We were at the Art Fair in Den Bosch. The quality of the art was a bit disappointing as was the total amount of visitors for the participating art dealers. Because of the warm weather and other factors the exhibition was almost empty. So Dolf did not had a lot to do...

We were at the Art Fair in Den Bosch. The quality of the art was a bit disappointing as was the total amount of visitors for the participating art dealers. Because of the warm weather and other factors the exhibition was almost empty. So Dolf did not had a lot to do...

In San francisco Marijn and I found a new store: Ruehl925.  Because we saw in New Orleans Hollister and because both brands look like and act like a exact copy of Abercrombie & Fitch we were wondering what this copycat is all about. It turns out that all brands are part of the Ambercrombie imperium. Have a look at this chart:




Hollister is my favorite brand (although I am a big older then the target group it seems... :-)

Abercrombie & Fitch has complete control over the design and production of its merchandise, stores, and marketing. Because it spends little on external advertising, the company depends upon the store experience to help define the brand. Not only is the store experience important, but the name brand itself is a way for them to advertise. Their logo and or the words Abercrombie & Fitch are on every item in the store. It is easily identifiable and well known. By customers wearing the clothing itself, is almost advertising enough. The company strictly regulates the store environment in an effort to provide a consistent, pleasureful experience for customers in a manner that can be replicated in each store. Factors such as visual presentation, music, and fragrance are not left to chance. The company also specifies in painstaking detail low lighting, layout, visual displays, marketing, and fixtures are to be placed and used in every store. Each store is spritzed every half hour with men’s cologne in order to ensure a pleasant sensory experience. Every store plays the same pre-produced music CD which is sent to each store. Every month stores receive a new CD and are instructed to discard the old one. The volume is set to the company regulated level and must not be changed for any reason
.
The Hollister Co. brand is targeted towards people of ages 14-18. According to the company's handbook, John M. Hollister is a fictitious sailor with a love of the South Pacific and the sea who traveled the world and ultimately settled in Santa Barbara, CA and in 1922 established the company in Laguna Beach as a vendor of South Pacific goods. His first son, John Jr., took over in 1953 and incorporated surf apparel and equipment. His younger brother, Todd, took over in 1977 after John Jr. died in a surfing accident, and turned it into today's Hollister Co. Although the brand was established in 2000, Hollister Co. puts forth the date of its establishment as being 1922, and uses the number 22 on many of its goods
Hollister's store layout is very similar to an Abercrombie & Fitch store. The entrance is designed to give off a West Coast, beach village feel. It is also supposed to portray the spirit and adventure of Southern California. The entrance of the store is a teak wooden boardwalk leading into the men's ("Dudes") and women's ("Bettys") side of the store. Over the boardwalk is clay tile roofing, held up by beige, wooden poles. On each side of the boardwalk, there are two forms (mannequins without heads) dressed in Hollister Co. apparel. Upon entering the store, the west coast look continues on, with leather chairs placed around the store, and fragrances along side the chairs. The clothing is illuminated by dim lighting, as a part of the store's atmosphere. Loud music is also played during the store's business hours. Hollister Co. has a touch-screen computer system in the store, where customers can request the songs that are played in the store. Hollister Co.'s colognes and perfumes are sprayed daily throughout the store, which may enhance the customer's sensory experience. Brown mesh lines the ceiling of the main room of the store, where the cash registers are located, in which a California and American flag are hung. Behind the cash registers are surfboard shelves, displaying the store's many different fragrances. Many of the logo T-shirts mention California beaches, and other popular American surfing destinations. Some stores offer live feeds of Surf City on side walls of the store to give a more California Beach feel.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. introduced a new retail concept, Ruehl, to cater to graduates of its collegiate fashions. While Abercrombie & Fitch caters to the 18- to 22-year-old, attracting a faithful male and female customer base, and the company's newer division, Hollister, has developed a loyal following among high-school aged students of the California surf lifestyle, there hasn't been a division to maintain the interest of diploma-wielding adults--until now.
"Ruehl targets a 22 to 30-year-old customer and is the fantasy of what it's like to graduate college and go to New York and make it. It's the New York fantasy.
The entryway looks like a brick house in New York City's Greenwich Village, complete with a wrought iron gate, antique glass windows and flower boxes. Without a prominent sign, it has a dark, mysterious presence in the mall. The address is posted: Ruehl, No. 925 Greenwich Street, N.Y.

The interior carries the theme through, with the feeling of a vintage pad. Exposed ceilings and dim lighting add a vintage look to the store design. It resembles a brownstone, with a faux fireplace and dark wooden flooring. Bookshelves feature vintage books available for purchase that are associated with The Big Apple. Titles include "Nightstalker" and a tome on Andy Warhol, and include some signed original editions. Black-and-white lifestyle shots of young men and women modeling Ruehl fashions are scattered about the store, including the central hallway, where they are stacked along the floor, hinged so customers can shuffle through them. The house's address, "No. 925" is echoed throughout the store design, including on the garments themselves. Along with the aforementioned books and CDs, magazines and newspapers including The New York Times and the New York Post are available for purchase.

In the mean time the Hollister Brand has grown bigger then teh A&F brand and A&F as a whole is doing very well.

In San francisco Marijn and I found a new store: Ruehl925.  Because we saw in New Orleans Hollister and because both brands look like and act like a exact copy of Abercrombie & Fitch we were wondering what this copycat is all about. It turns out that all brands are part of the Ambercrombie imperium. Have a look at this chart:




Hollister is my favorite brand (although I am a big older then the target group it seems... :-)

Abercrombie & Fitch has complete control over the design and production of its merchandise, stores, and marketing. Because it spends little on external advertising, the company depends upon the store experience to help define the brand. Not only is the store experience important, but the name brand itself is a way for them to advertise. Their logo and or the words Abercrombie & Fitch are on every item in the store. It is easily identifiable and well known. By customers wearing the clothing itself, is almost advertising enough. The company strictly regulates the store environment in an effort to provide a consistent, pleasureful experience for customers in a manner that can be replicated in each store. Factors such as visual presentation, music, and fragrance are not left to chance. The company also specifies in painstaking detail low lighting, layout, visual displays, marketing, and fixtures are to be placed and used in every store. Each store is spritzed every half hour with men’s cologne in order to ensure a pleasant sensory experience. Every store plays the same pre-produced music CD which is sent to each store. Every month stores receive a new CD and are instructed to discard the old one. The volume is set to the company regulated level and must not be changed for any reason
.
The Hollister Co. brand is targeted towards people of ages 14-18. According to the company's handbook, John M. Hollister is a fictitious sailor with a love of the South Pacific and the sea who traveled the world and ultimately settled in Santa Barbara, CA and in 1922 established the company in Laguna Beach as a vendor of South Pacific goods. His first son, John Jr., took over in 1953 and incorporated surf apparel and equipment. His younger brother, Todd, took over in 1977 after John Jr. died in a surfing accident, and turned it into today's Hollister Co. Although the brand was established in 2000, Hollister Co. puts forth the date of its establishment as being 1922, and uses the number 22 on many of its goods
Hollister's store layout is very similar to an Abercrombie & Fitch store. The entrance is designed to give off a West Coast, beach village feel. It is also supposed to portray the spirit and adventure of Southern California. The entrance of the store is a teak wooden boardwalk leading into the men's ("Dudes") and women's ("Bettys") side of the store. Over the boardwalk is clay tile roofing, held up by beige, wooden poles. On each side of the boardwalk, there are two forms (mannequins without heads) dressed in Hollister Co. apparel. Upon entering the store, the west coast look continues on, with leather chairs placed around the store, and fragrances along side the chairs. The clothing is illuminated by dim lighting, as a part of the store's atmosphere. Loud music is also played during the store's business hours. Hollister Co. has a touch-screen computer system in the store, where customers can request the songs that are played in the store. Hollister Co.'s colognes and perfumes are sprayed daily throughout the store, which may enhance the customer's sensory experience. Brown mesh lines the ceiling of the main room of the store, where the cash registers are located, in which a California and American flag are hung. Behind the cash registers are surfboard shelves, displaying the store's many different fragrances. Many of the logo T-shirts mention California beaches, and other popular American surfing destinations. Some stores offer live feeds of Surf City on side walls of the store to give a more California Beach feel.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. introduced a new retail concept, Ruehl, to cater to graduates of its collegiate fashions. While Abercrombie & Fitch caters to the 18- to 22-year-old, attracting a faithful male and female customer base, and the company's newer division, Hollister, has developed a loyal following among high-school aged students of the California surf lifestyle, there hasn't been a division to maintain the interest of diploma-wielding adults--until now.
"Ruehl targets a 22 to 30-year-old customer and is the fantasy of what it's like to graduate college and go to New York and make it. It's the New York fantasy.
The entryway looks like a brick house in New York City's Greenwich Village, complete with a wrought iron gate, antique glass windows and flower boxes. Without a prominent sign, it has a dark, mysterious presence in the mall. The address is posted: Ruehl, No. 925 Greenwich Street, N.Y.

The interior carries the theme through, with the feeling of a vintage pad. Exposed ceilings and dim lighting add a vintage look to the store design. It resembles a brownstone, with a faux fireplace and dark wooden flooring. Bookshelves feature vintage books available for purchase that are associated with The Big Apple. Titles include "Nightstalker" and a tome on Andy Warhol, and include some signed original editions. Black-and-white lifestyle shots of young men and women modeling Ruehl fashions are scattered about the store, including the central hallway, where they are stacked along the floor, hinged so customers can shuffle through them. The house's address, "No. 925" is echoed throughout the store design, including on the garments themselves. Along with the aforementioned books and CDs, magazines and newspapers including The New York Times and the New York Post are available for purchase.

In the mean time the Hollister Brand has grown bigger then teh A&F brand and A&F as a whole is doing very well.

I am not sure whether it is beacuse I just ordered my Prius but here in San Francisco it seems that EVERYBODY is a driving a Prius. No wonder in such a liberal green Town and if you remember that when you drive a prius here you can park with discount and can drive at anytime at the diamond lane... :-)

I am not sure whether it is beacuse I just ordered my Prius but here in San Francisco it seems that EVERYBODY is a driving a Prius. No wonder in such a liberal green Town and if you remember that when you drive a prius here you can park with discount and can drive at anytime at the diamond lane... :-)

We saw some interesting demo's from  swivel (data presentation on the Internet), vidoop (a cool new login security concept), tell me ( a not so cool voice to data mobile startup just bought by Microsoft).
After that we listened to a great story of Bill Tancer of Hitwise and David Sifry of Technocrati about Internettraffic and blogs.
Hitwise divides the users in een couple of socio/demographic/lifestyle groups. Three of those are important to predict what the next big thing will be. (Youtube took for instance just SIX WEEKS to be the most dominant video website.
The groups are: Money & brains, Pools & patio, Young Digerati...
According to the most recent numbers the sites to watch out for are: Yelp (user generated yellow pages) Stumble upon (exhange of bookmarks), Weeworld (chat with avatars), Imeem (playlist exchange), Piczo (community website) and Veoh (video exchange).
Interesting stats about participation: only 0,16% of the users of youtube participate in uploading a video. For flickr: 0,2% and wikipedia: 4,6%. A participant is usually older and male.
Although the amount of active blogs in decreasing (21% vs. 36% last year), They are getting more and more important in the top 1000 linked to sites.Tagging really is exploding and now 37% of all bloggers are adding tags. That will create all new possibilities in the future.

By the way: I started to tag with this new VOX blog and am investigating the automatic tagging from tagyu.

The happening of the day was and interview on stage with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. He had a really good performance, was witty, smart and confident. According to him Google will find growth potential in mobile and local space. He also is convinced that we are just beginning to grasp and use the possibilities of the Internet abd that scalability is a key thing.

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One fun aspect of Web2.0 is that the logos of the web2.0 companies are really special. Lot's of weird names, colors and symbols. Here is a bunch of them on flickr.

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Finally the conference has started. Before the first keynote speaker (Uncle Jef from Amazon) however we followed some additional workshops. The guys from Modzilla told us a little bit more about open source development. We then went into a presentation about user generated content. Interesting to see that the authority balance has shifted so powerful. It is important to learn and lead your users while offering them the option to play with the content.
By the way the guys from Modzilla showed us some new upcoming features that are wicked awesome. (The Coop). Have a look at dai.sy. or weblin It's al about sharing the browser experience with other users.
Into the browser expect more functionalities as well - so a host of features now embedded in almost every website (like print sent to a friend, email etc. etc. ) will be obsolete.
Jef Bezos (founder and CEO of Amazon) told us about Amazon Services - a giant platform on which the can deliver digital services in the future.

The founders of Jot, sixapart (the makers of VOX) and digg told us how to manage successfully an Internet company and what the difference is between starting a company for sale and a company for he long term,

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Inspired by the We2.0 conference I started a new blog today. Pretty much the same content but under de VOX platform. This gives me more flexibility and the opportunity to share not only photo's but audio, video books and other documents as well.
ALSO I can do some more editing on VOX. :-)
And trow in some tags - so I can archive my posts better. Together with a fresh new lay-out I guess It's Marque's Blog2.0...
Enjoy!

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