Monday 19 September 2011

Dead Salmon Branding ... Colours ... All Black, Red, White and Blue ...

Interesting title to a post - n’est pas?  How on earth do you brand a Dead Salmon and when does ‘Dead Salmon’ become a branding tool?  Then add in an airline, with its safety video, The Rugby World Cup, and we have branding again ...
Salmon Pieces in market

Oh life is fun – there are so many ideas out there that we can all get creative about ...  I saw an article in The Week about Farrow & Ball, a little known brand of paint that has become a cult.  

Frankly anyone who can put ‘Dead Salmon’ on our walls deserves some kind of recognition ...  or ‘Mizzle’, a mixture of mist and drizzle, or ‘Elephant’s Breath’ ... we sort of know and expect shades of greige.

Talk about adding colour to our posts, stories, books or conversations ...  ‘Charlotte’s Locks’, a striking new orange, was named after a red-headed employee, ‘Churlish Green’, ‘Porphyry Pink’ ... ‘Vert de Terre’ all found in their paint pots.

Incredible stories are buried within the archives of the organisation – they are a small, independent company based in the middle of rural Dorset, operating from a decrepit industrial estate ...  where it has been for its sixty five years of existence.

Glitz & Glamour Colour Scheme
Farrow & Ball have stuck with traditional recipes, using high levels of pigment with less water than some of its rivals.  Testing a patch – the eye can easily detect the quality paint, the real deal ... from the texture ... the chalkiness, the deep, clotted colours effecting that richness of excellence.

In the early 1990s under the ownership of a historical interior decorator and corporate financier, Farrow & Ball developed a range of paints with The National Trust that came to form the basis of its subsequent success.

We are going back to our roots for many things and restoration in traditional materials is one of the revolutions that is taking place ... thankfully, before more is torn down or destroyed, much is being researched, pared back, to uncover the truth of building fabrication underneath the layers of centuries, to then be appropriately restored.

Despite the recessions in recent years, the company has grown; a management buyout in 2006 has allowed the organisation to keep the same ethos and principles, yet progress with the times.

Salvage Colour Scheme
Dead Salmon and those names, expensive to buy ... yet you use less dead salmons than if you employed a high street paint, to achieve the higher pigment with a gorgeous finish.  

Now that to my mind is branding ... a sophisticated palette of muted colours that capture the colours of our imagination, which we would use  – when we come to paint our house ... perhaps just our front door: for the price.

You would be likely to remember the name of the company that had a customer request he be buried with a Farrow & Ball colour chart; while another wanted empty sample pots in which to put wedding favours ... wouldn’t you?

Branding with niche paint names ... and now branding through a different route ... the All Black way ...

How difficult is it to engage passengers to watch the safety video that they’ve seen time and time again ... ?  Well certainly not by dropping a video through my RSS reader that is for sure – but the idea that “You can be creative. With ANYTHING” a post by from “Being-Smarter – Build a better ConsultantBusiness” – made me scan through and find out why a safety video is an excellent branding tool.

The post by Mark Copeman is fun ... while the video is good for a few smiles, especially at the end ... who would ever have thought the Rugby World Cup would engage the world quite so much .... I’m sure this is viral – but it amuses me – and offers much.

I quote from the article:  There’s a serious point here – using just the right amount of humour really works to teach and communicate with the audience. The reason for that is simple – the audience is totally engaged with what they’re watching. It’s also not what they’re expecting – another reason why they become engaged – they’re intrigued and want to watch the story to the end.
There’s a message there somewhere!
If you’ve not seen this before – watch it and marvel. When you’ve finished watching it – figure out how you could be more creative in your consulting business to help you get noticed, to engage your customers and to make them smile.
Who says business has to be boring?!


2011 BBC Great North Run across
the Tyne Bridge (Press Association)
Once you’ve had a good giggle over the video – a note of remembrance ... we had the Great North Run (half marathon) yesterday in which 54,000 runners participated supporting over 270 charities.

My colourful post for Lenny Lee, the sunshine lad, mentioned the Red Arrows – the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, which very sadly lost Flt Lt Jon Egging, one of their members a few weeks ago.

Yesterday his widow, Dr Emma Egging, ran in the half marathon in his honour, something they would have done together, after she fired the starting gun for the main race to commence.

The Red Arrows put on three fly-pasts as a tribute to Jon’s memory, and as part of their return to public performances after the recent tragedy.  Dr Egging wore the red number 4 on her vest – as Jon’s number within the Red Arrows team.

Farrow & Ball's Colour Chart
Branding Porphyry Pink, the All Blacks in mid-air together with the colourful Red Arrows seems a linking too far for a post – but the content and entertainment value enhances the mix.

PS  I shall be lurking for the next couple of weeks – to start a few projects and organise this side of my life .. I won’t be far away – so don’t do anything I wouldn’t!!

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories 

41 comments:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I always love reading your post as they're always so informative. Very interesting to read and most enjoyable.

Have a good day,,

Yvonne.

Old Kitty said...

I never knew paint could be so profound with colours! Take care
x

jabblog said...

I didn't realise Farrow & Ball had become so popular.
Loved the Air NZ video;-)

Joanne said...

Even the Farrow & Ball color chart looks like it's filled with quality shades, nothing garish to the eye. Quality never goes out of style, does it.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Yvonne .. many thanks - delighted you enjoyed the read.

@ Old Kitty - they are wonderful names for the paint aren't they.

@ Janice - I'd never heard of Farrow & Ball before - but I see they've been around a while.

Glad to see you enjoyed the Air NZ video .. it is great fun ...

@ Joanne - you'd appreciate the colours, textures and quality of the paint .. and exactly quality never goes out of style ..

Thanks to you all - enjoy the video if you get a chance .. it'll amaze you! Cheers Hilary

MorningAJ said...

I'm not sure whether that safety video would get to the hard-core 'seen it all before' types. There seems to be some kind of macho idea that real travellers don't need to watch the safety films - in spite of the fact that research shows that newbies who HAVE watched survive more often.

Not putting Dead Salmon on my walls. Sorry! And Churlish Green sounds like a village in Essex to me:)

Talli Roland said...

Wow! Way to build a brand - so much so that someone would want to be buried with their colour chart. Dead Salmon and all!

Karen Lange said...

Dead Salmon on the walls, who would have thought it? Doesn't sound too romantic, does it? :) I might be open to it if I liked the color, as long as it didn't smell like a dead salmon!

Have a wonderful week,
Karen :)

Mike Goad said...

Enjoy lurking. Hope you're able to accomplish all that you want to.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Anne ..well they might if their wives or partners thought the video was worth seeing - ? Interesting that there's been research done on watching the video ..

Ok - we get pretty colours when we come up to see you .. and love your idea for Churlish Green as a village in Essex ....

@ Talli - way to go! I expect you'll find some of the F & B paints around Kensington Church Street and the W8 postal area.

@ Karen - it does sound a bit gross doesn't it .. but I suspect it's a kinder colour than the garish orange salmon I managed to find ..

You too - have a good week ..

@ Mike - thanks re the lurking .. following you to Colorado National Monument and the Arches National Park .. in lurk for the pictures to follow!

Thanks Anne, Talli, Karen and Mike .. good to see you all - cheers Hilary

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I'm going to smell dead salmon for the rest of the day. LOL.

Lots of interesting stuff, thanks, Hilary. I will check out these links. You are such a powerhouse of facts. I learn something new every single time I read your post.

That is amazing.

Southpaw said...

Okay my big question is, "Is dead salmon lighter, darker, grayer than live salmon?"

I mean is it? Really?

Those are some odd names.

Shirley Wells said...

Dead Salmon would put me off because I'd soon convinced myself I could smell dead salmon... :)

The Red Arrows and Dr Egging paid a wonderful tribute to Flt Lt Jon Egging. Very poignant.

Have a wonderful lurk. Don't worry, we'll all behave ourselves. ;)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Joylene .. it's interesting the one fact I didn't think about - "the smell" .. and yet everyone else is thinking about the pong! Now you've all got me going on the smell ...

The Air NZ video is lots of fun for a good chuckle .. a visualisation you won't forget ..

Thanks - s pleased you enjoyed it despite the gentle scent wafting off the walls ...

@ Holly - now you've got me: you and your colours and knowledge of that side of life!

Presumably you have me cornered .. dead salmon and live salmon are the same colour I'd hazard a guess (at least for a while?!).

They are odd names - but we'll remember them ...won't we ..

@ Shirley - there we go again: that smell!!

Wasn't the whole BBC show of the Great North Run - so well done .. and the athletics through the streets seems to have caught the world by storm too .. the Americans were "well enjoying" running along the streets on a board walk ...

As you say the tribute to the pilot who died tragically so recently paid by his wife and by the Red Arrows was extremely poignant.

OK - as long as you're all here when I return from my lurking .. I'll be very happy .. cheers Joylene, Holly and Shirley .. Hilary

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Wow, this was sooooo interesting, Hilary! I love the color name, Mizzle, and was so glad Egging's widow ran the race for him.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon .. thank you soooooo much! I couldn't resist writing about F & B - especially with their paint names .. there's a Middleton too now?!

Yes - it was lovely to see Emma Egging run - amazing lady .. and their Trust is for disadvantaged kids to go out and achieve = wonderful legacy will be left for the kids to take advantage of. Great team being part of the Red Arrows Squadron ...

Lovely seeing you here - Hilary

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Funny you should post about paint colors. I just painted our living room and hallways over the weekend, and selecting the paint for the job was both fun and time-consuming. OY! There are SO many colors and brands! And they have such unusual names, too. I ended up getting "Pineapple Upside Down Cake." A strange name but I absolutely love the color.

The Blonde Duck said...

At least they're creative!

I wouldn't paint anything dead salmon though.

I hope you enjoy your projects!

amy@ Souldipper said...

From dead salmon to the All Blacks to the Red Number 4. Quite a ride, Hilary. I certainly enjoyed the video. The All-Blacks are my fav!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Susan .. congratulations on doing all that painting - quite a large area ... and I love your choice of colour "Pineapple Upside Down Cake" - probably a better colour than Dead Salmon! Strange name .. but sort of deep slightly burnt pineapple yellow? Must look gorgeous - now it's all new and clean!

@ The Blonde Duck .. yes - that they are, very creative by the sound of it and very enthusiastic about their paint. I think Dead Salmon would be quite a pretty colour ... pale brick .. earthy - I'm fond of those colours .. but more as accessories than a full wall covering.

@ Amy - wonderful you watched the video - it's amusing isn't it! Not sure what's happening in the rugby games .. it's sort of passing me by. One of my stranger combination of posts ... I agree - but fun all the same!

Cheers - thanks Susan, The Blonde Duck and Amy ... lovely to see you here .. Hilary

Paula RC said...

How do you do it... What a link? Dead salmon paint leaves me cold.

How wonderful to read about Dr Emma Egging she is an amazing lady.

I wish her much happiness in the future after such a sad lost.

Friko said...

Colour a-plenty, with or without the paint pots in every one of your posts.

I think F&B paints are wonderful.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

So why not just call it salmon? That sounds so much prettier! I've painted my walls pumpkin, mango, peach, honey-- clearly I must have been hungry when I went to pick out my colors! I might have picked up a grilled salmon, had I seen it :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Jarmara .. funny isn't it - I rather like the sound of the colour!

It was brilliant to see Dr Egging start the race at which the tribute to her husband was made, as well as run the race.

You're right as I'm sure many of us feel .. we wish her the best at this very difficult time ..

@ Friko - ah! you've experienced F & B paints ..have you used them? - sounds like it ..and they obviously match up to their reputation.

Well - the posts are usually different that's for sure .. thanks.

@ Karen - I have no idea .. you're right .. I guess it's for the 'shock' value ...

Your wall colours sound fun .. and as you say .. no biscuits in the cupboard - just get the paint pot out .. love those colours ..

Now grilled salmon with pumpkin, and a peach and mango cobbler - sounds good to me - perhaps we should have another BBQ?

Thanks Jarmara, Friko and Karen - good to see you .. cheers Hilary

Susan Scheid said...

Wonderful post--love how you've strung things together with a common theme of color. I remember the first time I noticed color-naming going on: in clothing catalogs, all of a sudden purple became eggplant, gray became smoke, and now all that's old hat. Not long ago, at a dinner party, I met someone who ran a naming company. Yup, she and her staff sit around and dream up names for things.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. the trouble of when I want to write about a few things and then they sort of join together - so am always pleased if they work!

I'm not at all fashion-colour conscious .. just don't like aubergine much and if everything's purple I'm not too chuffed! So had noticed the descriptions, but not paid much attention .. but Farrell & Ball's names .. loved their story ... and being able to tie it in with Rugby .. shows what 'ridiculous things' we can turn into creative writing!

I'd heard about people specifically spending their time dreaming up names - I thought in advertising depts .. so I suppose the next thing - is an organisation specifically for it. Strange jobs we have now-a-days!!

Cheers and thanks so much for your comment .. Hilary

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Interesting! I wonder if Live Salmon would be a different color. I guess it would, because it would have its skin on!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Elizabeth .. thank you - Live Salmon would be pinker I'd expect - except as you say it might still have its skin on .. and then would be glistening rainbow scales ..

Different names though .. cheers Hilary

N. R. Williams said...

It took a little while for me to understand what you were talking about. Then I came to dead Salmon on the walls and I thought about the smell that would come with that. Oh well, I have a fantasy brain.

I have good internet service now.
Yeah! Nancy
N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nancy .. great to know that you're up and running with good internet service - you've been through a lot with the move etc ...

Sorry - Dead Salmon as a name for a paint amused me - but muddled you and I never thought about 'smell'! It seems others have your fantasy brain too ..

It opened the creative side of the brain .. and the video is good for that too ...?!

Cheers Hilary

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness!!'Dead'Salmon'? What a crazy name for a paint color, that's amazing how popular they've become, the off-the-wall names must work! That video is hilarious, but isn't that so much more fun than the dull repetition of a script? And the lady at the end..still giggling over that. :) Wonderful about DR. Egging, too, I bet there were quite a few moist eyes during that race.
Thanks Hilary!
~Scarlett

Arlee Bird said...

Never heard of that paint company but they must be delivering good quality product. I guess I can deal with a paint color of Dead Salmon. Just so no ice cream companies come up with a Dead Salmon flavored ice cream--don't think I could handle that one.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Betsy Brock said...

I love the Salvage color scheme! And I love salmon, too! Grilled with dill. yum. :)

Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday today! xo

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Scarlett - for your creative mind .. I'm guessing this post sent you off in a few directions .. so glad you watched the video! The use of the Rugby team came across so well .. and as you say made that dull process - much fun - I'll definitely be thinking differently next time I travel.

Amazing what friends and family do to raise money for good causes .. as you know too well. Lovely to see you here ..

@ Lee - it's a little English company .. ok - that does sound like a sensible suggestion: no dead salmon ice-creams - but a good salmon mousse is quite delicious!

@ Betsy - thank you - their colour schemes are beautiful (very today) .. and like you grilled salmon and with dill sounds a very good dish.

Pleasure - Happy Birthday .. and I do hope those men gave you lots of fun and laughter .. I just feel they did.

Cheers Scarlett, Lee and Betsy - thanks for coming by .. Hilary

The Blonde Duck said...

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

Lydia Kang said...

What a great post on branding! I learned lots of new factoids, thank you!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Blonde Duck .. good to see you - you too have a lovely weekend.

@ Lydia - glad you enjoyed it .. and the factoids .. thanks for coming by ..

Cheers - have fun weekends .. Hilary

Unknown said...

What I want to know is: How does anyone know what an elephant's breath color is?

Churlish Green? Why would you paint something that color unless it's your bin?

I think it's nice when a company stays with it's original recipe instead of looking to make money everywhere.

I love it when people use humor. I've seen a lot of car adverts that are so boring. And yet, I've also seen some with humour added. I think more effective.

Have some great and productive time off!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Clarissa - misty, dusty, mushroomy bloom colour! Or light ephemeral sandstone ..

Do you know I think that's the colour they painted part of the Nursing Home where my mother is .. it is AWFUL!!

I guess the name is different though.

Quality serves better in the long run .. and that's what Farrow and Ball seem to have done.

That Air NZ advert is fun - and a few of the car adverts are too .. some are just terrible .. thankfully I don't watch adverts too often!

I'd like the time off - but I am moving forward .. cheers for now - Hilary

Glynis Peters said...

Thanks for pointing towards this post, Hilary. The colour names will come in handy!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Glynis .. good - glad it's helpful. I guess the National Trust would be another source for colours .. and the English Heritage site .. or similar/blogs etc

Cheers - Hilary