Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Age of Turbulence: How 1928 Is Using Social Media to Weather the Economic Storm

December 31st, 2008 by AV Flox in social media


still from a promo short for 1928, used with permission.

The web is a wonderful tool and I’m always on the look-out for how people and companies are using it to achieve their goals, whether these are to meet new people or build brand loyalty.

After watching 1928 Jewelry Company’s surreal promo shorts on YouTube, I shot a direct message to Macala Wright, their director of marketing and public relations, and demanded that she fill me in on the jewelry company’s vision for integrating new media in their marketing efforts.

What’s 1928 Jewelry and where did the concept come from?

1928 Jewelry was founded in 1968 by Mel Bernie. Mel loved high-end, expensive costume and couture jewelry, made from solid gold and sterling silver, using semi-precious and precious gemstones, which made the pieces extremely expensive.

One day, Mel was in downtown L.A. and found a place that did gold plating and created faux pieces. He wondered if there would be any interest the the jewelry from department stores, so set up few appointments to showcase the pieces he had selected, all vintage and art deco style jewelry, recreated to match the couture pieces in everything but the price. In one week, he’d sold $30,000 worth. 1928 was born.

How is 1928 using the internet to drive and promote their brand?

The internet is largely new territory for us. We’ve spent the last three months developing a holistic approach to online marketing that incorporates social media marketing, PPC and search engine optimization. We’ve approached it very strategically and gone slowly because we don’t want to do what a lot of brands out there do right now, which is just create noise.

We embrace the idea of engaging our customer, but we also want to take it a step further, we want to engage them, to show them why we should have the privilege to be a part of their lives. We take that privilege seriously so anything we do has to be relevant to that goal. Every woman has a story to tell, and we want to help her tell it.

Do you have a clear-cut plan for harnessing the power of web 2.0 in selling your brand?

Web 2.0 tools are the primary focus we are using for building brand awareness. Most women over the age of 30 have heard of 1928 Jewelry. Now we’re targeting a younger market and showing a woman under 30 that we are for her too. We are where she lives–the videos and photo shoot reflect that. Modern and urban, while being timeless and beautiful. We have an online series planned for 2009 that will really help us drive this home.

So the plan is ever evolving. We have a framework for what we want to accomplish with web 2.0 marketing tools, but we’ve left a lot of fluidity and flexibility in that plan when it comes to social media, video and online promotions. If something screams, “You have to do this! And do it now!” because it’s leading to positive results, then we are able to adapt the strategy quickly.

You never know who you’re gonna meet on the web. Twitter has been a driving factor in connecting with stylists that landed us several opportunities to have a large number of pieces in independent and mainstream film. We designed Hermione’s earrings in Harry Potter. The videos have given 1928 online credibility and have started giving us an easier lead in to great partnerships for 2009 and 2010.

Do you think Twitter is the right place for brands?

Absolutely. Brands with something meaningful to say and offer belong on Twitter. I tweet as @Macala and Jen Bernstein is @1928jewelry on Twitter, but the account has her information and she writes it from her perspective. We represent ourselves, not just the company as a blind name. We interact as ourselves, and I think that’s key. Just like Tony Hsieh (@Zappos) does. It’s him, not just a blind thing.

Do you see a revival in women’s fashion toward the more iconic classic look?

Vintage is quite an interesting term, because it means something different to each person. Vintage could be straight Hollywood glamour–sleek glass accents, black, white, silver–highly refined and glamorous, or it can be Breakfast at Tiffany’s, glamorous but more soft and approachable, casual. It can even be the conservative, yet sexy and provocative style of the 1960s that provided simple, everyday elegance. Vintage is on a huge upswing right now because of the economy. Every magazine talks about thrifty finds, dressing on a budget and creating a multi-purpose wardrobes. Women–including your most favorite celebs–are starting to brag about the bargain bin finds at Marshall’s, shopping in consignment stores and antique flea market finds. It’s hip to frugal now, we even have terms for it: Bargainista and Frugalista.

But I don’t think that vintage inspiration has ever left fashion–if you look through five years of Vanity Fair or Vogue, you find vintage-inspired styles on every page. Necklaces, colors, dress cuts, the lines of skirts, they all pay homage to something that was a trend in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50, 60s. It’s beautiful. Strong vintage inspiration is what distinguishes a classic woman from a trendy girl.

Where is the jewelry made? If outsourced, do you have control over your chain to ensure it’s all fair labor?

1928 is made in the US, our main facility is in Burbank, California. We have strict policies on the chain to ensure ethical and fair treatment of our labors.

Where can we get it?

All 1928 Jewelry collections, including Vintage Bridal, can be bought online at 1928.com. The more modern line of 2028 is available at Macy’s or online.

pass it on!
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [kirtsy] [Ma.gnolia] [Mixx] [Propeller] [Reddit] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Technorati] [Email] More »

Tags: , , , , , , ,
2 Comments Comments



Twittah, Plz: The Power of the Twitter Community

November 11th, 2008 by AV Flox in Twitter

I have a pretty strict policy when it comes to followers on Twitter. I’d much rather have a low follower count than let spammers perpetuate their practices. If they have no content but a bunch of tweets with the same link, I unhesitatingly block them.

The magical thing about Twitter is that if enough users block an account or notify Twitter that they’re being spammed, the account in question gets suspended.

A lot of times, though, what appears to be a spammer is a well-intentioned user who is so new, that he or she doesn’t understand how the community works and whose only crime is the desire to have their site visited.

This was the case with @lollydaskal. I saw her multiple tweets with the same link in her stream and was about to hit block when I saw her newest one: “new at twitter ….not sure i am doing it right.” I shot her a direct message. “Send me your e-mail address and I’ll help you.”

She did. In the next few minutes, I threw together as many resources and thoughts about how to get a business started on Twitter (her objective) as I could think of and shot her an e-mail.

One of the most important things about using Twitter for business is learning to step out of the old marketing model where you just throw out information about your product into the masses. In today’s world of social media, the relationship between a company and consumers is no longer a one-stop information destination. Web 2.0 is all about the conversation and building a community.

I linked some classics: Chris Brogan’s Twitter for Business, Ogilvy’s Best Practices and Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek’s Twitter Handbook.

Since she reached out to the community for suggestions on improving her approach on Halloween, @lollydaskal’s gathered a following of 232 people and I am glad to count myself among them.


TWITTER FOR DUMMIES

I remember thinking at the time how wonderful it would be to have all the how-tos in a single place, a catch-basin of quick, easy-to-digest information about how to make the best of Twitter, whether you’re a business or a casual user.

So today, when Laura Fitton, head of Pistachio Consulting, announced she’d signed a contract to write Twitter for Dummies, I was thrilled. Like everything related to the micro-blogging platform, this is a community project. Fitton’s already invited her 8,494 followers to contribute their ideas.

Equally exciting is the recent launch of Twitip by Darren Rowse, of ProBlogger fame.

“TwiTip is about capturing some of the lessons that I’ve been learning about Twitter and how to use it more effectively,” Rowse writes in the blog’s about page. “It will cover Twitter Tips of all varieties including Writing for Twitter, Branding, Growing a Following, Corporate Tweeting and a lot more.”

These two are invaluable resources for the beginner—maybe even the seasoned user.

For example, one of the newer posts on Twitip, by Hugh Briss of Twitter Image, goes into detail about the importance of a Twitter background in establishing brand identity (some great examples of this are available at Mike Smith’s blog—with my friend Atherton Bartelby among them!).

It’s true that space we’re given for bios on Twitter is limited—only 160 characters!—and it’s been the practice for some time now for users to put much of their bios and contact details right on their pages by incorporating them into their background images. While many great people I follow do this, it’s not until now, reading Briss’s post on the topic, that I’ve begun to give it more serious consideration.

But it’s not all brand and business. And another recent post on Twitip touches on how to avoid making your followers feel like they’re overhearing one side of a conversation–I’m quite guilty of it and while for me Twitter is all self-expression, I don’t want to leave anyone out if I can include them in the fun.


TWITTAH PLZ: UR DOIN IT RONG

As more companies jump on the Twitter wagon, the wave of resistance from casual users grows. Not everyone is happy to see all work and no play in their Twitter streams. Just today, blogger Jay Hathaway posted about his displeasure about the wave of business users that Twitter for Dummies would bring about:

Predictably, the book on Twitter isn’t being written by someone funny or entertaining. It’s being written by someone who posts 100 times on a slow day, and talks about things like conversations and communities and branding and … I don’t know, money? This doesn’t seem sustainable to me. Marketers can market to marketers and make friends with marketers and talk about marketing all day, and it’s not particularly interesting to regular people.

So don’t read it, right? I don’t. But a whole lot of other people do, because they’re climbing on top of each other to associate themselves with the people who have the most marketers reading them, so that they can market themselves to still more marketers, and become what I can only guess is called Market King of the Market.

That’s the audience for this book. I’m sure a lot of people will buy it, and it will make some money for the publisher. Good for them! Also, possibly good for the future of Twitter as a business, so that it can continue to exist as a place where I’m allowed to have chuckles and make friends. Fair enough. It’s just sad that a lot more people will be on Twitter, working. No time for dick jokes, ladies, I can’t rest now that I’m in The Market. Got to rack up some more followers, and some of them might even have Secrets of Success!

He’s not alone in that, either. There seems to be a bit of tension between people who use Twitter to further themselves in their industry and those who use Twitter for fun. I have been told a few times by people that they like my blog and wish my tweets were a little more industry-focused: the amount of oversharing and, yes, dick jokes, just isn’t conducive to achieving their goals on Twitter.

I’m not offended–Twitter is all about pulling people around you whose ideas are useful or amusing. Tastes vary and I come with a disclaimer. Just as some choose to further their business on Twitter, some of us choose to have fun and be ourselves in explosions of 140 characters. I do have another account on Twitter (@omgomgomfg), which I, admittedly, greedily grabbed to protect my brand, and which I intend to develop as a catch-basin for more of the web stuff that interests me and many of the readers of this blog. Now and always, my Twitter stream at @avflox is where I let it all hang out.


THE RHYTHM, THE RHYME, THE CULTURE, THE TIME

Regardless of whether Twitter is play or work, it’s never too late to analyze what you’re doing and whether it fits into your goals for social networking. Could you put this magical tool to even better use?

There is always room for improvement, whether you’re looking to get your product out there or pick up a date. And with this in mind, it’s not hard to see how Twitip and even the more rudimentary Twitter for Dummies are going to be valuable resources for many.

The best part is that we can build this together. No matter what our focus, we are the Twitter culture. There is value in what we know and think and this platform allows for us to share it, to reach out to people we may never otherwise have met and connect in a mutually-beneficial way.

So here’s to growth—in terms of reach, yes, but most importantly, in terms of community.

This article was redrafted at 8:15PM MST to include Hathaway’s thoughts on Twitter for Dummies and my personal thoughts on play vs. work. Million thanks to Atherton Bartelby for pointing out the importance of its inclusion in this discussion.

pass it on!
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [kirtsy] [Ma.gnolia] [Mixx] [Propeller] [Reddit] [Slashdot] [StumbleUpon] [Technorati] [Email] More »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Comments Comments