With the launch of Windows 7 this week, we've seen a number of product marketing attempts that made us ask "what on earth does this have to do with anything?"
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EPISODE 159
Windows 7 Whopper marketing promotion
Pistachio ad campaign featuring Levi Johnston
Dolce & Gabbana Sony Ericsson Jalou
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Sony Ericsson Jalou, Dolce & Gabbana edition
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)It's not uncommon for fashion houses to lend their brand name clout to cell phones (the LG Prada, anyone?), and Dolce & Gabbana has done it again with the just announced Sony Ericsson Jalou. This stunner has a nice rose hue with real 24-carat-gold plating, so you don't want to be leaving this around unattended. The Dolce & Gabbana version of the phone will of course come with special packaging and accessories, like three satin bags and a special D&G headset with gold accents.
Sony Ericsson Jalou, opened
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)The Dolce & Gabbana version is simply a limited edition of the Jalou, which is designed to look like a cut jewel. It has a 2-inch screen that can double as a mirror at the push of a button "so you can check your hair before a hot date" (If that doesn't scream chick phone, I don't know what does). Features include a Walk Mate step counter, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a music player, a video recorder, Bluetooth, an FM radio, a full browser, a YouTube application, a speakerphone, video calling, A-GPS, Google Maps, e-mail with support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and more. It is a quad-band GSM phone with support for U.S. 3G bands, so you could use it Stateside if you're so inclined to get an unlocked model.
The Jalou will be available in Q4 of this year with other gemstone colors, like Deep Amethust, Aquamarine Blue, and Onyx Black.
BOSTON--Is a fashion and tech industry partnership the equivalent of mixing plaids with stripes, or is this a case of black and white being the perfect match?
After all, there are not many tech events where you need an Italian translator on hand.
John Lester, director of business development and academic programs at Linden Labs, shows Second Life's ''Second Style' fashion magazine.
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)Members from both groups eagerly met Tuesday to discuss their mating potential at a place they could both feel comfortable--the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston. The event was hosted by Moda e Technologia, an Italian nonprofit organization that promotes fashion and tech exchange. Big names present included Linden Labs, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, and Italian filmmaker Giacomo Faenza who showed his online short Gadget Men.
A fashion-technology partnership is an obvious benefit for both industries. Venues like Second Life or My Virtual Model could serve as a place for the fashion industry to promote brands and virtually develop the worlds they attempt to create through their clothing lines. Fashion jumping into the world of Web 2.0, virtual worlds, and tech-related products could in turn draw in mainstream shoppers who might not have otherwise bothered before with that kind of tech.
But the event itself revealed fundamental differences, with one crowd easily slipping into presentations with their laptops and the others needing a little tech support when their turn came.
Dolce & Gabbana is known for having already jumped headfirst into technology with digital media promotions, cell phones, ring tones, and wallpaper. They are one of the fashion companies that do seem to get that they can use the Internet and its new tools to both enhance brand image and create new streams of revenue. But even their own digital marketing guy said it could be hard to convince companies to understand the importance of creating things like a virtual presence and products for avatars. Dennis Valle, director of media interaction at Dolce & Gabbana, said that the move to digital is a big jump that will require teaching a whole industry a new vocabulary and explanation of context.
People in the fashion industry normally do their advertising through their fabric and their market research by talking to people out in the world when they travel, he said.
"Advergame, edutainment, advertorial, and docudrama are new terms that will become part of companies' everyday use...Sensorial marketing, a way to understand consumers' actions, thoughts, and intentions, could translate into a new way to meet their needs," Valle said.
After giving a forthright and informative presentation on My Virtual Model, an avatar creation site that incorporates brand name clothes, Louise Guay, the company's president and founder, was met with a question that showed not everyone in her audience had started with her from the same place.
Marina Garzoni, founder of Moda e Technologia, a Milan-based non-profit organization that seeks to bring tech and fashion together.
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)So how much do people pay to use this avatar person, asked one audience member? She raised her eyebrows in delightful surprise once Guay explained that it was not the user who paid, but the company promoting the brand.
John Lester, director of business development and academic programs at Linden Labs, explained Second Life's business model by comparing its in-world users to people browsing the Internet for free and its islands or presences as hosted Web sites.
Lester, on the other hand, was not as savvy when it came to fashion. He proudly explained the user-friendly way in which people can incorporate clothing and body parts into their Second Life avatars with a runway worthy slide show and real-time presentation of fashion forward avatars in Second Life. But when he pointed out that friends can even duplicate outfits so they can wear the same thing, he was met with a few snickers and giggles from the audience.
He did, however, manage to hit the important points.
"Whatever you do in Second Life you retain all of the intellectual property rights...Our community is more gender-balanced...our user base has a median age of 35, and it's very international with 70 percent of users outside the U.S.," he said.
What's more, Second Life already has a thriving fashion scene including lighting effects, night clubs, dancing, and even its own Vogue equivalent. He showed Second Style, a virtual magazine whose publisher makes money by selling ad space to retailers of not just avatar clothes, but body parts like noses, lips, and hair. During one phenomenon, Second Life avatars even carried around chickens as an accessory.
Now that's something you don't see on the runway.
(Credit:
Neiman Marcus)
When Crave first mentioned the Dolce & Gabbana Razr, its prices were around $300 or $400, which we thought was plenty considering that it was just a plain old Motorola phone underneath a skin of faux gold. Now, we find out, it was only the beginning.
For the true D&G experience, Neiman Marcus is offering the "Luxury Package" for holiday shopping, which includes a metallic gold leather case, a gold Blutooth headset, a pair of earbuds with gold accents and, of course, a gold-and-silver-tone box. All for only $900.
But for the thriftier among us, the phone alone can be purchased for $600. Such a deal.
When Motorola launched the Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana, the most ridiculous thing about it wasn't its brash gold skin but rather its sky-high $400 price tag. After all, it was just a regular old Razr. The only difference was it came with a label and a Dolce & Gabbana cell phone dangle.
But now there's good news for anyone itching to flash the device on the street but lacking the necessary dollars to make it happen. As of today T-Mobile now offers the phone for a somewhat more reasonable $300 with service.
Interestingly, though, the Dolce & Gabbana handset does not come with integrated support for iTunes. We're not fans of the iTunes/Motorola marriage by any means, but the support for Apple's popular service is one of the major selling points of Cingular's original Razr V3i. T-Mobile customers will have to live with Moto's generic music player, though all other features are the same.
(Photo: CNET Networks)
On Sale Now: $227.95
View the latest prices for Motorola Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana (T-Mobile)
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