February 15, 2010

Alexander McQueen's Naming and Branding to Follow Its Namesake?

The tragic death of fashion icon Alexander McQueen has meant almost certain doom to the burgeoning brand that bears his name.

Unlike the Chanel, and Louis Vuitton brands, which outlived their creators, this is a blow to the DNA of the McQueen brand itself. As The Sartorialist points out: "I mean, come on, who could possibly keep the spirit of McQueen alive? He was so unique that his replacement could never get out of that shadow."

Brand Matters suggests that "the McQueen brand had so much of its founder's personality in it, that finding a successor may not prove possible."

It is owned by luxury goods giant PPR who now are faced with a well known but unestablished brand name that needs a new designer. On Saturday all the McQueen samples were called back and Fashionologie quotes one source as saying:

I think PPR will use this as a pretext to walk away from the McQueen brand, which has never really made any money anyway. The label just hasn't been around for long enough to be able to survive in the long term now that he is no longer there. A brand needs to have a history to live on in these circumstances and Alexander McQueen's brand doesn't have enough of a history. It's comparatively recent and its roots are not deep enough.

Make Do Style suggests that McQueen was the drama behind the brand and that after a decent period of time the brand should be allowed to quietly follow its namesake into oblivion. While other bloggers feel that other designers might step in and save the name .

I doubt the McQueen label will be around much longer. It is too cutting edge, and too new, and McQueen's suicide has tainted the brand.

Perhaps The Bespoken puts it best: "Regrettably fashion is the cruelest sport; it recognizes only those that make it to the finish line."

Technorati Tags: Alexander McQueen, Death, Fashion, Bow, CEO

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January 8, 2010

Lady Gaga Helps Revamp Polaroid's Yesteryear Branding

I have written about Polaroid before, and the news that they have recruited Lady Gaga to help resurrect its brand is pretty earth shattering. `It's unclear what exactly she's going to do for the iconic brand as its new "creative director" , but she's now indelibly associated with it.

Some investors who bought Polaroid plan to bring back the Instamatic, as well as some other interesting gadgets. The idea is to gain as much leverage from the Polaroid name as possible.

For her part, Lady Gaga says "The Haus of Gaga [her management team] has been developing prototypes in the vein of fashion, technology, and photography innovation - blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era - and we are excited to collaborate on these ventures with the Polaroid brand." Um, OK.

She'll also be on the social networks and plastering the Polaroid name up at her concerts.

The idea, obviously, is to keep the Polaroid name as relevant as possible. She also has stressed that this is not a simple endorsement deal: "I'm working on bringing the instant film camera back as part of the future," she claims.

Polaroid is clearly trying to make its name more relevant and not so indelibly associated with nostalgia tech, and Lady Gaga will certainly help do this.

Technorati Tags: Lady Gaga, Polaroid, Instamatic, Creative director, camera,

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January 7, 2010

Weatherproof Blows a Presidential Naming And Branding Opportunity

The blogosphere is lit up with comments about the way the apparel company, Weatherproof, has appropriated President Obama's image for a massive billboard in Times Square.

The President was apparently wearing a Weatherpoof brand jacket when an AP photographer snapped a shot of him striking a thoughtful pose on the Great Wall. Weatherproof duly acquired rights to the image and turned it into an advertisement. The president of the company (somewhat cynically) commented, "We did this in good faith. This is an image that we thought would enhance the President of the United States.'

The White house has tartly commented that it "disapproves" of the billboard and most mainline newspapers and mags would not run the ad.

This kind of advertising, I think, is ultimately detrimental to the brand. While I will concede that Weatherproof has found a great image to use, it's pretty obvious that the President isn't a pitchman for any clothing company. One blogger reacted in "shock" at the photo, and then asked "Besides, what are we in China?".

Yes, this gets lots of attention but I'd say it's the wrong kind.

The company briefly sold this item as the "Obama Jacket" alongside the image. This is murky water in the legal sense, and according to at least one attorney, a "fight not worth fighting".

To me it smacks of sleaziness and makes the company look tawdry. I think there are better ways to associate your brand with a President - using PR, for instance, or possibly limiting the association between President Obama and the jacket to the online and offline catalogue.

President Clinton, for instance, will always be remembered for wearing a Timex Ironman watch, which he donated to the Smithsonian. Timex was very careful to not exploit the Clinton's image in such a crass way and the presidential association has lasted.

Why didn't Weatherproof simply place a few articles commenting on the fact that Obama traveled to China wearing an American made, inexpensive, dependable garment?

The company boasts on their web site about using "avant garde" marketing strategies but this is just dumb. The irony is that, right now, as a consumer, I don't even know which coat is the one Obama wore and I wouldn't mind checking it out. I'm sure I could spend another ten minutes figuring it out, but why bother?

Technorati Tags: BarackObama, Weatherproof, Image Conflict, Times Square, Billboard, jacket,

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October 29, 2009

Fashion Icon Marc Ecko Sells Naming and Branding Thanks to Poor Real Estate Market

It seems to be a sign of the times when Marc Ecko loses control over his brand name thanks to the decline in real estate prices. He has signed over 51% of the Marc Ecko brand to Iconix, which controls Joe Boxer, Rocawear and London Fog, for $63.5 million, "plus $90 million in financing for a newly formed joint venture."

This is a fashion guy who has successfully used video games to get his name out there.

Whew, that is a lot of equity tied up in one designer name. But he'll need it, as he is trying to lease out a 280,000 square foot headquarters in midtown Manhattan and manage a 30-acre estate in New Jersey.

He's laid off workers and even auctioned off his watch trademarks and the Avirex brand, leading Agency Spy to say "Brand Loss Eckos Thru the Web."

This comes on the heels of reports that his signature urban look is losing favor with the kids, though Ecko himself seems phlegmatic about losing his name: "I've lived through a leveraged position...I don't know whether, once you grow up your business like that, you have full control anymore anyway."

And at least one blog says his brand is one of the top ten urban brands out there ... of hundreds.

I have written before about how well known people lose their names (I'm talking to you, Joseph Abboud and Steve Saleen), but this seems like an epidemic in the design world, where egos are attached to names equals brands.

Technorati Tags: Marc Ecko, Ecko, Fashion, Clothing, Urband brands, Clothing designer

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October 28, 2009

Place Naming and Product Branding: A Symbiotic Relationship

Think about these famous brand names:

• Kate Spade


• Vineyard Vines


• Chanel

Each one proudly proclaims their origins.

The words Kate Spade on a product are almost always followed by the words "New York."

The labels on Vineyard Vines products share space with the words "Martha's Vineyard."

And Chanel perfumes elegantly bear the name "Paris" on the packaging.

The reason for this is obvious: these places add instant cachet and equity to the brand name. Chanel may be sold all over the world, but to buy a Chanel product, for millions of consumers, is to buy a piece of Paris. Likewise, Vineyard Vines products carry the tag and the Martha's Vineyard name with pride.

The point is, the brand's place of origin - or supposed place of origin - carries an instant attraction.

All three of these brands have associations with the cities they tout on their labels, but a moment of consideration is in order. What, exactly, is so "New York" about a Kate Spade bag? They are designed in New York, but many are manufactured in China.

I am also reminded of Apple Computer, whose packaging reads "Designed by Apple in California" (I have it right here beside my Mac), but we all know the stuff is built in China.

Similarly, Vineyard Vines does have a shop on Martha's Vineyard, but much of their business, and certainly their manufacturing, is done off-island.

Ditto for Chanel - the perfume is made in California, of all places.

Consumers like to have brands that have a distinct relationship with a supposed country of origin, but its likely that the connection is tenuous at best. The brand is essentially catching a free ride off of the equity of the place name they have chosen to associate themselves with.

It may be that the people who manage the New York, Paris and Martha's Vineyard brand names might want to have a word with Kate Spade, Chanel and Vineyard Vines, but the fact is that this is a symbiotic relationship. The more products and services that want to associate themselves to a place, the better it is for the place itself.

However, there should be at least some real connection to the place you want your brand associated with.

I can go visit the Vineyard Vines store in the Vineyard, or explore the Kate Spade design studio in Manhattan online, and Chanel has a well-known presence in Paris.

So long as the brand can say that it has at least a foothold in the place is associates itself with, customers will perceive it as authentic.

Technorati Tags: Place Naming, Place Branding, Kate Spade New York, Chanel Paris, Vineyard Vines Martha's Vineyard, Place Name Branding

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October 26, 2009

Olsenboye Girls Clothing Naming May Succeed Despite Odd Brand Name

There is a lot of excitement in the blogosphere about Olsenboye, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's new JCPenney's line, which pre-launches today.

This junior line will be available in 600 JCPenny's stores, receiving a large amount of support from an enormous marketing campaign. According to WWD Retail:

The effort kicks off Monday with an Olsenboye truck cruising around New York selling merchandise and giving out cupcakes, balloons and pins, and empty racks in 50 high-profile stores will be covered in Olsenboye shrouds. Beginning Nov. 6, Olsenboye will be available on jcp.com and in those 50 stores, including the Manhattan flagship, for a limited time.

The new line will also compliment the twins' higher end offerings known as The Row, and Elizabeth and James, but of course will carry lower price points.

As for the name Olsenboye, this is supposedly the twins' "ancestral name," but it does end with "boye," which pretty much sounds like "boy." A strange choice for a girls' fashion line.

This is the kind of name that makes me raise my eyebrows, and if anyone outside of the Olsen twins had selected it, I'd say that it was a terrible choice. But the Olsen twins seem to be a law unto themselves.

As I have said before, they are pushing adult fashion sophistication into the tweeny world. Despite the odd naming choice, this new brand may be positioned for success.

Technorati Tags: Olsenboye, Olsenboye Brand, Clothing Naming, Clothes Naming, Olsen Twins Clothing, Mary-Kate and Ashley

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October 22, 2009

Guilt, Shame: Hot Naming Trends You Simply Can't Pass Up

The Wall Street Journal has a great piece up today about guilt and shame and how they figure into the shoppers mindset.

Guilt and shame are really the new black this season, the buzzwords that everyone should be thinking about in the naming and branding business. Or as Christina Passariello puts it, "In the past year, the guilty pleasure of shopping has turned to plain old guilt" and this has led to what one pundit calls "luxury guilt."

This has led to some interesting branding decisions. They cite The Daily Obsession, a shopping blog, and the aptly named Gilt Groupe, which offers online, high-end sales by invitation only, as examples of avenues for the newest guilty pleasure.

Similarly, one of the hottest stores in Paris is called Merci, while a quick perusal of Google gets us Guilt Free Shopping at Gilt.com and "No Guilt" shopping articles at Madison Avenue Spy.

Softpedia also informs us that "Women feel guilty about shopping but Can't Stop," where one ice cream maker tells us that "Life at the moment is full of stresses with money being right up there, but it's difficult to break the habit of a lifetime. Going shopping now comes with more baggage so women are trying to find creative ways to justify their spree."

So what makes shopping "guilt free?" There seems to be two lines of thought:

• One - you offer outrageous sales that allow consumers to say that it is too good of a deal to pass up.
• Or two - you partner with a charity or environmental cause, which generates the idea that you may be spending money, but not to worry, it is for a good cause.

Hence there is "guilt-free jewelry shopping" to be done and the promise on Thankful Planet where you can "give more" and experience "no more green buying guilt" by shopping to both save and help the planet at the same time.

You can even "treat your dog's taste buds - without the guilt." Our Canines Linguists, Chomsky and Pushkin, will most definitely appreciate that.

Technorati Tags: Guilt-Free Shopping, Guilt Branding, Shopping Shame, Guilt-Free Naming, Naming and Branding

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