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Trend curve new
This document discusses trends in arts and crafts marketing. It notes that 2% of the population drives trends - they are well-educated travelers looking for unique items. Trends start in media and fashion then move to home decor. The gift market is 95% imports under $25. Handmade gifts sell for $125 on average and provide meaning. Holiday sales are 40% of annual for many retailers. The future includes public studios and multi-faceted artists. Telling one's story through tags, blogs and social media is important for promotion.
Trend curve new
- 1. Ahead of theCurve: Trends for Today The Arts Business Institute 2009 QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ andTIFF (Uncompressed)are needed to see this
- 2. When to Jump •Timing • Audience • Demographics • Psychographics
- 3.
- 4. Where does itgo? • Shelf • Table • Pedestal • Floor • Kitchen Counter • Bath Counter • Cabinet
- 5. Fad, Fashion orTrend?
- 6. Fads Defined • Temporary •Product Specific • Design
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- 8. Why Do They Collect? •Woodstock • Individualism • Social Values • Identity • Education
- 9. Collector Statistics • HHI 300,000+ •Home 500,000+ • Multiple Home owners • 70% Masters Degree • Gardening Interest • Philanthropic • Museum Members • Travel • Culture Vultures
- 10. What is AmericanStyle? • Traditional • Contemporary • Transitional • High Energy • High Color • Enthusiasm
- 11. Economic Trends • Supply/Demand •Wealth Trends • New Home Starts • DIY • Credit vs Debt • Recessions
- 12. Future Predictions 1) ArtBranding 2) Generational Transition 3) Collector Club Growth 4) Artist Owned Galleries & Public Studios
- 13. Our Slice ofthe Pie Design for…. 2% of the population. the well-educated, well- traveled and well- heeled. They want things that are unique and different.
- 14. Where Trends Begin •Movies • Television • Fashion to Décor • Museum blockbusters
- 15. Marketing Trends • Targetnew audiences. • Develop multiple personalities. • Segment your market. • Manage info well. • Educate. Inform.
- 16. Adding Value • Spiritual •Message • Maker • Material • Function • Rarity • Originality
- 17. The Gift Marketplace… Under$25, Under 25 years Global market 95% Imports Knock-Offs Reps vs Makers QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) de are needed to see this pi QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 18. The Handmade Gift •$125 Average Retail • Meaning & Message • Intimate connection • Honoring • Non-Comparable price • Unique • Future Heirloom • Personally selected
- 19. Gifts to Ourselves…Our Home • Time • Space • Individuality • Values and beliefs • Self- expression
- 20. What’s Your Style? • Culture •Education • Family Background • Your Beliefs • Skills • Message • Regional Style • Life Experiences
- 21. The Economics ofXmas • Oct thru Dec = 40% • 58% of Americans not cutting back on Xmas. • Sales depend on the calendar… how many Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Xmas. • When is Chanukah? • Gift card growth 48B
- 22. What’s In… • 1)Eco Pro-Earth • 2) Family • 3) Sharing Values • 4) Diversity • 5) Individualism • 6) Escapism • 7) Humor • 8) Beauty • 9) Nesting • 10) Patriotism
- 23. What’s Out… • 1)Representational animals. • 2) Common fruits & vegetables. • 3) Hobby craft style • 4) Molded collectibles • 5) Generic pets • 6) Any style found at WalMart or Hallmark. QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.
- 24. Creating Demand /Fill Needs • Outside the norm • Tribal groups • Artistic • Multi-Cultural • High-Tech talkers • Big Ticket buyers • Squeezed for time
- 25. The Studio of theFuture • Production • Limited Edition • One-of-a-Kind • Public • Classroom • Multi-faceted • Multi-Identity
- 26. Telling Your Story… …orPushing Your Brand • Hang Tags • Studio Blog • Personal Appearances • Co-op Adv • Trunk Shows • Post Cards • Facebook • Twitter
- 27. Craft History • PostCivil War • Industrial Exchanges • Settlement Houses • Post WW2 - College • Post Vietnam -College • Main Street • 14 Billion Craft Sales • DIY Scene
Editor's Notes
- #2 If you thought I’d get up here and “whisper green chairs or candles you might be really disappointed in this workshop. To be successful, your designs must work always come from your soul... not from a Montgomery Wards catalog. But identifying trends will allow you to maximize the salability of your work will have in the marketplace.
- #3 All of us certainly remember the line in the movie, The Graduate ... when a relative approaches Dustin Hoffman and whispers one word... Plastics . Yes, in the 60’s plastics were IN ... But by the time “everyone” knows about a trend it’s probably too late to profit from it. You must know your audience, you must know about their homes, their careers, their income and their habits. Demographic info covers the hard stats: household income, occupation, age, family status. Psychographic data tracks the habits and interests of a person.
- #4 To be successful, your designs must work always come from your soul... not from Vogue Magazine. But identifying trends will allow you to maximize the saleability of your work will have in the marketplace.
- #5 Do you make art that matches the sofa? If you make vessels that are more than 18” wide... you need to know that shelves are rarely that depth. This is a piece by the artist Mark Peiser… fortunately he knows his audience…high end glass collectors who put his pieces on pedestals and in museums.
- #6 The high tech trend of the past decade has changed our living spaces to accommodate monitors, hard drives and modems. High tech is not a fad... it’s a permanent change in the way we live... trends impact our lifestyle, long term.
- #7 Fads are very temporary. They first appear on television or a runway and are likely to be product, or design specific. The dictionary defines a fad as “an interest followed with exaggerated zeal; "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season" In other words a flash in the pan! But some fads can become trends… the Ipod is just one example.
- #8 Understanding what’s going on in the lives and minds of people who are craft collectors is your job as an artist. Understanding who is likely to become a future collector is a challenge that we tackle everyday as we search for new readers of AmericanSyle magazine. They are the first generation of college educated adults. That college education is what changed their view of the world. They have expectations and demands that their parents never had. In a competitive marketplace of endless selection ...they have learned alot about design. They have a education that often includes... some visual education... they are the first generation to demand good design . Now entering their 40’s they are approaching the peak of their careers and income potential.
- #9 What makes a person you meet today interesting ? It’s probably not their job, sports or even their religion... chances are they have something they will share with you as an identity that separates them from other people you may know.... They have “something” to talk about... they have a new “country club ” it might be traveling, scuba diving, hot air ballooning, short wave radio, computer chat lines, woodturning or art collecting . And they are hungry for new experiences and continued education... Today when most daytime college (non-computer) art classes are shrinking to the point of extinction.... the evening continuing education classes are filled with professionals with a passion, seeking a diversion from their boring lives as lawyers and accountants... they are returning to night school to study jewelrly making, ceramics and woodturning! Are they your future competitors? Maybe! But most likely they are your future collectors!!! Today the marketplace is coming to you!... The path to collectors is getting clearer and easier every day! If you’re going to start along the path be prepared for the dips and bumps in the road... there will be many! Learn to adapt and change. Successful artists are quick change artists. Strategies have to change to meet today’s demands. When I entered this community sixteen years ago I discovered a group of creative people who wanted to move forward in a new direction... to invent a new industrial revolution for things made by hand with thoughtful purpose.
- #10 Our very narrow focus actually embraces a wide range We serve art collectors in all phases of their collecting careers from the new x-gen consumer looking for “affordable” art, designer jewelry and decorative accessories to the established fine art collector that also enjoys functional art, decorative arts as well as investment art glass sculpture worth $50,000+.
- #11 The United States has never been viewed as a source for cutting edge designs. The world always looked to Europe for The For most of the last century the United States was not viewed as a source for cutting edge designs. The world always looked to Europe for trends. Even today we see the word “imported” used to define better quality and better design. But over the past 50 years we have created a distinctively American style - one that is recognized and appreciated everywhere because it expresses our national traits of energy, high spirits, and enthusiasm, rather than borrowing from European models."
- #13 I think that in the next few years we'll see mature studios looking for ways to establish their brand so that it will be easier to build and transfer business value. Just in the past five years collectors clubs have begun to sprout Just in the past five years collectors clubs have begun to sprout up everywhere. This will offer a whole new range of opportunities for private studios and galleries who will learn how to work the "social" side of the business. More and more artists are opening up their own commercial galleries and public studios. A trend that's here to stay!
- #14 Can craftspeople afford to ignore trends? It really depends on where the trends come from. Department stores are full of product ideas and designs that have been in the marketplace for ages. There are no trends at the mall. These large stores don't take "risks". They can't afford to make any mistakes… so they carry what everyone else carries. The result is that in any mall you see the same merchandise over and over again. Craft retailers on the other hand are looking for what's unique not what's the same! We create for a narrow, well educated consumer seeking a new or different look.
- #15 Where do you look for trends? Some trends come from museum blockbuster shows that have multiple city tour venues. Movies, Vogue magazine, and hot new TV shows are another source. (Ex: Regis' monotone shirts and ties). Fashion trends are later transferred into home décor trends. Customers for craft art are not part of the mainstream population... Less than 2% of the entire population are potential customers for works priced at $500 and up.
- #16 There was a time when this “basketmaker” finally realized he could show in (or rather around) top museums. Potters: Ikebana, creamatoria. Here’s what you can to to find new direction: 1. Target New Audiences. Hundreds of new television channels are begining to revolutionize the marketplace. WETA... You will be selling and educating on television to a larger audience than you ever imagined. Selling to broader audiences means learning how to package and design for people who have lower level visual skills. QVC helps us educate an entirely new audience about crafts. QVC viewers do not follow our normal demographic profile of a craft collector. 2. Develop Multiple Personalities. Not schizophrenia... With more market opportunities to serve every segment--- artists will have multiple lines, personalities and business identities to protect some market segments from others in different interest groups, price points & regions. territories. Artists who make work with written text messages, quotes and poetry are also selling to a broader audience... people who buy because of the message not only because of the color and form. 3. Segment Your Market as the marketplace grows and your opportunities increase you will find a need to separate The expansion of on-line computer and television selling will force retailers and artists to find ways to prevent customers from price comparision. You design work for different audiences and in a broader range of price points. Private labels will be just one of the ways to keep customers from shopping for lower prices on the same item. Designer label promotion will grow. 4. Manage Information and Customers. The most important asset for artists and retailers will be information on each collectors lifestyle, and pshchographic profiles about your customers. What do they eat? Where do they live? What type of lifestyle? Chances are they are more educated and less rich... Lists will be available to help you target collectors with previous purchasing history that reflects what you want to sell! 5. Learn Creative Retailing Techniques. Some retailers will become landlords for lease departments or shelves. This cooperative gallery concept is already a tradition in Japan where artists consign, stock shelves and co-op with department stores. 6. Become a Retailer. One of the fastest growing trends right now is the emergence of artists who have opened their own galleries. 7. Put more time in the studio and less in business management. Communication tools like “broadcast faxing” will help you keep in touch with galleries and collectors in a more personal and on a more frequent basis. 8. Find the Educated and the Affluent. Evaporation of the middle class. Increase of the poor and the upper class will provide a larger market for products for the afflluent. 9. Watch the Big Guys. Superstores will force small retailers to look for more high end and ususual products that can’t be found in superstores. Superstores will be on the cutting edge of how “not” to do business. They will canibalize vendors to increase profits by even a small amount. 10. Teach Visual Education. It started with television. It continued with the birth of desk top publishing. Your creative and visual learning skills are far above that of your collectors.. and most of your prospective collectors. Use hang tags, brochures and creataive packaging to teach design, form and function. Society is poised to take a leap as we absorb and use information we’ve gathered from more and more visual learning experiences. Today everything we read has more pictures, more color, more graphics to help us immediately comprehend the impact of the written word. 11. Become Multi-Cultural. Increased travel and mobility have placed us in a position to embrace other cultures as never before. Multiculturalism is growing at an incredible rate. Gift shops are carrying more and more products that are distinctly african-american. Christians are purchasing Chanukah menorahs to light beside their Christmas trees... Americans are desperately seeking the answer to that age old question... Who Am I? and Where do I come from? What they are really wondering is ... Where Am I going! But seeking out our roots and cultural ties helps us find balance in a high-tech world.
- #17 They will buy merchandise for it's spiritual value not it's investment value or social status. They want " added value " with every purchase, whether it's information, function, care info, philosophy, artist lifestyle background and more... they want to know that their purchases and life choices have special They will They will buy merchandise for it's spiritual value not it's investment value or social status. They require a high level of service, support and quality. In today's world, consumer consumption is a tonic for societies’ ills.
- #18 While the “Gift Show” relies on selling products to customers under the age of 25. The Gift marketplace in contrast with the craft marketplace is where “fads” are born.
- #19 The craft marketplace is designed to attract more affluent mature consumers. The average gift sold in a craft gallery, sells for about $125 retail. These are not casual gifts, they are offered to close family members or for very special occasions . Handcrafted gifts are special because of their uniqueness , but crafted gifts are also special due to the fact that they are made by a special person, expressing an idea, feeling or personal aesthetic .. The gift category is an important part of any craft art product line. The $50-75 wholesale item is a foundation item that is often the foundation of your business.
- #20 For most of us, our lives are much alike . We parent , work , sleep, and reside in a space called home . Each home is a set of rooms with flat walls, doors and windows. Despite the commonality of all these elements each home is different. It is a private world created by an "individual" and it is that individuality that separates us from each other. Craft and art gives each of us the opportunity to be "more" unique, more different . In a world of mass production... we have to work harder at our individualism . When we are small children we begin to project values on objects and to create powerful associations with them. From toys to food we create opinions , likes and dislikes, in an every expanding environment until we develop our own sense of self-expression through the environment we create for ourselves. Self-expression through the selection, purchase and arrangement of items for our environment is in itself a healthy pursuit. It can help us confirm our values and share our ideals with others.
- #21 The work you create is very different from the products of the industrial and technological age where products are designed and manufactured to appeal to hundreds of millions of consumers. You are making objects to appeal to a narrow specialized market of well educated consumers. Today the number of college educated consumers is growing at an incredible rate. In addition, cable television networks and the Internet is providing all of us with continuing education throughout our lives. The explosion of college educated adults is fueling the marketplace for art. Each year the audience for contemporary art and crafts grows.
- #22 For most shops and galleries more than 40% of their entire years business sales volume happens during the last 90 days of the calendar year.
- #24 Farm animals. (cows, roosters, hens, chicks, pigs) Common fruits and vegetables. 3. Hobby craft style. 4. Small molded collectible items. 5. Common or generic pets (kitties, puppies) 6. Whatever you find at Hallmark stores or Wall-Mart.
- #25 The demand is there . All you need to do is to design products that coincide with the ideals they hold dear. They are like us members of many tribes and groups... some are ecological, some are individualists, some are artistic, some are travel and multi-cultural enthusiasts, some are high-tech talkers, big ticket buyers or squeezed for leisure time, and above all boomers are cynics. It is your work that gives them hope and nurtures the little voice in them that tells them that individual people can still make a difference in this complicated world.
- #26 Twenty years ago the craft community was one emorphous group of people... today we identify ourselves as by depth of activity... as professionals, educators, amateurs or hobbiests by media... glass, metal, ceramics, wood by design... traditional, transitional, or contemporary by audience or work type... production, limited edition or one a kind. And just as we “labeled” everyone--- they are changing, evolving and crossing over into new categories.. and into a more complex multi-faceted identity . Production artists with solid studio businesses are now discovering that there is time for exploring one-of-a-kind work again... and they are surprised to learn that those same production galleries that sell $65 boxes and bowls have nutured their customers and can now sell work that is priced up to $3,000! Educators are discovering like other professionals that job security is a thing of the past. The erosion of tenure slots at every university has forced them to put one foot outside the ivy towers of academia into the reality of the marketplace... for the first time they are learning how to make and sell their own work! And in the process --- they have become better teachers because for the first time they are bringing the real world into the classroom. One of a kind artists - like Dale Chihuly have discovered that to protect the value of his $40,000 pieces in the secondary auction market he needed to cultivate younger baby boomer collectors. The way Chihuly approached the problem was with work that sells for less than $3,000. The walls of ego, elitism and arrogance in the 3d art market are crumbling down. Why? The new collector... is the child of World War II parents. They are babyboomers... They were at Woodstock- together!
- #27 Telling your story doesn’t come once in a while… everything you do must connect with your story. Each piece on a shelf, each show, each mailing piece, each blog entry, each facebook photo. Start with Hang Tags and a post card for mailing. Next add the blog and facebook page. Co-op advertising pairs up well with your trunk shows and personal appearances. Twitter is a great tool for instant messaging galleries and/or collectors. Keep separate identities for your wholesale and retail customers.
- #28 The 20th century has been one of tremendous change - from horse and buggy to the moon, from pen and ink to computers, telephones, faxes and cell phones, and the American craft movement has also experienced phenomenal growth. For the first 40 or 50 years, much of the American public viewed crafts as rurally produced, utilitarian objects, like baskets, and bread boards. However, contemporary crafts have evolved into a diverse and sophisticated art form as well as a $14 billion dollar industry. Craft as a culture has performed as a way to explore, express and ultimately define the values of our generation. During this past century, craft has been at the forefront of discouraging the growth of a throw-away society. It has shown us a way to value the natural resources in our environment. Thoughtfully handmade objects have also helped us find peace by helping understand the importance of our homes as refuge and sanctuaries. Craft is an important element in defining who we are and how we fell about the part we play in society. It is amazing to realize that art has grown from the patronage of royalty, church, and patronage of the wealthy to the patronage of millions of passionate collectors. We've come a long way!"