When you look at the title of that post, it can only be one of 2 things.
I’m going to write about people who are slaves to the latest trends.
I’m going to write about how tragic my fashion tastes are.
Well you’d be wrong on both counts because I’m going to write about integrity.
You see a while back, I was told I was going to receive a sweatshirt that was apparently ‘made for me’.
The design was this …
OK, so it says Birmingham instead of Nottingham [though I appreciate ‘heavy metal’ was supposedly born in Brum] but yeah, I get it …
I was born in 1970.
I like heavy metal.
I work for a band that are masters of heavy metal.
It was pretty nice so I said thank you and waited.
A few weeks later I received a package.
The weather in Auckland is just starting to turn into Autumn, so the slightly colder days meant the timing of a warm sweatshirt was perfect.
So imagine my surprise when I opened the package and saw this …
Leonardo Dibloodycaprio.
And it was at that moment it all made sense.
The evil, piss-taking, lying bastards.
Bloody geniuses …
And while they were all no doubt pissing themselves back at home thinking they’d got me, the reality is I ended up having the last laugh.
Because not only is it cosy as hell, it’s still more stylish and fashionable than anything I have in my wardrobe … so in their attempt to take the piss, they’ve inadvertently made a more suave – and warm – version of myself.
Though I admit I do get strange looks when I wear it outside.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Fashion, Imagination, Luxury, Management, Marketing
Recently I watched a show on Netflix called ‘7 Days’.
It was about about the preparations for the presentation of Chanel’s new couture collection.
I know … I know … I am the arsenic of fashion, but for reasons no one has quite worked out yet, I am doing a bunch of work for a number of super-luxury fashion labels [thanks to my Chinese client not only is one of the biggest investors in the industry, but is seen as the Patron Saint of street culture and luxury fashion] and so I’ve had the real honour of watching these people up close in terms of how much they believe, value and protect craft in all they do.
Put simply, it’s mindblowing.
For an industry many like to label as superficial, they’re miles ahead of many of the places I’ve worked at who go on about how obsessed with craft, creativity and culture they are.
Don’t get me wrong, some truly meant.
Hell, a couple even practiced it.
But compared to how high-end fashion brands embrace it, few come close to that level of commitment and focus.
And that’s what I loved about the Chanel documentary because it showed their relentless pursuit for perfection throughout the entire creative process.
From the cutting of fabric to the very last second before a model hits the runway … they have people checking, fine-tuning, considering, questioning and executing every detail in micro-detail.
A production line of seasoned experts, all looking at the clothes through their particular area of specialisation, but always considering their choices and decisions through the lens of the chief designers vision and the needs and focus of the other experts they work alongside.
Or said another way …
Every person involved in every detail is singularly focused on delivering an experience that lives up to the standards, vision and excellence of the head designer, rather than doing whatever they think works for them.
That doesn’t mean they have to lower their standards or deny their self-expression or individual flair – if anything, the total opposite is true. Because every person involved has been specifically chosen – or approved – by the head designer because they know these experts eye, judgement, skill and obsession for excellence won’t allow anything other than the brutal, uncompromising quest and commitment for the absolute majesty of perfection.
I wrote about this recently in connection to the film director Michael Mann … and how this approach is far more about collaboration than the bullshit that passes for it inside many companies, which is why I encourage everyone to watch this magically inspiring show, because you’ll not only re-evaluate an entire industry, you’ll see what it takes to be truly great versus those who simply say they already are.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, China, Chinese Culture, Comment, Communication Strategy, Culture, Fashion, Management
So this is a few weeks old, but IKEA recently opened a store in the Middle East.
This is what happened …
While IKEA dealt with the situation with grace and self depreciation, it highlights the potential problems of different cultures – and departments – working together.
It’s all to easy to assume the designers should have read ‘same text, but in Arabic’ and worked out their job was to write IKEA in Arabic. But apart from the fact many designers believe their job is about the craft of what they’re given rather than the reason for it, language structure is hugely different in cultures and so many people feel it is better to take words literally than risk making the wrong assumption.
When I lived in China I had a shirt I loved.
I’d worn it so often, it was covered in patches basically holding it together and so in the end, I realised that if I wanted to keep wearing it, I’d have to get another one made.
Fortunately, the fabric market had loads of people who did this so I went there and asked them to make me the same shirt.
A week later I went to collect it, and what did I find?
A shirt that was identical to the one I had given them.
Right down to the rips and patches that was on the original.
In other words, I’d had them make me a shirt I still couldn’t wear.
And it was my fault.
Because when I said, “could you please make me a duplicate of this shirt”, I assumed they would get without the worn out bits … but that’s on me, not them and that’s why anyone who wants to work in other cultures or with other cultures needs to understand they have to communicate on the audiences terms, not on theirs.
Filed under: Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Culture, Fashion, Influencers
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. #Influencer
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Business, Comment, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Distinction, Emotion, Empathy, Fashion, Honesty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Perspective, Relevance, Resonance
So the cosmetic empire, Revlon, has gone bankrupt.
It’s a brand I remember from my youth with their big ads featuring big stars selling big statements.
But like Woolworths of old [how’s that for a linkage] they thought that was enough.
They thought they were enough.
But tastes change.
Evolve.
Hell, in just the past few years we’ve seen all manner of movements in the cosmetics space … from the nude look to the pastel and playful, both leveraged by brands like Maybelline and Glossier.
And then there’s Fenty …
Who came in and offered a foundation that had varieties specifically for African American skin as well as white – which shouldn’t be a surprise until you realise that until then, all major cosmetic companies excluded African American skin and expected them to use a foundation designed for white customers.
Seriously, what the fuck.
Of course, the success of Fenty saw many of the big players try to follow suit … but when actively you’ve ignored millions for 60+ years, you’re not going to convince them you suddenly care.
Which comes back to Revlon.
Who forgot the way you build a brand is not by communicating yourself over and over again, but doing things that earn loyalty.
Or at least prove you are working for it.
So many companies forget that. Either spending millions on what they want to say or ‘innovating’ with things that are what they want people to care about, rather than the things people care about.
It’s amazing how many brands fall for this.
But then, ego has that effect on people.
Causing them to place boundaries and blinkers around the comments that scream what people want you to do better at. What they want you to change.
But instead, companies choose to maximise short-term opportunities, rather than build things for the future. I get it … it costs a lot and there’s the argument it risks a lot.
Except it doesn’t cost or risk anything near what happens if you don’t do it.
And playing catch up never works because when you finally follow suit, you find out the others have already moved on.
Even the companies that promise ‘disruption’ never really go all in.
Often just focusing on one element the establishment do wrong rather than reimagining how they could completely evolve an entire category.
Function over benefits.
Product over brand.
That said, there are some out there who do it right.
Not just in the ‘cool’ categories, but in things like finance, health and paint.
Yes, paint!!!
Doing things where it shows they are truly watching and listening to culture.
Not just in what they want, but what is affecting who they are.
Once upon a time this was the norm. Now it’s all about promoting the condiments rather than focusing on the steak.
And while that can work in the short-term … giving you a few PR headlines you can leverage in the press … the brands who count succeed because they perpetually evolve culture – or evolve with the leading edge of it – rather than just keep them where they already are.