What Would You Do?

In the movie Tootsie, the main actor brands himself and creates a certain reputation. This reputation is not one that most people want to have though. Michael has not had a job for two years and wonders why. He talks to his agent and the agent says that no one wants to work with him because he is to much maintenance. This is when we first see the “brand” that Michael has created for himself. “A company entering a crowded market place with a new product may rely on their existing brand to help it succeed” (More Than A Name, 17). In class we have discussed that people look at the past to see what is to come. They use the past to help determine if the brand is something they want to be apart of or not. Based on his past actions, Michael is having a hard time becoming a true actor. The number of actors seeking careers in New York is very high meaning that Michael is trying to compete with a lot of people. However, he is also competing against himself. The existing reputation he has is very poor and in order to get hired he needs to prove that he has changed. If producers had experienced better situations with him then Michael might not have such a hard time finding a job as an actor.  I think that throughout the movie though he has one good quality that could ultimately achieve his goal in getting a better reputation.

In order for a brand to succeed, there must be passion. Michael is very passionate about acting. In the movie Michael is at his birthday party and rather than enjoying it, he is asking people about acting. This helps us see that he cares very strongly about his career as an actor. “The key to good product design…is to care about what you are creating: “It is about focus and caring…Bad products testify to people not caring. Our goal is to develop the very best products we can. Some things you rely on intuitively to say ‘yes, this is right’”(More Than A Name, 170). Michael cares so much about his passion to act that he dresses up as a woman. He does this in hopes to change the way that producers look at him. He wants to gain their respect so that he will be able to get hired more often. Overall, Michael does whatever it takes to overcome what he did wrong when branding himself which was creating a negative outlook that people in the acting business have on him. 

How has fashion, design, and creativity changed you?

Over the years I have not really thought about who I am as a person. Not until recently did I really start to think about the question "Who am I?". I did not grow up in a place where fashion and design were important to people. As a result, I always felt alone in some way until just recently. I just moved to Las Vegas a couple months ago for my first quarter of college. It is the first time I have had to deal with the real world and have many first-time experiences. With these situations I have faced I have tried to learn from them and grow as an individual. “Creativity has been pegged to conducive environments, perfect collaborators, personality traits, serendipity, and even spiritual muses” (http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/creativity). Due to the fact that I am going to the Art Institute in Las Vegas, I am surrounded by creative people everyday. I am always seeing new trends and looks and I find them inspiring. “…pointing to inspiring people and allowing ourselves to be impressed is very important.  It teaches us that great things are possible” (http://www.relaxfocussucceed.com/Articles/2003040001.htm). Being inspired by all the students around me has made me realize that there is nothing to be afraid of. Over the years, I have been a very shy person and I have not had the confidence to say what I am thinking. This is because I fear that if my ideas are different compared to other peoples then I am wrong, but after seeing how creative people can be I have realized that difference is good. People are never going to view something the same way. It is always going to be different. “The fashion world understands that creativity is a collaborative and community affair” (http://learcenter.org/pdf/RTSControlofCreativity.pdf). Since I am studying fashion, this realization has led me to try new looks. It is making me expand my ideas and outlook as a fashion professional and it will continue to grow as I experience more in my lifetime. 

How To Make It In America Analysis

In How To Make It In America, I was able to see what to do and what not to do when trying to create a brand. From the beginning of the show Cam and Ben did not have a plan whatsoever. They simply just went with the flow. When they first created their brand Crisp they were searching for a supplier of denim but payed no attention to the fact that they needed a pattern maker first. This wasted a lot of their time that they could have spent creating a pattern and selling their product. They should have created a SWOT analysis to help identify there weakness’ and strengths. “A SWOT analysis identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and can be used in many different situations” (How Brands Are Made, 36). Cam and Ben also did not make very smart investments. They got their loans from a loan shark which ultimately lost them some money rather than make money. One thing they did very well was network. They were always going to events and talking to people that they knew were in the business. “Brands can also use promotion to set a brand experience and product expectation even before the product or service is launched” (How Brands Are Made, 163). Cam and Ben were promoting their brand and trying to talk people into helping them with their product. I think that if Cam and Ben were more organized and created a list of objectives with their brand and the development of it they would have been a lot more successful. They would have been able to identify their competitors, their overall cost to make the product, the time needed, and many other things. “Any successful brand needs to be part of a clearly defined set of objectives. Good objectives are often described as ‘SMART’”(How Brands Are Made, 41). SMART is the minimum objectives that one should look at when starting a brand. It stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time. If they would have looked at all these objectives then I think they would've been able to do a lot more with Crisp than just selling 300 t-shirts. 

Tim Horton's

Tim Horton’s is a brand that was created in 1964. It was created by the famous hockey player Tim Horton who wanted to open up a doughnut shop. Tim Horton’s has sold coffee and doughnuts for many years. “Beyond the original menu that featured only coffee and doughnuts, Joyce expanded to include tea and hot chocolate, with an eye on warming up customers in the cold Canadian climate. The baked goods were expanded to include muffins, croissants, cookies, danishes, bagels” (http://www.timhortons.com/us/en/corporate/profile.php). Tim Hortons is the largest quick service restaurant in Canada. It also has many stores in the United States. Most of it’s stores are open 24 hours in order to serve all customers possible and make them happy. Tim Horton’s is always trying to keep its reputation of having the best coffee. “To ensure the coffee is always fresh, Tim Hortons serves its coffee within 20 minutes of being brewed or it's not served at all” ( http://www.timhortons.com/us/en/corporate/profile.php). This lets customers know that the company cares about both the customers and the quality of their product. Recently there was a big announcement made about Tim Horton’s and Burger King. The two companies will be merging together. Burger King will be buying Tim Horton for 11.4 billion dollars. “Burger King says the companies will be run separately. There won't be Whoppers alongside the doughnuts” (http://www.npr.org/2014/08/27/343623227/canadians-fret-merger-with-burger-will-change-tim-hortons). I have looked at other brands that have merged in the past and I don’t think that people will stop buying Burger King if it expands itself to Canada. If people like eating there then they will keep going there. They are not just going to abandon it because it is no longer an American brand. I think that Burger King will not lose business but rather gain some from this merger. 

Ferguson and Marketing

In the event that recently occurred in Ferguson, MO many questions have been brought to attention about the way police treat the people. We all know that police are supposed to serve and protect people in their city/town but in Ferguson this is different. Police scare people more than they protect them. “The images of police in riot gear armed with heavy weaponry and tanks has at times become the alarming backdrop for the Ferguson story, with pictures that television can’t resist” (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/19/heavy-metal-why-ferguson-has-conservatives-challenging-military-style-police/). This is bad because the police department is marketing themselves as being violent and ruthless. They are making it so people view them in a negative way rather than a positive way. Another way that they are marketing themselves wrong is that they don’t fully answer the questions they are asked. In the interview we watch in class, a head of one of the police departments was asked the percentage of whites on his squad. He didn’t say the percentage of whites but says “three African Americans…there are actually six but one left rarely recently..we also have a Hispanic and two Pacific Islanders” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUdHIatS36A&sns=tw). He knows that the majority of the police are Caucasian. Another way that the police department is marketing itself in a poor way is that its police are dressing like they are fighting a war. “Aside from the egregious violation of civil liberties, the most worrying development of the crackdown is how the police have appeared and acted like soldiers..treating the streets of Missouri as if they were the streets of Kabul or Baghdad. Instead of blue uniforms they’re wearing camouflage and SWAT gear…holding batons in their hands, they’re armed to the teeth with assault rifles. Instead of keeping their sidearms in their holsters, they’re pointing sniper rifles directly at civilians” (http://www.salon.com/2014/08/19/they_are_no_longer_police_why_ferguson_reminds_us_that_we_are_not_exceptional/). As a result of this people feel as if they are in a war. Police are making people feel unsafe at all times when it should be the other way around. People should feel like police are protecting them and not threatening them. Overall, Ferguson police have created themselves to be seen negatively due to their actions and their marketing. 

Networking In America

Networking is a big part of making a brand become successful. “Professional growth depends on networking, and should be viewed as an important part of your branding strategy” (http://www.business2community.com/branding/5-ways-networking-can-help-personal-brand-0899167#!bDDBwZ). In the fifth episode of "How To Make It In America", Cam and Ben show a variety of ways to network. First of all, they play basketball with a group of guys that could potentially be customers. Cam and Ben also notice an old friend in the street that is involved in the fashion industry. Cam, being the confident person he is, yells to their friend and there three men start talking. The man says how he is busy but Cam keeps akin if he wants to grab a coffee and give him and Ben tips for their brand. Their friend finally gives in. While the three men are talking, Cam and Ben’s friend says he knows a buyer from Japan who is in town for a little while. He says how he can set Cam and Ben up for a meeting with him. This is good because Cam and Ben have networked and are now creating new relationships with possible business partners. As the episode continues it is time for the meeting with the buyer. Cam shows up all alone at first and this is where he makes his first mistake. Instead of walking into the office and making himself stand out he just sits down like the rest of the people waiting. “The more unique your approach is, the better chance you have of catching the eye of potential customers” (http://www.knockoutwords.com/5-ways-you-can-make-your-brand-stand-out/). Cam should've grabbed their business cards and he should've stayed standing. If he stayed standing this would have made him stand out from everyone else. Another mistake that both Cam and Ben made was that they only had one sample. All the other designers in the office had racks of clothing. They should have provided more for the buyer to see however, when Cam and Ben leave the buyer notices Ben’s shirt. He loves the look of it and how it is has an antique feeling. Ben says how he made it himself in high school. This shows that sometimes the simple things are the best for a business. “A simple idea behind a creative output is much easier to grasp and retain than a collection of complex ideas” (More Than A Name). Cam and Ben are then asked to make 300 shirts and that is where Cam and Ben take the next step for their brand.

McDonald's and Hot Coffee

In the year 1992 McDonald's was sued by an elderly woman named Stella Liebeck for their coffee being to hot (https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts). This story was soon spread all over the nation but did people really know the full story? The answer is no. The story that people knew was that she spilled her coffee on herself while she was driving her car. “Typical reaction: Isn’t coffee supposed to be hot? And McDonald’s didn’t pour the coffee on her, she spilled it on herself! Besides, she was driving the car and wasn’t paying attention” (https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts). Stella was actually a passenger in the car that her grandson was driving and wanted to add cream to her coffee so she asked him to pull over. It was at this point that the coffee spilt into her lap and she received severe burns. “A vascular surgeon determined that Liebeck suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas” (http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm). Stella wanted to sue McDonald’s for more money than they were willing to give her so she went to court. Stella argued that the coffee should not have been as hot as it was. McDonald’s accepted that they had done something wrong in order to defend themselves. Stella asked McDonald’s for just enough money to pay her medical bills but McDonald’s refused to give her the money. Liebeck’s attorney kept making offers. McDonald’s did not accept any of the offers so the jury had to decide. “The jury awarded Liebeck $200,000 in compensatory damages but dropped this sum to $160,000 since it felt Liebeck was 20-percent at fault for her accident…the punitive damages against McDonald’s…pegged at $2.7 million” (http://mentalfloss.com/article/26862/real-details-hot-coffee-lawsuit). It is not really known for sure whether this settlement occurred but it is known that they did reach an undisclosed out-of-court settlement. McDonald’s is also selling their coffee at a lower temperature. 

How To Make It In America Week 3

In this weeks episode of "How To Make It In America", Cam and Ben realize that they need to start organizing a plan. In order for this to take place they must ask themselves a few questions. The first one is “What do you do better than anyone else?” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2013/11/12/7-questions-to-ask-when-uncovering-your-personal-brand/). Cam and Ben know the denim business better than anyone else. Ben tells his dad that he went to fashion school, has dealt with denim, and has learned how to deal with consumers. These are all benefits for the two when they are trying to create this brand. They know what sells and what does not. Another question they must ask themselves is “What makes the way you achieve results interesting or unique?” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2013/11/12/7-questions-to-ask-when-uncovering-your-personal-brand/). Cam and Ben definitely have a unique way of achieving things. Cam is spontaneous and if he has an idea he will just go with it. For example, in episode three he decides to sell a bunch of skateboards in order to get the $1500 for the pattern maker. This shows that Cam doesn't care if his idea might not work but it is better to try than to just sit back. Ben is also spontaneous. He uses the money for his rent to pay the pattern maker even though this means he might get evicted. He cares so much about the denim that he doesn't want this idea to fail. These are two examples of how the men achieve things in interesting and unique ways. A third question the two men should ask themselves is “What are your true passions?” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2013/11/12/7-questions-to-ask-when-uncovering-your-personal-brand/). For a brand to actually succeed their must be passion behind it. Cam and Ben are both passionate about this idea they have and are determined to do whatever it takes to succeed. They are willing to take risks. The passion they have for their denim brand shows that this brand will continue to grow in episodes to come. Overall, the two men are finally realizing that in order for their brand to succeed they must have a plan and realize their strengths and weaknesses.

More In America

When a person starts a brand they must understand the background of the product completely and become familiar with the steps taken in order for the brand to succeed. “Any successful brand needs to be part of a clearly defined set of objectives” ( More Than A Name, 41). In the second episode of the series “How To Make It In America”, Cam and Ben show both good and bad attributes they have while creating their brand. 

In this episode, Cam and Ben continue to show that they are willing to take risks. One night the two men go to their friends party so they can network. “Every product or service that operates in a competitive environment needs to be supported by branding and communication to explain to its audience why it exists or why it has changed” ( More Than A Name, 45). It is beneficial that Cam and Ben network so that people hear of their brand and become more familiar with it. While there, they notice a well-known designer. The men are introduced to the designer and are asked to join him for drinks. Soon enough, they realize that they are just two men along with many other people sitting at the table that has no importance. Ben tells Cam it is time for them to leave but Cam does something very surprising. He makes a toast to the designer which results in the designer having a meeting with them. This is an example of a good action the men take for their brand. 

When Cam and Ben go to the meeting the next day, they end up seeing the artistic director of denim. They ask him about the company’s manufacturer and the man then asks Cam and Ben who their pattern maker is. The men reply by saying they do not have one. This is when we realize they have done something wrong. “A lot of corporate identity projects fail because they are not set up properly” (Ralph Ardill, More Than A Name, 47). Cam and Ben do not know the process needed in order to create the jeans and this will set them back. They now have to make up for lost time and look for a pattern maker.

My Voice

Working in the fashion world has always been a dream of mine. Fashion allows people to express themselves to others; what a person wears helps them show not only a person’s creativity but also one’s personality.  All facets of the fashion industry excite me; however I am more focused on the business side, fashion merchandising and marketing, rather than fashion design. The business side of fashion allows many choices for a career.  One can become a fashion buyer, visual merchandiser, or a boutique owner.  All of these potential career choices excite me. I am a college student and relatively new to this field. I have not had much experience working in this field, although I worked at my aunt’s boutique and helped her dress the shop windows. I am a college student pursuing my BS degree in fashion retail management at Art Institute of Las Vegas.  After I graduate, I will travel so I can further understand fashion as it exists in different cultures.  This will provide me with a strong basis for understanding what consumers want in different cultures as well as what raw materials are available in different countries. Such travel will help me become a better buyer or visual merchandiser.

How To Make It In America

There are certain actions one must take when trying to create a successful brand. “Every part of a marketing communications mix impacts the brand: advertising, design, market research, public relations, investor relations and social responsibility” (More Than A Name, 9). The show “How To Make It In America”, shows how two men, Cam and Ben, try to create their own denim brand. It is through their actions that the audience learns some of the “do’s and don’ts” of brand creation. 

In this movie, one of the men works in a denim store selling jeans. "A company entering a crowded market place with a new product may rely on their existing brand to help it succeed" (More Than A Name, 17). This helps the entrepreneurs because they can rely on their experience they have from the denim store and have a better understanding of the local market. Risk taking, ambitiousness, and networking are utilized, all of which are invaluable in launching a successful brand. "It is this audience that has the power to change and influence the direction of branding" (More Than A Name, 32). If they network and create connections with people their brand is more likely to succeed. While they purchase leather jackets to make some money to invest in their business, Ben wants to buy a roll of unused high quality denim fabric that he thinks could be useful for the business. Ben is ambitious and is willing to take a risk.  Unfortunately, Cam says no.  Later they meet an old high school friend named David, who at Ben’s request, loans them $3,000 and Ben buys the denim.  By taking such risks, Ben shows that he believes in the brand and himself.  This also shows that he understands that investors can make or break a business.  

Unfortunately there are a few things that Ben and Cam didn’t do right in trying to get their brand created.  Their risk taking was not done in a responsible way because they obtained a loan without a repayment agreement.  They also purchased raw material without a plan as to how to use it and lacked any market research regarding products, pricing, design, and advertising.