Bob Sheard: Product Design Should Differentiate
January 15th, 2013 by @misterlegoThe latest Bob Sheard piece went live at some point last week over on the Fresh Britain website. In this particular write up, Bob discusses how he helped reposition Dr Martins, his work with Converse – the concept of cultural ‘blank canvesses’ and predictions on how brands will behave at this weeks Bread & Butter.
For all those out there interested in brands and branding this write up is a must read.
“A pair of All Stars are a blank canvas, they get personalised and develop meaning through whoever puts them on and makes them their own. It’s the same as a Dr Martens boot – if a copper wears them, they represent order. If a globalisation protester wears them they represent disorder. If a nationalist wears them they represent the far right, however if a socialist wears them they represent the left wing.”
Read the full piece over here.
Bob Sheard – Brand Immersion
December 28th, 2012 by @misterlegoA few weeks back my BNTL brother Nick Lewis did a little post on Bob Sheard from Fresh Britain highlighting his work with some of the best UK and global fashion brands. The last primarily focused on Bob’s work on Nike’s ACG line, you can read that here. On this occasion Bob sits down to highlight the importance of brand immersion, using the performance running brand UVU as a case study. It’s really interesting and inspiring to read and see the lengths Fresh Britain go through just ensure they immerse themselves with a brand and it’s consumer.
Below is a short exert from Bob’s UVU piece.
“Working with UVU we ran the North Pole marathon. Our team ran across the jungle, we pounded the desert and this then culminated in running the North Pole marathon. You don’t just turn up with your trainers for something like that. It was hard but it was all a vital part of the immersion process. It meant training for six months, running in mud, running in sand, fog and snow. It meant getting up at 2am because that is when it is coldest and running at 50km runs with sleep deprivation prepared us for the North Pole marathon. Only then could we truly get into the mind and soul of the UVU consumer.”
You can read the rest of the piece here.
Bob Sheard Lecture – Brand Authority and Substance
December 6th, 2012 by @nick1lewis1Bob Sheard has been working in and making undeniable marks on both the UK and global fashion industries for a minute, he’s got a wealth of knowledge and Fresh Britain continue to do some excellent work. For anyone into fashion, advertising, branding and the like his recent lecture series is well worth checking out. Bob has worked behind the scenes on a lot of brands you wear and admire from Nike and Levis to Arc’Teryx and New Balance and exciting new projects such as UVU.
The below exert of his work on Nike’s ACG line is particularly good.
“We told Nike to behave their way in. We got them to take all the buyers from all the major outdoor stores in Europe and took them on a trip to the Alps on an avalanche warning expedition. So basically, we skied and snowboarded with them a little bit beyond their capabilities. We taught them about avalanches, we used products all designed by Nike. We designed a route down the mountain to ensure that they would have to use all their products a certain way. We made it so they would have to use their hoods, their rucksacks and so on, basically get the full use of their equipment. It was like a showcase, a dress rehearsal. And by the time they got to the bottom they were totally exhausted, yet sold and convinced on the product.”
“At the bottom of the mountain we arranged a helicopter to pick them all up and that was the only time we used the Nike logo. We put a Swoosh on the back of the helicopter pilots helmet.”
This piece on Brand Authority and Substance is well worth the full read HERE.