Indigo7 Marketing & Events

The W Hotels, a brand extension of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, are known for its contemporary and eclectic view on the luxury lifestyle travel industry.  It’s brand partnerships and design is what makes the W stand out in comparison to its competitors.

Focused on design, fashion and music, the W is moving in a direction to bring attention to social concepts and ideas that its consumers would not normally associated to the brand.  For instance, the W has a collaborative joint venture with the non-profit, Charity: Water.  Within the venture, the brand is help raising funds for water projects in India.

To accommodate the communities that the W Hotels are stationed, the hotel décor and design usually fits the locale.  Using formats of style and concepts of the community, the brand helps its consumers get acclimated to the city’s scenery.

Top Left: W Leicaster Square, Top Right: W-Atlanta Buckhead

Middle: W Montreal, Bottom Left: W Hollywood, Bottom Right: W Los Angeles  

Do you love it or hate it?  I’ll give my thoughts on Friday Morning via Twitter…..

Ndidiamaka

Disclaimer: This is not a paid ad.  “The Branding Moment”, is a new feature on the Indigo7 Marketing & Events blog to present established lifestyle branding campaigns to those in the field of interest. Is it my way to get free stuff? Hell, no! It is my opportunity to show you true branding campaigns in progress.  Have questions? Email speak@indigo7marketing.com for further discussion. Thanks!

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/user/WHotelsWorldwide

Photo Credit: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels

Make-up Art Cosmetics or M-A-C, as it is distinctively known, has built its brand around music, fashion and social issues.  The cosmetic line brought the social campaign of HIV/AIDS to the forefront due to charitable efforts associated to its M-A-C AIDS Fund.  Music and Fashion are visible in M-A-C’s collaborations with the top fashion designers and music artists internationally.

Currently in its branding campaign, the concept of the music artist is having a successful run for the cosmetic line. From rapper Nicki Minaj to Paramore’s Hayley Williams, M-A-C has connected with some of the top performing music artists in the world. 

As we speak, Rihanna has gotten on board as a spokesperson for M-A-C. Her collection, “RiRi hearts M-A-C “ has gone to higher heights in the first month of its introduction.  The first piece from the collection, a lipstick, “RiRi Woo” sold out in three hours online.  Yep, folks, the remix on the Ruby Woo lip color was exclusively sold online. The only other opportunity to get “RiRi Woo” is while Rihanna is on tour. MAC will have a pop up shop during tour stops to present fans with an opportunity to purchase and/or sample the lipstick along with the rest of the collection.

Rihanna’s “RiRi Woo” on a color palette.

Do you love it or hate it? My thoughts via Twitter on Friday Morning…..

FYI: This is not a paid ad.  “The Branding Moment”, is a new feature on the Indigo7 Marketing & Events blog to present established lifestyle branding campaign to those in the field of interest. Is it my way to get free stuff? Hell, no! It is my opportunity to show you true branding campaigns in progress.  Have questions? Email speak@indigo7marketing.com for further discussion. Thanks!

Ndidiamaka

Style is not about fashion, but about expression of one’s true identity.   “Raise for the Most High “is the tagline for this emerging fashion brand in Los Angeles.  The designer of this collection is showcasing faith through style.

 “Don’t be so Heavenly bound, that you are no Earthly good.” 

Introducting pRAISE Clothing LA….

Name: Alma Meza



Age: 27



Mission: Spread God’s love through fashion. 



Website: www.praiseclothingla.com



Social Media: INSTAGRAM: @PRAISECLOTHINGLA |  TWITTER: @PRAISECLOTHING_
FACEBOOK: PRAISE CLOTHING L.A.   |   TUMBLR:  PRAISECLOTHINGLA

NCO: What moved you to create this branding concept?

AM: God- first and foremost. I was previously designing for a different brand and walked away from the fashion industry in 2011. I loved fashion, but hated the industry. I was exploring different career paths, until God made it very clear to me that He still had a purpose for me in this industry. He revealed to me that there was a need for a fashion brand that was exciting and edgy, but had a Higher purpose. I can’t even begin to describe how the Spirit led the creative process for my first collection… it was seamless and free-flowing. Once I saw everything come together, my faith and courage multiplied big time. 




 NCO: What inspiration do you have those who are young, stylish and Christian wanting to start their own ministry/business?

AM: Wherever God leads you in life, understand that He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. You may feel incompetent or unprepared, but if your foundation is in Christ, you can do all things through Him! A quote from one of my biggest inspirations, Samantha Jo Alonso, fits this question perfectly: “Plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed positively, and pursue persistently!” (Don’t you love alliteration? :) )

I must also add that you should not put yourself in a “Christian bubble.” What I mean by that is to try to find creative, innovative and wholesome ways to appeal to the masses while spreading the Good Word. A friend of mine gave me some very wise words: “Don’t be so Heavenly bound, that you are no Earthly good.” If you are obedient, God will inevitably expand your territory. Be great at what you do and attract people of all walks with your luminous light and love!

NCO:
Where do you see your brand in the next 5 years?

AM: God willing, pRAISE will have expanded from a t-shirt brand to cut and sew womenswear line in the next 5 years. I envision lots of fun and edgy separates that fuse faith-based graphics and statements. I hope to always keep a good balance of style and faith, and not compromise on either. 



Would you like your brand to be featured? For more information, please visit http://www.indigo7marketing.tumblr.com/mediarequests to learn more. 

Last week, I was sitting in one of my seminary classes discussing a case study about Walmart.  The conflict that arose in the conversation was the discussion about labor, benefits and the mistreatment of immigrant and un/undereducated employees. My next thought was the branding conflict that will come from this situation.  Social Responsibility is an important concept for a brand’s image.  Right now, Walmart is in immediate danger of losing its creditability in the community.

Really, it has been contained as an internal issue for the brand.  The Walmart that we all know and love is the one who is the Low Price Champ in the supermarket and big-box chain store industry.  Yes, the Walmart that has a localized Community Investment program to help community leaders and local non-profit organizations.

Is there a branding conflict in your eyes towards Walmart?

Reflect on the following videos:  

Do you love it or hate it? My thoughts on Friday via Twitter.

Ndidiamaka 

Video Credit: 

ATL Walmart Videos: youtube.com/user/walmart

Why are we standing…?: youtube.com/user/ourwalmart (not associated to Walmart Stores Inc)

I am watching the latest video from a duo of neo-soul singers and was baffled by how my interactions were not counted correctly on the site in question.  So it got me thinking about how Social Media numbers affected the supply chain portion of branding.  Many brands today are relying heavily on social media numbers while forgetting the numbers from the field.  How do we make all the numbers count for the brand’s success?

While watching the video, I noticed that number of replays that I created did not affect the artist’s overall count for the song.  As a branding professional, it bothers me to find that we could be potentially losing good brands based on a temporary situation like Social Media.  I say, temporary in regards to Social Media because many brands are now not actively participating on those sites with their consumers due to misleading and/or inaccurate numerical counts. 

Now, folks, if we have devices and apps that create an immediate influx of fans and followers, why wouldn’t there be technology can hinder hits, followers and fans numbers to show accurately. Think about it.

Where do the numbers count? In the field. The most accurate numbers for branding come from those who are in the field dealing with brands on a daily basis. That is where supply and demand should be focused on. Social Media can be recognized in an analysis but the source must be considered.

Just food for thought.

Some Links to read about Social Media:

Booo! NCAA Bans Hashtags, Social Medias URLs on Football Fields (via Marketing Land)

http://marketingland.com/boooo-ncaa-bans-hashtags-social-media-urls-on-football-fields-42247

Agencies Shore Up Social Media Security (via The Business of Federal Technology)

http://fcw.com/articles/2013/05/02/twitter-hack-response.aspx

MasterCard Uses Social Media to Rebrand Its Mobile Wallet Through Real-Time Monitoring (via Bank Systems & Technology)

http://www.banktech.com/business-intelligence/mastercard-uses-social-media-to-rebrand/240154112

Questions, Comments, and/or Concerns. Tweet or Tumblr me. Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,

Ndidiamaka

This is not a paid ad by the way……..

In effort to show you cultural branding from an experiential or engagement marketing standpoint, I would like to show you the conceptual plan of Budweiser via its “Made in America” campaign. Currently, Budweiser is known as “America’s Favorite Beer”.  

To enrich their customer base, they have turned to focusing on music ventures rather than sporting events like NASCAR.  The team behind Budweiser wants consumers to look beyond the “America’s Favorite Beer” concept and just drink responsibility.

Let’s look at its efforts:

 In effort to generate a buzz for the Made in America Festival, they are throwing parties in major cities.  Yup, Dallas, there is a “Made in Dallas” party this week.  Check the link below:

http://www.budweiser.com/madeintour-agegate?redirect=%2fbudweisermadeindallas

In addition, Budweiser is sponsoring the Free Press Summer Festival in Houston:

http://www.fpsf.com

Do you hate it or love it?  I give you my thoughts via Twitter Friday Morning.

Ndidiamaka