#looptworks

New Post on http://videosgoviral.com/i-have-to-get-one-of-thesecredit-looptworks/18534/

In the first week we were treated to several presentation by Nike veterans around their early days in the company, often specific to defining the brand. There were a lot of amazing stories but what really stood out to me were two things:

The general excitement and emotions I saw in the faces of those people.  I could see they were looking back at their lives and careers and moved by what they had accomplished.  Furthermore, there seemed to be a parallel between this program and their experiences.  The much like in their early days, we don’t really know what we’re doing or what is going to happen...but we know we have an amazing new idea, and we’re doing SOMETHING special.  I literally saw them well up talking about it.  I want to be part of something like that, and this is my first opportunity in a long time to do so.  

More than anybody else, the story shared by Kevin Carroll was insipiring, this way and many others.  Our stories, while different in their details and intensity, run fairly parallel.  A ball too saved my life....or rather, when I lost it, I saw the effect it’s absence had on mine.  Conversely, when I found it the uptick was significant.  Like him, I want to inspire.

ACTIONS:

I will be reaching out Kevin shortly to share some of this with him and see if we can at the very least meet so I can pick his brain, and ideally, add him to my list of mentors in this.

The second instance of this spark (which will be mentioned at length in this journal) was when Scott Hamlin came to talk about his company Looptworks.  

I loved it because it was the perfect example of how business/industry can intersect with real innovation through simple ideas that can change the world, in this case sustainability.  Something scalable and translatable anywhere in the world and in a way that can truly make a difference, “move the needle”.

I took some notes shortly after that about what I was feeling and some ideas had.  I’d love to both meet with Scott personally and visit his shop.  Possibly for employment opportunities, but mostly to be inspired.  To be around people who think in this big picture way and in doing so, possibly catch wind of something similar through given degrees of separation.  I want to be inspired and the only thing keeping me from going all in on something like this is a winning IDEA.

ACTIONS:

When done right, a co-branding effort is a mutually beneficial partnership that amplifies the distinctions and the synergy of both brands while creating value for customers. The Southwest and Looptworks’ co-branded luggage project is an excellent example of a match made in heaven.

To conserve fuel, Southwest upgraded their seats to a lighter weight material. The airline teamed up with the Portland-based boutique upcyclier, LOOPTWORKS to re-purpose the retired seat leather into high-end, co-branded, echo-friendly “bags that enable further journeys”.

Check out the video: http://vimeo.com/109640169

The small purpose-driven, Portland Oregon company that transforms “high-quality, unused material” into “limited edition, hand-numbered goods” should be soaring on cloud 9 over this pairing of equal missions. In co-branding efforts, the smaller organization typically benefits from the size, scope and reach of the larger partner. Looptworks stands to gain international brand awareness, credibility, B2B brand preference on future projects, as well as benefiting from the sale of the bags themselves. So, what makes Looptworks a right-fit partner for Southwest?

Southwest underwent a brand evolution in 2014 that re-positioned the airline from “The Low Fare” option to a travel partner with “Heart”.The position gives new life to Southwest’s “feel the love” personality as well as 80,000 leather seat covers with a partner in the business of  “re-purpose with purpose”. Southwest’s co-branded effort with Looptworks has been dubbed the LUV Project. Both the conscientious cabin redesign and the luggage Project have generated considerable media attention for Southwest’s heart warming brand direction and echo decision.

As Southwest’s fleet has grown, and fuel costs have risen, Southwest began to lose its hold on its market position as “the low fare airline.” According to Forbes, Southwest’s fares have been rising far faster than any other airline. From 2009 to 2014, Southwest saw an inflation-adjusted fare increase of 21%. The airline with the second highest increase was Alaskan Airways- which only saw a 14% increase. Southwest’s fares are competitively similar to other top tier airlines now. The “hearty” new position frees the brand to cope with the pressing operational challenge: how to keep quality high while managing the Southwest experience. 

By offering luxury, hand-made, sustainable, boutique designed, American made, upcycled products with a lifetime guarantee, Looptworks offers something that low-fares can’t. Looptworks differentiates on quality and heart, and positions itself as a high quality option worth paying for, rather than differentiating on price. Rather than offering affordable re-purposed bags to budget travelers, Southwest’s seats were re-designed and positioned as “a bag collection worthy of your next adventure.” As if that isn't enough, the LUV Project partnered with a nonprofit to train and employ disabled adults in the process of cleaning and deconstructing the leather before it was re-purposed.

As a strategic partner, Looptworks has vividly supported Southwest’s re-position away from “low fare” towards a more humanized, sustainable and quality-centered position with a tangible product that is meaningful enough to stick in our own hearts and impressive enough to capture considerable media attention.

The limited-edition, hand numbered, co-branded LUV Project bags range from $150 to $250, which is just  about the price of an average one-way Southwest fare. 

A few best practices for getting your co-branding partnership right:

The Partnership has to Obviously Represent Both Brands

Every co-branding effort should vigorously express both brands. If the partnership doesn't symbolize the best of both brand’s values or the purpose of each contributor then the match isn't likely a right fit for co-branding.

2. The Relationship has to Clearly Make Sense to Customers

When Sherwin-Williams and the Pottery Barn teamed up to create an interior paint color palette to compliment the furnishings in each seasonal Pottery Barn catalog, it just made sense.  If the pairing seems random, or its benefit to customers feels like a stretch, the idea probably doesn't work for a co-branding relationship.

3. The Synergy has to be Mutually Beneficial

A co-branding effort should positively contribute to the brand value, awareness, experience, communities and equity of both brands. Mutually beneficial doesn't necessarily mean equally beneficial. When a smaller organization partners with a larger one, the smaller organization tends to reap more substantial benefits than the larger partner, in part because it takes less to move the needle for a smaller organization.

Southwest [Airlines has] partnered on [a] repurposing project with Looptworks, a Portland, Ore.-based company that turns “high-quality, unused material” into “limited edition, hand-numbered goods.”

Designers took more than 40 acres of leather — removed during a large-scale cabin redesign that introduced lighter materials into Southwest’s planes — and turned them into a line of bicolored bags known as Project Luvseat, according to Looptworks.

“Our designers took the original intent and form of the seats for inspiration and tried to figure out which kind of process was least wasteful,” Looptworks co-founder Scott Hamlin told Portland Monthly. “We didn’t want to undo what had already been done.”

The bags, which include a backpack, a tote and a duffel, are made in the United States and range from $150 to $225 depending on the model. Looptworks has also partnered with a Portland nonprofit to train adults with disabilities “to deconstruct and clean the seats before the manufacturing process,” according to a news release.

Southwest Airlines has enough surplus leather to fill the Empire State Building. They want to use it to save Africa.

Looptworks now offers carrying cases for the world's best-known devices.

On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines announced the launch of LUV Seat: Repurpose with Purpose, a global sustainability initiative to upcycle 43 acres of used leather seat coverings into new products that will benefit communities by providing employment, skills training, and donated products. Three initiatives in Malawi, Nairobi and the US are the first phase of a multi-year campaign to reuse Southwest's leather through upcycling projects around the world.