orangechairs credentials

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Orangechairs Creative Wisdom 128 Barkly Street Brunswick East VIC 3057 Australia

orangechairs

credentials

Orangechairs Credentials 08–2011

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Orangechairs Creative Wisdom 128 Barkly Street Orangechairs Credentials 08–2011

02. Background

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 program R.M.I.T school of architecture and design 2008 > Non Executive director Elmwood Design 2007 – 2010

> Panel member – Melbourne Spring Fashion festival, Business series, ‘When the market gets tough, the smart get creative’ – 2011

> Panel member – Growing ethical fashion for Ethical Clothing Australia – 2010

> Panel member - Think tank for L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion 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

“Alasdair

specialises in

telling stories”

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.

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Orangechairs Creative Wisdom 128 Barkly Street Brunswick East VIC 3057 Australia Orangechairs Credentials 08–2011

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

Managing Director Allans Music

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2. LMB Knitwear

www.ottoandspike.com.au www.ottoandspike.wordpress.com www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s2975939.htm 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 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 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 “Alasdair is an amazing talent. He can wear many hats and can mould 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

“Each year sales

demand increases

along with

consumer brand

recall”

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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 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

“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.”

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).”

Joe Rogers

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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.

“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 modular kitchens.

“Alasdair

continues to be

a mentor for our

business today.”

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“It has been

a pleasure

working with

orangechairs”

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 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

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04. In the Press

05. Contact Us

ABC Art Nation – Otto and Spike

www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s2975939.htm Alasdair MacKinnon E: [email protected] M: +61 4 1750 0641 128 Barkly Street, Brunswick East Victoria 3057 Australia