June 20th: Forecasting fashion trends and keeping a consistent voice

WGSN: Readying Your Brand for the New Consumer (forum)

The forecast for today is 79 with a slight chance of engagement strategies and Emerald pleated pants. It may be overcast, as the virtual world front mixes with a real world front, but I am optimistic that we can aesthetically please everyone.

Though this is not quite the job of WGSN, the trend forecasting agency is the leading trend forecaster for the fashion and style industry. WGSN has narrowed forecasting new styles down to a science and how to engage the three different consumer tribes.

Take a look at the three tribes and see which one you are. It is very possible to have overlap between two, but many people identify more strongly with one over the other.

Do you:

•        Question data?
•        Look for statistics and facts to provide authenticity in a brand?
•        Feel the need to distinguish between advertising (paid material) and opinions?
•        Question if your favorite blogger is being paid to promote a brand or if s/he truly enjoys the product?
•        Are you hyper-aware of phoniness?

Are you:

•        A self-tracker?
•        Goal-oriented?
•        Civic minded?
•       Knowledge hungry?
•       Technologically aware?
•        A health junkie?

If you answered YES to the majority of these questions, you are a Data Believer.

Your visual aesthetic is:

·      Extended exposure

·      Moving between a real and virtual world

·      Graphic art that is linear, well thought out and dark colors with pops of colors

How do you market to a Data Believer?

·      Use super efficient communication and information that is tailored to technological people.

·      Ask yourself how do you use technology to create a personalized message?

Examples:

·      Stop and Shop’s scan it yourself service provides tailored 10% off coupons to customers who use the product.

·      Quick Silver South Africa gives personalized discounts based on how high a person’s Klout score is and his/her interactivity with the brand

·      The Top Shop sent pre-recorded personalized messages from spokesperson, Kate Bosworth, which greeted everyone by their first names during the holiday season

OR

Do you:

•        Seek greater meaning in your life?
•        Combine various types of religions and cultures?
•        Enjoy being detached every now and then (JOMO- Joy Of Missing Out)?
•        Enjoy relaxing and being one with nature?

Are you:

•        Mindful?
•       One to take time to relax?
•        One to ask, “how do I improve my life?”
•       A dreamer?
•       An escapist?
•     A cultural enthusiast?

If you answered YES to the majority of these questions, you are a Fable Seeker.

Your visual aesthetic is:

·      Dark pallets (they allow you to escape from the ‘here and now” into a fantasy world)

·      (OR) Soft pastels that signify warmth and serenity—i.e. scenes of the beach, nature and stillness that allow feelings of reflection, calmness and contemplation

How do you market to a Fable Seeker?

·      Show them what your gift will do for them.

·      Tell them the history, heritage or origin of your product or company.

Examples:

·      Westward Leaning tells the story of the providence where the product was created and the materials that are used.

·      Burberry Kisses allows users to send a virtual kiss through the Internet. This gives the consumer the feeling of a globalized community.

OR 

Do you:

• Do DIY projects?
• Make your own products?
• Create items if the product you want isn’t available or produced?

Are you:

• An entrepreneur?
•  A tech enthusiast?
• Hands on?
• A self-starter?

If you answered YES to the majority of these questions, you are a New Age Artisan.

Your visual aesthetic is:

·      Nude colors with concrete grays and dark undertones. You enjoy the look of abandoned warehouses and metal.

·      (OR) A multicolor palette with nude. You enjoy the look of peeled away paint and exposed brick. You find the look of an unfinished building to be fascinating.

How do you market to a New Age Artisan?

·      Use crowdsourcing

·      User interactivity

·      Build a relationship with technology, as these consumers value companies who value technology.

Examples:

·      Kate Spade uses the augmented reality-shopping window (reference June 15^th blog post for more information).

·      OMO, a laundry brand, used crowdsourcing to ask moms what messages they want to give their children. The company printed a shirt that said, “Bravery isn’t learned in front of the Telly.”

This was one of my favorite events so far. As a person who aspires to pursue a career in fashion PR, I need to know these marketing strategies and the constantly changing trends in fashion, style and media.

Golin Harris (GH): Finding Your Brand’s Voice & Unruly Media: The Golden Rule of Advertising (workshops)

After a really unsuccessful workshop, it was really great to feel fully engaged in these two workshops.

GH discussed the importance of giving your brand a voice, but more importantly, staying consistent with that voice. Companies like McDonald’s and Dove are consistent with their advertisements and strategies. While McDonald’s portrays the company as lighthearted and gives a simple and easy tone of enjoyment of their product, Dove never mentions their products in their advertising. Their consistency relies on the company’s interest to give women a healthy dose of self-esteem and promote internal beauty.

While these two brands do well with consistency, many brands do not have a consistent voice, or make slips to create confusion, like Swiffer’s Rosie the Riveter ad. It is not always easy to stay consistent, but that is why it is important to follow these simple five rules:

·      Know thyself: Know what the brand believes in.

·      Get specific

·      Own your differentiators

·      Consistency counts

·      Turn on your bullshit detector

Unruly Media shared videos as well, only the videos Unruly showed went viral. The sharability is based on psychology and social motivation. In the workshop, the class was asked to rank some of our feelings after watching a viral video to understand why these psychological feelings and emotions were helpful to making the video go viral. The class learned that when something gets shared and gets more hits early on, it makes it appear better and more successful. This, in turn, makes people more interested in watching the video and sharing it with friends.

Unfortunately for those videos that are not successful within the first few days their ability of going viral and being influential is very unlikely. This is because one fourth of a video’s total shares happen in the first three days it is released, usually with the biggest spike on day two.

Some videos make history, while others do not.

·      Chipotle: Back to the Start

o   6^th most shared video with 7,388,977 (as of June 20^th at 10 p.m. in France)

·      TNT: Your Daily Dose of Drama

o   2^nd most shared video ever 45,804,290 (as of June 20^th at 10 p.m. in France)

I also attended the Director’s Showcase Workshop and the Cirque Du Soleil seminars.

Follow the hashtag #NewhouseIDSM for more information on the Cannes Lions Festival from Syracuse University students.

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