MyÜberLife

What you are. What we are. What we are together. | #MULFMAB, Family, Friends, Clients & Co. | #fashion #music #art & #business

The best strategic partnerships are often predicated on a mutual, authentic, and transparent trade of things…in some cases, things that seem to be unequal in value to each party involved.

The upcoming shoe collaboration between Rick Owens and Adidas, set to launch on June 27th, 2013 in Paris during the Rick Owens presentation (retail availability Dec ‘13) evokes this familiar type of value trade. Spurred by a genuine need to accommodate his cardio fitness direction, and an appreciation for Adidas’ streetwear cultural legacy, Mr. Owens sought out a partnership with the company to create a high-end, performance-based, running shoe that simultaneously met both his personal physical needs and the aesthetic taste his brand is known for.  

Adidas, undoubtedly happy to engage in this rare union, has likely already benefited from Mr. Owens’ unique perspective on design, technology, craftsmanship, and overall aesthetic; but, they also stand to gain a spike in brand awareness amidst fashion enthusiasts - specifically ‘high street,’ aspirational luxury, and luxury consumers.

To me, what is interesting about this collaboration, more than its high profile collaborators, is that it was a partnership initiated by a niche designer (who is known in fashion circles for resisting collaborations with mass market brands), looking to join forces with one of the largest mass market brands in the apparel industry; and (seemingly) not for the increase in brand awareness or exposure to a larger consumer segment, but rather for a personal need and an authentic appreciation for the heritage of the company. Perhaps it’s too soon to congratulate Adidas for another fashion windfall following the commercial success of the Jeremy Scott collaborations, but I’m pretty sure this will be another winner for the beloved brand.

posted by Kwasi Gyasi of MyUberLife

I was once asked… I was once asked a question by brand managers, ad execs, marketers & account reps who wanted to move their company’s products. They asked, “how do we get people interested in our brands & buy our products? […] Is their one thing we [I] would recommend [them] doing to increase brand engagement, advocacy & sales?” Our response was: “PAY ATTENTION to culture!” Every business, whether a fashion house, art gallery, music site ala itunes, real estate agency & hospital, or neighborhood bodega-all entities that offer products, services & experiences to a market must pay attention to culture. Markets are made up of people who group themselves or are coerced to group themselves around a similar ideological stance. Ideology = Culture. People seldom buy rationally, they buy based on emotions. So how does one identify & trigger these emotions? Our answer is to begin by observing your market’s culture and by doing so you will identify their value system aka what they value aka what is valued by their group’ culture. We humans are social creatures and we build our value system around esteem, needs, wants & desire. Our values are always in relation to our culture. The intangibles of culture is the emotional & psychological bases of why we have customs & culture. | #MULFMAB on #sociology, #anthropology, #marketing, #branding & #business. For the love of #fashion, #music & #art #business.

Two Types. Those who ‘shoot from the hip’-The Cowboys & those who strategize-The Architects. The former relies on luck, while the latter creates their luck through the preparations & execution of a cohesive strategy. One is reactive while the other is proactive. The former can create income, while the latter aims to create wealth-social, cultural, fiscal & symbolic capital; an socio-economic position that goes beyond money. The former does not have the patience, discipline & organization while the latter does. Both require personal interest but both yields different value. Cook vs Chef. | #MULFMAB on #fashion, #music, & #art #brandbuilding #business #business101

Live Like This: Definitive Chief Aim = Your Life’s Highest Purpose. How do you find your life highest purpose? You finding it doing the ‘thing’ where your human concept of time disappears. Similar to the feeling when you were a young child playing-we didn’t feel the concept time-work & play becomes one. The adult version is the same except we put the concept of earning a living around the ‘thing.’ | #MULFMAB x @thelawofsuccess on finding your #fashion, #music & #art ‘thing,’ purpose & definitive chief aim. #business101 #NapoleonHill #makemoneyhavingfun #faith

Started: How to do you take an Idea to Market Successfully?! | #MULFMAB on #fashion, #music & #art ideas, #startups, #brands & #business(es). #business101 ♥♥

Business 101: What is the purpose of a fashion editorial? The purpose: Where an editor, model, photographer, make-up artist, hair stylist, stylist, etc. work in conjunction with a brand/advertiser to create advertising revenue for a publication, ‘in & out’ of market product education, brand desire, brand advocacy, brand evangelism, sales & good ol’ fashion creative good will.#GiseleBundchen & #MarioTestinioare some of the best in this value chain. #MULFMAB on #fashion#Editorial #business #psychology#sociology #marketing #desire

The Controversy: Our Case for Creativity and Strategy Needing to Work Together: When an idea is developed without an economic or social engine; this type of idea should be considered an ‘Art Ideation project’ where no financial or social gain should be looked for or expected. As soon as a creator of idea looks to benefit from said idea financially or socially, this idea is no longer an art project; this idea crosses the realm into business. There is a myth that exists where some believe artistry, craftsmanship, creativity, logic, free market capitalism, ethics, fashion, music, & art can not coexist. There is a myth that selling is selling out. We believe selling allows the creator of ideas to produce more ideas. There is a myth that business is not creative. Creativity x An organized business effort = Financial & Social Impact. | #MULFMAB on reconfiguring myths in the #fashion, #music & #art world(s). #CulturalEconomy

Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

posted by Kwasi Gyasi of MyUberLife

Operating and managing a startup or established brand can get complicated. There are many moving parts that have to be accounted for; it is vital to develop a sound strategy to allocate the right resources depending on the manpower available.  But at the end of the day with all the moving parts within a business they are all connected to the financials. With all of the complexities in business one must always remember to be Profitable, make sure your Total Revenue (sales) is greater than your Total Cost (expenses).  When a business is organized and a strategy is implemented complication become manageable and fun. Complication is a big boulder and strategy is the hammer that helps breaks that boulder into manageable pebbles. The goal is to turn those pebbles into gold nuggets.

Posted by Winston Peters of MyUberLife 

The Balance: In the subjective world of tastes, the value of a product or service has to go beyond it’s production value but to the psychological, sociological & spiritual realm of perceived value. What your audience perceives to be valuable is what makes it ultimately valuable. There is no better example of a service offering being subjectively valuable than that of a musician’s brand, I mean band’s connection with his/her/their fans. We remind our clients that what you, the artist, considers good music is less important than the connection you, the artist, make with the fans. This is what we call the psychological benefit also known as perceived value. 

Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

Brand Management vs Price Management: Some of the differences between a luxury brand & a commodified brand is the management of perception and the management of price margins (profit). Scarcity or the illusion of scarcity, tend to drive ‘up’ the perceived value of a consumed object and the desire of said object (demand). On the other hand, some thing scarce means less abundance & less volume of sales. When a luxury brand becomes to available and too accessible, for a while a brand may see a moment of high profit margins (sales) but eventually suffer what is called ‘brand dillution;’ where the perceived value of that scarce item becomes less exclusive, less desired because luxury brands are used to display to the world an aesthetic point of view or a customer’s societal status. A commodity is usually purchased because of a utilitarian need. For example, people typically dont use toothpaste to communicate to the the world their position in society or taste preference. We tend to use not essential items like a handbag or champagne to communicate status. The trick is, from the brand’s beginning, to determine who the target customer is, what are their needs, what are thier wants & what do they desire and position your brand to be less available, less obvious, understanding that your business model well be about small volume of products and big sales margins (relatively expensive) or large volume of products and large sales margins (relatively cheap). Analyze and determine the pros or cons of positioning your brand as a commodity or as a luxury. | #MULFMAB late night convo on #fashion, #music, #art #luxury #business. #sociology #psychology #finance #branding #marketing