Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sherif and Roy Didn't 'Win' the Creative Award
Brandmee is a project me and my friend Roy Riachi came up with when we were working with a client who wanted to make a private label beverage. We thought at the time: Why don't we go to businesses and offer them customized bottled beverages? But the real 'AHA!' moment didn't happen until we connected the dots. An article on the death of creative agencies was a huge inspiration by the way.
At that point, we thought: 'Why don't we let people do the work with us?'. And since we were already working on making websites as freelancers, a web platform was obvious. I also had experience in crowdsourcing (which I recommend you to read up on) through two projects:
1) The Christmas Project: Where I offered growing my beard and dying it if people donate gifts to an orphanage - through facebook and my blog.
Result= 64 gifts for 32 orphans!
2) Mafikahraba.crowdmap.com: A prototype crowdsourcing platform powered by Ushahidi that let's people post how electricity is going off in their area.
Result= 50 reports from around Lebanon.
Crowdsourcing works. From Kickstarter,com to Facebook's translations, it was all made through this concept. And I think Brandmee will work because:
- People are well connected on social media (Facebook, Twitter),
- A lot of hours are spent online. Unfortunately their spent on Farmville,
- Advertising is going digital like it's nobody's business.
So it's definitely a trend. And I really think it's booming now. I wouldn't be surprised if companies start making 'Photography Competitions' on facebook as a marketing campaign... Wait, they're already doing it.
What is Brandmee? Well, I made this video here and it explains everything:
Me and Roy are going through with the project and yes, we want to launch it. (THAT'S WHY DIDN'T LOSE).
What I want to share with you today is what I learned from the Brandmee/Public Voting experience:
- Don't trash the place with 'PLEASE VOTE FOR ME' because it will ruin your reputation (and it did).
Views of videos and blog posts went down dramatically when me and roy used the "PLEASE VOTE FOR ME" technique.
- Make sure you explain exactly what your project is about from the first time.
Because our first video was very broad and didn't explain much, some people already got a wrong idea of what Brandmee is and others simply didn't get it.
- Telling your friends to spread the word doesn't work.
It is important to tell friends and familly to spread the word, but it doesn't always work. You have to empower people to spread your message. You have to convince them and inspire them. Make them part of your project. Your vision should be their vision too!
- Be strategic with your Social Media Campaign, think about timing and supporters.
Making funny videos is great but sharing them on social networks is the KEY. If you post about it at 4 in the morning, it won't get traction. And if you keep on reposting it, you will lose reputation.
Anyway, I still think the videos are funny and I might take them offline soon, so until then, here you go:
and
How did I do these videos?
On my iPhone and Windows Movie Maker.
Why does Brandmee have two 'e'?
I will never tell you.
What am I doing in life now?
- Working on Vida.
- Working on the Civil War Museum.
- Working on Brandmee.
- Taking art classes.
- Get told to go back to university every day.
- Biking around Beirut.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Will be promoting brandmee to empower customers
Branding as usual, doesn't work anymore.
Companies create their brands, their packaging, their logos and products away from customers. And they expect their customers and fans to love their brand and follow them.
At brandmee, we want to break that paradigm. We want to stop this top-down approach to design and branding and really, allow the fans and customers to contribute and brand products to be what they really should be. One of the clearest examples of the current paradigm is what happened with GAP. It made a new logo, expecting that everyone will accept it, but they were wrong. People are so connected right now that disapproval was shared and spread.
GAP changed their logo back to what it was just a couple of months later.
It is only when customers collectively participate in making a brand, that it becomes a powerful, resonating and successful brand. To do so, brandmee takes companies' design challenges and turns them into competitions, where the fans will get the chance to download the requirements, create their own designs, post them on brandmee and win a prize!
To win a prize, people must get votes. And this happens when they share their work with their friends on social media. What this provides to brandmee's client is two things:
1) A really successful brand that is widely accepted and loved. Since everyone participated in making it AND it was voted to be the best.
2) A powerful marketing engine that raises its brand equity. Because to win the prize, fans must inform as many friends to vote for them.
Crowdsourcing design and branding is the new trend. It is only in this way that customers get what they love.
Branding should be for the people, by the people.
If you agree with our vision please vote for the project at http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=3b70f3a7-9e49-429c-94ca-58155cd653b7 so that we win the Deutche Bank Creative Award.
You can also download our business pitch that I uploaded below. Until the voting procedure for the Deutche Bank Creative award ends (which is Feb 25), I will be promoting brandmee in my own way, to get many votes! You are all welcome to join and help by sending emails, and sharing the link below with your friends.
http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=3b70f3a7-9e49-429c-94ca-58155cd653b7
PPS: Here is a video of me trying to explain what brandmee is.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thank you Egypt
People are so connected now, through social media, that a facebook event was able to trigger a revolution. A revolution by the people, for the people.
Tonight, Mubarak finally stepped down. And I want to thank you, Egypt, for bringing hope back. What happened in Egypt is awe-inspiring. What happened seems impossible, and that's why it's so incredible. But things like this will be common.
Youth that believe in freedom, from different backgrounds, worked together. They had no ulterior motives. They had no leaders and no defined ideologies. And that is the only thing that scares me. But then again, this day marks a new phase for the middle east.
Thanks @ghonim,
I'm excited for a new middle east.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Two Months Out of University
Time doesn't fly when you are studying for exams, writing papers and doing homework. But it also doesn't fly when you are not doing that too. It's only been two months and I feel as if it was half a year!
And for the first time, I have empirical evidence that says: 'yes, sherif did learn and became better'. And this proof comes from an academic institution actually, which only makes it better ;)
From the moment I paused university till today, I can say I worked on:
- study buddy creativity center (www.studybuddylb.com),
- helpleb (helpleb.com)
-Vida
-Civil War Museum (although not as much as I wanted)
-Teaching IC students about entrepreneurship once a week.
And my story today is about a university that helped me prove to some that what I did can still be seen as good in the eyes of the 'BA Holder'.
Well, one of the things I always wanted to do with my life is to design beautiful objects that work really well, to make peoples lives better and the world a better place. And that's what I call industrial design. Before I graduated from school, I applied to Central Saint Martins to do Product Design. That was in 2009. I showed them my ideas on paper during the interview and I was so excited. But I didn't get accepted into the course.
Two years later, I applied and I got an interview. This time I showed them ideas but I also showed them real results. I showed them how some of those ideas are real, to an extent.
The interview took place on february first right after my trip to India. I am happy to say that I got accepted at Central Saint Martins to follow the course that I always wanted. I went out of the interview room that day and for the first time in my life, I cried, because of something good, because of something I wanted to happen.
My parents are ok with the idea of sending me to London. We are figuring out how to exactly pay for tuition and living expenses, so I'm looking for a scholarship and possibly a small loan.
But anyway, London, I can't wait to meet you. And I can't wait to study what I always wanted.
Two Months Out of University
Time doesn't fly when you are studying for exams, writing papers and doing homework. But it also doesn't fly when you are not doing that too. It's only been two months and I feel as of it was half a year!
and for the first time, I have empirical evidence that: 'yes, sherif did learn and became better'. And this proof comes from an academic institution actually, which only makes it better ;)
From the moment I paused university till today, I can say I worked on:
- study buddy creativity center (www.studybuddylb.com),
- helpleb (helpleb.com)
-Vida
-Civil War Museum (although not as much as I wanted)
-Teaching IC students about entrepreneurship once a week.
And my story today is about a university that helped me prove to some that what I did can still be seen as good in the eyes of the 'BA Holder'.
Well, one of the things I always wanted to do with my life was to design beautiful objects that work really well, in an attempt to make peoples lives better and the world a better place. An that's what I call industrial design. Before I graduated from school, I applied to Central Saint Martins to do Product Design. That was in 2009. I showed them my ideas on paper during the interview and I was so excited. But I didn't get accepted into the course.
Two years later, I applied and I got an interview. This time I showed them ideas but I also showed them real results. I showed them how some of those ideas are real, to an extent.
The interview took place on february first right after my trip to India. I am happy to say that I got accepted at Central Saint Martins to follow the course that I always wanted. I went out of the interview room that day and for the first time in my life, I cried, because of something good, because of something I wanted to happen.
My parents are ok with the idea of sending me to London. We are figuring out how to exactly pay for tuition and living expenses, so I'm looking for a scholarship and possibly a small loan.
But anyway, London, I can't wait to meet you. And I can't wait to study what I always wanted.
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