Yes, another new buzz word, made up by two words: Street + Advertising… Yes, you guessed correctly: a new (guerrilla) marketing tactic to advertise on the street.

One of the marketing companies that helps me with the marketing strategy (offline & online) are Interactive Maven & Cool Media Collective. The CEO of both companies, Benjamin van Gelder, told me about eco-friendly (street) graffiti. He even took me from my office on the Van Baerlestraat 46 in Amsterdam around the corner to the PC Hooftstraat to see Streetvertising graffiti on the pavement:

Apparently the company PA@Home choose this low-budget, but high-impact guerrilla strategy to get their name out with the target group (high-net worth individuals that shop at the most luxurious street in The Netherlands. The advantage of eco-friendly graffiti streetvertising is that is doesn’t need to cost too much and catches ones eye. The down-side of it is, that it will fade away within couple of weeks and I can imagine many high-end brands will not want people to see a vague logo where people actually step on…

For possibilities to start such a campaign you can contact Cool Media Collective via: +31 20 5759109.

Chocomel Pillow Fight Store Amsterdam

The legendary Dutch chocolate milk brand ‘Chocomel’ opened this pop-up store in the best high street of The Netherlands. Check video of their innovative marketing concept on their website: http://www.chocomel.nl/

Cor walking the Amsterdam streets

You might be thinking who Cor might be… Well, 10 minutes ago I met Cor Ligthert in front of my office! I stepped out of my office and it was the first time in my life I saw a person walking the Amsterdam streets with a paper boards on his body, while reading a book!

I was positively surprised that I stopped to ask Cor what kind of work his was looking for. His answer was anything… So, I asked him what his passion in life is… It took him a while, but after asking a bit deeper he said: politics and social economics… It did not surprise me since he was reading the book: Darwin for Left Wing Politicians

So, all the politicians (especially PVDA) and social economists out there, dowload Cor’s CV here: http://bit.ly/a1L9BZ or send him an e-mail immediately via: corligthert@gmail.com.

I salute Cor for being so brave and innovative to market himself like this! Spread the word

How can you not hire Cor?!

Good luck Cor!

Diesel Shop Window 2010

What do you think, is this provocative or is this simply just (good) marketing by Diesel Jeans Co?

In this blog posting I want to discuss eCommerce in relation to luxury, hence the title: “To eCommerce or not to eCommerce?”

It has been a decade since the Internet Bubble and still only a few luxury players fully operate eCommerce Sales Channels. This is beyond my grasp. Therefore I am one of the founders of ILEA - International Luxury Ecommerce Association (www.LuxuryEcommerce.org). I want to start with my own situation/case and explain what made me co-found this non-profit association.

I am active as an entrepreneur in the Luxury Industry since 1998 and since that year I have been trying to sell luxury goods via internet (who used the term eCommerce back then?). Without succes… Until last year. With our family company Ace Jewelers Group we had the honor to launch the first authorized luxury ecommerce website in the Netherlands that sells: watches, jewelry, diamonds, sunglasses and accessoires (www.AceJewelers.com). I hear you thinking: “Nothing special about that, even Amazon sells these items for year.” That is correct, but up until 2009 no luxury brand in our industry authorized online sales. All the items that seemed to be for sale online were either: fake, stolen, pre-owned, without warranty or from black markets. Most of the luxury brands (also fashion brands) were opposed eCommerce. Not many brands had a clear answer why, but Karl Lagerfeld – who is the artistic director of Chanel and also designs for Italian fashion house Fendi, a unit of LVMH – said that the Internet does not convey “the unique feel and sophistication of luxury materials, refined tailoring and extraordinary attention to detail found in luxury fashion.” He added that shopping for high fashion required a “multi-sensory environment”. For many luxury companies, the Internet is traditionally associated with cheap knock-offs sold on auction sites. The Internet can make it harder to know who the actual vendor of a product is. “This leads to fears of cheap copies and heavy discounting,” says Bernstein Research luxury goods analyst Luca Solca (Source: Wall Street Journal, 11-2-2009).

I understand where Lagerfeld is coming from, but if you look at the technological development in the last 10 years and how the society and consumer behaviour has changed, I do not agree. The consumer of today wants: convenience, quality, service and instant satisfaction (at a low price). This is definitely the case for luxury purchases. I agree with Lagerfeld that for high fashion and other physical products consumers will often (not always) will want to feel, touch, see, smell and/or try-on the product before purchasing it. Therefore I truly believe in multichannel retail/cross-channel strategies for luxury brands, the so-called Golden Triangle/combination of: Retail, Etail and Concierge Service (Back-Office/eFullfilment). For some industries I truly believe retail is over (think of travel agents, book stores, video rental stores, etc). But for Luxury Goods/Services (please read previous blog item what luxury is), I don’t believe stores will ever disappear. Never say never, but I do believe the role/task of a store will change. Stores will have to change their function of high speed sales outlet to brand experience centers. I find the Apple Stores one of the best examples.

Going back to our case, like Lagerfeld, most of the Swiss watch brands and international jewelry brands we represent in our stores, were and most of them are still opposed to eCommerce. Ace Jewelers have been online since 1998, but never received autorisation to sell the brands we officially represent online. In 2008 we decided to change our strategy of a pure retailer to a cross-channel (r)etailer. We founded Ace Online and we operated it as our fourth store within the Ace Jewelers Group. We have a dedicated Concierge Service that replies to all e-mails within 24 hours and they answer phone calls and incoming chats on the spot. We do not outsource any service and all staff members are trained within our industry and actually know what they are talking about. The Concierge Service is the bridge between our eBoutique and the physical stores. We truly moved to a cross-channel operation. Next month it is going to be a year that we operate full power… Maybe I will blog about the experiences in a future posting.

Today we can proudly say we are the first and only retailer in the world that can sell IWC watches and Baume & Mercier watches online. We are also the first company in the world to apply Augmented Reality in the jewelry industry (you can try on a diamond ring in front of your own computer). The luxury brands are slowly changing their strategies and experimenting with eCommerce. But, a lot of brands are still very much opposed. Breitling for example strictly forbids us to present even a picture of a watch on our website. This is one of the major reasons for us to participate in the foundation of a non-profit organisation like ILEA. The International Luxury Ecommerce Association was founded to create a Think Tank for everything that is linked to Luxury & Ecommerce. I always summurize it: “We want to turn all the non-believers of eCommerce into believers.” Hereby I want to invite all believer AND especially all non-believers to become a member and participate in this enduring discussion via: www.LuxuryEcommerce.org.

I want to conclude this blog posting by saying that I don’t believe we should even wonder IF we should progress with eCommerce… The question should be: “To eCommerce or to mCommerce”! Maybe a good title for a future blog posting

While I was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s a tattoo was still not as common as today. Now it seems quarter of the population has a tattoo. In 2007 The Pew Research Center found out that 36% of 18-35 year olds have at least one tattoo. So, for years I wondered why I am so opposed to tattoos… Yesterday I received an e-mail with a cartoon that summarizes my feelings about tattoos:

Although I am from 1979 and don’t consider myself as old, I really feel old when I talk about people about tattoos and explain to them that I always think of people with numbers on their arm. I feel SO old when they don’t understand that I am refering back to the Second World War in Europe and the Holocaust. I really get worried and sad when people don’t even know what the word Holocaust menas and refers to! Therefore I want to pay respect to a lady that did something AMAZING in those days:

Two years ago a 98 year-old lady named Irena Sendler passed away. During World War II, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an ‘ulterior motive’ …. She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews. Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi’s broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most of them did not retun… Those kids she helped and have been placed into foster family homes or adopted.

In 2007 Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize …. She was not selected.  Al Gore won, for a theory on Global Warming (which has been disputed…).

Let us never forget!
There is a saying that comes to mind: “If you save a life, you save a whole world.”
Please don’t forget!

It is now 65 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. I write this in memory of the 20 million  Russians, 10  million Christians, 6 million Jews and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned,  starved and humiliated with ‘The Others’ looking the other  way!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq , Iran , and others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is important to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again…

For more information on Irena Sendler, check the Wikipedia page about her.

“Fix” by Jean-Paul De Roover

Jean-Paul De Roover is a solo artist from Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. This is a stop animation music video that his photographer girlfriend Shannon Lepere shot for his song “Fix”.  It used over 2,022 still photographs and over 600 bandaids!

You can check Jean-Paul’s website via: jeanpaulderoover.com and his girlfriend Shannon’s website via: shannonlepere.com.

Enjoy!

]]> http://www.ben-joseph.com/?feed=rss2&p=90 http://www.ben-joseph.com/?p=86 http://www.ben-joseph.com/?p=86#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:12:34 +0000 admin http://www.ben-joseph.com/?p=86 People that know me, know I love technology. We’ve been hearing for many years about Augmented Reality, but many people have no idea what it is. Beginning of this year, as CEO of AceJewelers.com I got confronted with Holition. A company that created an augmented reality tool for trying on jewelry in front of a computer. Today we, at Ace Jewelers, officially launched this tool as the first jeweler in the world. This is the press release we sent out:

Amsterdam/London, October 2009

AUGMENTED REALITY – WORLD FIRST: Try On Virtual Jewelry Online!                 

Ace Jewelers Group is the first online jeweler in the world in which  people can try on jewels virtually via their website using, a revolutionaryAugmented Reality retail tool, Holition . Ace Jewelers presents their own designed jewels through Holition, enabling their clients to try on the jewels online at home

Since the launching of the new website, www.AceJewelers.com, Ace Jewelers has been busy with renewing and improving the site. The collections have recently been extended with luxury sunglasses and the website has been advanced with unique techniques to make the website more customer friendly.

This month Ace Jewelers introduced Holition Augmented Reality on the website, this is a new revolutionary technology, makes it possible to try on your favourite ring or wristwatch in front of a computerorlaptop.

Alon Ben Joseph of Ace Jewelers commented: “Holition allows our clients to explore products by “trying on” the Eternity Pave Ring in a virtual environment. The ability to use the software online is a huge benefit and one which will undoubtedly bring a novel and exciting new experience to Ace clients, and ultimately drive sales. We see this as the future of online retail and are delighted to be one of the first companies exploring this exciting new direction in luxury retail. ”

3D viewing is made possible in three simple steps:

Print out a paper ring, cut it out, and put it on your finger pointing the paper ring towards a webcam. The camera will then register the item and project the desired ring onto the screen –  you can thenview the model on your hand from different angles.

  

Fig. 1. Client trying on the Ace Eternity Pave ring online using Holition

Ace Jewelers Group
Since 1975, Ace Jewelers Group has been one of the most renowned jewelers in Amsterdam and authorised dealer of many major brands. Examples of these include Breitling, Omega, TAG Heuer and IWC.

Ace Jewelers has three physical branches and a eBoutique; One  physical store is situated in the heart of Amsterdam, Ace & Spyer, on the corner of Koningsplein and the Flower Market. The second store, Ace & Dik located on the Van Baerlestraat, has been a jewelry business for more than 70 years. Also located in the heart of Amsterdam is Ace Jewelers, on the Leidsestraat, where mostly trendsetting brands such as TiSento, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana are displayed.      

Holition
Holition is a leading provider of online interactive marketing and retail solutions to the jewellery, watch and eyewear markets. Holition has developed a unique virtual reality marketing application for use online, in-store and at live events.

Established in London in January 2008, Holition is a joint venture between pioneering 3D specialists Inition, and Holts Lapidary, UK Jewellery Retailer of the Year 2008.

It is up to you to decide if I have interesting views, in general and especially about luxury. In my previous and first blog posting on E.Factor I tried to give an introduction about myself by posting the Q&A I had with E.Factor. In this post, my second on E.Factor, I want to start a discussion about the definition of ‘luxury’…

… What is luxury? This is a question that I always keep on asking myself and my surroundings, ever since I am a child!

Nowadays we do not use a paper dictionary to find definitions, we search on Wikipedia… Here goes:

“Luxury can refer to several things:

* Luxury good, an economic good for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises; contrast with inferior good and normal good.
* Luxury tax, a tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
* Luxury tax (sports), a surcharge put on the aggregate payroll of a sports team to the extent to which it exceeds a predetermined guideline level set by the league
* Luxury vehicle, a relatively expensive automobile
* Luxury yacht, a very expensive privately owned yacht which is professionally crewed
* Luxury real estate, a niche real estate market dealing with the highest economic group of property buyers
* Luxury resorts, which are very exclusive vacation facilities
* Luxury box, a term for a special seating section in arenas, stadiums and other sports venues
* Luxury magazine, a magazine devoted to fine craft and luxury goods.”

Mmmm… I am not satisfied. I can distill some keywords from the previous sum-up: high income, non-essential, expensive, niche, exclusive and fine craft.

If we jump to Wiktionary, we find:

“Etymology: Latin luxus “abundant”

luxury (plural luxuries):

1. very wealthy and comfortable surroundings.
2. something desirable but expensive.
3. something very pleasant but not really needed in life.

Antonyms: (dispensable thing): necessity”

Second thing almost everyone does, is Google what we are looking for. If I type ‘luxury’ in Google (with a Dutch IP), the first result is the definition of Wikipedia! Interestingly enough, the second hit is the vague website eLuxury.com, that is owned by LVMH. I write vague, since it was launched as the hallmark of eCommerce of Luxury, but failed heavily. Now it is a vague promotional site for a Twitter page and Facebook page associated to this site. I will come back on eLuxury.ccom, social media and eCommerce in relation to luxury in a following blog post!

Since my childhood I was captured by the question what luxury actually is. As life evolves, ones views and opinions change too… So did my personal view and perception of luxury!

As a child I thought that the most expensive car, home, watch, diamond, etc was ultimate luxury. Of course if you look back on it, growing up in a wealthy western country in a warm and loving home is luxury. As a teenager gaining your own ‘freedom’ and making individual consumption choices of exclusive/non-essential products is often considered luxury. As soon as you start working and make your ‘own’ money, you are confronted how difficult it is to buy ‘luxury’… As Wikipedia states: “Luxury good is an economic good for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises; contrast with inferior good and normal good.” and this true for a student that starts a company…But when one hits maturity you notice that luxury doesn’t necessarily needs to be linked to money… At a certain moment it can hit you that luxury can be: (free) time, friendships, health, peace, family, etc. Today my short definition of luxury is: “Something that makes one feel ‘rich’ although it does not have to do anything with money.” For example, having a great conversation with a dear friend can be a great sensation of luxury. But, I can not neglect the fact that luxury goods are often synonymous to expensive. Personally I prefer to link luxury goods to fine crafts, art and niche. These terms go hand in hand with scarcity and therefore exclusivity. And, on therefore these two terms are correlated to high prices. As a sales person I always avoid the term ‘expensive’… Everything in life is relative, everything! So, perception of monetary values are and always have been, subjective and relative. And, that is the core of the luxury… Luxury is relative! What can give someone a ‘rich feeling’ can make someone else feel depressed!

My last sentence can be considered bold and I want to give an example: I met enough people who feel richer wearing a Swatch watch compared to people who own more than one Rolex watch! Some goes for women with an engagement ring, the size of the ‘rock’ doesn’t say anything about how much a gentleman loves his wife-to-be! It is all about the story behind the products, events and services. It is all relative! I see it everyday in our stores, therefore we (Team Ace) never judge a guest (we never use the term customers). We facilitate ‘story telling’… Hence our slogan: Add Some ACE To Your Life!

Please share your vision/opinion/views of luxury here as a comment…