How brands can better connect with mass market audiences — globally.
SomeOne co-founder Simon Manchipp was one of the keynote speakers at one of Europe’s largest design conferences called TypoBerlin13 last week. The theme of the conference was ‘touch’ and Simon spoke on this theme and how brands can better touch audiences around the globe.
Review of the speech:
Introducing charm into charmless categories – Simon Manchipp
“♫ Keep a rattlesnake as pet… Sell both the kidneys on the internet… Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die… ♫”
If you’ve heard this insanely catchy jingle about rail safety even once before, you’ve probably already got the earworm. (And if you haven’t, do so now!)
So how on earth did a video about rail safety, of all things, become a global sensation and the earworm heard around the world? It introduced charm into what most people would consider a dull, charmless category.
Simon Manchipp, co-founder and creative director of London design company SomeOne, isn’t responsible for the ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign, but he loves it because it’s virtually the poster child for his manifesto – that “Weird Works”. ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ was funny, it was a little bit weird, it was charming. It went global. It’s the kind of exposure that most brands would kill for, but wouldn’t take the risk to achieve.
Simon always aims to look beyond the brand message and try to touch audiences with his design work. Design, especially for big global companies, is usually seen as a very serious business, with no place for frivolity. The exercise of branding is too often interpreted as creating an unbending set of rules – as producing a “Bible of No”.
B-O-R-I-N-G. Who’s to say that branding can’t be more flexible, more interesting, more fun? Simon demonstrated an impressive portfolio of client work that goes beyond logos and guidelines. They were amazing examples of design that found entertaining moments in between the cracks; branding that interested people, made them pause, made them laugh.
So take the risk; entertain people – and talk your clients into it too. Remove their fear of going off-brand and sell them on the idea that weird works for business. If all else fails, play Dumb Ways to Die on a loop until they beg you for mercy.
Ally Long
Amazingly — Of the 58 speeches given, Simon’s was voted the best by the attendees here…— Please… no one tell him this…