a month to the group so do the math, that’s a whole lot of people eating a whole lot of food!). 

Here are a few sites worth drooling over: 

tastespotting.com

foodporndaily.com

Fashion: EYE CANDY

What is the summer without some cool shades? Aviators and Wayfarers are so last summer. This month we are seeing a lot of color and edgy shapes, from futuristic cat-eyes to edgy modern all in bright colors. Even for the guys, we are seeing spots of color on the shades. 

Here’s a couple to check out:

Girls: Spitfire Daxx

Guys: Oakley Limited Edition Jupiter Camo Frogskins

Travel: UNPLUGGED ECO-LUXE

To unplug, sometimes you have to run away into the jungle, literally. No laptops, no iPads, no cell phones, no wires. The only connections here are between you and nature. To help you get over the initial panic, take a deep breath of fresh, un-digitized air.  There are a few resorts around the world that offering just this – unplugged vacations. Here are a few resorts that will help you unplug in style:

Hotelito Desconocido Resort in Mexico's Playon de Mismaloya Nature Reserve

 - The resort is comprised of 30 bungalows built on stilts on a 40-mile stretch of beach within one of Mexico's largest turtle reserves.

Three Camel Lodge, The Gobi Mongolia

 - The Lodge's twenty Deluxe Gers, traditional felt tents, include a private bathroom with a toilet and sink, a king size bed and amenities such as felt slippers, Mongolian-styled bathrobes and locally produced toiletries and camel milk moisturizing lotions.

Mille Etoiles, France 

This beautiful encampment houses 14 luxury-tents in a forest set above the Ardeche river gorge in the Rhone Alpes region of France. The luxury tents are made of oak and covered in natural canvas, and come with their own private deck and hammock. Showers are communal, and a shared kitchen and on-site restaurant are available.

Technology: GAME ON!

It’s the middle of summer, what are you doing with all that tech? You should be relaxing by the pool, playing on the beach or spending quality time with friends and family. You just can’t give it up huh? Well, at least do something fun while wired. Here’s a few ongoing faves from the Toniq team.

Cheryl: Bookworm

Craig: Crosswords & Bookworm

Kyla: Wii Ping Pong

Erica: Angry Birds 

Ami: Plants vs Zombies 

Emily: Osmos

Carol: Words with Friends

By Cheryl Swanson: Founding Principal - Toniq llc

Toniq LLC Brand EffervescenceTM 

Toniq is a brand strategy firm dedicated to creating "brand effervescence." Ms. Swanson and her staff bring life, energy and dimension to brands by blending traditional marketing with anthropology, sociology, the psychology of symbolism and innovative consumer research techniques. 

For more information, please contact 

Carol Nakamoto  carol@toniq.com

200,000 years ago, we began with the development of speech. 30,000 years ago, we developed symbols for communication. 7,000 years ago, we started writing.

Fast forward to 2020 Desktop computers are obsolete. IPads are ancient technology. Can you believe we carried those big things around? 3D televisions are so 2011. It’s all about 4D interactive media.

Brands can no longer just advertise, have a Facebook page, run a contest and hope it goes viral. Brands will have to look for new ways to engage the consumer. Here are a few of our predictions of what we will see is 2020..

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Go for the Drama!

It's always a hit with consumers, according to Cheryl Swanson.

Read the full article here.