Thursday, September 28, 2006
It's all about the bag....shopping bags that is.
And no I am not talking about the paper or plastic variety that you get at your local grocery store-but rather the highly conceptual ones that you get from your everyday high-end, high-style and all luxe boutiques and department stores. It's often said that the "clothes make the man" and if you subscribe to that theory, then the shopping bag speaks volumes as well. The shopping bag acts as a "free pass" into the club that says " I have style, high taste and that my "money is long"--because quite frankly, whether you buy a key ring or a $500 wallet at Coach--you get the same badge (the shopping bag) that says "I am a member of the Coach" club. If we see a woman strolling through MOA or Rosedale with shopping bags from Bebe, Betsey Johnson, Neiman Marcus - we apply the lable of "style maven" and assume she has the inside track to Fashion Week. We attribute positive images to her of wealth, class etc. simply based on the power of each brand emblazoned on the shopping bags. And it's no surprise that the trend highly stylized and well designed shopping bags has become even more popular--brands get this phenomenon of generating appeal and aspiration through the shopping bags and capitalize on that trend daily.
And it's not just high end brands that have highly stylized shopping bags--even Macy's has redesigned their bags to have a more clean and streamlined look.
The power of the bag is well defined--the fact that the only thing in the bag is a $24.99 t-shirt from the 60% off the sale rack is just a boring detail.
Personal Branding in Atlanta
We had the pleasure of presenting our Personal Brand workshop to a group of consultants at the annual QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association) today. The workshop was all about empowering individuals to use their authentic and unique attributes to assertively project their brand as a marketing tool. Every time we present the workshop we see lightbulbs go off in the crowd when people realize that actually being themselves and marketing themselves in a way that feels true and confident to them, is the most effective way to market yourself. It is truly fulfilling to be part of this type of realization and we wish all the workshop attendeed the best as they work toward defining their personal brands.
On a side note, I had a brand epiphany this morning traveling out of Boston to the conference. The FAA has relaxed its lotion / gel ban in carry-on luggage, but requires you now to use clear baggies for all your approved (under 3 oz.) toiletries. Naturally, they can't give the bags away, so they're being sold at Logan for .15 each (thank you, Logan, for not exploiting travelers on price point.). As I was in line buying my baggies at 6AM, the woman next to me turned to me and said something along these lines "I'll be damned if they're going to take my Keihls!" (as you know, I do love New Englanders for their candor) I then replied in the same vein - "They'll never get my BodyShop Hemp handcreme either!" - proving once again that brands do act as "badges" identifying us with certain characteristics (luxury-oriented, urban, environmentally-conscious, etc.), that we're proud to publicly declare and in fact even look for opportunities to talk about. It also illustrates the steadfast loyalty encouraged by brands we interact with on a regular basis. The more we interact with these brands, the more loyal we become - so for advertisers, the value is in keeping customers, not constantly looking for new ones. Loyal consumers not only buy your product, but they tell others about it, becoming an unpaid PR person for your brand.
Seriously, I think I would have missed my flight before I let them take my $6 product...I guess none of us is immune to irrational brand loyalty.
We had the pleasure of presenting our Personal Brand workshop to a group of consultants at the annual QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association) today. The workshop was all about empowering individuals to use their authentic and unique attributes to assertively project their brand as a marketing tool. Every time we present the workshop we see lightbulbs go off in the crowd when people realize that actually being themselves and marketing themselves in a way that feels true and confident to them, is the most effective way to market yourself. It is truly fulfilling to be part of this type of realization and we wish all the workshop attendeed the best as they work toward defining their personal brands.
On a side note, I had a brand epiphany this morning traveling out of Boston to the conference. The FAA has relaxed its lotion / gel ban in carry-on luggage, but requires you now to use clear baggies for all your approved (under 3 oz.) toiletries. Naturally, they can't give the bags away, so they're being sold at Logan for .15 each (thank you, Logan, for not exploiting travelers on price point.). As I was in line buying my baggies at 6AM, the woman next to me turned to me and said something along these lines "I'll be damned if they're going to take my Keihls!" (as you know, I do love New Englanders for their candor) I then replied in the same vein - "They'll never get my BodyShop Hemp handcreme either!" - proving once again that brands do act as "badges" identifying us with certain characteristics (luxury-oriented, urban, environmentally-conscious, etc.), that we're proud to publicly declare and in fact even look for opportunities to talk about. It also illustrates the steadfast loyalty encouraged by brands we interact with on a regular basis. The more we interact with these brands, the more loyal we become - so for advertisers, the value is in keeping customers, not constantly looking for new ones. Loyal consumers not only buy your product, but they tell others about it, becoming an unpaid PR person for your brand.
Seriously, I think I would have missed my flight before I let them take my $6 product...I guess none of us is immune to irrational brand loyalty.
