Deer go to Widnes

The Deers are off to Widnes Tomorrow to be blinged by a group of youth service girls at the CRMZ. All boxed up and ready to go with a big bag of tacky stuff bought from haberdashery shops. All part of inspired responses commission through Halton Borough Council.

Deer Get Branded

The deer appeared as part of the Handels Court Exhibition, "Branded" Curated by myself, Simon Kennedy, Kate Mckenna and Geoff Mckenna in 2012.

                                                                           Leaflet Designed by Beth Barlow

Deer Photoshoot.

A series of marketing phrases and ideas and how they can influence what the deers get up to. Text taken from a book called "The Brand Glossary". A great book for getting to know your enemy and understand what marketing folks are up to.

Added Value- a benefit provided by a product and commands a higher price or customer loyalty. (Intangible-"Uniquely ownable and difficult to replicate")  A collect them all scheme, a display cabinet (maybe could be a make your own cabinet with instructions) for them to go in, an e mail when a new one comes out.

Addictive Consumption-dependence on specific products or services. "It must be noted however, that the vast majority of consumerism is not addictive but habitual, and based on individual choice." A short film depicting a character addicted to the purchase of deer. 

 Advertising Wear Out-This is the point when consumers become indifferent to an advertising message because of overexposure. 

As part of my own work the deers are currently being photographed for a series of actions based on the "Brand Glossey" book.

An image which is duplicated over and over itself to the point where it becomes unbearable. 

Affinity Marketing-This is a form of loyalty developement or customer relationship management designed to cement the emotional bond between consumer and brands. It centres on an exchange of information that enables consumers to learn about brands, while companies gain insights into consumers. Unlike loyalty marketing, affinity efforts do not represent an economic exchange...Affinity marketing may also take the form of helplines, membership clubs, newsletters, chat rooms and so on. 
Develop an online virtual environment where the Deer can hang out, exchange gifts etc. This could be based on the Beanie Babies affinity site.  This looks into questions of brands translating from the physical to the virtual in order to create more affinity and a lot more eye ball time to the product. The internet offeres massive potential for increased eyeball time on a brand.

AIDA Model- awareness, interest, desire and action, the four successive stages a buyer passes through before making a decision.  
 A series of photos showing a person going through the phases of the AIDA model with regards to purchasing a deer. 

Ambassadors-Every employee is expected to live the values of the brand.  
What could the values of the deer brand be. Tacky, over the top, unnatural, passe. How could the employees live this brand? Could there be a spoof office poster? Slogan "Are you Living the deer brand?"  and two people, one over blinged one tasteful.  

 A wee test of the Ambassador idea which I am going to enter into the "Branded" poster exhibition we are curating at Handles Court Gallery.

How to Market Your Newly Tackified Object

There are lots of methods used to sell products to the likes of you and me. I have a book called the brand glossery and it is jam packed with marketing phrases which give me a little view inside the world of marketing. Big brands use techniques to get us to buy so what would happen if us as artists play around with some of these techniques? Just for a laugh and to highlight some of things which go on every day in the worlds of brand and big business.

Create a Buzz around your object bigger than the things itself

Talk about it anywhere, create blogs, tweet about it, facebook it, get other people talking about it. See if you can get celebrities or people "cooler" than you or I to endorse it. Create a word for it and see if you can get other people saying it. What is pro bifida, bb cream or Pro keratine anyway? Do I really need or want them?

Create merchadise which shows your object in its best light.

Things like t-shirt, stickers, mugs, miniature models, big models, T towels anything with the image of your object on it. The limits are your imagination and your budget.

Advertise it

All the usuals like posters, spoof adds, online viral ads, radio ads, magazine articles and spots of TV talk shows. Get people to feel like they are missing out if they aren't part of it.

Have fun and remember its only art so see how far you can push it, how ridiculous can it become.  You can get away with a lot more in the name of art than in the real world. Just ensure that what you do does no halm to anywhere, anybody or anything.