| NEWS 06.16.09 11:46 AM |
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Industry Leaders at BizBash L.A. Expo Stress Innovation and Negotiation
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FROM LOS ANGELES
The right response to these times is to adapt, innovate, and negotiate. That was the message communicated by many of the speakers at the BizBash Los Angeles Expo at the L.A. Mart on June 11—who overwhelmingly believed that getting smart and staying positive are the most productive reactions to economic challenges. “It's easy to be good in good times," said veteran publicist Howard Bragman of Fifteen Minutes, an inductee in BizBash's hall of fame.
To be good in bad times, planners are developing their negotiating skills and casting wide nets. To keep costs manageable, Warner Brothers special events director Hillary Harris now gets three outside bids, as well as a bid from the studio’s appropriate internal department. “That keeps everybody honest,” said Harris, who responded quickly to the downturn by restructuring her team and encouraging the group to innovate and learn new skills. She has begun training her team in AutoCAD drafting and design software to provide a higher level of service for events on the lot. “If you can’t significantly change your budget, what’s the added value you can bring? What separates you from your peers is being ahead of the game. [My group meets every day so] there’s feedback and it keeps my team enthused. It’s really paid off well.”
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Warner Brothers, Mattel |
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| EVENT REPORT 03.11.09 4:07 PM |
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For Barbie's 50th Anniversary, Mattel Makes Life-Size Malibu Dream House
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FROM LOS ANGELES
You might say that Mattel had an insta-theme for its Los Angeles bash for about 200 celebrating the iconic Barbie doll's 50th anniversary. Playing off the Malibu Dream House toy—a coveted accessory for the doll—organizers picked a real life beach house on Pacific Coast Highway and went wild with full-size incarnations of the doll's tiny treasures and pleasures. The date of the party, March 9, was the doll's actual birth—er—launch day at New York's Toy Fair 50 years ago.
Mattel's Lauren Dougherty—along with two other co-chairs of the marketing campaign, Liz Grampp and Brad Armistead—tapped Colin Cowie to plan the party and conjure the food and beverage ideas and Jonathan Adler to decorate the interior of the home. "Barbie is a reflection of fashion, pop culture, and aspiration, and that's really how we celebrated her for her 50th birthday," Dougherty said. "In many ways, the Malibu Dream House [party] was the quintessential moment [in the campaign] because she is a California girl—this was our big marquee moment."
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Barbie, Mattel, Jonathan Adler, Volkswagen, Fashion Week |
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| GUEST QUESTIONS 02.18.09 10:15 AM |
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Fashion Week Attendees Approve of McDonald's Lounge, Stress Importance of Sponsorships
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 | Barbie's display in the tent lobby
Photo: BizBash |
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Fashion Week is well under way, and despite the economic crisis crippling many corporations, IMG's tents at Bryant Park are packed with booths and promotions from various companies. Ranging from McDonald's first appearance to the return of car displays from Mercedes-Benz and a coat check booth by Chambord, the in-tent sponsorships serve to attract the attention of designers and fashion editors, who mostly agree that the branding is keeping the biennial event alive. Here's what they had to say when we asked for their take on all the marketing gimmicks.
"I actually love this little McCafé booth. I'm here working on a story, and I think I'm going to camp out here all week. I rarely have coffee, but I came in and the cappuccino was very good. Will it bring me to McDonald's? I don't know, maybe if I pass by one. At Fashion Week this year, you've got lots of sponsors, and it seems to get bigger and bigger every season."
—Kelly Carter, reporter, People
"I think it's great that this is happening and that this many sponsors are coming to be a part of it. Whatever it took IMG to get them here, thank God, because we need this to boost the economy and get us back on track. As for the McCafé, I don't drink coffee, but if I did, I would be in here drinking my McCoffee and not eating meals every day."
—Kelly Will, Six and the City columnist, Page Six magazine
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Fashion Week, IMG Fashion, McDonald's, Mattel, Barbie, Mercedes-Benz, Chambord, W Hotels |
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| NEWS 02.16.09 2:01 PM |
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Fashion Week Pics: Barbie Bedecks the Tent in Pink, Others Trade Theatrical Shows for More Practical Setups
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The recession has hit the fashion community hard, and most noticeable is the lack of the over-the-top sets, stages, and entertainment that have been the norm at Fashion Week shows. In the first round of fall/winter 2009 collections, minimalist scenes abounded, and even labels like Y-3, Miss Sixty, and Lacoste kept production simple. Nevertheless, each show was as crowded as ever, drawing big names like Kanye West, Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
One company that did make a splash was Barbie maker Mattel, which hosted the first runway show for the doll brand on Saturday afternoon in the Bryant Park tents. Held as part of the 50th anniversary promotional blitz for Barbie, the packed viewing employed a bright pink runway and LED backdrop to highlight the lineup of Barbie-inspired creations from designers including Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole, and Catherine Malandrino.
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RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, Barbie, Mattel, Chadwick Bell, Jason Wu, Shipley & Halmos, IMG Fashion, Mercedes-Benz, Lacoste, Y-3, Miss Sixty |
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| NEWS 02.09.09 9:00 AM |
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On Tap for Fashion Week: Target to Preview McQueen Collection, Barbie to Show in the Tents
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 | Backstage at the Bryant Park tents
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash |
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It won't be long before the tents move to Lincoln Center, but for now, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is staying put at Bryant Park, and the viewings of the fall/winter 2009 season begin Friday. Although there's been a great deal of news about designers pulling out of the runway shows and after-parties being downsized, there are still plenty of happenings for the week that will keep editors, buyers, and other fashion-focused types busy.
Likely to be number one on the list of crowded gatherings are Target's V.I.P. preview party on Friday night, followed by a two-day shopping event open to the public. Looking to drum up some excitement for its latest designer collection, the retailer is building Camden Market-style booths—think gritty plywood, graffiti, and chain-link fencing—inside SoHo's St. John's Center. Target has bagged English designer Alexander McQueen, whose line is dubbed McQ.
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Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz, Target, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Mattel, Barbie |
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| Q & A 10.16.08 9:00 AM |
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Cathy Brown Is Planning Halloween Events in Three Cities and Bracing for the Next Administration
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 | Cathy Brown
Photo: Courtesy of Children Affected by AIDS Foundation |
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Cathy Brown has spent more than 10 years as president of Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF), and for her, October always seems to be particularly busy. From her base in Los Angeles, Brown oversees the foundation's annual Dream Halloween event, a production-heavy affair that brings family activities set in a Trick or Treat village to three American cities. This year, the event comes to Chicago's Windy City Fieldhouse on October 18, New York's Roseland Ballroom the next day, and Barker Hangar in Los Angeles on October 25. The event is expected to draw 1,200, 700, and 2,200 guests, respectively.
Along with planning the three-city event, Brown spent the past year facilitating a surrounding campaign, which launched October 1. The campaign aims to raise funds and awareness for CAAF and features everything from specially designed Dream Halloween costumes to an interactive e-card available on the CAAF Web site and a promotional video starring Jamie Lee Curtis. We recently spoke with Brown about these efforts, building relationships with corporate sponsors, and working at a nonprofit in the current economy.
Give us some background on Dream Halloween.
Halloween is the second largest retail holiday, and it's a time of fun and celebration for both children and adults. Fifteen years ago, CAAF decided to capitalize on this and celebrate Halloween in a fashion that would also enable us to raise funds. This last year, we have expanded the event into a full-blown campaign that involves corporate partners, a Halloween e-card, and a text-message campaign.
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RELATED TOPICS
Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Toys R Us, Mattel, American Airlines, Nickelodeon, Resnick Automotive Group, MySpace, Facebook, Disney, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Gandolfini, Melina Kanakaredes |
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