A Busy Day

Well, here we are, staring at November already. Where has the time gone? It's been a busy fall, but no day was more jam-packed than yesterday. The day began with a wonderful breakfast hosted by our client, Samuel & Sons at their showroom. The passementerie company welcomed their latest design client, White House interior designer Michael Smith as he introduced the new collection he designed for them. For an inside view, take a peak at Habitually Chic's write-up.

Michael Smith at Samuel & Sons

The day ended with not one, but two fabulous events. As such, our team divided and conquered. One group joined our new friend, author Michele Keith at the Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz lighting seminar. BNO is one of the kind designers opening the doors of his homes to Michele in her new book hitting shelves this spring.

Our other group got all dressed up and headed to the NYDC for the 4th Annual AlphaWorkshops Masquerade Ball. The crowd was festooned in outrageous costumes and creativity was exhibited everywhere.

What We Didn't Learn in Kindgarten?

Have you ever seen that poster "All I need to know in life, I learned in Kindergarten"? Well, we've been reminded of that concept lately. I remember back to the first years of school when we used to get graded on listens well, plays well with others and follows directions. Now, there's a chance we're wrong about this, but those key life skills were made relevant by educators for a reason. Those three things carry you through life.

Unfortunately, we've noticed lately that perhaps, as adults, we've all lost sight of that. Just take a peak at the news. Ever hear the ladies and gents of congress go 12 rounds over "republicans said this, democrats said that"? Who hasn't? I'm pretty sure would my first grade teacher Ms. Nardone be grading them, these bastions of leadership would get a "Needs Improvement" mark in both listens well and plays well with others. There is certainly no listening going on and the one-up-manship that passes as debate doesn't indicate anything other than playing dirty.

This transcends complaints with government officials or a simple school system example. Think about how you deal with clients or vendors, colleagues, associates, bosses or employees. Do you really listen? Are you hearing what your client is requesting? Is your vendor giving you a realistic opinion but you don't want to hear it? Has a boss provided you with instructions, you didn't read the email and then got upset when you are asked to revisit the task? Communication is obviously key to every relationship. Anyone reading this can certainly think of an example where this is true. I can think of three right now, one which happened yesterday.

As we move forward, navigating this tough time, we challenge everyone, including ourselves to think about what we learned in kindergarten. It wasn't pointless block building. It was a simple structure that taught us keys to functioning as an adult. We ought to employ those skills a little more often. Just a thought.

Public Relations at Its Finest

We love a good sense of humor and we think it goes without saying that Jon Stewart and his "Daily Show" team have one. But one of the recent clips from Stewart's "news" program made a very good PR point. In the highly entertaining rant regarding Obama's healthcare plan and his communication thereof, Stewart points out that Obama's team hasn't remained consistent in the message. Regardless of your stance on Obama, the healthcare plans and proposals or what's gone on at these town hall meetings, the point is a good one that can be carried into the private sector.

Any good PR campaign must be consistent. Sure you'd think this was obvious; we did. Yet we're sitting here watching some of the top campaigners in the country botch this. As a brand (public, private, product or person), you cannot be all things to all people. You can't focus on everyone "liking" you. Messages must focus on their target, be crafted in a way that speaks directly and compellingly to that audience and do not verge from that path. Once there is a pull back, the message gets lost in the inconsistency.

Check out the segment.

The Cult of Personality

Last week Hearst magazine and Seventeen announced that they are thinking like an evolving magazine company. Joining the "app" bandwagon, they are providing an iPhone app for readers to find products profiled on their pages in stores near readers. What a terrific way to grab more advertising dollars that had lately been alluding the publication! We applaud the innovative thinking of magazines to figure out how to build their audiences, assist their advertisers and adapt to the fluctuating business and social environment while remaining true to the magazine's mission and vision. Kudos!

While we are happy to see innovation busy at work, we offer a word of caution. As we become this ever-growing, contraption-efficient society, we may be losing sight of the beauty of personal communication. Every semester and during the summer, we take on an intern or two. Of course this involves an interview process, scanning myriad resumes and sifting through credentials to find just the right fit. But it always causes us to reflect on the current generation of students. This is hilarious to type as our office is all under the age of 35 and looking at candidates who are maybe 10 years younger than us with that "when I was your age" eye seems a bit, well, weird. But we do it. And we remain baffled. It is though the electronics with which we have surrounded ourselves has slowly sucked the personality right out of a generation.

After phone interviews, we find ourselves shocked at the lack of emotion, personality, passion pouring forth from the other side of the phone. With AIM, BBM, Twitter, Facebook Status Updates, chat rooms, blog postings and emails, you can have an almost complete relationship without ever actually speaking to the other person. And now you can shop through your phone via magazine recommendations and never have to really talk to a person. For all of these conveniences, we have isolated ourselves into society of people who can't speak. We are all for innovation, but please let's keep some humananity in the workplace.

When Sponsors Get it Right

I happened to attend a Jonas Brothers concert last night and once I was able to see beyond the seas of screaming girls and flocks of parents gripping their children, I took close notice of the incredible branding and sponsorship. Let me set the scene; THOUSANDS of kids ranging from the age of 4 to 20 who hang on the Jonas Brothers' every word, live by their likes and dislikes and value their opinions as if they were the Bible. Then you have hundreds of parents who come to these concerts to make their kids happy as well as some who just love these boys as much as their kids do. Basically what you have is a huge mass of people screaming, crying, desperate for a piece of anything Jonas.

Enter sponsors... the most prevalent sponsor was definitely Verizon. By
giving these fans the opportunity to text their feelings directly to an enormous screen situated above the entire audience, Verizon is able to engage not only their existing customers who already get free texting, but also have the opportunity to target non-Verizon customers who just want a piece of everything Jonas. Wouldn't it be easier if, just like the Jonas Brothers, they were Verizon customers too?

Sponsor #2 was Burger King. Before the concert began, the Emcee came out to do a contest. Since the Jonas Brothers LOVE Burger King and have made the actual "burger King" a main feature of their tour, it's only natural that they would give away 4 free dinners courtesy of the Jonas Brothers to 4 lucky winners. You should have seen these people go nuts! FOR BURGER KING!!!!!! It's not like they were giving away a lifetime supply of fries here...we're talking one meal. You would have thought it was cash they were throwing into the stands. But, because just prior to the contest they aired a commercial featuring the King on tour with the Jonas Brothers that showed him on their tour bus, in their home, on their plane (MarquiJet...I'll get to that one soon) and basically a key part of their lives, these fans have now fully incorporated and accepted Burger King as another aspect of life that is all things Jonas. It is now a part of their lives.

The final and MUCH smaller sponsor was MarquiJet/ Netjets. This was more of a private sponsor, but they got their point across loud and clear. There was a meet & greet scheduled for 6:30pm with the Jonas Brothers, exclusively for MarquiJet and Netjets clients and their kids. These people get to meet the boys, have a picture taken and get autographs. They walk around with 5"x 7" passes around their necks with a 1" thick branded necklace along with a bright green branded bracelet. ANYONE who sees these people knows they have something special, you can't miss it. Inside the meet & greet is a step and repeat featuring the sponsor that is intermixed with the Jonas Brother logo. Basically anything Jonas is as good as MarquiJet and Netjets. It raises the Jonas Brothers brand in addition to solidifying approval from the MJ/Netjets client. Both parties win; the kids are happy, the clients feel they have received something very special and the Jonas Brothers are thrilled to be linked to such an elevated brand. This is an example of sponsorship on a smaller scale, but never the less, very important to the big picture that is the Jonas Brothers brand.

In the end, it was amazing to see how three boys can cause such a stir. Almost every night they influence thousands of people and sponsors who are lucky enough to get their endorsement can't thank them enough!

Summer Rain in the City

It's another summer rainy day in the Big Apple. For those who live here, or in any area of the country that has had more rainy days this summer than you can count, you know it can be highly depressing. The dreary sense of yuck that hangs in the air and dances across flip-flopped feet makes one want to just curl up at home and watch a movie.

But of course, that isn't an option for us poor working stiffs. So how to get rid of the rainy day blahs? We suggest an office dance party. I know, you're thinking, "Oh how 'The Office' can you get?" but seriously, it works. Now, you need to choose your locale wisely if you are in a large office space, but it is doable. Reserve the conference room for 15 minutes, grab your favorite co-workers, your iPod and some speakers, and your ready to go. This goes without saying, but what happens in the conference room stays in the conference room so that everyone feels comfortable letting go. You can't be worried about what "YouTube" sight you might find yourself via some camera phone video. Save that for the office holiday party. You must feel free to harness your running man, lawn mower, sprinkler, grapevining capabilities and really get your groove back. Fifteen minutes is all you need for the day to take on a whole different outlook.

Some recommended tuneage:

Dancing with Myself by David Bowie
Single Ladies by Beyonce
That's Not My Name by the Ting Tings
I Wear My Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart
Mercy by Duffy

So grab your dancing shoes and make some room...the rainy day party is just getting started.

Some Hiring Insight

With the current economic climate, many publications are offering interview advice from HR experts and employers to their job-hunting readers. Definitely helpful, much more productive than the constant "we're up a creek and there is no sign of a paddle" pessimism that is oozing from the pores of many a news agency (watch Mark Haines from CNBC if you don't believe us - he's a nice guy, appears to be funny, but a little hope might be nice).

First, thanks reporters for providing some assistance to our fellow man. There are a lot of great candidates out there who just need a foot in the door. Second, we happened to participate in a couple of interviews on the topic and thought, for any individuals interested, it might be useful. Granted, not all employers operate with the same philosophy, look for the same interviewing skills or hope for the same type of cover letter; our opinion is just that, an opinion. So take it for what it's worth. And Good Luck!

Reuters: "Help Wanted: Recruiting on Craigslist" by Deborah Cohen

CNN (via Careerbuilder.com): "How to answer: Why Should I Hire You?" by Anthony Balderrama

Get Over Yourself.

Okay, we operate in the fashion world. Our business is all about lifestyle...what's new, what's now, what's done and how to make our clients fit into the relevancy of it all. So we recognize that sometimes fashion designers take risks on the runway in order to create a buzz, push the envelope, make the fashion world think even further outside the box, blah, blah, blah. So there we were flipping through a recent issue of WWD, taking in the normal eccentricities and our chins nearly fell to the floor. The issue reviewed the Fall Fashions for men introduced at Milan's Fashion Week. Upon seeing the latest from a designer who shall remain nameless, "WTF" was shouted from every voice in our office.

Now, we're all for displaying inspirations from various cultures in the world; designs should not stick solely to the mores of the Western World. Having said that, the model, replete with thick "Arabian Nights" make-up, donned a turban. Okay. Non-issue. But the turban was in fact a white button down wrapped sloppily on the model's head and secured with a belt. Pardon me, but that's not fashion, that's called laundry. What? Did the designer's team forget the actual turban piece and send the intern home to raid a hamper? "I couldn't find a towel, but I did manage to find my shirt from last night...I think it has some dried vomit on it as a result from the after-party, but no one will see it if we wrap this belt around it."

Come on. Just because you're fabulous, a fashion icon, doesn't mean everything you touch can be considered flawless and inspired. It's slightly reminiscent of the fable "The Emperor's New Clothes". No matter how much the king and his minions told people he was dressed in the finest frock available, the reality was he was still naked. No matter how much someone tells us this "turban" is inspired, I'm sorry...it's still just laundry piled on top of a man's head. Come on, get over yourself.

The Fall is Coming! The Fall is Coming!

We all know that Fall trends are quickly becoming the hot topic of water cooler conversations. "What?" you're shrieking in denial. "But I'm just starting to see some Springtime sunshine." We too are looking forward to bar-be-ques and sundresses, but let's get real. It's time...Autumn trends are upon us. And thanks to Pantone's bi-annual color report, we've prepared some quick highlights in the home furnishings and accessories category. So take a peek...

WWD: Consumers' 10 Favorite Trade Ups

As we all have been hearing ad nausem, consumer spending is down, no one has any money, the apocalypse is coming and life as we know it is over. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but let's face it, news of late has been dismal for the most part. Well, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel according to a recent WWD article. Consumers are still trading up on certain goods...ah, we feel better already.

Premium Spending: Consumers' 10 Favorite Trade Ups
By Valerie Seckler
From WWD Issue 04/08/2009

With kitchen table conversations about what kinds of purchases can be put off, “people are [getting] tired of denying themselves,” said Michael Silverstein, a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group. Food accounts for three of 10 favorite trade ups to premium goods as consumers with tight finances eat more meals at home.

Apparel failed to make the top 10 because so many people “acquired lots of it between 2002 and 2007,” Silverstein said. But he anticipates change ahead. “The big inventory of unworn clothes at home is running down,” he said. “Innovation technically and functionally — like wrinkle-free material, improved fit and comfort — could spur purchases.”

Top 10 Consumer Trade Ups In The U.S.:
1. Personal computers
2. Fresh fruits and vegetables
3. Bedding
4. Meat
5. Home entertainment
6. Cars
7. Sit-down restaurants
8. Kitchen appliances
9. Washers and dryers
10. Fish and seafood