If you don’t know anything about Wolff Olins, fear not, I will introduce you:
“We help ambitious leaders invent the future by reinventing their business or category”
“Wolff Olins helps ambitious leaders to change their game, for positive impact, both commercial and social.”
- Brand consultancy established in 1965
- 3 offices: London, NY & Dubai
- Part of Omnicom Group since 2001
- Developed London 2012 Olympics brand
For our ‘Designing a Business’ module, we set off into London, to Wolff Olins to give them a 4 minute branding presentation on our businesses. Trying to squeeze a whole branding strategy and pitch into 4 minutes without waffling at lightening speed, is actually pretty tough, but with a bit of practice and a pinch of finesse, we managed to get ours to the 4 minute time mark… or near enough! Before meeting up with the rest of the class, the Helping Hands crew headed to Megha’s flat to go over our parts. After about an hour, we headed to platform 9 3/4 for a group photo just because… why not? When in rome! To be honest, I found it really disappointing. It’s just a bit of brick wall, with a sign on it and half a trolley stuck to the wall with a large queue of eager tourists, waiting to get a photo. A bit too cheesy for me. The only cheese I like, is on a plate, with some crackers and quince. However, it helped to settle the nerves a bit and everyone forgot about their presentations if only for a brief moment.
We walked to Wolff Olins in our large group. I felt like I was in school and I should have been holding someone’s hand! We got a little lost at one point, but thanks to good ol’ technology, the smart phones came to the rescue with the map services at the ready and we got there in the end, a little later than planned. We were quickly brought upstairs and seated for a brief presentation about Wolff Olins and about branding. Melissa Andrada, a leading strategist, talked to us about what branding is – “A platform for action” and what branding incorporates from logos, tag lines, advertising and marketing. It gave us a good bit of insight into how to sell your brand and what makes a good brand. She managed to squeeze a 45 minute lecture into no more than 20 minutes due to timing and still managed to say all she needed to say. I can safely say, we were all pretty impressed.
The presentations came next and I must admit, I was blown away with the efforts that were put into each presentation. There were 3 judges, including Melissa and they gave about 4/5 minutes of feedback to each group. It wasn’t focussing on the positive aspects, but rather on constructive criticism, which albeit was intimidating, but definitely what we needed to improve and strengthen our branding strategies. It was possibly the most intense moment so far on this course, but it went well for everyone and we seemed to really impress the ‘judges’ or ‘dragons’ as we like to call them.
Megha’s wonderful drawing of our beloved Mrs. Plum
I came up with a little story to attract consumers through building an emotional connection with them, making them feel empathetic to the characters in the brand stories I came up with. I told the story of Mrs. Plum, a 65-year-old mother and grandmother who struggles to carry her shopping bags home from her local shops due to the strain on her hands caused by the bag handles. a 15 minute walk takes her half an hour because she has to make stops to rest and alleviate discomfort. I then went on to explain what her hands have done, for example, her hands grew weary after she had to remove nail polish from in between the bathroom tiles for the fifth time!! And it continues on in that joking, but relatable motherly tone. I then explained what our product is exactly and what is does to help the wonderful Mrs. Plum.
The day was ultimately a great success and I think we all left feeling pretty tired, but there was a sense of achievement in the cool evening air and I was more than ready for a desperado and the comfort of my sofa. HOWEVER, I got on the tube to Vauxhall and missed my stop. Perhaps I was too caught up in the whirlwind of music on my phone and I was listening harder than I was paying attention to my surroundings. I eventually made it to Vauxhall and got on a train back to Kingston, only I never made it because I missed my stop… AGAIN! I KNOW! After a small fit of rage and some strange looks from passers by I realised I was in Worcester Park, called my housemate Alice to explain just how much of a cotton-headed ninny muggins I was, and then made it onto a train that took me home. All that travel stress made my sofa all the more desirable and there I stayed for the entirety of my Friday night. I’m wild.
Here are some snippets from our presentation:
Hannah's Growing Up 