The MarkeDer

Look familiar? If you haven’t  been on Facebook much due to a ridiculous decrease in spare time, if you sign in you’ll notice that nearly everyone has changed their profile pictures to a picture of their favourite childhood cartoon. Until Monday, December 6th, the goal is to have no human faces on Facebook; rather, an invasion of memories. The reason for this is to raise awareness of violence against children. By raising awareness via online social network, the word and idea of this campaign has been spread like wildfire.

Looks like Facebook and Twitter might actually have so positive aspects to it other than just distraction and procrastination from studying… Which is exactly what I’m doing right now… I should get back to it…

Thanks for reading!!!

T

I came across a website called Polyvore and I was instantly hooked. I shared it with my closest girlfriends and they all found it to be an awesome site as well. What is Polyvore? Here is a little write up from Polyvore’s website of what they’re about:

Polyvore is the leading community site for online style where users are empowered to discover their style and set trends around the world. With over 6 million unique visitors and 140 million page views a month, Polyvore’s global community of trendsetters and trend seekers are redefining how people create, share and shop for fashion on the Internet.

Using the site’s virtual styling tool, users create unique sets that are digital collages of clothing, accessories and lifestyle products, which represent high-end designer collections to everyday looks and celebrity styles. Polyvore users have created more than 20 million fashion sets to share with users on the site, as well as across Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lancome, Net-A-Porter, Gap, and Coach are some brands that have collaborated with Polyvore to drive product engagement. The site also features user-generated campaigns that have been judged by celebrities including Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Polyvore users span the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil and Japan, making it a preeminent destination for online style discovery. Polyvore is backed by venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and Matrix Partners.

Clip + Create + Shop + Share = Polyvore

I am a firm believer in the fact that the way you present yourself every day is a reflection of who you are. I’m not necessarily talking about your career and dressing for your career, but I’m talking about who you are inside. Perhaps it’s a bit of a materialistic view on how individuals market themselves to the world, but I believe it’s true. I find that if you take a moment to sit at a coffee shop and just watch people, simply based on how an individual is acting, dressed, or saying, you can then base an assumption on them.

As for this website, Polyvore, I think it is a great way for individuals across the world to share their personalities via sharing their fashion style online. Fashion is much more than just the clothes that you wear. It is about marketing yourself, telling the world who you are, what you want to be, and how you’re feeling. Marketing is everywhere. Marketing is you.

Thanks for reading!

T

So I just watched this movie called “The Joneses” (click to watch) starring Demi Moore, David Duchovny, and Amber Heard. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who’s interested in marketing with a twist. Basically it is about a “picture perfect” family that moves into a neighbourhood – mom, dad, brother, and sister. They become the most popular people in town: they drive the best cars, have the nicest house and decor, wear the nicest clothes, use the tools, have the best gear. Next thing you know, the whole town wants to be JUST like the Joneses. It’s an interesting idea on marketing, using an ideal family in a high income neighbourhood to influence others to buy the products. I really don’t want to spoil it because I thought it was great! So definitely check it out if you have time!!! It wasn’t advertised or in theaters which is a shame.

Thanks for reading!

T

I was looking through some of my classmates’ blogs and one that I really enjoyed was Vingi Lok’s November 4, 2010 post “When the race is on, all bets are off”.

Nike is a well-known brand world wide. Their simple “swoosh” mark can be recognized without even thinking about it. Swoosh = Nike. No question asked. In this particular advertisement, it isn’t “in-your-face” with “Nike” or a swoosh mark all showing up in every shot; rather, a motivational speech with professional athletes captures an audience to give them a sense of hope or motivation in any walk of life they may lead. I find that this speech can be applied to anyone, which allows for Nike to reach out to individuals who may not consider themselves “athletic” or who aren’t necessarily confident with their exercise. Everyone has been set back once in their life. This speech takes note of that and shows viewers that even professional athletes can be set back – it’s just a matter of how you plan to get back at it. By establishing this perspective in this particular advertisement, Nike has created additional meaning behind their brand – now the brand exemplifies hard work, hope, and determination.

Nike already has a high value of branding. Think about it: N. I. K. E. If it wasn’t a brand, what is it? A nonsensical word. Moreover, I didn’t even have to tell you its a sportswear and equipment supplier. They have already defined in their brand through years of established loyalty of customers. Brands facilitate purchasing – Nike signifies quality because you see professionals use Nike products (whether it be shoes, uniforms, helmets) therefore, amateur athletes will purchase Nike products expecting professional quality. Through continuous use of a brand, consumers learn to trust them; moreover, seeing that professionals always use Nike, and you’ve had positive results from Nike products, you stay in the routine of always buying Nike products and your loyalty to the brand will increase.

I think that this advertisement is a great motivational speech because it can apply to anyone at anytime and isn’t very “in-your-face” about it being Nike, like a lot of ads are. I’d even go as far as saying, it’s pretty classy seeing as that it isn’t putting down any other brands and it isn’t using any provocative images… It’s just real. Genuine, really, and in this day in age, that makes it something different.

Thanks for reading!
T

Every night I go through the same routine before I go to sleep: I check the weather, look at different fashion blogs, and plan out what I’m going to wear for the next day. I usually visit the same sites, however, the other day I was checking out a blog that I hadn’t come across before and the author brought up the fact that Lanvin has collaborated a new line with H&M. Collaborations aren’t anything new for H&M: Comme Des Garcons, Roberto Cavalli, Marimekko, Kylie Minogue, Viktor and Rolf, Madonna, Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, and Sonia Rykiel have all done collaborations with H&M. Now, they’re adding Lanvin to their company with an impressive line.

Then it made me think, “How is this effecting the high-end designers’ images? Will their prestige of their name remain as high as before? or will they simply become a household brand that everyone and anyone can own and wear?“

H&M is not the only company that has done collaborations: Nike and IPods, Adidas and Missy Elliott and , Giorgio Armani and David Beckham, Top Shop and Kate Moss, Walmart and Hilary Duff, MAC and Disney, Zellers and Alfred Sung, and KMart and Selena Gomez. But how does this affect their brand image? I reckon it would depend on whether consumers see the collaborating company, celebrity, or designer, as an associative or dissociative image – whether consumers want to associate themselves with the social image the brand/name gives of or not.

For example, H&M offers a fashionable option at a low-ticket price, hence, by incorporating high-end designers at a slightly higher-ticket price, but not the same price if they were to buy their direct line, they can expand into different market segments. Not everyone can spend $300 for a silk shirt; however, when produced on mass through a company such as H&M, you can get a silk shirt for $30 while still wearing the designer label. A lot of people these days are concerned not only with what you’re wearing, but also who you’re wearing. Hence, consumers with a lower disposable income (money they can spend on shopping) can still gain the prestige of wearing designer labels and discount prices.

Personally, I don’t think collaborations deteriorate the image of designers or companies because they are able to produce a product for consumers which would not be able to be offered before. There is value in a name; hence, by attaching the name to a clothing line creates additional value to the clothes. In addition, collaborations of high end designers create a complete new line, creating an additional branch for a cheaper target market than their originals while maintaining the prestige of their high-end designer name. For example Alfred Sung still maintains its high-end quality and high-end prices, while the Alfred by Alfred Sung line increases the reputation while keeping the prices low.

All in all, I hope the new Lanvin line is successful at H&M! So far it looks amazing and I’m excited to go check it out!

Thanks for reading!

T

In case you haven’t had the chance to look outside…. I just wanted to let you know that there is SNOW on the local mountains!! Keep in mind it’s only OCTOBER… And there’s SNOW!!! Very excited. Because Whistler likely got a dumping!!!

Just thought I’d let you know! Ski/Snowboard season is near!!!

So get your skis/boards sharpened, waxed, and all ’round tuned up and get ready for the season because it’s going to be epic.

Thanks for reading!

T

Do you remember when telephones used to be those things connected to your house walls? With that spiral cord that always got tangled up and twisted around? What happened to the days when we were still fascinated with non-tape recording voice mail systems, caller ID, and call waiting?

Cell phones started out as bricks, to say the least. Now I’m not the most tech-savvy individual, but I just got my hands on this brand new Nokia N8 and I think to myself, it does everything I need in a phone: Symbian smartphone, Wi-Fi connection, tons of applications, text messaging, 12-megapixel camera, HD video recording, TV out via HDMI, touch screen, music player, video player, scratch resistant screen – oh yeah, and it even makes phone calls!!!

In this day in age, we are always on the go. So why not take our lives with us in the form of our cell phones? We have become so dependent on our cell phones to the point where we think we feel it vibrate, even when its not, or you think you hear it ringing when a similar pitch goes off in the background. Obsessed? Maybe. But maybe it’s not our fault. What I’m saying is that these cell phone companies market their products to create this need for consumers to own their product. That we need a 12-megapixel camera on our phone, that we need Wi-Fi connection on our phones, or that we need it to stay in contact with our friends (Blackberry Messenger). I remember when all I wanted was a cell phone, then I wanted the new “flip” phones, then the slider phones came out and I needed to have that, then the touch phones came out. Marketers create value for their products and target it towards males and females of my generation. My generation is obsessed with technology and gets bored with things very easily. Hence I don’t see a better target market for the cell phone companies. They keep bringing out new editions of phones, enhance their specs, and ultimately creating a high value on them. Not only do they come out with new editions, they have new features, and new technologies – something they advertise that you must have in order to stay in the loop with your friends and social life.

The development of cell phones would not be successful on its own. It’s up to the marketers of the cellphone brands and cellular providers to show what the phone has to offer. Personally, I love getting new cell phones – that’s something my parents don’t understand because they can’t see how I could possibly enjoy getting to learn an entire new interface, new texting style, new applications, etc. when they’re just getting used to texting on a T9 basis. But that’s their generation. They’re a little (and by a little, I mean a lot) slower at adjusting to technology. So yes, I believe that cellphone marketers have definitely found and unveiled the needs and wants of consumers, such as myself, that they didn’t even know existed. For example, 3 years ago, I would not have thought I’d be surfing the web, via Wi-Fi on my touch screen cellphone. But now, it has become a need/want of mine. To be able to have that accessibility and availability all in something that fits in my hand.

It’s truly a marketer’s world, we’re all just living in it.

Thanks for reading!

T

Username: TessaDer
Password: *****

Seems like everything we do these days needs a User Name and Password combination. Well that’s because almost everything we do is online! Even if you have never shopped online, I’m sure you aren’t completely oblivious to the World Wide Web – nowadays you can find ANYTHING (or anyone for that matter) online. The best part of it all is that it is so easy and convenient – you don’t even have to leave your home and you can buy clothing, shoes, electronics, groceries (Spud.ca), hand-made crafts (Etsy) (That’s my mom’s new favourite site, next to Ebay). The bottom line is that you can buy anything and everything – at any time.

The reason I wanted to write about this was because I honestly wanted to talk about my new skis and how excited I am about the upcoming season, so I thought it would be best if I did so in an indirect manner. But instead of boring you about the specs of my 2010 Line Chronic Cryptonites (hence the on-“lines”), I’m going to tell you about shopping online.

A few years ago, my family started to get into Ebay. We started up with PayPal and realized how convenient and safe shopping online really could be – something that is a major fear factor for many people. I can understand how people could be uneasy about putting their credit card information into the oblivion of the Internet; however, Ebay and PayPal has created a way to ensure satisfaction. After our first small purchases (cell phone and camera chargers) we started to go bigger. We started to find out that actual retail stores were selling their merchandise online. What a great idea!! Now we can get cross-border savings, without having to leave our home!!! After searching Ebay, wee came across a Seattle store’s website called EvoGear. My older brother was the first to purchase a big-ticket item online – a pair of skis (Line Chronics). The transaction took place with ease – putting in our billing address, our information, and our credit card information. Bing-Bang-Boom! The skis were sold and were on their way! Within a week or so we saw a long package waiting outside our door! The service was incredible and the product was completely new! Then when we were going to Seattle as a family shopping trip, we went to visit EvoGear in person. The store is located in the suburbs of Seattle, and is a bit of a detour, but when we were there, the customer service was spectacular.

To say the least, we were satisfied with the customer service, and now are loyal Evo’ites! Evo offers satisfaction guaranteed, and if you don’t think the product is going to work for you, you can return it, no problem!! That’s the beauty about it – is that you can buy buy buy, and if you get it and realize, WHOOPS too small! then you can return it with no hassles.

Sure, shopping online does have risks involved. That’s why you have to be smart about it:

• When shopping on Ebay, make sure the sellers have a high feedback percentage with a high feedback response. Basically what this is is past customers of this seller rate their service, product, and shipping.
• If it seems like a shady website, it probably is! Don’t give out your credit card information to ANYWHERE!
• Make sure you fully understand shipping rates – This is usually where some of the prices are pushed up!! Especially because we live in Canada!
• Use PayPal when you can!
• Make sure you read the fine print!
• Know your product and what you’re buying and what to look for! (Even though it’s illegal to say it’s real, when its a fake, sellers can be “misleading”)

Thanks for reading!

T

For all those don’t know who this miniature figure of a woman is, meet Nicole Polizzi, better known as “Snooki” from MTV’s hit reality TV show “Jersey Shore”. Why am I writing about her? More so, why would I want to be her??? Please don’t think I’ve gone insane, just hear me out.

I came across a blog, Chu’s News, written by a fellow classmate, Crystal Chu, and she wrote about how Snooki’s been raking in designer bags due to her (some would say) “trashy” image. How? During the first season of Jersey Shore, Snooki was consistently seen carrying a Coach bag. Coach, however, has been sending her competitors’ bags (such as Gucci) so she would be seen wearing their bags instead. Why? Image profiling. No “high end” bag company wants to be associated with a less-than-classy reality TV star, especially when she is seen prancing around clubs with her G-strings hanging out for the world to see.

Indeed it is a pretty genius marketing scheme – it is sort of a reversed psychology thing. For example, girls who aspire to look anything but like Snooki will try to buy the brands she isn’t wearing or promoting; hence, if she is no longer carrying her Coach bags, these girls will buy the Coach bags again, and less of the Gucci bags. In a way this is really good for Coach because in general, Coach consumers are not Snooki-esque type people. Rather, they aim to be sophisticated, chic, and classic – basically, everything Snooki is not.

If you’re not seeing why I want to be her, I’ll break it down for you. No. It is not her dyed black hair, or that giant poof, or her annoying whining noises, nor is it her clothing selection, style, or height that I’m envious of either, and it is most definitely not her “tanned” (*ahem* orange *ahem*) skin. It is truly, her perks of free bags. And that is why I want to be Snooki.

Thanks for reading!

T

Just thought I’d share this with you! It’s super cute.

Thanks for reading,

T