Monday, October 31, 2011

Breast Cancer Awareness Month




October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The good news is that breast cancer is a disease that can be treated and cured, that is why early detection is so important.  I personally encourage every women to do regular self examination as well as annual mammograms.  I have started my screening at age 32 and have yearly mammograms as part of my annual check-up.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been named since 1985; however, it was not until 1993  when Evelyn Lauder, VP of Estee Lauder Cosmetics founded the Breast Cancer  Research Foundation and established the pink ribbon as its symbol.  Since then, many companies have participated in this campaign introducing "pink" products that donate all or partial profits to cancer research. 



Also during the month, many world-famous landmarks are illuminated in pink light to draw attention to the importance of mammography screening for early diagnosis of breast cancer as well as the research for finding ways to cure and prevent breast cancer.  Some of these landmarks are:

Curitiba, Brazil - Jardin Botanico


Tokyo Tower, Japan


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Corcovado

Washington, DC - White House

Sydney Harbour, Australia

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Art Fallout 2011 - Local contemporary art event in Fort Lauderdale


I attended for the first time the Art Fallout event in Fort Lauderdale last weekend.  It was a great way to spend the Saturday afternoon with friends and see first hand the work of local artists.  The event was held at multiple galleries around town serviced by a chartered bus and it was free to the public. 

The first gallery we visited was the Girl's Club which featured the work of aspiring local artists.  The work was mainly contemporary art featuring photographs and paintings on paper.  People were encouraged to leave their comments to the artists on sticky notes next to their work and it was a fun way to engage people.  I was surprised to see many children enjoying these experience and I think its a great way to introduce them to art at a young age.




Next we visited the Sailboat Bend Artists Loft gallery.  If you never heard of it, the name is pretty much self explanatory - an artist-run collective space of gallery exhibition in a live/work loft style facility.  There were many sculptures and contemporary work by well known local artists.  I particularly enjoyed the work of Jeremiah Jenner, who showcased his paintings and photographs at his loft.  His minimalist style was sleek yet contemporary with many great pieces at affordable prices.

The other galleries included the Museum of Art, FAT Village Artists District, Full Circle Gallery and Legacy Art Studio.  The event was in tandem with National Arts and Humanities month and it was a great way to welcome people in the world of arts and culture.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

iThink Different: the Steve Jobs legacy


"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, the world has lost an amazing human being."  This is an excerpt from Apple's tribute to Steve Jobs after his passing last week.  The word "visionary" which by definition is - one who can envision the future - is so much powerful than CEO or Chairman of the Board, words that often are used to describe the head of corporations.  So why aren't there many other CEOs deserving of this title?

Frankly I have been reflecting on this the past few days which led me to write this article.  In my opinion, I think that innovation - which is an easier metaphor for visionary - has been replaced with short-term earnings estimates, internal politics and greed, which are often the causes of troubled companies in this economic downturn such as Netflix and HP among others.

To be able to launch products or services that change the way people live their lives - such as the Ipod, Iphone and Ipad - CEO's need to know their customers, empower their employees and create a culture of brand advocates both inside and outside the company.  This is true specially today in the age of social media where companies can no longer "sell" products to consumers.  They need to engage and enchant people who in turn will check with their friends, read reviews and make the purchasing decision by themselves.  The era of "push" advertising is over, now consumers "pull" the information they need based on their time, needs and wants.

"Creative genius" is another powerful legacy of Steve Jobs.  He was a Marketing guru who was able to make people believe they couldn't live without the latest Apple gadget.  The line between need and want got blurred and I am living proof that this line exists.  I am one of the few people who doesn't own any of Apple's products even though I am quite a fan of the company.  The secrecy around Apple's product pipelines, the notorious product launch presentations are a few examples of how effective these simple Marketing strategies were in generating demand for their products.  And demand they did, much so that people stood in line for days to get their hands on the next Ipod, Ipad and Iphone.

Steve Job's also proved to be very business sawy when he made the decision to open the Apple stores.  At the time, competitors like Gateway and Dell were focusing on direct sales to lower its costs, but Jobs vision was to give consumers the best experince to learn about Apple products.  It paid off.  The company opened its iconic stores in high end addresses such as New York Fifth Avenue, which sells the equivalent of a Mercedes-Benz C300 in iPods, MacBooks and iPhones per square foot and is the top-selling store in "tony street".  Not to mention the four Apple stores recently opened in China, that generate, on average, the highest traffic and highest revenue of any company stores in the world. 

So why is Apple different?  Because it empowers its employees, enchants its customers and is constantly innovating.  It's not complicated but it requires leadership. Leadership by visionaries like Steve Jobs who are bold enough to take risks.  Thank you Steve Jobs.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana bid farewall to the D&G brand


D&G Spring 2012 collection at Milan last week was as glamorous as ever.   Models strolled down the catwalk in sexy printed dresses, gold jewelry, sleek handbags and one of a kind ankle tie pumps.  The designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana once again dazzled the crowd with an over the edge collection targeting the youthful trendy consumer.  But to everybody dismay, once the show was over, the designers confirmed the rumors that D&G will no longer exist as a secondary brand to its Dolce and Gabbana line, putting an end to months of speculation in the matter.

It is not uncommon for luxury designers to add a less expensive brand to attract a wider range of consumers.  The right segmentation and positioning is key to achieve marketing success and profitability in both brands.  In the case of D&G, the brand was highly profitability to the franchise - which is still a private company - to the tune of 45% share in a $2.2B business.  However, the lack of differentiation both in the label and price has caused many consumers of the most expensive Dolce & Gabbana brand to switch to its less expensive, lower margin business.  To avoid further deterioration of its core business, the designers opted to end the D&G line and stick to its luxury brand.  "Now we focus on what is Dolce & Gabbana," explained Stefano Gabbana who stresses that he wants to focus on his legacy and be remembered by its top line brand.

So, as D&G says goodbye to the fashion world, let's take a moment to cherish the best looks of its last runaway collection.