"It takes a lifetime to become the child that you should be." Jean-Luc Godard, Film Director

Humankind is hardwired for play. Children play uninhibited-they play to explore uncharted territories, feed their imagination, and above all amuse themselves. As fully-fledged "grown-ups," we're a little more reserved in the play department, but our need for engagement, interaction, and fun is a very basic and constant need that requires fulfillment.

Whether young or young at heart, our playtime is no longer segregated to the margins of our busy and hectic lifestyles; it is increasingly integrated into our daily lives. The boundaries between work, family time, and "me time" have merged. Whether it's a five-minute surf on youtube.com, a lunchtime massage, or some iPod spinning on the subway, we all share a growing desire for moments of pleasurable escape.

In this ever-changing uptime-downtime environment, brands needs to consider the implications of this merging of work and play not just in terms of the design of their product offerings, but also the entirety of their overall brand message.

To date, the marketing of brands has largely been based on a rigid "push strategy" with the prime objective of getting as much product into the hands of the consumer as possible. If sales take a nosedive, the obvious solution is to increase advertising spending-or rather, it was.

For mass consumer brands, the days of selling one product to one targeted market are no more. One-product brands are dinosaur brands with no future in a dynamic, global marketplace. To succeed they must evolve into fluid and playful "lifestyle" brands.

Lifestyle brands bring freedom to the player in all of us because they exist dynamically in real time in multiple places. They are more purposeful and meaningful than just being a commodity because they exist in culture on all levels, and are therefore truly relevant to their audience.

Yes, successful lifestyle brands are relevant brands. Relevant brands do not overextend their brand offer, but only enter categories where it makes sense for them to meet the real needs of their audience. They don't try too hard to be fun, but they do keep fun at the core of their business. While it is easier for the more nimble, entrepreneurial start-up brands to incorporate a lifestyle ethos at the heart of their philosophy, larger, more established global brands can do this too, but they have to make a serious commitment to understanding and ultimately satisfying the needs of the 21st-century player.

GE hit the nail on the head with its tagline "Imagination at Work." A huge corporate behemoth, it has effectively embraced play by involving consumers in the creative process and championing design as the key consumer touch-point to capture our imagination in smart and engaging ways.

The Volkswagen brand began life as a car in the 1930s. Now, operating on the forefront of 21st-century lifestyle branding, it is the proud owner of The Fox Hotel, "The world's most exiting and creative lifestyle hotel." Camper, Spain's outdoor-loving footwear brand shares a similar history. It has made tracks into eco-conscious hospitality with the opening of Casa Camper, a design-forward boutique hotel in Barcelona that brings the brand to a new level.

Many of the traditional sporting shoe brands such as Puma, Adidas, Nike, Vans, and Converse have grown up and grown into categories far beyond their original brand offer. Adidas sells disco-like apparel and fashion accessories, while Nike organizes community events in parks and stores. Converse's website hosts a section titled "Lifestyle" that allows Converse lovers to design their own shoes, and an online gallery space to upload films and images that capture the true meaning-the lifestyle attributes-of Converse.

Target has now entrenched itself as "the fun retailer of discount" and has publicly proclaimed its support for "objects of great design big and small" with its tagline "Design for All." To celebrate the opening of its Brooklyn Store, the bold and progressive retailer ran community initiatives in conjunction with the nearby Brooklyn Museum. On the second Saturday of each month the company hosted fun events from tango dancing classes to festivals celebrating cherry blossom season. Such select events, in addition to a complimentary advertising and promotional campaign, bring to life the true essence of the brand and make brand sense for both the brand and the consumer.

Diesel recently initiated a street art project in which artists are encouraged to design a blank outdoor wall in designated areas in Milan, Genoa, Florence, and Rome. Other cultural activities that Diesel is sponsoring include talent support for emerging fashion designers, an international music contest, and an online flash film festival.

Trendsetting brand Comme des Garcons excels in creating a clear picture of the des Garcons lifestyle. The sum of the parts, be it retail environment, packaging, product design, or advertising, is greater than the whole-the whole manifesting in a "globally understood sense of lifestyle."

What of the future? The love-marks of tomorrow are the brands that merge culture and commerce and employ creative design to bring playful ideas to life.

Forward-thinking brands will continue to develop creative ideas and solutions that will allow people to exchange (interact with each other) and express (explore and share creative opportunities). They will exploit emerging technologies and social networking software to design new products and innovative experiences to responsibly involve and include the consumer. They will also enter contextualized partnerships with other brands that share similar brand values and foster seamless and well-integrated marketing campaigns in nonobtrusive consumer spaces. They will be there when we need them in whatever form we need them.

The really clever ones will make it a strategic priority to add a little joy into their consumer's lives. So, think like a child, act like an adult now, not a lifetime too late.

About the author
Jonathan Ford is designer and co-founder of Pearlfisher, a future-focused design consultancy in London and New York.

This article was originally published in the May 2006 issue of STEP inside design magazine.

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