Cross-Branding in Fashion, Beauty, Music, TV and much, much more

Posted on by

0

Recently, I have noticed a ton of cross-branding strategies between many different industries on every platform possible, especially in fashion, beauty and TV. Interestingly I have finally found something that really interests and hope to be able to work on cross branding platforms in the future. The majority of my work experience has been in these three industries (fashion, beauty and advertising) so I think I might be the perfect match for matching up brands. Just in case you are unclear on what exactly cross-branding is…Here’s a quick definition: A marketing strategy which combines two offerings from separate companies. The technique is usually used to sell complementary products or services. Also called cross promotion or cross merchandising. Many companies are using this strategy for advertising, merchandising, experiential marketing, outdoor, event driven marketing, et al.

Most notable is the Mad Men inspired collection because of wide spread obsession with AMC’s smash hit show. The show’s fashion is elegant, timeless and sexy. SEE BELOW

Check out the following links to see my favorites!

Capsule Collection

Banana Republic for Mad Men

Banana Republic for Mad Men – Capsule Collection

Estee Lauder for Mad Men – Color Collection

Fashion Star for Macy, H&M, Saks, MAC

Hart of Dixie & Lowe’s – Springtime in Bluebell

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES?

 

Data is the new sexy!

Posted on by

0

I just wanted to put out a brief message about a event I volunteered for this coming Monday.  The Digital Analytics Association (DAA) is holding NYC Symposium called, “Data is the new sexy,” at the CUNY Graduate Center on April 23, 2012. The event will showcase how data is becoming the most critical part of business across the board and in every industry. Some of the key topics that will be covered are The View from Silicon Valley, The Next Generation of Data in Business, Women in Analytics and When 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 2. I will be at the event greeting in the morning and exploring the halls shamelessly networking in the afternoon!

digital

DATA IS THE NEW SEXY!

Here’s some basic information about the event…

When: April 23, 2012, 12:30-7pm

Where: The Graduate Center at CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue NY, NY 10016

Contact: Shannon Taylor

Also, if you are a student and would like to attend the event make sure to register here. Cost for registration is $25 (for members and $75 (for non-members)

Creative Brief from 2010

Posted on by

0

This morning I was looking at old assignments from previous semesters. The assignment posted below was from advertising copywriting class I took back in 2010 with Professor Schachter at FIT.  (Same professor that assigned this blog) I wonder what grade I got on this assignment???

Creative Brief for Sketchers Shape-ups

Product: Sketchers, Shape-ups

What is the business objective? To introduce a new line of sneaker from Sketchers Fitness Group.

 How can advertising help accomplish this objective? Advertising will convince consumers that Shape-ups have the technology to tone muscles by burning more calories and improve posture, anywhere or anytime.

Who is the target consumer? Women who are looking to improve physique and posture in a way that allows them to accomplish this throughout the day. Age 20-35.

Women are constantly searching for new ways to improve their body, especially when it comes to burning calories and toning muscles. It takes time and a large amount of commitment in order for most women to achieve the level of fitness they desire. This is because of factors such as time constraints from other responsibilities, such as work, family, household work, social life, etc. Other factors exist like lack of confidence or knowledge of fitness training. A product that can deliver fitness improving benefits, like burning calories, toning muscles, and improving posture while still allowing the consumer to participate in their daily routine at the same time is appealing.

What do we want the target consumer to know about the product? That Shape-ups are designed to burn calories, tone muscles, and improve posture while you wear them throughout the day.

Why will they believe this is true? Shape-ups were designed by the Sketchers Fitness Group in order to achieve these fitness-improving benefits. The advertisement includes a link for consumers to “share your story at myshapeups.com” in order to read first hand accounts of Shape-up users.

Advertisement Description:

This ad is for a new line of sneaker by Sketchers called Shape-ups. The headline is “SHAPE-UP ANYWHERE!” The visual is a woman in her mid to late 20’s wearing the sneaker, also 3 visuals of the sneaker in different colors are displayed. The body copy states what the sneaker is designed to do and where Shape-ups can be purchased.  At the bottom there is a link for consumers to “share your story at myshapeups.com.”

sketchers

Similar Ad for Creative Brief

WPP | Backgrounder

Posted on by

0

Currently, I am taking a Corporate Communications course that requires me to choose a publicly traded company and follow it in the news for a semester. I chose WPP, a global marketing communications services company, because I am interested in working in the advertising field. Additionally, I must identify trends in the industry and complete a research paper that focuses on how these trends are affecting my company…

Below is the backgrounder I submitted at the beginning of the project. Since this blog is integrated on my website, I thought it would be good to provide some formal writing samples into my blog.

Funny video of CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell

ABOUT WPP

Legos

Ogilvy Kuala Lumpur Lego

WPP is a global media communications services company, operating in the advertising, media, public relations, market research, and specialist consulting industries. It is the largest advertising group by revenues, holding companies like Grey Group, Burson-Marstellar, Hill & Knowlton Strategies, JWT, Ogilvy Group, TNS and Young & Rubicam. WPP employees over 150,000 people in over 2,400 offices in 107 countries. WPP’s primary operating office is located in London, with executive offices in Dublin, Ireland. WPP is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange (WPP) and has a second listing on the NASDAQ (WPPGY). WPP is well known for lowering its corporate tax bill, paying only 1.6% of total revenue in 2010.

WPP’s operations can be split into four main sectors; advertising and media, market research, public relations and specialist consulting.

The advertising and media investment management sector employs the design and production of advertising campaigns through various types of mediums. For instance, TV, cable, Internet, radio, magazines, newspapers, mobile phones, outdoor locations, and billboards. Also, its services are responsible for the planning, creation and execution of marketing and branding campaigns.

Next, the market research sector provides services for companies seeking consumer insight research, product development, media planning, advertising models, specific consumer studies and equity research. This sector falls under the umbrella group called Kantar.

The public relations sector focuses on advising clients on how to best communicate with their consumers. This also includes government lobbying, crisis management and corporate communications.

The last sector is specialist communications consulting. This sector was brought on by technological advancements in the digital field. This includes branding, digital strategy and sales promotions agencies.

 

COMPETITION

            WPP mainly competes in the advertising and marketing services industry. However, WPP also competes in the consulting services, market research and polling services industries. The company’s main competitors are Interpublic Group, Omnicom and Publicis Groupe. It is important to note that WPP’s holding companies also compete against each other. For instance, WPP owns numerous advertising agencies that all fight to get the same clients.

 

CURRENT ENVIRONMENT & TRENDS

            WPP plans to release 2011 Annual Report on March 1, 2012. The current environment for this industry can be defined by the state of the global economy. In 2009, the communications services industry struggled during the height of a global recession. Falling stocks and lost revenues caused companies to redistribute funds and move dollars away from advertising and communications. However, the economy is growing and more jobs are being created, especially in the United States. WPP’s Chief Executive Officer said, “2012 promises a maxi-quadrennial boost in the shape of the Summer Olympics in London, the European Football Championships and the US presidential elections.”

The most apparent trend in the communications services industry is the significance of a new digital medium. The industry has seen a move towards digital media over the past five years because of its addressable and measureable nature. In WPP’s 2012 Annual Report, Sorrell stated in that “WPP was founded to capitalize on these trends and remains in an excellent position to do so in [the] future.” In just two months WPP has acquired five digital media companies, including companies that specialize in social media, mobile marketing and search engine marketing.

This trend is important to WPP and the communications industry because digital media can grow and evolve at a very fast pace. Also, the consumer has more control over the messages they want to see. In this environment, traditional media will quickly become obsolete and leave companies that are not following this trend behind.

Informational Interview

Posted on by

2

A couple weeks ago I went on an informational interview for one of my classes. I have had this professor a couple times and she always assigns an informational interview during the semester because it encourages students to network. Luckily, my aunt is a member of a prestigious women’s organization called the Belizean Grove and was able to put me in contact with Julie Koch-Beinke, the president and partner of a NY based advertising agency.

Logo

Grover Logo

Julie Koch-Beinke

President/Partner of Alternatives

Julie started her career in her hometown of Cincinnati. In college, she studied design and art. After interning in New York, she had the opportunity to work on big advertising design projects as a freelancer. With her husband, an architectural designer, she moved to NYC and together they started an ad agency from the ground up. This was in the 1980’s and her agency, Alternatives, is still going strong. The agency tackles a broad range of capabilities including advertising, branding, packaging, print, digital, media and product development. Also, they agency has worked with a number of clients; Kiss My Face (since the 80’s), AMEX, L’Oreal, Swatch, Victoria’s Secret, Revlon, Coach, Calvin Klein, et al.

Julie is a contact I obtained through my Aunt, Rebecca Boenigk, who is a well-known CEO/executive in the women’s empowerment and small business community. Julie is a member of an elite and exclusive women’s organization called, The Belizean Grove. Additionally she is involved in numerous women’s organization and charities. One organization she works with helps struggling artists market themselves more effectively and make smarter business decisions.

 

What I learned…

            Currently, I am a senior at FIT and vigorously searching for a full-time position post graduation. However, because I obtained this contact through a relative, I decided to utilize it as an informational interview for this assignment. We discussed the evolution of the advertising industry, jobs market, economy, her career path, her agency, my career goals and objectives and general advice for my job hunt. Also, we discussed how I have been utilizing my network to set up informational interviews and get my resume in front of as many people as possible. I have revised my resume a dozen times and have great work experience in a number of industries including; fashion marketing, branding/advertising, media and television production. So, why am I having so much trouble locking down something permanent?

Julie told me that the most important lesson I should learn from this informational interview is to not get discouraged by the jobs market. Even though I am qualified and focused, I can’t take rejection personally. The advertising industry is improving and agencies are starting to hire again, but at a slow rate. However, this doesn’t mean that all agencies have available positions. For example, her agency is looking to grow in the digital market, but all the growth will be internal.

Another topic we discussed was working at a corporate agency versus a start-up agency, both options having advantages and disadvantages. Corporate agencies tend to hire entry-level positions more because they have training and growth programs. Job perks like health insurance, paid vacations and extra time off make corporate agencies look very appealing. However, they have the lowest salaries for entry-level hires. On the other hand, smaller agencies tend to pay more, but don’t want to hire someone without experience. She suggested I focus on finding a position with a bigger agency like Grey Group or Ogilvy. She believes that the training programs provided by these agencies are crucial to really developing my skill set. Also, these agencies evaluate often, so there is more opportunity for bonuses and raises depending on performance.

At the end of the interview she gave me advice on how I can improve my job search. First, continue to reach out through my various networks and always follow up when people don’t respond. Secondly, I should view everything as a possible career opportunity. This means to start the conversation at parties and talk to everyone. Also, she said to practice interviewing at home and prepare answers to every question possible. Last, to portray a confident attitude, even when in the face of rejection because you never know when new opportunities may present themselves.

Why Obama’s Pinterest will work for his campaign?

Posted on by

0

 

YUM

1. Pinterest is a destination for inspiring content.

The majority of Pinterest users engage with inspiring content on the site. Like cooking recipes, fashion, design, feel good mantras, interior design, scrapbooking ideas, organization ideas, et al. Users go to the site to feel inspired and look at pretty or interesting images. Also, they want to share what inspires them by posting or re-pinning images. Pinterest’s About Page states, “People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” If the Obama Pinterest page can provide this type of content, it might inspire a political identity for pinners or recapture lost supporters.

2. Large volume of female users

Business insider reported that approximately 95% of Pinterest users are female. The female vote will be crucial in this election, especially after the birth control/abortion conversations in the Republican primaries. Women want to express their opinions, inspirations and lifestyle choices and Pinterest provides this environment. Also, based on this social network women are influenced by images and their peers. So, approaching women in this vulnerable environment might help to swing voters in Obama’s direction.

 

3. Lighter fare content will bring positive feelings towards the first family.

            The Obama page will feature five lifestyle related boards. This content could bring positive feelings towards the President, the first family and the administration. For instance, the Obama family chili recipe is pinned on one of the boards. Also, Michelle and her daughter’s fashion will be featured on another board. It allows users (supporters) to engage with the first family on a new and closer level. The first family is extremely cut off from society and normally we only see them through the media’s looking glass. The Pinterest page is a tool to skip that medium. Pinner’s will be able to re-pin images of Obama cupcakes and have the recipe to back them. Or, order and wear Obama paraphernalia purchased through the e-commerce section of the page.

 

4. Staff can closely control content

One of the best marketing aspects of social media is that brand managers can control the content put out in their network. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest provides an opportunity to create an image-based identity, instead of just conversations. All images are approved by the campaign staff and curated for specific audiences or purposes. While the success of the Pinterest page for the campaign is undecided, placing positive and inspiring content will help to build campaign awareness and identity for the President.

Support the Obama 2012 Campaign here!