Week 10: Excercise Fashion Consultant

If I was a fashion consultant that had to solve this issue I would sit there and be a mediator. These companies are both capable of solving this issue on their own. I would tell Ginch Gonch that although they can advertise anywhere they might like, the school probably isn’t the right placement for their ads. I might bring in statistics to show that they would be placing their ad in a place that will not generate them sales traffic. They might realize that there might be a better place on the freeway to put up their billboard. I would also argue Ginch Gonch side to the school that they are able to put the ad up wherever they would like. They want to market near the very busy freeway that just so happens to be 100 yards from the school. They might want it there to attract a lot of business because they think that their target market will be driving right there on the freeway. There is pros and cons for each side. I think that in the end the companies need to make a compromise. I think a good idea would be to let Ginch Gonsh put their ad up on the billboard that is close to the school, but say that it can only be a number of the less suggestive ads. Maybe Ginch Gonsh could have a few options and the school could pick which one they would rather put up. This way both companies are helping make the overall decision, and they are both somewhat getting what they want.

Week 10: Chapter Questions Ginch Gonch

1. The key characteristics that make Ginch Gonch advertising unique is their “in your face” risqué approach. They love to use double entendre’s that are very controversial. I think that this brands the company and speaks to one target market. People are buying this fun underwear because they are unique, good quality, sexy, and funny.

2. I think it is fine ethically to sell products using sex. Nearly every company does it in some shape or form. It is what moves product off the shelves. Another retailer who uses sex to sell products would be Dolce & Gabbana. They have very suggestive advertising that uses sex as a selling point. This resembles Ginch Gonch in a way. Both companies are very successful using this technique. I think it makes their product more desirable e because some people think that if they purchase those things they will look like that and or get those types of opportunities. The customer wants to be a part of that lifestyle that the company is promoting.


3. Jason Sutherland was very smart to market to the gay community. I think he decided to do it because he knew that their community would be accepting of his product and advertising. He knew that there was an underserved market for his unique product and that his product would sell well to gay consumers. I think there are many gay consumers! Not only that, but the gay consumers are smart! They know a lot about fashion and trends, and once they find a company they like they become very loyal customers.


4. To be in charge of Ginch Gonch nest fashion assortment would be really cool. Coming up with a name and a way to advertise it would be tricky. It needs to be able to be catchy and risqué at the same time. Since the company has such a large market of the gay community I would focus my name around that. I think I would call it “May Pride”, like gay pride but launch it in may. The colors for the underwear could be rainbow.

Week 9: Excercise Branding Myself

I would like to create a brand for myself that involved the company that I want to own. I want to have my own fashion styling company. I can form the brand around my personal style. My logo would be my name/company name. I have thought up the name Sage Styling (Sage being my middle name). I would not want anything else like an image to be a part of my logo. I want to create a really cool font that will be able to help me brand myself. I want my business cards to be really unique. I have thought about using one of my favorite photographs that I styled the clothing for to be one side of my business card. It would be really fun (and probably way more expensive) to make it so that all the cards were not exactly alike. I could have like 6-10 versions of my business card. The thing that would make them different would be the images that were placed on the front of the card. Every image I used would be an image that I styled the clothing for. I don’t know if I would have a theme song for the company. I would brand myself so that people that use my services typically will listen to a certain type of music, but I don’t think that I want a theme song. I would be selling my styling services to people that needed wardrobe assistance for special events etc, and also to photographers that need a stylist to style their photoshoots for them. My target audience would be women between the ages of 25-35 that typically make 60k-100k a year, and photographers that are mostly into fashion photography. I would not sell my services out of a brick and mortar location until the company grew very large and I employed other people. Until then the company would operate out of my house. I would have a website for information anf feedback from clients.

Week 9: Chapter Questions Brini Maxwell

1. Brini Maxwell is a very unique character not only because she likes the retro style of everything, but because she is a man playing a women. “Unlike other male hosts of domestic programs such as Christopher Lowell, who only does interior design, or cooking with Emeril and even Queer eye for the Straight guy, Brini Maxwell’s show instructed viewers on fashion, manners, decorating, entertaining, cooking, and home repair. Like her female predecessors, Brini Maxwell was a full-service domestic diva, with one small difference: she was a he.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.152)


2. Ben Sander took several steps to help him develop his character Brini Maxwell. “Sander’s collection of cookbooks, magazines, furnishings, and other mid-century delights would be used in every episode.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock , Pg.146) He went above and beyond to create his unique brand. “To create the perfect look, Sander turned to his expertise in design and garment sewing. The Maxwell visual milieu included fashions reminiscent of the 19050’s, 19060s, and early 19070s.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 146) He was very successful when creating a brand image for himself.


3. It all happened after The Brini Maxwell show aired on national televeison. After that the show kept getting upgraded to new networks. “The E! Network would reformat the old Brini Maxwell in a more structured and well-produced show called the Brini and Maxwell show. Each segment would feature specific segments to episodes, the new set was a mid-twentieth –century New York loft apartment. However, the new setting made it appear that Maxwell had moved uptown to a more stylish, uptown location. The Maxwell visual milieu had received and upgrade and the brand message was clear, concise, and definitively 19050s chic.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg,151)


4. I think that Brini is targeted to the younger baby boomers. I think she is targeting to housewives that have kids and possibly work from their home. I think they are drawn to watching her show because she is the new Martha Stewart. She is more trendy and lively. People love that she is not your conventional domestic diva. People are drawn to this and they watch her show.


5. By putting out the podcasts and making the videos available on iTunes they could market the company to a new generation of people. This would open up their target market allowing for new customers to fall in love with the Brini Maxwell Show. I don’t think I would have done anything differently they did a great job at rebranding the company.

Week 8: Excercise Fashion Product

I want to create a fashion brand that offers 1800’s inspired men’s wear. I definitely feel like there is place for it in the market! The men’s market has plenty of room for more designers. The designers just need to be able to better reach their target market. That’s why I think that this company can be successful. There is no brands that are producing the exact style of the clothing I want to produce. The only company that comes close is John Varvatos. His clothing style is kind of similar but I will brand myself completely different than that. One way I will do that is by all of the social media I will be doing. It is a inexpensive way to brand myself and make myself known in the market. I do not want to have to pay a lot for advertising. I want people to find my brand and want to learn more about it through curiosity. I think that participating in a lot of PR will be a great way to get the company name out there for free. Another way I can differentiate myself from other brands is the concept of my store. I want to create a “shopping experience” for my customers that will make them want to return many times. I will uniquiely design my store with crazy elements to achieve this. I know that there is a place for this kind of brand in the market. I really want to target young professionals that make at least 100K-200K a year. These will be fashion savvy business men that are looking to ramp up their wardrobe with these fun styled suits resembling 1800’s garb.

Week 8: Chapter Questions Dante Beatrix

1. Most consumers feel a strong attachment to their bags because they feel like the bag defines who they are. They also fell like it is a part of their wardrobe. “ Research has shown that in the handbag industry, when consumers are given a choice to buy more expensive handbags over less expensive models, most will trade up to the higher price-point bags. This is due to the simple fact that most women look at their handbags as an investment in their wardrobe. For many women, purse shopping has changed from just finding an adequate accessory to being almost an obsession; a guilty pleasure.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock. Pg.126)

2. I have multiple brands that I like, many which I cannot afford to purchase. If I had to pick my favorite brand of bag I would pick Betsey Johnson. I can actually afford her bags even though they are a little more money then I want to spend. He bags are always very colorful and clever. She has been able to brand her company very well. It is very easy to spot a Betsey Johnson bag. There is no other bag company like it. I think I like these bags because they reflect the fun outgoing side of me. I do think that I will eventually switch it a different brand when I get a little bit older. I see her bas as fun bags for young women. I could not see myself carrying one of those bags around when I was older.

3. The company has evolved dramatically. I think the company has definitely found their niche with children’s bags. Before they were making all different kinds of handbags, but now it seems like they are specializing in kid’s bags. For example lunch boxes and bag backs. There is a section of their website that I really like, where they put up photos of their bags with celebrities. They pulled these images from paparazzi magazines. The images depict many famous celebrities with their kids holding the Dante Beatrix products. I think they have found a really great way to brand themselves. They also have an interactive game on the website for kids to go onto with their parents and learn about the characters that they place on all of their children’s bags. The company is definitely evolving for the better!



4. I think it was brilliant that the company decided to pursue graphic design as well as bag design. They are looking for ways to make bags simpler and to make the designs more appealing. They go hand in hand I think it was a great move for the company. I do not think that branding is everything when it comes to bags. The back I have with me right now is actually a no name bag. I love the bag because it is huge and has tons of space for me to carry everything with me! I commute a lot and I look for bags that are going to be adequate for all the things I have to pack around. Another thing I love about the bag is its color and design. It is a light grey color that seems to match with everything! It does not get very dirty at all! It also has large round studs down the side that give it a funky edge. Branding does help companies become successful, but the company first has to have a product that is worthy of being branded.

Final Project: Name and Logo

The name of the men’s clothing company will be London Destruction. The reason I chose this name was it fits with my initial inspiration for the line, which was the movie Sweeney Todd. The movie takes place in London during a very dark time. When I thought of the look of my clothing the imagery that came to my head was a rainy day in London. I just imagine old buildings being worn away from the weather and the multiple London fires. I came up with the combination of London Destruction. I fell in love with this name! I think it encompasses everything about my brand. I hope that it paints the same imagery in my customers head that it does in mine!

Final Project: What it looks like

London Destruction offers 1800’s inspired custom men’s clothing. I was inspired by the movie Sweeney Todd. The clothing in the movie is from the 1800’s. It has a very dark look to it that is still elegant. I want to be able to create a men’s high-end clothing line around this look. We will offer unique clothing for the fashion savvy young man. We want to build a face on our target market just as Dolce and Gabbana did. This is who they want to target to: “Dolce and Gabbana believe their male target customer is a man who takes care with his appearance, is detail oriented, and definitely a leader. He is a man who looks great whether he is in office attire or jeans and a t-shirt. He is a man who makes the rules, but is not governed by them. He is charismatic and charming. He is free to be an individual, which makes him successful.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 58) I want to be able to clearly define our men like this and offer this unique line to them.


I want our clothing to have a dark grunge look to it that is very bold. We will sell tees, knits, sweaters, sports shorts, pants, denim, outerwear, leather, vests, tailored clothing/suits, shoes, and accessories. I want it to be a specialty retailer that carries all of these items. A great example of a successful specialty retailer is Abercrombie & Fitch. “A&F took basic garments and made them its own.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.91) Their companies “assortment consists of basic items such as cargo short and pants, t-shirts, polo shirts, woven shorts, sweaters, denim jackets, jeans, sweatshirts, zip fleece tops, leather belts, flip-flops, underwear, cologne, baseball caps, men’s and women’s bracelets and jewelry, bags, and various other types of active wear.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.91)


All of London Destructions products will range from $70-3,000, and come in x-small to x-large. All of our clothes will come with custom tailoring. Our clothing will be made with unique textiles that we will design in house. We will use these textiles on our linings for jackets and for ties. Customers will only be able to get these patterns here so that gives us an advantage over the competition. These products have great potential for growth. Since we are offering only men’s clothing after we become more popular we might be able to offer a women’s line.
Another service that will come with our clothing is an in-house stylist. Since many business professionals of our target market don’t have time to shop, they can come in to our store tell our stylist exactly what look they want to go for and our stylist will put together as many looks for them as they would like. This will save the customer an ample amount of time. This will also be a helpful service to men that love the style of our clothing, but aren’t quite sure how to pair the pieces together, or where and when to wear them. Our stylist will be the go-to person for these kinds of issues. The stylist will also be key component in helping people pick out clothes they would like to try on and stuff like that. They can assist people with the fitting of the clothing, and letting them know how it is supposed to look and fall on their figure. I believe this is crucial to the success of our business because we offer such unique fitting and styled clothing that without a stylist our customers might not like the fit because they have accidentally tried on the wrong size. We want our customers to feel very confident in the clothing they purchase. I really like how Dolce and Gabbana describe what they want their female customer to feel like when wearing their clothing. “Dolce and Gabbana believe that a woman should be strong, self-confident, and know that others like her, too.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.57.)

Final Project: Define Identity

Just like the other successful brands I want to be able to create a name for myself. I really think that Johnny cupcakes did a great job at creating a company. “The Johnny Cupcakes success story is extraordinary. By the ripe old age of 26, Johnny Earle had launched a multimillion dollar company that continues to grow through a type branding referred to as viral fashion branding. All of Johnny’s fashion branding has been implemented through self-promotion, word of mouth, or by using electronic methods such as e-mail and the internet.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.109) For my clothing company I want to be able use viral fashion branding as a means to promote the company. Since the company will just be starting out we will not have much money to pay for advertising. Using social media like Johnny Cupcakes did is a great way to put my company on the map!


London Destruction’s strengths include quality, uniqueness, customization, and pricing. Another one of our strengths is our uniqueness. You will never be able to find clothing that imitates our style. Our dark 1800’s look will start a new trend in men’s wear. Another one of our strengths is the customization that comes along with a lot of our pieces. We offer complimentary embroidering on our shirts, jackets, gloves, and handkerchiefs. This embroidering can be different styles, colors, and fonts. Our last main strength is our pricing. We think that offering these services will make our customers feel special. I got this idea from Johnny Cupcakes. He liked to make his customers feel special by “adding surprises to the boxes when filling internet orders. Customers would find items such as trading cards, packed with their orders.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.113) We are also going to offer prices that are a little more affordable than our competitors. We will offer high fashion quality and style with the pricing of our less expensive competitors.


London Destruction has a great opportunity to provide a unique clothing line to a unique client base. We plan on show casing our clothes by dressing the “A” list celebrities that would fit our unique style such as Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. Another company that used this tactic was Dante Beatrix. “The Dante Beatrix Company focused on bags for every purpose: totes, laptop bags, gym bags, diaper bags, and pet carriers.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.126) The company was able to gain a celebrity clientele that sky rocketed the popularity of their bags. Beatrix most popular piece was their diaper bags. “Currently the sales of child-related durable products like diaper bags and backpacks are growing at a rate of 1 to 4 percent per year.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.130) People would photograph the celebrities wearing these bags and everyone wanted to know who the designer was. I plan on doing the same thing by dressing key celebrities in my designs.

Final Project: Target Market

London Destruction caters its unique style to men between the ages of 25-30. These men have house held incomes of 100k-200k. They are single and are not price conscious. I felt that there was an underserved market for this type of product because no one seems to have a product to market to these middle aged wealthy men.

These men are young business professionals that are freshly graduated and starting to work for large companies. They already have an expendable income and like to dress trendy. Typical stores that they might shop at include Saks, Neiman Marcus, Burberry, and Whole Foods. These men are body conscious and tend to work out a lot. I have taken this into consideration with the design of my clothing to fit a sleeker figure. This target market reads men’s magazines that include Men’s Vogue, GQ, and Esquire. Because I am targeting wealthy young men I knew that it would be wise to read about other successful people in the fashion industry that have been able to create profitable businesses by targeting wealthy clientele. A great example of this would be Ralph Lauren. “He has taken functional military garments, such as cargo pants and duffle coats, and traditional work clothes, such as canvas barn jackets and blue jeans, and turned them into luxury garments that sell for hundreds of dollars. Lauren’s method is known as lifestyle marketing and association; he places practical garments in a luxury context.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.35) I think he was very smart by creating this type of lifestyle branding. “Ralph Lauren has dedicated 40 years of his life to the creation of his brand image.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.35) I think he has built up an amazing company and I would be smart to start creating a lifestyle around my brand. Vera Wang was also able similarly build up her brand quickly. “She took the simple idea of designing her own wedding dress and, in fewer than 20 years, turned it into a multimillion-dollar company that now includes a deluge of products and home accessories that reflect and elaborate lifestyle brand.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.73) She was able to successfully use the idea of “lifestyle branding” and create a huge company. “Vera has dedicated her life to becoming a leader in the industry and is an excellent role model for anyone who aspires to succeed in business.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.86) Since my company offers multiple products under the same label I also would like to create a lifestyle brand. In the future I can even expand my brand like Lauren and Wang did.

Final Project: What I want to produce

I want to open up a clothing store for men. It will be called London Destruction. The company will offer 1800’s inspired custom men’s clothing. We will offer unique clothing for the fashion savvy young man. Our clothing will have a dark grunge look to it that is very bold. We will have a full range of men’s products. I want to sell tees, knits, sweaters, sports shorts, pants, denim, outerwear, leather, vests, tailored clothing/suits, shoes, and accessories. All of these products will range from $70-3,000, and come in x-small to x-large. All of our clothes will come with custom tailoring. I want to be able to clearly define my target market and be able to gain market share amongst my competitors. The target market I have selected is the most difficult market to attract. I want to brand myself so that I can attract this hard to reach market. “Fashion branding is the process whereby designers, manufactures, merchandisers, strategists, creative directors, retailers, and those responsible for selling fashion create campaigns and give fashion garments a unique identity.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 6) I want to be able to do this with my men’s clothing company. “Judith Williamson suggests that whereas an advertiser’s main goal is to sell products, good advertising requires the marketers to take into account the inherent qualities of the products as well as generate a meaning to the consumer.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.24) Branding is not just about the product though, “branding is also about creating a clear vision and strategy for a company. Branding gives everyone involved a clear direction and focus.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.7) Not only will I be branding my product but I will create a great business plan that will lead this men’s clothing line down the path to success. “The main function of fashion branding is to provide a structure that uses images and language to impart a meaning to retail products.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 24)

EOC Week 7: Excercise

If I were to create a line of fashion goods I would probably create a line of handbags. I absolutely love bags off all kinds, and I think that it would be really fun to create unique bags. If I were to use Johnny Cupcake as a model for how to promote my business I would use his methods but mold it to fit my target market.
My target market for my hand bags would be young women between the ages of 25-35. These females would have house-hold income of 70,000-100,000 a year. These women are up on the latest trends and are always changing their looks. I want to be able to provide them with ever-changing bags that are affordable.


I will price my bags for $45-$60. With the price range I will be able to offer good quality and trendy styles. In every bag will be a trendy trinket that will have something to do with the client. This will be a way of making our customer feel special.


These women will be able to purchase multiple bags from me as the trends in fashion are ever-changing. Just like Johnny Cupcakes I will only offer a limited amount of each style. My target market does not enjoy when their friend has the exact same bag as them. So I will only create a limited amount of one style. This will create exclusivity within the brand.


I will start as a very small company and build up by word of mouth marketing and also through blogging and facebook. I want my bags to be on all of my friends shoulders so that their friends can ask them where they got the cute bag. This will be my main way of advertising. I will sell my bags solely online first until I grow a large enough market to afford a brick and mortar location. I think if I was very smart about the choices I made when developing the brand I think that I could reach a national market in 2-5 years. I would definitely have to intensify the advertising to reach an international market. I think by traveling overseas frequently would help gain market share in other countries. I think I could gain market share internationally in 10 years.


This is a very rough idea that I thought would work well using ideas that the company Johnny Cupcakes uses to promote itself.

EOC Week 7: Chapter Questions

1. Viral Fashion branding is a type of company branding that becomes successful by self-promotion, word of mouth, or by using electronic devices. This form of branding made Johnny Cupcakes a multimillion-dollar company. “By the ripe old age of 26, Johnny Cupcakes founder John Earle had launched a multimillion-dollar company that continues to grow through a type of branding referred to as viral fashion branding. No pricey marketing firm has helped this young entrepreneur. Johnny Cupcakes has created a loyal customers base on his own terms.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.109) Johnny’s branding strategies have included the use of a blog where he shares his personal experiences and relates them to his brand. This way his fans can view his daily routine and feel like they are a part of the Johnny Cupcakes brand.


2. Zara is a company that has taken the idea of viral marketing and made it a huge success for their company. In a previous exercise I researched the company Zara to find out that they have just recently surpassed the Gap as the number one fashion retailer! They are an amazing Spanish company that does not advertise themselves at all! Just like Johnny Cupcakes, Zara is able to brand themselves to their customers without any means of advertising. They mainly use word of mouth marketing. They are an extremely successful company that uses viral marketing. This method of marketing is a good one because it is very inexpensive to the company and ads to the brand image of that company.


3. Johnny Cupcakes does many things to make their customers feel special. “The company added surprises to the boxes when filling internet orders. Customers would find items such as trading cars that were popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s featuring ninja turtles, Ghostbusters, and garbage pail kids, packed with their orders. These free trinkets were intended to make customers feel special and to help them remember the Johnny Cupcakes brand. As Johnny said, “It makes us stand out as a company and lets them know we care.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, pg.113) Another thing the company does to make the guests feel special is add a vanilla scent to products that simulates the smell of baked goods. They use this scent throughout the Johnny Cupcakes stores as well.


4. I think that his brand is able to relate to older and more youthful customers. “The product line and marketing campaigns continue to reflect Johnny’s passion for popular culture. Many of his T-shirt designs mimic ideologies that are reflective of twentieth –century style and popular logo design; however, each features a special twist for the youthful customer, such as his Bon Appétit T-shirts.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 120) Because of his unique style and branding he is able to reach a very wide market of customers.


5. In my opinion Johnny Cupcakes is a very unique brand. I think his story is amazing. He is a very passionate individual that built his brand fast and smart. He made a lot of great decisions; one of those was to never put his clothing into chain retailers. I think that was a great idea! He made the brand exclusive and hard to find. I really like how he only produces a limited amount of his product. It is a great idea! I think the next thing he should venture into is shoes! He seems to have a large cult following of the skating community and creating skate shoes would be a great addition to his line.

Week 6 EOC: Excercise-Zara

I decided to do my research exercise on the company Zara. Many people don’t know this, but Zara is the largest fashion retailer in the world! When you step inside their store you are greeted with great customer service. The store has a very modern high fashion feel to it. Zara carries trendy men’s and women’s’ clothing. They are always up-to-date on current trends.


Wherever you go shopping in the world— Paris, New York, London, or Tokyo you will always come across a Zara store. The retailer’s CEO Pablo Isla Álvarez de Tejera feels the stores themselves are the best way to communicate Zara’s brand image. www.zara.com Zara has chosen to locate the stores in the most luxurious spots of the biggest capitals in the world and to invest less money on advertising. Zara believes its shop windows are all the advertising it needs.


The Zara clothing chain is developing rapidly, with double-digit growth even at a time of financial crisis. Zara has officially overtaken the US giant Gap! www.labrand.com In the competitive clothing industry, Zara has successfully built a worldwide famous brand thanks to their premium locations as well as a unique management system of design, production and supply chains. Unlike other fashion brands, it takes Zara only 10 to 14 days from the time they design new clothing until it arrives in stores. www.edition.cnn.com This “fast fashion” concept and operation allow Zara to always provide the most fashionable clothes to their customers, and the ever-renewed collections definitely help build brand loyalty.


Although many international fashion companies are perfectly aware of Zara’s effective branding methods, no one has been able to catch up. Zara has built a powerful clothing brand which should continue to thrive in years to come. They are this successful with very minimal advertising. “Fashion retailers spend on average 3.5% of revenue on advertising their products, while Zara's parent company Inditex spends just 0.3%.” www.edition.cnn.com They have been able to establish a firm market share to gain the customers they need to be the number one retailer. I believe that Zara is successful because they are unique in this way.

Week 6 EOC: Chapter Questions A&F

1. I do not think that A&F reinvents their brand strategy through their product assortment. I feel that they have very youthful trendy looking clothing that has been popular for several years and seems to continue to be popular. I think that they keep that certain laid back, relaxed, distressed look to their clothing that sticks with them year after year. They are able to market these clothes to their consumers every year by changing the silhouettes and colors slightly from year to year. “A&F attaches traditional outdoor and rugged iconic patches on sweaters, pants, and denim garments, which have allowed the retailer to gain strong brand recognition.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg 92) They have really created a brand for themselves!


2. “Symbols such as collegiate flags, sports mascots, and the letters A&F appear on almost all products. The company has even adopted the logo of a moose that it embroiders on all its polo shirts and oxfords. Almost every garment at A&F is imbued with washing, styling, and distressing that distinguishes it as authentic A&F. The company brands each garment through this finishing process.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg 92) That is one way that they brand themselves. Another way is through the look and feel of their brick and mortar stores. “A&F has created a merchandising concept for its stores that is unique and easily distinguishable from its competition. The dim lighting, smell of fragrance, and booming music exude youth.” They have definitely set themselves apart from their competitors. I think they are very successful!


3. I think retail store atmospherics like music, fragrance, lighting, and stores props can either help the overall brand message or it can hurt it. It can be very helpful when branding a product to have everything within the stores atmospherics to match along with the theme. If you were selling wedding dresses and inside your store you were playing screamo music there would be a disconnect for the customer about the message the brand was trying to convey. Therefore if you are able to match all of your stores atmospherics up with the overall theme and message for your brand it can make your brand a very strong one! A&F has mastered the art of matching the atmospherics to the overall message and concept. Everything from their dim lighting to the loud music reflects the brand integrity to a tee!


4. I love walking into A&F! I enjoy the loud music that they play and I love love love the small of the store! Many people say that the stores obnoxious smell and loud music gives them a headache, but I love it! I think that they are so unique and I enjoy shopping there. I do not think that A&F is trying to intimidate their customers by using extremely attractive models. I think that that is their target market that they are trying to sell their products to.

Week 5 EOC: Excercise

Upon graduation my ultimate dream is to become a stylist. I would love to style for photographers and magazines. I would be picking out outfits and accessories for photo shoots and collaborating with photographers on an overall theme for photo shoots would be something done on a regular basis. I plan on networking with models and photographers to make connections within in the industry. I can build up my portfolio by networking with new models and photographers so that we can do trade work that won’t cost me any money. Once I am an established stylist I plan on starting my own business and charging people for my work. I think that will be hard to brand myself. It is going to take awhile for me to establish a trust worthy business that people can come to for any wardrobe help. I want my clients to be able to trust me and always be able to come to me for help. Another thing that I think will be difficult is setting a price for my services. I want to charge a base fee and then on top of that probably charge the client by the hour as well. Since I plan on having a wide variety of clients I want all types of incomes to be able to afford my services. I think this could be tricky to figure out. To get this company up and running and make it successful I think that it will take about 5 years. Five years doesn’t sound like a that but I am thinking if I was the only one I was employing five years would give be a great amount of time to make small successful business for myself.

Week 5 EOC: Chapter Questions

1. When Vera was growing up her parents wanted her to become a lawyer or have a job in the medical field. Vera did not want to do that! She trained as a young girl to become a professional Olympic skater. “Until the age of 19, Vera trained to be a figure skater. She competed in 1968 U.S figure skating championships and was listed as a featured athlete in the January 8, 1968 issue of Sports Illustrated.” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.75) After she trained for years she did not make the team and she went on to start designing. “Her love of fashion design came from designing her skating costumes.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.75) She started going to high end fashion shows with her mother and brother and fell in love with fashion design. She started working at Vogue at the age of 21. She became the youngest editor in Vogue history at the age of 21. After working for Vogue for 16 years she resigned. She then began working at Ralph Lauren designing jewelry. It was there that she realized she loved mass making of products. When she was planning her wedding she realized how hard it was to find a wedding dress that she loved. She then began to design wedding dresses. Throughout the years she has branded herself through many different lines. Her career path is ever-changing.


2. Vera Wang owns multiple lines. Not only does she produce her wedding dress line, she also owns a fragrance, home goods, a diffusion line, and a ready-to-wear line. Many of her lines can be bought at multiple locations. Her diffusion line is found at Kohl’s. She also sales her home goods line at Kohl’s. She is continuously expanding her brand and product line.


3. The feeling I get when I think of the Vera Wang brand is classic. She has a way of making all of her pieces timeless and elegant. She owns a very different brand then that of Dolce & Gabbana. Dolce & Gabbana brand tends to push the envelope with their design and their advertisements that exude sex. Vera Wang is more of a timeless brand. She focuses on staple colors and silhouettes that will always be in style. Ralph Lauren’s brand is more modeled around the American life style from Cowboy to polo athlete. Each one of these brands is unique in their own way. They have all managed to brand themselves away from each other successfully by targeting to unique customers.

Midterm Project: Twinkies

Twinkies are ones of America’s most popularized tasty treats. Personally I do not like Twinkies, but I thought that it would be fun to research how these little cream cakes came to be.
In the 1920s and '30s, Continental Bakeries sold baked snacks under the Hostess brand name. Many of the snacks were seasonal, with fruit filling. Hostess Little Shortbread Fingers were made with strawberries, so for several months of the year the equipment used to make them sat idle because strawberries weren't available. The machines to produce these treats were very expensive and they were going to waste just sitting there for multiple months out of the year. www.delish.com


The company vice president, James Dewar, wanted to make a product that could use that equipment and improve efficiency. His idea was a simple sponge cake with a flavored cream filling. On the way to a marketing meeting, he saw a billboard advertising Twinkle-Toe Shoes. And so, the Twinkie was born in 1930. www.neatorama.com

The first Twinkies were quite different from the ones we know now. They were made with banana cream filling, not vanilla. But in World War II, there was a banana shortage, and vanilla became the standard flavor. www.abcnews.com The eggs, milk and butter in early Twinkies gave them a shelf life of only two days. Dewar had his salesman replenish store shelves every other day, but the practice was expensive. So, the need for a longer shelf life led to many changes in the Twinkie recipe.
Today's Twinkie has a much longer shelf life than the ones made in 1930, but not as long as some people think. A variety of myths have sprung up around the Twinkie's longevity, claiming that it stays fresh for decades, would survive a nuclear war and that the company is still selling off the original batch made in 1930, still fresh almost 80 years later. In fact, a Twinkie's shelf life is officially 25. "It's also a misconception that Twinkies are chemically preserved. In fact, the airtight plastic packaging does far more to keep the cakes fresh than any of the actual ingredients do." www.kitchenproject.com

Whether you hate them or love them, Hostess has managed to make a spot for Twinkies on nearly every shelf in every grocery store of America!

Midterm Project: Silly Putty

Silly Putty has been around for 50 years now, and in the past half-century, it's become an American toy classic. From its origins in a scientist's laboratory in 1943 and its introduction to the world in 1950, to its addition to the Smithsonian Institution, the fun and colorful history of Silly Putty is one of my favorites!
Silly Putty, one of the most popular toys of the 20th century, was invented accidentally. One of the most important resources needed for World War II war production was rubber. It was essential for tires and boots. It was also important for gas masks, life rafts, and even bombers. Beginning early in the war, the Japanese attacked many of the rubber-producing countries in Asia, drastically affecting the supply route. To conserve rubber, civilians in the United States were asked to donate old rubber tires, rubber raincoats, rubber boots, and anything else that consisted at least in part of rubber. Rations were placed even on gasoline to hinder people from driving their cars. “Propaganda posters instructed people in the importance of carpooling and showed them how to care for their household rubber products so they would last the duration of the war. “ www.history1900s.com

Even with this home front effort, the rubber shortage threatened war production. The government decided to ask U.S. companies to invent a synthetic rubber that had similar properties but that could be made with non-restricted ingredients. In 1943, engineer James Wright was attempting to discover a synthetic rubber while working in General Electric's laboratory in New Haven, Conn. when he discovered something unusual. In a test tube, Wright had combined boric acid and silicone oil, producing an interesting gob of goo. www.historyof1900s.com

Wright conducted a multitude of tests on the substance and discovered it could bounce when dropped, stretch farther than regular rubber, didn't collect mold, and had a very high melting temperature. Unfortunately, though it was a fascinating substance, it didn't contain the properties needed to replace rubber. Still, Wright assumed there had to be some practical use for the interesting putty. “Unable to come up with an idea himself, Wright sent samples of the putty to scientists around the world. However, none of them found a use for the substance either. “ www.ideafinders.com

Though perhaps not practical, the substance continued to be entertaining. The "nutty putty" began to be passed around to family and friends and even taken to parties to be dropped, stretched, and molded to the delight of many. In 1949, the ball of goo found its way to Ruth Fallgatter, an owner of a toy store who regularly produced a catalog of toys. Advertising consultant Peter Hodgson convinced Fallgatter to place globs of the goo in plastic cases and add it to her catalog. Selling for $2 each, the "bouncing putty" outsold everything else in the catalog except for a set of 50-cent Crayola crayons. After a year of strong sales, Fallgatter decided to drop the bouncing putty from her catalog. www.aboutinventors.com


Already $12,000 in debt, Hodgson borrowed another $147 and bought a large quantity of the putty in 1950. He then had Yale students separate the putty into one-ounce balls and place them inside red plastic eggs. Since "bouncing putty" didn't describe all of the putty's unusual and entertaining attributes, Hodgson thought hard about what to call the substance. After much contemplation and numerous options suggested, he decided to name the goo "Silly Putty" and to sell each egg for $1.
Silly Putty, marked as "The Real Solid Liquid," It was first marketed to adults but became more popular with children. However, by 1955 the market shifted and the toy became a huge success with children.
This company was able to market the product well throughout the years to keep it appealing to every generation of kids!

EOC Week 4 Excercise:

Fashion ads seem to have many innuendos hidden inside them. By picking apart different ads you can begin to realize the real message they are trying to convey. I have decided to research a fashion ad by Dolce and Gabbana to see if I could depict the real message within the ad.
“ Dolce & Gabbana are wowing the fashion world on the catwalks of Milan, but feminists in Spain have condemned their latest advertising campaign as sexist and violent, throwing the flamboyant duo into a hissy fit and prompting withdrawal of the images.” www.independant.com


The ads, which appeared in Spain, show a half-naked man holding a scantily clad woman to the ground by her wrists while four predatory hunks look on. Spain's Women's Institute, a government organization linked to the Labor Ministry, described the scene as offensive to women's dignity and an incitement to sexual violence.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, hailed as the high priests of tart chic, announced they would drop their campaign in Spain and covered their retreat with acid-drenched sneers. "We will withdraw that photo from the Spanish market alone, since they are behind the times. What does an artistic photo have to do with the real world?" If Spanish views held sway, "you'd have to burn museums like the Louvre and all the paintings of Caravaggio", they added. (Dolce and Gabbana)
Another D&G campaign featuring bloodstained models brandishing knives was banned in Britain after the Advertising Standards Authority received scores of complaints that the pictures glorified violence. The ads appeared in newspapers alongside stories about mounting British gun crime.


The Italian pair, displaying the fashionistas' lofty contempt for concerns in the real world, said at the time they wanted to create only the theatrical aesthetic of the Napoleonic period. They similarly seem to have failed to understand the message sent by Spanish critics. "Next year," the designers joked yesterday, "we'll mount a publicity campaign showing a naked woman on top of a man." ( Dolce & Gabbana)
In conlcusion I feel that their ads sometimes are negative, but if people just took the time to research the innuendos they would come to find out what the company is really trying to depict. They aren’t trying to glorify sexual crimes or violence. The company is trying to be creative.

EOC Week 4 Chapter Questions: Dolce & Gabbana

1. Dolce & Gabbana currently has two divisions Dolce and Gabbana and Dolce and Gabbana Jr. They still have the same number since this book was printed, but they have become way more popular. They are known as one of the top luxury brands in the world. Many people know them for their wildly provocative ads and their impeccably crafted clothing.
2. I don’t think that Dolce & Gabbana try to cater to the fashionistas. I think they try to be unique be creating very trendy clothing. They have styled many women that some would consider risqué. I myself do not find these women risqué, but I think that Dolce & Gabbana place these women in their clothing to make bold statements. Dolce & Gabbana prove their love for curvaceous real women by featuring them in their ads. Dolce & Gabbana believe that a woman should be strong, self-confident, and know that others like her, too. In their words: “She is a cosmopolitan woman who has toured the world, but who doesn’t forget her roots. A woman who indifferently wears extremely sexy bras that can be seen under sheer clothes, contrasting them with the very masculine pinstripe complete with tie and white short or a men’s vest. She always wears very high heels which, in any case, give her both an extremely feminine and sexy way of walking and unmistakable posture. She loves that so-masculine cap imported from Sicily and the rosary of the first communion that she wears as a necklace. She can indifferently be a manager, wife, mother, or lover, but she is always-and in whatever case-thoroughly a woman.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock,Pg.58)
3. I think gays purchasing patterns are extremely different from that of heterosexuals. Typically the gay and lesbian consumers are more into the fashion world than straight people. Dolce and Gabbana realized this a long time ago and ever since they have been pushing their marketing efforts toward these consumers. I think that this way a genius move on the companies part. They may get a lot of flack about their ads but I think that they are a brilliant company!

EOC Week 3: Apple Juice Scandal

Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation is the third largest baby food manufacturer in the United States, behind Gerber and Heinz. In the past, this century-old company produced foodstuffs ranging from bacon to chewing gum, but it has been exclusively engaged in the baby food business since 1972. They were very popular until the apple juice scandal of 1977.
“Although appearances suggested that Beech-Nut had turned the corner on its lean years, the company in fact was deeply embroiled in one of the worst scandals in American business history.” www.newsweek.com


Back in 1977, when Frank Nicholas had been touring the country promoting the nutritional quality of the Beech-Nut brands and apple juice sales had quadrupled, the company signed a contract with a new apple concentrate supplier called Universal Juice Co., which sold its product at up to 25 percent below the market. Initial tests of the concentrate by Beech-Nut research scientists raised the possibility that it might be adulterated with corn syrup, but company executives, including head of operations John F. Lavery, chose to turn to the possibility of a problem with the product's quality. With up to 30 percent of Beech-Nut's sales accounted for by products containing the concentrate, the already struggling company was saving millions of dollars by using Universal and a switch to another supplier could well have tipped the scales toward bankruptcy.


When Nicholas sold the company to Nestlé, Beech-Nut's director of research and development, Jerome LiCari, went once more to senior management to warn of problems with the concentrate, which further testing had again shown to be suspect. Lacking a definitive test for the purity of apple juice, however, LiCari could not prove absolutely that the juice was tainted, and without this proof Lavery and company president Hoyvald refused to take action.


In April 1982, that proof came in the form of a private investigator, Andrew Rosenzweig, who had been hired by the Apple Processors Trade Association to investigate claims of adulterated concentrate. Rosenzweig had staked out the processing plant where Universal claimed to produce their concentrate and found that the company was not just adding sweeteners to their mix, they were failing to add the apples altogether. Documents found in the plant's dumpsters revealed that the so-called apple juice was in fact nothing but water, sugars, flavoring, and coloring. According to the New York Times, Rosenzweig tracked a trailer truck full of the bogus concentrate from the Universal plant to Beech-Nut's facilities in Canajoharie and confronted Beech-Nut management with his findings.


It was at this point that Beech-Nut committed "a grave tactical error," as an attorney close to the case was later to tell Business Week. www.businessweek.com Instead of immediately recalling all of the products made from the synthetic concentrate, a recall that would have involved some 700,000 cases of inventory and might possibly have bankrupted the company, Beech-Nut began shipping the tainted juice out of the country clandestinely. www.newyork.com Meanwhile, Beech-Nut lawyers stalled U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators, who were asking for samples of the suspect product. It was October before fed-up FDA officials threatened a seizure unless the company issued a voluntary recall. Beech-Nut finally issued the recall in November 1982, but by that time all but 20,000 cases of the juice had been distributed overseas.


FDA investigators initiated an investigation into Beech-Nut's role in the sale of the phony juice and of the cover-up. In November 1986, a federal grand jury found that there was sufficient evidence to indict both Beech-Nut as a corporate entity as well as its two top executives, John Lavery and Neils Hoyvald, on 470 counts of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for selling adulterated apple products. Beech-Nut pleaded guilty to 215 counts of the indictment and was fined a record $2 million. Lavery and Hoyvald both pleaded not guilty but were convicted for their involvement in what the judge in the case would call "the largest consumer fraud case ever." www.answers.com Both men were sentenced initially to a year and a day in prison and fined $100,000, but these convictions would later be overturned on a technicality and the sentences reduced in a retrial to probation and community service.


Ironically, the recall of the phony apple juice in 1982 never created the bad press for Beech-Nut that Hoyvald had so feared. Apple juice sales continued to grow during the four years of the FDA investigation. It was only after the indictments of the company in 1986, long after all bogus juice had been removed from grocery store shelves, that the scandal began to impact sales. The intense publicity that surrounded the trial and sentencing, however, was disastrous for the company. Market share dropped from more than 20 percent in early 1986 to 16 percent in 1987. Most of this drop was the result of plummeting apple juice sales, which fell about 20 percent within a few months of the indictment. “Although Nestlé did not release sales figures for its subsidiaries, company sources told Business Week that Beech-Nut racked up near-record losses in 1987.” www.businessweek.com

EOC Week 3: Excercise

“I don't believe in changing my style because something's a trend ... People are misled: They think because it's a trend, they should do it. And it's not going to work.”-Rachel Zoe. (thinkexist.com)
Rachel Zoe has become one of the most influential names in fashion. From red carpet styling to design collaborations, advertising campaigns to editorial shoots and runway shows, stylist Rachel Zoe is the go-to stylist for the "It" celebrities. Fashion houses, beauty firms and magazine editors look to her for a dose of her effortlessly chic style. Rachel Zoe's strength lies in a commitment to bringing out the best in the individual women she works with, including many of Hollywood's A-list leading ladies.
Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig was born to parents Ron Rosenzweig and Leslie Rosenzweig on September 1, 1971 in New York. She grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, and attended Millburn middle school and high school. Her mother and father were big art collectors, and in turn Zoe became one as well. Rachel was thirteen when her mother took her along on a trip to Paris with her. It was in Paris when Rachel fell in love with the fashion industry. She purchased her first Louis Vuitton bag, and has been obsessed with fashion ever since. Although she was intrigued by fashion, Rachel decided to go to college to study sociology and psychology in 1990. She attended George Washington University, In Washington D.C. It was at the university that she met her husband Rodger Berman who was studying to be an investment banker. . "We met working in a restaurant when I was a student. The very first day he alluded to the fact that he would be very happy to make me his wife, and we've never broken up. I was petrified going down the aisle because I've always been really independent, but being with Rodger is just right."-Rachel Zoe (About Rachel Zoe) Rodger and Rachel wed in 1997.



After graduation, Rachel moved to New York City, New York and began to work with magazines that included Gotham and YM. She worked for a few different magazines and built up her name in the industry. She had extensive networking abilities, and had made many contacts that would become useful to her in her future career. She finally decided to break out on her own and become a fashion stylist. Her first clients included the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson. After working in New York as a stylist for a couple of years Rachel and Rodger decided to pack up and move to Los Angeles in 2004. Rachel Zoe went freelance and met several high-profile clients. The first job she got out in Los Angeles was styling Nicole Richie, who at the time was Paris Hilton’s sidekick on the reality TV show The Simple Life. With the help of Rachel, Nicole Richie became the pioneer of ‘boho chic,’ (a look characterized by over-sized jewelry, loose-fitting dresses on slim frames). While working as a personal stylist for Nicole Richie, Zoe also helped Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton become the fashion trend-setters that they are today.

Critics say that Rachel has created a bunch of 'Zoe-bots' - rapidly disappearing starlets, like Nicole and some of her other clients, including Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton. “It has to be the big picture for me. A lot of people saw this job as you put them in a dress and that's all. I didn't see it that way. I want them to look great all the time. And I don't nickel-and-dime people. A lot of stylists say they are hired for this, this and this so that's the only thing I'm going to dress them for. I'm like, are you nuts? If my client calls me and says I'm going to a friend's premiere, I'll say, come over and let's do something cute. And I won't bill them for that”
- Rachel Zoe (Rachel’s Biography)
From then on, Rachel Zoe worked with numerous celebrities, beauty firms, advertising agencies, magazine editors and fashion houses. By 2007, Rachel Zoe left her former agency Magnet and signed on with the Todd Shemarya Agency. People said that this change in agency was a result of a comment that Zoe had made about Anna Wintour. “During Fashion Week, Zoe - unwisely bragged, "Anna Wintour is one of my heroes, but they say I'm more influential” (Why Rachel’s Agency dropped her) “Vogue won't change a designer's business, but if an unknown brand is worn by a certain person in a tabloid, it will be the biggest designer within a week."(Rachel Zoe Quotes) Since that happened Magnet dropped her. One spy said, "They didn't want to anger Anna and Anna is more important to work with."(Why Rachel’s Agency dropped her)
Todd Shemarya was one of the most helpful people when it came to exposing Rachel Zoe’s talent to the public. “What I do,” Shemarya explained, “is to take an entity, whether it be a celebrity or a stylist, and enlarge their profile. I take whatever anyone’s best assets are and then I apply those in a business situation.”(Todd Shemarya)
Shemarya, who also represents stars like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, got his start in the fashion world. He owned a modeling agency and began booking his models for commercials and other endorsement-related work. “I don’t give myself the credit for starting the endorsement thing,” Shemarya explained, “but it didn’t get big until I started doing it. (Todd Shemarya)
In many ways, Zoe and Shemarya share the same view; they both utilize the allure of celebrities, and both have altered the existing business model. Zoe has made every actress feel that her success depends on what clothes her stylist tells her to wear, and Shemarya has turned top actors into “brands”. (On Todd Shemarya) “The way I see it,” Shemarya said, “fashion is now bigger than the movie business. It’s a world that has no end. And yet, nobody can guess who their customer is. Every fashion house is looking for a formula. Rachel has a formula. She’s paid attention to the marketplace. She figured out who wanted to buy what. And now she’s beyond being a stylist: Rachel Zoe is a brand that creates brands.” (Todd Shemarya) Around three years ago, everything began to change. The nature of what, or who, is a celebrity has expanded. We aren't saving lives here, but we are creating images, and images create opportunities in a lot of areas.( Rachel Zoe Quotes)
With her clientele growing and numerous deals arriving from left to right, Rachel Zoe released a style guidebook entitled “Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty and Everything Glamour.” The book, which was co-written by Rose Apodaca, made it to the New York Times Bestseller List. The stylebook offers tips and observations from a celebrity stylist’s perspective and advice about entertaining, travel, home décor and dressing stylishly. She appeared on The Simple Life and Project Runway. Zoe also appeared as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model. Zoe also works as a trend spotter for the online shoe retailer Piperlime.com.
In September 2008, Rachel debuted her own TV show called “The Rachel Zoe Project,” a show that follows her work as a stylist and the progress of her own brand of accessories and clothing. On the show, Rachel Zoe visits designers, fashion shows and clients. Aside from all the styling work she does, Rachel Zoe has also collaborated with accessories-maker Leiber on its line of luxury bags. She has also modeled for Samsung’s Blackjack national ad campaign and has worked as a consultant for Gap, Inc’s handbag and shoe website.Rachel Zoe’s current clients include Keira Knightley, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Molly Sims, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Joy Bryant, Debra Messing and Salma Hayek. She is also good friends with Tamara Mellon, the president of Jimmy Choo.
In conclusion I feel that Rachel Zoe is an extraordinary woman. She has a great deal of talent, and manages to keep her cool while working on so many different projects. She is one of the few great women that have brought the fashion world to the forefront amongst the general public. She is still very young in her career and has many years to go. I have no doubt that she will continue on the right path with her clothing line, and become even more popular than she already is. In my opinion Rachel Zoe is the best stylist of the 21st Century!

EOC Week 3: Chapter Quesions

Chapter Questions

1. Ralph Lauren is defiantly a designer. He is the epitome of a great designer. Not only does he create beautiful clothing, but he has created a lifestyle for his brand. “ What Michelangelo is to the Sistine Chapel, what Carl Sanberg was to the American iambic pentameter, and what Scott Fitzgerald was to grammar of the American romance story, Ralph Lauren is to American Style.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.50) He started with clothing and then created an empire for himself. He has branched out into many different aspects of fashion and design. He wanted to create products for his customers that they could use in every aspect of their lives. I believe him to be an amazing designer because he successful operates so many different types of projects. He was one of the firs creators of lifestyle branding. I think he will continue to be a successful designer for many years to come.
2. “He first worked for Brooks Brother in 1905”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, pg. 37) In the 60’s Ralph took a job with a tie manufacture. Sources say that ralph was an average salesman but he really knew how to stand out by the way he dressed. “He believed that by dressing in a particular style allowed him to gain sales and a reputation,” (Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, pg.37) The tie manufacture gave Ralph a chance to put out his own line of ties. Because Ralph was smart and trend forecasted he created ties that were an inch thicker than the ties that were being sold at that time. To Ralph brand image was everything. He created his line called Polo. The big knotted ties became very popular, and Ralph began to start creating new products that would be added to his line. Since then he has become a very popular designer for not only fashion but many other types of products.
3. Currently Ralph runs many divisions under his name. Mine favorite division happens to be his home good lines. I really like the styles and patterns of his beading especially. I really like how his home goods match well with his clothing. It is not necessarily my style but I do appreciate the original American Western style that Ralph has created.
4. Ralph created an empire by continuous building on top of existing products. If something was messed up in his line he would change it. The book talked about a time when there was a huge sizing issue with his female polo t-shirts. Ralph took care of the issue and then decided to come out with a whole new line of female ready-to-wear. He keeps reinventing his brand to keep himself current. I think this is very smart of him. If you keep releasing new products you’re always in the media and your always in the back of people’s minds! There are only a few designers in the fashion industry that have branded themselves as well as Ralph has. If I had to pick someone to compare him to I would choose Tommy Hilfiger.

BOC Midterm: Slinky!

"A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows its Slinky!"-Company Jingle www.poof-slinky.com The second product I chose for my midterm research is the slinky! Though its popularity can't be called into question, everyone may not know that the Slinky was an accident. This fun American toy was created by mechanical engineer Richard James in 1943. It was the unintended by-product of a new line of sensitive springs that would help keep fragile equipment steady on ships. After knocking one of his newly created springs from a shelf, James watched as it "walked" down from its spot instead of falling to the ground. He designed a machine to coil 80 ft. of wire into a 2-in. spiral. The name of the toy was chosen by his wife Betty.

Slinky got its big break during the Christmas shopping season of 1945, when the Gimbels department store in Philadelphia let James sell his new creation for the first time. James and Betty paid one of their close friends a dollar to make it look like to toy was really cool. This started the frenzy. Within minutes, they had run out of Slinkys to sell. Over all they sold 400 Slinkys that day. After James left his wife to join a religious cult, Betty, his wife took of the company. “Sixty-six years and 250 million Slinkys later, we're still just as delighted with James’s toy.” http://www.times.com/



Slinky biggest competition is all toys that kinds play with. Since slinky isn’t electronic you could place it in the category of popular old American toys. If I had to pick some of its main competitor I would say that it competes with other toys such as silly puddy, and Jacks. I think that slinkys were a very successful product, but I feel they have not been able to keep up with the times. Many kids now-a-days just want to play games on their Xbox’s or PlayStations. I feel there are many other toys that people would prefer to play with than the slinky. I remember when I was a little girl and I begged my mom for a slinky. After I finally got one for Christmas one year I was tired of it. I probably played with it for one and didn’t pick it up much after that. I think it is a toy that will always be sold, but I think to make more money the company will have to re-invent itself. www.inventors.com

Some other facts about: Slinkys were among the first toys to travel into space; a stamp commemorating the 1940s features the beloved toy; during the Vietnam War, U.S. soldiers would toss a Slinky into a tree for use as a makeshift radio antenna; and, if stretched end-to-end, the Slinky toys sold since 1945 (about 250 million) would wrap around the world 126 times. http://www.yahoo.com/

BOC Midterm: MAC PC

MAC: The first product I have chose for my midterm project is the Mac computer. I am and always will be a Mac lover, and I recently just purchased a macbook. When I was told I needed to pick a popular consumer product the first thing that popped in to my head was my computer! Everyone and their grandma has a MAC so I thought it would be the perfect product to conduct my research on. Apple is an amazing company that has been able to cultivate a brand for themselves around their amazing products. “Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry.”(http://www.crunchbase.com/) This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States. Their customers are very loyal and will stand in line for hours to get the new version of and already existing product. Many people prefer Mac to PC for its many advantages. Mac has created its own community for its target market. They are starting to create a lifestyle for their brand. “Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008.”(http://www.gizmdo.com/) Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. “The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system; the iTunes media browser; the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; Logic Studio, a suite of music production tools; the Safari internet browser; and iOS, a mobile operating system.”(http://www.apple.com/) As of August 2010, the company operates “301 retail stores in ten countries, and an online store where hardware and software products are sold.”(http://www.apple.com/) As of May 2010, Apple is one of the largest companies in the world and the most valuable technology company in the world, having surpassed Microsoft. “The company was established on April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, California. As of September 2010, Apple had 46,600 full time employees and 2,800 temporary full time employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of $65.23 billion.”(http://www.apple.com/)

EOC Week 2: Excercise

Thomas Burberry founded the brand in 1856. What began as a collection of sturdy outerwear sold out of a shop in Hampshire, evolved to include jackets in airy, water-resistant gabardine by 1880. Ten years later, Thomas Burberry & Sons debuted in London’s West End. In 1911, the house outfitted the first explorers to reach the South Pole, and by 1914, adapted its coats for WWI soldiers fighting in the trenches (hence the trench coat). Its trademark check pattern lined its trench coats by 1920, and rose to national ubiquity by 1955, when Queen Elizabeth II awarded the house a Royal Warrant. In 1961, the house dressed Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, introducing its branch of accessories by the mid-sixties. Aggressive retail expansion in the seventies and eighties spun Burberry into a household name, with stores in every major U.S. city. Embracing another image shift in the late nineties, Burberry furthered its hold on the luxury market through high fashion, debuting its first ready-to-wear collection under Roberto Menichetti, and launching major advertising campaigns. By 2001, Burberry became cool, thanks to then-CEO Rose Marie Bravo, who tagged Kate Moss as muse and Christopher Bailey as designer. Bailey worked under Tom Ford at Gucci, and he has brought that same sexy edge to the revered heritage brand. He combines punk with luxury, and edge with class. And while the house’s legendary coats still dominate, they serve as a canvas for Bailey’s art.

The target market has definitely changed throughout the years. The companies used to dress soldiers and now they place their high-end looks on people that can afford this pricy brand. They have become a very popular brand in the luxury fashion world. They did not stick with their originally target market they keep creating new ones. These examples of old and new Burberry ads show that the brand has changed dramatically from the original look, feel, and target market.

OLD AD:


NEW AD:

EOC Week 2: Discussion Questions

1. Fashion Advertising has changed immensely since the mid-twentieth century. The way the ads are designed to the way we view them has changed dramatically. In the early 20’s people didn’t advertise as much because there was no real way to get the ads out except for putting them in catalogs. Many people listened to the radio and heard about products that way. When the TV was invented and started to be placed in people’s homes companies began creating real advertisements. The looks of the ads began as black and white and have continued to get more colorful and intricate as the years went on. There were always fads that advertising creators fell into whether it be simplistic looking or a certain type of font. Examples of this would be the ads of before the 1950’s compared to the ads after the 1950’s. Before the 1950’s ad focused on the features and benefits of the products. “During what is known as the modern period, function and use value were emphasized in fashion. Consumers were influenced by practicality, style, fabrication, and availability of products that were new to them”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 14) After World War II advertisers created the “American Dream” and created ads around this theme to help them sell products. “The concept of “keeping up with the Joneses” became popular as consumers tried to outdo one another through home improvements, automobiles, and fashion.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.15) Today advertising is everywhere! We are bombarded with over 3,000 ads on a daily basis! Because of our ever growing technological advances ads are readily available for us to see at any time. Ads have become very intricate even down to being interactive with the consumer. Many companies are trying to create ways for consumers to use their brand in every aspect of the consumer’s life.

2. There are many theories to fashion branding but who is really right? “The main function of fashion branding is to provide a structure that uses images and language to impact a meaning to retail products.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.24) Company’s main goal is to sell product. They have to find a way to communicate a message to consumers that they need to purchase that product. “Judith Williamson believes that advertisement sell more than just the consumer goods in the ads. The connection between the consumer and product are made by providing a structure, method, and function for using a product.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.25) Many professionals have realized that in our consumerist society it is not really about the important staple pieces in our wardrobe but more about the branding used to sell the clothing. Us as consumers want to brand ourselves by wearing specific brands. Companies that realized this early on have been the front runners for developing lifestyle merchandising. These brands include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein. “Corporations clearly need to fine tune their focus on the consumer psyche and understand the importance of constantly evolving trends in their consumer’s lifestyles.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.29) Many of these contemporary ideas were thought up by Hamilton, Debord, Agins, Gobe, McCracken, and Barthes and Baurdrillard.

3. Grand McCracken research emphasizes that studying clothing is essential to understanding the cultural evolution of society. According to McCracken “meaning moves from the culturally constituted world to the gatekeepers of consumer goods to the individual consumers, all three add meaning to a brand as it passes t through their domains. “(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.30) He identifies nine different types of meanings that are usually targeted by companies: gender, lifestyle, decade, age, class and status, occupation, time and place, value, and fad fashion, and trend meanings. Once a company knows all this about its consumer it begins to get easier to market their product accordingly. I definitely agree with McCracken! If you do not know all of this information about your consumers there is no way you can begin to understand them how best to sell yourself to them. An example how this helps is gender and age. If companies can define the gender and age of their target market it will help them out immensely.

EOC2 Week 1: Excercise

I have chosen an advertisement by Louis Vuitton. This gorgeous advertisement depicts Madonna wearing looks straight off the LV runway for fall of 2010. Not only is Madonna an iconic figure but she is teaming up with such an iconic brand! I think that Louis Vuitton chose Madonna for this ad campaign because she is such a huge name in the music and fashion industry. I believe they want their consumers to think of their clothing as the brand that can stand the test of time. They can do this with a model like Madonna since she is so well known and still carries such a youthful and energetic look to her. I love how the image is so sexy. I think it shows off the clothing very well.


Not only did Louis Vuitton put the newest clothing in this ad they placed a classic monogram bad on Madonna’s shoulder. I think this says to guests that they will always be the classic Louis Vuitton brand but that they do also offer a full range of high-end ready-to-wear. By showing this they can hopefully help their loyal customers start to purchase more items for every buy they complete. I think by showing looks fresh off the runway they are more likely to attract a new customer base as well. Some people might not like the classic look of Louis Vuitton bags but they might be more enticed by the looks from the runway.


I think that consumers will want to purchase these products because many of them like Madonna and want to purchase products that she wears. Another reason that consumers will want to purchase these products is because they are displayed in a very classic way. Consumers always know that they are dealing with very high quality products when they purchase goods with Louis Vuitton. In conclusion I think that LV did a very great job with this ad to make consumers want to purchase their products.

EOC Week 1: Discussion Questions

1. Fashion Branding is “The cumulative image of a product or service that consumers quickly associate with a particular brand, it offers an overall experience that is unique different, special and identifiable”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock –page 4) Branding establishes a products identity because it offers a “competitive strategy that targets customers with products, advertising, and promotion organized around a coherent message as a way to encourage purchase and repurchase of products from the same company”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock-page 4-5)


2. Companies are able to sell simple products for very expensive prices because they have branded themselves to the public. Their customers may come to them because they love the look of the brand, they enjoy the quality of the products, or simply because they have to have that specific brand name. Many high-end brands have been able to successful price their products to sell to their target markets well. I think that perfume and cologne are great examples of items that used to not be considered as luxury items. It is very common now to see these fragrances sold for very high sums of money.


3. One consumer group that is different than me is the group of the baby boomers. I think they thing a lot differently from my consumer group when it comes to purchasing products. I think that baby boomers are a lot more conservative when it comes to purchasing. They are more frugal with their money and tend to do a lot of research on products before they make large purchases. Another consumer group that is different than mine would be the married couples. I am sure that they have different buying behaviors than my group does. They have to consider another person in most of their decisions. Playing off that would be the consumer group of people that have children. They buy with their children in mind. They might not have enough money as money consumer group to spend on clothing or entertainment since they have to take care of their children. All of these groups purchase very different fashion brands. I don’t think the baby boomers are as picky as my consumer group. Stores that are popular for my consumer group right now are H&M, Forever 21, and Sephora. The consumer group with children most likely shop at multipurpose stores so they can save time.