Faking It

There's nothing like a catchy press release headline to attract the attention of the Retail Design Diva. The latest culprit is for an interesting new product that touts itself as an eco-friendly burglar deterrent, or "A Green Way to Keep Bad Guys Away," as the attention-grabbing press release header so eloquently puts it.

The product, called FakeTV, was created by Blaine Readler, who used to turn on his television every time he left home as a burglar repellent—flickering glow of the TV=someone home. Readler partnered with electronics manufacturer Opto-Electronic Design Inc. to study that particular TV glow and replicate it without the images in a more energy-efficient way. Apparently the end product is pretty convincing—“Even when viewed side by side, test subjects were unable to tell the effects of the real television from those of the impostor,” the release states.

Yay crime prevention without energy waste! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to mock the idea of energy conservation. In fact, the FakeTV reportedly consumes just one one-hundredth the power of the real thing—so that’s pretty cool.

In light of this new environmentally friendly invention, I’ve come up with a few eco-friendly and free (sort of) burglar repellant ideas of my own. Why not consider these the next time you step away from home?:

*Put a song from your favorite CD on repeat and let it blast from the stereo. (Disclaimer: Not intended for use in apartment complexes.)

*Wrap your house in crime scene tape and trick that robber into thinking someone beat him to the punch. (Disclaimer: Crime scene tape not always easy to come by.)

*Smear dog poo all over your doorsteps and beneath windows, because nobody likes to step in that kind of surprise. (Disclaimer: Not ideal for those with a keen sense of smell.)

*And lastly, strike up a match and light your house on fire, because you can’t rob a house that doesn’t exist. (Disclaimer: Various repercussions--many of a legal nature--associated with this option, including jail time and severe embarassment.)

--Jessie Bove

P.S. The aforementioned tips are in no way meant to be taken seriously—unless you’re a complete idiot.

The Chicken and the Egg

I will not debate which came first, but it is clear that imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery--whether you are running a beverage campaign or political campaign. Sources like the Associated Press, Conde Nast Portfolio, Advertising Age, The New York Times, and AM NY have debated who’s copying who, but the consensus is universal: there is a striking similarity between President Obama’s “O” and Pepsi’s new logo.

If pundits are correct, Pepsi wants you to associate all the warm and fuzzy feelings you have about Barack Obama with its super sweet, bubbly soft drinks. But just do not accuse Pepsi of copying the Obama “O” logo.

At a press conference held recently to introduce the new marketing campaigns for a number of Pepsi brands, Frank Cooper, the beverage giant's vice president of Portfolio Brands, tried to dispel all the media chatter that Pepsi's new logo, introduced last October, was intentionally intended to evoke the Obama campaign's now-iconic rising sun/open road/American flag motif.

"There's been a lot of discourse about the logo," acknowledged Cooper. "It makes a good news story, but I don't know if it's rooted in reality. Pepsi is a 110-year-old brand. Red, white and blue has been part of the brand for a long time" (so has the American flag).

If you have not seen it yet, Pepsi unveiled a completely new logo, its 10th logo change ever. Pepsi executives have likened the new logo, a circle enclosing curved bands of red, white and blue, to a smile. Bloggers, on the other hand, say it is a rip-off of President Barack Obama's campaign logo. "We're not sure who followed whom," said Cooper, "We're about a smile, not a frontier." In fact, Cooper suggested that maybe it was the Obama campaign who copied the Pepsi logo in their quest to become, (clears throat), the voice of a new generation.

Indeed, the Obama/Pepsi parallels began well before Pepsi rolled out its new logo, and for a long time it seemed to some online bloggists that it was the Senator, not the soft drink, that was cultivating the comparisons. However, by the time of the inauguration, Pepsi was openly trying to capitalize on the Obama phenomenon, with billboards reading "Hope" and the like. Cooper sounded more than a little like Obama on the stump when discussing the Pepsi Optimism Project, and its ongoing consumer attitudes study. "We believe optimism is hope with a plan," he said. "You can’t embrace pessimism. People can go ahead and do that, but we've seen time and time again that that's a bridge leading nowhere." FYI: Cooper is not running for office.

Poor Pepsi, all of this comes a week after Pepsi's biggest rival, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. (not the Democratic Party), announced its new global marketing campaign. The dueling ad campaigns use words like "happiness" and "optimism" to appeal to consumers besieged by financial trouble.

Either way, branding and marketing may have risen to a science, but I will stick to non-carbonated drinks.

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger

Band-Aids and Boo-Boos

In an era when designer names cost a pretty penny, here is an alternative so that you too can wear designer accessories for under $10. It is the latest, it is the greatest. It’s a band-aid, as in “I am stuck on band-aids ‘cause band-aids are stuck on me!” band-aids. Your mother can even kiss it to make all the pain go away, but unlike its predecessors, you do not need a skinned knee, a scratch or to be a victim of an assault and battery. These band-aids are a fashion accessory, preferably worn without the need of as much as a bee sting.

A little band-aid history: band-aids were invented way back in 1920 by Earle Dickson, coincidentally an employee of Johnson & Johnson, for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. (Ouch!) The prototype product allowed his wife to dress her wounds without assistance. (Yuck!) Dickson passed the idea on to his employer who then went on to produce and market the product as the "band-aid." The first band-aids produced were hand-made, and not very popular, but by 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced the first machine that produced sterilized Band-Aids. They still did not catch on. Then during World War II, millions of band-aids were shipped overseas, where they were standard issue in every mess kit. Soldiers returning home introduced them big time into the marketplace.

If you are of a certain age (I clearly am), you will remember novelty band-aids--there were Flintstone band-aids, Superman band-aids, (although it is doubtful that the man of steel would ever need a band-aid) Barbie band-aids, and even saints preserve us, Smurf band-aids. If you had an animated TV show, you had a band-aid. When the band-aids were gone, the metal can made a great place to store your broken crayons, matchbox cars and other trinkets ala Boo Radley. Band-aids were for kids; clearly, this is not kid stuff.

The designer band-aid fad has caught on, and big name fashion editors, wealthy women attending the opera, and junior high schools student who read Teen Vogue are conspicuously wearing them. Envious colleagues are now inquiring… "Who’s that band-aid you’re wearing?"

American designer Marc Jacobs sold his designer band-aids printed with “Ouch!” and “Boo-boo!” in a tongue-in-cheek box that said “That’s Gonna Leave a Marc.” You had better check out eBay because they have sold out of his stores.

Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchovitch has his brightly patterned band-aids available at the very trend-conscious Opening Ceremony. One hundred cans sold out within its first week. Herchovitch is so enamored with his creation that he had a band-aid tattooed on his forearm.

German designer Fabien Siebert’s over-the-top Swarovski crystal studded band-aids are available and are all the rage for eveningwear. Nooked not so tastefully by your décolletage, they will command everyone’s attention. They have been spotted everywhere, including Ascot and the Opera. The only ones not wearing them yet are “The Real Wives of Orange County.” Give it a season.

If you are a foodie, bacon and eggs, and a side of toast, band-aids are available at Fred Flare in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Here is the allure, you may not be able to buy that cute baby doll dress by Marc Jacobs, or an evening gown by Herchovitch, but you can afford a can of their band-aids. When your friends notice that groovy printed band-aid they’re sure to ask what happened, you can invent a glamorous and topical story, like "Oh, that? It is nothing really; I was rehearsing a scene with James Pattinson, and I guess he got carried away, so I just threw on my Swarovski, and ran out of the house."

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger

True Colors

The oft-berated Gap is showing a stoke of brilliance with its ingenious pop-up shop featuring its partnership with Pantone. For those of you not familiar with Pantone, Pantone sets the industry standard for color reproduction, identifying trends, and is the international authority for how the color palette is identified and interpreted. No explanation for the Gap is necessary.

Man of the hour, Gap designer Patrick Robinson offers one solution to the post-holiday doldrums, a limited-edition line of T-shirts designed in collaboration with Pantone. Pantone is renowned for its vivid life-affirming hues. Judging from the holiday sales reports, the cheap and cheerful crews and v-necks will add a bright spot to an otherwise bleak economic mood. While other retailers bemoan, the Gap/Pantone pairing creates a horse of a different color. Hey, Baskin Robbins has done very well with its 31 flavors, too.

Pop-up shops are all the rage. If you have not seen one, here is how it works: whole stores or in-store events pop-up for a few days and then disappear into the retail netherworld. Target recently had great success with its pop-up stores in NYC. New Yorkers may pride themselves as being the epicenter for everything, but we do not have a Target on the mainland, despite the aggressive billboards in Times Square. Pop-up stores feed into our need for the temporal, and give us that feeling that we can still collect something special, especially with its limited-time availability. Pop-up stores usually pop-up in unexpected places, like a vacant Duane Reade, or an abandoned corner bodega, adding to their quirky, unexpected presence.

Do you have that one dress or one sweater that stands out in your closet? That one article that is turquoise, coral or acid green? Do you wear it whenever you need a little pick me up? Sure, we all do. If however, your closet is a canvas, bereft of vivid colors, Bee-Shyuan Chang (whose interview "Bright Idea | the Gap and Pantone T-Shop" from the Moment/New York Times (01/13/09) elucidates why introducing some spots of color may be worth your consideration.

Patrick Robinson: “…At the last (Gap) show, the word “optimistic” was in the air and that is truly the core and heart of Gap. We are all about optimism, and there is no better way to show that than in color.” “…We were studying Mimosa, Pantone’s color of the year, and what turns me on about this yellow is that it speaks of enlightenment. It is also supposed to spark imagination and innovation, and that is kind of amazing that color evokes that kind of emotion in people.” “I do think people do interesting things in tough times. In recessions, people actually get healthier. They start taking care of themselves better, and that is the mind-set we get into here (at the Gap) when we think about people, color and clothes. People are going to do the opposite, and not be in mourning, and they’ll want to be fresh, and the more they are thinking about taking care of themselves, and not only thinking of money, that sense of optimism rebalances your life."

It sounds like Robinson understands the culture, climate and customer better than all his peers do together. I’m not a soothsayer, but a T-shirt in Mimosa sounds awfully welcome right about now. I could use all the enlightenment, imagination and innovation a body can get. I predict great success for the Gap, and hope they will expand the program

What is your new favorite color?

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger

Perestroika Comes to Fifth Avenue

President Bush and his economic team have tried to stimulate the economy with tax rebate checks, corporate bail-outs and begging Americans on bended knee to shop, shop, shop to help stimulate the sagging economy. Shopping has become a new kind of patriotism. The question remains, are we really being a good American by buying a pair of Manolo Blahniks?

In a brazen move not seen since the Romanoff’s were shot in the back, Saks Fifth Avenue turned to Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the stylized Hope poster of Barack Obama that’s became one of the most highly visible, though unofficial, images of the presidential campaign ever! Fairey will execute their new collectible tote, catalog cover, advertising, etc…which pays homage to the bold style employed by Constructivist Alexander Rodchenko in the 1920s. Shopping, these days, is a political act. Solidarity, people! Let’s unite.

Saks is just three blocks from my front door, but I was completely out of the advertising loop, so kudos to Eric Wilson’s article “Consumers of the World Unite” for the NY Times (Style Section) 01/07/09, which spells it all out, like a chant at a May Day rally.

Saks Fifth Avenue is in good retail company, and their stock prices reflect that they too have felt the blow of the common man. Hats off to them for taking just such a fist-raising stand with their clever tongue-in-cheek spring marketing. Perestroika, which literally means restructuring, is 100 percent apropos. Wow, one of those Saks smarty-pants deserves a raise. The campaign is a brilliant act of agit propaganda. The Saks slogan, “Want It!” is printed in lettering similar to the graphic designs of Rodchenko. The images rightly were realized by Cleon Peterson of Studio Number One, Fairey’s design company in Los Angeles. They depict the season’s trends in black-and-white images with geometric slashes of red, some of them shown on models posing as if they are champions of workers’ rights (at Saks?). An ad for a slouchy bag, for example, tells shoppers to “Arm Yourself,” while a style of relaxed, cropped shorts are described as “Brave Pants.” (Love it! Don’t care for the trousers.) What will they think of next? Betsy Johnson “Hot Pinkos,” “Commie and get it.”

Wilson reports that when asked if his work could be misunderstood as some sinister form of retail indoctrination, Fairey noted that he was also looking at agitprop posters made for the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in the 1940s, to lift morale. “Some people might think it could be making fun of what’s going on right now,” Fairey said. “But I think most people are sophisticated enough to realize it’s a way of grabbing attention. It’s commerce. I don’t think there is really any political statement embedded in this.” (Oh Pleeease!)

Given the pricey goods Stalinistas at Saks are selling, it’s not likely anyone would accuse the store of going socialist. After all, the last time a Commie was in town Krustev was haggling over a washing machine with Richard Nixon.

Tonight I’m Netflixing “Battleship Potempkin.”

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger

Retail Resolutions, Part 2

 As I was pondering my own resolution at the turn of the year, it happened to line up with one I have been hoping retailers might adopt as we near the end of this fascinating decade--“Less, but better.”

The quote is a few years old, but has never been more relevant than it is today and comes from a design hero of mine: the great Dieter Rams.

Imagine a retail future that is founded on this idea. A future that eschews the disposable in favor of things that can actually last and where consumerism flourishes against a backdrop of responsibility. A future where the American shopper will pay a fair price for these better quality goods, but also where our pocketbooks will be liberated as we finally break our addiction to cheap junk.

No longer will the American retail landscape be over-stored and over-stocked, rather a new breed of niche brands will emerge producing products that people love and cherish.

In this future, you will buy new things because they are just that--new. You will replace things when they become obsolete, not because they have broken or worn out. Ask yourself when was the last time you bought something you could pass on to your children, and it becomes starkly clear how bad things have gotten.

Ram’s ethos has been influencing me for a while now and it started to change the way that I shop and the things that I shop for. My favorite Web site in the world--www.manufactum.com--has become the portal through which I have accessed this new breed of best-in-class products and I have never looked back. 

American retail holds its future in its hands and the signs of a new movement are beginning to emerge.  I was truly inspired by the tale of Trudy Sullivan’s new product strategy at Talbots, cutting through the clutter to the core classics that made that brand great and reinterpreting them with a fresh twist for today’s Talbots woman.

Perhaps instead of the knee jerk of deep discounting, or more relentless attempts to cut the price of the goods we produce, we should be shooting for something akin to Rams’ ethos: for quality, for durability and for designs that can stand the test of time.

As John Ruskin put it over a century ago: "There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper"...a sentiment echoed by Isaac Mizrahi in last week’s WWD interview focused on his new role as creative director of Liz Claiborne: “In times of financial crisis, you don’t necessarily look for the cheapest thing; you look for the most valuable.”

This New Year feels like one filled with ideas of possibility and who knows, maybe this would be one possibility we could all celebrate.

--Christian Davies, Guest Blogger

Retail's "Believe It or Not!"

Do you own a Proda bag or a Rolox watch? If you do, you are in good company. Americans (and the rest of the world) are clamoring for counterfeit items. They give us all the bling, without the bucks. Here in New York City, shop-a-holics in search of fake designer bags, clothing and accessories head straight to Canal Street, the city's counterfeit one-stop shopping district to indulge themselves in deceptive decadence. But iIn China, knockoff lovers might soon have an entire mall at which to ponder the benefits of a "Coached" bag, a pair of "Poma" or "Adidos" sneakers, and even a pair of "A & G" designer jeans. (Don’t tell Dominico Dolce.) That's according to the Mirror UK, (article by Hannah Wood 01/05/09), which has photos of some of the faux food and knock-off retailers that have already set up shop at the mall, located in Nanjing, just a stone’s throw east of Shanghai. They include a McDonald’s look-a-like dyslexic restaurant called McDnoald’s, a Starbucks-style coffee shop called Bucksstar Coffee, KLG Chicken and a wannabe Pizza Hut, called Pizza Huh. Given that China banned dog, and monkey meat during the Olympics, I'd be suspicious of consumables from imposter food chains, but then again, how hard would it be to replicate Pizza Hut's operations? The Pizza Huh version couldn't possibly be much worse. Pizza, Huh? It’s just the kind of blasé question Doug Heffernan might ask Carrie in an episode of “The King of Queens.”

After the spate of recalls that drove the Chinese economy into a tailspin last year, those charming Chinese have crowned themselves as the kings of counterfeitering, with the building of a new shopping center dedicated entirely to fake brands. Corrupt City officials are under pressure to ban the soon-to-be opened mall after pictures of the fake stores were leaked, causing uproar amongst angry consumers (tourists mostly) who feared they'd be ripped off. "Not every shopper is brand conscious, so a lot of people will walk into these stores thinking they are getting the real thing," said an angry shopper in a local newspaper.” The whole idea of this mall is plain dishonest.” (No kidding?) Some fakes are done light-heartedly, to be funny, but these stores look so much like the real thing people are going to feel cheated," the shopper added.

Lest readers think I’m just making light, counterfeiting is deplorable. For further illumination on this very subject please check out my post “Chanel for $4.99” on 08/27/07.

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger

Retail Resolutions

Each year millions upon million of Americans make New Year's Resolutions. The vast majority vow to loose weight, a minimum of that magic 20 lbs. (the, if I can just do that, Prince Charming will magically appear number), and the second most common resolution is to focus on financial stability, i.e. save money to pay off those high-interest credit cards. Earnest attempts are made in January, but usually fall to the way side by February.

Retailers take note, you too need to shed the pounds and focus on your pocketbooks. You are in good company, join the club. Yikes! February is only three weeks away.

Seeing the economic forecasts, retailers stockpiled last year's unsold goods and were top-heavy with product that no one really wanted last year either. Despite their great sales, prices were slashed more times than Janet Leigh was in “Psycho,” and consumers bought less, duh! (except at Wal-Mart and other discounters who appear to have had some moderate increases). Overall predictions are that retail sales will post 3 percent to 5 percent less than last year. That is a disaster. This means that some retailers will file for Chapter 11. Case in point, Kira Plastinina, closing all its seven stores, and halted plans to open the ambitious 250 this year. Note to self: don’t let precocious 16-year-olds design bubble dresses and give away Charm Blow-Pops as sales incentives--no matter how wealthy their Russian daddy is. KB Toys and Circuit City are following a similar fate, well, filing and folding. Banks are no longer doling out credit loans to retailers. It’s a cash-in-hand economy. Retailers, like sheep to the slaughter, all loaded up on cashmere sweaters as this year's splurge item. Alright, one man’s cashmere is another man’s acrylic, but let's not split hairs, we all know there really isn’t that much cashmere in the world. Retailers are still fat with sweaters and scarves. Smart move…not. Shed the weight, exercise and put your merchandise on a Jenny Craig for retailer--practice moderation, get back to basics; replace the food pyramid with the shopping pyramid, staples on the bottom, your perishables in the middl and treats on the top. “Wow, Mr. Wizard, science is fun!”

As for balancing your checkbooks, retailers take a hint from Suze Orman, (must get image of Kristin Wigg out of head, or...will...go...mad!!!) “It’s people first, then money, then things!” People first, that means salespeople and customers, focus on developing that relationship--that’s your primary investment, exploit it! Then money...look at price point. Homes may have been worth $350,0 last year, but are only worth $250,000 this year, so price your merchandise to sell (if homeowners can do it, you can, now move on). And then things...look at what you’re selling. They were out of my size at Club Monaco, so I just went next door to Banana Republic. I know you sell the same things practically. I’m not an imbecile. I read “The Secret,” guess what the secret is? It’s not a secret. The same goes for retailers, noting you do is a secret. The sameness between brands is appalling. The last thing you want to do is sell the same things as the guy next door.

As for my resolution, I already have a Prince Charming (okay, so he’s not always so charming), still, I don’t need to loose 20 lbs. I don’t use credit cards--unless there’s a retail emergency, and my last emergency was a sale at Marks & Spencer, and that happens as often as leap year. My resolution...to shop less, shop smarter and find new retailers, and re-visit great old ones.

--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger