Hi5 to Wigley sugar-free gum!

Ok, for the first time in my life I was able to try Wigley sugar-free gum called “5.” The gum was first introduced in the U.S in March 2007- and has been the target for teens and young adults. It made me think of our RCS 362 class because the packaging is very cool!
I confess, it was the awesome packaging that made me buy the gum. 5 comes in three different flavors, spearmint “Rain”, peppermint “Cobalt”, and cinnamon “Flare” and each box contains 15 pieces of gum.

Now, I know people say, “It’s not the outside that matters, it’s the inside that counts!” But for this gum the package is very slick and chic. I highly suggest the gum 5 to everyone!!!! The outside of the box has a slick black cover (that is shaped like a cigarette box), and a little smaller than a deck of cards. The inside packaging is very special as well. And it feels like opening a surprise. I felt like every piece was every special and exquisite because the wrapping had a unique golden ton, with the number 5 engraved on each individual piece. Each piece of gum is indulging. And is sugar-free. (that’s a plus!)

So if you want to look hot in a night out in the town- go buy some 5 Wigley sugar free gum. The Flavor Last SOOO long!!! It looks like something that can only be sold in upscale places. (In fact, after reading about the brand online, I discovered that the candy was first sold in a few boutiques in LA, Miami, and New York before being introduced to the main market.)
The marketing strategies for 5 have been very well planed- and I strongly believe the brand will go a very long way!!!! So, go buy some sugar-free gum 5- and post what you think about the gum. Its only $1.94 per pack!!!
Elizabeth

Roberto Cavalli at H&M

Roberto Cavalli has joined the list of top designers who have created a new more affordable line for everyday consumers. Cavalli’s new collection, which is now available at H&M, comes just months after Vera Wang introduced Simply Vera Vera Wang at Kohl’s. Cavalli is joining other well known members of the fashion industry who have collaborated with H&M, including Madonna and Viktor & Rolf.

His collection includes many animal printed pieces and black & white classics. His new line can only be found at 200 select H&Ms around the world. Don’t worry, you can check out the collection at HM.com!

The future of Cavalli’s collection is looking good! Especially since most pieces sold out in almost an hour at the New York releasing of the collection which Cavalli attended personally.

http://blog.hm.com/
www.hm.com

~Dana

News on the Web

I usually get the news from AOL or Yahoo News while I’m on the internet throughout the day and if I have time, I like to watch the Today Show in the morning while I’m getting ready and doing stuff around my room. This week our Professor asked us to check out NewYorkTimes.com and BBC.com.

On NewYorkTimes.com I really enjoyed the Style, Arts and Travel sections. I never realized that the New York Times would have so many articles I would be interested. The Travel section was especially great. Not only do they have travel articles but there is also a section for you to “Book Your Trip.” With the help of Expedia.com you can search for flights, hotels, cruises and cars right on the New York Times website. You can also search for articles for where you are headed. It has recommendations for places to stay, eat, what to do, and even the best time to go based on readers recommendations. This section has a lot of valuable information for when you are planning your next trip.

BBC.com was much different from the other news sights I have been on. This news sight is focused more on the world. You have two options, either the International Version or the UK Version. People from all over the world can find news on BBC.com. There are 33 different languages that you can read in. There’s even a section to help people learn English. I would definitely recommend everyone check out these news sights if you haven’t before.

~Dana

BBC and New York Times online!!!!!!!!!

After exploring BBC and The New York Times on the internet, I realized that there are a lot more things going on in the world than I ever imagined. Usually, I only have time to watch the news on television in the mornings. However, the internet is a very quick and efficient way to get information. Overall I really enjoy The New York Times because I love reading the Fashion and Style columns. The New York Times seems to cover larger portion of topics such as Art, Style, Sports, and Travel that really interest me.
On BBC.com, it seemed to divide everything up into regions such as Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe, South Asia, UK, etc. But in the New York Times, they only had World, and more varieties other than just Health, Technology, and Nature.
BBC I thought today was very interesting. One topic that really caught my eye was, “Girl Separation Surgery a Success.” This truly was interesting. The article talked about a two year old girl who was born with four legs and four arms. Her parents did not know what to do, until some doctors decided to help them out. The girl was sent to the hospital to have a special operation to remove the extra pelvic, extra arms and legs. On BBC, under the Health section, there was a video of the girl and some of the doctors prior to her operation. This definitely made the reading very enjoyable and entertaining. BBC and New York Times both have videos, and I believe that this is awesome advantage, because it gives the reader a better idea what is going on, and it makes the articles more believable. I love the videos!!!

Elizabeth

Money Worth Spending

I enjoyed our class discussion last Tuesday about whether several commercials were effective and if it was money well spent. I thought the Macy's and Cheerios commercials were very effective. I liked the Macy's commercial the first time I saw it on TV. In the commercial it shows all stars who have lines at Macy's and it shows them getting ready for the store to open. The audience can relate to them because they can see how important their lines are to them and how much work they have put into them. At the end of the commercial it ties the stars and Macy's together: "only one star can bring all these stars together." It's so simple yet very powerful. This commercial is definitely money well spent. It was distinctive, informative, persuasive, and had good recall.

We also watched a Cheerios commercial about adoption. This was a great commercial. It definitely stands out when compared to it's competitors. Most cereal commercials target children, this commercial is targeted to parents. This commercial connects with the audience and pulls on their emotions. The commercial is silent but that helps make the message even stronger. Cheerios brought the parents and their newly adopted children together, made them smile, and helped them to begin building a relationship together. The ad is persuasive and has good recall. It was also definitely money well spent!
A commercial that was not as effective was the H&M Madonna commercial. Even though I am studying retail I found this commercial to be confusing. It was distinctive and had good recall but not persuasive. The commercial jumped around to much and left you confused.

~Dana

More Vera!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that in the "Woman Wear Daily Magazine", they mentioned Vera Wang signing a lease for a bridal boutique in L.A. The location for the bridal boutique is 8447 Melrose Avenue. It also states, "The 3,600-square-foot store, Wang's first freestanding unit outside of New York, is expected to open in fall 2008."
She is expecting to carry her own bridal line there. And I think this is very exciting because she will also have tabletop items, shoes, and fragrances. She definitely is putting her name out there because it also mentioned Vera Wang is expecting to open her very first ready-to wear store on Mercer Street, New York’s SoHo.
-Elizabeth

Staying Connected From Anywhere in the World!

In class we have discussed how different brands differentiate themselves. This is a very important step in the brand’s marketing strategy. There are many different types of applications that allow you to talk to your friends over the Internet. The two I would consider to be most popular are AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and MSN Messenger. Recently I have been introduced to another application, Skype. Its main purpose is to allow people to stay connected with anyone in the world. I found out about Skype because my friend is studying abroad in Scotland and next semester I will hopefully be in Europe studying abroad as well. With a Skype account you can call people computer to computer for free. They also have really cheap rates available so that you can call landlines. It was great to be able to talk to my friend who’s in Scotland and to actually be able to hear her voice. I know she uses it to talk to her family and next semester I plan to use it as the main way of talking to my family.
On top of being able to make phone calls you, you can use have a video connections as well. As long as you have a web camera. They also have a chat feature that is very similar to that of AIM. I have been using AIM since middle school to talk to friends online. I love it and use it all the time. I’m still becoming familiar with the different things that Skype offers since I have only had it for about a week. One of the features that I like better on Skype then on AIM is the Emotions (on AIM they are smiley faces). AIM has many different options for you to choose from for your smiley, but the Skype expressions are animated and there are more than just smiley faces to choose from. You could say something like “don’t rain on my party” just by using the Skype Emotions. It makes the conversations much more fun. It's perfect for talking to people around the world. It is also a great way to talk to friends that are at different schools or to talk to family members who live farther away. I think Skype is a great application for keeping in touch with family and friends no matter where they live.
~Dana

Yahoo Avatar is ADDICTING!

In our RCS 362 class, our professor asked us to write about the current Yahoo Avatars. She said, “If you already have a yahoo account- You should most likely have an Avatar.” However, I was very surprised when she said this, because although I do have a Yahoo account, I never hear of Yahoo Avatar until now. I decided to check it out on Yahoo, and became addicted to all different ways I could make my Avatar look.I really wish I knew about the whole thing before, because I think it is awesome, and can be used to describe how a person is feeling, or their type of style. My favorite thing to do was looking at all the different kinds of clothes and hair options.

I really liked how I was able to save an Avatar so I would be able to use it later. However I felt that choosing a background, clothing and accessories was a little bit inconvenient. I think that Yahoo should set up the Avatar with the different kinds of backgrounds or clothing with certain categories inside each one. An example of this would be beach theme, or fall, summer, rain, or winter. (this could be used under the clothing or background options.) As a Consumer, Apparel and Retail studies major, I feel this would be able to help whoever is creating their Avatar, without going thought all the stress of trying to remember what number a certain picture was on. Also I feel that there should be a link which connects the Avatar on the home page of Yahoo.

Also, I understand that the Yahoo Avatar can be used in Yahoo Answer, Messenger, Yahoo 360, and even shows up on the Yahoo e-mail profile when you log in. However I was very disappointed that I could not use my Avatar when I wanted to send an e-mail to someone with my Avatar attached. I think it would be a great way for people to use the Avatar in Yahoo e-mail (if they wanted) because it would be a great way of advertising the Avatar, and showing a person how they feel. (ex: If I get an e-mail saying from a friend that said they could not meet me in the library to study because they are sick, it would be really cute if I could see their Avatar of themselves wearing a rob and holding a boxes of tissues in their hands.)

Also, I understand that the Yahoo Avatar is used for Yahoo Instant Messenger. However, I don’t think a lot of college kids use Yahoo Instant Messenger- because the competition is AOL Instant Messenger. That is why I think using the Yahoo Avatars in e-mail may be more effective, because people will want to check it out and see what it is about. It is something that is quite fun and I see that could be very addicting. It definitely could be very effective, and I feel if more people were able to know what the Yahoo Avatar was, then they would want to check out the Yahoo 360. The Yahoo 360 looks really neat, and it really does remind me of MySpace. As a Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies student I would also like to suggest that Yahoo 360 profiles should be advertised through e-mail on the yahoo accounts. If yahoo is willing to put security on the 360 profiles, I feel that more and more people will be willing to join. (I’m not quite sure about the 360 profile because I don’t have one yet; however, I would like to know more information) What kinds of people are on there? Is it secure? Would anyone be able to create a Yahoo 360 profile?

Facebook has been the main craze throughout several different Colleges and Universities. One reason for this is because I feel that people feel like it is secure, because is started out being just for college students, and has later developed into a network for all kinds of people. I think several people wish that Facebook still stayed the same and it could only be used for college students and above. Now, even little 12 year old girls have facebook, and I feel that a lot of people might wish it was just for the “older croud.” I think Yahoo Avatar would be more effective if it was lean towards our (college students and above) generations instead of just anyone, because that would make it very special, and not some people say “Oh- yeah that Avatar is just like for anyone.”

Elizabeth

Yahoo Avatars

The Yahoo Avatars give more personality to your messenger etcetera. Something Yahoo could add that would appeal to not only college students but college football and basketball fans would be backgrounds/wallpapers or mascots supporting your favorite team or school you’re attending. Also, it would be helpful if they added subcategories to the background tab. There are so many options it takes a while to look through all of them. The other tabs have subcategories and it's much easier to find what you're looking for. Some subcategories could be: the mall, Europe, Asia, beaches, sports, seasons/weather, school, around the house, and random.
It’s cool that you can change the Avatars’ expressions and outfits to fit your current mood. Also, you can change outfits to go along with the changing seasons, even to show what you are doing on vacation or a weekend, and also to show what hobbies you have. They have a feature where you can change your hair, skin color, and facial expressions to match your own. I thought Yahoo could have a little more variety with the hairstyles. I just finished creating my Yahoo Avatar and had to go with a ponytail because I couldn't find one that matched my hair.
Another suggestion is to make it so that you can move your Avatar. With this feature you could do things like wave to your friends, etcetera.
Overall, I think Yahoo Avatar is a neat feature that AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) doesn’t have. Yahoo has a lot of options to make your Avatar more personal. That's very important to have when offering something like Avatars.
~Dana

Vera Wang on Oprah

I know Elizabeth has already talked about it but I just wanted to say a little about what I though about Vera Wang’s Oprah appearance and my changed opinion on the success of Simply Vera, Vera Wang.
As you would expect, I believe Vera Wang has put a lot of time and effort into her new line. She really wanted to make something that everyone could enjoy. Both Vera and Kohl’s have put a lot of time into publicity for the line and making sure that the target market has heard about it. Over the last few weeks, I have seen numerous TV commercials and magazine articles. They even sent flyers in the mail.
My mom, who part of the target market, is very excited about Vera’s new line. She thinks everything is so cute. She likes the kitchen appliances that they sell at Kohl’s and also that you can buy name brands such as Nike and New Balance. She doesn’t usually buy clothes for herself there but likes to buy shirts for my grandparents.
Oprah, like my mom, loved the line. She kept repeating that she could not believe how great the prices are and that the line is sold exclusively at Kohl’s. Although Oprah has the money to buy expensive designer clothes that most of us can not afford, and has worn Vera Wang dresses before, she sounded as if she was going to go and buy something from the Simply Vera line.
On the show, I enjoyed seeing them put the same outfit on two people who had different taste because of the large difference in age. It was interesting to see how little things like a belt made the outfit look much younger.
After many discussions in class, I felt that the line would have done much better at Macy’s or Belk’s, but after talking to my mom about it and watching Vera Wang on Oprah, I think the line has a good chance at being successful. The target market is defiantly interested, but only time will tell if they actually go out and buy Simply Vera.
Dana

Clothes for All Women! (Vera Wang)

Last Friday, (9-14-07) Vera Wang was on the Oprah show, and Dana was able to tape the show for us to watch together. I was very excited to see what kind of things Vera Wang wanted to put out on the market, and also how she felt about the line.

Vera Wang seemed very enthusiastic, and had a great deal energy about the clothes she created to be selled at Kohl’s. I was very impressed with her quick “Runway" show on Oprah because the audience was able to hear all the details and her input on the different kinds of outfits

At first she just showed the models wearing the clothes. Then she was able to take a couple of people from the audience and dress them up with her new line.

In class, I remember a couple of people saying that when they visited Vera Wang at Kohl’s they felt that the clothing were more on the business side. But on the Oprah show, Vera Wang was able to take several mothers and their daughters and put them into the same outfit. This was very helpful to the audience (and especially for me) because it was able to show the different kinds of ways a younger or older person would be able to wear the clothes and look very stylish, yet comfortable. Vera Wang was also able to add different types of accessories such as boots, big pieces of jewelry, leggings (for under the skirts or dresses), bags, and etc.

Vera Wang also displayed her bedding and sheet with pajamas for all types of woman. The bedding had a very masculine look, while the pajamas were able to bring out feminine features.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the Oprah show was that they showed Vera Wang’s closet. One thing I remember is that Vera Wang loves wearing oversize jackets. She showed some of her very own collection and some of her big pieces of jewelry with her large collection of black leggings/ tights.

The Oprah show really makes me want to go to Kohl's and experience the new line. I'm very excited to see for myself what it looks like in person, and will hopefully have the time to go by there soon!!! The way that Vera Wang was able to put the clothes onto all different types of woman really changed the look of everything! I will blog some more on this topic when I have the chance to visit!

Elizabeth :)

Trashy or Trendy?

In regards to our RCS 362 class, there has been much debate and talk over what the American culture will become in the year 2050. The idea may seem a little too early for many, however after reading the article “Unbearably trampy back-to school clothes,” by Emily Yoff, it really had me wonder what the world will be like in the future.
Also, more than half the television commercials (98%) are being advertized towards young children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old. I agree with the article “Unbearably trampy back-to school clothes” in that I have seen many preteen girls wearing clothes which show more skin than Britney Spears. I think it is terrible that these young girls are being persuaded by the media to dress inappropriate for their age. Just watch television or look at “Seventeen” magazine and you will see teen idols with revealing skimpy clothing posing in sexy positions. More and more clothing lines are jumping on the band wagon to make these provocative clothes and flood them in department store shelves. The Limited Too even makes padded bras for six year olds, and Playboy bunny symbols are showing up on girls clothes.
It seems the older I get, these clothes appear on younger and younger girls. What is going to happen in 20 years from now? Are 12 year old girls going to be walking around topless and 5 year olds wearing thongs? I believe some clothing designers can make clothes that are still “cool” but more modest. Girls should feel like they can be themselves and have a choice of what clothes they want to wear to portray themselves. Girls should be girls, and feel like they should not advertize themselves for sex. I believe that if the media begins to show respect for the young girls and tell them you can be beautiful with just the way you are, then I feel more and more young girls will be happy and have a better experience shopping. This will enable them to spend more money and even their parents will be willing to purchase more clothing.

Elizabeth

Vera Wang on Oprah

Hey Everyone,

We've been talking a lot about Vera Wang and her new line at Kohl's in our RCS 362 class. I just wanted to let all of you know that she will be on Oprah this Friday (9-14-07). The show is called "High Style on a Budget with Superstar Designer Vera Wang."

Dana

Apple continues to amaze

We have discussed in class how innovative Apple is. Not only did they just come out with the iPhone which has impressed the world, they just announced a new iPod. It’s called iTouch and has many of the features the iPhone has with out the cell phone service. Apple even has a special deal with Starbucks so that you can get on iTunes and purchase songs right there in the store.

They strategically always announce their new products and updated versions just around the corner from when the Christmas shopping season officially begins. This new 3.5 widescreen iPod will be available September 29.

For those consumers who are in the market for something smaller and cheaper, Apple has a new version of the nano. The new nano is now video compatible and a new shape.

As Apple continues to impress the world with their innovativeness, they also continue to blow away their competition. Competitors can hardly keep up with the updates Apple makes on their iPods. It seems like every year they redesign the iPods with better and more exciting features or come out with new products. As soon as you purchase one it seems they are coming out with something better. I’m sure that on September 29 there will be very LONG lines at all the Apple stores with costumers anxious to get their hands on the latest thing in our technology driven world.

To read more about the new iTouch check out this article by USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-09-05-iphone-price-cut_N.htm.

To find out more about the iTouch and other Apple products check out there website: www.Apple.com.

Dana

High End Fashion-Vera Wang!

In our RCS 362 class we have been talking about Vera Wang and how she is trying to expand into a more global market. On Tuesday, we listened to a radio talk show, called High-End Fashion Names at a Low-End Price. On the talk show, they talked about Vera Wang coming to Kohl’s and why. Before I listened to the show I felt that Vera Wang would not be as successful as she thought. I think that Kohl’s is a place were people shop to find inexpensive clothing. Being said, a lot of people may not even know who Vera Wang is- or would even care. After class, I remember going up to a friend and asking if they heard that Vera Wang was going to Kohl’s. They said, “Are you serious, Vera Wang? At Kohl’s?” I remember the person telling me that they were not going to buy Vera Wang anymore, because they were afraid that people were going to associate that with lower end items.

But now, after thinking about it, I feel it might be a great way for people to get a really high end brand without spending over $100.

Gap Advertisments

Gap always seems to catch the consumers' eye through their variety of television commercials. Their advertisements have been very effective through using celebrity appeal, dancing, having music to sing along to and by targeting a large number of people.

From the slim fit jeans to the boyfriend trouser pants, Gap has hired celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Clair Danes and Patrick Wilson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Lenny Kravitz, and Madonna.

Although the commercials have different tag lines such as: “How Do You Wear It?,” “Khaki Swing,” and “Back to School ’07,” they all carry the same message that the clothes are COMFORTABLE! They all express this message through dancing, singing, music, and moving around though out each commercial. For example in the “Boyfriend Trouser” commercial the boyfriend has the pants on, but the woman thinks that she can wear them better than him. He looks very comfortable in them, but when she tries on the pants they fit her comfortably too. In the background they have the catchy song “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.”

One of our favorite Gap ads is “The West Side Story (Mambo).” We believe that even though this is a few years old, they could bring it back with popularity because of the new musical craze. Hairspray, High School Musical, and even the dance reality TV shows are just a couple of examples of this popularity. It still carries the central message of comfort!

We feel that all of these marketing campaigns are very effective for promoting Gap. If they continue to follow this strategy we feel that they will be able to continue to be successful, and have a high demand for the products.