It’s an amazing time to be following social technology, and 2011 was an outstanding year for the Web. Google, Facebook and Twitter may rule our landscape, but by no means have we reached the end of the line.
So here are some trends, developments and changes I think will be making headlines in 2012:
1). Path is the intimate social network. Continue reading »
What would you wait six weeks for?
Really think about it.
Would it be that wait-listed designer handbag? Perhaps the latest tech gadget? How about a puppy? If you are a vegan-eating, plaid-wearing animal lover on your way to a poetry reading, you probably have, or currently are, waiting for your custom Grovemade iPhone case.
The consumers of Grove aren’t worried about the wait; they understand Grove, as Grove understands them. They sense sincerity within the company and trust that the handcrafted product created from scratch will be well worth it.
After Joe (one of Grove’s founders) concluded my tour of their studio, I gained a better understanding of the necessary six week wait. You see Grove takes pride in NOT taking shortcuts, as they do everything themselves. Sure it would be cheaper, faster, and quite frankly, easier to have their products constructed overseas, but that is not what Grove is about.
“We are really big about making everything ourselves and not outsourcing everything to China like a lot of companies do.”
“Be Part of Change” is essentially their motto.
Grove is incredibly clear on their stance, plastered on their website and stating:
“By supporting Grove, you’re taking a stand against the exploitation of third-world labor.”
They pride themselves on operating a transparent company. What you see is what you get; they have nothing to hide.
Craft + Creative: Grove (Portland, Oregon) by advertisingweek
The basement of their very vertical (five stories, no elevator vertical) studio space is where the wood is cut by extremely loud and scary-looking machines. The irritable sawing noise was initially off-putting, but after observing them at work my hands naturally dropped from my ears and I learned to tune out the boisterous buzz.
Organizing Committee
