Sometimes "thinking outside the box" goes a little too far...

Canadian designer Nada Shepherd, Creative Director for NADA, went the unconventional route and showcased her 2010 F/W collection titled "Future Fashion/Fashion Future", in 3D format at a movie theatre for a private audience of media and industry personnel. Does that make sense? The designer, www.nadadesigns.com, has done something obviously unconventional, but also, I think, out of context, by showing her collection as a computer graphic instead of in the traditional runway fashion.

Looking at her previous collection (S/S 2010 was the only one available on her website), there is nothing unconventional or radical about her collection. Her clothes are definitely wearable and drape beautifully (I saw this lace and sheer dress that looked like it was on an episode of Gossip Girl last week). From the main page of her website and throughout, her designs are presented as elegant, sophisticated, and flatters a woman. The story is high-end without all the stiffness - I get it.

The decision to showcase her 2010 F/W collection as a 3D movie, however, transitions away from all that. For anyone who has not heard her name before, this confuses the heck out of you. Looking at her website, which clearly is the medium for delivering and establishing the message of the brand, and then being exposed to her new collection does not tell a consistent story. The time has jumped from one decade to another, instead of a year. Where is the consistency in her message? What is her message?

Just watching her production from a fashion perspective, you'll be able to see that it does not do any justice to her collection. Think about it, before you actually see it - how does the format showcase the clothing in real time? How do you NOT get distracted by all the graphics? How do you get a sense of the draping of the fabrics and the vibrant hues without seeing them with your naked eye? Now, go to the website and see for yourself: www.nada3d.com

Doesn't it look like the Designer should go in to film production? It was a good platform to showcase the graphics company; but not a Fashion Show.

I can't stress this enough - in order to build a stable, successful, and profitable brand, you must maintain a consistent message. This message needs to speak clearly to your audience and make an emotional connection with them. Confusion is an emotion, but that's not the one you should strive for.

If your company is young, and still in the process of defining its identity, that's fine, as long as you have deep pockets and willing to invest extra time to build it up to its full potential. However, we are still in a recession, and the availability of technology has changed the way the consumer is educated about products, and choices. So, brand loyalty is even more of a challenge.

How do you build brand loyalty? Appeal to the consumer's emotion through a direct, consistent message that represents what your brand stands for.

Purpose.

Brands to Last: Building a Winning and Enduring Brand | SUCCESS Magazine | What Achievers Read

"(Every) extraordinary business is driven by a purpose" - Roy Spence...Let that phrase resonate in your mind for a minute or two. Isn't that a powerful statement? The key word here is Purpose.

We all have a sense of purpose: within our social group, our professional/work group, our relationships with family, friends and loved ones; when we get dressed in the morning, when we're shopping, exercising, and, well I'm sure you get the point.

So, if you think of yourself as a brand, what purpose drives you to operate everyday? How effective is your purpose? Why have you chosen this purpose? What need or desire does your purpose fulfill?

It sounds like I'm asking you what the meaning of life is, right? Well, keep in mind this is a blog about image marketing - so, to put it in to context, what is the purpose behind your image?

I'm going to direct you to this article from SUCCESS Magazine; have a read and I hope you will have a better idea of what your purpose is/should be/will be:
Brands to Last: Building a Winning and Enduring Brand | SUCCESS Magazine | What Achievers Read

When does putting your name behind something become too much?

The other night I was watching the move "Love Happens" starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Anniston; good chick flick, I would totally recommend it! For those who haven't seen it yet, Eckhart plays a self-help guru on overcoming the death of a loved one, and puts on these "group therapy" conventions for those wanting to move past the grieving, and get on to the healing. His character is very successful and wrote a book and is touring across the country.

There is a scene where Eckhart's character "Burke Ryan" is meeting with a few marketing executives from this major network that want's to take his tour to another level by offering all kinds of marketing collateral to his fans and would-be convention goers. They marketed him to death - and the pun is that his character reaches out to people who have experienced death of a loved one. This scene just made my stomach turn.

Not about the death stuff - about marketing his character to death! I understand this was a movie and certain scenes or acts were exaggerated just because it's Hollywood and they can do that; but, my gawd did it make me realize how this actually does happen in real life! (reference my previous blog on Kim Kardashian).

So I tried searching for the scene with hopes of inserting a clip, but with all this advanced technology going around I somehow couldn't find it! My words will just have to suffice (it is after all, a Blog! Lol). So, these actors that play the marketing execs are excited about taking Burke Ryan to the next level. They're not just talking about a syndicated television talk show, they're bringing in products left, right, and center. These products all have Burke Ryan's face on it (so that people can recognize him); they are all associated with "motivating the end-user" and act as a "self-help" product; the marketing products all relate to the "industry" of death (I am trying to remember specifically all the products that are pitched to him, but my memory eludes me right now).

The one product that stands out is the "Burke Ryan Weight Loss Protein Powder" (Omg I am laughing at the thought of how real this is!). The marketers had done some research in to the industry of death and discovered that mourners, the majority of them, gain weight during this process. So, the idea is that not only will this protein powder help you lose weight, you will be motivating yourself out of the grieving process every time you look at the container with Burke Ryan's face on it! In addition to that, you will be reading Burke Ryan's number one selling book while on the treadmill. Lol this actually happens y'all!

Clean cut example of where a capitalistic nature takes over and confuses itself with marketing. The two are not one in the same. Please, please, please do not ever mistake marketing for this. If some of you do this, shame on you!

I realize that Hollywood tends to exaggerate scenarios, but, I think in this case, the scene was playing on reality. Some examples off the top of my head: Kim Kardashian, Heidi Montag Pratt, Paris Hilton, Kate Gosselin (and the list can go on).

Bottom line, do not market yourself to death. If your message is clear, concise, and to the point, you won't need to invest in gimmicks. That's just desperate.