Jacob's Blog #3

Ikea
http://www.ikea.com/
Ikea is known for its affordable, well-designed furniture that is easily constructed by the consumer; only an allen wrench is required. Their brand is built off of the design of their furniture. They market themselves as a provider of affordable solutions for better living, which is what has made them become a worldwide brand. The brand really does a good job of the Cooltural design trend in their marketing. The marketing really adds an emotional attachment with the viewer and the product. All of the products are advertised in a “lived in” fashion, helping giving the product a homey quality. This really supports Ikea’s brand of affordable home solutions, they take an otherwise dull piece of furniture the appearance that is an affordable accent to their life.
The product is what has developed this brand. They are well known for the quality of their products in its position of low-end non solid wood furniture. In 1999 the products that Ikea developed were altered to be environmentally friendly and are constructed using highly renewable materials. This is outlined in the following site:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/01/29/is-it-green-ikea/. The brand is designing its product in a way that it can be marketed as highly stainable. This is outlined in both articles as being key in having a brand that make the brand distinctive and different from its competition.


Dyson
http://www.dyson.com
The design of the vacuum is Dyson’s brand and drives its marketing. The brand markets the advantages of the vacuum design and creates its position in the vacuum cleaner market. James Dyson’s ingenuitive design is what has made him one of the world’s leading vacuum cleaner manufacturers. Hover copied the design of a Dyson Vacuum, was sued by Dyson, and was found guilty by the High Court. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1368860/Dyson-cleans-up-in-patent-battle-with-rival-Hoover.html This case shows how the design of Dyson vacuums is what makes the brand distinctive and ownable.
Dyson also follows the sustainability design trend which was discussed in both articles. Dyson used bag-less technology in their machines before it was popular in vacuum cleaners; other competitors were driven to change their technology when the eco-fad ensued. This bag-less technology helps reduce the amount of waste that the vacuum will create through out its lifetime. The vacuums are also designed not to need a filters to be replaced; instead filters simply need to be washed. The company will also pay to recycle any old vacuum cleaner when you purchase a Dyson.
http://www.dyson.com/support/weee.asp This service is only available in England due to European law which has strict disposal requirements.
Dyson is one of the best design business successes and its journey to success can be exemplified with this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1802155.stm






Method
http://www.methodhome.com/
Method is marketed on its design of environmentally friendly house care and personal cleaning products. Their products are designed to be all natural or naturally derived and have not been tested on animals. Method’s brand of naturalness gives it an eco-conscience position of sustainability in house and personal cleaning product market. The brand fits into the Sustainable Wheel outlined in “A Checklist for Sustainability”, as they are an environmentally friendly company that makes an innovative product that is productive towards the greater good of its consumers.
The following article discusses how the company has partnered with a carbon offset company which encourages Method’s partner companies to improve their emissions for a profit.
http://www.csrwire.com/press/press_release/19435-Method-Products-Inc-and-NativeEnergy-Pioneer-a-Carbon-Offset-Model
This is a great way for the company to extend its brand’s values to the organizations with which they are associated.
The 5 Key Design trends are also present in Method. The two main key design trends that are apparent in the brands design are “Rationaissance” and “Responsibiz”.
The brand is marketed as high end cleaning product and definitely has the product design that gives it that appearance. The bottles have a distinctive curve design and are filled with brightly colored solutions, making Method stylish, functional, and iconic, all of which are contained in the “Rationaissance” design trend. The design of their bottle also uses the “Responsibiz” design trend, their bottles are developed to be refilled and are made from biodegradable plastic. The best brand strategy Method has is that they provide their product at a reasonable price and is readily available in a number of department stores.