Month: June 2015

Meet Adrienne Newcomb

Posted on | by Ketner Group

adrienneHi there, Adrienne Newcomb here! I’m the newest addition to the Ketner Group team. I joined Ketner Group this month as an Account Manager and so far, everything is off to a great start!

I’m originally from Fort Worth (not Dallas) and have lived in Austin for close to nine years now. Like many others, I moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘em), and when my four years at UT Austin studying public relations were up, I couldn’t quite find it in my heart to leave.

I began my PR career as a communications specialist at Mental Health America of Texas (MHAT), where I had previously interned during undergrad. Much of my work at MHAT was spent planning events, raising funds and working closely with board members. Just before I decided to leave MHAT, I spent some time working with an ad agency on website redesign for the non-profit. Through that experience, I knew I wanted to the next stop on my career path to be at an agency.

I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my day job at MHAT without my next full-time opportunity lined up. Luckily, I quickly landed as an intern at what was then WPP Team Dell (and now PPR Worldwide), Dell’s communications agency of record, where I began my dive into two new worlds: agency life and enterprise technology. After a few months crash-course in both and working with a large, worldwide client such as Dell, I was hired full-time. During my time at PPR, I obtained valuable PR experience and was also introduced to the world of analyst relations. My experience included coordinating 1:1 briefing schedules for hundreds of influencers and executives at Dell World and managing the ins and outs of day-to-day activities and  client relationships.

Now for the fun stuff!

I’m a dog mom to Mackey, a red and white piebald, miniature dachshund who I adopted last year through a rescue group. Our favorite activities include snuggling on the sofa and strolling along Shoal Creek. Feel free to request photos and videos, I’m happy to share.

I’m also an aunt to two beautiful girls who are eight and almost two. They live in Fort Worth, but I usually see them once a month or so. Again, photos and videos available upon request. Speaking of family, I have an older brother and younger sister, making me the middle child. According to the experts, that explains a thing or two.

In addition to my fur and human family, I’m an avid reader (feel free to send over any recommendations, or we can nerd out over our recent reads), an aspiring home decorator and an overly involved Texas Ex.

And here I am, the newest addition to the growing Ketner Group team and now you know a little about me. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you, as well!

Athleisure: The New Casual Wear

Posted on | by Ketner Group

When I came to college, my day-to-day fashion style definitely changed. I went from dressing ‘cute’ with cute tops, shoes and accessories to a more ‘simple’ style. In the summer (which stretches from March-October in Austin), I wear athletic shorts and an over-sized t-shirt leaving my body shape to the imagination, with some sort of non-fashionable sandals or tennis shoes. I’ll throw in the basic knit-top on occasion. In the short winter months, I jump into leggings, a long-sleeved, oversized t-shirt or sweatshirt; with a fleece jacket and tennis shoes, or maybe leather boots if I’m feeling extra-fancy.

You might assume I do this because I’m a college student who is probably not getting enough sleep and rolls out of bed five minutes before class, or because I work out a lot—both of which are true and sometimes the case.  But fashion choices across age groups and demographics are beginning to fit these descriptions more often than not, because that’s just simply how everyone dresses.

Just like any other fashion trend, you have to have the brand names are a must.

I know what you’re thinking, we’re all slobs and Austin is too casual. But there’s more to it than just that. Just like most fashion trend, brand names are basically imperative. Typically athletic shorts range from Nike, Lululemon Athletica and Under Armour. Those oversized t-shirts also have a well-known brand, believe it or not. Comfort Colors brand t-shirts offer a cozy touch and come in a broad range of colors that student organizations love to use. The unfashionable sandals are also household names: Birkenstocks have made a recent come back (because well, they’re so comfy), Rainbows are favorites and the most popular athletic show by far is Nike. Personally, I own a few pairs: one for actually working out, one for walking to class and one extra pair that I keep spick and span for weekend brunch outings. Leggings have to be Lululemon (they’re outrageously expensive), but once you try a pair, your life is changed. So, if you consider all of the thought that actually goes into our comfy clothes, it’s actually a fashion statement, rather than an anti-fashion statement. If you have the right look, you’re actually considered on- trend.

Originally I thought this was just a college student trend, but then I noticed how almost everyone was hopping on the comfort clothing bandwagon. I started reading articles analyzing athleisure, and came to the conclusion that it is actually a phenomenon.

Athleisure has actually boosted the economy,

According to an article in Forbes, retailers are realizing they can make a killing by selling activewear at elevated prices. This comes with no surprise because it’s no longer a college student fad; it’s a widespread fashion trend. In fact, research has shown that the increase in retail sales was “driven primarily by growth in sales of activewear, athletic performance footwear and bags.” Studies also show an overall increase in spending on clothing and footwear are driven by performance attire. In the article, Shannon Wilson, co-founder and creative director of Kit & Ace and former head designer for Lulumeon, said this “trend in activewear is just another indicator that people expecting more functionality and ease of wear from everyday attire. People want clothes that feel luxurious, but have performance attributes to support a fully contact lifestyle.”Simply put, society demands that fashion and function come together.

Even luxury fashion can’t get away from this trend.

“Athleisure has been around for decades, but it’s really hitting hard now,” said Chase Rose, the brains behind Athleisurely, a blog based in New York City. “Today, more and more luxury brands are designing athletic-inspired apparel – Vera Wang, Urban Outfitters, Cynthia Rowley and Stella McCartney to name a few.”

Athleisure celebrates and inspires not only a fashionable lifestyle, but also a healthy one.

“Shoppers will buy these products and become inspired to be more active, walk a few more blocks, spend a little bit more time out doors with their families,” said Jacqueline Renfrow, editor of Fierce Retail. “If a healthier, more natural lifestyle is in fact a growing trend that is here to stay, this could mean changes that will affect other sectors or retail, ranging of course from apparel and food to home appliances and furniture.”

Athleisure is a significant and widespread fashion trend that is stimulating growth in retail, redefining fashion and catalyzing a healthier American society. And that’s a lot to say for something that I once thought to be a college student trend.

#RetailRoundUp

Posted on | by Ketner Group

It has been a very busy week for the retail industry, from being able to shop and buy items from Nordstrom with just a simple text, to the new-found ways to utilize pop-up stores. Check out the top stories this past week from the retail world:

Nordstrom enables shopping via text via Retailing Today

Imagine a world where you could text someone what you wanted, and all of a sudden it’s yours. Well, for all of those shopaholics out there, it’s time to rejoice. Nordstrom has launched TextStyle at all of their  116 U.S. stores, and it’s basically revolutionized retail. TextStyle allows shoppers to make purchases from a personal salesperson or stylist, and enables associates to send new product recommendations to customers with a text message. If the customer would like to purchase the items, they can by simply replying with ‘buy’ and a unique code. Shoppers can also send their salesperson a text message with a product description or photo. All purchases are completed with the customer’s Nordstrom account information, and items are shipped directly for free.

Of course this isn’t the most mind-blowing news around. There are many retailers that have similar programs like this, but Nordstrom is now the only retail company in the U.S. that offers customers who opt-in the ability to shop and buy with just a text message. TextStyle provides consumers with a unique, efficient and extremely personalized way of shopping.

Target addresses digital channels after overwhelming demand for Lilly Pulitzer collaboration via RIS News

April 19, 2015, is a day that will live in infamy. It was the day that the Lilly Pulitzer collaboration with Target, #LillyForTarget, launched, sold out in minutes, crashed the company’s website and left many people angry, sad and extremely disappointed. Target’s CEO, Brian Cornell, noted that the company was disappointed their, “digital channels were not able to properly accommodate the surge in traffic at the time of the launch.”

Since that chaotic event, Target has been working to redeem itself and its digital business. Target announced during their Q1 2015 earnings call, that the company will make a $1 billion investment in technology and supply chain. Kathryn A. Tesija, executive vice President, chief merchandising and supply chain officer, ensures the company will continue to invest in technology and supply chain to allow their guests to shop on demand, and to improve the economics of its online business meaningfully. Target is now “working to address root causes and learn from the experience” as they prepare for the upcoming holiday season and the accelerated growth of the company.

Jo-Ann Fabric among first retailers to partner with Pinterest’s new Buyable Pins via Chain Store Age

We’ve all been there… well most of us. You’re scrolling through your Pinterest feed and you basically fall in love with everything you see. You re-pin it, thinking that you might attempt to create it later. After a while, you finally have time to create this beautiful masterpiece that is supposedly simple to do. But then you realize achieving the perfection that is pictured on Pinterest is basically unattainable, and your sad attempt hardly resembles it. Well, look no further because you can finally buy items from Pinterest directly from the site!

Pinterest is embarking on their first attempt in e-commerce by partnering with various retailers, including fabric and craft specialty retailer Jo-Ann fabric and Craft Stores, for their new Buyable Pins. Currently, there are over 4.2 million pins linking back to Joann.com. With buyable pins, consumers can find a product, pin it to their board, and directly purchase it off of Pinterest.

The Buyable Pins are expected to launch on the Pinterest iOS app this month and for Android and desktop later this year. Other retail partners for Pinterest’s Buyable Pins include Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Ethan Allen.

Pop-Ups: How temporary storefronts are changing brand loyalty via Fierce Retail

Pop-up stores are a big trend this year. Though the concept of placing a shop within a shop to attract attention to new designers and collections is nothing new, but the concept of a pop-up shop today has evolved into something much more intricate. The 2015 pop-ups are used as a sort-of beta test for a physical presence for retailers that have previously only had an online store and to see how it might change brand loyalty.

Many retailers are joining this trend, including e-commerce giant Amazon with its launch of a holiday pop-up store in 2014. Brands such as Zappos, The Grommet, Crest & Co. and Boohoo have recently introduced their first pop-up store. Even the highly anticipated buzz for the sold out Lilly Pulitzer collection for Target was fueled by a pop up shop in New York’s Bryant Park.

This growing trend for retailers utilizing pop-ups can be attributed to a few important reasons. First, retailers are starting to realize that pop-up stores are a feasible way to increase sales and presence in the marketplace. Secondly, these temporary stores are a great way to track customer approval for the transition from online to brick-and mortar in a temporary setting. Lastly, opening a temporary store is relatively inexpensive with little risk, which is great when testing something new. Pop-ups are not only a great way to assess costs and success; they’re also a great way to promote a brand.