1. UberCENTRAL Lets Businesses Arrange Rides for Customers

Uber recently launched UberCENTRAL, a tool that allows businesses to request, manage, and pay for a ride on their clients’ behalf. It won’t be long now, until this service makes its rounds in the Aussie market.

With the launch of UberEATS and UberPOOL, Uber has been trying to find ways to horizontally move across industries to capture a larger market share. With their primary business model going strong and a valuation of $66 billion USD, it will be interesting to observe how UberCENTRAL will change the way Australian businesses increase their focus on customer experiences.

2. Moleskine Café Opens in Milan

Photo courtesy of Moleskine Café

The café is said to be a sanctuary of silence, perfect for artists and writers who want to unplug, read, and create. The café was designed just like the pages of a Moleskine notebook — aesthetically clean and neutral in colour. The purpose: to create an environment where Moleskine users can come, sit down, relax and write in their Moleskine notebook.

Finding ways to extend the brand experience is something integral to how a business should think about their marketing strategy. Moleskine has positioned themselves as a company that avoids the disruptive nature of technology despite the move towards a more digitised form of note-taking. Avoidance is one way for businesses to manage disruption — which has proven to be profitable for Moleskine. If you’re interested in learning the other ways, you can read up here. 

3. In Defence of the ‘World’s Ugliest Colour’

Pantone 448C, opaque couché

Pantone 448C is the least appealing colour, according to cigarette buyers. That’s why it’s been chosen as the cigarette packaging in Australia to discourage smokers. Colour has been one of the most important aspects of branding — think Coca Cola’s red and Apple’s use of white.

Colour is one of the first things we notice about a brand. It has the power to convey a feeling, a message and change the way we interpret and interact with a brand. Most importantly, it speaks to your brand’s personality. So have a look at your business’s style guide — have you chosen colours that convey the right message about what your business stands for? Or perhaps it’s time for you to make some changes.