|
Below, you'll find extensive information on leading
foundation scholarships articles and products to help you on your way
to success.
The Brand Market Place In China
By Tim Lyons
Global marketing brand strategies show effective results, but in most of cases, they cannot be applied on local markets...Especially when focusing on the Chinese environment. China is widely viewed as being one of the world's fastest growing markets. In pursuing this rapid economic expansion, Chinese companies have now begun to recognize the importance of brands, and their development. Brand capital is one of the key drivers of growth and wealth in the business world. Creating and managing brands in China has become a crucial component to success in the China market. We will try, focusing on example of different nature, to reach a recipe that both limits the level of risks that can occur when setting up a brand in China, and that actually adds value to any kind of business.
In industries going from food retailers to luxury emerging products such as wine, China's "brand war" is on. We all are consumers, and as consumers living in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Guangzhou... try to count the amount of brand communication you are confronted to, in your daily routine. Bus, subways, taxis, boats, trains, construction sites, roads... every mean is good to catch the eye of a potential customer for a glimpse of a second. May it be global brands or small to medium enterprises, all have a good card to play in this advertising game.
Why does localization matter? The answer lies in a unique combination of market characterists; the product, the competition, and a few other factors. The rapid and dynamic pace of the market environment in China since 1978 is well known. So one could understand the need of topicality when working on brand management in China. Let's take the KFC example. In 2007, KFC had just over 1,800 restaurants serving in China. KFC's overwhelming and unexpected success was the result of combining the right timing and location plan, while leveraging their brand's position. We could also mention their strong organizational implementation capabilities, and a couple of well planned strategic "hits". This to point out that, KFC's entry in 1987 was a success because they did not attract Chinese people with a custom made American product, but they opted for a more flexible market approach.
If we now
New Addition
We have a brand new addition to our store. It's not a new line or designer but a shop dog! Meet Zeke, he's two years old, part rat terrier, part basenji and very sweet. He is a rescue that we adopted through the Pixie Project who finds homes for both dogs and cats. If you haven't seen their cattery on NE MLK boulevard in Portland you have to stop by and check out the kitties playing. Zeke would love to meet you so the next time your in the neighborhood stop by. Oh, Zeke says to bring treats!
All in the Family
New to the store and sure to be hot for the holidays are handmade wooden pendants by Ashlee Rising of Merlin, Oregon. Ashlee's designs blow me away not only because she has an amazing eye for graphics and placement, but she is also only 16 years old! Her love for arts and crafts has turned into a quite a business for her and she just hired her first two employees, her mom and dad. Each pendant is made of maple with a design chosen and transferred by Ashlee. She applies several coats of sealant to the front and back making the pendant water-resistant. Each piece comes with a 16" multi-strand cotton wax cord with a silver-plated hook-and-eye clasp.
Along with our first order Ashlee included a handmade glass pendant made by her 10 year old sister, Gillian. It's simply gorgeous and well done so we are definitely placing an order for her pieces as well.
Man, does this family have some special genes or what?
Wednesdays are Wonderful
It’s been a truly amazing week. On Wednesday the Portland City Council unanimously passed the Sweat free Policy and Leanne Marshall won Project Runway! Leanne, we are so proud of you and wish you the best of luck to wherever this takes you. We’ve known all along that before you lies a very bright future. Her win proves to the world that Portland should not be ignored when it comes to innovative designers who craft their lines not only with an eye for success, but do so with high environmental and ethical standards. How fitting that she should win on the same day that Portland takes a historic first step in the cause to end sweat shop labor. Portland, we are proud to call you home.
Sweatfree Policy goes to Hearing!
On August 29, 2007 Portland's City Council passed a resolution to form a policy committee to develop an enforceable policy to make Portland's city purchasing sweatshop-free. For over a year now I've been working on that committee. We've hammered out a strong code of conduct, a clear and enforceable policy and affirmed commitment to a Sweatfree Consortium to ensure enforcement along side a local Sweatfree Oversight Committee. This Wednesday, October 15 at 9:30 am the City Council will vote on the policy! If you can, we'd love to have as many people as possible show up to Council Chambers to show their support for its passage. Come celebrate this cornerstone victory as Portland leads the way for a groundswell of sweatfree movement in the Northwest!
Fashion by Flashlight III
It's time again for the annual BOA event, Fashion by Flashlight. This year we have a few new stores participating, Suite 6, Swoon and Pie Footwear as well as the usual suspects. The big night is Thursday, October 9th from 6:00-9:00 pm. Each store will be lit up by a spotlight and will feature specials, sales, trunk shows and of course treats. We will be dragging out the labware again to concoct a special cocktail for your enjoyment. You can sip and shop and take 15% off on all new fall merchandise. You come, you like, you see!
Leanne has returned & brought things!
We were shocked yesterday when the phone rang and the caller ID said, "Leanne Marshall". We were certain that with all of her recent success our little shop would never see her fabulous frocks again. We were wrong!! Leanne personally delivered two one-of-a-kind dresses to us and is working on more. We just added them to the site and they are certain not to last long.
By the way, we want to congratulate Leanne on the success of her Bryant Park show and for enduring the grueling schedule of Project Runway with class. No matter where she ends up at the end of this season, we have always known that she is a winner.
Smartest Designers Ever
Every once in a while I like to mix things up. I’ve been spending weeks and weeks researching jewelry designers looking for new and unexpected designs to revamp our case. Hitting the shelves this Monday is the crème de la crème, Nervous System. Jessica Rosenkrantz, a graduate of MIT, and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, a consultant for Gehry Technologies, explore complex and unconventional geometries in their designs. Their inspirations are grounded in natural forms and corresponding processes which construct the world around us. My favorite piece from the collection is the Radiolara necklace available in black or white. Lace-like structures are cut from silicone rubber and etched out of stainless steel. The pattern displays shifts in direction and scale, creating a sense of movement and tension. These complex forms recall those of radiolarians, plant cells and even the familiar honey comb.
A Star is Born
We just received the most exciting news! One of our designers, Leanne Marshall, is a contestant on the 5th Season of Project Runway! I will try to abstain from using too many exclamation points but, damnit, I'm just so happy and excited for her. We've known all along how crazy talented she is and now the rest of the world can see for themselves. The premiere is tomorrow at 9:00 on Bravo. Check out her bio and all other pertinent info here. Her line, "Leanimal", has been popular in the store from day one. I imagine it's going to get a bit harder to stock up our racks with her wondrous creations. Congratulations Leanne!
lights, camera, action
Foundation Garments is making it's web TV debut! Local show, "The Bicyclist", filmed scenes for their upcoming webisode to premiere on July, 10th. The store stars as the boutique owned by the character Ariel Flores. The actress who plays Ariel, Tricia Ferguson, chose to wear a dress made by our homegirl, Chelsea Erhart. Tricia loved the dress so much she had to take it home with her! We want to thank all of our patient customers who stopped by that day and were willing to try on clothes at the store next door while the crew was filming, (Thanks Jambo!).
Vintage Appeal
A new and exciting addition to our jewelry case arrived today! Fresh from Crystal Springs, IL come these quirky and slightly spooky pendants from mixed media artist, Sarah Ogren. Taking inspiration from vintage images, dreams, and life experiences Sarah uses a variety of materials to create these handmade necklaces. We've brought in a series of Victorianesque human/animal hybrids. Each image is protected with a matte medium and a matte varnish.
Web Master
Introduced to the world of crochet by her mother and grandmother at the age of seven, Tania Nova of Miami Beach, Florida has made everything from sweaters, scarves and socks, to Barbie outfits. Today, she’s making these incredible hoop earrings all by hand in a multitude of colors and patterns. Available in sizes up to 2 ¾” we are stocking the modest 1 ¾” size. If bigger is better in your book we’d be happy to order in other sizes. These beauties are bound to make your neighborhood spider seriously jealous.
Hot Weekend
So the temperature is suppose to be around 92 degress this Saturday, perfect for strollin' around the neighborhood. Saturday is the annual Art Hop hosted by Art on Alberta. Along with all the usual craziness we are having are very first art opening with local artist Marissa Czerniejewski. Ok, so she is Nate's girlfriend but she is also incredibly talented. She is a graduate from the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York City and will be showcasing works of papel picado. This is the traditional Mexican art of paper cutting into elaborate designs. Marissa has taken the traditional themes of this medium, birds, floral patterns, skeletons, and transformed them into modern and sensual designs. Marissa is also extremely charming and she will be here from 11:00 to 6:00 on Saturday. Stop in to get a true appreciation of her beautiful and delicate work.
Just in Time
Paper Doll's spring '08 line by Heather Treadway has arrived just in time for the weekend. A mix of men's, women's, and unisex pieces all made of stretchy jersey material. This season Heather plays with weaving and ribbing techniques to adorn her tops and jackets that, to my delight, typically feature pockets of some sort. Kelly green, heather blue, brown, and white are her colors of choice. She has also just launched her very own website which you can check out here.
ParySalePartySale
This Friday, April 18th come join us and several other Alberta boutiques for a spring preview party. We are also celebrating our 2nd anniversary with yummy sweets from Voodoo Doughnut and 15% off storewide! Spend $25 and we'll give you a tote bag screened with an updated version of our cement truck logo. Festivities are from 5-8 pm.
Oh Canada!
Our phone has been ringing off the hook recently. Seems we've been generating a little excitement to the north and some people really need to get their FG on. Well, to make things a bit easier for our friends and fans in Canada the website shopping cart is now set up to except Canadian Addresses. Shipping is the same rate for US orders, $6.00. Orders will be shipped first class through the US Post Office. If you need it faster just give us a ring and we'll get you a quote for UPS or Fedex. Since this feature is all new and stuff please call or email us if you encounter any problems.
Not in the US or Canada? We are happy to ship anywhere in the world. Email or call us with the items your interested in including sizes and colors and we will get you a quote for shipping. If it all sounds hunky-dory we will email you a Paypal invoice to process your credit card. As always, let us know if you have any questions.
Happy shopping!
New Designer Alert
We've just received a couple of incredible 100% bamboo dresses from Vancouver, BC designer, Leanne McElroy.
Leanne's appreciation for fashion and design began at an early age, choosing to create most of her own garments from age 13 onwards. The drive behind her sewing passion lay in the idea that she was able to experiment with styles that she could not find to buy herself. She ended up creating one-of-a-kind looks envied by her peers.
The career choice was an easy one. After graduation, McElroy enrolled into the Fashion Design program at Helen Lefeaux on a small scholarship, where she was awarded Designer of the Year. She spent time after graduating traveling the world and experimenting with styles sold in local boutiques.
The word organic began spreading into apparel, which seems the natural choice since our skin is the most absorbent organ in our body. However, the organic apparel market seemed to be missing something. Yoga and loungewear basics were widely available but fashion forward, style driven designs in organic fabrics were almost non existent. Consumers want to be able to support their health and wellness by wearing organic fibers throughout the day – at work, play, night and day. This is where Elroy steps in.
Leanne designs sophisticated street wear for a contemporary health conscious woman, who cares not only what she looks like, but what story her clothing carries.
Boutiques Unleashed
Thursday, March 13th we will be participating in a fashion show to benefit DoveLewis animal hospital. Our superwoman/model Jen will be sauntering down the runway in a custom Leanimal dress made specifically for the event. She will be accompanied by an adorable pooch wearing the latest in canine fashions. To find out all the details click here.
From Friday, March 14th - Sunday, March 16th we will be donating 10% of all in-store sales to DoveLewis as well. We invite you to bring along your four legged friends and shop for the love of Dove!
We Heart Kombat
We Heart Kombat.
Sure, its all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Then its reeeaaally fun.
Free of gore and guts, Angel Gehm heads Kombat Clothing based in Seattle, and the resulting carnage is prettier than a bucket of blood. Mixing virgin and...experienced materials into something new with a distinctly modern finesse. Bold colors and friendly cuts make our new tops easy to like, wear and stuff. Think Jackie O vs. Willie Wonka's Chocolate Room. Add a dash of casual and...
Ready?
Fight!!
Bargain Hunting 101
On Sunday afternoon, February 3rd, 2008 from 12-4pm, BOA(Boutiques on Alberta) and others from all around PDX bring clearance to a new level by hosting Bargain Hunting 101, an indie clearance sale of shopping mall proportions at Mcmenamin's Kennedy School at 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave.
With restaurants and bars available on site, come drink, nosh and see discounts otherwise unheard of from your favorite boutiques and some of which you’ve also never heard.
Bring large bags, a little dough and a thirst for the thrifty. as fitting rooms will be difficult to provide, please also wear try-on clothes. Let BOA teach you how saving is done with the first ever Bargain Hunting 101.
For those of you not in PDX take part with free shipping until February 3rd!
Got any Change?
Change, like many a gaseous emission, comes from within. With political candidates throwing the word around like confetti, we thought maybe it was time to make some of our own happen.
Dedicated to merging the height of style with the not-so-masses, we also practice a sort of
catch-and-release program. We love small ponds, and we love to keep our fish small too.
With some of our brands growing and growing, we couldn’t be more pleased to have played a part. Every brand that increases its size to a point that makes Nordstrom’s sad makes us very happy. But once that’s happened, we feel it necessary to help smaller brands do the same.
So please help yourselves to what may be the very last of our Kitchen Orange, Bodybag by Jude, and Greenbaum as we set them loose in the wild to roam free and conquer Forever 21 and the like. Be on the lookout also as Foundation Garments does an about face and begins anew scouring the continent for all new jewelry, women’s and menswear that make the not-so-masses bill and coo. And ah and ooh.
As we’ve already begun, do check online and in-store for the recent arrival of Suburban Riot, an LA-based, stylistically progressive purveyor of hoodies and t’s for the guys and dolls. AND arriving next week is uber-modern and brand new line from Brooklyn, NY, Rhombus, some of the neatest and cleverest men’s shirts and trousers we ever did see.
focus on another example, the Henry Wine Estate based in the U.S, has had trouble launching itself at first when wanting to export their red wine in China. However after having requested local expertise, he found that he hadn't developed his brand in the most "Chinese" effective way. Wine, as one of China's new luxury products in vogue, had to be marketed, packaged and branded in a very specific manner. After having properly invested in that sense ($250,000 efforts with local partners), and having repositioned its brand to a much higher profile of customers, they finally managed to build solid foundations, and quality partnerships. Implementing a comprehensive, flexible, and localized business strategy seems to be one answer to Brand relevancy in China.
The right mix is a big question in all big consumer goods companies (i.e. the balance between what parts should be global and what parts should be local). For Kodak in China, new products, quality of products and services, brand, value propositions and Kodak values are global while retail concept, advertising, promotion and packaging are localized. Knowing that when a brand owner seeks to appeal a new local environment, he creates the risk of losing previous brand consistency.
As western brands, Chinese brands are amazingly competitive. Li-Ning's "Anything is possible"(sport brand), has learned all about large-scale advertising, now recognized by million of consumers. Lenovo (computer technology) is one of the top Beijing Olympic sponsors. Throughout all this excitement around brands in the market place, we could ask ourselves, which brands will they stay in the front seat, how long will they stay there, and what will be the costs of them staying in power? Article Source: Article Beam - a service of A1 Web Server Web Hosting Tim Lyons is Executive Director of Manage China. Manage China is a company that helps foreign firms who are interested in doing business in China. www.managechina.com
|
