Tag Archives: design

by | Wednesday, December 18, 2024 · 6:28 am

Spray-ON Shoes are Ready to Run

Many competitive runners (and some not-as-competitive runners) swear there are performance benefits to be had by running in light-weight shoes. The lighter the better, and consequently the lower the running time.

Cutting weight from running shoes can’t get much lighter than Swiss sportswear brand On and its new “spray-on” shoes made using robotics that spray polymers into complex shapes. On’s Cloudboom Strike LS weighs about 100g lighter than other popular running shoes of the same size. Using robotics and unique materials also cuts CO2 emissions by 75% compared to manufacturing other racing shoes.

On sprays the shoe’s uppers from a thermoplastic that can be sprayed by a robot in one long movement onto a standard foot mold. It can then be attached to the carbon-fiber and foam rubber sole using heat instead of glue. This eliminates the need to stitch together multiple pieces of fabric and takes roughly three minutes to assemble. There are no laces, tongue, or heel-cap, giving the shoe a translucent, sock-like appearance.

We’ve seen spray-on textiles used for custom-fit dresses and costumes before this, but not shoes. Spray-on fibers have also been used in the beauty industry – think “hair in a can” that can be used to conceal bald spots.

Cloudboom Strike LS costs $300 a pair and is targeted to the serious runner market. Olympian Kenyan athlete Hellen Obiri wore the shoes to win the Boston Marathon, and then again to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Weight matters.

Let’s run!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Have they traveled by train
  2. Show website: https://www.on.com/en-us/lightspray?srsltid=AfmBOoqz06S8CRtgIHMX4I9Zt_dwDSNZhWBWjsAEtjMdHCIcnPMra9d0
  3. There are a number of videos on the website that show how the shoe is made and performs. Show these in class.
  4. Discuss the importance of clearly defining a target market.
  5. For this product, who is the target market?
  6. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a profile of a target customer. Include demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, attitudes, etc.
  7. Based on the target market profile, what makes this product unique for those customers?
  8. Have teams develop a marketing campaign for this product and market.

Source: Dolan, L. (17 July 2024). Marathon-winning ‘spray-on’ running shoes could shake up Olympics. CNN; Moss, T. (2 November 2024). Made in three minutes, feels like a sock: Are spray-on sneakers the future? Wall Street Journal.

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by | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 · 7:23 am

‘Tis the Season for Advent Calendars

I don’t know about you, but I have seen a LOT of Advent calendars this year. For years,  the only Advent calendars available were rather inexpensive and had a single piece of chocolate behind the door for each day of Advent. But now it seems as if every product category is offering some sort of Advent calendar.

You may now be asking “what is Advent?” Advent, from “adventus” in Latin, means “coming” and refers to the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It started as a religious period for both remembrance and anticipation. Now, as the times have changed, so too have Advent calendars changed.

While the calendars still mark the days of the season and countdown to Christmas, they have evolved from having a small piece of inexpensive candy each day to now having full-sized products and gifts.

Today, Advent calendars are sold with makeup, jewelry, toys, foods, spices, alcoholic drinks, and more, with prices ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. [There are also more expensive and branded Advent calendars such as one from Swarovski with jewelry priced at $1,200 and Williams-Sonoma’s calendar of foods and goods is $300.]

One of the more popular calendars this year is from French jam company Bonne Maman with 25 days of differently flavored jams for $45. The calendar has become so popular that this year it opened for ordering in July (last year it opened in August). Since 2017, it has increased production of the calendar by 400%.

What Advent calendar would you like?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the use of Advent calendars in marketing a product or company.
  2. Poll students: What types of Advent calendars have they received or seen?
  3. Google Advent calendars and view an assortment of products.
  4. View Wirecutter’s list of Advent calendars: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/our-favorite-advent-calendars/
  5. Divide students into teams.
  6. Have each team select a product that they believe could be promoted using Advent calendars.
  7. Develop a marketing plan for the calendar. Make sure to start with target market and include product description, price, distribution, and promotion.
  8. Since this is a time-sensitive product, build the timeline for development and promotion, through delivery.
  9. Teams could also prepare a mock-up calendar with artwork and daily gifts.

Source: Hennessy, M. (29 November 2024). How the Bonne Maman Advent calendar became a hot commodity. New York Times; Wirecutter. (24 October 2024). Our 20 favorite Advent calendars of 2024. Wirecutter.

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by | Wednesday, December 4, 2024 · 6:24 pm

Let’s Call It ‘Chaos Packaging’

Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix? Is it just a necessity to keep products from being damaged? Or does it impact the sales of a product?

It’s actually both, and a lot more. But for right now, consider how packaging can help differentiate products and gain consumers’ attention. Think about it. How does olive oil come packaged? Liquor? Sun screen? What about potato chips? They all seem similar due to common undifferentiated packaging.

All of these have a predetermined sort of package that consumers are used to seeing (and buying) on store shelves. But the ubiquitous packaging has the effect of making all the products look alike in the store. What would happen if we mixed it up and got creative with packages, bottles, and boxes?

Enter ‘chaos packaging’. Chaos packaging innovates to take a standard consumer product and put it into some sort of unique container that causes dissonance. In other words, it helps break through the clutter and noise.

Some recent examples of chaos packaging include:

  • Sunscreen in whipped-cream cans.
  • Gin in motor oil cans.
  • Tampons in ice-cream tubs.
  • Perfume in window cleaner-type spray bottles.
  • Olive oil in squeeze bottles.
  • Water in beer-style cans.
  • Coffee beans in VHS tape packages.

Consider that some product categories have only about a 3-second dwell time – meaning that consumers look at packages for 3-seconds before deciding what they need, grabbing it, and buying. Extending that precious look-time, or keeping the look longer, can make the difference between a product languishing on a shelf, or making it into a consumer’s shopping cart.

Take a look!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What products have unique packages? Does it matter?
  2. Discuss the importance and purpose of packaging in marketing products.
  3. Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix?
  4. Show video about chaos packaging: https://youtu.be/w9Sk16c2uXQ?si=UB9Qm9FV4A3q6-ui
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team choose a product that comes in a standard type of package.
  6. Now, have the teams redesign the package to gain more awareness and attention.

Source: Alt, C. (27 October 2024). Tampons in an ice cream tub? Inside the ‘chaos packaging’ trend. The Times (London); Deighton, K. (21 October 2024). Ice-cream tubs of tampons and sunscreen from a whipped-cream can: Welcome to ‘chaos packaging’. Wall Street Journal.

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