L’hôtel Pantone, ou comment un hôtel peut se doter de l’univers d’une marque et être un succès commercial. Décryptage par Daniel Bô avec IdeesLocales.fr.
L’hôtel Pantone, situé au 1 Place Loix à Bruxelles, a été dessiné en 2010 par Michel Penneman, qui a eu l’idée de contacter la marque et obtenu sous licence le nom et les couleurs du célèbre nuancier aux 2000 variations.
Cette initiative a été lancée à la demande des propriétaires, qui voulaient un projet dans l’esprit du White Hôtel.
Pantone, qui avait déjà commencé à décliner son nuancier sur de nombreux objets du quotidien, a été séduit par ce projet.
Le hall de réception de l’hôtel est un condensé de couleurs vives exprimant bien l’étymologie de Pantone, « tous les tons ».
Chacun des 7 étages est dédié à une couleur, et chaque chambre est décorée d’une œuvre du photographe belge Victor Levy, dont la dominante fait écho à la couleur de l’étage.
L’hôtel possède une dimension expérimentale et ludique : l’hôte choisit la couleur de l’étage où il souhaite séjourner en fonction de son humeur, et peut s’y identifier comme un sportif à la couleur de son équipe.
Une visite au restaurant permet de se rendre compte que l’hôtel dans son entier est « pantonisé », contaminé par la marque.
Les accessoires tels que les vases, les tubes de shampoing ou encore la vaisselle adoptent ces couleurs et rentrent ainsi dans l’univers Pantone.
La marque est accueillie dans l’hôtel, et dispose d’un espace de vente à la réception.
Un séjour à l’hôtel Pantone est donc une expérience unique qui apporte de la joie au visiteur. Au sens propre comme au sens figuré, celui-ci en verra de toutes les couleurs…
L’hôtel est très adapté aux événements d’entreprise avec la possibilité de customiser le hall aux couleurs de la marque.
Designers, architectes et amateurs peuvent désormais poursuivre l’expérience Pantone dans ce lieu original. Un hôtel est programmé à Londres en attendant peut-être d’autres destinations.
2013 will be the perfect storm of necessity and opportunity: some economies will do OK(-ish), others will be shaky, but whatever market or industry you’re in, those who understand & cater to changing consumer needs, desires and expectations will forever have plenty of opportunity to profit. A remapped global economy, new technologies (or ‘old’ technologies applied in new ways), new business models… hey, what’s not to like?
Hence this overview of 10 crucial consumer trends (in random order) for you to run with in the next 12 months. Onwards and upwards:
As consumers will embrace even more ways to participate in the funding, launch and growth of (new) products and brands that they love, expect pre-ordering, crowdfunding and consumer equity to compete with traditional consumption in 2013… Read more, including examples from ZaoZao and Barclaycard »
While the last two decades were about developed markets catering to emerging ones, and emerging markets increasingly catering to developed ones, it’s now time to get ready for an explosion in products and services from emerging markets foremerging markets… Read more, including examples from Lenovo and Peak Games »
For those wondering where ‘mobile’ will head next, one behavioral insight should give you plenty to run with: in 2013, consumers will look to their mobile devices to maximize absolutely every moment, multi-if-not-hypertasking their experiences, purchases and communications… Read more, including examples from SnapChat and Jana »
One sign-of-the-times eco-trend for 2013: the phenomenon of products and services that quite literally contain new life inside. Rather than being discarded or even recycled (by someone else), these products can be given back to nature to grow something new, with all the eco-status and eco-stories that come with that… Read more, including examples from Molson and Tierra Patagonia »
Digital technologies are the new medicines. In 2013, expect consumers to turn to the medical profession and medical institutions to certify and curate health apps and technologies, or to “prescribe” them, much as they prescribe medicines as part of a course of treatment… Read more, including examples from Happtique and Proteus Digital »
Emerging markets will proudly export and even flaunt their national and cultural heritage in the next 12 months. Symbols, lifestyles and traditions that were previously downplayed if not denied will be a source of pride for domestic consumers, and objects of interest to global consumers… Read more, including examples from NE-Tiger and Sulwhasoo »
To date, the ‘big data’ discussion has focused on the value of customer data to businesses. In 2013 expect savvy shoppers to start reversing the flow, as consumers seek to own and make the most of their lifestyle data, and turn to brands that use this data to proactively offer customers help and advice on how to improve their behavior and/ or save money… Read more, including examples from Movenbank and Kroger »
The perfect storm of consumers’ ever-greater lust for NEWISM and niches, the expectation of (instantly!) getting just the right product, ongoing eco-concerns and the desire for more interesting stories will all combine with the spread of new local manufacturing technologies such as 3D-printing and make-on-demand, to trigger a resurgence in domestic manufacturing in established markets in 2013… Read more, including examples from Tesla and Google »
2013 will see switched-on brands (i.e. brands that are embarking on the much-needed journey towards a more sustainable and socially-responsible future) demanding thattheir customers also contribute… Read more, including examples from Tata Docomo and Vitoria »
Via son compte Instagram, Ben & Jerry célèbre l’euphorie provoquée par la dégustation de ses crèmes glacées.Depuis deux ans, Instagram est le support privilégié des amateurs de Ben & Jerry. Le compte réunit plus de 120.000 adeptes, qui « likent » des photos près de 5000 fois par jour, ce qui fait un million de « like » au total. Cet engagement fort des fans a donné l’idée à Ben & Jerry de lancer un nouveau programme mondial appelé “Capture Euphoria“. L’idée est simple : proposer aux fans de poster sur Instagram des photos d’eux exprimant l’euphorie procurée par la crème glacée. Il suffit pour cela de marquer la photo du hashtag “captureeuphoria #”.
Lorsque Ben et Jerry a commencé à faire de la crème glacée il y a près de 35 ans, ils avaient déjà choisi le terme «euphorique» pour mieux décrire l’expérience de marque. Une marque à l’ADN résolument créatif et aux saveurs déjantées. Il était donc logique de placer cette sensation au cœur de ce nouveau concours. Une opération divertissante qui prend le contre-pied de cette ambiance morose par temps de crise.
Les photos sont ensuite diffusées sur des supports publicitaires comme un remerciement de la marque aux membres de la communauté Instagram de l’entreprise. Pour l’instant une vingtaine de ses participants a été sélectionnée, pour la période novembre-janvier, et aura la surprise de voir leur trogne dans les journaux locaux, en affichage et sur les réseaux sociaux.
Ben&Jerry’s c’est l’histoire de plus de 30 ans d’engagement. Créée dans le Vermont en 1978 par deux amis d’enfance, la marque combine la fabrication de produits de qualité et innovants avec une triple mission, économique et sociale. Ben&Jerry’s fait régulièrement écho aux sujets de sociétés. Lors du krach d’octobre 1987, Ben&Jerry’s envoya sa fameuse « Cowmobile » à Wall Street servir des cornets gratuits, rebaptisés pour l’occasion “That’s life” et “Economic Crunch”. En 2010, le glacier avait lancé un poisson d’avril sous un faux nom « CyClone Dairy ». Il s’agissait d’une campagne publicitaire et d’un site Web créés pour promouvoir des produits laitiers qui, prétendument provenaient exclusivement de vaches clonées. Le but de cette blague était de sensibiliser le consommateur sur les aliments en provenance d’animaux clonés dans l’alimentation aux Etats-Unis. Encore dernièrement, lorsque le Vermont a autorisé le mariage de couples de même sexe, Ben & Jerry’s a rebaptisé sa glace Chubby Hubby (mari dodu) en Hubby Hubby (mari mari).
Un engagement fort qui cède la place, aujourd’hui, à la volonté de divertir le consommateur et aux têtes réjouies des participants au concours, on peut conclure que ca marche.
Belief is contagious. It wins supporters. It’s self-fulfilling. Here’s how to get there when nagging, negative thoughts are holding you back.
After a flurry of emails in response to my blog post on passion, I reached a disheartening realization: Passion is useless if you don’t already believe.
You see, what we can achieve is limited by what we believe. Henry Ford knew this: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”
So here I was, passionately committed to become the world-class business guru, best-selling author, the speaker who fills stadiums. And yet there was voice telling me, “You can’t do it. Keep trying, trying is fun, but in the end you will fail.”
You’ve probably heard that voice as well.
I’m making progress–my book sales are accelerating, my keynote audiences are growing, and I’m sharing the stage with people like Jack Welch and Robin Sharma–but in the back of my mind the voice pulls the reins: “You can’t do it.”
Great “outthinkers” seem to overcome this voice. Their belief matches their passion. Napoleon believed he was the greatest general of his time and so he was. Steve Jobs believed his people could achieve the impossible, so they did. Richard Branson believed he could win against British Airways, and so he won, even though every airline that tried over the prior three decades failed.
Belief is contagious. It wins supporters. It’s self-fulfilling. As Harvard professor Rosebeth Moss Kanter shows in her book Confidence, the belief you can win creates momentum which improves your chances of winning.
So what do you do when you don’t believe?
Over the past four weeks, I’ve studies books and articles, interviewed entrepreneurs and experts, then assembled it all for you in a simple framework with which you can systematically attack whatever belief is holding you down. Give me 20 minutes. This works.
Fundamentals
1. Beliefs aren’t real. They are mental maps, abstractions of reality, that help us predict a complex world. My son believes good batteries must be cold because I keep ours in the freezer. He believes Santa Claus rides a sleigh.
2. Four anchors form our beliefs (For more, read Why We Believe What We Believe by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman).
Evidence: Something happens (e.g., gifts appear one morning and my mom says they are from Santa Claus)
Logic: It makes sense, more specifically, it is consistent with our other beliefs (e.g., gifts can’t just appear out of nowhere, my mom and dad were asleep…it must have been Santa)
Emotion: Strong emotional associations (a 3-year-old’s joy at getting a new choo choo) embed beliefs more indelibly
Social consensus: We believe more deeply if others believe too (e.g., Maria and Nico and Sofia all say Santa brought them gifts too)
3. We reject what doesn’t fit. Once a belief is formed, we explain away any inconsistent evidence. I saw a documentary in which a young child said to his friends, “Santa came to my house and ate a little bit of a cookie, then he went to Jack’s house and ate a little bit and drank some milk, then to Maria’s and ate some and then…So if he went to ALL of our houses in one night, it must mean–” You are sure he is about to realize Santa can’t be real, but instead he animates excitedly, “Santa must have been really hungry!”
4. Humans need consistency between beliefs, actions, and words. In Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini calls this “The Rule of Consistency.” This is how beliefs hold us down or lift us up. If you believe you can’t, you start acting and speaking like someone who can’t, so you actually can’t. Interestingly, the relationship also works in reverse: Change your action or words and you can change your beliefs.
The Model
Over a 12-hour flight home from Paraguay, I assembled these principles into a model we can use to deconstruct and replace any belief that holds us down. It is simpler than it looks.
Imagine a hot air balloon being held down by four anchors. The balloon represents the belief holding you down and actions and words this belief influences.
The four anchors represent evidence, logic, emotion, and social consensus. To release the balloon you must replace the offending belief. Do this in five steps:
Step 1: Identify the belief.
Find a belief that is holding you down. Tip: Write down beliefs until you find one that hurts. In my case, “You don’t really have what it takes to be world-class author/speaker/thinker.”
Step 2: Identify the anchors.
What evidence/events anchor the belief? (my books aren’t on the NYT best-seller list)
What emotions anchor your belief? (I feel comfort because in not really trying, I know I can’t fail)
Who around you reinforces this belief (social consensus)? (well-intentioned people who congratulate me on already having achieved the dream)
What logic locks in this belief; what “dependent beliefs” fit? (wanting to fill a stadium is self-centered, thinking I can offer what people don’t already know is conceited)
Step 3: Pick a new belief.
What alternative belief would be consistent with someone who really achieves your dream? (I am destined to be a best-selling business thinker and speaker.)
Step 4: Release the anchors.
Evidence: what alternative evidence supports this new belief? (people pay me lots of money to speak, I’m sharing the stage with some of the biggest business gurus)
Emotions: what does it feel like to really live this new belief and fulfill your dream? (passion, purpose, having made an impact)
Social consensus: who can you surround yourself with to support the new belief? (other business gurus and authors)
Beliefs: how can you replace the “dependent beliefs” identified above? (this is not conceited because it’s about serving others; the best business gurus do it to serve others, not for their ego)
Step 5: Set your course.
Write down five specific things you will do (action) and say (words) that force you to live your new belief.
Completing this process took me 20 minutes and has put me fully in the game, committed and knowing I can win. Would that be worth your time?
I’m naturally drawn to people who have a clear sense of purpose and direction in their lives. People who are comfortable with themselves, know why they get up every day, and what they bring to the world. Brands who have a clear sense of purpose exude a confidence that inspires a passionate and engaged following. Igniting passion in your own brand is the first important step in getting the love you want from both your employees and customers. There’s no better way to find inspiration than looking out in the world for real-life examples:
Start with a having clear purpose, and meeting a legitimate underserved need.
There’s a large group of people in the world who love their pets more than they love the people in their lives. Their passionate search for, and loyalty to, what they believe is best for their pets rivals the commitment of a first-time mother. The Honest Kitchen was founded in 2002 by a disillusioned pet owner who began making a home-prepared raw diet for her Rhodesian Ridgeback because she wanted to give him food she could feel good about. While she developed a deeper connection with her dog and satisfaction making her pets meals herself, she found it time-consuming and messy. So she set out to find a better way to make fresh, healthy pet food. She found the answer was to dehydrate the ingredients so that water could just be added to each meal to turn it back into ‘real food’.
Today, the company’s line of all-natural, dehydrated people food for pets, made with whole-food ingredients, sells in more than 2,000 independent pet food stores across the country. Their purpose is to connect pet owners more closely with pets through food, and they promise tangible results. It’s clear that their internal passion for pet health and the loyalty pet owners have for their product is driving their success in becoming the leading natural dog food brand in the country. They identified a real need and developed a brilliant solution.
Fired up employees who genuinely love what the company stands for will champion the cause daily.
Lululemon Athletica seemed to quietly enter the retail space a few years ago. Their fame was fueled in part by their authentic connection to the yoga community, and in part by their form-improving, purpose-driven black yoga pants. Rooted authentically in the yoga community, they’ve quietly grown from a fledgling concept to a passion-based brand. Their first real store opened in Vancouver, BC in 2000 and their idea was a simple one: be a community hub where people could learn about the physical aspects of healthy living from yoga, diet, running, cycling and the mental aspects of living an active lifestyle.
Every week, Lululemon stores move their products aside, unroll yoga mats, and turn their spaces into pop-up yoga studios. Classes are complimentary and are lead by instructors from local studios from the surrounding community. The staff at Lululemon reflects the lifestyle of the brand authentically, which most retail brands struggle with and, in so doing, effortlessly attract the type of consumers who shop and work out there. Lululemon Athletica authentically combines purpose and the passion of the people they serve at the center of their brand experience, and from the outside they make it look effortless.
Create pure product love.
Cycling is an activity that requires a lot of stamina, strength, focus, and fortitude. Like building a brand, the more you put in, the more you get out. Rapha Performance Roadwear was created to celebrate road biking; the glory and suffering unique to riders. Everything Rapha does is informed by their passion and understanding of what makes a road racer’s heart, beat for their sport. From the compelling short films, the striking photography, and adventurous rides, Rapha is a cult passion brand with a fanatical following.
This online emporium of performance road wear, accessories, publications and unique events celebrates the glory and suffering of road biking in a way that pays homage to both the sport today and its rich history. It’s a brand that has passion carefully embedded across all of its touch-points. Rapha has become a purpose-driven brand by providing performance products, imaginative events and opportunities for consumers to experience, participate, and become a part of the spirit of the brand. And as an unspoken bonus, Rapha’s performance products and their attention to style detail might quietly put the neon spandex nastiness of road biking fame out to pasture.
Recommit. Repeat. Refresh.
Sharp Healthcare and its 20,000 employees are committed to being the best place to work, the best place to practice medicine, and the best place to receive care in San Diego, and, through what they call the Sharp Experience, they recommit to this vision every single year. The Sharp Experience is alive everyday in the delivery and quality of care administered by Sharp’s employees. It’s a vision that guides the health care experience, how Sharp employees interact with and serve their patients, families and each other.
Every year they hold an All-Staff Assembly to engage the entire organization in recommitting to “the purpose and worth of our work and the difference we make in the lives of others.” Part-inspiration, part-education and part-celebration. 20,000 people inspired and engaged over three days, recommitted, reminded and refreshed about why they do what they do. There’s no question about what business they’re in or what their promise to their customer is. This is a powerful way to mobilize employees doing life-changing work for one of the best run organizations in the country.
Take a look at what you’re currently doing to show your customers that you really care about them and that you understand them. Are you building a relationship with them, therefore gaining permission to connect with them? Is it love or are you behaving like a lazy husband or disinterested friend? There’s been a lot of talk about random acts of kindness and millions of dollars are invested in CRM technology, the attraction of friends on Facebook and the explosion of social media as a discipline for getting closer with customers, but what are you really doing for your customers that builds loyalty?
Once upon a time, if you carried a Starbucks Credit Card they would send surprise free coffee beans, or free drinks, every other month or two. It was truly surprise and delight, but for some odd reason they stopped. We say bring it back and learn from the notion that doing the unexpected wins hearts and minds.
Inspired by an article by MeiMei Fox about finding “the one” in love, and based on my own experiences and conversations with friends who are in love with how they work, live, and play, here are 8 signs you’ve found your life’s work:
1. It doesn’t feel like work. Your life’s work is not a “job”–it’s a way of living. Your work enables you to create the lifestyle you want for yourself and your lifestyle includes your work. You frequently stop and think to yourself, “Wait, am I seriously working right now?” You can hardly distinguish between work, play, and life–as they are all intertwined. In everything you do, you are constantly pursuing your vision of optimal living.
2. You are aligned with your core values. Your life’s work is an extension of your beliefs and worldview. You live in integrity because what you do is in accordance with who you are. This alignment will inspire you to move a small mountain if that’s what you have to do to realize your vision. Every day you work to manifest and actualize the world you imagine because by making it so, you’ll make the world more alive, beautiful and well.
3. You are willing to suffer. Passion comes from the latin word ‘pati,’ which means ‘to suffer.’ Your life’s work is less about following a passion and more about your willingness to suffer along the way. The journey will be immensly challenging at times. You’ll be exposed to unexpected challenges and setbacks and you may endure hardship, rejection, and sacrifice. These roadblocks will motivate you. In fact, you see the short-term pain and discomfort as tremendous opportunities for learning, growth and depth; they’re critical to appreciating the beautiful and joyous moments.
4. You experience frequent flow. You naturally and often fall “in flow,” deeply immersed by your work and the present moment. At 1:13 p.m. you realize five hours have gone by since you looked at the clock last. Or, you look up and realize it’s 12:21 a.m. and your instinct is to keep creating. Flow isn’t something you have to force; it just happens.
5. You make room for living. Your work provides you the ability to live fully and enjoy life. Though you feel captivated and enthralled by your work, you make room for healthy routines like fitness, connection, spontaniety, and play. These activities re-energize and enable you to live a holistically fulfilling life.
6. Commitment is an honor. When you discover your life’s work, the question of commitment is easy. There is no hestitation or analyzation as to whether or not the work is right for you. Your heart says yes. Your mind says yes. Your body says yes. Commitment to your work feels like breahting. You cannot imagine spending your time dedicated to any other purpose.
7. The people who matter notice. “You look vibrant!” and “I’ve never seen you so healthy and happy!” and “This is without question what you’re meant to be doing!” are among the comments you may hear from the people closest to you when you’re on the right path. It’s important to note that these people who care for you deeply may also be the first to question and worry in the early stages. But, once you are thriving, they’ll notice and lovingly support your efforts.
8. You fall asleep exhausted, fulfilled, and ready for tomorrow. You go to sleep each night grateful for the day. You know you’re on the right path, you gave the day your all, and you can’t wait to do it all over again tomorrow. This is your life and you cannot imagine living it any other way.
Given the economic doldrums of the past four years, President Obama was unlikely to win reelection this week. The fact that he did says a lot about the strength of his “brand ideal” and the effectiveness of his campaign. So what can we learn from his success?
Certainly, there were a number of factors that contributed to Obama’s triumph – the improving jobs picture, the recovery of the housing market, etc. – but his success points to a critical issue at the heart of any people-related endeavor. Whatever the product or service, the most important question on the customer’s mind is: “Who cares?” “Who cares the most about my welfare and is helping to improve it?”
For most of the campaign, Obama cornered the market on caring. He did so by focusing his narrative on the “Why” – emphasizing shared values and a people-serving purpose to lift the middle class. Bill Clinton’s rousing convention speech and Romney’s own foibles (including his ‘47%’ comment) helped to make empathy a meaningful point of difference for Obama
By contrast, the bulk of Romney’s campaign focused on the “What”: cutting taxes and downsizing government. It promoted Romney’s “features and benefits” as an economic repairman, and his résumé was the “reason to believe.” It wasn’t until the first debate that Romney gave voters a real taste of his “Why” – his empathetic interest in fighting for people. Only then did a real contest emerge.
Obama’s victory underlines the importance of “Why” over “What,” and it reminds us that every winning enterprise needs an ideals-driven agenda – a people-serving purpose. It’s by caring for people that we earn their trust, and that trust leads to commitment.
As it turns out, Dale Carnegie’s maxim on relationships is also a power strategy for businesses. To win fans and influence customers, you have to show genuine interest in them. That’s exactly what today’s most effective companies and brands are doing. Coke works actively to “open happiness” for people. At Ritz-Carlton, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” Nike helps you “find your greatness.” And because Apple puts such loving attention into its user experience, we love Apple in return.
To get love, your business has to show love. That’s how everyday elections are won. Just ask President Obama.
Banks should close at 4, books should be 200 pages long, CEOs should go to college, blogs should have comments, businessmen should be men, big deals should be done by lawyers, good food should be processed, surgeons should never advertise, hit musicians should be Americans, good employees should work at the same company for years…
Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.
Libellule Vibe 