The Lighting's on the Wall

Hirzberger Events - Digital Wallpaper from Gregor Hofbauer on Vimeo.

Time is Money

New to the real estate market is this very open concept triplex penthouse condo in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.  It is listed as the most expensive piece of real estate in BK.  The ClockTower Building penthouse features a 14' fully functional window clock on each eall and offers views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Harbour.  Listed for a measly $25 mil the condo can make you feel like you're sitting on top of the world.  Or at least, the top of Brooklyn, as it is one of the tallest buildings in the borough.

Check out the rest of the fun pics and facts at the source.

Malcolm Gladwell at City Arts & Lectures

I am currently in the middle of reading the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell for my Viral, WoM, and Buzz Marketing class.  His ideas are very simplistic and logical, despite being counterintuitive to most things we take for "common sense."

Gladwell is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He is the author of three books, the Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, and Outliers: The Story of Success, and a upcoming fourth title, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, due to arrive in bookstores in late October.

This video intermingles discussions of privilege, prodigy, preparation, and President Obama.  Fora.tv is like Hulu for nerds and I love it!

I rock ruff and stuff with my afro clutch!

I saw the wallet design first and thought "That would be so cute as a clutch."  Browsed through a few more pages and found that great minds think alike.

Peep additional expressions from Brooklyn based artisan Chanel Kennebrew at Junkprints.com

Cute!

Couture Branding

Since fashion is (typically) a wearable extension of art, it is no surprise to find designers swapping creative juices with the imaginative minds of marketers.  Check out the new 2010 Paul Smith design for evian.

Great Paul Smith quote: "If you're looking for about [sic] what other designers are doing, or what other products are out there, then you're already buying yesterday's newspaper. So yesterday's newspaper nobody wants."

Here are the 2008 Christian Lacroix and 2009 Jean Paul Gaultier, respectively, limited additions as well.

Another interesting example is the commemorative centennial anniversary bag created for UPS by designer Karin Arabian.

Just goes to prove a brand can be chic no matter where it works.

Credits: Evian UPS

Kick off ur shoes & relax ur feet, party on down to the x-scape beat

Home decor meets convenient technology. This cube seat and chaise have built-in auxiliary inputs and speakers so that you can chillax and drift off to whatever sweet sounds you chose. Speaking of which...dig the concept, but it kinda reminds me of an ice cream sandwich.

Designer: Michi Jung
Source

Disposable Income: CONSUMERISMxYOUTHxLOL

Why IMC is Like Your Business' Personal Stylist

Your company has an image. Or at least it should. While this image includes the cool little logo and tagline you had a graphic designer create, a true brand image is much more than accessories. It's an entire outfit.

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a campaign approach that includes one consistent advertising, PR, direct marketing, cause-related marketing (CRM), event, social media, promotion, sponsorship, interactive, and viral marketing brand strategy and message. Some of these terms and acronymous may be over your head, but whether you choose one or two of these tactics, or all of them, having a clear plan to communicate your mission and goals will always garner your best ROI (return on investment). 


Just as a stylist scouts the most fashion-forward designs and presents them as a total look to a client, an IMC specialist or agency pulls together all of the cutting-edge marketing mix elements that are the best look for your product or company. Branding is about 2 things: cohesion and consistency. If you're a sporting goods store why would you sponsor the Adopt-a-Pet foundation instead of the local Little League? Your traditional media messages (tv, radio) should be consistent with your emerging media (blogs, fb, website) messages. And while fashion sometimes encourages an ecclectic ensemble, there is nothing sexy about a messy business look. Lack of preparation leaves your company looking like the disheveled interviewee that you would never hire. True fashion is never an afterthought, and neither is true marketing.