For most men, choosing a pair of socks is a heads or tails proposition – black or brown. As long as the socks match the belt and shoes, it’s go time. If this behavior sounds strangely familiar to you, Dwayne Wade would like a minute of your time. The NBA superstar turned style icon has recently donned yet another title: celebrity brand ambassador. Wade is entering the Men’s Apparel marketplace with flair, panache – and designer socks.

According to NPD, 85% of men say that ‘casual and comfortable’ best describes their personal style. Socks fit the bill, but most men aren’t calling for the check. As a group, men have traditionally dismissed the ability of a pair of socks to enhance a dress shirt and pants – or even jeans and a t-shirt. Still, dollar volume for sales of men’s socks climbed by 12% in 2012. Clearly there is a growing market for men’s socks. Moreover, if projections from global market research firm Mintel prove true, sales of men’s clothing will only increase from here.

The Wade Collection is a line of fashionable dress and casual socks personally designed by Wade himself. It may not be the first ever designer line, but it will be the first one created by an NBA player. The Wade Collection comes as a result of Wade’s partnership with Stance, a California-based leader of men’s sock sales. Stance has recognized Wade as “one of the best-dressed players off the court and often documented for his style.”

High levels of notoriety and respect – both on and off the court – positioned Wade as Stance’s ideal brand ambassador. Having been granted near-complete creative control, Dwayne Wade is now determined to change the way men see socks. The Wade Collection will feature designs inspired by Wade’s personal experiences, intended to meet the functional needs of all consumers without sacrificing style.

Interestingly, Marketsmith research reveals that catalog, email, paid search, and retail are still the mainstays for reaching men’s apparel consumers. When it comes to TV, 60% of advertising dollars are spent by just two companies: Men’s Warehouse and Duluth Trading Co. On the social side, men’s apparel merchants have made inroads with Facebook and Twitter, but haven’t quite established their niche. Stance’s decision to take the route of brand ambassadorship might just shake up the traditional media mix.

The fact is, obtaining an icon like Dwyane Wade to be the face of a brand immediately lends credibility to the product. What’s more, it gives the everyday athlete, the sports fanatic – and even the professional male – someone to relate to. Wade’s personal touch creates a palpable sense of authenticity around the Stance brand. Among all the advances in media and advertising, authenticity has emerged as a deciding factor in the consumer purchasing decision. In a sense, Stance is using Wade to automate authenticity – and it may work.

The men’s socks marketplace is no stranger to celebrity. The Hanes brand (best known for its casual tees, socks, and underwear) wore the face of Michael Jordan for many years. Last year, Rob Kardashian released a line of Arthur George designer socks for men and women. Sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus department stores, Kardashian’s That Socks designer line produced impressive sales figures at first, but has struggled as of late. It may be bad news for Neiman Marcus, but it also presents the perfect opportunity for The Wade Collection to swoop in and snatch up the eyeballs (and wallets) of sock shoppers.

It is only fair to point out that Michael Jordan was a spokesperson for the entire Hanes brand – not just the socks. Furthermore, if Kardashian’s That Socks line falters any further, the argument could be made that celebrity spokespeople and brand ambassadors simply aren’t effective in the men’s socks marketplace. The performance of The Wade Collection will reveal exciting new insights into reaching the men’s apparel consumer. If you only watch one designer line launch in your lifetime, make it this one.

In other industries, celebrity brand ambassadorship has proven to be a tremendous asset. Guthy-Renker’s Proactiv, for instance, has had a long list of celebs from Lindsay Lohan and Katy Perry to P Diddy and Justin Bieber. A leader in the skin care industry, Proactiv pulls in a cool billion in annual revenue. Based on this alone, it seems more than fair to say that the brand ambassadorship program is effective.

Of course, the marketplace for men’s socks is still relatively new ground. When The Wade Collection is fully released in Fall 2013, its performance will be at the very least truly educational to every marketer and advertiser touched by the Men’s Apparel category.

While reading Wayne Friedman’s article Trad 30-Sec Spot Shines, Costs Up 5% I was struck by many key points that were not mentioned throughout the piece. These components are crucial when analyzing the value of television: rising costs can usually be accounted for – and can often be capitalized upon. It’s important to remember that TV continues to be a major purchase influence for consumers, and new innovations in technology only serve to enhance it.

• Growth in TV costs in Q4 is no surprise, particularly in this last 4th Qtr: A Presidential election causes such pressure on inventory that rates for all other advertisers rise precipitously. In addition, Q4 is “make-or-break” season for so many marketers – even if money is tight, they have to spend it or they’ll miss critical sales and revenue prospects. This alone, with or without a Presidential election, is what makes Q4 a costly season in television.




• Questioning the value of TV in general is a pointless, tired, disproven topic usually perpetrated by the herd who need to appear so “cutting edge” and “next media.” Consumers spend more time watching TV than ever – up to 175 hrs/month – quadruple the amount of time they spend online or with any other media. All surveys fielded to study the influence of TV in purchasing decisions give TV credit for over 80% of their decisions. The TV industry has maneuvered successfully in the wake of new media proliferation by getting ahead of it, owning it, programming it, and interacting with it so that today, viewing on any other screen is considered the “second screen” to TV. “TV Everywhere” is the new paradigm: the TV distributors will own the viewer as a member and provide access to content on any screen. Last but not least, the advertisers – our clients – know the value of TV and have never strayed far because it delivers sales and leaves impressions with consumers that they need to succeed.




• Sometimes there are soft seasons as reflected in this year’s “scatter” market. There are various reasons for softness – sometimes advertisers commit more in the “upfront” and don’t save dollars for the scatter market, or they will spend around a big season (a Presidential election, for instance) resulting in softer demand for the scatter inventory. We at Marketsmith enjoyed the soft scatter market by securing very advantageous pricing for our clients, and also an abundance of added-value and bonus weight. Four months later, we still enjoy the effects of a continued soft market as we are able to maintain our advantageous pricing from 2012 without the usual increases for the new year. But softness rarely lasts long: in fact, it’s usually followed by a tight new year. The point is, soft or tight, TV is the most impactful media available to marketers and still the favorite media of the masses.

Chris Conderino
Director, Media Analytics
Marketsmith, Inc.

Tomorrow, Monica C. Smith and Peter Smith will be attending the Marketing Hall of Femme at Dream Downtown, Manhattan. Honorees include CMOs whose integrated marketing strategies have made a big impact: Lisa Arthur of Teradata Applications, Rebecca Baker of Alvarez & Marsal, Emma Carrasco of NPR, Lauren Crampsie of Ogilvy & Mather, Leontyne Green of IKEA, Mariann McDonagh of inContact, Trish Wheaton of Wunderman, and Vicky Free of BET Networks. The keynote speaker will be Christine Osekoski, publisher at Fast Company.

As CEO of two businesses and a recently honored Top Leading Woman in Entrepreneurship, Monica C. Smith is proud to be a successful female entrepreneur. She and Peter look forward to celebrating women in marketing and hearing a fascinating panel discussion tomorrow.

Monica C. Smith:  
Peter Smith:  

Dawn Smith and Fiona Andrews will be attending a Women in Business networking breakfast sponsored by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. A panel (including Pam Aungst, Melisa Tropeano LaTour, and Kerrie Heslin, Esq.) will provide advice on personal branding.

Dawn Smith: 
Fiona Andrews  

Who can you find at Response?

Carina Pologruto	Dawn Smith	Peter Smith	Keith Muhlon	Dmitri Pestrikov

CEO Monica C. Smith, EVP Client Services Carina Pologruto, VP Operations Dawn Smith, and VP Global Sales Peter Smith all attended ERA’s Great Ideas Summit in Miami!

Marketsmith touches down just as the sun is setting in Miami	Arriving at the buzzing Fontainebleau
Carina and Dawn enjoying their first evening in Miami	Hanging out in the Bleu Bar
What is the Elf on the Shelf doing in Miami? Must be spring break at the North Pole…	Carina with Jeff McMann from Fosdick Fulfillment
Amy Smith with John Barnes, Mercury Media	Monica with Aashish and Merlynn from TMGTV
Dawn, Aashish, Merlynn, and Carina	Curtis Kleinman, Swipe with Peter
Proud to be an ERA Great Ideas Diamond Partner!	Peter chatting with Dominick Rinaldi, Destination Rewards
Sam Rodriguez, Home Run Media with Dawn	Bill Sullivan & Jerry Levy from JL Media with Carina, Dawn, and Dan Donati from DRMA
Attending an education session on Landing Page Optimization	Talking with Time Life – last meeting before heading back to New Jersey

Nominations are underway for the Academy Awards – and while we love movies, we feel the Oscars neglect some of our favorite categories. What about long- and short-form DRTV spots? Don’t our favorite pitchmen and spokespeople deserve some recognition as well? And while we’re at it, what about the other channels we engage in – the best catalogs, most eye-catching emails, innovative social strategies, and creative campaigns?

We decided to offer accolades to some of the best marketers out there in 2012 – please submit your nominations to us via @marketsmithinc, Facebook page, our LinkedIn page, an email, or a comment on the bottom of this post. Self-nominations are accepted, and there is no limit to the number of submissions as long as they are received by January 28.

And the winners are…

J. Jill Twice! Here and here.	Urban Outfitters Honorable Mentions: JCPenney Baublebar	Nos’ “No Nonsense” spot pokes some fun at the hype around a fight Honorable Mentions: William Levy’s M&Ms Sprint “Pajamas” with Kevin Durant
Samsung Galaxy S3	Grey Poupon Society of Good Taste: “Few cut the mustard.” Honorable Mention: Fab	Geico Gecko
Fab	Red Bull: Stratos	Marc Gill Honorable Mention: Vince
Magnum Interactive Pleasure Hunt	Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” Honorable Mentions: Ikea asked customers to help them open move to their new store TNT’s real-life drama	Alec Baldwin for Capital One Honorable mention: Flo from Progressive
Esurance: Cheap Sushi Honorable Mention: Carbonite: No One Has to Know	Ninja	Jaguar: It’s Coming
Porsche Honorable Mention: Obama’s 2012 campaign	Taco Bell & Doritos Honorable Mention: Jaguar and Playboy	Oreo

Last night, MSI team members Carina Pologruto, EVP Client Services & General Manager; Dawn Smith, VP Operations; Wendy Holland, Director Client Services & Digital Platform Development; Fiona Andrews, Digital Brand Strategist; Jon Brown, Manager Data & Platform Development; and Dmitri Pestrikov, Director Client Services went to the Beer Factory in Manhattan for the DRMA Winter Bash! It was an exciting evening with great energy. We know the Elf isn’t supposed to be touched or moved…but we wanted to introduce the Merriest Guy at MSI to our friends at the DRMA Winter Bash, so we carefully brought him along. Don’t worry- he made it back to the North Pole in time to check in with Santa! Check out our Facebook page for more photos.

the MSI team rides the Path into Manhattan	Dmitri and Jon survey the scene as the Beer Factory fills with DRMA members
Amit Khubani, Ontel with Dawn	John Yarrington, DRMA with Dawn
The Illustrious Rick Petry has a new muse	The Elf perches on the shoulders of Dan Donati, DRMA and Dawn
Jason Levesque, Argo and Dawn give the Elf some love	James Diorio, Dial800 with Dawn
Eric Stracener, West with Carina and the Merriest Guy at MSI	The Elf on the Shelf needs a snack break
Curtis Kleinman, Swipe with Kim Frieders of Ignite, Fiona, and Jon	Andy Donato, Treehouse with Jon
Ava Seavey, Avalanche gets cozy with the Friendliest Guy at MSI	The Elf hitches a ride with Ben Zimmerman, Media Design Group
The Elf found a comfortable perch	Ken Osborn, Liquid Focus and Michael Mezzanotte, Subco offer our Elf some refreshment
The Merriest Guy at MSI tries to give us a hint	Rick Sangerman, TTC with Dawn and Carina
“What are YOU looking at?”	“All right, all right…I’ll share”
“Chuck Wilkins, Venable with Dawn”	On the way home after a great evening with DRMA!

Check out our Facebook page for more photos

Katilyn Campi and Wendy Holland attended a Sneak Peak into Twin Peaks event last night hosted by The Complete Package. The event launched a new and exciting fundraising opportunity: The Complete Package, whose clients are among the largest consumer care companies in the beauty industry, has partnered with Twin Peaks to bring to market a beauty-focused fundraising opportunity for organizations by offering the products women want and need while Twin Peaks donates 100% of the profits to research and education to stop Stage 4 Breast Cancer.

Founder of Twin Peaks Scott Knox said of the event yesterday evening, “I now know why your company is called The Complete Package. Last night truly was The Complete Package. The people who attended were incredible, the food that was served and the live music that was played was AMAZING. Twin Peaks was represented perfectly.”

By formulating and bringing to market prestige quality cosmetics and skincare for Twin Peaks, The Complete Package is providing women with products they would love to buy at department store counters at low retail while the proceeds are helping a sister, a friend, a mother or a neighbor who will eventually be touched by breast cancer. One in eight women are affected by invasive breast cancer.

Elizabeth Corrigan, founder of The Complete Package said, “Through my career I have been fortunate enough to develop some of the most successful product launches and retail platforms in the beauty industry. I can now bring my experience and passion to support the very same women who I have been marketing to. I am driven to take this brand and concept nationally. Stage 4 Breast Cancer should not exist. Women support other women – it is what we do.”

For further information about this fundraising initiative for your organization, please email twinpeaks@thecompletepackagllc.com or call 973 532-6113.