Consumers are always on the lookout for fresh design, new colors and inspired thinking. Everyone wants to stand out in the crowd, with the products they use, the food they eat and what they wear, it’s all a part of their identity. Brands that pay off consumers identity add real value to consumers lives.

In 2000, Emmanuel Loheac revolutionized the conservative world of underwear and lingerie with this very premise. He established an “unconventional and highly creative brand of underwear; influenced by the latest trends and yet high-tech in it’s use of high-quality materials (microfibre Lycra Invista)”. The artistry of the printed fabrics and the elastic waistbands remains to this day the key to the Pull-In identity.

“The image of Pull-In Underwear never fails to develop in line with the founding ideals of its creators: originality and quality.” (company website)

Keeping things original and updated keeps consumers looking for what’s next. They will always want the latest edition. How can you keep things fresh and get consumers coming back for more?

One way to improve your effectiveness in the marketplace is to identify and reach out to underserved markets. The ability for a brand to effectively appeal to these underserved consumers is what then sets them apart. The key seems to be that you have to reach out to your audience contextually – you can’t just change your positioning and expect people to follow.

You don’t hear about it often in their ad campaigns but JCPenney has been a key brand to offer action sports brands to fans. For three consecutive years, they have been a sponsor at the Dew Tour. They are reaching out to the underserved – boarders, bikers, street smart teens – on these consumers desired platforms, not in daily advertisements.

JCPenney gets down and dirty when they need to. Can your brand extend to other targets?

To conclude our series on companies innovating to create positive change we took notice of the Ten in Three initiative developed by Taylor Conroy, a firm believer in giving back to the world and author of the Destroy Normal blog.

Ten in Three is an initiative to persuade groups of friends to contribute $10,000 in just three hours, to be put towards the construction of a new school in a disadvantaged area. The website encourages groups of 33 friends to donate USD 3.33 every day to go towards the construction of a school. The location of the school can be chosen by the group. In order to give recognition to the givers, as well as spreading the word about the project, a website is created with the donors’ pictures and web badges and email signatures are emailed to all members of the group.

Check out the video below for more details:

Unique Way to Donate: Through personal connection

It’s always great when you see a large corporation doing something good with their power. Bakery chain Panera recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its nonprofit Panera Cares community cafés, where patrons are allowed to pay what they can. Patrons at the community cafés are encouraged to take what they need — the menu is the same as in Panera’s for-profit locations — and to donate their fair share. There are no prices or cash registers — only suggested donation levels and donation bins. There’s also the option of volunteering an hour of time in exchange for a meal.

Unique Way to Donate: With whatever you can!

The process of recycling and donating old household items or clothing has been the same for a long time.

It is an afterthought, and for the most part, feels like an imposition. But in tough times, more folks are in need and many are willing to give if there were just smarter, more convenient ways to do it. Is it time for the act of “donating” to update itself?

Givmo is a free online service that helps consumers get rid of unwanted possessions while donating to charity at the same time. Now in beta, Givmo is “like an online Goodwill or Freecycle on steroids with a charitable twist,” in the New York company’s own words.

Unique Way to Donate: You get rid of your old stuff and the site donates $1 to charity for every item recycled online.

Edesia Global Nutrition Solutions is a non-profit producer of ready-to-use foods that have revolutionized the treatment of malnutrition in the developing world. Plumpy’nut, a product produced by Edesia, is a ready-to-use therapeutic food, endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and is proven to treat severe acute malnutrition with astounding success rates. It does not need to be refrigerated or mixed with water – two things not readily available in the developing world. It allows for malnutrition to be treated at home by the caregiver instead of in a costly hospital stay and saves lives as if it were an essential medicine. In 4-6 weeks, a child can be transformed from near death to certain survival. With its 2-year shelf life, this simple solution can reach even the most remote areas.

Unique way to donate: Edesia is on the top of our list for innovating with a purpose because they are constantly developing new ways for people to be a part of their mission. Their newest initiatives include their 11.11.11 Project and Facebook Like Campaign.

Visit their site and be sure to “LIKE” them. They donate $1 for every unique “LIKE”.

Innovation and idea generation has become interwoven with marketing and big brand product development but it doesn’t have to be. Innovation is power and that power can be used for good and it can create positive change. There has been a lot of talk around the need for innovation in our nation and economic transformation and just resurrecting civility. Now, not only are individuals and companies developing new ways to supply food or clothing, they are creating new and effective ways for people to donate and be a part of creating change. Marco Polo Explorers took notice of the recent Starbucks job campaign and wanted to take a look at some other forward thinking companies innovating for change.

Be on the look out for upcoming blog series and share with us some of the ways you’ve seen companies innovating with a purpose.

The idea of designer collaborations continues to stay relevant. Aligning yourself with a famous or emerging designer can amplify visibility for your brand and develop a winning chemistry that takes the brand to a new and improved place.

We’ve seen this with Target and Mossimo and Dirt Devil and Karim Rashid, but now the proposition is being amplified with brands like H&M and their recent high-end, upmarket designer partnerships including Lanvin, Jimmy Choo and Matthew Williamson.

While meeting with Kenyatte Nelson, PR Director for the Gucci Fragrance brand, on a recent visit to Las Vegas we came across the designer collaboration of Lacoste & Malandrino. According to Kenyatte, “The chemistry of the collaboration brings consumers some really great and interesting pieces that people then trust because they know the brands and the names of those involved”.

Who can you partner with to gain credentials and create new things of interest for your consumer?

Do you pack your lunch for work? In this economic downturn its faster and less expensive than running out to a restaurant to grab something.

With rising fuel prices, parking and traffic, and increased responsibility at work you’re just relieved to not have to drive somewhere to grab lunch. Now you can just file out of your office building for some fresh air and some fresh food.

Fueled by social networking, food trucks are evolving and tapping in to this new market, serving inexpensive gourmet meals curbside. Food trucks don’t have to pay rent or manage large staffs so their prices can be lower and the food comes straight to you.

Mobile food used to mean hot dogs or burritos but now you find lunch trucks like the Meatball Mobile serving meatballs in bourbon-cola BBQ sauce on crusty french baguettes or Mamma Greens Goodies with Cranberry Orange Pecan and Red Bell Pepper and Pepper Jack Cheese Gourmet Muffins, Red Velvet Doughnuts and Peach Pocket Pie. The Wall Street Journal reported that one $75-a-meal Austin restaurant, Hudson’s on the Bend, made up for declining lunch trade with the proceeds from its own food truck. The truck, called the Mighty Cone, specializes in fried chicken, shrimp and avocado coated with a mixture of almonds, sesame seeds, cornflakes and chili flakes; average checks are under $10.

Take a look at this TIME photo essay on gourmet food trucks and check out one near you.

Is there overlap in your category where an economical solution and consumer wish collide? How can you take advantage?

America is a consumer culture, we like to buy things, get things and yes we can be charitable but a lot of us like to give and get something to show for it.

Motivation.

TOMS shoes tapped in to this understanding and started with a simple premise, a pair of utilitarian shoes that would be the same as the ones donated to a shoeless child -- with every pair of shoes you purchase. You not only get a pair of shoes but a badge of honor that shows you donated a pair of shoes to a child in need both domestically and abroad.

So just because you support the cause why does that mean you have to wear ugly shoes? Well, you don’t have to anymore. Now you can be a part of the giving culture and the fashion culture, fashion with a conscious, with TOMS at Neiman Marcus. Sparkle shoes, metallic slip-ons and wedge heels are now available. And your $140 purchase will still give a child in need a pair of shoes. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row have even joined in and created a limited edition collaboration as well featuring luxe cashmere and italian wool.

TOMS isn’t a non-profit (even though some people think that it is), they need to make money, but does that really matter as long as giving back stays a part of their DNA? If someone has $140 to spend on a pair of shoes doesn’t it make you feel better that a child with no shoes gets a pair too? The model has been so successful that now TOMS has taken their one-for-one philosophy and has extended into eyewear.

How does buying TOMS make you feel?
How can your brand share its soul without it just being a promotion?