Chewing gum as we know it today is an antiquated form that harkens back to the caveman era. The chewing gum industry hasn’t changed much since machine shaped and wrapped bubble gum was first introduced in 1906. Since then consumers have been confined to choosing between stick, ball or square forms of gum, reminiscent of Henry Ford and his black Model T’s.
Yet the sculptor Maurizio Savini shows us that the malleable nature of gum does not have to be subjected to the common square form of yester-year when it has the ability to live on as an expressive art form.
Aside from functional benefits like taste, size and quantity, is it possible to invoke emotion into a product that has historically lacked it? Can the character of gum be fundamentally shifted? Can Wrigley or Cadbury share an opinion of the world through gum?
Image buying a pack of gum that has a visual grammar that people can read, taste and touch. Maybe the evolution of gum is not in package design but in the shape itself. There seems to be an opportunity to develop a new brand of gum with a conscious. A brand of gum that speaks about and to the world through design.
I wouldn’t mind buying a pack of gum that contained a condensed form of Savini’s sculptures. The impact of the brand might be to bring smiles to people or cause them to think about the world in a new way.
Yes even something as mundane as a gum brand has the potential to influence and maybe even change the world.
Bang and Olufsen has created a remote control concept that is intended to keep devices bacteria free.
The remote responds to finger gestures and lifts and falls when the volume is adjusted.
What’s nice about this concept is that B&O’s approach maintains the brands tradition of providing high performing products that look and sound great, while keeping in mind that technology should work for people.
Although the prototype needs some work, the potential to add value to the entertainment experience could raise the profile of the overall brand. If they can deliver on the promise of hardware as functional art, the brand idea could lead to sustainable future innovation initiatives.
Video clips of the remote concept and an actual prototype are below.
What about Apple Inc. is so infectious? The formula for success seems to be incorporate good design elements with a single idea. In Apple’s case, think differently.
What i’ve noticed is that good design equals good business. The best brand’s make little observations about people and deliver on a promise. Apple makes computing simple. Other brands like Method strive to be a role model in a bottle, and Dyson makes a better vacuum. All strong ideas brought to life by even stronger design.
In each instance all the brand’s communicate simple ideas through compelling design. Good brands also redefine categories. Thanks to Dyson, vacuuming has now joined grilling as the one household chore that men can get excited about, Method has made household cleaning products beautiful and Apple has made computers simple.
But these ideas don’t have to apply just to products and services, they can be applied to people.
The next time you are out shopping think about what you want people to think about you just from your appearance, and then try and describe yourself in 5 words or less. If you can do those two things, you may be on your way to creating your own infectious brand.
Ok, easier said than done but like all things, infectious brands are always a work in progress.
