L2, a think tank for digital innovation that brings together thought leadership from academia and industry to drive digital marketing innovation, released their FashionDigital IQ study, with one of our favorite brands coming in at the top!
Kate Spade received a “Genius” ranking which means:
Digital innovation is a point of differentiation for these brands. Site experience is searchable, shareable, and mobile-optimized. Social media is embedded into marketing DNA, and campaigns are integrated across multiple digital platforms.
Sheesh, that’s a long explanation. For all of us visual folks, here’s what that means:
Coasters R Us
Discs in a Box
One D at a Time
DBag
Dmart
DVDeliver
Blockpounder
We Send You DVDs in the Mail
Don’t Give Us Money, Go Away
Getflix
Disc Hut
Conflixter
Initech
Napster
Skyflixmall
Skynet
Flickr
Notflix
Netflix Minus Net Plus Shiny Little Frisbees
Netsquik
Qwik-E-Mart
NetDisk
Netflix
I have to admit that “We Send You DVDs in the Mail” is my favorite. What, too long to fit easily on a business card?
I get it, naming a business can be tough work. Your company’s name should be catchy and sum up your business’s well, business in one fail swoop. But, it’s also something you’re going to have to live with for a while so you want to make sure that it has some longevity and does a good job representing you and what you do.
What do you think? Qwikster: clever or just plain awful?
And, just in case you missed it and have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a great summary of Qwikster and why Netflix just cut their business in half.
Renee Zellweger is famous for continuously wearing Carolina Herrera on the red carpet. Elle and Dakota Fanning have been wearing Marc Jacobs to most every event they’ve attended over the past year. In an instant, one A-list celebrity can do more for a designer than any form of traditional advertising.
“If you’re an up and coming designer, the best way to get name recognition is to have a celebrity wear your clothing,” according the TheGrindstone.com. “All it takes is a few photos of an actor, pop star or model in your designer duds for interest to be piqued and for sales to increase.”
But what happens when a not-so-desirable D-lister starts wearing your brand in a very public manner? Abercrombie & Fitch has offered a “substantial payment” to Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino if he would choose “to wear an alternate brand.”
Abercrombie’s official statement was as follows:
“We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”
In response, A representative for MTV, which airs the show, told CNN:
“It’s a clever PR stunt, and we’d love to work with them on other ways they can leverage ‘Jersey Shore’ to reach the largest youth audience on television”
The Grindstone made some interesting observations:
No word yet on whether or not The Situation will be accepting any money to cease wearing Abercrombie & Fitch, but one can’t help but wonder: is this bad for business? The last time I walked past an A&F, the clientele looked pretty similar to those who probably think Jersey Shore should be nominated for an Emmy, so maybe it’s all some sort of marketing ploy? Or maybe everyone is just over the cast of Jersey Shore. I mean, how many seasons of drunken buffoons fist pumping in the air can the public watch? Seriously.
So while we all wait with baited breath to see what ‘The Situation’ does, consider these two facts:
Just last summer they sold a shirt that said ‘The Fituation.’ So you’ll make money playing off of his nickname, but he can’t wear your clothing?
I can’t recall Abercrombie being in the news since March, when parents were outraged that padded bikini tops were being sold to girls as young at 7-years-old.
I never even noticed he wore your brand until you made such a big deal out of it. I’m with MTV on this one. Clever PR Abercrombie…. But I still have no desire to buy your clothing.
From the latest in viral videos and buzz-worthy content, to unique ad campaigns and social media network upgrades, it comes as no surprise that we’ve been plenty entertained here in the office at Tarte. Creativity, innovation and humor are among the many qualities that we crave in our personal and professional lives, which of course is further cemented by our comical work environment. Nevertheless, it’s always a great way to start the work day when your inbox greets you with a little nugget of advertising joy sent by a colleague OR a post is made to one of our many social media channels that sparks a frenzy of conversation.
(You should know. We share it all with you… well, almost.)
Of all the new thoughts, ideas, articles, advertisements, trends, and more — Here is myTop Ten: inspirational, attention-grabbing, and all over LOL-worthy happenings in the ad-mosphere as of late and in no particular order:
1. HOPA Dry Erase Girl (Quits her job!)
Now, I don’t care to admit when I’m behind in the world of viral humor, let alone when I’m behind a whole calendar year. However, this had to be the most entertaining, jaw-dropping thing to enter my inbox this weekend. If I remember correctly back to well, yesterday, my first thought: WHAT?! Next thought: You go girl!
While, indeed, this did turn out to be another (successful) hoax concocted by the site’s creators, it certainly reminds us all of our insatiable appetite for a good story and some deliciously juicy entertainment. Props to the guys at theChive for making it happen and punking the public yet again.
2. Spotify
More productive than turntable.fm and perhaps a bit more office-appropriate at that is Spotify, the latest in music compiling, playing, discovering, and sharing. Spotify is “all music, all the time”, as it is both a free and mobile service, in which account holders may retrieve music from an extensive library of over 15 million tracks to compile into playlists and share with friends anytime, anyplace. An interface that is reminiscent of the Kazaas or Napsters of years past, makes for easy navigation and music accessibility. Did I mention that one of the very masterminds behind the ever-controversial Napster, Sean Parker, is in fact one of the many behind Spotify as well? You heard it right! Again, I digress.
Though admittedly, Spotify is less interactive than turntable in that it lacks the same 90’s chatroom capabilities, it does contain a newsfeed functionality, which keeps users in-the-know of music happenings, including various artists and recent song suggestions. The allure here being: Users have the ability to listen live by streaming songs from their account, to save playlists for later listening pleasure (offline), or to listen-on-the-go (depending on account level). Not only is this searching and listening made easy, but also sharing and accessing jamz is easy to do without the added pressure of download times and monopolizing computer space.
“I hope you’ve been well. Actually, I know you’ve been well because I’ve been watching you and not in a creepy way… only in public places at appropriate times from afar like a big brother slash superhero-life figure minus the biological relation, who cares about your safety deeply.”
Perhaps you’ve been distracted by helping baby pelican birds or painting houses for elderly people who lost the ability to paint? Maybe you’ve been busy building an orphanage or ripping out mass loads of weights and can’t get to the internet to check out the hilariously funny, charming and attractive ‘old’ Old Spice guy take on Fabio for the title of most handsome-est Best-of Old Spice guy?
Fear not, dear readers, he is back. In case you’ve been following the nothing-short-of-amusing ad campaign by Old Spice, which increased in popularity due to its incredibly toned, deep-voiced public figure (and witty brand characteristics), Isaiah Mustafa is back by popular demand. In a recent challenge by new figure, Fabio (yes, Fabio), the ‘old’ Old Spice guy accepted said challenge and without any shed of doubt won in a voter poll on which they’d like to see as the face of Old Spice. Advertising genius at work.
In case you missed it while cruising Facebook during your daily social media regimen, the world’s largest social network quietly rolled out a new feature displaying statuses that were posted on that given day one or two years ago. And, this doesn’t just apply to your personal statuses. Keep your eye out while cruising other’s pages (specifically photo albums) for the “On this Day” box, and you will notice their posts from years past— here you can tell who was really lovin’ life… or hating it.
Although their intentions with this feature are unknown, it’s proven to be a fun little addition to the product, while also reminding users of their investment to Facebook over the years, including the impact it has had on each of our lives.
Has Facebook been reminding you of status updates from your past? Let us know what you’ve been seeing or what you think about what you’re seeing and any thoughts on the new feature in general!
“You’ve probably already been improving the lives of your friends and family by helping them switch to Gmail, but we all have that one friend who hasn’t made the jump. Who’s been indifferent to your prods and reminders. Who still emails you from that embarrassingly out-of-date address, an address that should be laid to rest like so many other items of it’s time.”
In an attempt (of many) for world domination, Google has created a unique way to recruit more Gmail account holders by way of our very loved ones, who advocate for the email hosting service by encouraging them to join and quite literally staging an email invention by email. You can also visit: http://www.emailintervention.com to customize your intervention email, selecting messages:
1.) Straightforward: I’m here to help
2.) Concerned: I’m worried about you
3.) Outraged: You’re embarrassing me.
Whatever the reason, if you ever wanted your friends to get onboard with Gmail (maybe find yourself another daily Gchat PIC?) — here’s your solution. 778, 547 Interventions and going strong! Google, you have quite the way, you do.
6. Caricatures on Facebook
This could be you! With the help of artist Adam Ellis, your Facebook profile picture could be interpreted for you using his unique style of caricature drawing. Be careful what you post though, friends, your picture could be next and not nearly as flattering as may be depicted (sike!). But seriously though, see above for images from his series entitled “Never Be My Friend”, which of course was created with purest of intentions… purely for fun that is. And, all of which I am LOV(E)-ing!
Visit Books of Adam for more entertaining sketches and insights into the artist’s daily life.
7. Computer Vision Syndrome — An Infographic for the Eyes
How fitting, right? At point 7 of 10 that I’m on of writing this blog, I am already feeling the effects of CVS and it’s only 10 a.m. While I’m hoping this serves as an amusing break in your workday, I also feel ya on the whole blurry-eyed, achy feeling from too much eye-to-screen contact. Well, here’s a teaser from the infographic “Healthy Eyes”, which provides a number of tips and techniques for how to ease your eyes into the digital world.
Check out the article on Mashable for the full image, which also gives you a peek at present and future technology aimed to help us adapt to the inevitable.
8. 6 Creative Uses for iPads — Small Retailers & Lovers Alike
Though I’ve not personally jumped on the iPad bandwagon, with the majority of the world In the thick of this type of technology, they have been some interesting ways to leverage social media and technology in small business while also contributing to the consumer experience. Whether it’s shops and salons or local restaurants, businesses are getting onboard with the digital world just like everyone else and are using it in ways to grow their business.
“The iPad allow guests to control the flow and timing of their experience,” says Paul Motenko, co-founder of Stacked. “Guests can order a drink and appetizer and then entrees and desserts, when they are ready — or their whole meal at once to move things along faster.” Guests also have the option to pay via iPad (credit card info is encrypted for security purposes) without the extra wait and added hassle of server bringing the bill.
Scenario 2: iPad as Entertainment at Tenoverten in New York
Don’t worry, they haven’t said goodbye to glossy magazines just yet! Though, this Tribeca nail salon has found ways to please her patrons by positioning iPads at each station instead for customers to use as they please. “It’s a great tool for them to multitask while taking a little time out of the day for themselves,” she says. “And it’s one of the most differentiating things about our business as we are the only nail salon in the world that has an iPad at every manicure station.”
Would you consider getting a crowd-sourced tattoo? What if it was for a good cause? According to The Social Tattoo Project:
“People care about a world crisis… for a week. But we think the world’s issues deserve more than just a moment of empathy. The Social Tattoo Project is making empathy permanent. Our volunteers are getting tattoos that represent worldly issues, but they have no idea what their tattoos will be. They are letting you decide.
For each tattoo, we will post 4 trending topics on Twitter, and the most tweeted trend will be the subject of the tattoo. To vote, tweet #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo . With your vote and our volunteers’ skin, we can make what the world empathizes with today, what we care about forever.”
So, maybe you’re not into ink, and that’s okay. Regardless of your personal opinion on the matter or your taste in tats, it’s always cool to stumble upon unique causes with great intent, especially when social media is used in interesting ways to launch said cause and ultimately bring people together.
10. Project Cuddle Introduces John Stamos’ Guide to Cuddling
In support of John Stamos’ charity Project Cuddle — a nonprofit geared towards saving abandoned babies (681 in U.S. & Canada to date) — he and former co-star (Bob Saget) of the 90’s sitcom Full House, recently got together for a cuddle sesh in order to generate awareness about the rising issue. To say that the thought of Stamos and Saget in a loving embrace may bring to mind a few mildly disturbing images is quite the understatement. It is, however, hilariously funny and certainly contains quite the ‘wow-factor’ that they were likely going for. Oh yeah, they went there.
You may not look at uncle Jesse or Danny Tanner in the same way as before, but if you have an appetite for boundary-crossing humor — consider yourself satisfied. Oh yeah, and that part about not looking at uncle Jesse the same? I’d be lying if I said that John Stamos’ good looks didn’t grab my attention even as a 9 year old.. but, you know, without the whole wild mullet ‘do.
Check out the 3-minute clip of this Equal Opportunity Stud that has us falling off the chair and gasping for breaths it’s so funny. Be warned this video contains sexual references and occasional profanity. See: Stamos Snugglefest
Find something you like? Tell us! Leave your comments below, and share with us what’s floating your boat this week!
It’s known throughout our office that I cannot wait for the Missoni line to premiere at Target on September 13th. While Missoni is an extremely successful brand, it is not a huge company. It is family run, with the granddaughter of the founders, Marghertia acting as the face of the brand, in campaigns and in the studio. The goal of the collaboration with Target is to expand the Missoni image in the United States and to promote the brand as being young and fresh.
Missoni Founders, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni
“It’s certainly been one of the most collaborative partnerships we’ve had with any of our designers,” Mr. Setliff said. Other notable collaborations that Target has done in the past have been with William Rast, Jean Paul Gaultier, Zac Posen and Proenza Schouler.
Anyone who has seen Missoni’s creations is familiar with their zigzag design. With the fear that Target-shopping Americans wouldn’t know how to incorporate such strong patterns into their current wardrobe, Target has created videos of the web, tv and mobile phones, giving customers tips on how to incorporate prints and color into their lives
Target has also created a “shoppable” video, allowing customers to buy directly by clicking on items that are highlighted. When a viewer clicks on a product, a pop-up window will appear with more details. The viewer can then add the item to an online shopping cart at Target.com without leaving the video.
Target isn’t stopping there, they are also run a 20-page insert in the September issue of Vogue. For the first time, Target ads will also run in a foreign publication, Vogue Italia.
Target will participate in events like Fashion’s Night Out during Fashion Week in New York and will open a pop-up store near Bryant Park, featuring items from the collection.
“It’s become O.K. for the ‘Vogue customer’ to shop at Target, to brag about the fact that they saved money,” Mr. Buchman said.
anytime, anyplace. An interface that is reminiscent of the 
quite the ‘wow-factor’ that they were likely going for. Oh yeah, they went there.
