Friday, May 30, 2008

Boosting Australian Creativity

I believe government has a long way to go to actively and effectively promote design to industry. I remember well the heady days of Thatcherism in the UK and, despite considerable animosity, the influence she wielded in gaining acceptance and support for the concept that design and industry must be united. This resulted in a huge boost to industry and improved the perception of UK-based companies in Europe and indeed the world, and stimulated the UK design renaissance through the 80s and 90s. Australia has yet to witness such a boldly-delivered initiative.

Through a joint venture relationship Heywood Innovation has in Singapore, I have met with IE Singapore, the equivalent to Austrade in Australia, whose role is to build awareness and advise companies of the need for strong and appropriate branding particularly for export. The contrast with Austrade is remarkable. Underpinned by an active workshop series, Singapore-based companies are offered around a 50% offset for any brand development work carried out by qualified branding agencies. This is a huge incentive for emerging companies to think more seriously on the prospects of lifting their game and setting their sights on export achievements. Austrade leaves this task to individual companies with little or no active support or advice, ultimately costing them dearly when trying to penetrate overseas markets with weak and ill conceived brands inappropriate for the markets they have targeted. Many innovative ideas coming out of Australia have failed because of poor brand perception and communication, relying on feeble home-grown promotional efforts lacking professional input.


Government needs to consider educating business on the benefits of creativity particularly in digital media, which inspires many arguments for a more effective rollout of broadband. The recently introduced legislation that allows listed companies to provide their annual reports online is a great step in the right direction and an admirable cost saving and environmental gesture, which sadly did not even register on the green groups’ radar. This initiative however is not enforced for Government agencies who continue to focus on and produce printed documents.

Ultimate creativity does not necessarily guarantee a job or take up by industry. Creative courses in universities and colleges need to better align talent with business. Over a 20 year period the situation has not changed. There are fundamental flaws in the experience students have in these institutions which disadvantages them considerably from understanding the way business works and how their talents can be aligned with business needs. As an employer of talent I regularly witness educational institutions churning out students ill equipped to be employed in the creative industry, an industry where low salaries and low respect are rife as a consequence – the long road to being accepted as a serious profession. The inability for most design graduates to write a simple business letter or understand basic business principles flabbergasts me.

It would be good to see industry-sponsored design awards that are fit for purpose in industry not purely for the sake of creativity.

The value of good design and communication has dropped substantially in the last few years fuelled by continuous cost cutting that inevitably increases our clients’ performance bonuses and their belief that new technologies make creative work faster and easier and therefore less expensive. There is sadly too much emphasis on ‘honing the process’ than on promoting and having confidence in the commercial benefits of good design that can inspire and influence partnerships with industry. Educating companies - particularly SMEs - on the long term value of their brands is a hard one but an essential one.

Australia has a wealth of creative talent, much of which is under-utilised. Making a determined attempt to improve education, offer creative advice to industry, build respect and stimulate large corporates and SMEs to invest in design is achievable. It requires open debate and continuing communication... and an inspired government.

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.

View some of Heywood’s work on www.heywood.com.au

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Are you a brand fanatic?

What causes people to become so attached to brands? The answer lies in their ability to promote a lifestyle, a way of thinking, and the opportunity to be part of a like-minded community. Strong brands meet emotional needs as well as physical ones. Some people believe that a relationship with a brand can be as fulfilling as one with another person. But I'm not too sure about that. What do you think? Is your partner your No.1 brand?


What would the devotees of iPods, Harley Davidsons and mySpace think? iPod owners would not swap their beloved device for another MP3 player even if there was a significant price difference. iPods claimed this market with an incredibly strong brand which had very specific attributes. Other MP3 players may do the same, perhaps even more, but owning an iPod means something very special. An iPod is an iPod, where others are mere MP3 players. It owns the category. There is only one iPod, in the same way Hoover and Biro once owned their own categories.


You make a statement when you ride a Harley. You only have to sit on the saddle to immediately gain a sense of freedom and rebel-rouser status - you become taller, bigger and more capable as a person. You become one with the machine, a member of an elite group of like minded individuals - a brotherhood of followers. Followers who are so fanatical they tattoo the brand in their own flesh – the brand literally becomes a brand! There is no other motorcycle like a Harley. No riding experience is like that of a Harley. There may be several Japanese look-a-likes out there but they sure as hell don't ride like a Harley. So ownership delivers a unique riding experience while the 'mind trip' satisfies the emotional need to express your individualism and make a statement, while satisfying the need to connect with others who share the same beliefs and lifestyle desires. One of the major strengths of the Harley Davidson brand is its determination to involve all its stakeholders, from customers to employees, suppliers, and the community at large. Employee loyalty has added amazing strength to the Harley Davidson brand. Strength from the inside out, where each employee lives and breathes the brand and is a brand ambassador, in many cases for life.

MySpace satisfies that sense of community. The capacity in us to communicate and interact with other people and prove to ourselves that we are not alone in the world. The MySpace brand has immense value basically because of the traffic it has generated and its 'sticky' nature where members are unlikely to drift away to competitor sites. It has satisfied a desire.

What brand are you fanatical about, and why? What lengths would you go to to defend that brand and what it stands for?

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.

View some of Heywood’s work on www.heywood.com.au

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