Rather than a story, we’re recommending a free browser. The lovely people at The Barbarian Group created Plainview in 2008 and it’s fantastic, we use it in presentations to share online content because it’s full screen and makes websites look ‘the business’. You can download the program here.
MC Hammer: If ever there was a brand that delivered a positive contribution to student unions, post-modern-ironic-cheesy-music parties and provincial nightclubs the world over, it was MC Hammer. We were very disappointed to see that Mr Hammer’s brand value seems to have fallen to new lows. You’ll see from the image above it’s now possible to buy a coveted signed copy of his 1990 classic “U Can’t Touch This” on 12” vinyl for a mere $1.25 (at the time of publishing). We never expected him to make it on to Interbrand’s rankings, but if current market value is one of the measures we can use to asses a brand’s ‘worth’ MC Hammer ain’t lookin’ great. If any of you want to make the guy feel any better, just follow the link to bid on this particular piece of cultural history.
A big thank you to MC Hammer for all those poorly executed dance moves he inspired.
Tate Modern is running a great exhibition at the moment called ‘Exposed’. They describe it as “a fascinating look at pictures made on the sly, without the explicit permission of the people depicted. With photographs from the late nineteenth century to present day, the pictures present a shocking, illuminating and witty perspective on iconic and taboo subjects.”
Having seen the exhibition, we can assure you it’s well worth a visit. It’s effectively people-watching through time, with each photo telling a story that’s easy to relate to; some are timeless human truths and others are situations that could only have existed in that time and place. It’s funny that in a world where it’s never been easier to ‘follow’ someone’s life, whether that’s through twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, there’s still an intangible appeal to a photograph capturing someone in the act.
References:
Exposed
This week we’d love to go to Opole, Poland to see this Aatrial House designed by KWK Promes. The modern design (rooted in the cube-houses of the 70s) caught our eye because it creates a continuous space around the house, unobstructed by any sort of driveway or path (which descends below ground level for access to the house). The result is a living space surrounded by gardens that can only be accessed from the house; turning the outside in or perhaps the inside, out? Either way it reminded us of a little bistro in West Yorkshire called the Outside In where anyone can enjoy a Chicken Supreme under their fairy-light, star-studded interior.
Reference:
Architects and Photographs: KWK PROMES
In early 2009 Bill Gates and Warren Buffet organised a clandestine dinner party of billionaires in New York city. Since news of the meeting leaked, the world’s media has speculated about the agenda, intentions and outcome of that meeting, that is, until now. SFTW can’t claim to break this story, (it was Fortune) but we can give you a summary. Gates and Buffet took it upon themselves to address the issue of philanthropy amongst their billionaire peers. They’ve launched what can only be described as the most ambitious fundraising initiative ever. They intend to target billionaires, asking them to pledge half of their fortune to charitable causes, either throughout their life or at their death; because would your quality of life really change if your fortune changed from $60 billion to $30 billion? We love this initiative because of its simplicity. Bill and Melinda Gates tackled the problem of charitable giving in the United States by cutting to the 400 people who could make the biggest impact on their cause, the Forbes 400 list with a net worth of around $1.2 trillion. We talk a great deal about influencers, people who we can enlist with our creativity. It’s interesting how influencers are the natural progression from ‘brand advocates’ before them, but Bill and Melinda Gates, along with Warren Buffet have provided a timely reminder that communications influencers may be useful, but economic, cultural and social influencers can have a much more profound effect on any strategy.
Reference:
Fortune
Our white-coated friends at The Future Laboratory (who are based in Shadwell, the Wimpy end of East London, the most unlikely place for a team of trend forecasters) produced a report for Orange on the Future of Football in 2020. One interesting finding suggests that managers of the future won’t simply trust their instincts, but will rely on technology and artificial intelligence to make their decisions. As current systems such as ProZone evolve, supercomputers will help design teams and match players best suited to coping with the opposition. I doubt that all this maths and gadgetry will ever create managerial legends like Bill Shankly, but I wonder if it could spot, say, a goalkeeper with really poor hand-eye coordination before a World Cup opener? That’d be really useful. The report also explores stadiums as malls of the future, nanotechnology shirts, and computer-generated fans.
There’s been lot’s of talk about World Cup ads and it seems that every brand from Nike to Kit Kat has made one, regardless of whether it is even relevant to their audience. Which begs the question, what does being an official sponsor offer a brand? Anyone can make a football ad during the World Cup, yet official partners are hamstrung with a plethora of restraints as to what their ads can show, say or imply – rules that do not apply to non-sponsors. Of course, there are proximity benefits like stadia serving rights, pitch side hoardings and, of course, great corporate hospitality opportunities, but it would be interesting to see what has more impact on the tens of millions of viewers – Nike running their monstrous 3 minute ad in the halftime break, or Adidas’ name being on the ball?
Feminist economist Catherine Hakim has put the WAG art forms of being sexy, bubbly, and into clothes onto the academic agenda. In a controversial new paper for a sociological journal, she suggests we may all be missing a trick by not recognising the power of “erotic capital”. She defines this as sex appeal, charm and social skills, physical fitness and liveliness, sexual competence and skills in self-presentation. Men and women with erotic capital can expect to earn 10% to 15% more than those without, which various studies have also shown. In more everyday terms, what she’s talking about is anything from an ability to subtly flirt with the boss to the commercial exploitation of a large pair of breasts. I’ve often slightly defended the WAG aspiration to marry into “the good life”. For a lot of these girls, a life behind the Superdrug till is the best they can hope for. They’re a generation weened on instant gratification culture and born to mums who tried to ‘have it all’. They’ve witnessed the failings and sheer hard work of this, and have opted instead for the easier, more traditional path of marrying a rich bloke. As Hakim puts it, “Not everyone can have a high IQ — so what is wrong with making what they can of the skills and talents they have? I don’t look down on Katie Price or Victoria Beckham. If you don’t want to pay attention to them, then don’t, pass on and read your Proust instead. The whole culture makes women who capitalise on their erotic capital feel less valued and less worthy.”
Dutch design students Bas van de Poel and Daan van Dam have created a t-shirt that lets the fans show just how excited they are. With players faces printed on the reverse of the shirt, the fan will instantly transform into their favourite goal scorer by pulling the shirt over their head. This may only be a concept idea, but they could really be onto something here, although we’re not sure about the idea of 20,000 Rooney’s appearing in the stands.
Thanks to dear Lizzie Lowrey.
It’s a Mother tradition to do some sort of World Cup promo – we’ve done sushi fry-ups and toys for the trenches, but this year marked a maturity. We sent Mother’s football squad to South Africa to compete against a local team, as part of a bolder aim (“without becoming too Bono about it”, as Dylan put it) of forming a meaningful twinship with a namesake village. Coach/cashcow Oscar and strat midfielder Bruno were invited to discuss this on Radio London this morning (and got to meet Gaby Roslin!). What they found in our African twin town is that football brings people together but in a more communal way than perhaps it does in the more corporate world of UK football. At the risk of sounding a bit Band-Aid, the Mother match brought black and white people from neighbouring towns together for the first time. And it wasn’t just about sport, but music, dancing and socialising, a carnival atmosphere to the games we’d love to export back home. Which is why as part of the legacy we humbly hope to create, we plan to build a community centre for the local people, as opposed to just a pitch as was first thought. Mother went to play the game with a fair understanding that football can be a force for good, but left knowing that football might just be a simple solution to many of the complex issues facing those areas of South Africa ignored by FIFA.
