talk

The back-to-school ads are here. So are the slightly shorter days and the perceptibly cooler nights. Take your last trips to the beach, because like it or not, fall is just around the corner.

And with the arrival of fall comes the yearly onslaught of new fall trends. According to trend forecasters, over-the-knee and thigh-high boots are going to be popular in Autumn 2009, as are capes, capelets, and cloaks. Ripped tights and stockings and sheer or see-through articles of apparel are forecasted to be hugely trendy this fall as well. Asymmetrical, one-shouldered dresses, tops, and swimwear are another look that fashion forecasters predict will make a big splash during September, October, November, and December. The Ripped-and-torn denim trend that has started to gain traction this summer is forecasted to grow into a full-blown, mainstream, and ubiquitous look the way plaid patterns already have this year. The analysts at Pantone, Inc. have also recently released their top ten picks for colors that will be hot this fall. These tones, which have already started cropping up all over outerwear, and winter accessories on runways, include Honey Yellow, Warm Olive, and Brunt Sienna. Re-interpreted neutrals like Iron Grey and an off-white hue that Pantone calls Crème Brulee that will also be a big part of fall apparel offerings everywhere from low-end retailers to top-tier department stores and couture collections.

So what does this mean for marketers? These fall trend and color forecasts suggest that consumers are ready to try something new, while keeping around a few old favorites from earlier seasons. The higher boots and see-through clothing are definitely newer trends, and the tartan print and dark-rinse jeans that attained must-have status this season are not forecasted to continue their reign, so fashion forecasters clearly believe that consumers are craving a change. However, neutrals have been a classic standby for decades, and torn jeans have always been around in one incarnation or another, so shoppers won’t be looking to totally re-invent themselves. Knowing that consumers are looking for a refreshing change, but not a complete 180, on the fashion front could prove valuable for marketers and brand managers in categories as diverse as packaged goods and financial services, since this desire for a subtle change will likely evidence itself in consumer behavior in areas other than apparel and accessory purchases. Manufacturers of cake mixes, for example, might do well to bring out a line extension in a new flavor, but perhaps should not go so far to launch a new brand of baking products. In a similar vein, banks and financial services firms might want to consider offering variations on existing mortgage and loan packages, but not scrapping the entire current menu of services and putting together a new one from scratch. Consumers may be hoping for a little novelty, but with the economy still underperforming, but they won’t want to completely abandon their tried-and-true preferences.

For many of us, the current economic climate has curtailed more than just our shoe shopping or vacationing habits. It’s hitting us right in the gut (no pun intended) by changing our food and beverage consumption habits as well. As Elizabeth Strott, a finance journalist, explained concisely in a July 2009 MSN Money article, “The slumping economy has changed America’s attitudes toward eating out.” Zagat statistics show that a whopping 33% of restaurant-goers nationwide have reported becoming more attentive to menu prices at restaurants, and that 28% of regular restaurant patrons indicated that they have switched to dining at cheaper restaurants than they used to frequent before the recession began. About one-fifth of consumers polled are still dining out regularly, but have given up ordering alcoholic beverages, appetizers, or desserts when they do. All of this spells fewer customers and lower bottom lines for all kinds of dining establishments, from the high-end locations to the ones that feature drive-through windows and 99-cent Whoppers. “Restaurants need to be ready for customers who feel tired, overwhelmed and tapped out financially,” noted Maria Caranfa, the director of Mintel Menu Insights, a menu consultancy, recently.

So is there a silver lining, so to speak, to this restaurant-busting cloud? Well, for one, when consumers eat out less, they begin to cook at home more, and studies show that meals cooked at home usually contain more vegetables and whole grains and tend to be lower in calories, fat, and sodium. Consumers are also more likely to consume reasonable portion sizes when cooking—and eating—at home. Thus, fewer dollars spent dining out-of-home could make for healthier consumers. Even during a recession, healthier consumers are more likely to spend on the lucrative categories of sporting goods and athletic apparel. Secondly, as experiences middle-class American consumers have historically loved—like an annual five-day vacation or the purchase of a new car— have increasingly become out of reach, shoppers are looking to boost their own morale by enjoying smaller, more affordable indulgences to the fullest (by buying whipped cream to go with that instant hot chocolate, or purchasing hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles and to top their ice cream.)

Shoppers will also be looking for inexpensive ways to enhance their at-home dining experience, and will be more interested in trying out new food and beverage products and in seeking new flavors and textures to add to their homemade meals. This provides a great opportunity for supermarket retailers and packaged goods companies like ConAgra, Kraft Foods, and Nestle, since consumers are more likely now than ever to toss a newly introduced product into their carts at the grocery store. According to Diana Cholewa, a senior analyst at Mintel, this means that companies who decide to introduce food products with flavors like persimmon, starfruit, lavender, cactus, and masala are poised to enjoy higher sales this year. Consumers who feel “stuck in a rut” (due to, say, an extended period of joblessness) will often seek to alleviate their ennui by choosing products that feel novel and exciting, and purchases made at the supermarket, convenience store, and greengrocer are no exception. In large part, successful marketing is about getting inside a consumer’s head and working to truly understand his or her wants and needs; if marketers can bear this in mind in our current economic climate and translate this insight into improved product offerings and line extensions in processed food categories, the results could be fantastic.

Walk down Fifth Avenue (or through Battery Park, or around Williamsburg), and you’re likely to notice that a lot of the bodies rushing back and forth are clothed or accessorized in one of this year’s hottest trends: designs inspired by the diverse origins of global culture. Ikat prints, Madras fabrics, and African-inspired textiles and shapes add interest to every woman’s (and man’s) wardrobe, and it seems that clothing, shoe, handbag, jewelry, and even lingerie designers, manufacturers, and retailers at price points ranging from haute couture to bargain basement have caught wind of this in the past twenty months or so. Dresses and sandals reflecting this trend can be seen on the sales floors of Banana Republic stores nationwide, as well as at the chain’s lower-end fast fashion sibling, Old Navy. It seems appropriate that a look that can claim so many geographically and culturally diverse influences can also be had at diverse price points, and the influences of global culture have accordingly filtered into the fashion water supply of Everytown, USA just as effectively as they have into that of Hollywood or Manhattan.

This summer’s hot print, spotted on everything from Land’s End swim separates to Burberry cocktail dresses, seems to be the Ikat. Ikat (also spelled Ikkat) prints are traditionally created by dying warp or weft portions of thread, and then weaving that thread into a two-dimensional fabric on a loom. Ikat textiles have been woven in cultures the world over: Agrentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Japan, Thailand, and Bali have all been home to generations of Ikat weavers. The print even derives its name from somewhere most of the print’s current wearers would likely consider exotic: Malaysia, where ikat means “to tie” or “to bind” in the Malay language. Once used to adorn Buddhist monks’ robes, Ikat now decorates both Topshop bras and pieces from the Fall 2007 Balenciaga and Armani collections.

Madras fabric, too, seems to be experiencing something of a fashion Renaissance. Once the exclusive province of the country-club set and an icon of classic prepster style, this light-colored plaid print is now appearing on everything from miniskirts, shorts, and sundresses to neckties and Converse All-Star sneakers. The lightweight, textured cotton fabric takes its appellation from the nineteenth-century English name for the city of Chennai, India. More recently, Madras has been given a new twist by designers like Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo, and Madras-patterned pieces can be found everywhere from mall-based retailer American Eagle to J. Crew, the decades-old purveyor of all things pearls and pinstripes.

African-inspired shapes, colors, and textiles are having their moment in the sun, too. A summer-preview issue of T Magazine, the New York Times’s weekend fashion supplement, ran a story highlighting the African design motifs that are cropping up on this season’s dresses, shoes, and jackets. In the past few months, Louis Vuitton, Missoni, and Oscar de La Renta have all produced designs that are a nod to traditional African art and textiles. The works of designers who themselves hail from the continent have become highly popular, too: Azzedina Alaia of Tunisia, Oswald Boateng of Ghana, Deola Sagoe of Nigeria, and Marc Bouwer of South Africa have all made their marks on the fashion landscape in recent years. Opening Ceremony, one of Manhattan’s hippest boutiques, featured the wares of African designers during the Spring 2009 season. Global culture’s influence has clearly taken the fashion world by storm, and isn’t letting go anytime soon.

So is your closet craving a dose of the exotic? No need to book a flight to Zimbabwe or Chennai; the subway to Bloomingdale’s will do just fine.

The key to making strategic use of these observations about globally-influenced fashion trends may be to consider what implications Madras-adorned Chuck Taylors and Ikat-printed lingerie might have for other product categories. Since consumers have effectively told us—by speaking with their wallets, that is!—that they are craving that which is exotic, unusually-geographically-sourced, and originates from a cultural tradition different from their own respective ones, there’s no reason to limit our efforts to provide them with products that fit these descriptors to the clothes-and-accessories category. Market analysts and retailers can work together to sate this thirst for globally-influenced product by, say, stocking supermarket shelves with more Thai peanut and Japanese carrot-ginger salad dressings and fewer bottles of Ranch and Vinaigrette varieties. If taking steps such as these could lead to happier (and less tight-fisted) consumers in the food product category, imagine what increasing exotic and globally-influenced offerings could do for the home décor and art markets. Making Scandinavian-style furniture and room accents available to consumers at all price points, as Ikea has done, or providing every shopper, no matter what his or her yearly income, with the opportunity to purchase Indian-style embellished placemats and pottery, at Pier 1 has, could be all it takes to convince homeowners and apartment-dwellers alike to part with a little more cash or to make an unplanned purchase during a weekend stroll around town.

In the same vein, maybe performing arts centers could fill more seats and sell more premium tickets by more frequently booking the likes of Ballet Hispanico or Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (a troupe whose repertory includes lots of African- and Latin-influenced works). Since the trend landscape in the music category is tightly liked to that of the fashion category, perhaps record labels should consider allocating even greater portions of their advertising budgets to the promotion of artists such as Shakira and Enrique Inglesias, since consumers’ craving for the globally-influenced means that the potential for a lucrative return on this type of investment is enormous. Even market analysts and brand managers in the perfume and cosmetics categories would do well to include more exotic-themed fragrances and personal care products on shelves everywhere from Sephora locations to Target stores. Since neuroscientists have known for decades that humans instinctively crave novelty, all of us in the marketing community can put this knowledge to savvy use by assuming a global perspective when designing and selecting the products that we will promote during upcoming seasons—the choice to provide consumers at every price point with products influenced by global culture represents a great opportunity to positively impact the bottom lines of myriad product categories, increase consumer satisfaction, and even boost brand loyalty.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen

 Written by Adal Gutierrez

The new movie building big expectations, not only among Disney fans, but especially among adults who have read the book, is Tim Burton’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. What is already an interesting project, because it is Burton and it is Alice, is flavored by the actors who bring the main characters to life: Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen; Anne Hathaway as the White Queen; and the new face of Australian actress Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Burton has already said he will stay true to the stories’ essence, although the plot is about a 17-year-old Alice that goes back to Wonderland, a place she visited ten years before. Recently, the images of some movie characters have been released and as you might guess, the movie will be a combination of live performance with animation. With Burton’s gift of a kind of insane and mesmerizing creativity; this movie might just surpass the great expectations it is generating. Alice in Wonderland is in pre-production and is expected to open in theaters March 5, 2010.

Too see more characters from the new movie, click below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2009/jun/23/tim-burton-alice-in-wonderland-johnny-depp?lightbox=1

Written by Melissa Schwartz

In this day and age, technology seems to be establishing itself as the go-to medium for marketing campaigns. However, some major companies are taking an old school approach when it comes to promoting their products and services—and they are generating positive results!

Nike’s “Paper Battlefield” campaign, which consisted of a series of silk screen posters featuring and created by the top 10 teenage stars of the Nike Basketball League, just won the renowned Cannes Design Grand Prix on June 24^th.  What makes this win most interesting is that in an applicant pool consisting of over 1,100 campaign entries, many of which were touted as ‘technologically innovative’, Nike’s campaign utilized a 10^th century platform (silk screening). They were renowned “for simplicity over technical virtuosity or category-busting innovation”; according to the Cannes design jury.

Nike isn’t the first power-brand taking a back to basics approach to marketing.  In 2007, UPS launched their now infamous Whiteboard campaign, a series of commercials featuring a man drawing mundane pictures on a white board in order to tell stories about different UPS shipping options and company values. Since the commercials first aired they have received over 100,000 hits on YouTube and were even parodied by arch nemesis—FedEx.

So why are such basic campaigns generating so much consumer buzz? When companies such as CBS Outdoor are developing advertising platforms which allow consumers to connect their iPhone to a display screen via WiFi or 3G to create personalized posters, how is one guy with a pen and a white board making headlines?  I could only imagine it is at least partially due to the fact that consumers are constantly inundated with cutting edge media. Ironically, technical and creative innovation has become the norm. In an era where each design company and advertising agency are attempting to outdo one another with the most attention grabbing and novel ideas, the presence of straightforward campaigns–where the message, not the medium, is the main focus—can be relieving. Throw in the fact that in this economy marketing budgets are being cut left and right, and everyone seems to be scaling down, letting go of some of the bells and whistles associated with modern advertising may just be the way to go.

See these ads at:

http://whiteboard.ups.com/#

http://adage.com/cannes09/article?article_id=137548 

I’ve heard it stated before that the sale of “small luxuries” like lipsticks and other beauty products actually increase during times of economic recession.  It seems this is ringing especially true right now with Latinas!  Latinas are more image conscious than non-Latinas in that 57% (compared to 42% of non-Latinas) said that they do “whatever it takes to look younger”.  In fact, Latinas are actually spending more than women of other races in the clothing, footwear, accessories and make-up departments!

Some cosmetic brands (Sephora, Clinique, L’Oreal) have already foreseen the great buying power that the Hispanic community presents and have expanded their line of products to incorporate more appealing options for Latinas.  Also, and possibly more important, these products live alongside and often in conjunction with their general market counterparts.  By doing this, these brands are actually creating a sense of acknowledgement amongst Latinas.  And being that Latinas are brand loyal consumers, I think it’s safe to say that no brand can afford ignoring them!

Ok, first let me give credit where credit is due: My 67 year old, conservative yet media savvy mother sent me this link.

It leads to a hub for disillusioned yet Americans in search for a new road map to follow.  Its main attraction is a well produced music video that puts its finger on the pulse of an American Population lost with within the tumult and turmoil that for better or for worse has turned our economy upside down. The premise that “I played by the rules and then the rules changed” is a valid one, if not the most empowering one. Perhaps in this new economy it’s not enough to simply play by the rules of the game, but we must also be prepared to see where the game is going and be prepared for changes. In a way, it’s a kind of therapeutic tool that builds community off of shared stories of personal sorrows. I think ultimately it will be an important part of our American history to chronic these stories of what the average American went through in the depression of 2009.
Its got a catchy tune as well.

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

By now I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Swine Flu epidemic which has been creating media frenzy for the past 2 weeks. IF you have not heard of it, frankly I’m a little concerned for you, and not because of the threat Swine Flu poses. In light of the current outbreak I have been stocking up on Purell these days but that is as far as my preventative measures have taken me. However, others are taking it to a bit more extreme measures… I give you the Flu Fashion Respirator Mask! They look like the surgical masks you would find in a drug store just wrapped in “stylish” fabric. The collection includes bandana prints, tie dye and of course what line would be complete without animal prints?! I haven’t been fortunate enough to see anyone sporting these on the streets of NYC yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!

Consumers perception of going green has risen and fallen faster than the stock market these days. Companies and consumers alike have experienced this roller coaster of a ride as our economy went from boom to bust. Going green was a way for corporations to flex their social responsibility muscles and for consumers to feel empowered by the green products they consumed daily. We’re all playing our role in conserving mother nature…

It seems like healthy food, hybrid cars and energy efficiency have become a thing of the past before they even hit the mainstream. The economic crisis has changed everything! Going green is no longer as important as stretching the almighty dollar; value is where it’s at. We see the shift happening everywhere as the Costco’s, Wal-mart’s and Target’s of the world have become the brands of choice for everything from groceries to fashion. Let’s not even peak into the grocery aisles of our favorite grocery stores, where private labels have increased market share in a way that they could never have imagined.

The days of making emotional purchases are long gone. Kiss the designer duds good-bye and while your at don’t even bother looking at the menu at that 5-star restaurant. We’re shopping at Target and grabbing a value meal at McD’s. This is not far from the truth as the most successful corporations have adopted a value proposition that is more in line with the current economic times.

The yellow brick road towards value has clearly been laid and it is the new reality as we embrace more responsible ways of managing our finances. A little savings anybody!? Let’s pray this is a cyclical trend and the boom is on the horizon.

Private label is growing. Walmart, Target and Safeway and even 7-11 are just a few of the big guns that have invested heavily into their own store brands. These labels are differentiated and taste good. Gone are the days of cheap black on white packaging or a lack of cache associated with a store brand – today, in the age of a recession – private label is de rigeure. These products deliver on functionality and are now building emotional ties with consumers during a difficult time. What implications does this phenomenon have for mainstream brands – can mainstream brands remain competitive throughout the recession and thereafter?

Mainstream brands are eroding but will never go away they are simply being redefined to include brands that have not traditionally been well promoted. This is a fight for share of heart and private labels can use these tough economic times to its advantage touting value in product quality and in price. What is deemed an acceptable brand will be those that deliver on the brand promise and in the case of packaged goods, quality, taste, performance. We are moving towards the mantra of if it’s good they will come. New emotional ties will be developed with these private label brands and mainstream brands will have to try harder to retain that emotional connection that sacrifices price for perceived value and differentiation. Since private label brands are now about more than simply price, there is emotional resonance and loyalty.

The good news here is that the renewed acceptance of private label brands will push mainstream brands to keep it honest and to stay on the forefront of innovation in order to justify price differentials. This increased competition for share of wallet and mind will ring with greater authenticity and values for consumers.