Alexander McQueen: Fashion is Just a Medium of Expression

This is a page from Alexander McQueen's book "Savage Beauty" which reads "I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress. When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there's a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off. It's almost like putting armor on a woman. It's a very psychological way of dressing." On another page it reads "For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channeled through me. Fashion is just the medium." And when you visit his website on the homepage it reads "Experience". 

This was a man who truly understood what it meant to be a brand. It's not the clothes themselves that sell, it's the experience.... the psychology behind how the brand makes you feel is what you're paying for, and McQueen was a man who truly understood how to tap into that psychology and deliver on it through visual expression.

Looking for Your Dream Mascara? Me Too

Mascara! I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this but buying mascara is by far the most overwhelming product purchase for me. No purchase should bring such anxiety and confusion but this one does it for me, and thank god I've set $12 as my price cap because the premium department store brands are a whole different beast to battle.

So, how do I go about navigating the homogeneous landscape? Typically it begins with seeing girlfriends with great eyelashes and then asking them what kind of mascara they're wearing. Unfortunately I forget 100% of the time so then I turn to commercials which I’m not afraid to admit influence me, and this is coming from somebody who works in the marketing industry (Note: no other GenXer would ever be so honest). I rarely read fashion magazines or beauty sites; I used to frequent makeupalley.com and only recently have I become interested in Nylon magazine so I feel rather removed from the beauty Influencers. Those TV ads though are what pulls me in... beautiful models with big bold eyelashes that extend beyond their eyebrows. They all look equally amazing regardless of the brand. Long ago the claims began as 2X as thick or 100% longer but now I'm seeing 700% longer... no !@#$ing way that is even possible, yet these brands continue to outdo one another with outrageous claims and eyelashes that all look equally amazing. 

So, what's a girl to do? As I stand there motionless with eyes glazed over just staring blankly for a bit I notice that the friendly CVS staff are keeping a close eye on me thinking I’m looking for a five-finger discount, when in reality I’m looking for commercials deep in my frontal cortex. Drew Barrymore, the talented and cute actress and face of Cover Girl, comes to mind, so does some girl in sexy black clothes on a motorcycle using Maybelline's Falsies. I think to myself "Falsies, that's a cute name, I'll try that today" and maybe next time I’ll go for the one that's on sale and the time after that the one in the new square tube packaging because that one has nice design (they're usually cylindrical tubes). 

I am not brand loyal when it comes to mascara but I'd like to be. Now is the time for mascara brands to step up to the plate and claim their position in the marketplace so that if I can't tell a difference in their product quality, I can look for a difference in their brand personalities and then select my mascara based off the one who taps into my values most. From what I’ve seen, all mascara brands seem to exist as the lover or rebel archetype, but I’m not a lover nor a rebel so how do they plan to relate to me? As many brands across a range of product categories seek authenticity today, I don’t yet see that any mascara brand has tapped into that value yet. The curvy full-sized woman who uses Dove soap... what kind of mascara does she wear? The powerful executive in a pencil skirt who only has time to apply once in the morning... what kind of mascara does she wear? The athletic hiker who’s looking for a man but doesn’t want him to believe she ever wears makeup... what kind of mascara does she wear? I think you get my point by now. Women are complicated and we all have different needs and wants. 

My advice to brands is to learn what your target values most and then deliver a product that taps into that value... all while differentiating yourself from your competition. Only when you tap into my values will I become loyal.

Dexter Holland's Gringo Bandito Hot Sauce Goes Grassroots

I was taking photos on Melrose a couple weeks back and came across this image which peaked my interest so I had to do a bit of googling to get to the bottom of what this was all about. Living amongst a sea of street art I assumed it was just a joke, another person trying to tell their story, but now I believe it’s actually an advertisement. Appearing hand-drawn and then photocopied on a setting just a bit too dark (on purpose of course) it looks like a missing dog poster you might see in your neighborhood – only it’s for hot sauce. Very clever and funny in my opinion. Apparently Dexter Holland from the band The Offspring has created his own hot sauce and now I can’t wait to try it.

Is This a Billboard?

I saw this "billboard" in Hollywood at Highland and Franklin yesterday. It's entirely unbranded. The "love, equality, hope" text leads me to believe that it may be for the church which it's in front of. It made me wonder if I've ever seen anything like this done by a brand before. Would it be useless for a brand to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside if I didn't get to know who the message was coming from?


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Are "Hipsters" Wearing Fanny Packs Now?

According to Billboards “Coachella 2011: 10 Things Seen & Heard Friday” the “Fashion statement of the day? Fanny packs are back! Everyone from the hippest of L.A. hipsters to parents chaperoning little revelers around seemed to have a pouch strapped to their waist. Who knew?”

Being that hipsters do not wear fanny packs this leads me to believe that either the Coachella demographics are changing (perhaps way younger or way older) or the music is changing (maybe becoming more mainstream). This fashion accessory is rather typical of emo/screamo kids who often frequent music festivals like the Warped Tour but not Coachella. So while I believe that fanny packs were most likely in full-effect, I don’t believe they were being worn by Hipsters. Then again, I’m sure that Billboard and I probably have a very different understanding of a Hipster.

Alan Defined by Foursquare

This is Alan.
He enjoys eating at food trucks and drinking beer at novelty breweries. He’s actively involved in his local government and community in Simi Valley. A few years ago Alan had a son, hence why he’s frequenting the parks these days and that may even be why he shops at Vons and Target – economical and convenient; places that those who are married with children tend to tread. With a whopping 100 check-ins at Added Value, I speculate he works there. Other than a handful of missing personal facts (a twin, a sun tattoo, etc.) this is the Alan I know, and this is the Alan Foursquare knows too. Could Foursquare help to shine light on the surface of our life stories? I clearly believe so.

Foursquare User Insights

I've been an active user of foursquare for quite some time now and find it fascinating from both a consumer and researcher point-of-view. Their most recent update provides a very accurate read into who I am and what I enjoy doing in my spare time. As you can see in the images below, I clearly love food, and as the "data" indicates which is true, my favorites include sandwiches and espresso. I've been clothes shopping a lot lately (Urban Outfitters) and recently moved (hence the high number of visits to Home Depot).

For those of us who use Foursquare on a regular basis, I feel this feature can truly shed some light into who we are as people and what motivates us. You'll notice that its tracking my check-ins over time which means that in 5 years from now if I'm married with children (hypothetically!) it may be able to display how my needs change over time; from indulgence to necessity I'm sure, but only Foursquare knows :) I'm excited to watch how this application evolves and when (not if) this information will begin to get utilized... and when it does, how that will impact users. Clearly there will be very crucial privacy elements to address. When our personal lives become shared with the world, will it no longer be fun and engaging? Facebook has proven that to be untrue. I envision this information could be truly beneficial and enlightening for brands and researchers alike. Now, how do I get my hands on your information?











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What’s Your Professional Title?

I recently received an email regarding the speakers for this year’s PSFK Conference being held in NY and thought to myself… “What in the world do these people do for a living!” with titles like this. First a giggle, then a bit of intrigue, and even a little jealousy! Revolutionary, Builder, Pioneer, Visionary, Theorist, Futurist… do you sense a pattern here? And for my favorite - Dream Creator! In the old days your title helped to define your role within your company and/or industry – both your function your level of expertise. This made me think about what my title says to others about me - Associate Project Director. While I couldn’t say I have the slightest clue as to what is so pioneering about Nick the Publisher, I’m also pretty sure you wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to what I do for a living based off my title (if you weren’t in my industry).

So how important are professional titles and what do they say about us? Are we moving away from standard and traditional towards creativite?

A Perspective of Ted 2011: The Rediscover of Wonder

Having spent 3 days gathering inspiration from the 2011 Ted Conference (from the comfort of the Added Value Generator) I found to no surprise that I rarely dosed off! I gathered many bits and bops of insightful and inspiring knowledge that came from musicians, poets, tech geeks, scientists, biomedical engineers, historians, and a slew of other speakers- all visionary storytellers with forward-thinking minds.

So… what does the future hold for us you ask? 360 degree bubble images, body parts made by printers, clothes that look like paper doilies and of course… robots!

Some of my favorite talks were from filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, street artist JR, poet Sarah Kay, and wrongcologist (still no clue what that means) Kathryn Hunter so I encourage you to look them up on Ted.com next time you’re looking for inspiration.

From Morgan Spurlock I learned that there are brand managers in the world that have no clue what their own brand even stands for (cough… Ban deodorant), hence why I have a job, and that brands (and people) should embrace risk and fear, which could lead to opportunity. Sometimes brands (and people) need to cut out the middle man (I hope that's not me) and work directly with the man… and that man is Mr. Spurlock which he discovers in his recent creation and documentary, “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” which is a look into the world of product placement and advertising. I’m truly looking forward to seeing this film!

Salman Kahn is an educator who developed a free online math tutorial that allows users to learn at their own pace. He brought up a very good point that I’ll try to recall when I one day have children which is that... in math the discipline builds, so to move on to the next level you need to know the last level but in the real world school doesn’t wait for you to move on. So for example, you get a 90% on your Chapter 1 math test and then class moves on to Chapter 2 which builds on Chapter 1… it may be that 10% you missed which is crucial to moving you to the next level but for some reason in school you’re allowed to move on without having really learned what you’ve done wrong thus resulting in students continually falling behind… sad but true!

I’m not the sports type (yes, I believe that is a type), the only reason I watch the Super Bowl is for the commercials and company of my friends and family. Ted reminded me why I love the new Chrysler commercial – the one that takes place in Detroit. It’s about being honest, truthful, gritty, and transparent. It’s about being able to relate to people which Chrysler displayed beautifully by connecting with people on a real and personal level, and by telling a compelling story in only 2 minutes. As they said on Ted… “know the world’s motivations” or something like that.

JR is a street artist who takes black and white photographs of people around the world; people who may have normally gone unnoticed. He captures their soul through their facial expressions and reveals them to their communities in unexpected ways. This was my favorite talk of the conference and got me instantly excited about how I can contribute to his global art project (insideoutproject.net).

Roger Ebert, film critic and blogger, spoke about his inability to speak (ironic) and how losing his voice has been a journey that has opened him up to the world of digital communication. A few interesting points that resonated with me… Firstly, that online everybody speaks at the same speed thus we all have a relatively equal opportunity to be heard. Secondly, on the web your voice finds expression and it’s up to the reader to give your voice that expression (to play the director, the producer, the caster, etc.) – hence why I believe we always love the book more than the film.

Kathryn Schulz is the author of “Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error” where she writes about how people feel about being wrong and discusses the error in always thinking we are right. She spoke about how our internal sense of rightness is not reliable because we instinctively always want to be right therefore we should not rely on that instinct. We must remind ourselves that our beliefs do not reflect what the rest of society believes and if you believe you are right then you will not look for the right (or alternative) answer. By always thinking you are right you will also assume others are ignorant for having a different point of view. We must not make these unfortunate assumptions and instead we should try to understand why the opposite could be true. Our attachment to our own rightness is what causes our tragedy - and this is part of being human. The miracle of the human mind is that we can see the world as it isn’t, not as it is. We must remember that our obsession with understanding everything in the world around us is the root of our creativity. So…. rediscover wonder by stepping out of rightness- by being willing to see yourself as wrong.

And now, for some inspiring ideas that amazing Ted speakers said which I paraphrased and can no longer recall the source of. These ideas will live on as inspiration for me both personally and professionally…

• It’s not the thing itself that moves you, it’s the art of it, it’s the telling of the story that moves you
• Collective learning is the ability to communicate information and develop it from one generation to the next and this is why humans continue to exist and become/develop into a smarter species over time- we’re able to pass down or improve on our learnings from one generation to the next
• Search for beauty in traditional things, and then take it to unimaginable places. It’s about how you transform what already exists and rediscover what’s already there
• Tell stories through art, inspire people to think about the stories themselves, help to tell other people’s stories, help to make sense of the world
• Great stories come from what you’re passionate about and where that intersect when other people find it interesting
• Rediscover the child in you, have a child-like sense of wonder, maintain a sense of wonder
• Try to connect with others, have them feel what you feel through what you speak and do
• Practice the act of listening
• Refine stories and ideas enough so you can explain them to your grandma in 5 minutes
• Art is everywhere waiting, it just needs a little push to make it happen
• Work to rediscover something again (that seems the same)

And lastly, some other personal to-dos: visit thegirleffect.com, visit insideoutproject.net, and read The Art of War.

Missed Connections

I was looking through apartments for rent on craigstlist and my curious mind brought me to missed connections which I now love. Some are rather bizarre and some are really cute. It seems as though some people use it to communicate back and forth with each other too.

This was one I really liked...
Ode to McGriddles and a Silver Truck - m4w - 28 (EightySixed)
So there I was, rushing to get ready for work on an empty stomach. I have been craving McDonalds breakfast for weeks and I knew a sausage egg and cheese McGriddle would hit the spot perfectly. Problem was, I had to be at work in 15 minutes and that is exactly how long the drive was. I was bummed out. That is, until you came along. You were a middle aged woman driving a big lifted silver Dodge truck and like myself, You had somewhere to be. You proved to me that I should chase my McGriddle dreams and that anything is possible as you parted traffic with your war machine as Moses did the Red Sea. Traffic lights were a mere suggestion to you as you ran every light that was turning red. Those lights wanted to keep me from my heavenly breakfast. You would not let them. I putted my dirty buick past the watchful traffic cameras behind the shield of disguise provided by your oversized 4X4. We made remarkable time as you cleared a path, throwing blocks for me as a veteran offensive lineman would have done for a running back in the final comeback drive of our most memorable super bowl bouts. You were determined not too be late and that type of contagious thinking was catching onto me as well. It is as if knew where I needed to be as you suddenly slowed just as I reached the McDonalds closest to my work. I had made it. All thanks to you Silver Dodge. Knowing it is only right to bask in this moment of glory, I order not one but two (yes, two) sausage, egg and cheese mcgriddles. One for me. and one to us and our moment of victory. They tasted like true love's first kiss and I owe it all you. You put the fuel in my tank to allow me to have a great day and all I could think about was spreading word of my adventure to all my fellow misfits and outcasts at EightySixed.com. They should be eager to salute you for your act of kindness onto one of thier own. Thank you!

forever in your debt,
Dirty Buick