Today and Tomorrow

Posted at May 29, 2009 // Random Thoughts

Okay, it’s no secret that one of my guilt pleasures is to watch reality TV. There is a new one on Bravo called the Fashion Show.

In this show, there is a new designer who practically just got out of design school to compete on this show. She said something interesting today. She wants to inspire the clothes of tomorrow. This is in sharp contrast of something she said in the first episode. “I know what’s in fashion right now.”

I find these two statements very interesting as a marketer.

I remember immediately hating this particular designer when I heard her said that in that first episode. As a fashion designer, you should be inspirational. As marketers, our job is not to identify the trends today… but to identify trends of tomorrow, and capitalize on it.

But, tonight, the new statement showed me another side of this particular designer. And it highlighted the complicated nature of a good trend-maker. It’s always about the balance of how to be relevant today, and yet always keep an eye on the future. That is true for fashion designers, and that is true for marketers. Well, at least it is true for the good ones