Yaffe Tidbits

Is It In Your Jeans? A Professional Look at Innovation and Attire

I recently started reading Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment on a plane ride to meet a client. As I sat on the runway waiting while they made a repair (always reassuring) and sweating in head-to-toe wool, I read his section entitled “Dress for a Tie” which takes a look at how our choices in dress affect our professional interactions. I should mention that this section resides in a chapter called “How to Achieve Likability.” I should also mention that, much respect to Guy, I’m generally suspicious of anyone who bullet points tangible action steps to achieve intangible qualities. Affecting attributes in order to win people over can be sniffed out by the herd on a very primal level, and it generally stinks.

Still, I’m intrigued by boardroom behavior that involves subliminal communication (as I assume anyone in the business of wooing people would be) and I found it refreshing to see a man willing to discuss dress in terms of strategy rather than fashion. The “jeans vs. suit” is a real issue that can be (and arguably is intended to be) very polarizing in the workplace, especially in agencies. 

Recently, I read that though now Steve Jobs’ jeans are an iconic statement of innovation, they were once part of the reason he was fired from Apple in the 80’s. Alex Bogusky, former head of CP+B, said he heard that the reason they lost the pitch to Land Rover was because he showed up in jeans. On the flip side, I know of another agency that lost a pitch to a youthful brand partially because they all showed up in suits and ties. “They’re out of touch.”  If anyone was at Future Midwest this year, they likely remember one of the speakers stand up and apologize for wearing a suit to speak to what was clearly a jeans and jackets crowd.

I don’t think it’s a huge leap for me to make the claim we associate jeans with innovation. (Please see Steve Jobs and Alex Bogusky above for support.) I don’t think it’s a huge leap either to claim that some people still see it as disrespectful and unprofessional.

I don’t know if I have anything to contribute to this issue that will be helpful (as I sit typing in head-to-toe wool), but here are some things I think about when I talk to myself about this debate:

-Is it silly to conflate attire with innovation or creativity or is it fair to say that wearing jeans in a professional environment, or any other item counter to the acceptable dress code, is indicative of a deeper drive for breaking the rules, a necessary part of innovation?

-Is it silly to think about dress too much when time would be better spent on your pitch? (I think you could argue that if Bogusky’s idea for Land Rover had blown the others away, they might have looked past the jeans.)

-I hate to drop the gender card in the midst of an already polarizing issue, but is it different for women? Ever look at the difference between how Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and the rest of the team dresses?

-Do people like Bogusky wear jeans because they’re thinking about dress, or because they refuse to? And isn’t “refusing to” still thinking about it? (When he was conducting interviews at CP+B, he said he regularly asked prospective hires to explain why they’d chosen their outfit in order to hear them work through strategy and rationale.)

-Do any of these questions even apply to junior workers, or non-principals? Or do we just wear what the bosses wear? And if you do just conform to the boss, are you making a statement about your innovation within the company?

I’d like to hear what you think about when you think about this issue, or if you think about it at all?

  Jen Wright, Yaffe Suit and Jeans Wearer

 

 

 

The Runway Meets Social Media

Monday marked the first-ever Tweetwalk. For those of you scratching your head in confusion, Tweetwalk was birthed by the ever-classic British brand, Burberry, in order to combine fashion and social media. It was debuted at this season’s London Fashion Week.

Burberry tweeted to its 539,243 followers, “Excited to announce the first ever #Tweetwalk Show. SS12 looks will be on Twitter before the runway. Follow @Burberry today at 4pm #LFW”. The clothing brand known for its upscale style and easily recognizable plaid fabric teamed up with Twitter so that those not as lucky as people like Kanye West and that new girl from Transformers 3 who were sitting front row for the fashion show could experience it even faster than “real time”.

Tweeters and fashion lovers who followed the @Burberry account were able to view photos of the models before they hit the runway. As the models lined up backstage to display the looks before the audience, the official tweeter for the day took a photo of each model in their perfectly pressed and highly styled outfits and tweeted them out before they were displayed on the runway.

“We are thrilled to create the first ever “Tweetwalk show” in partnership with Twitter. Twitter is instantaneous and I love the idea that streaming a show can be in many different forms. This collection is all about the most detailed hand crafted pieces and fabric innovation, creating a beautiful physical experience that is communicated digitally in dynamic and diverse ways and I love balancing those two worlds,” said Chris Bailey, Chief Creative Officer of Burberry.

Above is a screen shot of what tweeters were experiencing during TweetWalk.

The presentation was also streamed live via the website but still, those who followed the Burberry Twitter stream were able to see the looks before anyone else. Because fashion week is so exclusive and home to celebrities, wardrobe stylist, top magazine editors, buyers and bloggers for an entire week, allowing the general public to see a collection before those sitting in the very arena its being debuted in is total new age. But how will this affect the future of Fashion Week?

Fashion Weeks occur all over the world including New York, London and Milan and the best of the best are invited. These people view the collections designers spend months, even years creating so that they can report back to the general public about their finds. So if other designers follow in the footsteps of Burberry, will there be a need for Fashion Week anymore? Designers could save lots of money by having their social media teams tweet and Facebook their collections rather than creating a huge production to show off their new garments. I highly doubt that will ever happen but there is certainly something to be said for Burberry’s attempt at breaking fashion and social media barriers.

How do you feel about Burberry’s innovative way to share its collection with the world and what do you think the future holds for social media and fashion?

  Jessica Mosley - Admittedly addicted to anything related to fashion.

The Culture of FutureMidwest: A 1st-Timer's Perspective

I have experienced so much for only having been at The Yaffe Group for just two months and so far, one of my favorite experiences has been attending FutureMidwest. This was my first time at the conference and I was able to learn so much; from the predictions that Detroit will have a successful transit system in the coming years, and the idea that curation is the next big thing, right down to the overall culture of the conference.

When I walked through the doors of Eastern Market into the Quicken Loans pavilion for the first day of this two-day digital conference, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were so engaged in technology. I too pulled out my phone and began multitasking between tweets, Facebook updates and check-ins. After all, technology, fun digital things and social media were a huge topic at the FutureMidwest conference. After my first tweet, “#FMW11 with my Yaffe crew,” I followed the hashtag #FMW11 for the next two days and realized I was in the company of some pretty cool people.

Tech guys, social media folks and PR pros were among some of the professionals who attended FutureMidwest. Presenters and spectators both had great ideas and thought-provoking opinions. Everyone there seemed to be so knowledgeable at their craft, enhancing the outcome of the conference.

As FutureMidwest took flight, I began to observe my surroundings even more. Most people in the venue had an iPad, iPhone, Android or Blackberry in their hands. Of course most people now-a-days have one of these devices, but it was just awesome to see a room full of people with one of these savvy pieces of technology, and they were all on it at the same time. I also noticed a certain type of fashion throughout the room. I picked up that more than half of the male presenters wore button down shirts, jeans and a blazer. This certainly speaks for the culture of the conference in saying that people in this business are hip and trendy. One presenter even apologized for wearing a suit during his presentation, further proving that this is a pretty laid back, fun business. Women there were fashion-forward as well, wearing their hipster riding boots, well-fit jeans and trendy jackets.

Above all, since the conference was about learning, I definitely learned a great deal about the future of the Midwest, new technologies and advancements and creative ideas to use with clients. But I also learned that, as a new-comer to this particular professional world, I certainly fit the culture with my iPhone and riding boots.

How about you guys? Were there any first timers who enjoyed being in the presence of so many with the same interest?

Jessica Mosley - FutureMidwest Newbie & loving it

Future Midwest Photos by: Brandon Chesnutt

3 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Do

Just five months ago, 23-year-old Mallory Brown started a new company called World Clothes Line. Already, business is good and seems to be getting better by the day. It's a company who's time has come. People today want the brands they buy to be good corporate citizens and give back to the world around them. Brown decided that idea wouldn't be a part of her business, it would BE her business. It's a business model base on philanthropic giving.

World Clothing Line sells clothes, oddly enough. For every item you buy, an identical one is given to someone in need of clothing in one of three countries: the U.S., Peru and Indonesia. Brown has clothing designs that reflect the countries that she's giving in, So if you buy the Peru hoodie, one just like it is given to someone in Peru. Already World Clothing Line has given away clothing to two groups of needy people in Detroit. Soon, Brown plans to leave to take her first shipment to Peru. In fact there's a fund raiser to fund the trip tomorrow night.

Brown spoke at the Social Media Club Detroit monthly meeting last week and told her story about how she has seen this success almost completely through word of mouth and social media. When asked what three things she would tell a starting entrepreneur, this is what she said:

1. Celebrate the small victories. It's easy to focus on the big picture and the end goal. But you can drive yourself crazy or get discouraged that way, because it comes slowly. Instead look for small victories each day. Brown said her victory the day before was that she was talking to someone new and found out that they had heard of her company and knew what they were all about.

2. Tell your story as many times as you can. You never know who might be listening. She was talking with someone in a coffee shop about something she needed for her business and another person overheard. That person knew someone else who could help her with that exact issue.

3. Never underestimate anyone. Brown says that some of the most amazing help she's gotten have come from people she didn't expect anything from at all. Often when she goes to an event where she expects to meet a lot of people who can help her, nothing ever comes of it. But, its at those events and places that she has no expectations that she has often meet her strongest advocates.

Considering how far Miss Brown has come in such a short time, I'd recommend taking her advice.

Mike McClure, learning what Brown can do for me.

Photos by Jenni Murray

Me and My Magic Mouse

Guest blog by Joanie Abraham, Partner at Style Branding.

I was having trouble with my track pad on my MacBook and decided I’d rather break down and buy a mouse rather than part with my Mac for a week. They showed me a picture of the magic mouse online and as soon as I laid eyes on the new magic mouse there was no turning back. The design and function of this product so took over there was never any decision as to which one to buy; the more reasonably priced mouse or the magic mouse for another $20.

From the moment they grabbed the product from the shelf I was completely smitten with this mouse. I love looking at it, holding it, and even working with it. I can’t wait to pull it out at meetings. It completely intrigues me. All of a sudden it hit me that this is how people must feel about getting an iPhone. And it is surely how I feel about my MacBook

Everything Apple makes is just a little better looking and a little more expensive than it’s competitors and you can walk into any Apple store any time of day and you will see people from every walk of life and all different income levels. This demonstrates the power of style and design in action.

I covet my new mouse and it actually makes my hours at the computer much more appealing. It makes me feel good, and smart working with it. It glides around the desk following my instruction with such grace and precision. And everytime I glance at it I marvel at its incredible design.

I am grateful to Apple for imposing an awareness to style in our society. When you buy an Apple product, taking it out of the package is a thrill. To make people feel so good about a product, so devoted, so thrilled with every use, so empowered, is an objective every brand desires. That’s the power of style. Even Hewlett Packard realized you can charge more money and sell more product if you incorporate a sense of design and style.

Good design adds a layer of desire. You are proud to have the product serve as a reflection of who you are. You feel good around good design. Style makes us smile once we learn to see it. It’s what I call the SWOON factor. It speaks volumes so subtlety about what you stand for as a brand. In a virtual universe a sense of trust is a valuable asset. Style and design are universal with no language issues. It’s your unique sense of distinction worth it’s weight in gold in a world of abundance.

How To Fashion A Great Brand Online

Fashion has become so tied in with entertainment that everyone everywhere is exposed to it’s nuances. Fashion is no longer considered a urban awareness...it’s universal; it has pervaded all levels of society with its visual appeal.

Fashion in a sense reflects how you feel about yourself.

Branding is the extension of this. The essence of the brand has to be communicated so loud that everyone can hear, and so resonant that everyone can feel. The more distinct and pronounced the statement, the more people remember who you are. The degree of distinction is the fashion quotient. This is style.

We can relate this to any product, but it is especially significant with cars. An automobile is brought to life wrapped in a coat of style. Surely the "swoon" of style can add value to the feel of the car. Fashion is the sense of fun, the personal connection with the car.

The American auto industry is going through great pains to accommodate the changes our environment requires, regardless of what we desire. That means, for American automobiles, creating awareness is going to be about creating a sense of desire to stay competitive in the marketplace and move us unwillingly into becoming a smaller car nation. So, sometimes fashion desires and perceptions need to bent and blended into a shape that fits the realities of the situation.

The Internet is a good place to do that reshaping. As marketers, we shouldn’t underestimate the Internet presence of any brand, both as created by the brand and as created by the users of the brand. The online environment is a key location to change perception about the feel, the quality and the services associated with a brand, product or company..

I use the auto industry as an example but this is true with any product in any price range or size. An unusual relationship between the product and the customer can be created on the Internet. The Internet has a number of seductive creative tools that can be implemented to elicit that emotional connection between the consumer and the product at the point of purchase. We walk through the aisles of our favorite retail emporium and our heartbeat quickens as we see all of the appealing merchandise on either side of us. The Internet can effectively elicit that same emotion with the right combination of creative features. If you have defined your online audience with the proper measurement tools and efficiently sorted out the data related to your online audience, you can begin communicating and servicing their needs in a very personalized manner. You can customize products for them. You can offer services and information and engaging promotions that go beyond anything they have known before. And you know about their interests because you can ask them. It is the access to specific areas of interest that makes you valuable to your customers.

Magazines can present luscious pictures of the essence of a brand, television can go even further with movement, music and desirable characters. Retail stores can make the seduction three dimensional; the product can be touched and felt. But the Internet brings access right into the bedrooms of your audience. The seduction and the point of purchase are available at the consumer’s personal whim and convenience, wherever they may be.

No matter how many stores you have, or what your advertising budget is, whether you are Wal-Mart or the woman down the block selling handmade knick-knacks, you can offer purchasing access to more people on your website than anywhere else. Anything new I heard about, any new resource that I should know about, can immediately be accessed through the web, where I can instantly see what all the buzz is about. So the Internet becomes Swoon Central for anyone selling a product.

Swoon Central is defined as the most accessible and appealing location you can have. The Internet qualifies hands down. The Swoon Factor is that illusive thrill and sense of style that creates the appeal. This will only become more important as technology evolves. Fashion is a potent elixir in establishing the swoon factor. So, when you look at the space your brand is occupying online, make sure it's located in the neighborhood of Swoon Central and your customers will always come back for more.

Joan Abraham, Digital AE & Fashion Fan

Seduce Your Customers With Style

Design, style and fashion put the thrill in our everyday lives. Looking at an aesthetic object gives us pause. Keeping that in mind when you go to market with your product or brand can positively affect your bottom line.

Every day the general public is introduced to the excitement of design and they are responding to it. No one seems to have a better grasp on that than one of the most successful retailers of our time, Target. Target’s ability to integrate the value of design so broadly and effectively has spread the thrill factor throughout the mass market of consumers. Now we all have to pay attention to design and style to compete.

From the Michael Graves egg timer to an Isaac Mizrahi dog leash, Target has style. This sense of style then oozes out to everything incorporating the Target bulls eye, even the way they show mundane products such as Tide detergent. To maintain their reputation of style, Target approaches designers that are not "over exposed" in the market place. Through their marketing, these designers take on an elevated role in heightening the image of Target. Part of that strategy for Target is to take the time to educate consumers on the appeal of style and the intrinsic value of their designers, such as Michael Graves, Luella Bartley and Isaac Mizrahi. The customer feels the value of Graves’ egg timer every time she sees it on her kitchen counter, which makes her feel good.

Design has an emotional impact on the consumer. It’s a sure bet that anyone can go online and find something from Target that excites them. Good design, either in the product itself or in the presentation of the product, gives the consumer trust and confidence. Trust is essential in the online environment. If the product follows up and performs, then you have won yourself a loyal customer.

Website design and product design become increasingly more important as we cross cultures in our now world bazaar environment. The design element is the emotional tie between the brand and the consumer. If you can get into the hearts of your consumers, you can engage them in the seduction of your brand. If you get into their minds, they are successfully wooed. Companies like Target and Apple understand how to do both, each in a most distinctive way.

The E-commerce portion of your business will become most influential in determining how people feel about your brand. Design and creativity, your personal stamp on the world as a brand, is communicating the heart and soul of what your product stands for.

Art and design in our daily living make us happy. Good design can make a grown man smile even if he takes in the sense of design unconsciously. The seduction of design and creativity is a powerful force. Today’s retail demands the collaboration of merchandising, design and technical knowledge to aesthetically accommodate your audience. It is the synthesizing of these elements that will create your full growth potential in this environment.

Joan Abraham, Digital AE & Design Fan

Our Style Is In Our Cars

Detroit is in such an interesting place at this moment. I am an outsider who was an insider connected to the Detroit Advertising community and fashion community growing up in the city back in the ‘50’s when Detroit was the center of the universe. I was a bit concerned about having to return to the Motor city after 20 years in fashion and new media in New York. I moved back to Detroit in February of 2008 and I have seen some pretty devastating days as Detroit fights to remain standing. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the overhaul of the American auto industry has deeply affected every one of us who lives in this great town.

But what Detroit has not lost is a distinct sense of style born from car design and marketing. When it comes to style and new media Detroit is rich with resources. There are great influences in the city that have grown out of car country. And every major new media resource is represented in Detroit because of the money and development Detroit autos have poured into new media marketing.

As we start pulling out of the economic disaster by overhauling the infrastructure of auto production, we seem to be attracting many young, hip growth industries requiring a lot of energy and creative thinking: namely alternative energy sources, innovation in making our world green and even a little film business, thanks to our connections in Hollywood and the Governor’s film incentive package. Detroit is starting to look like it will have a strong re- tooled future after all.

For a city that could have been written off, Detroit has never lost its mojo. There is something to be said about the Motor City and the sense of style that we generate here.

Style is that illusive element that fills all of us with desire. Style is what separates the cool from the ordinary. Imparting an image of style on a car will energize the senses of a female audience faster than any other factor. And the sense of style that used to govern the Detroit auto industry needs to be reinforced more substantially than ever. Understanding the appropriate role of fashion in creating a sense of style is the key to attracting and keeping the female audience.

Joanie Abraham, Digital AE & Author of StyleBranding 

Chin up Detroit! A new Day is Dawning

From my perspective , Detroit is looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. As the auto industry retools itself for the 21 Century, Detroit is going to end up meaner, leaner and ready for the future. 

The pain of downsizing and addressing how cars will be made in the future with alternative fuel sources has given us a new lease on life.  New fuel source companies are starting to develop here in town which will bring in hope and many new jobs that prepare us for what lies ahead.  By readjusting our systems we have made ourselves competitive and that’s what we’ve been missing.

The power and the glory of the automotive industry will be alive and well in Detroit once again.  We have the infrastructure that branches out in so many directions to support the rebirth of the automobile fit for modern times.  Our muscle and our cool will resurface if we focus on the need to be thoughtful and responsive to preservation and efficiency.  Efficiency is what built our city into the great automotive powerhouse.

Now creating that sense of cool and adventure has to be developed around new parameters.   It’s all possible.  That’s what we do.  The difference is the perception we create around the automobile will be fed through new media and all the creative ways to touch the buyer’s heart and soul new media allows us.

So the challenge is on to create new paradigms for presenting the thrill of the ride.  It’s an open field and nobody understands it better than the advertising minds in Detroit.  This is car country.  Always has been, always will be.    

Joanie Abraham, Digital Account Supervisor

Auto Industry Fuels Detroit Creativity

  You have to be in Detroit to understand it’s virtues as a vibrant, creative environment. The auto industry has produced a long, established sense of power and style on the world stage, from the actual designs of the cars to the creative industries they affect.

If you're in advertising and new media communications, Detroit is a Mecca. As the home of the American automobile industry, Detroit plays a major role in the world of advertising. And it's even more pronounced in the online arena. I am surrounded by the leading edge of new media communications as digital companies have sprouted up to service the massive budgets the auto industry has pumped into the online environment.

The city has an obvious love affair with the automobile. The city understands better than any other advertising capital the nuance of one’s relationship with one’s car and how that should be communicated.

I grew up in Detroit, but spent the last 20 years living in New York before recently moving back. Unlike New York, the Detroit advertising industry lives and breathes that phenomena everyday. And unlike Los Angeles, our city has had this relationship over many generations. The industry has produced a wealth of design talent that is produced and nurtured here. And that talent manifests itself in many different media. The power and innovation indigenous to the automotive capital of the world is not written about very often, but I have adapted very quickly to my new/old environment as a result of the ongoing creative stimulation that resonates in the area.

Car advertising is big business. This is The Motor City. This is Motown. We are the heart and soul of what’s hip at the nation’s collective core. As Detroiters we have to fight with every inch of our being to save the foundation of auto development as it morphs into the shape of cars to come. And we can't let the industry lose that essence of glamor or the power it brings us as Detroiters. When it's at it's best, it truly lives up to a full understanding of The Seduction of Style. It's what gives this city its vibe.

It's good to be back. Joan Abraham, Digital Account Supervisor