Stiff Rowlands

As huge coffee lovers there were big smiles when Tank Coffee asked us for some pointers on their branding. Inspired by the movie Black Gold, the collective “who care as much about the farmers, as they do about the flavour” jumped on a plane to Ethiopia and Kenya to meet the coffee bean farmers:

“We wanted to know where our coffee was coming from, who was growing it, how much they were getting, and who else was in the supply chain before it got to us.”

“We wanted to see with our own eyes what each farmer was really getting for their hard work and harvest. To make sure our coffee was as fresh as can be, we also wanted to roast the coffee ourselves.”

Our good friend Jez Clark is part of the collective and has created some wonderful copy and a great tone of voice. Reading about the farmer who grows the bean, its journey and the name of the roaster (Garth), makes buying coffee interesting and rewarding. The website is still in its infancy but don’t let that stop you ordering. We’re currently buzzing on the Ethiopian Sidamo Grade 2. Mmmmmm.

Eating yummy food while watching The Gruffalo with the kids – our response to Matter’s festive photo competition. If you weren’t aware of Matter, they offer a nifty service to subscribers which tailors Direct Mail according to specific tastes. You just tell them what you like and Mr Postie delivers a box full of stuff you’ll be interested in, for FREE! Is this the end of junk mail? The last box to land on our doormat had a bar of Cadbury’s chocolate in it. Yummy!

It’s not everyday we are encouraged to think stupid but Howies Summer 2009 Catalogue proves that it can have its benefits. It certainly makes a welcome change from thinking outside the box or in this case, envelope. In fact, the result is far from stupid (this is stupid) we actually consider it to be pretty smart. Maybe we could all benefit from asking more dumb questions?

PS: Although the above catalogue looks well-thumbed, we can assure Howies that the postman delivered it in pristine condition!

Direct Mail. You either love it or hate it. But if only everything was as beautiful as this little, limited edition (only 150!), screenprinted book we just received from illustrator Andy Smith. The observant amongst you might recognise Andy’s unique style – he worked with us on the D&AD winning Big Bang Book for Tequila Manchester a while back. We all know that DM is a great medium to personalise but how the heck did he know that when we opened it, it would be raining outside? Genius! Can’t wait for the follow up “Sunny Season”.

It’s Easter time. You’re the parent of a young child and you open your front door to a piece of card laying on the ground that catches your eye. It’s got handwriting and drawings all over it. Someone must have dropped it by accident? You look around to see if anyone’s watching and then you pick it up. It’s a personal message to someone so of course you read it! You realise that it’s a Rice Krispies Easter cake recipe being highly recommended from one Mum to another.

Guerilla Marketing or litter you decide, but the production values of this piece were so good we had to grab our eyeglass to confirm that it was printed. We’re not sure the slug trail or even the rain damaged type were intentional but it definitely helped with the overall illusion. Well done to all involved, including the slug.

We bashed/crafted this Shark attacked trade mailer to launch John West’s ’shark’ ad. Our efforts managed to pick up a Cannes Lions award for Tequila.