Issue #079

Welcome to your weekly dose of TooXToo, this week featuring the Rebrand of Mr Pringles, Ikea x Space10’s latest ‘everyday experiments’, Gap’s ‘Modern take on the 90’s’ marketing campaign, and the launch of Balenciaga on Fortnite

Mr Pringles gets a haircut…

The crisp company we all know and love: Pringles, has changed the design of their highly desirable snacks. Safe to say Mr P is looking rather dapper following his simplification to mark Pringles’ 30^th anniversary.

It is the first time in 20 years that the lovable mascot, and the font accompanying him has been redesigned. In a recent press release, the company expressed that the new logo and design was created with the ambition of appearing both “eye-catching” and “youthful”. Not dissimilar to an emoji, this rebrand is set to draw in a younger crowd guided by this aesthetic.

Following the launch of this rebrand, reviews have been mixed. Pringles posted on Twitter: “It’s what’s inside that counts… Or is it? Introducing our NEW Pringles cans.” But Twitter users took to their keyboards to mock the logo, comparing Mr P to ‘King Bob-omb’ (a character from Mario Kart).

JKR creative director Della Lawrence is optimistic that the logo will gain traction as the mascot represents a “new lease of life on digital”.

Space10 and Ikea’s Everyday Experiments

Ikea and Space10’s collaborative platform features their latest ‘everyday experiment’. It is designed to “take us beyond the home without leaving it”. They have successfully been able to mentally transport people through using a spatial audio technique that turns your living room into St Paul’s Cathedral. They have also utilised an AR app that fills the inside living-space with flowers.

This platform that facilitates the creative collaboration of designers globally and has been enriched in the context of the global pandemic. Head design producer, Georgina McDonald expressed, “Last year, home had to meet a myriad of needs and expectations.” She further commented: “With this in mind, we played with the idea of how we can go someplace far away from the rooms we are in by changing the space of our home through technology.”

The team chose St Paul’s cathedral as a real-world space because of its capacity to reverberate noises in an emotive way. Playing with the concept of what the home is, or what it could be, has been an inspiring way to look at architecture and what it means to people- especially in the context of lockdown.

It has been discovered in the process of monitoring the reactions to these playful and blended spaces, that they benefit people’s physical and mental health. For example, people’s brain activity was increased in the process of having to reimagine their settings.

Gap’s appreciation for the 90’s

This September, Gap launched their marketing campaign that is the perfect blend of old and new. The campaign and the products themselves are a clear homage to the 90’s era. This period, for Gap, witnessed the brand permeate multiple aspects of American culture.

The launch of this campaign featured a collection of videos starring what Global Head of Marketing, Mary Aldrete described as: “Culture Shapers”. Amongst these “Shapers” were Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao and deaf activist Nakia Smith. Many of the famous faces featured in the campaign are too young to have been alive during the 90’s- making the campaign a purposeful juxtaposition.

The campaign appeals precisely because the younger generation of today have a fondness of the 90’s, and Gap has managed to revive the classic style of the 90’s introducing a modern twist to remain relevant.

An example of how Gap have blended nostalgia with modernity is the re-design of their iconic 90’s arch logo Gap hoodie, which has been re-imagined for this campaign in the colourway neon pink.

Aldrete commented on this design: “Neon pink is such a trendy, ‘now’ colour, but it’s on this classic piece.” She further added, “That was all driven by our community.”

It seems Gap’s nostalgic campaign has really paid off with Gap reporting its highest second-quarter earnings in a decade, with net sales of more than $4 billion.

Balenciaga launches on Fortnite 

Epic games have boldly collaborated with Balenciaga creating a virtual luxury fashion world. This game might not be played by everyone, but it is a true social phenomenon. Since its launch in 2017, Fortnite has accrued 400 million users globally. The attention captured by this game is set to increase now with their affiliation to the infamous fashion house, Balenciaga.

The game will feature four outfits, or ‘skins’ with alternate styles for fortnite players.

The clothing pictured above will also be available to purchase in the form of a real-world physical clothing line. The clothes will be sold in a Balenciaga themed retail hub that will be designed to blend reality for shoppers immersed by the virtual gaming world.

Balenciaga are keen to make their association with the metaverse a permanent fixture and strategic pillar of the business, rather than a short-term marketing move. Epic Games are not the first gaming business to partner with a luxury fashion house. Instead, they are riding the wave created by those such as Gucci who collaborated with Roblox on a surreal virtual garden back in May.

From hoodies for dogs, to virtual cosmetics…what does this partnership mean for the future of luxury?