Slow Down, Speed Up

The slowdown has caused many companies, including Agrani, to re-evaluate and re-structure. But as news of a global rebound in the economy continues to surface, we see that some companies are keeping their slim staffs and approach in order to remain profitable.

Major selloffs in the contemporary art world could spell trouble, but there are great treasures being found in local and mid-career artists. Fashion companies are turning to technology such as iPhone apps to brand and encourage e-commerce. Luxury brands are also seing an increase in sales within the digital arena.

We are seeing that brands who have wrestled with the downturn with clenched fists while strategizing, are the most vulnerable to this shift. Those who have taken the opportunity to solidify their branding and online efforts are able to flow with the change much easier.

New Artists

We are pleased to announce our return from summer relaxation with two new artists added to our roster, Hunt Slonem and Jennifer Delilah.

We'll keep you posted on all of our activities for the Fall!

Summertime Embrace

Summer is here. Time for less work and more play. Those in this industry know that we have a small window of time (July) to unwind and truly relax before we start all over again. Be it in the Montauk, Europe, LA or in the wilderness, I'm going to try to have a really, really good time.

Enjoy yourselves and check back in with me mid-August!

Spring Launches

Allison Parris May 14th @ The Gates, NYC
Alex Turco May 16th @ Establishment, NYC

The Aba Agency on Black Enterprise

Our client, The Aba Agency, has just been quoted in a piece Black Enterprise has been working on about business success. Well said, Aba!

Build it, they will come...

Walking into the Chelsea Art Museum's Modern Modern opening reception last night, one may have had trouble deciding if they were walking into a gallery in Berlin, Paris or indeed, Chelsea New York. Curated by Pati Hertling, this exhibition put forth “contemporary works of another time”. The artwork displayed “Modernist aesthetics without the idealogy that supported modernist works of art”.

In curating this exhibition, Pati was questioning what comes after the contemporary art movement and looked at the unconscious relationship these artists had with each other. Works by Elizabeth Peyton, Amelie von Wulffen, Cecily Brown, Jonas Lipps among others (most of which living and working in Berlin) show an “emotional approach to the language of modernism” while at the same time having “no universal way to describe them.”

I carefully quote the statements posted on the exhibition walls because I personally know how difficult it was for Pati to translate these ideas into words. Agrani Consulting had been called in by CAM to help promote the exhibition in its early stages.

But in the end, the type of opening reception Pati had in mind was precisely this one: a solid group of artists and art enthusiasts, a closely knit group of people is all that mattered. No need for wild postings, banner ads or multiple emails reminding people to come. Those who were in the know knew. So there was no need for my marketing services, nonetheless, I was curious to see how it all panned out. You see, there are brands in the marketplace that are similar to Modern Modern and Pati Hertling. Brands that are confident enough in their position to know that those in the know will know, so all that is needed to focus on is getting what they do right. It can be nerve-wracking for traditionalists, but I am finding that more brands in the art, luxury and fashion category are placing all their bets on their niche and it’s working for them.

Modern Modern, Chelsea Art Museum April 17-June 13, 2009

Guy Stanley Philoche on Ebony.com

We secured for our client, painter Guy Stanley Philoche, a spot on Ebony.com in their new Arts & Culture section launched a few weeks ago.

It ran on Friday, April 10, 2009 and today it is on their homepage.

As magazines and newspapers continue to decline in readership, we see that the online versions of publications not only get measurable traffic, but also instant updates and the flexibility for readers to read information in a variety of environments.

Congratulations, Guy, and we look forward to your continued success!

True Luxury

Luxury has certainly become an over-used term in the marketplace, especially during the last few years. Brands, in an effort to justify their higher prices, have slapped on the word in order to falsely position themselves in the marketplace.

Many of the luxury brands that we are so familiar with today such as Hermes, Burberry and Louis Vuitton, started out as business that solely catered to the royal and aristocratic families of that time. European families grew up with the idea that if they purchased or invested in a high-quality product, they would not have to make that very same purchase any time soon, and thus kept a lid on the consumerism that we see so much of today. These customers truly had the financial resources that allowed them to source exotic fabrics and materials. Companies in turn had the time it takes to truly craft (i.e. 1 person creating a handbag) a luxury product.

In the late '90s, under the direction of Bernard Arnault, Louis Vuitton as both a company and a conglomerate began to outpace its competitors in mentality and production. It seems as if they single-handedly for better or for worse created the pseudo-luxury environment in which we live in today. Add to this a mix of American consumerism which has caught on in Asia and Russia, and we end up with a sort of watered down vision of the consumer and questionable quality of product.

The list of luxury brands and consumerism continues as we go beyond fashion into food, housing, transportation, hotels, electronics, etc. Yet if one looks close enough, he/she will find that in each of these categories there are subtle words, emotions and values that are attributed in order to define this new sense of luxury which appeals to the emotional needs of the consumer.

As true luxury marketers, we must ask fully examine the quality of the product itself, and if it does not hold up to those standards, seek more accurate terms such as high-end, premium, and prestige to serve the dual purpose of awakening the now numb consumer and touch on the more complex and segmented demographic. In doing so, we may find that we can find a balance between truth in product and consumer needs, and move forward in a direction that is best for both parties involved.

Image: Roland Nivelais couture gown Fall 2007

New York Fashion Week

Initially, I was surprised at the number of shows this season. With all of the news about retail stocks dramatically dipping, the credit crunch and designers backing out of full blown shows, I thought that there would be less. 

But the old American sentiment of working hard and hoping for the best came through. We won't know until late fall how successful the end product really was. 

It appears that no one demonstrated a sense of trepidation and caution displayed during the Fall 2008 shows. It appeared as if each designer was carving out a niche of distinction for themselves, and indeed, may report that the best-selling pieces are those that are unique and different.

There was also an influx of new or international designers taking the opportunity of a smaller show calendar to finally show during New York Fashion Week. 

Overall, some of my personal favorites were, Lacoste, Alexander Wang, Georges Chakra, Catherine Malandrino, Derek Lam, Preen and Michael Kors (Style.com and YouTube carry great features of these shows.)

Still, I couldn't get the impending doom, gloom and darkness out of my head-- I'm looking forward to seeing the looks from Milan and Paris to piece everything together.

Photos: Karl Rothenberger

An Inauguration Ball and A Celebration of Change for the World

We were asked to assist with the publicity for Africa Aspire's Inauguration Ball, Celebration of Change for the World, honoring President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

Not such an easy task considering the fact that there are seemingly dozens of Inauguration balls being held that day in DC and around the country. Yet this one is unique, because the organization was founded on the principals that then Senator Obama inspired --to work together in spite of geographical, cultural, political boundaries to make the world better.

Hosted by Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright and a performance from Les Nubians, it was a wonderful evening, a wonderful start to the New Year.

www.africa-aspire.org

L-R Oswald Boateng, AKON. Photo Credit: David dePas

Happy New Year!!

"If you can't move fast, you'll be run over by companies who can," says B.L. Ochman of the whatsnextblog.

Don't forget solid planning and contingency plans (more detailed than throwing it all in and aspiring to open up a coconut juice stand on an island in the South Pacific!)

Say goodbye to the panic and fear of 2008, welcome 2009 with creativity and a well thought out strategy.