talk

Parents often have an image in their heads about who might offer their kids drugs that has nothing to do with reality. The members of Generation Einstein, as children born after 1988 are being called, have a good grasp on perception management. You see it in the popular teen shows like Gossip Girls; you hear it in their references to what is, or what isn’t “off brand” for them.

This is making it harder for innocent parents to discern who is a menace to their family and who isn’t. This challenge taken to another level when you throw into the equation the fact that these parents are not American ex-hippies, well aware of the subject at hand, but 1st generation Latinos, more familiar with kidnappings & violence than they are of the slow burning social ills that plague our urban centers. They face an uphill battle of cultural differences as their children adopt the language and customs of American kids, which they often have trouble understanding.

Many such parents prefer to defer such important, but often awkward, conversations to another family member or to the school system without realizing that such procrastination facilitates the opportunity for others to make that first introduction to Mary Jane. Parents also have trouble with the idea that kids as young as 11 or 12 are already getting exposed to pot.

These latest ads were developed with Latino parents in mind to bring precisely these ideas to life. The pictures are sweet and cynical meant to drive a point home. They are meant to be provocative to get kids and parents talking about the subject. The idea is that if we give parents and kids a reason to start talking about the subject, we’ve accomplished half the battle.

In the past, the perception of genius was counter-productive to the collaborative working environment so crucial for most of us today. Yet we’re still enamored with this classic sense of the genius as the steadfast individual that toils on his own towards a huge breakthrough that revolutionizes art or science. Ayn Rand’s hero in “the Fountainhead” embodied this concept, as does the perennial Albert Einstein who has been representing this “genius brand” for the past 30 years.

As defined by Wikipedia a genius is a person of great intelligence, who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work. But how applicable is this to our everyday? The idea of the solitary genius working in a vacuum producing breakthrough work on his or her own is swiftly going the way of the VHS players, walkmans, & Cd’s. The notion that some are “born with it” and others are not may be true but at the end it’s those that best pursue the “it” through perseverance and collaboration that will most likely snag the genius title.

continue reading “The Genius Connection”

Thomas Friedman wrote in his modern classic “The World is Flat,” about how the Internet has paved the way for a fluid cultural exchange that defies borders. As a result, young people chat with friends from other parts of the world about common interests such as manga and parkour. Many would argue then that nationalities matter less today and that brands should downplay where they come from. Should brands then have a home country, and how should they behave when they travel?

Let’s start by remembering that globalization is only part of what seems to be a nice balancing act in how people see themselves and how they interact with others. As technology brings us closer, there are other things that keep us rooted and local including business, politics and the steady and powerful tug of family and community. We live in two worlds, the ether world of global integration and the physical world that is home. Brands need to reach that perfect balance; they must be both worldly and rooted, depending on the when and where.

Country brands, or the set of associations that people have regarding a country and its also, also impact product brands from those countries as they seek to develop their brand personality. continue reading “Building a cosmopolitan brand : which flags to wave as your brand travels the world”

It makes sense when you think about it.

Ralph Lauren can remake the Great Gatsby with all its 1920’s American Royalty luxury. Juicy Couture could put out a 16th century raunchy French comedy full of dark humor and cotton candy wigs. Levis could remake Rebel without a Cause, or reinvent a great American tradition in need of an update: The Western. DKNY can tell a futuristic city sleek story of action, ambition and betrayal. Alexander McQueen could make a series of shorts: Grimms Fairy Tales, for adults.

With Product placement becoming more of the norm, it seems like only the big studios and the fashion & luxury brands will be able to rescue my favorite genre before it becomes to expensive to produce: The period piece; The historical fantasy; Those films that take you to a time and place before products.

I could go on and on, about the different designer luxury brands that could tell fabulous stories, it’s an expensive endeavor, and few will take the risk even though the rewards might very well skyrocket their brands. continue reading “Will fashion brands join the Advertainment revolution shooting movies that tell a trend story?”

I am a huge fan of fashion websites and I must say that one of my favorites is Fashiontribes.com. This site delivers articles on the hottest fashion trends and highlights cool designers. During Fashion Week, it covers the runways too and really gives you a front-row view of the . I love the Chic Steals and Fashion Deals of the Week section that displays a great list of cool finds at reasonable prices. If you’re into fashion and haven’t checked this site out, you definitely need to catch up on what you’ve been missing!!

Ok, so with all thats been going on in the democratic party, i couldn’t resist one political rant.If Barack Obama wants to make a transformative impact on the politics of this country, he will start with his choice in Vice President. This choice will say a lot about him. Whether he’s truly seeking someone who will complement him ideologically and otherwise to help win over those that do not trust him. Whether he can stand up to the strong enclaves of power within his own party and look to what’s really right for him, his team, and the country at whole.Hillary Clinton is a brilliant woman, a strong leader and a good public servant, but Hillary Clinton is not the right VP choice for Barack Obama. Even though this “dream team” may unite the party for a moment, chances are great that it will fraction it further in the long run.And at the end of the day, it’s not just the democratic vote Barack needs. He needs the independent vote, the vote of people who are pro-family but are concerned about gas prices, the economy; the vote of antiwar Republicans that are upset with their party. He needs to show that he understands their moral concerns, and can bridge and foster dialogue in areas where more is needed.This two party system must evolve with the needs of the country, and Barack can champion that evolution with a solid if controversial ticket that truly showcases a solid team that can lead the country, not just half the country.

The artists that are shaping our culture today can no longer be limited to the art gallery and the museum. Today’s artists are broadcasting their work all over the world on screens large and small. They are fluidly migrating back and forth from the art and commercial worlds. Brands like BMW, Adidas, Scion, Louis Vuitton have created clear points of view that they now own as movements. This comes as art has become mainstream and as consumers and the art establishment encourage mixing and matching. It’s fair to say that commercialism and new technologies have shaken up the art world. But this was not always so.

During most of the latter part of the twentieth century, figure art and craftmanship lost its perceived value as the art-buying elites took their acquisition cues from the prevalent mood among critics and artists such as Duchamp. “Traditional” artists, then, went into the more lucrative, less subjective worlds of commercial Art where an image needed to tell a clear story.

continue reading “Business Art is happening now”

As spring brings with it warmer climate, I feel the urge to venture out more and take advantage of New York’s rich cultural offerings. Last month I attended a lively talk at the 92^nd Street Y by three of the world’s leading writers: Umberto Eco from Italy, Salman Rushdie from India via England, and Mario Vargas Llosa from Peru. The conversation entitled “Three Musketeers” in homage to Dumas’ classic started with each writer reading a part of his most recent novel in its original language form.

The reading was followed by a discussion around various topics including literature of both the good and the bad kind and the place of writers in politics. The three writers were at ease as good friends are when they reconnect after many years. They simply picked up where they had left.

When talking about Dumas’ novel, Eco, who is semiotics professor at the University of Bologna, expressed that the “Musketeers” captured something in the collective imagination but that the novel did not pass muster in terms of its compositional and technical merits. continue reading “Would there be only three musketeers if Dumas had Facebook?”

The once secret world of the sneaker collector has exploded into popular culture, with a whole army of fans hungry for the rarest shoes, the latest designs or reissued classics in a never-ending myriad of color and materials. Sneaker fashion has evolved to the status level of couture. The exclusivity, craftsmanship and design in women’s haute couture has translated into the male sneaker world. This has spawned a renaissance of creativity, collaboration and demand. Bragging rights to be the first or only person in your circle to have the latest exclusive shoe comes at a cost.

My girlfriend has her Manolo Blahnik shoes. I have my Alife sneakers. Our habits are closer than we think.

As the economy forces fashion shoppers to find ways to save while looking stylish, it seems that concern for the environment is also helping to further blur the lines between high and mass-fashion.  Target and Barney’s have partnered in the support of a new eco-friendly line by Council of Fashion Designers of America winner, Rogan Gregory. The line, Rogan for Target, will feature sexy and fashion forward clothes made of environmentally sensitive materials including organic cotton. The collection will be previewed during a week-long engagement at Barney’s before it launches across the nation in all Target stores.  Could this be the beginning of an era of smarter brand collaborations where brands, regardless of price, come together to reflect their consumers’ natural mixing and matching across price points and styles?