Designed for Greatness

I attended a women’s entrepreneurial event last night put on by Smarty.

Its was a discussion/presentation about the intersection of design and business where each entrepreneur shared their company’s journey and how they are influenced by design.  The panel consisted of Dario Antonioni of Orange22 Design Lab, Jose Caballer of the Groop, Natasha Case of Coolhaus and Sara Happ creator of the Lip Scrub.  As an entrepreneur I thoroughly enjoyed the event because the panel was transparent with the ups and downs of their careers and companies.  Even though the panel represented wonderfully creative, successful business owners in a broad array of businesses, the lingering message from the event was to keep chasing your dream, and not to waver when obstacles rise up in front of you and to course correct when you stray away from your passion. 

Both Dario and Jose discussed the challenges with evolving to a larger company and how the needs of the business can pull you away from the work that you most like to do.  To this end, both retooled and downsized their businesses to refocus their efforts on the design they live to create for Dario, or for Jose his passion for design and teaching. 

Listening to Natasha about the beginning of Coolhaus, and Sara Happ creating The Lip Scrub both mention the “Ah” moment, when they realized and could visualize the opportunity in the marketplace for their product(s).  I think we all have those moments but it takes a true entrepreneurial spirit to seize the moment and chase a dream…you have to be open to taking a risk or as some people say, taking the “leap.”

As a brand specialist I was captivated (and wanted to jump up and say “yes!”) when Sara was talking about her packaging.  She explained that she knew the product was good, so her focus was on her packaging.  It not only had to convey the image she desired for her brand and product but also explain what this new product was about.  This was especially challenging given the highly competitive cosmetics industry that is dominated by the big companies.  Sara had me swooning with interest as she described Italian truffle boxes tied with ribbons…so much so I had to check out her product line first thing this morning, and yes they are beautiful little packages.  A game changer for Sara was when her product was purchased at an LA boutique by Reese Witherspoon, and a national magazine covered the product.

Natasha of Coolhuas has a great concept, gourmet ice cream sandwiches, and has grown her business to encompass food trucks, wholesale (@ Whole Foods) and catering/events thereby diversifying the company’s revenue streams.   I’ve spoken before about brand culture and I was delighted to learn about Coolhaus’ brand and company culture.  Several employees are in bands therefore they have made a passion for music a component of the company’s culture by creating play lists of the bands music and being active at concerts and music events…their debut event was Coachella.

I left the event inspired and encourage to continue on my own entrepreneurial journey with branding, inc.

best

Suz

Hermes – The Luxury Experience

This is an interesting interview with Bob Chavez of Hermes US discussing the Hermes culture and how it translates to the customer experience.  The high points, while somewhat obvious, should be repeated often so hopefully more organizations adopt a brand culture that is synonymous with their company and products.

1. Hermes = Quality and Craftsmanship – it is essential that all customer touch points exhibit the same level of care and quality that is put into their much sort after goods.

2. Open Communication – Bob speaks about open communication at all levels, even including his “State of the Company” address where he shares a recap of the past year and the goals of the current year.  Transparent management increases employee commitment and motivates the team to achieve the company’s collective goals.

3. Online to Store – Bob’s comments that their online store is more for comfort and information about the brand, products and pricing was an interesting note.  A brand with such an established upper tier positioning using the web to educate and break down a barrier of brand intimidation is an interesting perspective, and an understandable one when a lot of people only know Hermes for their Birkin Bag whose price tag starts at around $4500.

4. Growth – Depth vs. Breadth, as with most retailers and established lifestyle brands, Hermes future growth is planned not through additional retail outlets but through deeper product offerings in categories that are proving to be successful for the brand.

All in all an informative interview.  Here is a LINK to the interview on YouTube.

Enjoy

Suz

H&M Continue to Strike a Chord with High End Designers

First Versace in 2012 and now Marni, the iconic, eclectic Italian designer brand.  H&M, as a company and a brand continues to embrace the fashion world and its super stars.  Their partnerships and the products of said partnerships are quickly consumed by fashionistas, who appreciate the trend forward clothing and who thrive on their lower prices.

Marni is known for their distinctive style and wonderful color combinations both of which are present in the H&M collection.  The collection also features a quirky t-shirt as a fund raiser for the Red Cross in Japan (read more about it on the Marni blog)

Brand driven partnerships that create a limited edition capsules of products give a broader consumer base a taste of an amazing designer and an in-store and press story for a global retailer – a win win.  Watch a great video about the collaboration between Marni and H&M

Best

Suz

Condé Nast Announce a Special Issue of Domino Magazine

The unexpected demise of Domino magazine is something that I still ponder and hear people talking about, 2 year later! I even still have all my copies of Domino.  I really don’t know why I’ve kept them but I have.  Yes, yes I understand all the business reasons why Domino was shuttered but I ask -  Was it a premature decision?

I ask from a brand loyalty point of view.  Yesterday’s announcement of the special issue of Domino, Quick Fixes set to hit newsstands in April has created such a buzz online.  Hearts are a flutter with the idea of a more Domino , and some are even hoping that the magazine maybe coming back.  I’ve seen so many people from different business sectors posting about the announcement, and people’s comments are so heartfelt, almost swooning at the idea of more Domino.  The Domino Facebook page that has been inactive since 2009 lit up like a Christmas tree yesterday with over #1300 fans liking the announcement.  Talk about brand loyalty, and a pent up demand for a more of a brand.

Domino magazine struck a chord for me, and I believe others, because it was “achievable,” finally a home decor mag we could not only oogle over but we could actually implement in our own personal way for our home.   Domino broke it down, showed us how to infuse personal fashion sensibilities into the home and more than anything inspired us with real people’s before and afters.  Domino was a trailblazer in the home decor editorial world that has become an icon, a much loved, and missed icon.  We raved about the magazine, and we still do. 

Rue, Lonny, and so many others have their own vibe yet definitely take a page from Domino.  So I ask – what if Domino was brought back?  Would it survive today?  Maybe an e-zine?  I think it would, and I think we would love it!

Best

Suz

Tory Birch – Knowledgeable CEO

A CEO who commands a good understanding of social media marketing is a wonderful thing!  I recently watched Tory Burch’s speech from last Fall’s WWD CEO Summit, and wanted to share the TOP TEN SUPER STATEMENTS that she made, at least the ones that resonated with me.

“Social Media is an integral part of our narrative.”

#1 – Integration – WOW, she gets it!  Social media is a key component of a brand’s narrative, better yet a brand’s interactive dialogue…loved hearing this.

“We have built a passionate community. We have built one that has a two way conversation everyday.”

#2 – 24/7 – She gets, embraces and supports the concept of an ongoing dialogue, and she shares a genuine caring for her customers thoughts, opinions, ideas and information.

“Posts have to be in our own voice. They can’t be forced, promotional or boring.  People respond to authenticity.”

#3 – My #1 rule because in the branding world your POD (Point of Differentiation) is driven by your voice.

“We share things that inspire us and entertain us.”

#4 – Brand Depth – She understand that no one wants TB 24/7 and sharing posts about other interesting topics is important…as long as they have a dotted line back to the brand.

“We choose to be an “open” brand.”

#5 – Transparency – its 2012 and being transparent with your customers is the only way to go…drag out the gossamer and the the voile…invite your customers IN.

“Toryburch.com transports our customers into our world….  We have created one destination where commerce meets content and social media puts everything into real time.”

#6 – One Home – don’t make your fans/customers hop around the web to see all of you…bring it together in style.

“We want our fans to experience what we experience.”

#7 – Peak behind the Curtain – This comment was in regards to a behind the scense look at the first Tory Burch runway show, which was a huge success as fans could watch some of what was going on realtime.  Bring your customers into your world…the more you share the more they will, and in social media “sharing” is key.

“We launch new products by telling the story behind them and avoid gratuitous promotion to get our numbers up.”

#8 – Story Telling – would you be intrigued by a purse or store that was shrouded in a romantic or nostalgic story or would you rather just have the purse shoved at you?  Its not really a question.

“We are curious about new technology, innovations and social sights.  We want to understand our customer and what she is using.”

#9 – Early Adopters – I think its critical to be aware of new technologies that are relevant and/or targeted to YOUR target demographic…especially if you have some influential early adopters.  Pace yourself…be aware and adopt when mastered.

After speaking about a Japanese Tsunami relief T-shirt that was designed, developed and sold – “It is one of these moments that we realized just how deeply social media impacts our brand and how if we speak to her our customer will help us do something incredible.”

#10 – Customer Appreciation – Throughout her speech Tory showed great reverence, respect and understanding of her core customers, and that TOGETHER they were building the TB brand…great words to hear from a CEO.

Here is a link to the whole speech (don’t need to listen to questions at the end of her speech a bit muddled).  Great to watch!

Enjoy,

Suzie

Press Coverage

Coverage we secured in this month’s Pregnancy & Newborn magazine for the Annette Tatum brand.  The product looks great!  Thanks to Sara @ P&N who worked with us.

Brand Appropriate Advertising

Sometimes the old adage “any press is good press” isn’t quite true, which might be the case for Lululemon founder Chip Wilson who stepped down as chief lulu last month.  The company has endured several  noteworthy press situations of late -

1. A Camel Toe advertisement -I’ll say no more.

2. Vitasea line of clothing that as their tag said “releases marine amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture” however the Times study showed that the fabric contained NO seaweed – Lululemon basically said “whoops.”

3. And let’s not forget the John Galt bags!

4. And the latest, the Sh*t People Say video aka Sh*t Yogis Say (link) video by Lululemon

I ask is this too much sh*t from one company whose core consumer is a yogi?  I may not be 100% objective on this post because I am a yogi, and have been for 15 years.  I know its challenging to create a voice in such an exploding market and sometimes going against the grain is a viable strategy.  However, LuluLemon’s grassroots efforts to have local instructor become advocates for the brand by wearing the clothes to promote the line seems a better fit.  Personally, being a yogi, I am more drawn to the inspiring images and messages that Prana use.

What do you think?

P.S. I love their product.