No more rain …
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“St. Swithun’s day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithun’s day, if thou be fair,
For forty days ’twill rain na mair.”
The outlook for today: sunny with a high of 90. Too bad for our lawns and water restrictions, since today is Saint Swithun’s Day, which forecasts 40 days and 40 nights of rain if it rains today.
According to BBC, Saint Swithin’s remains were unearthed and relocated to a shrine in the cathedral. The removal was accompanied by violent rain storms that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, which is reported to indicate the saint’s displeasure at being moved.
This posting just reminded me about a branding question that came to mind. The other day, when I went to the Westin Hotel, I purchased my favorite water. It is a nicely designed glass bottle branded Voss that is easily ten times the cost of one single plastic bottle you can find at a grocery store. The marketing behind the brand is its claim to be the freshest Norwegian water. I had to ask myself, did I care that it came from Norway? No! The only reason that I even asked for it by name is not what was printed on the glass but what I thought the design symbolized. To me that glass represented an expression of class, style and sophistication beyond the bland and common presence of a plastic beverage. In my mind all of the new products coming out these days are not really innovative as far as the product offering but its the packaging that is getting the attention. Think Method Soaps as another example. Who knew there could be a new niche within the already crowded market. So my question to the BrandSalsa world would be about design is it more important now or is it turning into another commodity in the marketing toolbox?
In honor of St. Swithun’s Day I raise my Voss glass to you for bringing rain to this bowl of mud and allowing entrepreneurs to over charge the rest of the world with a necessary element to live.