credentials

Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
orangechairs
credentials
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
01. About Us
Orangechairs reckons there are two vital
ingredients in marketing: authenticity and
a great story.
Founded in 2007 by Alasdair MacKinnon
orangechairs has worked with a diverse range of
clients spanning retail, manufacturing, primary
production, and design.
Orangechairs is a brand strategy and
marketing consultancy.
02. Background
“Alasdair
specialises in
telling stories”
Alasdair MacKinnon
au.linkedin.com/in/22orangechairs
Commenced his career in Fine Art after completing a degree in education
and studio arts. His design focus shifted to fashion where he developed
a menswear brand tapping into consumer interest for new independent
Australian fashion.
He continued to work in the fashion industry over the next 20 years
developing his skills in administration and management culminating
in a five-year appointment as Marketing manager of Calvin Klein Jeans
Australia/ New Zealand.
Over the last 10 years his interest in the industry has concentrated on
understanding the culture of the consumer, and what drives them to seek
relationships with brands and retailers. His professional output is now
centred on integrated brand strategies that involve design, marketing, and
communication solutions.
His professional output is now centered on strategic marketing and
communication solutions — Alasdair specialisesin telling stories.
> Member of the program advisory committee for the fashion
> Non Executive director Elmwood Design 2007 – 2010
> Panel member – Melbourne Spring Fashion festival, Business series,
Australia – 2010
> Panel member - Think tank for L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
‘When the market gets tough, the smart get creative’ – 2011
> Panel member – Growing ethical fashion for Ethical Clothing
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
program R.M.I.T school of architecture and design 2008
Business Seminar – 2008
> Panel member - Sustainable Packaging conference design VIC – 2007
> Panel member – The Urban interior Colloquim. The school of
architecture and design at R.M.I.T – 2007
> Speaker - L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Business Seminar – 1996
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
03. Our work
What do we do?
Develop and implement strategy.
Our work covers four key areas:
1. Research
2. Design
3. Implementation
4. Coaching
Who have we worked with?
> Allans Music Australia
> LMB Knitwear Pty Ltd
> 3Fish
> Elmwood Design
> Cantilever interiors
> The Australian Alpaca Association
1. Allan Music Australia
www.myspace.com/allansmusicau
Situation
With live rock music again at the fore in youth culture Allans required
a communication medium to relate to younger consumers. To make this
effective Allans needed to provide the intimacy, knowledge and content
required to be credible.
Action
OCS built and maintained a MySpace specifically to engage consumers
under 30 as a part of a three part integrated marketing strategy created in
conjunction with Furst media.
Result
Allans MySpace allowed the brand to communicate directly with
new consumers, bands and the wider music community in a meaningful way.
What they said abou us
“We commissioned orangechairs to assist us in marketing strategies
targeting the youth market and the Allans Music MySpace web environment
emerged. Alasdair’s knowledge in this area and in new media gave us the
focus required to embark confidently on a MySpace strategy. Our friends
grew quickly and continue to as we expand the content and create an
important two way communication device for our business.”
John Helme
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
Managing Director Allans Music
“Alasdair is an amazing talent. He can wear many hats and can mould
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
himself for any marketing activity whether that be top level brand
discussion or vitally important execution. What I love about Alasdair, is his
honest work attitude with no shortcuts.”
Heath Wells
Ex Managing Director, Furst Media
®
now Director, State of Tomorrow L.A. CA
®
®
M
made in
australia
LARGE
made in
australia
®
®
2. LMB Knitwear
www.ottoandspike.com.au
www.ottoandspike.wordpress.com
www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s2975939.htm
M
made in
australia
LARGE
made in
australia
Situation
LMB Knitwear Pty Ltd is a family owned and operated knitting mill, the
business has operated continuously for over forty years and is now one of
the few left in Melbourne, once the home of Australia’s textile industry.
Twenty-years ago the business began to refocus its production on knitted
accessories, predominantly hats and scarves. This was in direct response to
work commissioned by active apparel brands Stussy, Rip Curl, Quiksilver and
Nike. These garments formed the core of their knitted output resulting in
high levels of specialisation.
How do we turn these expert skills into the development of a branded range
of knitted accessories?
Action
OCS created a brand strategy that identified the key strengths of the business
opportunity and the story that became Otto and Spike.
Result
Otto and Spike has been trading for 4 years, and OCS has been involved in
every aspect of the development and marketing of their branded products.
2011 is our fifth year of consultancy. Sales demand has increased each year
along with consumer brand recall. Future growth is planned through export,
branded stand-alone retail outlets and expanded on-line retailing.
The brand story evolves subtly each season as we assimilate consumer
and retailer feedback and assess the results of our strategic positioning
“Each year sales
demand increases
along with
consumer brand
recall”
of the brand. The current brand statement highlights the key pillars of
design, manufacturing skills, sense of place and community, and corporate
responsibility.
Otto and Spike are Brunswick based, ethically accredited, artisan
manufacturers practicing traditional craft with a design led approach.
Our products are the result of forty-years devoted to knitting, our desire to
operate outside the short life cycle of mass production and its reliance on
disposability, and the skill and ingenuity of our staff.
Orangechairs work with Otto and Spike is in the form a full service
consultancy with direct weekly on-site contact. The scope of our work
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
includes; brand development, the art direction and conception of each season
of knitted accessories, management of the website and blog, administration
and management of sales and marketing plans, distribution strategies, and
sales support.
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
We have assisted in the development of the graphic identity in conjunction
with Deuce Design from Sydney and the website with Monkii Web Design
based in Melbourne.
We have provided management of all, plans, content, designs and market
“We’re confident
that it’s the brand
we needed to
secure our long
term future and
that we couldn’t
have done it
without him.”
intelligence. On an on-going basis we constantly review and refine the
strategic plan to ensure we are utilising the company’s strongest assets and
maximise their competitive advantage to attain the best possible return on
investment for the family.
What they said abou us
“Alasdair created a brand strategy for us. We commissioned him to do this as
we recognized that our business needed to adapt to survive. We knew that he
was the guy to write the strategy as well as execute it because of the passion
and enthusiasm he invested in the plan. As a result he’s been consulting
to us for 5 years. Otto and Spike is into its fourth season and has exported
product for the first time. He has now achieved what we asked him to.
We’re confident that it’s the brand we needed to secure our long term future
and that we couldn’t have done it without him.”
Anthony Mananov
Managing Director LMB Knitwear
3. Elmwood Design
www.elmwood.com
Situation
The world’s most awarded design consultancy enters the Australian
market. How do we position the brand highlighting Elmwood’s investment
in intellectual capital required for effective design, branding and retail
solutions? In addition a young team of UK creatives and a youthful
MD need support.
Action
OCS managed strategy to integrate Elmwood into the local design culture,
wider business, cultural, government and media sectors.
Result
Focused PR brought the brand to the attention of the design and style media
helping to consolidated Elmwood’s Australian business. OCS continues to
support the management team to provide strategic input.
What they said about us
“Alasdair MacKinnon is a rare soul who combines both pragmatism and
creativity and has been instrumental in helping our management team adapt
and grow as our business expanded here in Australia. Mack has been a
great sounding board and has helped me guide our business forward. I trust
him to always present a wise and balanced view. Alasdair keeps me out
of the woods but still encourages me to surf the waves (ask him, sure he can
expand on this).”
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
Joe Rogers
Vice President, Asia
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
4. 3Fish
www.3fish.com.au
www.goo.gl/0o1R9
Situation
A young husband and wife team with little apparel industry experience
create the perfect ethically accredited supply chain. How do we tell the story
behind the product and meet the needs of the average punter, the fashionista,
the evangelist, and the sceptic – with the emphasis on moving the topic into
the mainstream?
Action
OCS wrote the story for their swing-tag addressing all stakeholders at the
point of purchase.
Result
3Fish have enjoyed strong growth of their brand in the retail apparel
market, increasing turnover and securing them access to important corporate
clients. The later development promises to accelerate the growth of the
brand outside Australia. OCS maintains an on-going role as a member of the
3Fish advisory council.
What they said about us
“Alasdair
continues to be
a mentor for our
business today.”
“Alasdair from orangechairs was able to bring to life the story behind our
ethical clothing label. His ability to take a detailed sustainable production
process and craft it into an engaging story that our customers can relate to
is very impressive. He continues to be a mentor for our business today.”
Marty Dillon
Managing Director, 3Fish
5. Cantilever interiors
www.cantileverinteriors.com
Situation
Cantilever Interiors are design-led refined cabinetmakers focused on
exacting standards of construction and the use of sustainable materials.
Orangechairs was approached to assist the three founding partners, Travis
Dean, Peter Tragardh-Daly and Charlie Wilde to define the future direction
their business and communicate this in way that would be meaningful to
their target market.
Action
Initially the partners engaged OCS to write a story that would communicate
the unique attributes of the business the brief quickly expanded into
analysis of their target market and ideal business activity.
Result
Data arising from the analysis has allowed the partners to make decisions
about how to reorientate their business, a process that has resulted in the
streamlining of their communications and operations and a move toward
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
modular kitchens.
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
What they said about us
Cantilever Interiors engaged orangechairs to write a story in order to
communicate our business model to our target audience. We felt it was the
keystone to our marketing direction, everything stems from this story and
we could use it in a variety of ways including educating our clients through
to general representation in the media. Orangechairs were able to listen to
our version and translate this into a concise document, written in language
that enabled access to these differing audiences.
We then were able to access analysis provided by orangechairs to assess the
“It has been
a pleasure
working with
orangechairs”
results of the variety of marketing angles we were exploring. This was a
very positive and clear process that gave us the information we needed to
move forward and make important decisions based on fact, not speculation.
It has been a pleasure working with orangechairs.
Peter Tragardh-Daly
Director, Cantilever Interiors Pty Ltd
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia
Orangechairs
Credentials
08–2011
04. In the Press
ABC Art Nation – Otto and Spike
www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s2975939.htm
05. Contact Us
Alasdair MacKinnon
E: [email protected]
M: +61 4 1750 0641
128 Barkly Street,
Brunswick East
Victoria 3057
Australia
Orangechairs
Creative Wisdom
128 Barkly Street
Brunswick East
VIC 3057 Australia