Christian Louboutins: For Those With High Standards--Very High

Christian Louboutins are considered hot, fashionable, and luxurious. Emphasis on hot. And high. 

Christan Louboutin, the French designer, was inspired to make these shoes when he was twelve years old, when he was first exposed to Parisian nightlife. Unlike many other boys his age, Christian Louboutin was not enthralled by the drinking, dancing, or socialization cultures, but by ravishing showgirl shoes! Louboutin decided to pursue a career in fashion and design, and by age 28 he successfully launched his first shoe line. Very soon after the launch, Christian Louboutin's brand exploded and revolutionized the fashion industry forever. He can thank Princess Caroline of Monaco's enthusiasm as well as the influential fashion journalist documenting the princess' avidity. 

These sleek, sexy, red-soled pumps were, and still are rendered the epitome of opulence and high fashion, desired by the most affluent fashionistas in the world. Many of these women include superstars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie, and Gwenyth Paltrow. 

But what makes them so special? First of all, their signature red soles have made them recognizable to anyone who knows anything about the fashion world. This recognition makes the shoes appealing in a way that goes beyond aesthetics. They have evolved into a symbol of status, power and confidence. Oh, and they have a great sex appeal.

Louboutin has been successful in marketing this tantalizing footwear. He has a very large population acting as his target audience and he has only found more ways in increasing it. From the bridal shoes he came out with to Barbie, Louboutin edition, he is expanding his clientele as well as increasing his company's net income. 

My analysis of Christian Louboutins and their cultural influences goes into more depth in the discussions regarding their history, appeal, and the ravishing women who wear them. 

How Starbucks affects social status in a developing country (Vietnam)

An Kieu

The entrance of Starbucks, an American coffee company, to Vietnam,the world’s second-largest coffee exporter, hit the headlines of many newspapers worldwide not for its global fame but more for the market Starbucks decided to invest in: a place with a long history of coffee production and consumption. However, this entrance does not superficially show the difficult business strategies to penetrate this Southeast Asian nation’s market. Its appearance in Vietnam, as time passes, suggests itself as a status symbol of wealth and prestige, which is not a problem in developed countries such as America or Japan.

A brand from America, a dreaming destination of modernity and high-living standards, is the first reason that accidentally turns Starbucks into an image of affluence. Right after Starbucks’s grand opening in Ho Chi Minh City, a video was made to discover the true reason behind the Vietnamese preference for Starbucks over local coffee brands. Many consumers, from high school students to adults who had been familiar with Starbucks before, admitted that they came here purely out of curiosity, desiring to try an American-branded coffee. Brands have been ingrained in Vietnamese consumers’ mind recently. As people start to judge each other through the brands of vehicles, clothes, cell phones and so on, it is apparent that a globally famous coffee brand like Starbucks cannot escape their (brand) collections. The problem is that if you have to work hard every day just wishing to make ends meet, should you have time to care about brands? Starbucks in the United States is a coffee chain that everybody, from students, teachers, workers to CEOs of companies, can drop by for a cup of coffee during the day, but in Vietnam, the situation is completely different. Starbucks Vietnam is not a coffee store for normal people, but for the wealthy to gather.

Besides the matter of brands, the price of a Starbucks cup of coffee obviously helps differentiate social status in Vietnam. Look at the menu at a Starbuck store in Hanoi, it is not difficult to notice that the prices range from 55,000 VND ($2.60) to 100,000 VND ($4.74). These may be reasonable prices for a cup of coffee in developed countries like USA or Japan, but in Vietnam, this is “about half the average daily wage.” (New York Daily News). Are you as a customer still willing to make this purchase, especially when thousands of streetside cafes in Hanoi, offering shoe-shines, free Wi-Fi and traditional drip-filtered iced coffee for just 10,000-15,000 dong (47-71 U.S. cents)? With the long-lasting coffee culture, Vietnamese people usually drink 2-3 cups of coffee during a day. Prices of Starbucks, therefore, cannot satisfy white-collar workers’ needs, not to mention the blue-collar’s, whose salaries are much lower. Do Thanh Tung, an electric salesman, while welcoming Starbucks to Vietnam, also reminds that he cannot become a regular patron because he drinks about 6 cups of coffee a day, thus Starbucks would be too expensive. From “a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends.”, Starbucks now in Vietnamese customers’ definition is a place for high-salary and wealthy people, a place where only noble residents dare to step in, a flashy store that is out-of-reach for the average Vietnamese.

Clearly, Starbucks’s entrance to Vietnam is now no more a matter of competing in an old coffee-adored market but the difference in consumers’ social status it accidentally creates. As a foreign newcomer, Starbucks is warmly welcomed up to now. Consumers flood in to enjoy “meaningful service” with “passion and care”, to check-in Facebook, Twitter,… to follow the trend or to simply satisfy curiosity of a wide, clean and professionally designed coffee store, completely contrary to streetside stores nearby. Yet, whether this positive trend will continue once Starbucks’s appearance is no longer an icon of novelty and hotness is a heated issue among not only Starbucks’s planners but also people caring about its growth in this developing country. In order to continue the development and fulfil its ambition to open the market in Asia, Starbucks needs to come up with a plan to solve the problem and to restore an image of within-reach for lower-income people.

We Stand for...Doc Martens?

Doc Martens are just over 50 years old now are arguably a far cry from their namesake's original intention, a comfortable working class boot. These boots (and now even shoes) have moved from subcultural group to group through the decades to help define and even portray images of rebellious individuality. While they have been worn by many groups of a certain identity, it seems today that the trends have taken a hold of these boots as vintage recycling, but without the same cultural connotation they used to carry. Worn by punks and skin heads alike, these once affordable working class boots are now an expensive trendy boot for 'hipsters' across the country to accessorize with. It seems now that Doc Martens no longer solidify the rebellious connotations, but rather create a facade of a cultural subgroup for a seemingly culture-less movement today. 

The company's marketing strategies enhance this as they try to reflect a certain credo that Doc Wearers have had in the past. However, their campaign #standforsomething is a bit ironic as it's asking, or maybe even telling this new generation of Doc owners to 'Stand for Something'.

I'll further explore the history and cultural functioning that Doc Martens have held in the past as well as their functioning today. I'll also look at how the marketing today tries to play off past perceptions and social activism to sell not just their shoes, but brand of living as well.

The Culture of Jack Rogers

Jack Rogers is a particular leather sandal that has become hugely popular, especially in the American South. The shoes are considered extremely "preppy" and are synonymous with brands like Vineyard Vines and Lilly Pulitzer. The brand does relatively little in regards to advertising, and mostly relies on the popularity of the brand for continued sales. Jack Rogers does however, sell a certain lifestyle along with their shoes. That of an upperclass women who is set finically for life. This fantasy attracts many young women, who in turn purchase the sandals in a failed attempt to capture that life. In my paper, I argue that the culture behind Jack Rogers is the same one that continues the traditional female stereotype. That women should focus on their looks more than anything else and that the goal life for the gender should be that of a "trophy wife." The shoes although maybe not intentionally, continue this backwards way of thinking by promoting the same values that this stereotype does.

Electric Car or Luxury Car?

Tesla Motors, a U.S. electric automobile company, claims to only focus on building autos and has no marketing department in the company, but does know a lot about marketing.

Tesla Model S, the first actual electric sedan put on the market, quickly captured people’s eyes when it released and started a revolution in automobile market. Although it costs $71,000, not including future battery cost and EV incentives, people are willing to purchase it for its advanced technology, sustainability, and its premium performance. As the advertisement goes, “Lay rubber where your carbon footprint used to be” and “Your road trip is sponsored by the sunlight”, people feel proud of themselves for embracing nature and making effort in protecting the environment while others continue emitting carbon dioxide.

A couple of college graduates made Tesla the commercial ‘Modern Spaceship’ to represent the Tesla Idea for free. In this commercial, the machine is portrayed as an enabler of dreams and as owning the world.

But these above are definitely not Tesla’s whole marketing strategies. Instead of advertising storage spaces, warm family road trips, and travel conveniency on commercials like other automobile manufacturers, Tesla keeps on pointing out that you are the center of the car. It intentionally lets you believe it is a luxury which can give you sheer driving pleasure and hyper-personalized experience and empowerment. By charging a high price and limiting quaintly of Tesla Models in the market, eventually, Tesla vehicles become symbols for affluent people.

My paper will further discuss what people really buy Tesla for, Tesla’s product issues and Tesla’s next targeting market: China, where the people inevitably favor luxury.

Change the world one water bottle at a time

Viva con Agua is a german charity organization which is selling water bottles called "Quellwasser" for the good cause. These water bottles will mainly be found in stores or shops considered to be middle-class and academic peoples´grocery sources. "Quellwasser" (which means spring water) is also a little bit more expensive, because 60 % of the gains will be used by Viva con Agua for projects in places with droughts. The organization uses the money to help built dwells and sanitary buildings in countries with a lot of poverty. 

Their product is designed to attract costumers with a good heart. On the bottle they explain what the organization does with the money which they earn from the water bottles. The consumer is informed of his good actions if he buys this product. Viva con Agua intends to sell the product to progressive, smart people who care about the world and about the future and who are willing to spend an extra dime for the good cause. 

In my analysis I will go deeper in the subject on how they use the marketing and design of the product to make it more attractive to potential customers. I believe the organization uses a really successful strategy to sell their water bottles. And in the end, one bottle at a time, the customers actually change the world. 

Crocs: Truth Behind Its Popularity

 

Crocs, which first started its sales in 2000, has been gaining much popularity from many consumers worldwide. It has so many different designs and colors which attracts attention not only from kids but also adults. However, the popularity has not always been so consistent. It had to continuously change the marketing strategy in order to get the consumers' attention and satisfaction. 

The image above shows a sample of the original Crocs products, which included the traditional clogs that some people did not like because of its appearance. The kids were interested in them because of the decorations that they could add to the shoes, but the popularity from the kids soon disappeared. People were not attracted by the appearances at all, despite the comfort the shoes provided. 

Then, Crocs came up with another marketing strategy in order to attract people as means of the appearance, too. Rather than producing only old-school clogs, it started to produce a variety of products, such as flats, wedges, slippers, and many others. That showed much impact to the consumer society. It had provided both the comfort and attraction. 

As I examine the progress of gaining popularity and the efforts that Crocs attempted, the actual solution to the problem did not seem to be many designs or the comfort. The real truth behind the popularity that many are missing is the marketing strategy that had such a great impact on its sales and production.