AC/DC in Walmart: For Those About To Shop…
So AC/DC, the scourge of the religious right in the U.S. and conservative parents everywhere, with albums such as Highway to Hell and Back to Black, have struck an exclusive deal with WalMart in the U.S. to distribute their music…and some of their hardcore fans are either furious or in shock. The issue of WalMart’s...
FACT or Fiction: Topshop gets it all wrong in their windows?
First of all, I love FACT magazine. Definitely one of the most interesting magazines in the U.K. The latest issue is not impressed with the UK clothes retail chain TopShop and NME the (once iconic) music magazine. Louise Brailey spotted a recent TopMan Window display with three mannequins in the window, each representing a different...
Small music retailers – Phoenix Rising?
Just came across an interesting article in Business Week It reiterates that, in the face of the online shopping onslaught, bricks and mortar music retailers are suffering. However, it also highlights the green shoots of online success that some smaller independent music retailers are experiencing. I’m with them on this. Sites such as Piccadilly Records,...
Brave Brands: / Discover Music: / Sonic Branding: / Sonic Retail: / Sound & Vision: / The kind of stuff citizensound does:
Sonic Retail Rant 4: The Sound of Silence
In the citizensound sonicRetail survey, we found a few stores decided on a policy of a music-free zone in–store. Shops such as Church’s shoes had the sound of people talking and shoes being squeezed on to feet, nothing more. And this worked for the environment and the clientele. A sense of calm away from...
Brave Brands: / Sonic Branding: / Sonic Retail: / Sound & Vision: / The kind of stuff citizensound does:
Sonic Retail Rant 3: Is Mango the Westlife of Fashion Stores?
Mango stores are the sonic version of vanilla ice cream. After a while you are yearning for mint choc chip, raspberry, peach or mango even…anything but vanilla…I have to ask the question – what is the point of having music in store if the music is so bland? It got me thinking… If Mango...
Sonic Retail Rant 2 – GAP vs HSBC
In our first post on the sound of the brand at retail, citizensound mentioned the lack of investment that seems to go into sound within the retail space. This comes in part from a marketing focus on the visual when it comes to financial commitment. The sense of sight dominates marketing decisions – the logo;...
Sonic Retail Rant 1: What is the sound of your brand?
The magazine Media & Marketing ran a few features on Brands and Music in their February issue that are worth a read, including some thoughts from citizensound. Also published within the magazine was an article I wrote on the sound of retail environments. citizensound carried out an extensive survey at the end of 2007 early...