Oh My GASP!

Considering the amount of publicity this scandal has generated, I'm sure you're all too familiar with the facts of the situation (I won't bother going into detail).

What I do find quite amazing is how this 'Customer-Staff Incident' has managed to change the way store managers and retail assistants are now approaching customer service - all because of the impact of the Internet.
The Victim in this case claims she was pressured and abused by the Retail Manager for being a Size 12, insinuating she wasn't "good enough" for the GASP Brand. The reply she received was forwarded to some of her friends, who sent it to some of their friends and so on.... this describes the 'viral' nature of the Internet. Within days, the scandal was the topic of discussion on every medium - Facebook, Twitter, Newspapers, Radio, Television. I even stumbled across an article written about it in the IB Times, a New York Paper and on Perez Hilton, a Los Angeles based Celebrity Gossip Blogger.

It just goes to show that the use of the Internet can assist in building a brand and can bring it down just as quickly. Most people use the expression "All Press is Good Press", in this case I must disagree.
In addition, many retailers have commented on the situation saying they will be "going the extra mile" in terms of customer service and possibly "alter their selling strategy". Businesses must ensure that they do not face an e-nightmare (such as this), especially now that we see the impact the internet has on businesses of all sorts that operate in any category.

I struggled to think of another situation like this - in my opinion I hope this will teach retails a lesson but I ask you, do you think this GASP Scandal has set the precedent for the retail industry or do you think the impact has already blown over?

Is the Entire Fashion Industry Heading Online?

This week I found it somewhat difficult to think of a topic, having to look hard and wide for something that grabbed my attention. Then I thought of one industry that I am particularly passionate about (as I'm sure are most young women), The Fashion Industry.

The most I read the more I find it astonishing as to how fast this industry is adopting the 'e'era. It started with e-commerce sites, then fashion blogs, then live streaming runway shows (Burberry leading the way). Big name luxury brand are using their power and stature to reach current consumers and wannabe consumers (or aspirational customers) in an interactive way.

As of 2009 a new ranking has been released. Coined the 'Digital IQ Index of Luxury Brands', giving an indication of which companies are paving the way in the fashion world. Louis Vuitton was leading the way closely followed by Gucci, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana to name a few. The report states that these are the companies embracing the digital advancements whilst the others are "lagging...sitting on their hands hoping this whole internet things goes away". A major flaw if I may say so myself. We now know that this revolution is not going anywhere.

Facebook is certainly an essential part of a genius digital media strategy. According to the survey, 90 percent of luxury brands in the survey are present on Facebook, up from 79 percent in 2009. They now understand that a Facebook presence isn't enough to maintain a strong hold. They have branched out into interactive runway shows which allow consumers to place orders for products just as they step out onto the runway such as Emilio Pucci did last season. Interactive product and sales meetings are being uploaded online - videos showing behind the scenes footage of the pressure, stress and decisions that go into building a collection and even an interactive conversation with a brand representative about the collection discussing the shapes, cut, aesthetic, themes etc. I guess they have understood that consumers are no longer interested in waiting - it is all about Now, Now, Now and it up to these influentials brands to meet the demands.

Personally, I find these changes almost unfathomable (especially because I am the Now, Now, Now Customer), but I wonder where can the fashion industry go from here? Can it go up or is the down the only way to go?

Digital TV - the Way of the Future?

When researching my topic for this week I came across one that I wasn't too familiar with - Digital TV. Although I do enjoy the occasional re-run of The Hills or Two and A Half Men on GO!, it never occurred to me that this was the Digital TV that I was reading so much about!

It seems that in the last 24 months Digital TV has seen a significant increase with a number of big players making the bold move to extend their portfolio. Ten has launched it's 24 hour Sports Channel 'One', SBS has 'SBS2', Channel 9 with 'Gem' and then there is 'Go!'.
However, with this move into digital it is also expected that the "global spending on entertainment and media will increase from last year's US$1.4tn to US$1.9tn in 2015 - with Digital TV driving the increase", clearly indicating that this is way of the future!

To me, these Digital TV are being used a cash cow, something which requires very little money to be pumped into it to ensure it continues, yet allows the company to reap the rewards of a large profit.

Recent figures have shown "an average of 82% of households in Australia have made the move to digital TV". As a result of this growing demand, electronic companies are deciding to get in on the act - Samsung has recently launched the 'Smart TV' allowing people to browse the internet, watch numerous digital channels simultaneously and many other things.

Your thoughts are needed - What do you think is the best way for marketers to use this new wave of 'Digital TV'?

First it was Counterfeit Handbags... Now it's Counterfeit Stores?

Recently, statistics have been released surrounding counterfeit handbags or 'knock-offs'. The counterfeit market now makes up 5-7% of world trade and it is believed that up to $250 billion of international trade could have been for counterfeit and pirated goods in 2007.

The counterfeit market has extended significantly... what once started out as fake handbags, has now extended to include apparel (i.e. designer jeans, oscar dresses), media products (i.e dvds, cds, computer software), medication (namely antibiotics sold in Asian and African countries) - with almost 20% of Europeans obtaining medication through illicit channels, food fraud including extra virgin olive oil.

But how far can the counterfeit market go?

This week it has been reported that entire stores are now being 'knocked off'! Bloggers have been going crazy over three fake Apple stores that have popped up in Kumning, China. The interior is designed exactly to mimic the interior of an Apple store - clear wood interior, Apple branded posters on the wall, employees wearing the blue polo shirts (probably fake too) with chunky name tags hanging around their necks. However, as one customer recalls "Apple never writes 'Apple Store' on it's signs – it just puts up the glowing, iconic fruit". She believes the employees truly believed they were working at an Apple store - that's as far as they are going now!

I now want to hear what you have to say - what is the craziest counterfeit good you have seen and how far do you think this market can extend?

YouTube Success....A Newfound Career?

Most of us can say we love YouTube. Some could spend hours searching for hilarious random videos, watching music videos or even old episodes of TV shows! All these uploaded videos, episodes and movies have the ability to draw over 5 billion online video views!

Since the YouTube epidemic hit there are a few stand out success stories
- Charlie Bit my Finger
- Evolution of Dance
- David After Dentist
- Susan Boyle
And the list continues...

On my last overseas trip to USA, I met someone who told his profession is to make YouTube Action Movies. My first thought was Why? and For What?. Is there such thing as a YouTube film maker?
10 years ago it is safe to say that this 'profession' didn't exist but in the digital era it is clear that anything goes?

So how exactly do these people make money? Is it purely from advertising or do they rely solely on 'hits' and word of mouth?
To be completely honest, I don't have any idea but I can't see it as an effective long-term career choice.
We have definitely seen some newfound celebrities from YouTube, the biggest one being Justin Bieber who garnered millions of hits via word of mouth or Amber Lee Ettinger who was the director and star of the 'Crush on Obama' video leading her to appearances on Saturday Night Live, Chelsea Lately and Ellen.

This new digital age that we are apart of certainly seems to be opening doors in many different areas but I am keen to see where this one takes us.

Can you guys tell me, how long can one possibly capitalise off a YouTube clip?

E Books - The Impact It Has on the Publishing Industry

The term 'e-book' is a relatively new e-marketing term. An e-book can be defined as "an electronic book that consists of text, images or both and is published and readable on computers or other electronic devices" (Wikipedia).

The Amazon Kindle which was one of the first e-readers has seen Amazon succeed enormously, bringing them more than 8 million sales in 2010, a number that is 60% higher than sales analysis estimated. Having paved the way for e-readers, there seems to be have been an influx in the market - Apple iPad, Barnes and Nobles' Nook, Sony's Epub just to name a few.

However what implications are these e-books having on the publishing industry? Not only do e-readers provide a greater selection of books, the books are a fraction of the price! Publishers and bookstores don't believe they are able to compete with such competitive pricing, especially not at $9.99 a book! As a result many of the major companies are struggling or have been forced to close - the most recent downfall being played out in the newspapers was Borders.

So as the use of e-readers and e-books become more common the use of traditional books are becoming less common and potentially extinct as some may put it. I can understand it - they weigh less (making them easier to travel with), books can be purchased any where and at any time of the day and it is possible to adjust fonts to make it easier to read!

What I want to know is - do you prefer reading an e-book or a traditional hard copy?

Social Media - Is it Dangerous?

Social media has definitely seen unprecedented success in the last 5 years with numbers rising exponentially!
Statistics show that Facebook now has approximately 750 million active users with more than 30 billion pieces of content shared every month.

But is this heavy reliance on social media causing problems?

Most recently there have been reports that social media is being used to organise riots and protests around the world, most recently in London where targets were identified by Facebook. Additionally, in Cairo Facebook was used to help demonstrators link up to overthrow their country's dictator. Given the nature of social media sites such as Facebook it is now the most efficient way to send messages to large numbers. And people are using this to their advantage.

Aside from political issues, social media has also been deemed responsible for the increase in bullying - now called 'Cyber Bullying'. This involves the "use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others". In the past 12 months cyber bullying numbers have increased with over 1/4 of Australian children reporting they have been cyber bullied with 67% occurring via Instant Messaging. Given the negative publicity Facebook has received over this issue, they have tackled the issue with 'Anti Bullying Tools' with the launch of a Safety Center aimed to protect Facebook users.

So I pose a question to you - do you think social media is being abused?