This Just In (Media Mentions)

>

"People can’t stop talking about it—it has inspired them to be more creative, forced them to examine their lives more deeply, and pushed them to see what’s really important to them. What is it? A legendary little black book, but not the kind you’re thinking of. It’s the Moleskine (pronounced “mole-a-skeen-a”) notebook, whose legend may be more fiction than fact, spun brilliantly by the Italian company that now manufactures it, Modo & Modo.   

  One measure of the strength of a brand is by the amount of fervor that it inspires among its devotees. “I love my Moleskines, and you can have them when you pry them from my cold dead hands,” says one anonymous contributor to the blog, moleskinerie.com, which is “dedicated to the proposition that not all notebooks are created equal.”

Cristian Salazar
on Brandchannel.com
...

Lovemarks
Saatchi & Saatchi

The Morning News
3.12.2004

The Wall Street Journal Online
1.14.05 
(Subscription required)
Read excerpt.

Jeremy Wagstaff
LOOSE wire blog
Discussions on Moleskine
1.14.05

Courier - Journal
Louisville, Kentucky
5.31.05

Illustration NYT: Clementine Hope

The New York Times
Sunday Magazine
(Registration required)
6.24.05

Pen on Fire by Barbara Demarco-Barrett
Email interview 7.28.05
LINK

Illustration : Rita Mercedes

8.11.05
LINKS 1  2  3

"Deepest Thoughts on a World Tour" by Stephanie Rosenbloom mentions The Wandering Moleskine Project.
The New York Times, "Thursday Styles"
9.8.05
NYT LINK [Registration required]
IHT LINK

"Scrawl, scribble, sketch, jot, doodle, muse & write on"

The News Tribune,
Tacoma, WA.
12.28.05      `   

LINK

"Little Book of Dreams"
By Laura Lynn Brown
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
1.12.06

"Putting Pen to Paper Anew"
By Dan Morse
The Washington Post

2.20.06

" Armand B. Frasco has inadvertently created a blog that marketing wizards are using as the ultimate example of "brand loyalty." Moleskinerie focuses on all things Moleskine, a type of notebook that has been used for centuries by writers and artists. The customer roster is long and includes such notables as Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Bruce Chatwin. (Perhaps you've heard of them.) But Armand's community of Moleskine lovers expands out to include anyone who loves writing, drawing, traveling, and capturing life in the now—no matter what their vantage point. Find out about new Moleskine products, see sketches from inside readers' notebooks, written inspiration, journal decorations, and pointers to other tools of the trade. There are photos with each post, which is a definite plus. Serious devotees can even partake in group activities like the Wandering Moleskine Project."

 

TYPEPAD FEATURED BLOGS

May 10, 2006

 

LINK

"This is what every blank book dreams of—brand loyalty and passionate
writers. But for the Moleskine journal, it's no dream. The small black
notebook with the elastic band was famously employed by well-known
writers and artists—from Chatwin to Picasso to Hemingway to Van Gogh—
but the entire line enjoys a dedicated following today. In this online
love fest, some fans tell how to augment the books; some exhibit
artistry on exotic themes or everyday inspirations. Others review what
pens they use, or record movie sightings. And some take on the
Wandering Moleskine Project, where each person can use only one page
before sending the notebook on to the next participant. Be careful,
newbies to the Moleskine. You may just end up with one of your own."

YAHOO PICKS
June 17, 2006
LINK

"PDA buffs go back to basics"
Fed-up users are rediscovering paper
By Kim-Mai Cutler
The Boston Globe   

June 25, 2006

LINK

......................................................................

Moleskinerie mentioned in IdeaSPOTTING

Observe and Take Note

"Ideas have short shelf lives. We find them one second, forget them the next. That's why it's smart to capture ideas and insights at the scene of the crime. Book them before they flee. Take notes.

Leonardo da Vinci is arguably history's most famous note-taker. His notebooks overflowed with sketches and notes on nature, art, architecture. Thomas Edison loaded thousands of notebooks with insights and diagrams. And today's creative people are equally diligent about recording thoughts and ideas.

 

Canadian designer Bruce Mau says, "The single most necessary device for me is a notebook. I just plow through notebooks." Gail Anderson, Rolling Stone alumna and current SpotCo art director, calls herself a note-taker and language observer. "I love making notes about type I've seen on store signs or on sides of buildings," she says. Note-taking gives the creative process time to breathe, says Erin Whelan, Real Simple art director. "I love recording really out-there ideas," she says. "It's so great to start at crazy places and then reach middle-ground, smart solutions." Eva Maddox, principal of Perkins + Will, has a journal in hand when she travels, but not for writing. "I draw," she says. "I draw at least one picture in my journal each day."

Capture ideas while they last. Ideas often show up as snippets of conversation, views through windows, books on tables. They linger for a moment, then they're gone. Take verbal and visual notes.

Sam Harrison
Author of "IdeaSPOTTING"
HOWDESIGN.com

Amazon link

"Exercise for the brain is just as important as exercise for the body. In IdeaSPOTTING, Sam Harrison stretches your mental muscles in a way you'll never forget"

- Al Ries, author of "The Origin of Brands"

July 19, 2006
.......................................................................

Our blog is mentioned in the forthcoming book, "Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message" by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.

The material was gathered from a series of phone interviews I had with Mr. McConnell earlier this year. Our 3 page or so spread covers the raison d'etre of this blog, our relationship with the product and Modo & Modo, some anecdotes on our daily site housekeeping, insights into what makes us tick and the requisite hopes for the future.

For students of business, those contemplating an adventure into product/corporate blogging or just the plain curious, this book is a fascinating, thoroughly-researched reference on a phenomenon that is changing the face of marketing forever.

"Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message"
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Kaplan Business (December 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 1419596063

Authors' website
Amazon link

.....................................................................................

"I think record taking and journalism encourages people to document their lives," he says. "Now people are making scrapbooks, collecting various stuff and gluing it into their Moleskines, tickets and stuff. My basic motivation is to encourage people to document their lives. It's good for the soul to look back."

There is an irony here, too, in that people are using technology to encourage people to forego technology. A common theme in the posts on Moleskine fan sites is the distrust of the digital.

"If a PDA is a 'personal digital assistant,' " writes Joe Kissell on InterestingThingoftheDay.com. "This one certainly lives up to its name: It assists your fingers quite ably. It never crashes or runs out of power, it has a high-contrast display and its handwriting recognition is flawless, and it was even featured in a recent issue of Wired magazine as just the kind of gadget a forward-thinking geek might want to carry."

For article, make sure reader knows about: pouch at back for storing business cards, loose paper; durable cover; elastic to bind contents; pocket-sized.

For all the talk of the Moleskine's low-tech charm, it should be noted its design is rather crafty. Every excuse a writer might have not to carry a notebook -- the pages aren't flat; stuff will fall out; it's too conspicuous -- has been taken care of in an elegant fashion, freeing you to scribble away. The greatest fear -- that your private thoughts might fall into the hands of a stranger -- is even addressed on the first page of each notebook. Right beneath space for your name, address and telephone number is an "As a reward" line. The amount to fill in is a topic of much debate on Frasco's comments page.

"I crossed out the dollar sign and put in 'One pint of Guinness' as a reward," writes Arne. "I'd like to think that if I ever lost it and it was returned by a nice individual that it could lead to a nice chat over a drink from the country of many famous writers."

"The Cult of Moleskine"
By Craig Courtice

The National Post 11.16.06
LINK

____________________________

FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, EMAIL MOLESKINERIE.
ALSO, VISIT OUR "ABOUT" PAGE.