Oh My God!!!!

She's gotta have it

The Age November 15, 2007

Katie Cincotta looks at why girl power is driving the gadget revolution.

Please read the full article by following the link in the title. Some excerpts:

"THERE'S a reason handbags are big enough to fit two kids, a dog and the kitchen sink. And it's not because Nicole Richie and her tanorexic cohorts prance about Hollywood with their expensive uber bags."

"International fashion labels Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci are only too happy to embrace the trend with the release of fashionista mobiles. Dolce & Gabbana hooked up with Motorola, Giorgio Armani with Samsung, Julien MacDonald with Sony Ericsson and Prada recently jumped into bed with LG to conceive the sophisticated new KE850 mobile."

"So it seems that the fairer sex is indeed going gaga for gadgets, happy to skip the season's cult shoes - Yves Saint Laurent's tortuous 15cm "Tribute" heels - in favour of gadgets that fit snugly in the palm.

Then again, if you're a true she-geek, you could buy the $730 killer heels (which should probably come with a free trip to the podiatrist), use your mobile to film yourself strutting in them to your iTunes, then post it on YouTube for the world to ogle.

Narcissism, after all, is the new black."

1. What is the change in consumer behaviour discussed here?

2. What is the relationship between product and content?

3. Is there really a difference between and male and female consumer behaviour in this domain?

Marketing segmentation through social media

From Paul Gillin's blog - Social Media and the Open Enterprise

Please go to Paul's blog to read the full post.

Then go to the Umbria web site.

"For an apparel maker, Umbria analyzed postings to blogs and social networks to identify the following segments:

Fit Finders (39% of the population), Self Expressives (19%), Bargain Seekers (17%), Label Whores (11%) , Style Gurus (8%) and Dissenters (6%).

Here’s an example of segment characteristics: Fit Finders are Generation Xers looking for appropriate jeans for their changing physiques. . Low-waisted jeans aren't working for them any more, but “old person jeans” aren't appealing either. Plus-sized Fit Finders are looking for fashion-forward styles rather than shapeless designs.

Self Expressives want control. They want to distress their own jeans, design clothing reconstructed from jeans and add personal style to jeans through patches and embroiders.

Style Gurus are looking to be unique. They're looking for authenticity and real inspiration. "Some men are actually starting to become interested in wearing women's jeans because they view them as more stylish," he said. These insights emerged from online conversations."

1. How accurate or useful do you think this segmentation is?
2. Can the results be skewed or manipulated?
3. What are the ethical and privacy issues?