Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry: Winner: Sundance Film Festival: Best Documentary

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Solitude is Warm.

Happy Holidays.

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So who should be scared in 2012? This is an excerpt from an interview just completed with Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape, and highly respected Silicon Alley venture-capitalist. "I think 2012 is the year that retail--retail stores--really starts to feel the pressure. And I don't say that because I don't like retail stores. I loved going to Borders. I thought it was a great consumer experience. And I was a huge fan of Tower Records. But the economic pressure is huge as e-commerce gets more and more viable and as these category killers emerge in the superverticals. If I own mall real estate or retail stores in cities, or if I own chains like electronics chains, I'd be concerned.... I think electronics and clothes are going to be a real pressure point. Home furnishing is going to come under pressure. It's going to get harder and harder to justify the retail store model. The model has this fundamental problem where every store has to have its own inventory and every store is also a warehouse. The economic deadweight of that entire inventory in each store--that's what took down Borders.

Retail runs at very thin margins. So if e-commerce takes a 5 percent or 10 percent or 15 percent bite out of your category, then it becomes harder to stay in business as a retailer. So I think 2012 is the year that that really kicks in."

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Heritage will no Longer Maintain "Luxury Brand Value"

Luxury Brands must become proactive in helping to shape the concept of "heritage. We create our heritage everyday in how what we stand for, and how we communicate our social and lifestyle values. Contemporary Luxury Brands are beginning to recognize that "social caring" and sustainability are a part of the "quality" equation. This is the beginning of 21st century heritage, where history is in the making each and every day, every week, and every season.

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Luxury and Sustainability - Trending into a Movement

The greatest cultural shift of the 21st century is the growing awareness by consumers on the impact of what we buy has on the well being of the planet. Luxury brands and the celebrities whom endorse their products are beginning to lead the way. As luxury brands become more accessible to a broader aspirational customer base, luxury and sustainability will become close friends, adding value from placing greater emphasis on social and environmental excellence. The paradigm shift in what we associate with style and success, is moving quickly to incorporate "awareness" to social issues and sustainability practices.
Profits must be optimized inclusive of these shifts, not simply maximized for short term gain. The math must change in how companies calculate earning a "profit". Luxury brands are in a enviable position in that they attract the attention of so many,
those affluent to buy their products, and many more who hope to. Their influence is undeniable. The recent report entitled
"Deeper Luxury" sponsored by the www.wwf.org.uk offers an insightful study on the trends underway. In fact, it is no longer
a trend, its a movement.

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Nordstrom Opens "Social Charity" Store: Treasure and Bond in Soho

Yesterday, Nordstrom, the highly respected specialty department store entered into the New York marketplace with the opening of a new "concept" store known as "Treasure&Bond", located in Soho, the neighborhood in which I live and work. It is part "product testing", part "focus group" and a marketing investment to shake hands with New York shoppers, announcing their arrival. One of their major messages is that 100% of the "profits" will be donated to several well deserved charities, a direct tie-in to social giving. It is a bold promise, and one which should be clarified. What exactly does the word "profit" mean today. One is lead to believe that the word profit is the "net profit" after the store pays its rent, salaries, marketing and operating expenses. Does that mean that if the revenues of the store are below what it takes to cover its expenses, then no profit will be generated meaning no funds will be donated? The shopper who makes a purchase is likely to assume with certainty that Nordstrom knows how to make a profit. However, this concept store is an experiment, and a risky one. I think Nordstrom means well, but this exciting "promise" illustrates how important it is for brands to think through the consequence of their marketing strategies, before making promises to its shoppers. We are living in a demanding age where transparency and clarity is most valued by the consumer. Better to donate 10% of sales than 100% of profits. As a shopper, I would then know that definitively a portion of the sale is going to the social beneficiaries. No audits of the P&L are necessary. What do you think?

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