Good news for a great brand… jcpenney

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 27 Jan 2012 | Leave a Comment

Exciting news for a great American brand. I have always felt a bit sad as I walk through the jcpenney stores. Such a great American brand in need of a real boost. Perhaps that is just what they are getting now. My hope is they can not only impact the store experience and brand offerings, but also emphasize products manufactured here in the U.S.A. as well. From the press release:

“We are redefining the jcpenney brand so we become a store for all Americans, by offering an experience they cannot get anywhere else. This will start by freeing consumers from the barrage of promotions and undifferentiated shopping experiences they have become used to and replacing it with something entirely fresh and new that is evident in every aspect of our store – new brands, new marketing, unique attractions, and much more. Beginning on February 1, our customers will see immediate changes that give a sense of how we will transform jcpenney over the next four years. It will be a breath of much-needed fresh air and give them reasons to visit jcpenney more often than ever before. Our objective is to make our customers love to shop again and across jcpenney, we’re very excited about the changes to come.”

The new jcpenney logo, which combines the elements that have made jcpenney an enduring American brand, by evoking the nation’s flag and jcpenney’s commitment to treating customers Fair and Square.  The square frame imagery will be evident throughout all of jcpenney’s marketing, to remind customers to frame the things they love.

 

What is the brand of Mt. Rushmore?

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 2 Nov 2011 | 1 Comment

I love Mt. Rushmore. We visited a while back on vacation, took in the sites, had an amazing lunch and learned a lot. We ended the day by listening to a very inspiring presentation as a part of the final evening lighting ceremony. Definitely worth taking in if you visit. But as we began to make our way out of the park, we chose to briefly visit the gift shop. There was something really unnerving about seeing all of the gifts\products with Made in China stamped on them. Really? Mini Mt. Rushmore’s made in China? Ceramic bald eagles emblazoned with American flags made in China? Is it me, or Does Mt. Rushmore have a serious branding problem? I now think of Mt. Rushmore and can’t help think about container ships filled with cheap chotchkies steaming toward the gift shop. Maybe it doesn’t make any difference, but for me it’s an image in my head that gets in the way and pollutes the great experience we had with the park as a whole. And from an integrated marketing perspective, does it not make sense to ensure that every single item for sale in that gift shop is Made in the USA…even if it means limiting the palette of offerings or kicking up the price 20%?

Thanks for the book Steve.

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 21 Oct 2011 | 6 Comments

Since the passing of Steve Jobs, I have heard many great stories from people who knew him or had interacted with him. I thought I would share the one story I have about my brief but meaningful interaction with Steve Jobs.

1987. I was in the Good Earth Restaurant in Palo Alto having lunch with my old boss and good friend John Bielenberg. We were discussing Paul Rand, design and the creative process, when a man leans over and says “Excuse me, are you talking about Paul Rand?” I said that we were, for we really appreciated his process and contribution to design. “I’m Steve Jobs and I would like to send you something.” I knew at the time that Steve Jobs was starting NeXT, Inc. and suspected that he wanted to send me something tied with that since I knew that Paul Rand was engaged to develop the NeXT logo. I received a package about a week later with a nice note from his secretary. Enclosed was the process book developed by Paul Rand to introduce the new NeXT logo to Steve…walking him through the logic of how he arrived at the final design solution. It was a great gift and still something I look at on occasion…a bit of a historical document for sure.

I always really liked the fact the Steve Jobs stopped eating his lunch to engage in conversation with me to share his passion for design. We all know Steve Jobs really valued design. That afternoon at The Good Earth he shared a bit of that passion with me, which I have always appreciated.

Doing amazing things in Pakistan & Haiti

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 5 Nov 2010 | Leave a Comment

Upon hearing about the Cholera situation in Haiti, Dr. Dolhun, Founder of Drip Drop, a company making a great tasting ORS solution, immediately put a team together and headed to Haiti with Drip Drop on board. We scrambled as a group to get interim packaging finished in time for his trip. It is fantastic to have a client that puts himself out there, right along with the product. You can see a short video of Dr. Dolhun and his efforts in Pakistan and Haiti here.

40 years of graphic design at Chico State

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 8 Oct 2010 | 2 Comments

I used this book extensively when I took my first graphic design class back in 1982 at CSUC. It has been with me from office to office for all these years. There is something about how basic it is that I really like…brief and to the point. So much has changed since this book was written, but I think it still really holds up. There is a design reunion happening in Chico coming up soon….should be quite an event.

The letter…a good idea for AT&T

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 17 Sep 2010 | 1 Comment


I just received a letter from AT&T thanking me and explaining how they intend to make my experience with them better. I have always been an advocate for the well executed letter…one that has real information and is signed by a real person. It feels like a potential start to a conversation. It feels authentic. The truth is I have been frustrated with the cell service of AT&T, but this letter helps a bit in changing my perception of how they are addressing the problem.

Levi’s made in the USA…good idea.

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 9 Aug 2010 | 3 Comments

Great Blog post by Cory Warren at LS&Co. It is nice to see 501′s being made in the USA again. I hope this is the start of a great trend. I hope the prices come down and people recognize that it does make a difference where they are made. It comes down to authenticity.

Fascinating look at news across the country

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 4 Aug 2010 | 1 Comment

screen shot of newseum in DC

I love this site. I keep coming back to it for getting a quick read on major headlines across the country. Interesting how headlines get spun regionally. I need to put this on the list of places to see in DC.

A view of downtown on Sansome

| Posted by: Allen Ashton | 3 Aug 2010

view through a window on Sansome in San Francisco