Gap is a brand that has stayed alive for years, I see gap clothes in thrift stores all the time, they are usually really durable and hold up to the test of time. They are trying to become iconic again by announcing a “10-year partnership with creative entrepreneur and rapper Kanye West and his distinctive fashion line, Yeezy, with the intention of creating a line of products appropriately named ‘Yeezy Gap’”. The New York Times said that “Yeezy’s design studio, under Mr. West’s creative direction, plans to create “modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points.” Mr. West’s “design vision” will extend to how the line will be showcased in Gap’s stores and online.” We shall see how this pans out, Kanye is a very interesting person, and everyone has different opinions on him, so who knows who the audience for buying his clothes are.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/business/kanye-west-gap-stock/index.html
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In 2020, marketers will have to constantly rewrite their own strategies for reacting to incidents from positive COVID-19 tests to socially divisive protests. They will need to adjust their marketing strategies if they are going to conduct successful campaigns. Brands must be responsive to the concerns of the players they work with, letting them take the lead on what messages they want to emphasize to the public. In other words, brands need to let the athletes speak instead of pushing their agendas for them, the power is in the hands of the people, but can the big brands give up their agendas? prweek says that, “The NFL’s core fanbase is not as liberal as the NBA, but it’s not as conservative as NASCAR,” she says. “It’s somewhere in the middle, and ratings will be a key indicator of how [protests are] received and how the NFL will be able to push through this Tension.” https://deadline.com/2020/09/nfl-sunday-social-activism-several-teams-scramble-when-national-anthem-plays-1234580456/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2020/09/19/nfl-protest-anthem-stage-football/5824880002/ The U.S. Travel Association came up with the “Let’s Go There” campaign that aims to inspire Americans to “make plans to travel”. Their campaign they are launching encourages Americans to plan to travel in the future even though COVID is still very well a threat. Their video campaign says to “aim for the horizon”, and encourages people to book a flight or plan a trip now. I think this is a smart campaign because we all miss traveling and getting to go to exciting places. They do a good job being vague so you can really picture yourself traveling where you want to go. Their page also has resources for travel destinations to try and get tourists to want to travel there. The CDC has guidelines on their website if you plan on traveling, and how traveling increases your chances of catching COVID. Overall it’s a good campaign, but I am not sure how well it will work because people are scared to travel right now due to COVID. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-safe-travel-advice/art-20486965 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/travel-advice I was surprised when I read that sports fans are more likely to support BLM, because I associate sports watchers with an older demographic. Because it is a demographic that seems highly conservative, but it makes sense that the younger sports watchers support BLM. Brands definitely should be outspoken about their values, and they should use their platform for good weather its making a statement on political, social, or racial issues. Brands who are socially involved are more likely to catch my eye, because they show they care. Vicki Brakl says in “Be Direct, Be Outspoken, Be Consistent: Why Brand Authenticity Matters”, that, “Being clear about brand values, and consistent in acting on them, should be at the heart of building any brand. Being transparent about why you do what you do is how brands build a customer base”. When brands are transparent they are more trustworthy and gain my respect and in the end, my dollar.
Ena Karabelas wrote a blog post about outspoken brands and said that , “The age of political correctness is over, the age of the outspoken brands is here.” She ended her blog post with, “Today, brands have to decide – are they pro or against? Finally, the ultimate marketer’s dream is achieved – brands are just like people.” Overall, we can all agree that brands who speak out about current issues, and who are more humanized, have our respect. https://outspokenmedia.com/branding/dear-brands-be-edgy-without-being-an-idiot/ Media controls my life anyways, but now it’s become the thing that sustains my life. It is the source of all of my entertainment, schoolwork, and information. Without it I don’t know how we would finish the semester, with letters, essays sent through the post, who knows. I receive more emails than usual, but less texts. I watch more Netflix, but now it seems more like research then entertainment, finishing seasons in mere hours then enjoying them throughout a week.
I bought 2 books to read over break, I don’t know where they are, and don’t really intend to find them. I haven’t really gotten desperate yet, which could be good, a lot of people are. I am just trying to find a new fulfilling routine to keep me sane. I am eating healthier, working out and going on long walks with the family dog. Me and my friends are doing an online workout challenge, (which I think I am the only one sticking too) I do it in my workspace where I have been living on the living room floor. With balancing classes and teachers trying to finish the semester, it’s been difficult to be overly bored and unhappy. I actually have been listening to my usual podcasts and music less because I usually consumed them while driving long distances, which I am not doing anymore. I have been consuming a lot of tiktok, instagram, and snapchat (which is a rarity for me), during this time. I tried to limit my instagram usage by moving it off of the toolbar on my phone and replacing it with the notes app. I did that so instead of going on instagram I would write more of my thoughts, it was a good effort but didn't really work… I’ve found that content on the platforms I follow seems business as usual, clothing brands having sales, influencers promoting brands, people are still creating content. Going through the old photos on their phone, posting “back when we could go outside” thirst traps, looking for attention since they aren’t getting it in real life anymore. The online community has seemed a lot more supportive however, tiers of importance are falling because everyone is in the same boat. We're all raving about Tiger King because we're all watching it, we are all asking for show recommendations and reaching out to people we haven’t talked to in a while. Were all on the same cruise ship? Confined to a singular space separately, but connected by the ship. 10 Shows to binge on Netflix while social distancing (90% of them are Netflix Original series)3/26/2020 I am not OK with this
A 7 episode fantasy Netflix Originals series starring Sophia Lillis, which is easily bingible and not overly cringy for a highschool drama. I was able to finish it in a day, and although I was annoyed that it ended on a cliffhanger, it wasn’t depressing, and reminded me a lot of the hit series, “Stranger Things”. Definitely binge this short series with your favorite snack, and be ready to watch the main character Sydney narrate her struggles with sexuality, and confusing powers that go off when she's angry. Ugly Delicious A Netflix Originals series with 2 seasons for you to binge while bored at home. If you like food shows, mixed with comedy, this is the show for you. It explores the origins of foods, and how some foods are delicious but not so appealing to the eye (hence Ugly Delicious). The show is sprinkled with your favorite celebrities, but also shows you cultures, and foods you may never have experienced before. The Office One of the most classic TV shows of all time that was aired in 2012, and guess what, it’s on Netflix’s top 10 watch list in the US today. If you have never watched the 9 season series, or you just haven’t rewatched it in awhile it’s a show that will uplift you, and distract you from the outside world. While being too worried if Pam and Jim will ever get together, you will forget that you're running out of toilet paper. Anne with an E Another great classic Netflix Originals series, with 3 easily bingible seasons, is Anne with an E. If you read the book when you were younger over and over again this series is sure to bring back memories. The show also has themes of feminism in the midst of the beautiful landscapes of the countryside, and will ease your worries of getting sick after the first episode. Atypical Atypical, humorous coming of age 3 season show that highlights an autisitic boy, Sam, who doesn’t get social cues, along with his older sister, Casey, who is figuring out her sexuality, and dealing with her overbearing mother. This show is sure to pull you back into highschool, and out of reality after you hear your first penguin fact from Sam. Love is Blind A Netflix Originals series that is #6 in Netflix’s top shows in the US list that will make you wish you were in a pod talking to Mark or Lauren all night long. The pods should really be used for people quarantined because of the coronavirus, and instead of talking to someone in another pod, you watch Netflix Originals. For someone who is not into reality dating shows, this was not the worst one I had seen, it gets right to the point, you get to watch a couple of weddings, and it distracts you from your own love life,(or lack of one). On my Block A Netflix Originals series that is #8 in Netflix’s top shows in the US list that will make you cringe but also laugh. The show just aired their third season, and with three seasons comes 3 days of bingibility. Set in the “Ghetto” of LA, the show gives exaggerated insight into gangs, mixed with teenage angst. Dear white people You guessed it, another great Netflix Originals series, an amazingly bingeable 3 season show that will make you miss the college you were forced to vacate. A show that addresses racism, and the intricate relationships between people who happen to be different races. It also gets into conversations about sexuality, and sex, and secret socities, all the S words. Next in fashion Wait a second, you still haven’t binged next in fashion? Wow, disrespectful to one of the best reality TV shows that actually highlights real talent. If you want to be inspired to start sowing while stuck at home, binge this show! Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C.J. Walker A 4 episode Netflix Originals series based on the life of Madam C.J. Walker, the first woman millionaire. It’s an inspiring quick and easy show, that you could easily binge in one afternoon. If you enjoy historical shows, with modern feminist themes, you will be sure to enjoy this series. Interview with Patricio Fuentes CEO of Gelcomm by Sienna HicksWhat is a style guide?
A style guide is a document that consists of a company’s guideless that explains who they are and why they matter, and how the brand's personality is going to be distributed throughout the brand. It is vital to a company's sales force because it helps them understand the values of the brand, and see how those values extend into different segments of the company. After a developed package or website for a company, a style guide is the most important piece a company must have to succeed. Why should you have a style guide? To create brand alignment. It’s not a document that early stage companies usually think about, the first style guide usually happens for a company when they start growing. When a company has partners such as retail partners, marketing partners and sales partners. Why is Brand Consistency so Important? It creates efficiency. When Kinkos started, their stores all were decorated differently, and when the brand started evolving, they created a style guide to keep continuity. All of a sudden all the stores were aligned, it creates a sense of the same experience. If you go in a store like LuLuLemon you're going to know where the men’s section is and where the women’s section is, that alignment came through a style guide. By keeping a tight rein on brand consistency, marketers can drive customer perception from the onset of the engagement all the way through the buyer decision making process. What's important about having a Visual style guide? People are drawn to visuals. The individual has a sense of what the thing will look like. All you need is a little bit of type, and visuals. The visuals immediately connect to a person's emotion. You don’t become a brand until your audience says you're a brand. Where do you start when creating a style guide for a brand? You start with a project brief. Understand who a company is and why they matter. What is unique about that brand, what are their pillars. Our role is then to take their definitions and organize it into a set of points that we can then turn into a style guide. What is Bold Condensed? BoldCondensed is our response to helping early-stage brands experience advanced, professional brand development services from a design agency. We designed the services to be affordable and scalable for all clients. As the company grows, they can add on additional needs through a transparent price model and portal online. The price transparency cuts the friction of having to deal with a proposal that, for some, is intimidating. Why the name, Bold Condensed? It's a play on words a metaphor from typography, a term used to describe a typeface. However, beautifully appropriate to describe an act that is Bold in action, and the outcome is the result of a condensed process or methodology. We are bold in what we do and swift to action. What is the company's objective? To help create lasting success for entrepreneurs and innovators in the space of Consumer Packaged Goods. It is a mission and personal for me. I've seen too many great products fail on the shelf, that initially came to us, only to walk away because they thought they couldn't afford us. Eventually, they went to market with an inferior concept (poorly packaged) from what they originally presented to us and eventually lost everything, including investments from family. Why is this new model effective, and how is it different from Gelcomm? Gelcomm helps brands continue being a brand. They often know who they are and why they matter. Our role for brands is to help them continue evolving through refreshing a line of products or creating greater efficacy in the eyes of an existing audience. Bold is for a company or an individual that dares to dream and believes that part of becoming a brand is driven in part by design, their narrative, and smart marketing. We help understand their ethos and what is unique about them, so that they succeed on the shelf. What is an example of working with a client on a project in 30 days? Hemp Tikun is an early stage company we took on, that was more interested in seizing an opportunity as quickly as possible, then going through a longer packaging process. Yet they wanted to stand out and make an offer to their customers that is unique and above the competition. We went through the process of first understanding what's in the market space, then to understanding who that audience is, and then to developing a brand, and a product line that connects to that audience. Tikun is one of the first that we put through this accelerated model which includes informative the exercises: starting with a project brief, then a shelf audit, and finally an audience audit. What is the Bold Condensed process? In the typical agency model, where you have four or five six months, the client is depending heavily on you to inform them, and they're expecting you to, in many ways, bring to them a great deal of knowledge about how to launch and go to market. In the bold condensed model, it's more collaborative. We're saying to the client, “We're going to do some work, and so are you”. It becomes a much more collaborative exercise where the client is informing us, this is who we are, why we matter and this is how we communicate. You're going to provide us a lot of information about who you are, why you matter, we're going to have some questions, but we're primarily going to focus on what and where that brand is today. Where is it going to be on shelf, and how can we help them find a point of differentiation, that is going to help them to stand out. We then immediately dive into a shelf audit and an audience audit. And then we present to you, “This is what we see in the space, this is what this audience. perception is.” How do you come up with your Designs for your clients? Then we go into the next phase, which is where we get more design inspiration from what we have discovered from the audits. Is there an opportunity for the brand to tell its story through color. Is there an opportunity to tell its story through some kind of narrative is. What's missing on that shelf. What is it that your competitions, saying, not saying, and how can we take advantage of that. We're going to take all that information decipher it down to one visual direction, we're going to roll out some design, and they're going to get two to three designs, inspired by this visual direction. Then we're going to make the most intelligent launch for you at an affordable price, so that you can focus and invest more towards marketing and advertising. |
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