I keep waiting for the time when I can say the “Made in China“ stigma is over. I feel that day is getting closer, but it’s a lot like the wait for that up and coming part of town, that has been getting better for the past 10 years, to get better. We all recognize that US manufacturing has had to address the off-shore challenge. Even the venerable precision toolmaker and machinist brand, L.S. Starrett - made in America since 1880, has come to terms with this and it is making products in Asia.

At what point is “Made in China” going to be acceptable? According to Steve Jobs, it’s acceptable for products to be made in China as long as they are “Designed by Apple in California.” However, this just adds to the lower quality perceptions. Finally, a company like container manufacturer Zevro comes along, makes quality products, and challenges the origin story in an interesting way by spinning it to, “Made with love in China.” Will efforts like this counter the inferiority complex? I personally feel they will, and as more companies begin to get over it, so will the consumers.

A friend of mine sent me a link to Kevin Atkinson’s video work, and then, a few days later, I spotted the same “method artist” on a blog that I read regularly. He seems to be getting a lot of attention.

I don’t know too much about programming or coding (well, who am I kidding…I don’t know anything!), but I thought the real-time visual effects were pretty fascinating. With endless editing capabilities at our disposal, it’s refreshing to see some one programming for live applications (ie public art instillations, concerts, nightclubs).

From what I picked up on his blog, Kevin writes 2d equations that cause the video to simulate things like waves, fun-house mirrors, water, and pixel balls. That’s the best explanation I can give, so if you want more information, check out his blog.

Here’s Starbucks’ caffeinated take on social networking–a site within a site that allows customers and partners (aka Starbucks’ employees) to share, comment on and rank new ideas, with the most favored ideas rising like frothy cappuccino foam to the top. Most importantly, the site has an “Ideas in Action” section, where the best ideas and most frequently raised issues are discussed. If they keep this site alive, it could grow into a real dialogue between the company and its customers. At the very least, it gives Starbucks a good sense for what flavor of frappucino their die-hard latté junkies are jonesing for.

Photograph by Andrew Bettles (New York Times)

In a recent piece for his column “Consumed”, Rob Walker poses an interesting question: Can a Dead Brand Live Again?

Not surprisingly, even long dormant brands have value. Brands such as Brim and Underalls still have high recognition even though they have been out of circulation for over a decade. When we reference successful “live” brands, we tend to think of aspirational brands like Apple and Harley Davidson and define their value in terms of iconic imagery or fiercely loyal customers. What is interesting about Rob’s piece is the idea of ‘brand acquiescence’, or a brand’s ability to help us make mental shortcuts in order to make purchasing decisions easier in categories that are either low involvement, low risk or where time is critical. It is one of the only articles on Brand from a mainstream source that can be valuable to people responsible for brands that don’t inspire the passion of a Miata or an Ipod.

Great brands don’t have to inspire passion. They can simply give us well timed teaspoons of confidence and good judgement in a frenetic world.

My wife recently gave birth to our second baby. Because I was not a basket case about the imminent arrival of this child, as I was with baby number 1, I had the clarity of mind to take it all in. So, instead of going into the experience as a new dad, to the chagrin of my wife, I went into it as an observer. My biggest takeaway was how the delivery room changed modes over the course of the delivery and how this can minimize levels of anxiety.

When you enter the delivery room for the first time, it almost feels like a hotel room. As the the delivery begins, doors and slots start to open to reveal the apparatus of delivery. One cabinet slides open to offer all of the anesthesiologist tools, the other opens up to show a heart rate monitor. A seemingly ambiguous cart opens up to reveal the tools of the obstetrician trade, and then the bed transforms and lights drop from recessed panels on the ceiling. The transformation is impressive, and if we had walked into the room in this mode, I don’t think my wife could have gone through with it.

Overall, the design of the room was a great way to use modal transformation as an anxiety reducing tool.

FedEx announced Monday that it is changing the name of Kinko’s to FedEx Office. Since acquiring Kinko’s in 2004, FedEx has been struggling with how to integrate this brand into its business. This is a common problem many companies deal with, when acquiring a brand with considerable recognition and equity.

“Kinko’s was primarily a copy and print-service provider when it was acquired in 2004,” said Brian D. Philips, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Office. “The name FedEx Office more accurately represents our broader role of providing superior information and services through our company-owned, digitally connected locations around the world . ” (FedEx Press Release)

Finally, they are integrating the brand into their existing architecture nicely: FedEx Office, FedEx Ground, FedEx Custom Critical and less we forget FedEx Express. There is a lot to learn here, and I am sure there is an HBS case in the works, but it always seems that the simplest brand models work the best.

Sohrab Vossoughi’s latest article on Businessweek.com talks about innovation not delivering anymore. He goes onto examine Experience Design as the next potential differentiator.

In the article he mentions one our clients, American Express. I was very happy to see them singled out in such a positive article about the next evolution of what I do for a living. But I was even happier to see Apple Computer NOT mentioned.

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Yolanda sees the other side

I was coming home from from a visit to the Center for Creative Leadership, which teaches C-levels, admirals, and strivers of all levels to lead others better by first understanding self. The approach is humanistic but entirely without fluff — every principle is backed by decades of supporting data.

Flying from Greensboro to Boston, the only good flight is on Delta — unless it’s cancelled like mine. Along with my travelmates, I scrambled onto an already-boarding two-leg flight by US Airways. I arrived in Philly and found the connecting gate to be overflowing with misery. The preceding flight to Boston had been boarded, then held on the tarmac, and then returned to the gate. The customers were variously folded, splayed and contorted in seats that were designed for the short rests of the previous era of air travel — regulated, expensive and punctual. The previous flight was defunct, and it became clear that those passengers were to be given my plane for their ride home. My mates left for the bar, and I stayed at the gate, determined to join these ragged souls on the next plane to Boston.

One US Airways employee was at the gate desk, occasionally looking around at the scene but never at any one person, and typing into his screen prodigiously. The plane arrived for boarding. Travelers shoved their way to gate door. A few customers were not passing through but were instead lingering near the desk and leering needily at the US Airways employee, whom I shall now name Sir System. Sir System was expert at the operations of the gate computer, and he was assiduous about the order of boarding. Glued tightly to Sir System’s counter was a customer whom I shall name Nigel (Nice Intelligent Guy with English Lilt). As a customer, Nigel had everything going for him. We was tidily groomed, had a pleasant face and wore a gentlemanly overcoat. Nigel was, I imagined, an ex-pat of many years, as he spoke with the perfectly diluted English accent that Americans equate with social refinement. But Nigel was not happy.

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In order to bring the complete vision for the Sprint Studio to life, Sprint and Continuum partnered with their photographer Ron Eshel and German light artists from Lichtfakor. Working collaboratively in two adjacent photography studios, the team captured both lifestyle photography as well as time lapse imagery of actual light in motion. The resulting images help to elevate the Sprint Studio above the status quo and engage the consumer in a truly amazing retail experience.

Check out this light art. Really amazing stuff.

So I’ve been tracking a little company called Clover, based up in Seattle, that was working hard to re-think what good drip coffee could and should be. From their point of view, the industry was focusing too much on espresso-based drinks and not enough on the classic cup of black magic.

What was their hook? They took the french press brewing process (seen by many coffee snobs as a superior brewing process to the classic, drip coffee makers) and built a machine to replicate it on a larger scale. Coffee drinkers benefited from this ‘artisinal,’ small batch approach to coffee making while independent coffee shops benefited from a new, premium priced, retail theater experience for their customers. This was going to be their way to compete against the green apron army.

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/about/press/01-23-2008

http://blog.richardsprague.com/2007/11/clover-coffee.html

Then something very interesting happened this week.

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=850

While Starbucks has been focused on growing their business with breakfast, music and Mitch Albom, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and the rest have been climbing directly inside their sandbox. We can assume that the move to purchase Clover is a solid indication that Starbucks realizes it needs to focus on the core of its brand – making really good coffee.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention – drip coffee perfection has its price. Clover takes about 4 minutes per cup.

Be sure to pick up The Five People you Meet in Heaven as you wait in line…