Home & Garden

We’ve made a decision to stop publishing on Marktd. Despite making changes to focus on the creative/marketing ideas sister site of PSFK.com, we are still unhappy with the quantity and quality of the site.

Marktd started life as a subscription site called IF! which offered ideas to marketers about how to promote their products in a fresh, modern way. It was fairly successful and we got a good number of people pay the $25 subscription - but we felt that the subscription stopped it being read by a large group of people. A few months back we decided to stop the subscription and relaunch the site as Marktd. Since then interest in the site hasn’t really picked up. I would suggest that this is because of a number of reasons:

* We just aren’t that interesting in marketing and advertising. Personally it’s been 7 years since I had a full time job in advertising and the longer time goes on, the less interest I have in the field. Combine that apathy with the fact that only one or two of the regular writing team have ever worked in advertising.

* Many of our readers who work in marketing and advertising don’t seem to be that interested in only reading about marketing and advertising.

* When we do find exceptional marketing ideas that we are interested in, they tend to end up on PSFK.com anyway.

* We launched Marktd because IF! just wasn’t good enough. We’re closing Marktd because the site just didn’t meet our standards.

Maybe one day we’ll think about relaunching it - maybe with a sponsoring partner. From today, the Marktd email newsletter and RSS will change to PSFK content. We’re hoping that the existing Marktd readers will get even better creative ideas content as a result.

Thanks,

PF

The fine people at Blurb have offered free gorund shipping within the US for our book Good Ideas In 2009. All you have to do is add ‘freeshipping’ in to the promo-code box on the product page here before Dec 9 (and read the small print below*).

Want to know more about the book? Well, at this time of year we’re supposed to produce a trends report for 2009. When we all sat down and chatted about it, we thought such a report would be so gloomy and rather depressing. We didn’t want to write about things like ‘trading down’ or ‘discreet consumption’! We wanted to talk about all the inspirational ideas we read and write about every day, we wanted to spread the positivity, we wanted to encourage you to re-ignite the world. Honestly.

So we created Good Ideas In 2009. The 80 page click-to-print book features nine Good Ideas and manifestations of them. We write about design, mobile, collaboration, digital, social media, the long term and much more. Click through to the Blurb site and you can get a sneak peek.

The books are $50 for the softback and $60 for the beautiful hardback. If you’re considering buying reports for your company or just books for your coffee table, we ask you to consider Good Ideas In 2009. We’re rather proud of it. We hope it inspires you yo make things better.

Good Ideas In 2009

* To qualify for free shipping (up to $10), you must enter the promotion code in the shopping cart at time of purchase and complete your purchase in USD. Offer is good for free shipping up to $10.00 in value. Offer expires 11:59 PM PST December 5, 2008. Limit one-time use per user and cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid towards purchase of gift cards.

Team PSFK are pleased to announce our second book! At this time of year we’re supposed to produce a trends report for 2009. When we all sat down and chatted about it, we thought such a report would be so gloomy and rather depressing. We didn’t want to write about things like ‘trading down’ or ‘discreet consumption’! We wanted to talk about all the inspirational ideas we read and write about every day, we wanted to spread the positivity, we wanted to encourage you to re-ignite the world. Honestly.

So we created Good Ideas In 2009. The 80 page click-to-print book features nine Good Ideas and manifestations of them. We write about design, mobile, collaboration, digital, social media, the long term and much more. Click through to the Blurb site and you can get a sneak peek.

The books are $50 for the softback and $60 for the beautiful hardback. If you’re considering buying reports for your company or just books for your coffee table, we ask you to consider Good Ideas In 2009. We’re rather proud of it. We hope it inspires you yo make things better.

Good Ideas In 2009

Adverblog points us to this ad directed by Nico Caicoya. It tells of the Roca brand’s history of challenges and improvement.

Procter & Gamble is certainly pulling out all the stops to forge partnerships with all manner of brands so that its new laundry detergents Tide Total Care (a ’sort of an anti-aging line for clothes, using ingredients derived from Pantene hair products and Olay skin care’ according to the company) and Downy stay in the minds of consumers despite the economic downturn in the US. Take a look at this:

1. A partnership with Tim Gunn of Project Runway, where he offers laundry and fashion commentary on a Tide-sponsored site called Dress To The Sevens.

2. A tie-up with Ann Taylor Loft stores where, beginning September 9th, shoppers will receive Total Care samples with their purchases, as well as a co-branded magazine which will offer tips on style, products and trends.

3. Another recently-concluded partnership with Project Runway for their Downy Radiance Collection where there was a contest for users to create an online mood board to inspire 3 designers that were associated with Downy Amethyst Mist, Turquoise Frost and Pink Opal special detergent range.

4. A partnership with a dry-cleaner, Green Earth Cleaning, which uses an environmentally-friendly solvent, and two other dry-cleaning stores, as well as the launch of a company-owned store in Kansas City that will provide services such as ‘a drive-through, valet and concierge services, an on-site tailor, and a proprietary process to improve garment color’.

[via Ad Age, Trend Central and MSNBC, image courtesy Trend Central]

We concluded our PSFK Conference SF with a bang, creative leads of Method Josh Handy and Nate Pence sharing their rules on how to design the Method way. JoshSpear.com offers some more insight from the Method folks with his great interview with Danny Alexander, one of their industrial designers. Danny focuses on creating sustainable and healthy products, all while keeping an unparalleled level of design simplicity. Here is a short excerpt from their interview:

JS: As our store shelves have become increasingly cramped with more and more of the same stuff, it seems like it’s the products that are either exceptionally different or exceptionally well branded that are finding success. Do you think Method will lose its sparkle once all the tag-along products start popping up?

DA: We try not to dwell too much on the competition — it only stifles the creative process. But, to answer your question more specifically, we have seen and will continue to see competition on many fronts. To date, nobody has been able to recreate the unique blend of style and substance that makes Method so special. We’re selling more than a bottle of soap; we’re offering a philosophy and a culture, which is inimitable. We’re confident that if we continue to focus on delighting our consumers in new and innovative ways, and letting our culture drive our products, we’ll continue to stay ahead of the competition.

JS: So, you’ve got this environmentally conscious, design-savvy creative class, and they’re all obsessed with the idea of sexy cleaning products — words that up until very recently, could hardly exist side-by-side. What are some new product areas that you are hoping to take your currently captive audience into?

DA: Our goal, which is ambitious but achievable, is to create a healthy, happy home revolution. We’ve already blurred the lines between personal care, home cleaning and air care, and while continuing to revolutionize these categories, we hope to expand our offerings so we can lead our advocates further in the fight against dirty. Squeaky Green, the Method guide to detoxing your home (co-written by our founders, Adam and Eric), is one example of how we’re helping our advocates create healthier, happier homes in new ways.

[via JoshSpear]

Taschen have created an ‘encyclopedic’ resource on contemporary design for packaging worldwide. Brands in the publication include Coca-Cola, Apple and De Beers. The site reads:

No other book on the market explores global contemporary packaging to the extent and detail that Package Design Now! does. Practically everything you buy comes in some sort of package—some are just functional, while others strive to be as innovative, elegant, and eye-catching as possible. This book features eye-catching package icons from Apple iPhone to De Beers diamonds, that reveal the hard work dedicated to deliver these products with intense appeal, including in-depth case studies about package design developments, giving readers a peek at the way packaging is made and designed.

This encyclopedic resource, divided into chapters by type (beverages, electronics, food, health & beauty, homecare & hygiene, luxury, pharmaceutical, and store & retail) explores the work of top design and branding offices from all around the world. Also included are chapters on material and processes. This unique tome is indispensable for design and marketing professionals, as well as anyone who wants to know more about what makes a great package.

TASCHEN Books: Package Design Now!

Terrain is a new brand from URBN, the people who brought you Urban Outfitters, ,and sits on the old site of a long loved garden and outdoor center in Pennsylvania called Styler’s. The Marktd team recently visited Glen Mills and found an experience that makes you want to both stay at home and grow; and also travel and find.

The details, selection, design and layout are superb. This outdoor gardening store presents itself beautifully using mock-vintage and antique furniture as stages for ornate shrubbery.

Terrain

One of the big discussion topics in advertising and marketing is ‘branded content’. In their faux news show, the Onion imagines what TV content brands might create with a clip entitled ‘Home Depot Honors Fallen Soldiers With Great Prices On Tools’:

Home Depot Honors Fallen Soldiers With Great Prices On Tools