Living in Pennsylvania is a distinct experience. We have major metropolitan cities (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh), we have The Amish. We have the very, very best folk art in the country - please see, "Fraktur"; and we have shad.
I think the shad is a finish unique to the Delaware River that divides Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I don't know much about the shad, except that my Great Aunt Kit loved to eat shad roe. I guess that's what you call Pennsylvania Caviar?
Every year the town of Lambertville, New Jersey (where my sister lives), directly across the river from New Hope, Pennsylvania - hosts Shad Fest ShadFest.com.
I love Shad Fest. It isn't very shadtastic. My sister's room mate said it should be called, "necklace fest".... due to all the of the jewelry artists lining the streets - there must be a connection between necklaces and shad - I just don't know what it is. There is tons of food, as there is at any festival - and there is no Blue Law Mentality like there is in Pennsylvania (at least Lancaster) - so one can feel free to join the other revelers in the beer garden, before noon!
Allot of people attend Shad Fest. I wonder how they market that? I got it by word of mouth. My concern is the artists. I love independent artists. So many times I have seen something there that I like but would rather have in silver, or blue, or whatever. None of the artists ever has more to give me than a scribbled phone number or a business card. I think I lucked out one year when an artist had a web site.
I think this year I'll be on my bully pulpit with the artists. They need web sites. They need a good search campaign. Online advertising is The Hot Thing. Everyone wants to make more sales right now. Their customers, their long-term, loyal customers are right there waiting to become raving fans - if the artists have the tools right there beside them to capture the audience while the audience is interested.
A business card is OK. A colorful, professionally printed flyer/brochure with a logo, web address and phone number is better. Something a bit substantial, that I may even want to hang on my refrigerator.
I know hiring an agency can seem to be out of the reach to smaller, independent retailers. It isn't. It truly is an investment, especially in "this" (I refuse to refer to it as This Economy anymore). I wonder how an independent artist can afford NOT to have an agency handling the marketing.
At LMI we have REALLY talented graphic designers and REALLY talented business strategists. We marry the two concepts for every campaign, no matter the size. ALL of our clients are a priority. Their success is our success.
It's almost lunchtime. I have to monitor the pay-per-click campaigns... and get ready to shop some necklaces. I hope there are some textile artists there as well this year.
AND I wouldn't mind a Shad Shot - vodka from a gutted shad... another joke from my sister's room mate. I believed it and I would like to try it. Perhaps my sister would like to join me in a little fishing trip tonight - we could set up a stand, sort of like a lemonade stand, only fishier!
Showing posts with label Branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Branding. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Branding and the Independent Artist
Returning, as always, to my obsession with clothes... in this case the eclectic t shirt collection.
Perhaps a year and a half ago I was doing the most(?) unglamorous part of my job, sorting the mail. Someone has to do it. There was Jupiter Images catalog with an offer for a FREE t shirt by artist Michael C. Hsiung. I had never heard of the artist, but I know a funked-out t shirt when I see one - and this was one of the best.
I begged the creatives to buy a Jupiter image. Rats that they are - they needed no image at that time. I called Jupiter Images to beg for one. NO DICE. What's an obsessed t shirt freak to do? Google the artist! michaelchsiung.com I found his email address fairly easily. Fortunately the man has a heart of PURE GOLD. He found me a t shirt. I love it so much that I only wear it once a year to cut down on the ruinous effects of laundry.
In return for his infinite kindness (or marketing savvy???) I visited the site where he was selling his work at the time. I bought his Fish Story print for my house. My boss liked it so much we had it framed and hung in, um, our rest room (the print matches the paint). The story on the salvaged book page he used as a canvas is almost as great as the print!
Fast forward Fish Story approximately one year. We, like everyone else established a Twitter presence. Imagine my overwhelming elation the day I saw in my inbox that Michael C. Hsiung is following US!
I have read so much lately that branding is dead; that the traditional "matching" elements no longer apply - or are even effective. In the case of our Rock Star independent artist, that really is true. I GUESS he could have shot out an email campaign to a targeted list. Maybe he has brochures that he drops off at boutiques? I don't see how an ad in a publication or on television would benefit him. Me? I wish he had a catalog!
Instead he managed to impress Jupiter Images. Jupiter Images probably benefited from that association (not through us, I had to go begging for MY shirt). Unintended consequences? Or did the artist intend to gain himself some raving fans via this association with Jupiter?
No matter because it was pure genius. I can't be the only Financial Controller/Google AdWords Professional/Receptionist/Mail Sorter - or for that matter, how many creatives??? who became raving fans of Monsieur Hsiung due to one catalog that ALMOST got into the circular file with out a second look - until his gift, depicted on a t shirt caught my eye.
We don't market any independent artists here but if we did I think I would recommend some sort of "offer". That's the Big Buzzword for promoting online businesses. That's also how I found my man - online.
His site didn't have an offer per se; however his infinite (I'm not kidding) kindness was better than "buy one get one free". EVERYTHING in the world of advertising and marketing is getting so much more personal. It is as if M. Hsiung invented the concept.
Now he needs to design a line of clothing to sell to major department stores and niche boutiques. His designs need to be more accessible a moi. Heck, he could design a line of clothing and accessories to sell on his own site. It seems that he designs tattoos - lookee here! a reason to get another one!
Any angel investors out there? I know this artist who.....
Perhaps a year and a half ago I was doing the most(?) unglamorous part of my job, sorting the mail. Someone has to do it. There was Jupiter Images catalog with an offer for a FREE t shirt by artist Michael C. Hsiung. I had never heard of the artist, but I know a funked-out t shirt when I see one - and this was one of the best.
I begged the creatives to buy a Jupiter image. Rats that they are - they needed no image at that time. I called Jupiter Images to beg for one. NO DICE. What's an obsessed t shirt freak to do? Google the artist! michaelchsiung.com I found his email address fairly easily. Fortunately the man has a heart of PURE GOLD. He found me a t shirt. I love it so much that I only wear it once a year to cut down on the ruinous effects of laundry.
In return for his infinite kindness (or marketing savvy???) I visited the site where he was selling his work at the time. I bought his Fish Story print for my house. My boss liked it so much we had it framed and hung in, um, our rest room (the print matches the paint). The story on the salvaged book page he used as a canvas is almost as great as the print!
Fast forward Fish Story approximately one year. We, like everyone else established a Twitter presence. Imagine my overwhelming elation the day I saw in my inbox that Michael C. Hsiung is following US!
I have read so much lately that branding is dead; that the traditional "matching" elements no longer apply - or are even effective. In the case of our Rock Star independent artist, that really is true. I GUESS he could have shot out an email campaign to a targeted list. Maybe he has brochures that he drops off at boutiques? I don't see how an ad in a publication or on television would benefit him. Me? I wish he had a catalog!
Instead he managed to impress Jupiter Images. Jupiter Images probably benefited from that association (not through us, I had to go begging for MY shirt). Unintended consequences? Or did the artist intend to gain himself some raving fans via this association with Jupiter?
No matter because it was pure genius. I can't be the only Financial Controller/Google AdWords Professional/Receptionist/Mail Sorter - or for that matter, how many creatives??? who became raving fans of Monsieur Hsiung due to one catalog that ALMOST got into the circular file with out a second look - until his gift, depicted on a t shirt caught my eye.
We don't market any independent artists here but if we did I think I would recommend some sort of "offer". That's the Big Buzzword for promoting online businesses. That's also how I found my man - online.
His site didn't have an offer per se; however his infinite (I'm not kidding) kindness was better than "buy one get one free". EVERYTHING in the world of advertising and marketing is getting so much more personal. It is as if M. Hsiung invented the concept.
Now he needs to design a line of clothing to sell to major department stores and niche boutiques. His designs need to be more accessible a moi. Heck, he could design a line of clothing and accessories to sell on his own site. It seems that he designs tattoos - lookee here! a reason to get another one!
Any angel investors out there? I know this artist who.....
Friday, March 27, 2009
Ludwig Wittgenstein The Shack Apologist
Serendipity! I am reading an article in either Atlantic Monthly theatlantic.com or Harper's www.harpers.org (I am always chewing one of them to bits) in the Book Reviews Section - which I swear every month I will skip, and I always read....
This review is of a book about The House of Wittgenstein, ala, Ludwig, the youngest son and one of my favorite Philosophers. I don't know which came first for me, Bertrand Russell or Wittgenstein, it's like the chicken and the egg. I was fascinated. This was not the Plato, DesCartes, Hume, Hegel who I had been writing papers about for 3 years! This was short, logical, beautiful.
Wittgenstein refused his share of his families' considerable fortune. He had but one published work in his life. Much of his writing was rescued from the "peat cottage" where he spent his final days.
There we have it. No longer shall I be calling the home choices of the brilliant but misunderstood, "shacks".
Serendipity again: this morning I read an article on theatlantic.com called The Hipster Depression. The takeaway for me was this, "Bohemia is not an alternate reality"; 'the scene depends on a host of socio-economic forces. My friend was nothing if not Bohemian. I like to think I am too.
That REALLY got me to thinking because I read an article earlier this week that was referenced on a Tweet. The takeaway from that article is that Branding is dead. It is no longer a top-down phenomenon but personal. Brand loyalty and ultimately purchase decisions, are based on personal recommendations (socio-economic forces?).
When I think of my own purchase decisions, this is often all too true. I'm a Cool T Shirt Addict. I never would have heard of Trunk, Ltd., or Ed Hardy if my sister hadn't told me I'd love them. I wouldn't have known about my beloved Juicy Couture terry pants if I hadn't seen an ad for shopbop.com online, RIGHT NEXT TO an article declaring sweat suit couture "dead". That was 5 years ago and 9 pairs of pants later. Juicys are NOT sweat pants!
It looks as if the "Online Community", the personal recommendation, IS becoming the new branding mechanism. For instance, I collect dolls (no laughing, OK, go ahead). I am always on Ebay looking for dolls, and things to put on my dolls. Not one of these dolls would I have known about had I not followed the bread crumbs on Ebay. I'd have allot more money too. I HAD TO HAVE a Pullip doll a few years ago, so cute! Until I got her and any pose I put her in, she fell over and her wig fell off because her head weighs a pound and her body weighs an ounce. I sold her on Ebay.
Another take away from the Branding is Dead article: a physical store, such as Macy's, is increasingly a show room. The actual purchase is then made online. I do and do not get this. Why pay for shipping if you're buying a set of china or a bed frame? On the other hand, if I see expensive shoes or jeans (or china) I'll skip the in-store purchase because I can probably get the same thing for less online.
Not always. There is the Rachel Pally Long Full Skirt presented to me in an email from shopbop.com. I fell in love. I spent what I spent on knock-offs until nothing was cutting the mustard - and I broke down and paid full price. It's worth EVERY PENNY. I wear it all the time. I'd wear it every day if that was Bohemian and not creepy. I AM loyal to the Rachel Pally and Juicy Couture Brands - but ONLY due to the online and email marketing done by shopbop.com. I simply cannot afford to shop on that site often (LOVE the sales), but it is my Go To Site for great clothes and ideas.
Then I think of one of my favorite place in the world, The Moravian Bookshop, in Bethlehem, PA moravianbookshop.com. I live a couple of hours from there so I don't get to go there that often. It's an amazing place, books, housewares, bakery! They have a web site with a shopping cart - but not everything is catalogued and available for purchase on the web site. Gosh darn it. That is a case where the store IS a showroom for the virtual realm. They sell a line of stemware that is relatively inexpensive yet very attractive - and not available in my town. When I break a piece, I'd love to be able to go online and replace it - at The Moravian Bookshop. I'm loyal to that store.
Branding kind of is dead. Who spends a significant amount of time watching television or listening to the radio (Applebee's outdoor advertising is still killer!)? Online communities and their word of mouth plus their ad space = the new brand awareness.
Oh, and a shack is not a shack. It's a peat cottage. I feel much better, but still ashamed.
This review is of a book about The House of Wittgenstein, ala, Ludwig, the youngest son and one of my favorite Philosophers. I don't know which came first for me, Bertrand Russell or Wittgenstein, it's like the chicken and the egg. I was fascinated. This was not the Plato, DesCartes, Hume, Hegel who I had been writing papers about for 3 years! This was short, logical, beautiful.
Wittgenstein refused his share of his families' considerable fortune. He had but one published work in his life. Much of his writing was rescued from the "peat cottage" where he spent his final days.
There we have it. No longer shall I be calling the home choices of the brilliant but misunderstood, "shacks".
Serendipity again: this morning I read an article on theatlantic.com called The Hipster Depression. The takeaway for me was this, "Bohemia is not an alternate reality"; 'the scene depends on a host of socio-economic forces. My friend was nothing if not Bohemian. I like to think I am too.
That REALLY got me to thinking because I read an article earlier this week that was referenced on a Tweet. The takeaway from that article is that Branding is dead. It is no longer a top-down phenomenon but personal. Brand loyalty and ultimately purchase decisions, are based on personal recommendations (socio-economic forces?).
When I think of my own purchase decisions, this is often all too true. I'm a Cool T Shirt Addict. I never would have heard of Trunk, Ltd., or Ed Hardy if my sister hadn't told me I'd love them. I wouldn't have known about my beloved Juicy Couture terry pants if I hadn't seen an ad for shopbop.com online, RIGHT NEXT TO an article declaring sweat suit couture "dead". That was 5 years ago and 9 pairs of pants later. Juicys are NOT sweat pants!
It looks as if the "Online Community", the personal recommendation, IS becoming the new branding mechanism. For instance, I collect dolls (no laughing, OK, go ahead). I am always on Ebay looking for dolls, and things to put on my dolls. Not one of these dolls would I have known about had I not followed the bread crumbs on Ebay. I'd have allot more money too. I HAD TO HAVE a Pullip doll a few years ago, so cute! Until I got her and any pose I put her in, she fell over and her wig fell off because her head weighs a pound and her body weighs an ounce. I sold her on Ebay.
Another take away from the Branding is Dead article: a physical store, such as Macy's, is increasingly a show room. The actual purchase is then made online. I do and do not get this. Why pay for shipping if you're buying a set of china or a bed frame? On the other hand, if I see expensive shoes or jeans (or china) I'll skip the in-store purchase because I can probably get the same thing for less online.
Not always. There is the Rachel Pally Long Full Skirt presented to me in an email from shopbop.com. I fell in love. I spent what I spent on knock-offs until nothing was cutting the mustard - and I broke down and paid full price. It's worth EVERY PENNY. I wear it all the time. I'd wear it every day if that was Bohemian and not creepy. I AM loyal to the Rachel Pally and Juicy Couture Brands - but ONLY due to the online and email marketing done by shopbop.com. I simply cannot afford to shop on that site often (LOVE the sales), but it is my Go To Site for great clothes and ideas.
Then I think of one of my favorite place in the world, The Moravian Bookshop, in Bethlehem, PA moravianbookshop.com. I live a couple of hours from there so I don't get to go there that often. It's an amazing place, books, housewares, bakery! They have a web site with a shopping cart - but not everything is catalogued and available for purchase on the web site. Gosh darn it. That is a case where the store IS a showroom for the virtual realm. They sell a line of stemware that is relatively inexpensive yet very attractive - and not available in my town. When I break a piece, I'd love to be able to go online and replace it - at The Moravian Bookshop. I'm loyal to that store.
Branding kind of is dead. Who spends a significant amount of time watching television or listening to the radio (Applebee's outdoor advertising is still killer!)? Online communities and their word of mouth plus their ad space = the new brand awareness.
Oh, and a shack is not a shack. It's a peat cottage. I feel much better, but still ashamed.
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