- Fashionspace (social networking for fashionistas last year is evidently doing pretty well. And check out Coolspotters where you can find out how to dress like your favorite celeb. Plus Stardoll launches an app for girls to design their own virtual clothes) (Reuters) (Media Post, reg. required)
- A grandma's guide to clubbing (Young grandmothers in Britain are hitting the clubs in a very Mrs. Robinson kind of way) (The Mail)
- A topless Hannah Montana (An embarrassed Miley apologizes about provocative photos in Vanity Fair) (Associated Press)
- Hilary Duff heads to '90210' (the Duffster is said to be joining the cast of the new Aaron Spelling-spinoff show) (E! Online)
- Celebrities love OP (the beachy clothing label is enlisting B-listers like Kristin Cavallari, Christina Milian, and Pete Wentz to revive their image)
- Kurt Cobain + Coco Chanel (Karl Lagerfeld is said to be eying the daughter of king and queen of grunge, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, for future ad campaigns) (United Press International)
- Teens watch ABC Family (Gen Y loves "Greek" and "Kyle XY" because they are "really much more optimistic than the previous two generations") (Multichannel News)
Note from Anastasia: Please note Ypulse's new assistant editor Casey's first post today as well as our ongoing Ypulse Books coverage from Alli (the Ypulse Books channel is coming soon).
Parents Television Council goes after 'Gossip Girl' (And although The CW is claiming a ratings victory after damming the stream online, the Alley Insider says "not so fast." And, of course, "Gossip Girl" fashion is becoming its own cottage industry. Speaking of, did anyone else notice MTV plugging fashions worn by "The Paper's" Andrea?) (MediaWeek) (New York Daily News)
- Social shopping/networking for good (I'm intrigued by Fanista's social shopping for a cause model as well as Socialvibe's team with brands and donate to your charity models. Oh and here's the actual Piczo press release - blogged about their new channels yesterday in Essentials)
P.S. I received this email stating: "We're a bit perplexed at present because ComScore's data shows that MySpace and Facebook get more traffic from 9-11 year olds than Webkinz and Club Penguin do...." Waiting for the news story on this one...
'iCarly' star to record (Miranda Cosgrove has signed a deal with Columbia Records. Plus Disney Radio launches a mobile site to reach tweens) (press release) (MediaPost, reg. required)
- 'Baby fight club' (Channel 4 doc about kids' ultimate fighting) (via MTV Sticky)
- 'Gossip Girl's' genius (New York Magazine on how "Gossip Girl" is a new kind of hit. Problem is the network needs it to still be an old kind of hit. We'll find out if not being able to watch online helps or hurts ratings)
- Remember Corey? (the Australian MySpace party boy? He landed a role on "Big Brother" Down Under) (Daily Telegraph)
- Edelman goes Hollywood (yes, the PR firm, launches a competition to identify young filmmaking talent) (USA Today)
- Reaching young Latinos (means understanding "bi-dentity" -- brands that do? McDonald's, Pepsi, Univision and Rocawear) (BrandWeek)
- The Fashion-Y Blog (run by teen blogger Kori Perten, who was profiled in the Boston Globe Plus new research says "teenage girls who dress in their culture's traditional clothing may fare better mentally and emotionally than their peers who try to assimilate.") (Reuters)
- Volunteer vacations (teens traveling the world to do "good") (Washington Post, reg. required)
Scream queens (still rule with teens even though Brittany Snow is no Jamie Lee Curtis. Plus the in-theater publicity stunt that became a viral ad campaign for the flick. And the multitude of Sarah Marshall virals) (Detroit News) (USA Today) (Pop Candy)
- 'I Love Chieftown' (new MySpace series from the makers of KateModern [on Bebo]) (Alley Insider)
- The 'Rap on Rap' (The Parents Television Council attacks MTV and BET in a new report. Plus parents more disgusted with sex in video games than violence. And on the other side of the spectrum, one parent blogs about letting her kids go "free range" - thanks Andrea!) (Media Week) (Ars Technica) (Boing Boing)
- Speaking of teens, phones & driving (NPR's beloved "Car Talk" hosts are getting their own animated show -- where you'll hear zingers like this in response to teens using cell phones while driving: "As a parent, you have to threaten to kill them." Added Tom: "What also works are punishments that disrupt their social lives. I found, with my son, that writing 'LOSER' on his forehead in permanent marker was somewhat effective.") (CNN)
- RAINN launches online hotline (The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network goes online offering even more anonymity and encouraging young victims to reach out for help.) (USA Today)
- It's the plunging, padded... (Pre-teen bra! Plus the fashion industry trying to make runway modeling more like driving - 16 and up) (Telegraph UK) (Reuters)
- Britons frightened of their own young (I don't think this issue is unique to the UK -- we've been cracking down on "groups of teens" hanging out in public spaces here since I was a teen) (TIME.com)
Bindi Wear (oh my. I worry about Bindi -- she's becoming a Martha Stewart-like brand before hitting puberty) (Jezebel)
- Nickelodeon launching three mobile sites (one for kids, one for teens [The N] and one for parents that will "include a selection of kids' games, pictures, and flipbooks; teen-oriented quizzes and blogs; and daily parenting tips as well as access to information on local city family activities." Plus Slate reviews MTV's latest dating show [thumbs down])
- UK social networking study (I mentioned this study before, the one that said socnets are taking time away from homework, but ReadWriteWeb has a nice post about it complete with charts! And LastFM launches a radio widget for "Sophia's Diary" on Bebo) (Media Post, reg. required)
- Trend lecture (on generational differences from scenarioDNA's Tim Stock who is teaching a course at Parsons) (BrandNoise)
'Pokemones' (Chilean teens into fashion, technology and communication-free casual sexual encounters in public spaces but not as any sort of political statement....fascinating article) (Newsweek)
P.S. Last night I saw a screening of the short documentary film "Carissa" about a former child prostitute who went on to get an MBA from UCLA. It was very powerful. They will be making the film available with a curriculum for folks working with at-risk youth/juvenile offenders in about six months...You can email the filmmaker via the website for more info.
P.P.S. Eric Spencer interviewed me for his podcast about Ypulse....I'm at the end. He's funny.
Today's Ypulse Guest Post is from Issa Sawabini, who is a partner at Fuse. Full disclosure: Fuse is a Ypulse advertiser and anchor sponsor of the 2008 Ypulse National Mashup. Ypulse Guest Posts are open to anyone working in youth media or marketing. If you have an idea, just email me!
The Rise of House Brands: The Expanding Influence of Streetwear Destinations
Over the past decade, a handful of core lifestyle retailers have flipped the script on convention as their own "house brands" have started to go head-to-head with the big name labels they've traditionally carried, and continue to carry. Supreme, Alife, Dave's Quality Meat (DQM), Reed Space, Huf, and In4mation have all successfully made the leap from specialty shop by day, to leading streetwear brand by night. And interestingly, they've all done it with a little help from an unlikely support system - the competition.
A unique sense of community has always been central to action sports and the surrounding lifestyle. You'd be hard-pressed to find another industry in which competitive brands support one another simply because they realize it's for the good of the entire industry. It's that feeling of brotherhood that has helped specialty retailers grow their business beyond their own walls. With one core retailer willing to carry another core retailer's streetwear collection, and vice versa, both brands grow that much stronger.
In other words, you can walk into Huf in SF and buy DQM apparel, and vice versa.
Take a stroll through the Agenda Tradeshow in San Diego and you'll see how far these brands have come. Alife and Supreme are right there with bigger brands like WESC and Crooks&Castles. Agenda has developed into a real opportunity to showcase these house brands to retail buyers from around the world.
Pick up this month's copy of Vapors Magazine, a progressive publication dedicated to streetwear, skateboarding, art and other areas of youth culture. Flip the pages and you will find ads for In4Mation right next to ad from Jordan, Stussy and Converse. By the way, one of the two collectible covers features a nice representation of the Huf logo crafted from bicycle chains. Huf founder Keith Hufnagle is featured inside.
The buzz around these brands is not limited to just apparel. Each of these brands was boosted by the collaboration craze. In fact the concept of ultra limited edition cross branded product was born inside the doors of these ultra-influential retailers. Sneaker heads wait for days outside of Alife and Huf for a chance to buy co-branded shoes from the likes of Nike and Adidas.
There is perhaps no place as challenging for corporate marketers to venture, as house brands and their followers are keen to tune out mass marketers that come off as inauthentic. Only a select few big brands have been able to successfully align themselves with these retailers and their increasingly popular house brands. Mountain Dew was able to collaborate with Reed Space founder Jeff Staple on the Green Label Art custom bottle project. AT&T Wireless featured ALife's Rivington Club location in a national television campaign. In both cases, these programs provided credibility to the larger brand and in turn provided broad exposure to help the house brands emerge from their retail homes and enter the mindset of today's youth.
Advice for big brands seeking to partner with these influential house brand: Don't try and force a connection, be flexible and keep it authentic.
Issa oversees all service areas at Fuse and specializes in the development and execution of clients' youth targeted marketing strategies. These programs typically include overall branding and strategic initiatives, music and sports events, media events, athlete and artist sponsorships, public relations, grassroots programs, design, web and other customized marketing programs.
'Deathbowl to Downtown' (cool looking doc about the New York City skateboarding scene from the 70s 'till now - thanks Bill!)
