Calling all future branders
FutureBrand is forever on the lookout for the brightest branders of tomorrow. The FutureTalent Awards, a collection of annual contests held in different offices across our global network, help us to find some of the most gifted students the world has to offer. Now in their seventh year, these competitions have helped us find and nurture young talent through prizes that often include an internship at a local office.
Think you’ve got what it takes? If you are a university or college student studying branding or design, we invite you to show us what you can do. Check back here on a regular basis as strategic and creative briefs for upcoming contests will be posted soon.
Save Our Endangered Brands
MELBOURNE
Creative Brief
Gen Y is causing trouble. Big, iconic brands that used to be prominent in the Aussie landscape are slowly losing touch with a generation of cynical consumers (that would be you). Your task is to creatively revive either TELSTRA MOBILE, FOSTERS BEER or MAMBO. Fix one of these brands so that Gen Y will love it as much as their parents once did.
Prizes included a three-month paid internship (including a month in an overseas office) and $1,000 cash to pay off those credit card bills.
The Winner: Daniel Paronetto
In 2008, Daniel Paronetto took the top prize with his re-brand for Telstra. He recognized that Gen Y weren’t connecting with Telstra because of the low level of interactivity with the brand. He developed the “Telstra Experience,” which used three points of interactivity to engage the tech-savvy Gen Y: The Electronic Collage, The Urban Chat and The Experience Viewer. Check out the video component of his submission that demonstrates his new Telstra Experience.
Brand America
NEW YORK
Creative Brief
FutureBrand created a Brand America Student Design Contest to encourage debate and discussion on just what the US brand should mean. We asked students to create a brand to represent the entire country, with all its contradictions, complications and complexities.
Design students from all over the United States contributed their entries to the Brand America contest. Some classes made it a school project; some participated outside their curriculum. Submissions ranged from symbols of Americana—eagles, flags, stars and the Statue of Liberty—to more abstracted gestures of diversity, inclusion and opportunity. Even the choice of the country brand name varied and included USA, America, US and United States of America. Some designs were approachable and friendly; others, more commanding and emphatic. The most exciting part of the contest was understanding the brand values that rose to the top and served as inspiration to young people in America.
The Winner: Yoo Hwa Almaraz-Hwang, Brooks Institute
America is full of hope, courage, cultures and languages. Yoo Hwa incorporated the 50 states as little blocks and chose warm colors because America is inviting to all and wanted to show the harmonious elements in the word USA. She is currently working as an intern at FutureBrand New York.
Lead the S-League to Digital Victory
SINGAPORE
Creative Brief
The future of football lies in a more personalized and interactive format that allows fans of all ages and genders to participate in content creation. We challenge you to unleash your sublime skills and help the fictional S-League penetrate the digital arena. You can use any tactic you want to attract a bigger fan base to football, taking on the challenge solo or with a teammate. If you think you can brand it like Beckham, step up to the plate and take the kick!
The Winners: Nadia Ardiansyah & Fiona Luigiparana, Raffles Design Institute
Nadia and Fiona’s winning concept, “Formation,” applies iconic mascots designed by the duo to online gadgets and applications such instant messaging and cyberpets. After getting the thumbs up from the judges, Nadia and Fiona are off on a three-month internship at the FutureBrand offices in Tokyo and Sydney.
