A virtual Home for Little Miss Perfectly-Imperfect

Zooey Deschanel is the “new It-Girl” and surely everybody’s darling at the moment. Recently even President Obama wished "Happy Birthday" to her. Being a comedian, a songwriter and the co-founder of the online platform for young women “Hello Giggles”, she is a role model for real girl power and for patchwork creativity.

The platform “HelloGiggles.com” provides personal insights into the world of young women in a very entertaining way. It is celebrating with charm the imperfections of life. Well worth a perusal. http://hellogiggles.com

            Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

Hello Kitty still rules Asian Mothers

It seems that in Europe the popularity of Hello Kitty has already reached its zenith, in Asia it is still rising. The iconic cat  without a story, is still the hero for mothers and daughters in Asia. Just recently Sanrio franchised a chain of Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurants to open up in China. Sanyo's strategy is to target especially like young moms. After already opening up a maternity ward in Taiwan in 2008, new ones as well as new theme parks and hotels should follow.

 
Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

Is Lego messing up its Chance to woo Girls?

After years of catering mainly to boys Lego is now trying to court the girls with its new line LEGO Friends. According to Lego it is the result of months of anthropological research, which came to the conclusion that girls are playing differently. In fact it is a world that is aiming at girls but without the mastery and accomplishment LEGO is usually giving to boys. That is why Lego has faced critics among media, mothers and girls. Lauren Hodge the 13 year-old winner of the google science fair, which was also sponsored by LEGO, complained about the new line in an interview with TEDxWomen. Also Peggy Orenstein, the author of the book “Cindarella ate my Daughter” wrote in the New York Times that the role model of LEGO for girls seems to be “a budding Kardashian that can build herself a cafe or a beauty salon.”

"If it takes color-coding or ponies and hairdressers to get girls playing with Lego, I'll put up with it, at least for now, because it's just so good for little girls' brains," says Lise Eliot. A neuroscientist at the Rosalind Franklin University of Chicago, she is the author of Pink Brain Blue Brain, a 2009 survey of hundreds of scientific papers on gender differences in children.

Time and Sales will tell, if “most significant launch of the decade”, according to CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, will be a success for the brand and as well as for the girls.

Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

How to advertise Push-up Bras

Marketing push-up bras to its target group is difficult - when avoiding clichés and stereotypes.That is certainly the reason, why Wonderbra invited only women women to perform a bungee-jump in front of a models cleavage picture on the famous Battersea Power Station in London.


The Dutch chain HEMA came up with a simple, but truly convincing idea: Advertising a product for women by using a man to prove its benefits. They chose Andrej Peli, the androgynous male supermodel, to demonstrate the attractive effects of its push-up bras - not for women only.

Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

The Beauty of Criticism

Comme des Garçons continues its collaboration with Katerina Jebb by blurring the boundaries between criticism & commerce in an unconventional campaign for “the new” Comme des Garçons Fragrance.”

Katerina Jebb, is a Paris-based, British artist who has been creating captivating fake beauty advertisement films with celebs on her imaginary TV Channel, Lucid TV.



Some Examples of her parodies

Tilda Swinton stars for Life Eraser: A life-changing skincare cream that  claims to be a revolutionary cream that will not only erase your wrinkles but your life too.

Kristin Scott Thomas promotes Je Reviens: The award-winning British actor dances in front of a fountain to the tune of West Side Story’s “I Feel Pretty” for The British Cryonics Institute. The campaign encourages the public to plan their afterlife as they bid you to wake up in 3015.

Kylie Minogue presents the Beautiful Body: The petite but perfect body of the Australian pop icon fronts the campaign of this London-based insurance company that guards your "precious assets

The the "new “Comme des Garçons Fragrance fake, art or reality? In fact it is clever move for the brand to embrace the art of criticism and it is a perfectly imperfect platform for the artist to publish her witty comments about the pressure of being young and beautiful.

http://youtu.be/s0p4NrPXQvI

Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

Beauty is on the political Agenda

For 2012 the UK Government is aiming a voluntary pledge in partnership with beauty and fashion brands in order to reduce the perceived pressure  on young women to attain an ‘ideal’ appearance.

Manipulated images in advertising are facing increasing critics among government officials. Just recently H&M got under fire by online blogger communities and the Swedish minister Lena A. Liljeroth, for putting models heads on perfect computer generated bodies.



Earlier this summer,  Lancôme and Maybelline had to withdraw campaigns in the UK after complaints by Members of Parliament about "overly perfected and unrealistic images" of women in their advertising.  Seems that the fashion and beauty industry needs to find new ways not only to communicate with consumers but also with their officials.

Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.

Go for Gucci?

With an exclusive Fiat 500 limited GUCCI edition and the help of the celeb Jenifer Lopez, Fiat tries to put his brand back on the bloc in the US. Trying awaking the inner princess of its female target, FIAT shows a world full of beauty and elegance where dreams come true.





 
Click here to learn more about our study Navigating Venus.