BrandWatch by Michel Gutsatz

Missoni for Target: success or failure?

Last May, Target announced a new partnership with a premium brand - in this case Missoni (after Liberty in 2010): A collection of more than 400 references in fashion and home accessories that was launched on 13 September. This launch was preceded by an extraordinary marketing campaign that definitely gave the event a certain impact:

• A series of television commercials;

  
  
   
  
• A blog, All the Way Up Here was started  - where the author professes to be a fan of Margherita Missoni… who, in fact, turned out to be a doll;
• This doll - called "Little Marina", 8-feet high, "lived" in the heart of New York at Bryant Park (6th Avenue & 42nd Street) in a pop-up store. Besides the blog, she even had her own Twitter and Tumblr accounts. The buzz is launched in the social media networks. 

  
  
• This pop-up store of 800 m2 was opened on the occasion of Fashion Week, a week before the official launch of the collection at Target (see it here). Limited edition products were displayed and sold. Success was immediate. As WWD stated: "At a press event that evening, editors and celebrity guests stripped the store bare. Merchandise was replenished for Sept. 8 and Fashion’s Night Out, but didn’t last long. As crowds lined 42nd Street from the pop-up shop to Times Square, shoppers inside asked sales associates to strip clothes off mannequins. One of the most expensive items, a bicycle, priced at $399.99, sold out of all 158 units".

On 13 September, the launch proved to be so successful that the site target.com crashed. In a very short time, products were stamped "sold out".

Since then, the web has been abuzz with discussions on this campaign, social networks going into overdrive commenting on Target's failure, disappointed customers speak up:

• some say they have ordered and don't know if they will be delivered;
• others receive letters from Target stating that their orders cannot be met;
• still others receive their orders although they were convinced that they would never be delivered. 

Target copes with it:

What lessons can we learn from this? I see two - both positive:

1. For Missoni: the Italian brand, with very few outlets in the United States, sees its presence strengthened, creates an image and a reputation. The partnership with Target ("Design for the masses") is quite consistent: the distributor built its image on its work with designers and premium brands - offering customers exceptional limited-edition products at "discount" prices.
2. Target strengthens its image: the rush to the products and the crash of its website will profit Target in the medium term. In fact, the rising frustration amongst those who did not succeed in getting Missoni products, far from causing them flee to other brands, will only incite them to come back next year during the next operation and sensitize them even more to the Target's competitive advantages.

A Walk Around Place Vendôme - Boucheron

Debra Healy pursues her Walk around Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix with an analysis of Boucheron. This prestigious brand is today without style. Creators follow one another (a new one has recently been appointed), the windows are sloppy and do not do justice to the products - the brand's potential is underexploited.

 

In 1858 Frederic Boucheron (1830-1902) opened his first Jewelry Salon in the Palais Royal. The Jewelry of Frederic Boucheron was imaginative and daring. He attracted some of the wealthiest and most notorious clients of his day. The grace, fluidity, and proportions of the 19th century Boucheron diamond pieces were remarkable. Following are a few examples of historic works by Boucheron.

Frederic Boucheron eventually worked with his own in-house designers an craftsmen. In 1893 Boucheron has the distinction of being the first jeweler to set up shop in the Place Vendome. At 26 Place Vendôme, where they are still located today. Boucheron exhibited in many of the international expositions: the Philadelphia centennial 1876 / Paris exposition universelles 1889, and 1900 / The Chicago Colombian exposition of 1893.

In the 1930's Boucheron attracted the new royalty, the movie stars of Hollywood.

In 2000 Boucheron was  acquired by the Gucci group  who were then acquired by  PPR. Who is Boucheron today?

During the early days of the acquisition of Boucheron, the Gucci group was under the over all design direction of Tom Ford who had revitalized the Gucci brand. Mr. Ford is a consummate fashion professional, but he was not a jewelry professional. He appointed the trendy Londoner, Solange Azagury Partridge, as creative director. I met Solange many years ago in London when she worked for my friend Gordon Watson in sales at his gallery.  She has no formal training in Jewelry, but worked with Gordon’s wonderful collection of 20th century jewelry and decorative arts. I do not know what she did at Boucheron or how  it translated into bottom line sales. The Gucci group has since been acquired by PPR, Tom Ford has been long gone, and Boucheron presently seems somewhat confused. 

There have been several one-off design stints in recent years. From within the PPR stable drawn from Alexander McQueen, is McQueen's favorite jeweler, Shaun Leane. Leane  was chosen to design a necklace to commemorate Boucheron's 150th year of business. I like Mr. Leane's work: it is highly identifiable as "Leane", like post-modern crown of thorns, but is it "Boucheron"?

Marc Newson, the renowned product designer, created a mathematically generated fractal necklace. This was an interesting computer-age ultra-modern concept.  Yet it was not incorporated within an overall design and identity strategy.

These individual pieces are like blips on a radar screen. The current Haute Joaillerie seems disconnected, unbalanced, stiff, and at times quite inelegant. It is a shame given Boucheron's extraordinary history.

When looking into the current Boucheron window it seems the displays are at times sloppy and incoherent: the products are not enhanced by the presentation, the displays are poor, the designs are totally unrelated.

 

If the above pieces were not signed could you identify them as uniquely Boucheron?

In the Boucheron windows I have not seen differentiated style, iconic products, or a well communicated identity. There appears to be no guiding light directing how to utilize the brand's heritage and design assets to assert a coherent identity.

In my opinion there is a great deal of potential that is still under-realized.

 

 

A Walk Around Place Vendôme - Mellerio dits Meller

Debra Healy pursues her Walk around Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix with an analysis of Mellerio dits Meller. This family brand is today quite far from its history and its origins - it is now quite banal.

Next door to Cartier at 9 Rue de la Paix behind a beautiful wooden facade is Mellerio dits Meller. The Mellerio family traces its origins to the Lombardy region of Italy in the 16th Century.

They were jewelers and goldsmiths. Some of the family moved to Paris in 1515. They prospered and became  royal jewelers  to the court of  Louis  XIII. In 1635 they were granted to use of of the name Meller. Hence Mellerio dits Meller. During the revolutions of 1789 and 1849 Mellerio relocated to Spain. In Madrid they were appointed as a supplier to the court of Queen Isabella II of Spain.

 

Very fine Second Empire (c. 1860) parure

Gold, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, and enamel.

Tiara, 1867 made for Queen Isabella II of Spain

in the shape of a scallop shell

set with diamonds, diamond briolettes, and pearls.

The Mellerio family re-established in Paris. They participated in many of the international expositions. They exhibited in Paris in 1867, in Vienna in 1873, and again in Paris in 1878 and 1900. They also exhibited in The Exposition des Arts Decoratifs 1925.

Mellerio brooch 1942

During the Nazi occupation  gemstone supplies were limited.

This bird's blue plumage is plique-a-jour enamel, which

is backless and as transparent as a stained glass window.

The French jewelry dynasty Mellerio dits Meller is still in business, and still in the original family: this distinguishes them as France‘s oldest luxury brand. Unique for this fact alone, but is that enough?

They are a family enterprise that has survived centuries of business, the reign of terror, various wars, and the Nazi occupation of Paris. They have catered to noble families and the wealthy elite with jewels in keeping with prevailing fashion in every stylistic epoch. Styles such as 16th, 17th, 18th century, Empire, Second Empire, romatic revivals, Renaissance revival,   archeological revival, Art Nouveau, Louis XVI revival, Art Deco, and the retro style of the late 1930’s-1950's.

Mannequin wearing jewels by Mellerio 1950's

The most interesting thing about Mellerio today is their history. Unfortunately this history in not at all reflected by the products displayed in their windows.

This ring looks like one of thousands available in the jewelers district of 47th street in New York City for the past 20 years. I am an American therefore I am not over-awed by the royal patronage associated with this jewelry house. What I want to see is a unique differentiated style, Iconic products, and good design.

These jewels look like products sold in America, on TV shopping channels like QVC, and Home Shopping Network. The only difference is that these are 18 k gold rather than 14 k gold. The jewelry displayed in Mellerio's windows appears to be a random selection. The jewels are ultra-conservative and rather bland. I do not see a coherent vision, with unique differentiated style, iconic products, or particularly good design.This is a shame given their long illustrious history.