Greetings FMG Members!
From time to time we will be showcasing the truly special FMG member products, ideas, and services that we feel provide the most value to you all.
* FMG showcases are strictly editorial in nature. FMG does not receive any compensation for its recommendations.
To kick this off we are very excited to recommend The Top 250 Most Influential Style Blogs compiled by Signature9.
FMG Member YM Ousley, publisher of lifestyle news site Signature9, recently created a ranking of the top 250 fashion and beauty blogs that combines online statistics including traffic and link data, with measured reader preference. We love their cutting edge, yet thoughtful approach.
We encourage you to download the complete Excel spreadsheet with more than 250 carefully reviewed style blogs, complete with contact and twitter details for each blog.
For FMG members, the first 99 rankings can be viewed at no charge.
There is also a special rate for FMG members interested in the entire list of 250.
This is a real treasure trove of information – a great, great list.
Download the “Style 99” Here:
http://www.signature9.com/style-99/fmg
Who should download the complete Style99 ranking?
- PR Representatives
- Fashion and Beauty Marketers
- Advertisers and Media Buyers
- Industry Enthusiasts looking to join the conversation
Every day, fashion and beauty blogs are attracting larger audiences with deeper influence than ever before.
While millions of hits or thousands of visitors have been the default standards of assessing websites, how a blog affects people it reaches, and the quality of the conversations will become a much more important measure.
We strongly encourage you to support Signature9’s efforts and look forward to hearing from you.
All the Best,
Jed Wexler
Founding Directors
FMG
Here are some of my favorite resources from NY Fashion Week Feb 13-20 last month (by no means comprehensive).
Themes:
Understated high-end look and feel, focus on craftsmanship, low-key shows, a combination of creativity meets commerce, the recession requiring innovative, compelling design.
JC Report:
http://www.jcreport.com/intelligence/zero-maria-cornejo/230209/new-york-fashion-week-review-introspective-tension
http://josieshouseofstyle.blogspot.com/
The use of video and new media by Halston
http://www.halston.com/
Clever use of video garnering a lot of new media attention and sharing throughout the blogosphere.
http://www.businessoffashion.net/2009/02/ceo-talk-bonnie-takhar-chief-executive-officer-and-president-halston.html
California Designers at Bryant Park
http://www.apparelnews.net/fashion/NYFashionWeek/
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/fashion/17REVIEW.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/fashion/16REVIEW.html?_r=1
Designers Share Tents as Cost Cutting Measure:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=awGz2w1_JOSg&refer=muse
Key Quotes:
“To a degree a designer’s job is to tell people what they want before they want it. That used to be a fairly easy game. The recession is also challenging young designers to be innovative – and exposing those who are not.” Cathy Horyn, NY Times
“Right now, what’s going to work is something their customer doesn’t have in her closet and that has a real intrinsic sense of value…Because to be honest there’s been too much product, too much copy-catting, and, probably too much consumerism. I think a sense of clarity, a sense leveling off and a sense of reality is needed.” Anna Wintour (discussing NY Fashion week)
“With global income inequality worsening and a rapidly deteriorating environment social issues have come to the forefront of consumers minds. They now expect a greater commitment to craftsmanship, social causes, and environmental concerns.” Drapers UK.
“The satisfaction that customers draw from receiving advice and counseling is crucial” (President of Shiseido on the ‘new’ importance of close client/customer relationships)
If any FMG members attended NY Fashion Week, what was your take away?
In any event this is an incredible opportunity for innovation in design, marketing, and distribution.Feel free to ping me anytime with your thoughts.
We have been doing quite a bit of thinking about the online social community sites (we have also been developing them for clients the past year or so). It appears that each of the ‘great’ social sites enjoys a popular rise and has their ‘time’ in the cultural zeitgeist, before a gradual (or precipitous fall). First there was Friendster which exploded about 2001 (arguably created/initiated the online social concept) but imploded because of lack of bandwidth, bad management, timing etc. Then Myspace filled the void and exploded and has since become a tad too young, ‘dirty’ (re: interface) and just fallen behind Facebook (July 2008) in terms of monthly users. Myspace’s zeitgeist moment has past. Myspace has become less of a social lifestyle utility and more of a music marketing platform (for better or for worse). I also think Facebook’s zeitgeist moment may also be in a fragile state. It has exploded steadily over the past 2 years from its .edu-only days to over 100 million unique users per month. One issue is that they just changed their incredibly user-friendly concise 1-page layout into something entirely different. The new layout forces the user to navigate multiple (4-5) pages to learn about someone else (or themselves) – incredibly time consuming. I (and my busy friends) now spend a lot less time on the site. It used to be a 1-page easy-to-digest encapsulation of what someone/brand was about, their likes, and their activities – very addictive. Now it looks like Facebook is trying to become another desktop app to compete with Microsoft Outlook or Google Apps. This is especially limiting for a brand marketing itself via FB. A detailed related article; http://talesfromthedigitalside.com/2008/07/21/has-facebook-jumped-the-shark/
This from "TechCrunch";
"Facebook Platform continues to evolve, which mainly means pushing applications developed by third parties farther and farther away from the home and profile pages. Some Facebook employees have said privately that the platform is dead. Many developers agree. "
This essentially defeats the 'community' purpose...
I am also curious if anyone has noticed similar movements or changes on Linked In that may lead to a diminishing of its current zeitgeist (professional) status. While I know (and greatly respect) that some of these changes reflect a need to monetize their established communities, a pattern (perceived) is starting to form. Some of these sites lose sight of what their users like and use most, and instead become focused on internal strategies pushed forward without enough regard to their users. Concurrently there seems to be a pattern forming here of people joining/using community sites and then being shoehorned into corporate strategy – are they not doing comprehensive research of their ‘customer’ base? More than anything, I am just advocating some balance between commerce, corporate, and community. That said, I think this may pave the way for ‘niche’ social/professional community sites that really listen and provide for a smaller, more focused group of users (around more focused interests and/or industries). I look forward to your feedback. All the Best, Jed Wexler Eight-Eighteen Strategies Agency FMG: Founder/Co-Chair, Fashion Marketing Group