Monthly Archives: February 2010

Wow, you look just like Bragelina.


Fashion lovers have always scoured magazines about gossip and fashion to see and copy trendy ideas from the rich, beautiful and famous. But if the reader wanted to copy their favorite celeb’s look, it was up to them to source the items their idols were wearing. Needless to say, this was a labor intensive and unreliable undertaking at best.

The internet has make it easier for readers to shop for celebrities’ looks, and it has the added advantage of producing advertising and a little e-commererce in the process.

Readers click on or scroll over a celebrity photo on sites like JustJared, INFDaily or CelebStyle to see what kind of clothes Bragelina or Jessica Biel are wearing and where to buy them.
Identifying items celebrities wear has been a popular feature on fashion blogs and the Web sites of magazines like Lucky and Instyle, but they do it with only a handful of photos. And very few do it as a way to bolster e-commerce and advertising revenue.

“On sites that allow you to shop the look, it’s easy-it’s just one click and it’s done,” said Kathryn Finney, founder of Simply Good Media, which has four shopping blogs. “It obviously gives them an advantage.”

Companies like GumGum and Pixazza tag the paparazzi photos with links for buying the clothes. They hire people to look at photos and match the clothes they are wearing with the same or similar, more affordable items from retailers like Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Zappos. The companies get a small fee from retailers when a shopper clicks or buys and article of clothing.

“Publishers and readers look at it as this really informational resource, said Ophir Tanz, chief executive of GumGum, which tagged the photo of Ms. Jolie with one of its “Shop this Look” badges. “
We look at it as an ad unit.”

Right on Ophir.

Creativefeed sees celebrity/fashion sites as an obvious place to start with this business, but it occurs to us that photos all over the Web could be turned into ads or e-commerce portals. We see sites that cover travel, sports and interior design as potential additions.

Twenty Percent of Web real estate is image space, and it’s not really monetized well at all and we see this as a frontier of tremendous opportunity.

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Where is Kevin Flynn?

To build excitement the December 17, 2010 release of Disney’s Tron Legacy, emails were sent last night to willing fans about a city wide scavenger hunt taking place today in 25 cities worldwide including, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, London, and Toronto. For those in or around these select cities, the hunt was on.

The mission: Go to 27 places in one of the cities and find the envoy wearing a “Flynn Lives” t-shirt. When found, provide a password to receive a special code that unlocks images of the new movie on the Flynn Lives website.

This is not the only event where fans came together in the search for Kevin Flynn. “Operatives” mobilized at Flynn’s Arcade where they received search packets with a map and a black light to search for clues. We can only expect more Flynn hunts as we get closer to the movie debut.

Check out Flynns Arcade

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Dalai Lama Joins The Twitter Space


We here at CF would like to take some time to welcome a very important man to the digital world, the Dalai Lama. Yes, that’s right THE Dalai Lama. Only two days into his new account, the Dalai Lama has already garnered over 75,000 followers; quite an impressive feat. So far posts have only been links to articles and photos of his activities in the US. While its unknown whether the Dalai Lama is actually sending these tweets, it would be great to read tweets of wisdom from His Holiness.

twitter.com/DalaiLama

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Visual Gold Medal: NBC’s Real-Time Olympic Twitter Tracker

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have a three-hour delay?  Why not check out the Olympic Twitter Tracker on NBC.com?  As an interesting, real-time visual representation of Twitter discussions regarding the Olympic games, the tweets and photo proportions constantly shift depending on the volume of discussion on Twitter.

The Olympic Twitter Tracker, a collaboration between NBC and San Francisco’s Stamen Design, “showcases reactions with an authenticity and passion that can only come straight from the fans and athletes,” writes Twitter’s Chloe Sladden on the Twitter blog.

“So many of us want to experience the full richness of an event, television show, or news story,” Sladden wrote. “Increasingly, this means participating in it, and then seeing that very participation reflected in the event itself.”

Check out the video:

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Against the Trends

While the 2009 liquor trends show Americans buying cheaper liquor, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York is unveiling the world’s priciest liquor bottle. With more than 60 carats worth of diamonds including 1,100 round cut diamonds, princess and pear cut diamonds, a square cut emerald diamond, round pearls, and 18 carat yellow gold, the Chambord Black Raspberry Liquor bottle is worth $3 million.

Designed by Donald Edge and unveiled by Betsy Johnson, the $3 million bottle will be sold and proceeds will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Coalition. As a breast cancer survivor, Betsey Johnson was a fitting choice to unveil the incredible bottle.

After Chambord by Donald Edge is sold, it will be entered into the Guinness World Records for the most expensive bottle beating the last record holder by over $2.5 million. Prior to Edge’s creation, the world record was held by a Platinum & White Gold Tequila bottle priced at $225,000.

Try a non-diamond encrusted bottle of Chambord for around $40.

Watch and see the Chambord bottle be treated like royalty.

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Wired Magazine is Ready To Go Digital

In anticipation for the iPad’s release, Wired Magazine has developed a digital version of its magazine that is sure to make publishers take notice. The digital version of Wired marries its print layout with interactive features that include videos, short films, 360 views of photos, and social networking. Readers will be experiencing the magazine in a whole different way. Users will be able to tweet and share their favorite articles on social networks while also interacting with ads and articles to create a more connected experience.

Check out this video by Wired on its digital magazine.

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The 2010 Social Network Olympics

The 2010 Olympic athletes have a lot on their minds right now and training and competing is not all they are thinking about. The winter 2010 athletes have decided to go social. Along with watching our favorite athletes compete against the rest of the world, we can now follow their journey through the games via Twitter and Facebook.

Chad Hedrick posts, “Just finished my last practice- 5000 meter tomorrow on NBC! First opening ceremonies- I can’t wait to rock my USA gear- see you later on tv.” While other athletes report their excitement for the opening ceremonies, Twitter created a great platform for some to share their blessings for the Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. Also joining the Twitter ranks are snowboarder Shawn White, figure skater Johnny Weir, and speed skaters Apolo Ohno and Heather Richardson. For a complete list of tweeting athletes, check out Twitter.

With the constant flow of Twitter and Facebook updates, we can experience the 2010 Winter Games as if we were walking beside the world class athletes themselves. We can wake up and follow their lives as they attack their goals and live their dreams.

With the increase of posts within the past couple weeks; we are sure to see the Olympics through a whole new perspective. Athletes are personally connecting with their fans and fans are responding though a show of their support. Be sure to watch the opening ceremonies tonight and check Twitter to see what it’s like through the athletes’ perspective.

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Fashion at Your Fingertips

Social Shopping is one reason online shopping has grown in the past few years. Simple reviews, Facebook groups, Tweets, and blogs are great and effective ways for companies to market their products. The simplicity and benefits of online social shopping make you wonder why some retailers have ignored the marketing benefits of new technology and the social atmosphere.

Department stores like Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom and many more online retailers have made fashionistas out of everyone, with social shopping. These online retailers allow customers to read and write reviews about products and styles. 70% of online shoppers trust the opinions posted in comment sections of their favorite retailer. This means that 70% of online shoppers are influenced by a stranger’s feedback when deciding to buy. If a style is unflattering on certain body types or the picture isn’t true to the color, shoppers will know.

Most online retailers do not offer a full range of product pictures on their sites creating the question, “How does it look from the back?” Possibilities are endless on the web and retailers are not taking advantage of it. Why not offer more pictures and videos of their items? agentprovocateur.com does it right, offering front and back views from the initial category page. Online retailers could see increased sales with more extensive coverage of products. For example, the GlamCam360 camera used in recent awards shows can give consumers a complete view and control of the featured clothing. Better yet, take a lesson from QVC and include videos of models posing and walking a runway so shoppers can see how the fashions look when they move.


Out with the old and in with the new. By utilizing available technology and the online social world, retailers may see better traffic and more sales. Consumers want to be engaged and entertained. Maybe 2010 will bring a new look to online shopping enticing consumers to SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!

For interesting social commerce statistics, check out Bazaar Voice.

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