What Exactly Is A Smart City? by Boyd Cohen

What Exactly Is A Smart City? | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

Interbrand - Best Global Brands 2012 - 2012 Report (Brand View)

Best Global Brands 2012

Yet another great list of the Best Global Brands - they always fascinate me!

I am really pleased to see that one of the brands I work on here at the P&G United team at Starcom, Pampers, has joined the list at number 34.  It isn't the highest P&G brand - that honour goes to Gillette at 16, but I do believe that it has really earned its new spot on this globally recognised method of brand ranking from global brand consultancy agency, Interbrand.

My Logan

As a mum, nappies are very much a part of my life right now! and yes, I am a Pampers mum... not because I work with P&G but because the products work for my baby.

I wanted to use Huggies as I like their packaging more and their ads and branding speaks more to me as a consumer if I am honest but when I tried them, the products might look good, they didn't work very well for my particular child.

I like the nappies - they don't leak, and I love the sensitive wipes for both him and the rest of the family and around the house - they are perfect for cleaning shoes!

I see every day at work how they are trying to humanise the brand with their Pampers facebook activity, their Pampers Village site etc and I think it is powerful the work they are doing to connect with us mothers on a level and in places where we are happy to engage. I don't need to tell most people that mums spend a lot of time online! Shopping, talking, venting, researching, escaping, dreaming - all of this can be done in the online space while the kids play at your feet... It is the perfect media for me as a mum!

Lil-lets new packaging

I just wish they would reinvent their packaging and product descriptions - I have no idea what the differences are between some of the varients - active fit v baby dry v simply dry - it doesn't say anywhere on the packs and it has foxed me and my husband for the past year! Also the design is pretty *whispers* ugly - I just wish it looked a bit more stylish - I like the way that the Lil-lets Feminine Care brand reinvented itself and its packaging to try and compete with Tampax - another top P&G brand that I work with.

I am not surprised that Apple is number 2 in the best global brands list - let's face it - Macs, iPhones and iPads are the most desirable products out there. However, I am genuinely surprised that IBM is above Google... Maybe it is just my geeky digital head but I never think of IBM as a major innovation company. However, it seems I am massively wrong and as Interbrand says "This year, among other innovations, IBM researchers developed low-cost photovoltaic cells made from natural materials that have set the world record for PV solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency." Therefore I might have to relook at IBM and the work they are doing - it sounds far more exciting that I thought!


Interbrand - Best Global Brands 2012 - 2012 Report (Brand View)

This is the reason I love these lists - I always end up learning more about companies that I had underestimated...