Wholesale Matters

New craft vs. old craft

Two weekends ago, I trekked up to NYC to do some prospecting at two retail craft shows, the Renegade Craft Fair and Crafts at Lincoln Center. To say the least, it was an interesting juxtaposition of the emerging craft world and the old school version.

Despite its hard-to-find location in an abandoned swimming pool at McCarren Park (to be fair, it probably wasn't so hard to find if you live in Brooklyn, but three out four Manhattan cab drivers had no idea how to get there), there were literally thousands of visitors at the Renegade show. Until the skies opened and vast amounts of rain poured down later in the afternoon, it was HOT (a situation not improved by having a show in a giant concrete hole), but the crowds were buying nonetheless.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I spent Sunday morning at Crafts at Lincoln Center, held outdoors on the plaza at - you guessed it - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan, an easy to get to, easy to find, well-known location. The work on display was lovely and well-made contemporary craft work -- jewelry, ceramics, wearable fiber, mixed media and a small number of glass artists. Price points were varied; you could certainly take home any number of items at a reasonable price (I purchased an adorable handmade dress for my daughter for only $20). The weather was fair, with a small rain shower in mid-morning. The crowds, however, were thin, especially as compared to what I had seen in Brooklyn the day before.

I don't have access to the financial information of the two shows, but I would guess that booth fees in Brooklyn were less expensive than Lincoln Center and that Renegade's marketing and advertising budget was quite a bit smaller than that of Crafts at Lincoln Center.

The one thing I can point to is the power of the internet and word-of-mouth -- virtually every artist at the Renegade show has a blog. Linked to other blogs. All of which had postings about the show. Most of those artists also have websites with the ability to sign up for email updates -- I received at least ten messages the week before Renegade reminding me about the show.

Obviously, the new craft world is doing something right. It's time to start thinking about how you could do things differently -- get started by taking a look at some of their blogs and websites:

12 Linden
Freshie & Zero
Happy Owl Glassworks
Figs & Ginger (a Buyers Market exhibitor!)
Buzz Jewelry
Sofia Masri
Megan Auman
Messenger Bird Press

 

Faceoff in NYC

Stay tuned tomorrow for a post on the interesting juxtaposition of shows I was at this weekend - the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn and the American Crafts Festival at Lincoln Center.

New school vs. old school... who won?

15-minute Marketing Project #5

Finally, it's time to get out those folders full of your competitors' information.

Then, go back to that website with the SWOT instructions and chart, and do a SWOT analysis on each of your competitors.

Once you're done, look them over alongside the analysis of your own company and start a list of ideas that will allow you to gain the advantage over your competition.

Under the weather

No posts 'til Monday when my antibiotics kick in. Enjoy the weekend... Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

New Exhibitor Spotlight: Fred Imhoff Designs in Glass

Fred Imhoff designs and sculpts original flameworked glass from his studio in Portland, Oregon. Fred began flameworking in 1998, and has since earned a glass sculpture degree from C.S.U. Chico and studied with numerous master glass artists. His work is currently being represented in more than thirty five galleries across the country.

Friday blog round-up

Spent the morning chaperoning three-year-olds on a field trip, so I only have time for two today:

For those of you who are not yet aware of the proposed Orphan Works Act and its serious implications for artists, I urge you to follow the blog of Tammy Browning-Smith, a lawyer who specializes in legal issues for artists. Also pay a visit to the Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters website for more information.

And, because they are so few and far between, I wanted to link to one of our retailers' blogs, especially since Amy and Jae had such big news recently.

Recession-Proofing Your Business

The column below is from Lynn Switanowski of the Creative Business Consulting Group. Lynn will be presenting "The Color of Money: Green Marketing" at the Buyers Market this summer.

There are lots of valuable suggestions here for both artists and retailers.

Marketing Efforts To Recession Proof Your Business

Whether we are "officially" in a recession or not, every business out there is feeling the effects of this sluggish economy. No matter what products you sell, or services you deliver, as consumers get more concerned about the future, there can and will be some potential side effects for your business. CBCG offers our top 5 (plus 1 we couldn't leave out) tips to help you weather the stormy days. Tips that can and will help your business - and you - stay ahead of the survival curve!

1. Research and Reach Out to Your Customers- Again- And Again!  Now is NOT the time to hunker down and hide when it comes to marketing for your business. Now is the time you need to know more than ever how your consumers are feeling, what they are doing, and what they see as value in your products or services. In today's economy,  consumers are more willing to postpone purchases, trade down, or buy less. Your job is to research your customers; understand throughly who they are, if their needs and wants and needs have changed, and then to deliver just what they are looking for when they walk in the door.

 

2. Maintain Marketing Spending. Spending Enables Surviving! This is not the time to cut advertising. It is well documented that successful brands are known to increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back. The affects of this additional spending can not only show on the balance sheet, but spending today can and will improve market share and customer loyalty for years to come. Uncertain consumers need the reassurance of brands- and businesses-during troubled times. If you have to cut marketing spending, try to maintain the frequency of advertisements at all costs.  Shifting the size of the ads you run, the length of any radio or tv spots you may choose, or shift from media to direct mail, but for goodness sakes, don't stop!

 

3. Market to Heart- Drive Messages That Your Customers Care About. Think Family, Friends, and Fun Type Campaigns!  When economic hard times loom, consumers look for signs of old and seek the creature comforts of an easier time. To capitalize on this trend, focus the marketing campaigns you run and the images you choose for your ads to reflect this time.  Look for family scenes, home and hearth images to replace hard charging aggresive images.

4. Product Rules Mightier Than Ever- Especially In Money Challenged Times!  It's is imperative that during challenging economic times, retailers carefully evaluate EVERY item they carry. Matching proper inventory levels, selling cylces, color trends and pricing are all critical factors in assuring retailers don't spend too much (or more than absolutely necessary) to drive the optimum sales in the store. If you haven't focused on classification planning and strategic inventory management for your business yet, now would be the perfect time to do so. Every minute you spend on inventory planning will come back to you in cost savings and better inventory turnover down the road.

 

Bonus: When shopping for new merchandise, spend at least 10% of your open to buy on new and exciting products for your store every season. Have your store be the destination in town where customers can find the new, unique or fun items to make them smile and take away the "pains" of the day.

5. Review, Refresh and Re-price- If Appropriate. Customers will be shopping around for the best deals. You do not necessarily have to cut list prices but where appropriate, plan exceptional events featuring key price promotions that will attract attention and drive sales. Make the events unique and for a short time period to drive customer urgency! Focus on coupons in your advertising offering dollar discounts that customers have to bring in to redeem.

5 plus 1. Stress Market Share. Many retailers are so focused on their own business challenges, they forget to consistently review their competition. Big Mistake! Good retailers understand that they are in a battle for market share and, in some cases, survival. With fewer customers spending fewer dollars at retail, every dollar is harder to get. If your local competition- or the web retailer across the world - is doing things better than you, and your customers find out about it before you do, that can and will spell big trouble for your business. How to avoid this potential pitfall? Focus on what you do well, do it to the best of your ability, but understand what your competitors do well and make it a constant focus for you to try and accquire the customers they have by doing what you do even better.

What is your favorite art fair?

AmericanStyle magazine is surveying readers for its annual Top 10 Art Fairs & Festivals issue. Vote for your favorite retail art fair/festival online at www.americanstyle.com or use the ballot in the August issue.

An added incentive: one lucky voter will be chosen at random to receive a $500 travel gift certificate!

New Exhibitor Spotlight: CAR Ceramics

After more than a decade of working in two dimensions, both as an artist and designer, Charlene Randolph returned to school in 1995 and fell in love with clay. Since then, she has pursued a successful career as a ceramic artist and teacher, balancing most of her time between creating and marketing her own work and teaching students of all ages.

15-Minute Marketing Project #4

We're not quite ready yet to pull out those folders with your competitors' information in them, but tackling that project was an important first step in providing you with knowledge to better prepare you to perform a SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) Analysis on your own company.

If you've been to business school, go ahead and proceed with your analysis. The other 99% of you should visit this website for a primer on conducting a SWOT Analysis, along with a free worksheet. Once you're finished, set your completed worksheet aside, right next to that folder.