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POPSVintage Watches are Big Business Much like an art collection, vintage watches can be big business for their affluent collectors. These high ticket toys are rapidly becoming a seconary - and even primary - investment tool for luxury consumers, particularly because they offer status and functionality as they appreciate. Now that's a timely portfolio building strategy!
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POPSIndia Prioritizes Branding in Real Estate As India's rapidly growing middle-to-upper consumer segment becomes more brand conscious, the real estate industry prioritizes tone, manner and character when positioning new property developments.
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POPSMeaning is Currency | Billionaire Strikes for Justice Former Yukos oil billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky is on a hunger strike to protest the denial of life-saving AIDS medication to his former lawyer while in prison. This story perfectly illustrates a key social trend we are following at TREND AGITATOR. Meaning has become the new currency as consumers prioritize deeper meaning over wealth to balance their complex lives.
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POPSSocial Networks impact Brand-Consumer Relationships With new platforms for broadcasting personal opinions, likes and dislikes and product reviews, SNs put consumers in charge of managing the brand-consumer relationship. Now, a bad customer experience potentially reaches 10,000 people and a personal endorsement from a friend could be priceless. As Trend Agitator tracks this fast-moving phenom, expect IT innovation to capture and monetize the SN endorsement opportunity in the near term.
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POPSSurvey: Social Networkers Shopping Desires Unfulfilled A survey commissioned by the AMA shows how many social networkers are interested in holiday shopping on their favourite sites. IT insiders call this shopping cart abandonment - an unfulfilled desire, an unmet opportunity to capture consumer interest. As Trend Agitator continues researching ecommerce trends, we're certain it won't be long before this rich opportunity is addressed.
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POPSNation Branding | Israel Lays a New Foundation At a networking function sponsored by the Israeli Consulate Bevery Hills a couple weeks ago, distinguished thought leaders and digital media entrepreneurs discussed the important topic of shaping global perception around nation branding. "All it takes is one visit," declared Gilad Millo, Consul for Media and Public Affairs. A deceptively simple strategy, but he may be right - I went last summer and can't stop talking about it.
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POPSBands as Brands | New Deals for New Times In an era of slipping record sales, free downloads and escalating tour costs, bands now have a new brand building strategy. Much like licensing deals used by big brands, these new 360 contracts earn bands a greater share of royalties on the back end - future sales, promotional merchandise, ringtones and VIP concert packages.
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POPSRock You Widgets help your site look more like, you! Much like those cute emoticons produced by IncrediMail, RockYou creates tiny personalized widgets that help your social network site look more like, well, you! Wallpapers, graffiti, words and photos are critical to self expression on these virtual billboards. While helping you rock, they're also helping advertisers rock and of course the company's 27-year-old founder who, thanks to new open platform sharing applications, quite possibly rocks the hardest of all.
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POPSFacebook's New Ad Platform - It's all about the Consumer Amid all the talk about user created content, the ecommerce potential of social networking sites and why relationships on Facebook are worth $15B, one thing is clear. Marketing gurus are salivating at the potential of monetizing where you and your friends go, shop and interact online. Newly announced Facebooks Ads and Facebook Beacon make consumers more central to this opportunity than ever before.
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POPSTrue Luxury | When Goods Provide More Than They Cost Tyler Cowen, my fave pop economist, touched on a subject I discussed at last fortnight's Luxury Marketing Council's panel discussion. True luxury in today's segmented economy is absolutely anything that gives back more than it costs. Read his blog for more no-nonsense wisdom on Satanists, weather patterns and the working poor.
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POPSMeet Conference | Corporates Still Rule Content Space Although upstart content creators have forever changed the media distribution game, the Forbes MEET conference reveals big corporations still rule the content space with their financial resources, distribution power and marketing platforms. Disney's Bob Iger sums it up.
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POPSNow it's Nobody's Secret | What's Behind the Lingerie Trend What's behind the rising lingerie fashion trend? No longer a private matter, intimate apparel has become a key accessory, a status symbol of beautiful workmanship to flaunt and a subtle cue of feminine power. But more importantly, it signals a collective social obsession with self-revelation, public disclosure and exposing our most private details. Consider it the style equivalent of social networking, YouTube uploads and intimate blog postings. What was private is now widely public. What used to be a shameful indiscretion is now a boldly broadcasted message. Go ahead, reveal yourself!
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POPSMicrosoft Buys Stake in Facebook The battle for face time with the rapidly growing social networking community and Microsoft's acquisition of Facebook underscores the vast opportunity to monetize friendships, hobbies and online social interactions. Watch for more on this topic as Trend Agitator continues interviews and research within the digital media community.
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POPSInvesting in Fashion | CEOs vs Designers?! In our continued series, "Investing in Fashion," Trend Agitator suggests today's WWD article exploring the importance of synergy between CEOs and Designers for success in the undisciplined world of fashion commerce.
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POPSFendi & Mass Luxury Conquer the Great Wall Whether or not this audacious fashion show was truly visible from the moon as LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault suggested, it was a palpable spectacle signaling the official arrival of mass luxury in China. More than "positioning Fendi for the next 50 years," it underscores that elite brands have and will continue to double revenues thru emerging markets and mass luxury offerings.
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POPSSleep Becomes our Most Valued Commodity Foresight experts predict sleep may soon become one of our most valued commodities. In an increasingly stressed, compressed and frenetic world, the luxury of sleep and rest is something consumers are just beginning to understand.
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POPSFewer Coupons Means Poor Sales for Macys As we track the impact of social networking and advertising strategies in ecommerce, this story in The New York Times about Macy's disaster in cutting coupons makes an interesting read. For this beleaguered retailer, online coupons may offer a cheaper and more rewarding incentive than direct mail.
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POPSDefining the Luxury Consumer | Who Are They? As Trend Agitator tracks the future of global luxury, we note this definitive identity of high-worth consumers as provided by the Luxury Institute: The top 10% wealthiest U.S. Households based on Net Worth 11 million households who can choose to live a 360-degree luxury lifestyle Own 70% of all the wealth in the U.S. Average net worth of $3.1 million Average annual income of $256,000 Earn 45% of the aggregate annual income in the U.S. For most luxury goods and services firms, these are the 20% or less of the clients who deliver 80% of the profits.
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POPSTodd Oldham Leads Old Navy Makeover As industry insiders debate The Gap's struggle for solvency, Todd Oldham's recent appointment as creative director for Old Navy receives mixed reviews. Thanks to Leslie Ernest for including my two cents in this LA Times article.
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POPSPost Apocalyptic Fear inspires NY Fashion Week Fear and uncertainly are significant motivators in the consumer sector. As Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York concludes, we see themes of political and economic uncertainty unfolding, inspiring runway trends and reflecting the collective consumer consciousness.
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POPSDesign South Africa Debuts at MAGIC A coop of 11 designers from South Africa debuted at MAGIC, showcasing the diversity of styling, culture and color that embodies this complex nation. The Skyline Studios president and founder Debra Stevenson provided market prepardenss training and brand consulting services as part of her support f the Proudly South African campaign.
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POPSQueen of Green Anita Roddick Dies As marketeers herald the death of traditional segmentation and pursue lively niche strategies, Body Shop founder Anita Roddick's passing serves as an opportunity to acknowledge this early pioneer of underserved markets. By fusing her autodidactic understanding of commerce with passionate social activism, she demonstrates that in corporate life doing good can truly lead to being good.
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POPSMade in Africa Brand gains Momentum As a brand consultancy in LA with strong ties to South Africa, we believe strongly in the success of a Made in South Africa brand and actively work to promote products from this region. Although not all consumer product sectors have found their voice, the global recognition of our hospitality, music, wine, marketing, graphic design and thinktank forums from South Africa will hopefully inspire other sectors to raise their profiles.
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POPSWorld's Most Powerful Women do it again Trend Agitator is actively tracking and interviewing powerful women who lead the consumer products sector. Here's a great profile of several on our watch list. The full article appears at: http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/30/most-powerful-women-biz-07women-cz_em_cs_0830power_land.html
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POPSBigger than Barbie Inspires Global Craft Awareness The success of craft collaborative Monkeybiz continues to inspire fashion folk from Cape Town to Madison Avenue to the close-knit art associations in Los Angeles. Much love to Splash writer Veronica Sims for mentioning our upcoming CRAFT TO CATWALK project in her fab review.
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POPSLiving in her Moment Again | Zandra Rhodes Shines On The flamboyant doyenne of the British punk scene, Zandra Rhodes is back in the spotlight with her trademark exuberant prints and new licensing ventures in makeup, bags and jewelry. From pricey furs to disposal chic at Top Shop, her laissez faire illuminates how trading up and trading down works simultaneously in this consumer curated market. See Trend Agitator's Interviews section for our one-on-one chat with the colorful creator.
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POPSThe Future of Flight is Luxury Lounges Continuing our focus on mass luxury this week, here's confirmation that the future of flight is luxury lounges - where pampering amenities rival 5-star hotels and (jet)lag time is upgraded to spa time with the swipe of a membership card.
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POPSMass Luxury A Success Symbol in Emerging Markets As unprecidented wealth builds in emerging markets, a desire for mass luxury increases as an important symbol of success. Apparel, leathergoods, jewelry, cars and exotic pets are quickly becoming the indicators of a life well lived in these rapidly changing communities. Iconic creative director Tom Ford concurs:
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POPSTom Ford Relies on Intuition and Honesty As business guru Tom Peters accurately predicted, global brands and leading businesses have become more creative and design focused at a time when consumers value innovation, authenticity and excitement more than ever. Iconic creative director Tom Ford shares his insight.
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POPSMake the Product and Outsource Retailing This is an era of experts and specialists, niche businesses and collaborative partnerships. By focusing business strategy on core expertise and outsourcing the rest, brands are meeting development goals and achieving financial success. As avid trend trackers, Trend Agitator is watching the outsourced upswing closely. Read the blog for more.
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POPSBrooklyn Style | Artesan Collectives Taking Hold According to NY Times Urban Eye today, coops like the Brooklyn Collective attract multimedia artists for collaborations, custom orders and community building. Learn more about these creative hives at Trend Agitator where we're tracking the crafty collective uptrend and posting new insights daily.
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