How To Make A Point.

I've stumbled across some genius advertising recently. It's genius because of one thing: it tells you inexplicably what will happen to you if you do not purchase this product and as a consumer, I like that. Tell me what will happen to me if I don't buy your product to ensure I do. Like right now we're getting DIRECTV. Here's why:

Remain Relevant

Relevance is the key success factor in any organization. Relevance of your mission and values to what you do, how to achieve your goals, and how you are perceived amongst your consumers and the community. The challenge is then making sure your audience is aware of what you're doing. Enter marketing and social media. These tools increase online conversation and interest that stems into action amongst your audience. Then, you're relevant. 

I think this creates a segue to giving a perfect example of someone who is relevant to his mission and values: Charlie Sheen, Fiat and DIRECTV. Recently, Fiat and DIRECTV have been able to capitalize on the bold enigma that is Charlie Sheen in their advertising strategy. Both brands have stayed true to their marketing strategy to promote their product and brand value while Charlie Sheen does what he does best, living large (please don't make me type Winning). It's 2012 and the man's still relevant.

DIRECTV

Fiat

The Announcement

In 1991 the face of the HIV virus changed. Pre-1991, homosexuals were the face of HIV  in the community and it was always deadly. It was assumed and feared that HIV was contracted by coughing, touching, sweat. That face changed on November 7th 1991. It was now Magic Johnson. On Sunday night, ESPN film series launched 'The Announcement', a powerfully human documentary that told the heartbreaking story of Magic Johnson's battle with HIV.

On November 7th 1991, Magic Johnson announced to the world that he will be retiring from the NBA due to contracting the HIV virus. In 1991, this was expected. If you have HIV you could not be involved in physical and contact sports. 

Early detection may have saved Magic's life. While undergoing a routine physical, a requirement for his medical insurance at the Lakers, the virus was detected. One week prior to this diagnosis he found out that his wife, Cookie, was pregnant with their first child. They waited an anxious 10 days to find out if Cookie was also HIV positive as this would, in all likelihood, mean their baby would also have the virus. The result was negative. He then announced his retirement.

A man who was a basketball legend, surrounded by friends and loved by so many, suddenly found himself struggling to find a friend with whom he could play one on one. It was clear HIV was still feared. The same stigma was attached, no matter who had the virus. Magic openly discusses the struggles he faced once he announced his illness and at no time says he regrets his decision to publicly announce his illness. As he said "God gave this virus to the right person". He saw himself as a person who could reach people and educate about HIV. He couldn't remain silent; in his eyes he only had one option. How powerful! And he hasn't stopped working since. Magic has become a voice for HIV in the community, bridging the gap between knowledge and assumptions, educating how it's transmitted. He is the powerful voice for safe sex. 

In 1992, after playing on the Barcelona Olympics Dream Team with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, Magic returned to the NBA playing for the Lakers. This return launched the medical safety now adhered to by sporting teams around the world: gloves to treat athletes and removal from the game when a player sustains an injury that draws blood. He shortly left the NBA once more due to protests by the public and other NBA players.

This man was alienated by so many and yet he continued to work hard as an HIV activist. A strong, cheerful, bright positive personality found his place in the Magic Johnson Foundation and in Magic Enterprises. His foundation today has established five full service HIV/AIDS Treatment Centers in economically challenged, minority communities throughout the US. Magic's Foundation treats 1200 people each year. Since the foundation's launch, over 30,000 people have been treated. He provides 'medicine, anti-retroviral therapy, testing, counseling and ongoing disease management', and continues to educate and spread the safe message to communities throughout the US each year. As Magic said, God gave this to the right person. What an extraordinary man. 

A Ticket to Fashion Week

Fashion Weeks are historically an airtight invitation only event for editors and major buyers. The brand's goal for the week is to show their raw talent to secure their placement in exquisite stores and boutiques, coverage in major media and editorials or front covers of major fashion magazines. If you lived outside the fashion world, only snapshots of this decadent week were available to you long after the runway lights are turned off. This 2012 Fall Fashion weeks gave fashion admirers an exhilarating and groundbreaking exclusive reach to the worlds most exclusive fashion brands. We got a ticket inside.

During New York, London and Milan fashion weeks, liverunway.com streamed runways as the models stomped into fall. Oscar de la Renta set up a live stream on his website as did Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Badgley Mishka, Prada in Milan and Alexander McQueen in London. Twitter hashtags were established to promote conversation about the runway, Facebook pages were set up to stream the live runway and fashion websites had smoke as they worked at lightning pace to have stills from the collection moments after the show ended.

This New York, London and Paris Fall Fashion Week I experienced every moment from my apartment. I oohed at Very Wang because I could see how her draping moved as the model waved through the catwalk. Something I'd never been exposed to in the past and it's something you can't imagine when just looking at a photo. Marc Jacobs runway began kinda kooky before he tranced you through an ethereal journey of Alice in Wonderland, Dr Seuss books, Jamiroquai (yes) and Willy Wonker, and you truly understood the immense talent of Marc Jacobs in the art of fashion. To experience this magic is truly a dream.

I believe fashion bloggers began to creek open the doors for the rest of us. Bloggers such as Tavi Gevinson and Susie Bubble now sit front row next to fashion editors and then share their experiences on their social media to us all.  In fact, Susie Bubble is getting ready for Versace right now. This social media conversation has also introduced us to the designers as they work. I follow numerous designers on Twitter as they tweet through their creative process and lives during fashion week. Fashion houses have extended the power of social media to their team: Nina Garcia, OscarPRGirl and DKNY PR GIRL share their world on Tumblr, Pinterest and Twitter accounts. They reply to tweets in real time with a real voice and share their world without losing the essence of the exclusive brand. It's smart social media in a smart industry.

The move for fashion powerhouses to openly introduce themselves to the community of global fashion lovers online is an essential use of resources to keep a pioneering industry on the forefront of media. It's opened an exclusive world to gain admiration from consumers without losing the essence of the brand. We all love and adore fashion brands perhaps more now that we can experience what an Oscar de la Renta runway means. We understand the craftsmanship that goes into each individual piece and have a new respect for the fitting and movement of gowns. We can also see the team behind the brand and our love for the fashion world and our favorite brand blossoms.

Thank you, designers for opening your world. Looking forward to Paris, Mr. Lagerfeld.

Sincerely,

Katie Lee

Oscar at work: thanks to OscarPRGirl Twitter

Backstage at Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta Runway New York Fashion Week Fall 2012

You Go Girl

This month is a beautiful month for the cover of high fashion magazines. Vogue adores Adele and Elle France supports healthy body images of women worldwide with their cover girl Tara Lynn gracing their cover.  Perhaps inspired by Vogue USA who started the year with the January Vogue starring the divine Meryl Streep on their cover.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should also mention Elle France is the publication who put themselves in public relations hot water when they stated the Obamas were embracing "white fashion" just the other month. This change of pace might be a strategy to gain positive conversation about their brand and obviously I'm blogging about it so it's beginning to have momentum.

On a positive note, I just love that the worlds most powerful media influencers are supporting healthy talented women to every reader and woman who passes the magazine cover. To me, this is magazine media using their immense power in a responsible way to promote healthy, happy women. 

You go girl!

January, 2012

March, 2012

March, 2012

Interactive Love

Dove has re-shaped the way beauty is marketed to women in recent years. The new (and improved) message to Dove users, primarily women, is you are beautiful the way you are, Dove wants help you keep your skin moisturized with our product. The Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" was an immense success in 2006, you can see the launch video here. Since then, Dove has released a trail of advertising all delivering this same message and in quest for real beauty. It only seems fitting their next step in this story fits in around Valentines Day.

Dove has launched an interactive social media forum in London's Victoria Station. A massive electronic billboard lights up tweets and text messages from commuters with the hashtag #DOVELOVE. Questions in the beginning of the campaign were laced around the user of Dove products: "what makes you feel beautiful" and "who is the most beautiful woman you know?  why?". Today on Valentines Day, Dove asks, "what do you love about your Valentine" and is spreading more love by handing out white tulips to commuters.

I'm a woman who has experienced a serious commute and can I say that something sweet like this would have been enough to slow down my lightning pace steps through the train station and take in the beauty that is love. It is estimated 350,000 people will walk past this board everyday for the 7 days the billboard is active (until February 19th). I wonder how many of those are women whose lightening steps are also slowed to give way for a smile and a deep breath.

Marc Mathieu is Unilever's SVP of marketing, he told Marketing Week that brand marketers need to "be more noble". It's true in a world of advertising where L’Oreal creative is being banned in the UK for being too unrealistic. It's refreshing to have a beauty brand discuss the beauty of a woman, not how they can change her or tell her she can look supremely younger. It is indeed "more noble" to market with this intention. Bravo, Dove.

         Billboard at Victoria Station in the UK "who is the most beautiful woman you know? why?"

All Hail Madonna

There is no-one in the world like Madonna and last night she reminded us all of that fact. The woman did cartwheels on bleachers caught in between dancers in thigh high Givenchy boots after she had torn the Indianapolis stadium up by singing Vogue. Only Madonna can fill a sentence like that. 

I was all about the ads last night, but I'll be honest, after her half time performance I just wanted to call the whole thing off and watch a full Madonna concert. Man, I hope that woman tours again soon, I'll be there in my thigh high boots cartwheeling in the stands for her. Obviously. 

All Hail Madonna.