Week 10 EOC: Dream Job

Manager, Visual Merchandising

POSITION SUMMARY:
Responsible for design and communication of collateral and visual merchandising planograms for North America
 
Position reports to Executive Director Graphics/Visual Merchandising and Executive Director Store Design/Visual Merchandising (matrix manager)
  KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Responsible for the development of impactful design solutions for assigned programs.
·         Manage planograms for NA doors and create or update communication document.
·         Streamline communication process and make recommendations to improve efficiencies.
·         Partner with cross functional teams to integrate visual merchandising, store design and collateral.
·         Maintain strong working knowledge of Origins brand, its heritage, customers, products and retail environments.
·         Utilize internal and external influences to concept ideas and innovations.
·         Produce technical drawings, renderings and models for internal and external usage
·         Leverage strong organizational and communication skills to manage multiple projects at one time.
·         Participate in weekly Creative department status meetings as needed and coordinate on a daily basis with other members of the Creative and Creative Operations teams as needed.
·         Travel as needed for retail site visits within North America.
·         5+ years of related experience with strong design background including concept development and production.
·         Ability to organize and manage multiple projects and to meet deadlines.
·         Ability to successfully communicate design direction and strategy to Marketing and Senior Management.
·         Proficiency in CS: InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.

  EEO
We are an equal opportunity employer.
Source: http://jobview.monster.com/Manager-Visual-Merchandising-Job-New-York-NY-124934157.aspx

Tag Line

“The brand communication must be authentic and true to the product service that is being offered.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.57) I am my own brand. I am passionate about styling with creativity. I do believe that when someone is passionate about what they do, they will succeed in life; especially when they have that ambition to grow as a person. I want to be able to use my talents and skills to flourish in the fashion industry. “The journey must balance what the brand is trying to achieve with how the customer will connect with the brand and participate at different points.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.169) I have many values that I believe are worth it and I will continue to practice them. The fashion industry has help me realize and identify who I am. Since I was little I have always had a sense of style, and that is why I say “Style is how it begins.”

My Specialty and Five Key Talents

My talents are some of the most important things that describe me as a person who is in love with the fashion industry. My ability to style and put together simple pieces of garments has made me realize how much I really love fashion and simply cannot live without it. My ability to style, organize, my loyalty, my ambition/ creativity, and my leadership talents and skills have help me identify the person that I am today. The fashion industry is one of the industries that help you express and be anyone you wish to be. “The emerging identity should reflect an integrated set of brand values and be supported by a clear message of how this will benefit the customer and other audiences, including employees.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.48) My styling specialty will not only just help me flourish and grow as a person, but it will also benefit my customers. I value honestly, hard work, family support, creativity, ambition, loyalty, education, and commitment. I am very passionate about the fashion industry. Fashion is an industry where people all over the world can communicate by. You do not have to speak a certain language to wear a trend that you like. I love fashion because it is an industry that allows you to be as creative as anyone wants. “Brands used to be impenetrable forces; there used to be a magic and a mystery to how things happened and where they came from, most people didn’t care then, but now they do.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.29) As an industry fashion has become a part of our daily lives. Back then most people, other than royalty, did not care much about the way they dressed in the way that they look. Society has changed and has given a chance to the fashion industry to be something important. I will always be loyal to the world of fashion because that is what I am passionate about. Fashion has changed from what it was many years ago because of how the environment and the society has changed. “The environment sets a ‘context’ for the brand – everything from global events and trends, to politics, street trends and fashion.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.80)

Statement of Your Specialty

What I love to specialize in is styling. I love the idea of being able to pick out an outfit for someone to wear as well as their accessories and shoes. I want to be able to style people who always want to present themselves in a pleasant and unique way. "Brand experience is how the audience reacts to a brand at any contact point, and it is the basis of consumer dialogue with the brand." (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.162) I want the audience to look at my work and be admired by it. I want to have people say, I want her to help me achieve and find my style to help me identify myself in my attire. When I get to dress and style people I want them to have a great experience. “The experience itself is everything your audience senses about your brand. Every resulting perception and insight will support or denigrate the brand." (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.163) I want my client/ clients to have a great experience when working with me. When a consumer has a great experience either with a product or with a service, they will always want come back again to receive that same experience. That is what I want my client to experience, a good customer service with an unforgettable experience. "The experience, in any form, should be simple in execution and uncomplicated in its message. An experience must be easily identifiable with the brand-owner. “(More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.164) Most of my life has helped me prepare to be a great stylist because I have been doing it since I was very small. I will continue to grow, and use my talents and specialties to accomplish my goals and dreams as a fashion professional.

Top Five Talents

The top five talents and qualities that I have would have to be my ability to style, being organized, being loyal, my ambition/ creativity, and my leadership. I believe that this are the top five talents that I have to offer because I love to do them, as well as they are words that describe the type of person that I am. I chose styling as one of my top five talents because since I was very little, I have always had the skill to style and chose my own attire. I have also been asked by people who I have close relationships to help them pick out an outfit. All of the people, who I keep close relationships well, never go out shopping without me, they always as for my opinion before buying anything. I have also had random people ask me for my opinion about the way they look in a specific look that they are wearing. I have also picked out articles of clothing for people that have asked for my help, as well as accessories and shoes. I also chose my organization qualities and skills as a part of my five top talents. I chose my organization skills because I believe that throughout my education career, my organization skills have helped me learn and do better at school. I believe that being organized is such a great way to be informed of everything that is around you. I also believe that a planner over the years has helped me a lot because I am aware of where, what time, and when I have to get things done. The third talent that I chose for my top five talents is my loyalty. I believe that being loyal is one of the best characteristics that someone can have. I believe that if you really want something, you should always fight for it until you have it. Which leads me to my fourth top talents, which is ambition/ and creative. I have always been a person that does not settle for anything. I always want the very best. I love to learn to things, and I love to have the best things as well. In order to have a successful and growing company, one must be creative as well as ambitious. A company/ brand can be creative by the way they "reinvent their image on a regular basis to show the world that they, or their product, have changed. Rebranding themselves may relate to their talent- Madonna invents a new image with every new album."(More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.147) The fifth talent that I chose is my leadership. I believe that this is a great quality that I have because someday I will like to run my own business. When running a business you need to have that characteristic of a leader because you will be leading a whole business. Knowing and identifying your talents can help you in your career as well as in a future job because you will know what things you are great at. “In theory, there is more security working within the company, as agencies can always be fired by the client. However, with talent and experience, you can eventually, call the shots." (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.203)

Talents

Since I was very little I was recognized with the ability to style and pick my own clothes. Since I was little, I began to choose my own outfits to wear, and I stop wearing the outfits that my mom wanted me to wear. I began to be very independent, and learn how to style clothing by myself. I was also very creative, in the way I would choose my attire. I have always loved to style and pick out clothing, accessories, and shoes for other people as well. Talents are what helps us identify each other. When companies have employees with people who have unique talents, they can all come together and share their talents and make their company flourish more. Topshop is one of the fashion companies that has a great model with has a great campaign that is made up of people that have grand talents. "They have interior stylists, graphic designers, and fashion designers all working together on one brand campaign and they can do that with their own talent." (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.201) The talents that describe me and I have to offer are the following: I am a creative stylist, I love to dance, sing with a choir, I enjoy designing and visualizing new things and ideas, I also enjoy planning events and trips, I am a leader, I am also very energetic, I am ambitious and always wanting to learn more, I am very organized and neat, I have the ability to multi-task, I am artistic, and I am also a very loyal person. When working on project and for a company it is a great idea to use the qualities that you as an employee are good at. This is the best way to be a great asset for your company and help your company thrive and prosper. “Those running the project must decide on the talent they need to execute the best brand delivery." (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.198)

Passions

I have always had a passion for fashion. The fashion industry for me has always been something more than just the trends in the clothes. It is about the freedom that someone can have, and be able to express and be whoever they want. Some of the things that I love are the following: styling, sewing, organizing, planning, scrap-booking  traveling, yoga, dancing, volunteering, creativity, and also helping people in need. Some of the ideas that I love are the following: the idea of having your family by your side and good times and in bad times, I also love the idea of having an extraordinary customer service, and the idea to be innovative. “Consumer brands may have more of an intimacy or heartfelt connection with the customer, such as someone who has a passion for Nike trainers.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.114) I believe that what makes a brand so great is the ability to build a relationship with a consumer, and obtain their loyalty. Once a company/ a brand creates a good relationship with the consumer, the consumer will always want to come back, and will continue to purchase the existing as well as the new products/ services that the company has to offer. It is great for a brand to have passions and be able to show their consumers that they are really passionate about their brand and about what they are presenting to the market. “The brand should offer differentiation, based on an understanding of what the audience wants, and a passion and belief in the product or service.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.56) The brand needs to know exactly what they are passionate about, in order to offer their consumers exactly what they are looking for. I believe that all my passions can be incorporated into what I want to achieve as a brand.

Core Values

People have different ideas and feelings toward what they value. Most of us can agree that consumers appreciate good customer service. “People judge a brand by their experience with it, and so every contact with the brand must reflect its essence and core values, and deliver on expectation.”(More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.163) As a consumer, you all ready have an expectation of when you want a service done, for example. The consumer makes an expectation on how well the brand/ company present themselves. Some of the core values that really matter to me are being able to maintain a healthy work/ life balance, having the support of my family, the ability to be open-minded, creativity, honesty, loyalty, commitment, efficiently, education, and professionalism. Behind a brand, there has to be particular things that the company must believe in, in order to have a brand that runs efficiently. “Brand style comes from the core- that is, the values of the Brand. Brand values are the beliefs systems behind the brand.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.82) When initially thinking of a brand, one of the most important things is to evaluate and think of what is really important to the owner of the brand. As a brand, it should describe the person that is running the brand. “The representation of a product, service or even an intangible. The brand is the persona of what sits behind it.” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.30) Some companies might identify their core values and say what they stand for, but several of them do not practice their core values; they forget that they even have core values. My core values are values that I take into consideration and I do take them into practice because it is what makes my brand, and it is what describes me as a person. 

Primary "Product"

A unique product is what makes a company/ a brand so exclusive. The main product is what you are selling to your consumer, and it has to be superior in order to sell it, and have returning clients to repurchase it. “A product (service) is the thing that you buy and use; a few examples, running shoes are a product, as is shampoo. (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.12) Anything that can be offered to a consumer can be considered a product. A service like insurance or a car wash is also considered to be a product as well. My primary product is of course myself. I the ability to style, visualize, as well as the capability to create and plan events. I am a very creative, responsible, quick learner, and very organized person. To create a brand, the company must know what it is capable of offering to the market and its potential consumers. “Brands don’t just arrive out of nowhere. They are the product of a company ‘vision” ((More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.43) As in right now I have many different ideas and ways to identify my product because I have so many great qualities to offer in the fashion industry. Since I was very young I had the ability to style and tell people how to wear a certain piece of clothing. Someday I want my brand to be valued and be able to show my clients as well as other people why they should come to me instead of other stylist. “A brand makes value visible: value in the product or service and value in the corporation” (More Than a Name, Melissa Davis, p.32) The product that I want to offer my clients and potential customers is to help them use their clothing in a way that would show and help them define who they are.

Week 8 EOC: Advertising

Advertising is one of the best activities and ways that companies use to promote their products so that consumers can purchase them. Advertising is referred to as a profession that is used to produce advertisements for products and/ or services that are referred to as commercial things. Advertising is a great practice that helps companies show case and sale their products. Sixtus Oeschle is a manager of corporate advertising for the Shell Oil Company. “He and his team of researchers had pumped the consumer psyche, desperate to uncover the real reason behind a decade-long sales slump at the $26 billion conglomerate.”(www.salon.com, “The Return of the Hidden Persuaders) For some companies advertising is a way to bring back profit to their companies, like what the Shell Oil Company had to do. It is hard for advertisers to come up with new ideas, especially when they see that their company is losing profit. They need to come up with new ideas to bring their company back on board. Advertisers have to do a lot of research, so that they can come up with a great idea. “The real breakthrough, however, came after the respondents awoke out of their trance.”(www.salon.com, “The Return of the Hidden Persuaders) Consumers are a great help to facilitate the job of the advertising team. When companies pay attention to the consumers and ask what they want, it makes it easier on the advertising team to come up with new ideas that can help the company. When the advertising team gets out in the public they have a better chance at getting information more correct about the consumers, instead of just taking a guess. Just like everything around us keeps on changing, information does as well. “There is another important difference between today’s captains of consciousness and the psycho-probers of yesteryear.” (www.salon.com, “The Return of the Hidden Persuaders) Advertising campaigns are very different from what they use to be. That is why companies need to think of new ideas and improve their advertising so that they can keep their companies successfully running.

Sources: http://www.salon.com/1999/09/27/persuaders/print

Week 7 EOC: Retail PEST

Zara is a company that is own by one of the largest fashion retail companies, Inditex. The first Zara store was established in 1975 in it was opened in A Coruña, Spain. Zara continues to grow as a company and as a fashion brand." Inditex opened its first stores in Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ecuador, Georgia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and reach 6,000 stores worldwide" (http://www.inditex.com) in 2012. Since 1975 Zara just focused to be in the country where it was found, but in 1988, Zara decided to go worldwide and opened its first store outside of Spain in Oporto, Portugal. This company is very responsible with its political issues. Zara is responsible and gives their employees their code of conduct. Zara also keeps up with their profits and financial documents. This company keeps up with economic, social demographics as well as technological issues. Zara's company has a lot of physical stores around the world as well as online shops that are available in several different languages. This company is known to be a fashion store that saves energy, eco- friendly shop, produce less waste, recycle, their commitment extends to all of their staff, and also they also in an environmentally aware team. Zara is also known for their use of ecological fabrics and organic cotton. Zara company supports organic farming, as well as some of her garments are made out or 100% cotton. Some of their clothing is known to be free of pesticides, chemicals, and bleaches. This company is a great example of a fashion retailer company that has shown why they are one of the best fashion retailers in the world. They have more than thirty- seven years in the fashion industry, and they keep continuing to grow as a company. Zara has some history in the industry, and will continue to make more. They have shown the world why they have the number one place as a fashion retailer.

Sources:

http://www.zara.com/us/en/company-c11112.html

http://www.inditex.com/en

http://www.inditex.com/en/who_we_are/timeline

Week 7 BOC: Largest Retailers

One of the big questions is what is the largest retailer in the United States as well s in the World? Walmart is considered to be one of the largest retailers in both the world and the United States.  “Wal-mart's global retail sales total led $421 billion in 2010, and the U.S. accounted for 72.9% of its overall sales. The chain ran 4,358 stores in 2010 up 1.3% from the previous year. “(http://www.businessinsider.com) Since 2010, and previous years as well, Walmart has been consider to be one of the largest retailer throughout the world. In 2010 Walmart’s US retail sales were $307.7 billion, in just one year their stock increased 11.38%. Walmart is one of the retail companies that are considered to be one of the largest retailers, although they are not the largest retailer of food, music, and fashion.  The Kroger Company is one of the top largest food retailers in the United States with retail sales of $92.17 billion in 2012. “Kroger moved up one position to become the fifth largest retail chain in the world. It is no small feat to overtake Germany’s largest discount store chain and lead with the Costco Wholesale chain, which also sells a significant amount of groceries and food products.” (http://retailindustry.about.com) Kroger has proven to everyone in the United States as well as the world why they are in the first five places of the largest retailers in the world. Target and Costco in the United States for the year of 2012 they have been very close in retail sales. Target’s retail sales were $71.96 billion and for Costco it was $71.04 billion. For the music industry, Apple/ Itunes is considering to be one of the largest music sellers in the United States as well as in the World. For the United States the second largest retailer to sell music is walmart, but in Europe the second largest is Spotify. For the fashion industry the largest retailer is Inditex, as we know as Zara. “In March, Inditex reported a significant 22 percent rise in full year net profit, to €2.4 billion, largely thanks to its rapid expansion into other markets that helped it pull away from dependence on Europe amid its economic crisis.”( http://www.ibtimes.com) Although there are different retailers that focus on different products, Walmart is one of the retailers that have more retail sales throughout the United States and the world.

Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-top-15-retailers-2011-7?op=1
http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/topics/e-commerce/americas-largest-retailers-brick-and-mortars-dominate-30857/attachment/stores-top-10-us-retailers-in-2012-july2013/
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/worldslargestretailers/a/us-2013-worlds-largest_biggest_best_retail_grocery-stores-supermarkets_chains_ranking.htm
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2008/04/apple-passes-wal-mart-now-1-music-retailer-in-us/
http://www.ibtimes.com/inditex-worlds-largest-fashion-retailer-posts-weakest-profit-growth-years-cool-europe-spring-kept
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/a/us_2013_worlds-largest_retail_companies_chains_retailers_biggest_American_globalpower_2.htm

Week 6 EOC: Rock Ford- Restoring the Brand

Rocky Ford is a company that started in 1887 and since then it has specialized in growing cantaloupes, honeydews’, and watermelons.  On September 14th, 2011 the FDA posted a press release on a topic that was terrifying for the Rocky Ford company. "The FDA is warning consumers not to eat Rocky Ford Cantaloupe shipped by Jensen Farms and to throw away recalled product that may still be in their home." (http://www.fda.gov) The government put out a warning for all of those people who the cantaloupes were being distributed to. The states that were the cantaloupes were being distributed were in the following states: IL, TN, WY, CO, TX, UT, KS, MN, NM, PA, NJ, NY, AZ, OK, NE, MO, and NC. The FDA website also said that these products could have been ship or distributed to other states as well. " Last fall's listeria outbreak traced to Jensen Farms in eastern Colorado was blamed for the deaths of 30 people. It infected 146 people in 28 states with one of four strains of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com) Everyone across the country was very worried because this was a serious problem that was infecting consumers, as well as about 30 people died. The Rocky Ford company had a big problem as a company for what they were serving their consumers. The Rocky Ford company had many issues to deal with, and it was very hard for them to recover, and survive as a company. " The F.D.A. recommends that consumers rinse all raw produce, including cantaloupes, under running water. " (http://www.nytimes.com) I feel that the FDA did more than the actual company. I feel that Rocky Ford should have done something similar like Tylenol did in 1982. They should of taken every cantaloupe out of the stores and made sure they made it publicly known for their consumers to throw away any cantaloupe that they had in their home. I feel that this company should of thought about defending and protecting their brand in a way like the Tylenol company did.

Sources: http://www.rockyfordgrowersassociation.com/
http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/2011-rocky-ford-cantaloupe-listeria-outbreak-lawsuit-update/#.Ugw3iIKaClU
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm271899.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/colorado-cantaloupes-retu_0_n_1670660.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/business/deaths-from-cantaloupe-listeria-rises.html?_r=0

Week 6 BOC: Tylenol Scare 1982

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/161995443/
why-tylenol-bottles-are-hard-to-open

Tylenol is considered to be one of the most trusted medicine product across the US.  “Before the crisis, Tylenol was the most successful over-the-counter product in the United States with over one hundred million users. Tylenol was responsible for 19 percent of Johnson & Johnson's corporate profits during the first 3 quarters of 1982.” (http://www.ou.edu) Unfortunately Tylenol had a scare crisis on September 29^th, 1982. This company went through a scare crisis after seven people died in Chicago for taking cyanide-laced capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol. “During the fall of 1982, for reasons not known, a malevolent person or persons, replaced Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules with cyanide-laced capsules, resealed the packages, and deposited them on the shelves of at least a half-dozen or so pharmacies, and food stores in the Chicago area.” (http://www.ou.edu)  This is what caused the seven deaths in the Chicago area. The Extra-Strength Tylenol product was considered to be one of the best- selling products in the country. After the seven deaths and the huge scare that happened for Tylenol “the company’s market value fell by $1bn as a result.”(http://www.mallenbaker.net) After the scare that happened many people as well as marketers thought that the company would never recover. “But only two months later, Tylenol was headed back to the market, this time in tamper-proof packaging and bolstered by an extensive media campaign.” (http://www.nytimes.com) The Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson Company took care of the crisis by showing the public that they do care about their consumers.  The company spent more than $100 million for the 1982 recall and also to relaunch the products of Tylenol. The company recalled about 31 million bottles of Tylenol capsules from all of the shelves in the stores and pharmacies. They replace the product and made sure it was a safer capsule.  Tylenol made a new safe way of packaging all of their products. They were the inventors of creating new well-protected packages security seals for all of their products. After this situation, many companies began to secure their products just like how Tylenol did with its products.

http://blog.threekingsconsulting.com/tag/tylenol-scare/

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/23iht-mjj_ed3_.html

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-09-29-tylenol-poisonings_N.htm

http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&%20Johnson.htm

http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/crisis02.php

Week 5 EOC: Trend Predictor

http://www.glamour.com/fashion/2013/02/fall-2013-most-wearable
-fashion-trends#slide=6

There is a lot of work when it comes into creating a trend in the fashion industry. In the fashion industry trend projections play a huge role in the branding part of a company. "Progressive brands are moving away from traditional advertising methodologies and opting for consumer insights to connect authentically to the market." (More Than A Name, Melissa Davis, P.153) One of the main trends that seem to be trendy for the fall of 2013, is all shades of the color green. According to Pantone.com the official color of the year is green. "Green is officially a thing for fall 2013. From emerald to army, there’s a shade for every skin tone, hair color, and personal style." (www.glamour.com) Designers like Cushnie et Ochs, Marc Jacobs, and Richard Chai Love where some of the designers that incorporated all different shades of green into their Fall 2013 designs. "The interpretation of trend can be tricky as trend is often influenced by personal opinion and personal experience. There is also so much trend information available that brand managers have a difficult time prioritising the most relevant trends that are affecting their business." (More Than A Name, Melissa Davis, P.153) A trend can help a brand grow as a company and as a brand, depending on how the brand is developed and how the public shares uses the trend. There are many things that help a fashion trend forecaster to predict a trend, like for example, Pantone. Pantone is a website that tells people who are interested in the fashion industry the color/ colors of the year. For example, for the year of 2013 it is green. A lot of designers have used this color and a lot of their designs. Trends are very important not only in creating a brand, but they are also important in the fashion industry.

Sources:
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/2013/02/fall-2013-most-wearable-fashion-trends#slide=6
http://digitalbookshelf.artinstitutes.edu/#/books/9782940476039/pages/49062921

Week 4 EOC: Mcdonald's Response to "Super Size Me"

"Super Size Me" is a movie that came out to the public in 2004, it was directed by Morgan Spurlock. "While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/) After this very controversial documentary, McDonald's fast food restaurant made a couple of changes to their food because it cause so much controversy. This movie was proving that eating McDonald's for thirty days straight without eating anything else but that, will give you health issues. According to the McDonald's fast food restaurant they will be getting rid of one of their signatures because of the high risk of health issues. "The burger giant said it has begun phasing out Supersize fries and drinks in its more than 13,000 U.S. restaurants and will stop selling them altogether by year’s end, except in promotions." (http://www.nbcnews.com) In a way McDonald's fast food restaurant has reacted positively after the controversial documentary, "Super Size Me". They have been trying to make their food more appealing so that their customers and consumers continue to buy their food.  After this documentary by Morgan Spurlock, McDonald's "ad, the restaurant chain highlights the fact it has introduced healthier items to its menu."(http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/220087/) Anyone can probably tell that McDonald's was frightened to lose customers, so they made a few changes to their menu and advertising it so that people and their consumers would be able to see their new menus. The fast food restaurant also claimed that "the amount of food Spurlock ate during his experiment was quivalent to what the average McDonald's customer eats at the chain over six years." (http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/220087/) McDonald's surely knew what to do and what to say, so that they wouldn't lose consumers. McDonald's response to the movie was very positive and didn't have any really bad comments about the documentary. "People might be surprised to learn that on the whole we agree with Super Size Me’s message - that it’s important to have a balanced diet and take exercise – something we’ve been saying for a long time".(http://web.archive.org) McDonald's agrees with many things from the documentary, and they were willing to change some of their menu to try to make it healthier. They will continue to be the franchise that they are, and they will also persist on being a fast food restaurant.

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/

 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4433307/ns/business-us_business/t/mcdonalds-phasing-out-supersize-fries-drinks/#.UgH4Y5LrxYw
http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/220087/
http://web.archive.org/web/20071012135323/http://mcdonalds.co.uk/pages/global/supersize.html

Week 3 EOC: Rolling Stone Magazine

http://news.nationalgeographic.com

Rolling Stone is a U.S.- based magazine company that was founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner in San Francisco, Califorinia. To this date Jann Wenner continues to be the editor and publisher of the Rolling Stone magazine. Ralph J. Gleason is the music critic of the magazine company and Matt Taibbi is the Senior Editor of Rolling Stones. This magazine is now based in New York, New York. The President of Rolling Stone is a 37 years old man, Gene Hoffman. “The ‘rock n roll’ brand in pop culture publication with famous artists, celebrities and thinkers of modern times along with iconic magazine covers, the Rolling Stone brand is a go to destination for millions of followers.” (http://imglicensing.com/brands-and-clients/rolling-stone-magazine/) This magazine is a great magazine for those who enjoy keeping up and are “devoted to music, liberal politics and popular culture that is published every two weeks.” (http://mashable.com/category/rolling-stone/) It’s a magazine that keeps up with everything that is happening around the music and popular culture industries. They do a very good job in keeping their public aware of everything that is around them as well as topics that keeps them interested. Although “Rolling Stone magazine was the starting place for many famous writers including Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus and many more” (http://www.slideshare.net/williamyoungmediastudies/rolling-stone-analysis) this magazine has changed over the years, but has kept their audience interested. Rolling Stone magazine is very unique from other magazine companies. This magazine is great at giving a full and detailed article about a specific topic, unlike other magazines where they just post a small article about specific topic. Rolling Stones magazine is a trusted company because they have been around for several years. Although they are a magazine company that is U.S.-based, they went global by starting an online website for their magazine, (www.rollingstone.com) Rolling Stones is a great example of a magazine that listen to what the public wants and offers great stories and full detail articles.

Sources: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4641116

http://imglicensing.com/brands-and-clients/rolling-stone-magazine/

http://mashable.com/category/rolling-stone/

 http://www.slideshare.net/williamyoungmediastudies/rolling-stone-analysis

 

Week 2 EOC: John Varvatos

http://www.areyoudressedtokill.com/blog/archives/127

John Varvatos is a men’s fashion designer who was born in 1955, “was raised in suburban Detroit, in Allen Park, Michigan.” (www.notablebiographies.com) John Varvatos graduated from Eastern Michigan University. Varvatos has worked with many well-known fashion brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Nautica Enterprises, and many others more. After working for many companies and gaining experience, he decided to open his design company, John Varvtos, in 2000. Since the year of 2000 he has had many opportunities to grow as a company. He opened his flagship store in 2000 as well. In 2004 he launched his John Varvatos Men’s fragrance; in 2004 he produced his first women’s line. Although his women line wasn’t very successful, Varvatos has been successful in his men’s line. He is fashion designer who is very open-minded; he “added skincare products under the name John Varvatos Skin, 2005.” (www.notablebiographies.com) This shows that he is not afraid of thinking outside of the box and is willing to do new things to grow as a company. John Varvatos has had many opportunities that other designers have not had the opportunity to do, like to be on a TV show. “John Varvatos joins NBC's new reality competition series "Fashion Star" as a celebrity mentor. The series searches for the next big brand in fashion.” (http://www.johnvarvatos.com) He is well known in the fashion industry as he does a lot of his collaborations with many important people in the fashion industry. His fashion campaigns are very strong as well, which help his brand grow. John Varvatos said “We’re opening a number of new stores in the next couple of months. We’re also working on our global expansion for 2014:” (www.wwd.com) His brand is continuing to grow, the company has opened three new of their stores overseas. John Varvatos is a fashion designer who is doing really good in the industry, and his company is continuously growing.

Sources:http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Ra-Z/Varvatos-John.html

 http://www.johnvarvatos.com/the-beat/john-varvatos-joins-nbc-s-fashion-star-as-celebrity-mentor

http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/markets/3-questions-for-john-varvatos-6747034?src=search_links