05 14 13
Site SPOTTED. Help: One of favorite new brands and websites. Help (official company name is Help Remedies), a pharmaceutical startup launched back in 2008, is fast becoming a branding case study. The idea behind Help is to simplify common medications with single-ingredient drugs in low doses, with casual, clear, symptomatic titles, such as “Help: I Have a Headache” (acetominophen) or “Help: I Have a Stuffy Nose” (phenylephrine). Help injects a large dose of humor into all its communications. “If you try to maintain a tone of science and seriousness, it’s really alienating,” says Nathan Frank, one of Help’s founders and its creative director. There are dozens of mock problems on their website, such as Help: I don’t know what fork to use; Help: I’m going bald; Help: I don’t know if I am gay; Help: I have ghosts; Help: I forgot someone’s name; Help: I am worried about my penis size or Help: I want my cat to be a cover model, each of which links to a clever, tongue-in-cheek solution. Kudos also for the minimalist white packaging featuring color-coded graphics that illustrate the sizes and shapes of the particular remedy inside. Deliberately offbeat marketing tactics including pop-up stores, performance windows and viral videos complete the brand strategy, mixing up straight-forward facts and benefits with endearing humor and silliness. Help products can be found in major pharmacy outlets, as well as Target and Walgreens with aggressive expansion plans on the horizon. Hopefully, we can rest assured that there will always be Help…
05 14 13
INNA Jam: One of our favorite small company food finds. Both for quality of product, packaging as well as marketing. First, this stuff is delicious. Kudos to proprietor, Dafna Kory, for launching this extraordinary seasonal jam business out of Emeryville, CA. Sourced from local organic farmers, Kory produces single-varietal jams with bright, unique flavors. They also make shrub (?!?) which is a fruit-vinegar-sugar syrup that one mixes with sparkling water or in a cocktail. Again, fresh, natural and wonderfully appealing. Black mission fig, Royal Blenheim apricot, quince to name a few on a seasonally dynamic lineup. Love, love, love the super simple packaging which lets the beautiful colors of the jam and shrub shine, along with the minimalist labeling. No frivolous text or graphics present or needed. Country meets modern is the vibe. Website seems like a starter site, so we look forward to see what INNA does next. In due time. Coming to your favorite, local- or artisinal-appreciating food shop near you. Pump up the jam (and shrub)…
05 09 13
Don’t forget Granny… While we are celebrating the moms in our lives, nice to also think about Grandma. Sweet photo collection by photographer Gabriele Galimberti celebrating grandmothers around the globe and their signature dish. Galimberti traveled to 58 countries where he shot his subjects with the original ingredients and the completed meal. Subjects couldn’t be sweeter. Styling is happy, cheery and colorful, although we did find the arrangement of the ingredients a bit strange and too symmetrical. We definitely could see this concept (real people shot by a competent photographer with some kind of professional art direction or styling) as something businesses ought to be thinking about for marketing and social media efforts moving forward. In this increasingly visual world, everyone should be thinking about upping their imagery game. Better visual assets help elevate marketing messages from the mundane to the memorable. Simple, no? Now, time for dinner…
Featured from top:
Marisa Batini, 80, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy, swiss chard and ricotta ravioli
Grace Estibero, 82, Mumbai, India, Chicken Vindaloo
Eti Rumiati, 63, Jakarta, Indonesia, Soto Betawi (beef soup with coconut and vegetables)
Brigitta Fransson, 70, Stockholm, Sweden, Inkokt Lax â (poached cold salmon and vegetables)
Eija Bankach, 62, Massa, Morocco, Chicken Tajine
Laura Ronz Herrera, 81, Veracruz, Mexico, vegetarian tamal
Flatar Ncube, 52, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Sadza (white maize flour) and pumpkin leaves cooked in peanut butter
Inara Runtule, 68, Kekava, Latvia, Silke (herring with potatoes and cottage cheese)
Boonlom Thongpor, 69 Bangkok, Thailand, Kai Yat Sai (stuffed omelette)