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What Marketers Could Learn from The Ballet Russes

On a recent visit to Washington, DC, I spent several leisurely hours at the wonderful multi-media exhibition at The National Gallery of Art, “Diaghilev and The Ballet Russes, 1909-1929: when Art Danced with Music” which is now on view until September 2, 2013. If your summer travels take you to DC and you enjoy dance, art, ballet, music or European history don’t miss it! Admission to the museum is free but buy the $5 audio tour which is well worth it and take the time to see the film narrated by the actress Tilda Swinton.

This trailblazing ballet company was founded by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev in Paris in 1909. Below is an image of a 1923 poster designed for the company.

The Ballet Russes Poster
Poster for the Théâtre Gaîté-Lyrique, Paris, 1923
lithograph
framed: 90.5 x 130 cm (35 5/8 x 51 3/16 in.)
V&A, London

I strolled leisurely through each room watching the different film clips of the legendary ballets that were interspersed between the beautiful sculptures, intricate costumes, artwork and original scenery on display.

Diaghilev and John Brown, New York, 1916
Diaghilev and John Brown, New York, 1916
photograph by Bain News Service
10.16 × 15.24 cm (4 × 6 in.)
Collection of Ms. Anna and Mr. Leonid Winestein

Mr. Serge Diaghilev’s (he is the man with the scarf in the photograph) zeal and innate PR savvy helped foster the notoriety of his company in Europe, the U.S. and South America.

Below are four strategies that worked for him a century ago and are still relevant for marketers and marketing communications practitioners today.

1. HARNESS INFLUENCERS

Without the help of 21st century social-media marketing tools, Diaghilev tactfully encouraged contemporary artists of his time such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Leon Bakst and several others to design costumes and scenery. He tapped composers like Igor Stravinsky and Erik Satie to write the musical scores. With uncanny foresight and intuition Diaghilev understood the value of collaborating with these talented artists.

Diaghilev personally visited Matisse to convince the artist to move beyond his comfort zone and design costumes for his ballets one of which was “The Song of the Nightingale.” Picasso’s cubist influence is evident in the costumes for “Parade.” The front cloth for “Le Train Bleu” (The Blue Train) adorned with two large voluptuous figures was based on a Picasso painting as seen in the image below.

 

Front Cloth of The Blue Train by Pablo Picasso
Alexander Schervashidze, after Pablo Picasso
Front cloth for The Blue Train, 1924
oil on canvas
overall: 1040 x 1172 cm (409 7/16 x 461 7/16 in.)
V&A, London
© 2013 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

2. CREATE WORD OF MOUTH

The “Rite of Spring,” choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, (also a star dancer of The Ballet Russes) is now celebrating its 100 anniversary but at the time it was groundbreaking causing an uproar among Parisian audiences. Unlike traditional performances danced by graceful ballerinas with pointed feet, these dancers landed flat-footed with unusual stomping movements often resembling modern dancers of today. The costumes sported bold, colorful geometrical designs.

The “Rite of Spring” ultimately gained widespread popularity in large part because it was so atypical and word spread of this “must see it to believe it” ballet.

Henri Matisse Costume for The Ballet Russess
Henri Matisse
Costume for a Warrior from The Song of the Nightingale, 1920
felt, velvet, satin and silk with paint, gold tinsel, studs and braid, and brass decorations
overall: 155 x 75 x 60 cm (61 x 29 1/2 x 23 5/8 in.)
V&A, London

 

3. BE INNOVATIVE

Diaghilev didn’t follow the crowd. Many of his ballets such as “Le Train Bleu” were revolutionary. Unlike the tutu wearing ballerinas often seen back then, the dancers in “Le Train Bleu” set in a French resort, conveyed leisure activities by simulating summer sports like swimming and tennis and athletic gymnastics-like movements. They wore modern, form fitting knitted costumes designed by Coco Chanel resembling the kind of outfits you might see worn by fitness buffs today.

The costume designed by Henri Matisse for “The Song of the Nightingale” with its color and artful design is unlike those normally worn by ballerinas in the early 1900’s.

 

 

 

 

 

4. RELATE TO YOUR AUDIENCE

The timeless theme of redemption is prominent in “The Prodigal Son” the emotional ballet choreographed by Diaghilev’s last choreographer George Balanchine. The film clip in the exhibition portrays a young Mikhail Baryshnikov in the leading role. Stories of personal redemption are as popular now as they were in Diaghilev’s time and still resonate with audiences worldwide.

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This exhibition has generated a lot of media coverage. To read or listen to Susan Stamberg’s report for NPR “Modern Movement: How the Ballet Russes Revolutionized Dance” click here.

My special thanks to the press office of the National Gallery of Art for supplying the lovely photos.

 

 

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It’s A Small Seamless World

Store, Online, Mobile, MediaYears ago we often associated the word seamless with women’s stockings but times have changed. Now whether we’re talking about a satisfying shopping purchase or access to the latest news, consumers want a seamless experience. Retailers, marketers and the media are all figuring out the best way to meet the “gotta-have-it-now” and “gotta-have-it-how-I-want-it” consumer mentality.

I’ve been thinking about this lately since the same word was discussed recently in two totally different settings. One was during the insightful Webinar, “Closing the Gap Between Retailer Capabilities and Customer Expectations,” presented by Susan Reda, Editor of STORES Media and Renato Scaff, Managing Director of Accenture’s Retail Practice. To access the Webinar citing the firm’s research results click here.

The other was during a lively breakfast meeting of New Jersey-based senior level communications colleagues a couple of weeks ago where we shared best practices and challenges in regards to measuring the results of our clients’ campaigns. The moderator, Ken Jacobs, explained that news and information consumption is now a seamless activity. People are using different types of methods and devices to keep abreast of what’s happening and its relevance to their daily lives. We talked about various ways to track P.R. and marketing campaign results in this new media and social-media environment which encourages sharing online and across social-networking platforms.

Even though the subject matter for the Webinar and the meeting were totally different, one of the main points was the same – today’s consumers want seamless experiences. Period. The delivery methods and distribution channels for retailers and the news media have changed immensely due to our interconnected, integrated world. Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby-Parker, the trendy and popular prescription eyewear brand which launched online a couple of years ago also opened a flagship store in New York City. He believes the term E-Commerce will be obsolete soon with the convergence of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar stores.

According to Mr. Scaff from Accenture, retailers need to Customize, Connect, Converge and Collaborate to become seamless and satisfy consumers’ needs. A few other takeaways discussed during the Webinar were:

  • Consumers are as price-conscious today as ever
  • The customer experience is everything
  • Free delivery is more important than getting same-day delivery with a fee attached
  • People like receiving coupons via email
  • Consumers want something back in exchange for their brand loyalty.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about seamlessness and how it’s affecting your role and business today.

 

 

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Six Ways Marketers Can Really S.P.R.I.N.G. Forward

Spring seasonWe love spring don’t you? The weather warms up, the sunshine-filled days are longer and we get inspired to revitalize our work and personal lives. To celebrate the arrival of spring, here are six ways to engage consumers and put some spring in your brand’s step.

S = Store Experience

Physical stores are here to stay for a long time but they are no longer the center of the shopping experience. Consumers now use technology such as the Web and mobile apps along with the in-store visit to compare prices, learn about an item’s features and search for what they want. Even so, the popularity of the store visit hasn’t waned so it needs to be a great experience for everyone who enters.

For a look at the future of retail from Deloitte and STORES Media click here.

P = Personal Involvement

Consumers are human so they take things personally. Whether it’s the foods they eat, the cars they drive, the homes they live in or the clothes they wear, our purchases reflect who we are. Brand marketers must understand what makes their customers tick and demonstrate a personal connection with them so they become loyal customers.

R = Relationship Building

Just like people, every local community has its own personality. Marketers can build strong relationships with consumers by demonstrating an interest in improving the fabric of the local community. Our Fuse4Community program helps marketers achieve this goal by working with and leveraging the resources of nonprofit organizations for mutual benefit.

I = Involve Consumers

We are in the Age of the Consumer. Influence has shifted from manufacturers to consumers. Take a few minutes to watch this video where a Dean from The School of Business and Technology at FIT explains this important change.

N = News Coverage

Getting a brand featured in traditional news media is still a valuable communications goal for any marketer. However, today there are dozens of niche blogs, online outlets and many social media platforms which allow brands and companies opportunities to tell their story and engage with target consumers. It’s now much easier to connect with your target audiences and industry influencers in two-way conversations due to the proliferation of new media opportunities.    

G = Give Back

It’s good for a company to give back. Consumers will notice and will support those companies that do. Donna Karan explained her belief in and practice of conscious consumerism when she spoke in January at the National Retail Federation’s BIG Show. She urges retailers to do their part to make a difference.

Evidently this idea also applies to individuals who work for companies and is discussed in length in a recent story penned by Susan Dominus in The New York Times Magazine. Adam Grant is the youngest-tenured and highest-rated professor at Wharton who has written a new book based on his research called, “Give and Take.” His work in the field of organizational psychology suggests that the more individuals give back of their time and energy to help others, the more they and the companies they work for will reap the benefits. You can read the story here.

Happy Spring!

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Is Brick-and-Mortar Yesterday’s Retailing Model? Obviously not.

People shopping in a retail mallBefore you know it spring will arrive and along with colorful flowers new stores will sprout welcoming customers who want to shop in person. For a myriad of reasons shopping offline hasn’t lost its appeal among today’s consumers. When referring to the increase of Web retailers opening stores, Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research says in The New York Times:

“Well over 90 percent of sales still happen in physical stores, so there is a huge, compelling reason to think about the physical store as a driver of sales.”

The word has evidently gotten out!

Those that have been selling their wares exclusively online like the Gap’s Piperlime, men’s apparel brand Bonobos (which starting selling at select Nordstrom’s last year) and the eyeglass company Warby Parker, have already or soon will open their own bricks-and-mortar locations. Bonobos’ decision to build physical stores and their Guideshops are explained in the New York Times story cited above.

A retail partnership will bloom in March when the Canadian apparel brand Joe Fresh opens nearly 700 shops within JC Penney department stores across the U.S. Known for its brightly colored clothing at affordable prices for men, women and children, Joe Fresh already operates six stand-alone stores in New York and New Jersey.

Retailing has become a multi-faceted business where it’s necessary to interact with customers face-to-face in addition to doing so via e-commerce websites to build strong brand loyalty and repeat business. This is clearly evident in our neighborhood.

We are located equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, where the Quaker Bridge Mall has undergone a major transformation. It added 25 new retailers last year, four new ones (Bachrach, Vans, Lush and Bebe) will open by this summer and others are expected to be announced this year. One new addition is the high-end retailer Michael Kors which plans to open about 40 stores in North America this year. The Princeton MarketFair mall located a few miles away has also been adding stores and new restaurants.

Airport terminals now feature a variety of shops beyond fast-food restaurants in their food courts or kiosks selling souvenirs. A businessman can conveniently pick up a suit or tie he may have forgotten to pack for a meeting and a working parent can return home with a birthday gift she bought while waiting for her flight to board.

This is an exciting time for retailers and consumers alike as companies are reinventing themselves by forming partnerships, opening in unlikely locations and entering new markets to meet the needs of consumers wherever and whenever they have the urge to shop.

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Giving Back With The “Three T’s”

Fall for Comedy Show and Gift RaffleAny marketer is familiar with the four P’s: product, price, place and promotion but how about the three T’s? A friend of mine holds leadership roles at various local nonprofits and recently said that when it comes to philanthropic endeavors there’s three things we can offer – our time, talent or treasure (i.e.$).

I hadn’t heard that before and was glad to read about the first ever “Giving Tuesday” held on November 27, 2012. The campaign encourages ways to give back and volunteer kicking-off at the start of the annual holiday season. Word spread on Twitter with the hashtag #GivingTuesday.

The idea started with New York’s 92 Y along with its co-creator the United Nations Foundation. They got other influential founding partners involved which in turn motivated more than 2,000 nonprofits, companies and individual stores to participate.

This year I personally gave of my time and talent to help a nonprofit that I’m a member of by planning, chairing and helping to publicize an event that was open to members and the public. My friend Doug is a professional comic and I had seen him perform a very funny routine at a local coffeehouse so I suggested we plan a comedy night in the fall. Everyone loved the idea. We hoped to make a profit to off-set the comedy night’s costs and help fund activities we hold to aid needy families in central New Jersey.

I named the event “Fall for Comedy” Show & Gift Raffle to resonate with prospective ticket buyers and the media. Our planning began over the summer. The show featured Doug and two other fellow comics, Harris and Robin, who regularly perform at comedy clubs in the New York metropolitan area. We kept the cost relatively low at $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door, including dessert; and also organized a gift raffle featuring prizes donated by two dozen local businesses and organizations.

A dedicated, talented group of volunteers stepped-up to solicit donations and raffle prizes, design the flyer, buy decorations and refreshments, send email blasts, garner publicity, set-up the room prior to the event, work at the event and do many other tasks. Lucky for us, the volunteer who designed the attractive flyer above is the Creative Director of an Ivy League university in town.

Considering that the event was held in mid-November in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I was relieved and glad we obtained print and online media coverage, all went smoothly and it was a success. Everyone had a great time and we made a nice profit.

Here’s to a joyful and meaningful holiday season and Happy New Year for you and your families.