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THE NEW DEAL: RENT, RESELL, SUBSCRIBE
Amongst the three hundred or so brand innovations we monitored last month, it was difficult to ignore the surge in new projects directed not at what consumers buy, but how.
Subscription, rental and resale are all unconventional sales models with long and chequered histories in marketing. Yet October showed an increasing number of companies ready to bet on them again and attempt to cut a new deal with consumers.
There was babyGap and Under Armour, each announcing subscription box schemes designed to lock in customers and offer them a more rewarding and personalised service. Porsche and Rent the Runway also launched subscription initatives, but with a different objective: catering for customers who – for lifestyle reasons – reject the notion of product ownership.
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Armour Box by Under Armour
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Rent the Runway
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Pitching at consumers who resist ownership for moral reasons, retailers like REI, Nordstrom and American Eagle launched new schemes to resell, recover and reinvent past purchases. Meanwhile, Stella McCartney became the first luxury brand to partner with the resale platform The RealReal.
“Considered consumption” platforms like these help brands show commitment to the full life cycle of their products, but they also capture incremental value that would otherwise be lost to eBay or other channels.
While resale (or “reCommerce”) models, rental schemes and subscription services are remedies for vastly different problems, their sudden popularity with a diverse range of brands shows a common logic at work.
Brands are concerned about keeping pace with changing consumption patterns. Furthermore, they realise that consumers are not only receptive to new formats, they are increasingly likely to insist on them.
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Atelier & Repairs x American Eagle/AE Studio
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Stella McCartney
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Over the last decade, platforms like Netflix, Uber and Amazon have been enormously successful at re-acclimatising consumers to these alternate models of commerce. Technology has eliminated friction and enabled them to repackage old ideas as exciting and new on a gigantic scale – changing consumer expectations of price, performance and ownership in the process.
It would be comforting to think of projects like these as colourful distractions from the big picture of physical retail and eCommerce, but history suggests it would be unwise to do so.
An excellent podcast interview with LVMH Chief Digital Officer and former Apple executive, Ian Rogers, makes some fascinating comparisons between the music/tech business and the luxury sector. With most of us involved in business somewhere between these extremes, it’s worth taking twenty minutes to be reminded that what the world is going through is not a digital revolution, but a cultural one.
As brands grapple to come to terms with the full potential of the connection economy, unconventional sales models are going to become more and more commonplace – and a natural space for smaller companies to consider implementing collaborative and co-operative platforms.
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THE BEST OF OCTOBER
Levi’s Trucker Jacket – throughout 2017, Levi’s has been in top gear celebrating fifty years of its iconic Type III Trucker Jacket. Following collaborations with Rolling Stone and Google, the anniversary promotion culminated in a presentation of 50 one-off jackets customised by 50 personalities from all walks of celebrity life. By collaborating across a wide spectrum, Levi’s not only emphasised the jacket’s deep cultural significance, but also prompted fawning coverage across a broad swathe of media.
PUMA x Tommie Smith – with US sports mired in controversy over national anthem protests, PUMA kicked off the 50th anniversary celebrations of its famous Suede silhouette with a capsule tribute to Tommie Smith – among the most famous political activists in sport. 2018 also marks 50 years since Smith’s legendary Black Power salute atop the Mexico Olympic dais.
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Casio’s Design Thinking – any big brand that defies traditional norms to pursue modern design solutions deserves mention, but Casio’s camera division managed to do it twice in one month. The G’z Eye action camera aims at the GoPro market by referencing the aesthetics of its famous G-Shock watch series. Meanwhile the company embarked on an innovative quest for Chinese millennials with its release of the TR Mini selfie camera.
Barbie Style x ShoeDazzle – as fashion and accessories brands clamour to sign social influencers, the eCommerce innovators at ShoeDazzle opted for one of the more innovative licensing ideas of recent times. Signing Barbie as a celebrity influencer for the coming season brought the platform significant attention, not to mention access to the iconic doll's 1.8 million Instagram followers.
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THE HALLOWEEN SCENE
Halloween is one of those ritual occasions that most retailers use to drive seasonal spending. For most, their commitment stretches no further than fake pumpkins, cobwebs and “scary” in-store offers.
Here in Spain, Halloween is an actual holiday with a long tradition, so it surprises me that the standard orange/black jack-o-lantern look has significantly more storefront presence than the more interesting día de los muertos aesthetic.
The calavera motif was already used to powerful effect by Guillermo del Toro’s spectacular design collaboration with Patrón that I highlighted in July, but it also dominated the most recent capsule from Happy Socks with tattoo artist, Megan Massacre, as well as Fabio Novembre’s fun update of his Jolly Roger chair for Gufram.
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Elsewhere it seemed that brands were reluctant to dedicate specific products to the occasion, perhaps burned by past experiences of unsold orange stock being carried into the Christmas season.
One pleasing aspect was to see brands using less conventional licensed properties to convey the mood in a more tangential way. Of particular note was the strong presence of the cult Netflix show, Stranger Things, which featured not only at Louis Vuitton, but also at Topshop and on a special edition Reebok sneaker. Besides its licensing presence, the show's 80s styling was also a prominent influence in autumn collections.
With 2017 belonging firmly to music properties, it was perhaps unsurprising to see music artists also adding flavour and originality to Halloween offerings – such Iron Maiden’s Eddie icon featuring in a new version of Angry Birds or Michael Jackson’s Thriller featuring in sock designs by Stance.
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IN PRINT: LIFESTYLE TRENDS 2017
Together with my good friends at Brand Jam, we published a print magazine for last month’s BLE licensing show that summarises the top styling trends in fashion and lifestyle licensing in 2017-18.
Some have been covered in these pages already, but the magazine's larger galleries allow more space and more possibility to highlight brands and properties with relevant provenance.
Here are the trends in short:
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Girl Power – rising activism has given designers and brands new confidence to move feminist issues to centre stage. In the mix are statement tees, role models and girly properties with a satirical twist;
Music – the music industry has comprehensively transformed its relationship to consumer products. Social influence, style and continuity have made music stars the ultimate sales ambassadors;
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Fashion Loves Food – the pop art appeal of the supermarket aisle is helping designers portray their creations as faux-commodities. Meanwhile, food brands are using fashion to differentiate and put themselves at the centre of conversations;
Going Underground – graffiti and tattoo subcultures are helping brands project a subversive, enlightened image, while allowing them to create products with artistic depth and democratic, personalised appeal;
Universal Soldier – utilitarian influences are transforming how products look, feel and function. Polished minimalism is out; passive-aggressive design is in. Brands with provenance help translate and give context to militaristic designs.
If you would like to receive a copy of The Brand Jam Mag, please drop me a line. Or view a digital version here.
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THANKS FOR READING AND SHARING!
RECENT REPORTS:
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
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