International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It raises awareness against bias. Takes action for equality.
We collated our studio’s favourite pieces by women and non-binary creatives across the globe. From roadway signs to wine bottles, and record label posters to museums, or the above Walala Parade by Camille Walala. Have a look at our selection. Each of the pieces shows how the creatives have challenged their respective art form, profession or society. And as IWD states in their 2021 theme #ChooseTheChallenge; a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So let’s all choose to challenge.
Long Neck and Groove Bottles – Hella Jongerius (2000)
“Love these wine bottles. Combining glass and ceramics, which can’t be fused together as they melt at different temperatures. So Hella designed a method of using traditional fragile tape. Revolutionary when it came out. This is not how bottles looked like”. – Wybe
C*nt Direct Mail – Alison Carmichael (2005)
“Alison Carmichael’s self promotional poster. It’s a brilliant idea, beautifully executed. And reminds me of the late Richard Murray as he wasn’t shy about using the word, so much so, we even had his birthday cake piped with the word on”. – Garrick
Posters for record label Axe On Wax – Caterina Bianchini (2018)
“Caterina cleverly manages to balance Art and ‘textbook’ Graphic Design to create work bursting with energy! She has been a huge inspiration for me over the years. Especially her 2019 Nicer Tuesday’s Talk, which I still refer back to every so often”. – Heidi
Second Nature – Jenny Saville (2020)
“I particularly love the recent work from Jenny Saville. Never shying away from displaying the female form. Although known for her grotesque depictions of the female body- enlarging body parts etc, her new work has a radical approach using strong, vibrant colour palettes which depict strength and beauty in the female form”. – Becky
UK Road Signs – Margaret Calvert (1965)
“Margaret Calvert for her road signs. I love the simplicity of them and how they are super clear and detailed at the same time! Not to say they have saved me from getting lost a few times too. Modern at the time, I still think they are today and have almost an icon status”. – Emmanuelle
Curved Form, Bryher II – Barbara Hepworth (1961)
“I’d give Barbara Hepworth as one of my women artist heroes. I grew up in St Ives surrounded by her works which are placed all over the town. My mum used to live next door to her studio and could always hear the sound of her hammering away at her bronze works”. – Carly
Heydar Aliyev Centre – Zaha Hadid (2007)
“I do love a good curve and I think her museum in Azerbaijan looks spectacular. I so would like to visit it. A bit like Gaudi’s architecture for me it is so imaginative (and I think anyone will see what they want in it) and really pushed the possibilities of physicality. It must have been a headache to build but it was so worth it”. – Emmanuelle
Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness – Zanele Muholi (2017)
“Zanele Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer. In their recent series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) they turn the camera on themselves experimenting with different characters and stereotypes. The portraits are not only powerful in their metaphors and symbolism but beautifully produced when up-close to the prints. The memory of seeing their work for the first time at the Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town has continued to stay with me”. – Chris R
As governments across Europe announce their post-lockdown plans, people are slowly starting to dream of a sunnier life. This hazy optimism may well keep us going through isolation but how might we prepare for what’s coming. For every CEO who is banking on a potential economic boom, there is an economist with a grim outlook. Many of us in the creative industry who struggled through 2020, will be wondering how much need for our skills there will be, or will creativity have become a nice-to-have luxury.
The good news is that business needs us, be it hospitality, retail or any other sector that has been radically altered by the pandemic and business-as-usual-thinking does not apply anymore.
Whenever pubs do reopen, drinkers will be lining up three rounds at a time to minimise visits to the bar, which will make for pretty long queues of (hopefully vaccinated) people. What is the innovative service solution to getting the new customer service right?
The thought of shopping might be anxiety inducing right now, is it possible that shoppers might soon expect a radically different approach to product display? Something that limits their exposure to the next contagious devil’s spawn.
Governments might find it even more difficult to maintain discretionary services and balance the books. Where a pre-pandemic response may have been to slash and burn, what is the solution in a society that is now far more aware of its neighbours? Who will be the creative thinker that will encourage central or local governments, who are inherently uninventive, to change the way they service their communities?
The world has changed, the creative industry can be certain that opportunities won’t come in the same shapes or sizes. It is only the agile creative who is able to spot new openings and trends, in order to adapt what they offer. You can already see this happening with branding agencies starting to provide social media content for their clients. And with moving image producers growing their creative teams to go direct to end-clients, cutting out traditional (and less agile) advertising agencies in the process.
As lockdown is lifted, we are going to get busy. Afterall, it is creative thinking that clients continue to come to agencies for. From redefining customer journeys to advising local authorities, from creating new products and reinventing existing ones, creativity will play a key role to economic survival.
There is much to do.
Author: Wybe Magermans, as originally published in MarComms News
Since the Mayor of London declared a state of emergency on 9th Jan, Zone 1 Londoners have been living in “28 Days Later”. The centre of London has turned into a ghost town.
The latest UK lockdown closed everything apart from the essentials and the government’s strong advice to stay indoors continues. But of course, people still need to get out. The result of this need is that we are once again promenading like we did in the 18th and 19th centuries, packing out suburban parks and other local open spaces in huge numbers, leaving Central London rather sad and empty.
The burbs are back
This reinvigoration of open and green space is also affecting where we want to live. The PropCast of The Advisory is a weather report that shows levels of ‘buyer demand’ in UK housing markets. Their latest forecast shows Central London as cold as the Arctic, whilst property demand in the suburbs and further out is not only rising in the UK but in other European countries too.
The lockdown will eventually ease and vaccines will reboot (some) of our old lives. But how likely are we to return to our love of the dense and smoggy inner city now we’ve had a taste of what’s on the other side of the hill?
In order to bring back residents, workers and visitors, local authorities and property developers will need to reinvent central areas into remarkable destinations. A strong brand will both increase the value of property assets and support the tenants and retailers within. Too many destinations however currently rely on cliché messages that do not reflect the authentic personality of a place.
A sense of place
Look at The City for example, London’s financial heart, where currently the only activity is the hustle and bustle of hard hats and high-viz jackets. New glossy towers of glass and concrete are still going up. This nonstop global development ready for the arrival of ubiquitous shops, restaurants and buildings leaves less and less distinction between London, Frankfurt or New York.
Leadenhall Market in the City by contrast offers origin and heritage – when you visit you know precisely where you are in the world. In the City’s maze of narrow passageways, Leadenhall Market opens up as an oasis. This unique feature could be more prominently used as a vehicle for visitor attraction.
Focus on what matters
There are areas of focus, which may seem obvious but combining and applying them in a meaningful way is less so.
1. Digital
Online will very soon be our primary shopping channel, with in-store purchases becoming a secondary consideration. Retail destinations will never be able to compete with the endless product selection and always-on nature of online shopping. But how technology is used to deepen relationships with people before and after a visit is something that Local Councils and property developers should be considering now.
2. Experience
Often developers will focus marketing efforts on the launch of a destination, forgetting that any space needs to continuously evolve and surprise visitors. Innovative destinations are already incorporating elements that regularly reframe what each place and space is about. In its simplest form this could mean keeping 10% of your retail space open for short-term experiential elements, such as concerts, classes or even pop-ups that provide a level of entertainment that cannot be successfully replicated online.
3. Sustainability
Consumers are beginning to demand true sustainability from their favourite places. This means that treating sustainability as a part of CSR is no longer enough. The Nordic Citycon shopping centres have as their motto: “We believe that operating sustainably is a key cornerstone in creating long-term value”. They apply this principle to the way their destinations connect to public transport, how they approach the community and their commitment to continuous improvements on CO2 emissions, energy use and waste in all of their operations.
Think differently
Our cities have undergone dramatic changes before of course. It wasn’t a virus but racism that drove the White Flight of the sixties, the mass exodus of white people from areas becoming more racially diverse. Although this phenomenon was most apparent in the States, it happened across Europe too. While many businesses stayed, it wasn’t uncommon to find entire downtowns with little street life after 5:00pm. The new Millennium then saw a return of downtown population growth. It was innovative thinking that created New York’s High Line, Paris’ Velib bike scheme and London’s Silicon Roundabout all of which have helped to completely reinvent each city centre. With the mass roll out of vaccines, hope is on the horizon. Now is the time for reconceptualisation. It’s creative vision that will once again repopulate our ghost towns.
Author: Wybe Magermans
Originally published in Marketing Communications News
Boris Johnson recently revealed that a ban on selling new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars in the UK will be brought forward to 2035 so we can be carbon zero by 2050. In the not too distant future, our ‘personal mobility solution’ will be an autonomous electric vehicle that we will call up whenever we need it. This will be the final nail in the coffin of our century old love of the automobile.
No more lovingly polishing the beast in the driveway (it’s already banned in Germany) and no more excuses to treat your wife to a chrome exhaust or a pair of leather driving gloves. All this will be a thought crime – in some parts of woke Britain it already is. Sports cars will disappear and Formula 1, that great testing ground for automotive development will go the way of Linoleum. While we stress over whether our hummus pot is recyclable, Formula 1’s annual carbon emissions are about 256,600 tonnes. It’s done for.
It’s electrifying!
Unsurprisingly, “I’ve just bought a Nissan Leaf” is a conversation stopper, even at a vegan dinner party. Electric cars just aren’t sexy, but there is some light on the horizon for those who can’t live without a bit of four wheeled derring-do on their TV screen. Last Saturday a Kiwi chap called Mitch Evans won an accident strewn race in Mexico City without using any petrol and making hardly any noise.
To many race fans Formula E, the electric racing series, is a poor show. There is some truth in this. The drivers are all has beens and the upcoming ‘London E Prix’ will actually race through a shed called the ExCel exhibition centre somewhere in East London and nobody will bother going. However, Formula E is the perfect testing ground for electric vehicle development and it’s why Porsche, Jaguar, Mahindra, BMW, Audi, Citroen, Mercedes and Nissan have all piled in.
Electric vehicles are not perfect. They drop minute and harmful particles into the atmosphere from their brakes and tyres and electricity still needs to be generated, much of it still from dirty fossil fuels. As for Lithium mining, don’t even go there. However, Formula E will be the laboratory for all sorts of innovation from braking systems to low wear, low emission tyres and high-tech lubricants that the drivetrain manufacturer puts in that you’ll never see – we are working on these with Castrol already.
EVs will spawn a massive growth of new supporting brands to service the biggest revolution in private transport since the introduction of the internal combustion engine. So far, the Formula E paddock is a bit short on sponsors. Where is the trusted international charging network, the ethically source lithium brand or the wiper free glass? For anyone interested in innovation and branding look no further than the EV revolution and Formula E. There’s tons to do.
Author: Richard Williams – Founder Williams Murray Hamm
On 21 February, Wybe Magermans will be speaking at an evening by the Change Management Institute.
There are countless theoretical models about how an organisation can transform successfully. Yet for all the good these models do to structure change, the crux of successful transformation is centred around how people feel and behave differently. A rational approach alone isn’t sufficient.
Make sure to join Wybe, as he will be sharing key insights on how creativity helped Lamb Weston reshape from a company processing potatoes, to a $3,2bn multinational brand. One that is on now firmly on its way becoming the world’s No.1.
Wybe will be joined on stage by Leon Labovitch. An experienced business change and transformation consultant who has worked at the likes of KMPG, Shell and Sema Group, before setting up his own consultancy.
The event is in partnership with King’s College London. The venue will be the remarkable Bush House in Aldwych, Central London. This iconic building has seen some huge changes since its opening in 1925. The Grade II listed building was originally an American-owned trade centre before becoming the headquarters of BBC World Service. Bush House’s latest purpose is that of higher education. King’s College moved in 2016, this time transforming the building into a centre of knowledge, learning and creativity.
In late April, Selfridges will be hosting a Heinz Beans pop-up bar to celebrate 50 years of the ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ ad campaign. Dishes will include beans with crispy bacon, beans with smoked ham hock and beans with scrambled egg, all at £3 each.
Is this the ultimate irony? A humble ad campaign for an everyday staple turned into a celebrity? Or, like the Cereal Killer Café, is this another illustration of just how out of touch London is with the rest of the country?
Baked beans are one of those dirty secrets amongst the chattering classes. Nobody really admits to eating them, but Waitrose does a roaring trade in them. What other grubby brands should we be celebrating?
Birds Eye Iglo missed a trick last year in reintroducing Findus Crispy Pancakes. How could they be so sotto voce about this tea time masterpiece? Admittedly, the product is now slightly less Chernobyl, but it’s an absolute shoo-in for bogus posh nosh. Who’s for a smoked chorizo variant for serving on a bed of quinoa salad? Lamentably, they didn’t even do in-store tastings as part of their relaunch strategy.
Spam is 80 years old this year. Armies marched on Spam in WW2 and there’s even a Spam Museum, but now, thanks to Monty Python, we just take the mickey out of it. Maybe, Hawaiians have the right idea. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) they are prone to eat it as sushi. This may well be the next hipster trend.
Walkers need to get their skates on, it’s 40 years since Monster Munch launched and there’s much to celebrate. They’ve restored them to their original, inconvenient size and three of the four original monsters have been retained. There’s no need for a pop-up bar, they just need to do ads that have our favourite dishes where spuds are replaced by Monster Munch. Chicken Kiev, baked beans and pickled onion Monster Munch – could anything be better?
Not only did Alfred Bird created ‘instant custard’ 180 years ago this year, but 50 years ago his eponymous company completely disrupted the dessert shelves with ‘Angel Delight’. This simple kid’s dessert has been in decline for some time, but owners Premier Foods announced this month that they are relaunching it in a pot for ‘on the go snacking’. Sadly, they’ve failed to tell anyone. Surely it’s not beyond the wit of their marketing and PR teams to get a celebrity chef to do something elaborate to get it into the newspapers. Where is Heston’s snail topped Butterscotch Angel Delight when you need it?
WMH has a track record of getting loved and forgotten brands back into consumers’ heads. Our work on Hovis (those beans again) turned the brand around, as did our self centred Jaffa Cakes cartons. There are tons of these hidden gems just ripe for relaunch. Anyone for Homepride sauce poured over a Fray Bentos pie and Bovril gravy, or should that read ‘jus’?
Why shareholders should protect businesses like Unilever from accountants.
Unilever and P&G’s operating margins are seen, by some, as not being world leading. In Unilever’s case, Kraft Heinz thinks it’s time to apply some of Mr Buffett’s patent remedy – taking out jobs, slashing salaries, closing factories, cutting R&D and, of course, taking a knife to marketing spend.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking efficiencies – every company does that, indeed most are permanently engaged in a maelstrom of restructuring and McKinsey executive invasions, but, who will be interested in the consumers of brands that are being Buffetted as the knives are wielded?
Who will be doing the research into making their products better? How will those food and product developers care about the brand they’re working on when the accountants, who run the business, have just made them reapply for their job with the added ingredient of a sizeable pay cut?
Manufacturers have a responsibility to the general public, beyond lowering prices. It’s about what we consume actually being good for us and being made in a sustainable way and it’s about innovation – creating products that we will need in the future, as our lives change.
Does anyone seriously think that will happen under accountants masquerading as food companies?
There are reasons why Unilever is a great company, just as there are with Nestle and P&G (all of whom WMH has worked with in the distant past). They hire the best, most intelligent people and treat them with respect – the sort of behaviour that gets the best out of them.
Above all, these companies pour billions into research to make their products better for their customers. Nestle, in particular, is a world leader in health, wellness and, of course, nutrition, but that costs money. Money that accountants, like Warren Buffett’s partners 3G, would prefer to slash.
In this world of Trumptastic Fake News, the real news is that Kraft Heinz and their ilk should be sent packing by shareholders of businesses that set out to care for the well-being of their customers and who actually improve peoples’ lives.
Sadly Kraft Heinz’s foray into Unilever’s territory has forced Paul Polman to seek further efficiencies if he is to fend off further unwanted attacks. Wouldn’t it be great if Unilever’s shareholders decided, en masse, to allow the company to continue to invest in the things that matter, rather than chase a quick return?
Amazon Go’s ‘Just Walk Out’ technology spells the end of supermarket checkout staff.[1] We’ve seen this coming for some time. Now, middle and higher income jobs are endangered, according to this weekend’sSunday Times (still delivered in paper form by a human delivery person).[2]
At high risk from ‘robots’, amongst others, are insurance underwriters, accountants and auditors and at medium risk are judges and economists. Even dental hygienists are under threat.
When chess computers have to play each other because mere humans can no longer beat them, then, perhaps, there is some truth in robots replacing many jobs. Happily, for occupational therapists, surgeons and psychologists the report suggests they will see out their days unchallenged.
Marketing people do not appear to be threatened, because they have to make decisions that can’t be automated, but they are reliant on some services that could change dramatically over the next few years.
There’s little to suggest that procurement cannot be handled completely by robotics. Many RFIs are already handled online, what’s to stop all legal aspects of appointment being handled in the same way? Indeed, what’s to stop the auctioning of projects to a wide range of businesses that have already passed through online assessment? It will be just another step in the direction of dehumanising client/consultant relationships that were once based around trust and the simple shake of a hand.
Consumer research could spread its wings into far greater automation. Imagine a research programme that learns, just as chess computers do, more about consumers every time they interact. Being online, it has the ability to speak to a vast number of people, to understand the particular nuances of how they see things courtesy of their social status and where they live. Automation will be able to tell us far more about people than we could ever glean. Computers don’t get tired and they keep on learning.
For designers who ‘maintain’ brands, as many of the bigger agencies do, automation could be a massive threat.If you seamlessly join research and design robotics, automating ‘brand tweaking,’ you’ve suddenly wiped half the agencies in the world. Refining logos, ‘premiumising’ and adding ‘wine values’ are grunt work for which many businesses charge a fortune.
One of the benefits of this roboticised future will be that we get to see the real value of ideas. They are the bedrock of great advertising and design and have been undervalued for far too long, sacrificed on the altar of pragmatics and brand conservatism.
This January, WMH senior designer Mark Nichols returned to Norwich University of the Arts as a visiting lecturer. He was teaching on the 2017 D&AD New Blood briefs, one of which he will be judging at this year’s New Blood Awards in April. Mark advised on work across seven different briefs over the two days, as well as finding time to give portfolio reviews on other work created by Norwich’s top students.
“It’s always a pleasure to return to such a great creative institution and not just for the student nostalgia…this year’s New Blood briefs are as exciting and challenging as ever. The brief I will be judging brings into question how print and paper can be used effectively to promote digital platforms. Such involved, topical, subject matter should be the catalyst for some truly pioneering work. It will highlight how design can help the analogue and digital worlds coexist or, better still, form a new symbiotic relationship”
Mark turned student once again, when he was lucky enough to catch David Pearson’s lunchtime lecture highlighting the joys of book jacket design. It further evidenced the recurring theme that print is not dead and, used innovatively, won’t die anytime soon.
Author: Mark Nichols – Designer at Williams Murray Hamm
WMH foresaw the “Trump Factor” in 2002, but we didn’t recognise it for what it was.
Our radical, baked bean smothered, Hovis rebrand, failed dismally in research. No consumers polled would admit to feeding their family baked beans, in spite of it being one of the country’s favourite grocery products.
The research firm suggested that the design be dropped for something with more wheat on it, or perhaps a picture of a loaf. Brave management ignored this wisdom and ‘Big Food Hovis’ went on to become the fastest growing grocery brand in the country. Saving the brand and saving scores of jobs.
Unwittingly we had encountered an early case of ‘Shy respondents’.
When the Conservatives won the last election, against all odds, pollsters put it down to ‘Shy Tories’, people who wouldn’t admit to voting for Mr Cameron. The Donald’s extraordinary win is put down to the same phenomenon – a fear of admitting who you’re voting for because you’re rather, or very, ashamed.
We are in the ‘post truth’ era, where nobody trusts experts and everyone follows their emotions – think Brexit.
So what’s new? Advertising and branding has always done this. When two products are similar, we in marketing use emotion to carve out our space. Facts, in the world of pasta sauce, luxury perfumes, tinned custard and frozen ready meals don’t count for much, but the emotional pull of a great brand can be irresistible.
The conundrum lies in that no manufacturer worth their salt would ever go to market without asking consumers what they think.
‘Consumers lie’ the late Richard Murray used to cry ‘If research is infallible, why do so many products fail?”
Of the experts we no longer trust, pollsters have tumbled to the same depth as politicians, financial forecasters, priests and latterly, football coaches. For years, research has kicked the hell out of great ideas in advertising and design. We all know it, as do our clients.
“We need great creativity and great work to cut through that. Far too often we get scared and go back to the easier thing to do because it’s not going to be terribly damaging – but we can do something bigger and better and braver.”
He is absolutely right. The problem is that research will most likely kill the brave ideas that he wants. ‘Shy’ consumers and conservative marketers looking for the next career move, will conspire to normalise everything.
It’s time for those who seek the public’s opinion to get better at what they do. They need to create measures that really work, that allow us a true picture of what’s going on. Hopefully, it’ll also allow companies the ability to break through into better, braver, more effective marketing too. It’s long overdue.
WMH has launched a new ‘bio’ variant of the Castrol EDGE and Castrol MAGNATEC brands that includes 25% of oil derived from plant sources.
Whilst this is not the first launch of a bio-derived oil, it is the first by a global major company. Castrol’s clever engineering and cutting edge technology have made it possible to take plant oil (and its natural lubricating qualities) in combination with traditional fossil-based oils to create a bio-lubricant that protects as well as standard Castrol EDGE or MAGNATEC.
“Pioneering with plants” – we brought together this natural tension creating a world and visual language unique to Castrol Bio-Synthetic oils. The new design stretches across film, packaging and web banners.
A celebration of an infectious spirit and an incredible talent.
Today, it is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we bid a final farewell to our beloved friend and illustrator extraordinaire, Geoff Appleton, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. During a year that has seen the loss of many great talents, we will remember and celebrate Geoff’s memory as one of the greatest.
Williams Murray Hamm co-founder, Richard Williams, remembers Geoff’s infectious spirit:
“I’ve been at Williams Murray Hamm for 20 years and I can honestly say that I’ve not seen a freelancer more loved by our people and our clients than Geoff.
They broke the mould when they made him. He was the last of a breed of artists who could earn a good living by drawing on paper and never doing stuff he didn’t want to do.
We’ll miss his jolly banter and his great work and, in particular, I’ll miss talking to him about the finer points of Bob Dylan…”
Our thoughts are with Geoff’s family and to commemorate his legacy WMH has made a donation to his nominated charity, Children and the Arts.
Children & the Arts is an independent educational charity that engages with disadvantaged children nationwide who do not have access to high-quality arts activity because of either social or economic barriers… [read more]
WILLIAMS MURRAY HAMM DESIGNS STATE OF THE ART INNOVATION CENTRE FOR LAMB WESTON.
Following the creation of a new brand purpose and visual identity for Lamb Weston’s global business, WMH was asked to design the interior of an innovation centre where possibilities become reality.
Lamb Weston, a ConAgra Foods brand, has more than 60 years’ experience as one of the world’s leading suppliers of frozen potato products to restaurants and consumers. An industry pioneer, the company planned a new, state of the art, innovation centre with co-creation spaces, fully functioning kitchens, pilot line, interactive areas and a resource for employees; in short a place where possibilities could become reality.
Having already started the building phase for the project, Lamb Weston approached long time collaborating agency WMH in March 2016 to create the overall theme and interiors. The Centre opened to employees on 24 June and to Lamb Weston customers soon after.
WMH had previously helped Lamb Weston relaunch its new global positioning and identity: to be the most inventive potato company in the world. The Innovation Centre would express this purpose and help find new, more inventive ways of collaboration between customers and Lamb Weston staff.
Intended as a flagship Lamb Weston US building, the Innovation Centre needed to be a place that captured the imagination and be worthy of the claim ‘if you dream it, you can make it here’.
Deborah L. Dihel, Ph.D. Senior Director Research and Innovation at Lamb Weston said:
“Our new Innovation Centre is absolutely incredible. WMH was the perfect partner to help us communicate Lamb Weston’s brand promise throughout the building in a distinctive and memorable way. The design elements set the stage as soon as our visitors see us from the street, and their experiences are enhanced further as they enter and work in the space. WMH’s design communicates our history of successful innovation, yet at the same time, inspires all who enter to be futuristic, be inventive and make their potato dreams a reality.”
Using the playful design it had created for the brand identity, WMH produced a fully sensory experience for the many spaces in the Centre. Bright and light, visitors encounter witty and striking wall graphics at every turn. Interactive areas have been created to bring to life the history of the business, its vision and values and to relate employee stories. Breakout rooms inspire new and innovative ways of working together.
On the experience, Garrick Hamm, Creative Director of Williams Murray Hamm said:
“We love working with Lamb Weston. Once again, WMH has been there to help them bring their Innovation Centre to life. Their strength of purpose, reflected in the Innovation Centre design, really encourages their employees and customers to be as inventive and imaginative as they like – the possibilities are endless”.
A guest blog by innovation and marketing expert, Giles Atwell
Brexit means Brexit, but what does it mean for British food?
Buy British!
“[Eating is not just an agricultural act] It is also an ecological act, and a political act, too… To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden, but in practice few things in life can afford quite as much satisfaction.” Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Since the Brexit vote of 23 June, the press has served us a diet of cascading bond yields, frozen property funds and sliding sterling: a daunting menu, beyond the comprehension of most consumers. But in these times of change, I wanted to reflect on a more palatable subject. One that is a little closer to home for us all – food.
Opportunities in adversity!
Seventy-five years ago Britain faced another crisis, finding itself isolated as an island nation while battle raged across Europe. Prior to the Second World War, the country imported two thirds of its food by sea, approximately 55 million tons a year. But by 1940 the threat posed by German U-Boats, which succeeded in sinking 728,000 tons of produce that year, had reduced imports of food to just 12 million tons. Britain was forced to retool its whole food supply and re-educate its population.
Though Brexit doesn’t pose such a dire and direct threat, Britain still imports over half its food and so remains vulnerable to the vagaries of international trade. Given the Brexit news, this situation is unlikely to improve. A recent study by the National Farmers Union predicted that by the mid-2040s, the country would only be able to produce enough food to feed 53% of its population.[1]
The famous patriotic posters of WW2 told Britain to ‘Dig for Victory!’, ‘Don’t Waste Food’ and ‘Doctor Carrot’ will guard your health.[2] As we consider our next steps in the Brexit flux, maybe there are lessons for action here on how we source and consume our food. Lessons that could help not only improve our own health but also that of the British food industry as a whole.
I’m not advocating the kind of control Lord Woolton, Minister of Food during WW2, had. He had free reign to create and issue ration books whilst managing the UK’s food supply; “making him the envy of nutritionists, dieticians, and indeed anyone interested in the health of the nation, before or since.”[3] But, we could use these economically challenged times of change to improve in three areas:
The economy is already softening and there is a very real chance we will go into recession. There is a horrible disconnect between the estimated 3 million people in the UK thought to be living with malnutrition or at risk because they do not eat enough, and the 1.9 million tons of food waste the UK is estimated to have created in 2014-15 alone.[4]
In this respect, the Grocer’s “Waste not want not” campaign to reduce food waste is laudable, as are Asda’s £3.50 wonky veg boxes, Waitrose’s policy to ensure none of its food goes to landfill, and the cooperation of many supermarkets with food banks.[5]
Manufacturers too have a responsibility to sensibly apply ‘best before’ dates and consumers need to make better judgements on both the quantity purchased vs eaten, as well as when a food in the fridge is genuinely ‘past it’.
A concerted effort by all parties could drastically reduce the nation’s food and financial waste, but it will take both coordination and education.
2) Buying British
The weakened pound and a general desire for all of us to support the country in our new ‘solo’ quest represents a golden opportunity to celebrate British-grown food and boost our nation’s self-sufficiency whilst reducing our food-miles.
This need not be akin to the somewhat masochistic support my father gave in the 1970s to our failing motor industry by buying a succession of Triumphs & Rovers that simply fell-apart. We have our own delicious cheeses, seasonal fruit, meat, and vegetables together with an explosion of alternative British food & drink brands (think Dorset Cereals, Charlie Bigham’s pies and Fever Tree drinks) that deserve to be more locally and widely consumed as well as exported to our neighbours, near and far.
Food that is produced in Britain should shout it loud(er) and producers should strive to collaborate to create more of the ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ – PDO or ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ – PGI that the EU had previously helped us to sustain.
Clearly buying British will not only keep the money in Britain but may even help insulate British consumers from potential future trade tariffs and a continued weak pound.
3) Improving Food Education
A 2015 study by the ONS (Office for National Statistics), showed that of the £530 the average UK household spends each week, 20% goes on food & drink (including eating out, alcohol and tobacco). While much of the other 80% of the spend (from gas bills to holidays) has a physical impact on us (breathed in as fumes from transport or felt as fibres on the skin), the food budget physically enters our bodies.
In the age of convenience and fast-food, I think we have a lot to learn from our continental neighbours. The perennially slender French take meals very seriously, spending more time eating than their fellow Europeans; two hours, 22 minutes per day in 2010, 13 minutes longer than in 1986. French meals are also treated as a shared experience, with 80% eaten with others.[6]
In contrast, the NHS spends £6 billion a year on diet-related diseases. Britain is “…sleepwalking into a major health crisis because of poor diets among young children” according to a coalition of restaurateurs, food manufacturers and medical experts.[7] The change needs to start with children, as food habits are formed in childhood and a child’s weight and diet has a big impact on their adult health outcomes. This is a cause already gaining momentum thanks to celebrities like Jamie Oliver and his ‘Food Revolution’, but it needs concerted backing and funding to roll it out across the country and to save future generations from a lifetime of poor eating habits and diet-related disease.
Conclusion
Times are very different to the crisis felt during WW2 when only about 2% of households owned a fridge and the country was under a real siege. However, the next few weeks, months and years could see us under a ‘virtual’ siege of pressure to sign the infamous Article 50 and formally sever links with the EU. I personally struggle to see a lot of positive from these turbulent and uncertain times ahead, but if we become prouder to buy and responsibly consume quality British food, well, maybe there’s a little silver lining after all.
Giles Atwell started his career as a graduate trainee with Unilever in 1996 and moved to Cadbury in 2002. He has led commercial, innovation and marketing teams in Australia, Brazil, Singapore and the UK. His most recent successes include Cadbury/Milka Bitesize rollout, two years of double-digit growth in Brazil and Halls Candy global turnaround.
Having lived on 4 continents over the past decade, Giles’ children were becoming a little too well travelled. And so at the end of 2015, he and his family decided to return to the UK and their home in Oxford. He left Mondelez in June and is looking forward to the next UK-based challenge.
When not working, Giles is a keen tennis player, amateur photographer, whisky and wine enthusiast.
With today’s business pressures, we’re so busy dealing with what’s in front of us, that we rarely get a chance to talk about wider matters. This is particularly true of our clients and friends of WMH. They’re a fascinating lot, but we only dig deeper with them when we are socialising or having one of our sporadic events. A lunch with Giles Atwell, during which he spoke about food with such conviction, led to a request for him to write our first guest blog. We’re hoping it will become a regular event on our site. Giles was the kind of client we warm to. During his time on Cadbury’s at Mondelez, he was brave to appoint us to a significant innovation project and we loved working with him and have always stayed in touch. He knows the food industry inside out and we’re flattered he’s written for us.
Are you a curious, resourceful and ingenious graduate with plenty of common sense and initiative?
Williams Murray Hamm are offering a six month graduate opportunity within our client services and strategy department.
Join the Rebel Alliance
We are looking for a graduate to help us in our client services and strategy team for a 6 month contract with the possibility to extend. The right candidate will share our passion for creativity, our wish to give clients a view they can’t get from anywhere else and a solution that does extraordinary things for their brand.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking more for a mindset, for someone who is curious, resourceful and ingenious with plenty of common sense and wants to get on with it.
How do you apply?
If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, send us your CV and tell us in a picture (email friendly) and/or in less than 150 words, why we should consider you for the position to email address recruitment@wmhagency.com.
Following the recent UK launch of Amazon Fresh, Richard Williams and Garrick Hamm explore the Love and Hate of the brand packaging ‘First Moment of Truth’ in the digital age on online grocery shopping.
Hate: Packaging
Many years ago, Procter and Gamble came up with the idea of ‘The First Moment of Truth’.
This was all about how packaging works in the supermarket and how first impressions really count. I can’t remember what the second and third moments of truth were, something about bar codes probably.
I wonder what P&G thinks about the FMOT of their brands as they appear in online shopping. Does it bring on an FMOH (First Moment of Horror)? Here’s the truth. Brands look dreadful on Ocado and as we’re about to be invaded by Amazon Fresh they need to do something now.
Since it’s only partially available in the UK, I had to pretend to live in the Empire State Building (ZIP code 10118) to be able to access it. What is glaringly obvious is that, if Amazon Fresh really takes off, (the British Retail Consortium predicts that 900,000 jobs will be lost by 2025 as the industry moves online) the claptrap and mumbo jumbo that packaging design agencies have peddled for years, in an effort to cover up their lack of creativity, will have no further use.
There is no ‘shelf blocking’ since there aren’t any shelves to block and you can’t see any ‘category cues’ or ‘appetite appeal’ because the pack shots are so tiny, the copy is illegible and everything is low res. The game’s up. Brands have to find a new way to work for online shopping and it’s a wonderful, thrilling opportunity.
Love: Smiles
Hopefully Amazon Fresh really will lead to a completely different way of presenting brands on screen. They’re going to have to look at simple visual mnemonics. It could even lead to a new golden era where intelligent, meaningful logos represent a brand instead of dull old packaging.
Actually, this is really just a gratuitous excuse to talk about the recently updated ‘A Smile in the Mind’. Along with Alan Fletcher’s ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ it is one of the must-have books on engaging, intelligent design. I’ve always loved those clever little logos that give a business personality.
The original Spratt’s pet food logo is clunky and artless, but incredibly endearing. Dog happiness is built right into it. I also came across this little beauty for Knapp Shoes (obviously) by Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. in New York. It’s a lovely witty mark. Simple and clever. How could you resist? Similarly, Norbert Dutton’s 1959 logo for electronics business, Plessey, is something we’d be proud to have done today.
(left) Spratts – Logo designed by Max Field-Bush (UK). Copyright (second extension) 2016, Julien Clairet of DATA ACCESS Paris. / (middle) Knapp Shoes – Logo designed by Charmayeff & Geismar Inc. / (right) The Plessey Company Ltd – Logo designed by Norbert Dutton’s 1959
With wit like this, think what you could do for a brand like Bird’s Eye or Flash. We won’t see the end of supermarket packaging by any means and I fear that we won’t lose steamy shots of soup and stringy cheese slices on pizza packs, but perhaps Amazon Fresh, unwittingly, will lead to a design revolution where we go back to intelligent, beautifully thought through brand identities.
I can’t wait.
Authors: Richard Williams & Garrick Hamm.
For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Williams Murray Hamm’s brave, bold and engaging design for Penny Market’s ‘Orto Mio’ antipasti range was awarded a Silver at last night’s International Food & Beverage Awards.
Now in their 18th year, the FAB Awards are focused entirely on work done for Food and Beverage brands. They recognise the critical contribution that outstanding creative work makes in building brands, identifying and rewarding leading practitioners from over 60 countries.
Rewe owned, Penny operates 3,550 stores in Europe. Having won a written competitive pitch against two other agencies, WMH was appointed to rejuvenate the 45+ antipasti range to reflect a more unconventional and approachable image for Orto Mio.
WMH’s new design embodies the relaxed, sociable style of eating antipasti. It suggests that the food can barely be restrained by its packaging and is bursting to get out with colour and flavour
The illustrations work in unison with lively, colourful hand drawn typefaces. Each product carries a witty copyline, such as ‘oh la la olives’, ‘we are the champignons’ and ‘you make me blush’, continuing the promise of an enjoyable eating experience.
On winning the award Garrick Hamm, Creative Director at WMH said:
“We are overjoyed that our work on ‘Orto Mio’ has been recognised by the FAB Awards. Hopefully, the witty design raised as much of a smile on the judges’ faces, as the award has on ours!”
Ethnographer and author describes her work at a private breakfast briefing
On Wednesday 24th May, Williams Murray Hamm hosted a breakfast briefing with Paula Zuccotti, an industrial designer, trends forecaster and ethnographer.
Her latest book project, “Everything We Touch” has received rapturous applause from around the globe, leading to radio appearances and full-page spreads in, amongst others, The Guardian, The Sun and the Sunday Telegraph.
What if everything you touched in one day were brought together in one place? What story would they tell?
Paula travelled around the world asking people to document every object they touched in 24 hours. She then gathered those objects together and photographed them in a single shot.
From a toddler in Tokyo to a cowboy in Arizona, from a cleaner in London to a cloister nun in Madrid, Every Thing We Touch is their story told through the objects they own, consume, need, choose, treasure and can’t let go.
To hear the inside story of peoples’ lives through the things they use everyday, check out the trailer below:
For more information you can purchase the book directly from Penguin and you can check her out on tumblr.
Please note that the copyright of all imagery within this article belongs to Paula Zuccotti, all rights reserved 2016.
Williams Murray Hamm, with client Purity Soft Drinks, won gold for Brand Design with its groundbreaking work on JuiceBurst, at this year’s Design Effectiveness Awards.
Recognised as one of the UK’s most prestigious design for business awards, Thursday night’s annual turnout was held at Tobacco Dock, London. The guest list of shortlisted winners included many of the top 20 creative and design businesses in this country.
Judged by business leaders and entered jointly by client and designer, the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are both rigorous and authoritative. They celebrate the power of design to drive business success and provide compelling proof of why design is a sound commercial investment.
Popular with small, independent retailers, JuiceBurst was missing a massive opportunity by having no presence amongst large convenience retailers like WHSmith. In order to achieve significant retail listings to drive growth, WMH defined a target audience, positioned the brand and created highly differentiated packaging that would really engage consumers.
Building on the brand’s name, WMH used fruit being detonated as the central motif. This overarching idea connected the packaging to social media and digital content via Blippar, the augmented reality app.
Since re-launch, JuiceBurst has become one of the nation’s fastest growing beverage brands. In a market declining by -9%, it is growing at 93% year on year. There has been an amazing 75% annual profit increase and distribution has increased from one to nine national retailers.
WMH Creative Director Garrick Hamm said ‘It just illustrates, again, that great, simple creative ideas can make a difference to the bottom line. I’m delighted for our long-standing and supportive client Jon Evans at Purity and, of course, our hard working team at WMH’.
For press enquiries contact press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
(All images copyright of Williams Murray Hamm 2016, all rights reserved)
This week, WMH took great pleasure in greeting 30 students from the Idep Barcelona for a talk with our intrepid design, Chris Ribet.
After a spot of breakfast, Chris engaged his audience with an insight into the world that is Williams Murray Hamm and a few helpful pointers for prospective graduates wanting to enter the London design job market.
We really enjoyed meeting the next generation and we cannot wait to host more talks like this in the future!
So, If you fancy following in the shoes of Idep Barcelona with a visit to the WMH studios, drop us an email at info@wmhagency.com
We look forward to meeting you!
All images copyright of Williams Murray Hamm 2016, all rights reserved.
Thursday 4th February, Williams Murray Hamm hosted an intimate dinner with esteemed guest speaker, Luke Johnson, for friends of the business at the Haymarket Hotel, London.
Luke Johnson is one of Britain’s most interesting serial investors. He’s probably best known as the former chairman of Channel 4 and the man who grew Pizza Express into a household name.
He’s an author, philanthropist and hugely popular Sunday Times columnist, as well as being chairman of Risk Capital Partners LLP, the business behind Gail’s Bakeries and Patisseries Valerie.
With his wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge and maverick views, this was an evening not to be missed.
Trends for 2016 – According to those who know… #JustSaying
According to those who know, the top trending subjects for 2016 are customer service, mobile tech, simplicity, personalisation and the fact that millenials are out and aging is in. Well that puts me bang on trend. Now, I’m worth listening to.
I’m feeling a bit smug, since I blogged on almost all those subject last year. I have three random thoughts about 2016 and beyond (see links at bottom of this post)
The constant restructure
The US food industry was spooked by 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway’s merging of Heinz and Kraft. As costs were slashed, many competitors looked to it as a template to do business.
This deal did not fill me with optimism. Many of their brands are decades old and out of favour with consumer trends. However, there are many millions of US consumers, on food stamps, who rely on businesses like this to create convenience food that’s made of good ingredients and offers them a decent diet.
KraftHeinz brands will need considerable innovation at a time when its owners are taking huge chunks of cost out of the business. How can you grow a business by continuously cutting it?
Constant business restructures are good if you’re Bain or McKinsey, but terrible for morale if you’re having to reapply for your old job and taking a pay cut. Goodwill and mutual trust head for the door.
Every single one of our clients was restructured in 2015. I’m expecting this trend to continue.
Living with turmoil
We like to think that a period of stability follows a crisis. After 2009 we all thought we were headed for a bit of break from the gloom. It’s never happened. China wobbles, Russia’s sagging, the Euro is a basket case. We’ve never truly recovered.
With faith in politicians and bankers at its lowest ebb, we are all going to have to understand that the world that we saw as one of continuous progress, where things get a bit better everyday, is a pipedream.
For those of us who run business and serve other businesses, the best thing we can do is understand how we can deliver the kind of services that businesses undergoing constant change will need.
The growth of experts
This was the first year that Amazon really took over my Christmas shopping. They delivered at all hours, mostly over the garden hedge. However, I don’t see the end of our leaving the house to go shopping. Of course, we will continue to go out shopping, but only for the things we want to feel, touch and learn about. Shopping will be all experience and entertainment and drudgery free.
If you don’t believe me, go to Haymarket in Boston or Exmouth Market, in London and watch how we stand in line for ages for exotic street food or how we love to banter with market traders. We love talking to and buying from people who know their stuff and, if we like them, we will buy from them again and again.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday, cheese or furniture, shops so often leave us having to make up our minds what to buy with so little real knowledge. There is a massive opportunity for experts in their field to be on the shop floor talking to customers.
So many young people don’t have jobs, surely developing the next generation of experts can’t be that difficult. I’d rather buy from a person than an algorithm any day.
Williams Murray Hamm has won a Mobius Award for their luxury Coco de Mer packaging design, and certificates for their brand identity work for both Prismologie and Lamb Weston.
This adds to a tally of awards already won for their brand identity & packaging work within recent months.
Garrick Hamm, Creative Partner WMH said: “This is a delightful win which pays homage to the tremendous work by an exciting creative team at Williams Murray Hamm, only possible by wonderful clients.”
A sense of place
Photograph: Tetra Images/Getty Images/Tetra images RF
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