Article by ICG member Stefania Gogna

“Espresso Macchiato” by Tommy Cash (Eurovision Song Contest) is not a “deep” song in the classic sense. But it is precisely this ostentatious lightness that makes it interesting from a semiotic point of view. Espresso Macchiato is luxury, cliché and pop semiotics.

The song is presented as a parade of Western stereotypes, reworked with irony and taken to the extreme: the cult of coffee as an identity ritual, the ostentation of luxury pushed to the point of kitsch, references to the mafia transformed into pop clichés from video clips. There is nothing to “interpret” in a traditional way, rather it is to be observed as a symbolic performance, as a conscious exercise in visual and sound recombination.

Musically it is a surreal mix: electronic beats, lyrical inserts reminiscent of opera and the retro atmospheres of the Belle Époque (the concert cafes or the bourgeois salons of the late 19th century). A pastiche that takes the aesthetics of European elegance and turns it on its head in the language of contemporary excess.

Each element – espresso, macchiato, cash, the text in broccolino (a linguistic variety spoken by Italian Americans in Brooklyn and New York) – is emptied of its original meaning and repackaged in a postmodern advertising logic, where meaning arises more from accumulation than from coherence.
For me he won!

Here: https://lnkd.in/dVBc-9Bx

ICG member Michael Stone’s latest From There to Here podcast interview https://www.fromtheretohere.co.uk/ is with Clare Milford Haven, founder of James’ Place. This is the charity she set up after her son took his own life at 21. With centres in London, Liverpool and Newcastle, James’ Place is a resource for men in suicidal crisis. Since it was established, 3,000 men have been through the doors and received help which, on many occasions, has saved their lives.

“Clare is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met” says Michael. “To use an unimaginable personal tragedy as motivation to help save other young lives is incredible. What James’ Place has achieved is quite magnificent.”

He adds;

“ICG members have been incredibly encouraging and helpful with my podcasts. I’m asking for help again from ICG members. If people listen and are able to like and share on social media, we have the chance to spread the word about this wonderful initiative. If one person in suicidal crisis hears the interview and reaches out for help and/or one person who feels able to help with a donation or undertaking some sponsored activity, gets in touch with the people at James’ Place, we will have achieved something very worthwhile. We just might save a life.”

Further information on James’ Place can be found on their website. https://www.jamesplace.org.uk/

Clare with James.

Proud to be promoting this from ICG member Michael Stone.

Michael has relaunched my From There To Here podcast this week with an interview with Ria Lina, who talks about her journey to becoming one of our most popular stand-up’s, and the challenges and opportunities presented by being on the autistic spectrum.

From There To Here talks to people in the public eye about their journey through life. We learn about the highs and lows, the influences, the challenges and the lessons learned.

Over the next few weeks, Michael will be posting interviews with Nicole Allison who talks about her journey in women’s football, from playing and coaching Tottenham Hotspur to her current role as owner of Worcester City WFC.

This will be followed by an interview with one of the most remarkable women Michael has ever met. Clare Milford Haven set-up James’ Place to offer support to young men feeling suicidal, in response to her son taking his own life at 21. She is incredible.

Michael Stone has professional representation here : https://claratyvoices.com/voice-artist/michael-stone/

Article by ICG member Felicia Schwartz, China Insight.

Usually the Oscar nominations and Chinese New Year campaigns fall around the same time of the year, giving rise to similar discussions in marketing and other circles as to “who did best?“

The answer lies not just in creativity, but as usual, in resonating with culture.

Symbols and meaning; for starters, the Chinese New Year is a moment laden with symbolism, a sphere in which Chinese culture seems to excel. For starters, Chinese characters are a vast code set, conveying meaning rather than phonetics as in Western languages. China’s millennia-old culture also produced complex symbol frameworks like the yin and yang, the 5 elements and the 12 animal-based zodiac system amongst others. Brands who explore the deeper meaning of these symbols not only gain credibility but can stay away from cliché and sameness. As such, Prada’s depiction of a snake via a queue-up of celebrities seemed awkward, whilst Loewe’s shone with its focus on the deeper meaning of “renewal”, using dance to portray the seasonal journey of the snake, as did GANNI, whose collaboration with artist Manshen Lo features contemporary illustrations inspired by dreams and transformation symbolizing hope for the new year.

Beliefs and Mysticism; Beyond referencing symbols in a nod to Chinese culture, brands will do well to understand that purchase motivations are often linked to “Yu yi”, a search for auspiciousness. Media platform Jing highlights the reconnection of young Chinese with beliefs and superstition in an era of uncertainty. More profoundly, Chinese culture draws on different traditions of thought than the West does, where beliefs and mysticism sit more equally alongside science and “modernity”.  Neo-taoism, divination methods like the Yi-Jing (I-Ching) and energy practices e.g. Feng shui are trending topics on social media, whilst beliefs around colours and numbers are ubiquitous in daily life. Referencing an ancient Chinese saying about auspicious energy (紫气东来), Valentino’s version of Lunar New Year luxury  focuses on wild purple, under the tagline, “Purple beginnings, red strings of fortune.”  Other brands just “luck out”: Van Cleef & Arpels’ iconic Alhambra series has become hugely popular due to the association of its colored stones with the Five Element, and Bulgari, renowned for its iconic snake motif, is naturally riding high on its “Serpenti Infinito” immersive art exhibition in Shanghai at the dawn of the snake year.

Emotional content;  “Yue Ji” denotes a new consumption trend amongst young Chinese consumers who place greater emphasis on emotional (and mental) balance value, thus spending on their interests rather than on material pursuits. Brands like Lululemon well-capture the emotional essence of Spring in a sensorial brand film depicting mental renewal, and the hope that real and metaphorical Spring brings, balancing out internal struggles. Arc’teryx meanwhile focused on the snake’s traits of wisdom, creativity and boldness in its calligraphy inspired design by @rostarrstudios and film featuring ice climber Zhou Peng and Emei martial arts inheritor Ling Yun. It connects with Gen’Z and appeals to their sense of adventure and discovery by featuring / educating about niche outdoor pursuits. Meanwhile luxury brand Miumiu hinges its 2025 CNY campaign on highly localized, quirky “encounters” from a vinyl listening party in Shanghai to a flower boat voyage in Guangzhou to popups with ice-skate bikes at Beijing’s Shichahai ice rink, responding to young consumers appetite for surprise and close-up brand experiences.

So to go back to the initial question, is there is a recipe to a successful CNY campaign? If so, it probably hinges on any brand connecting its DNA in a meaningful and creative way to CNY’s symbols and more crucially to the context of cultural mindset and meaning.