Forgot to post this...

Finally got an example of what I was speaking about on an earlier post when I said about adverts that make the product seem less obtainable, by listing countries it's available in, not shops. The product becomes more exclusive. This particular one for fashion designer Marc Jacobs is really bad quality but it gets my point across. I love the simple white's it reminds me of a Matisse painting using a few colours to make the skin colour stand out. Not that I'm trying to do a fine art analysis here. I just love simplicity, but hate minimalism? Don't get how that works.

Ink in Water...

Have found the most AMAZING images using ink and water, to see below...

They really inspire me with the colours and 'infusions' not to steal from 'Twinings' I'm going to do a few mock ups anyway.... (to be found in my work book)

Research into what visual language my adverts should include.

It's come to my attention that the main way I will be able to get the attention of the millionaires out there is to stick to the 'arty' approach. It may sound simple, but they will pay no attention to something tacky or in your face, the image will be the selling point, maybe taking into account the art of dropping the tea into the water, something to do with tea in water. Sounds so confusing right now, but there's something between how much the rich spend on art, it's like their main hobby (see other post), art collecting;

"oooh, have you seen this new Rothko piece I spent $87 million on?"

I'm literally not kidding some guy will have said that...

"Contemporary art is becoming the gold of the new rich. This week’s strong auction sales in New York brought record bids for Rothko, Klein, Lichtenstein and several other post-war artists. Scarcity is part of the allure, along with taste and the spending power of the global plutocracy. One thing to please at least the financiers among them is that contemporary art has inked good returns, too.
Mark Rothko’s “Orange, Red, Yellow” fetched nearly $87 million at Christie’s, topping the bill at the auctioneer’s $388 million sale, its biggest ever. That’s a sign that the Contemporary category – albeit increasingly not an accurate description – has the upper hand these days, even if the all-time record, set by Sotheby’s with Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” last week, was officially in the firm’s Impressionist and Modern sale.
That’s further underlined by the trajectory of prices. Artnet’s Contemporary 50 index is up more than five-fold since 2001, against a mere 60 percent gain for the Impressionist 25 benchmark – and that’s before this week’s sales. Contemporary art dipped in 2009 with the global financial crisis, but recovered by 2011.
Like, say, high-end London property, expensive art is now a global market – it’s not like the end of the 1980s when Japanese buyers, who dominated auctions for Impressionist works, suddenly disappeared. If European collectors are cautious – as might be expected with financial tremors still rumbling around the region – there are plenty of U.S., Middle-Eastern, South American, Russian and Asian buyers to take their place."

I definitely think that this is the way I should go with my art, they should maybe be print/digital image. I am definitely keeping with the Harrod's digital advertising space. This honestly REALLY excites me, I can just see images of some coloured fluid dropping into black and 'infusing' into the area, with the word OPULENCE seeping through, followed by the website or something... a storyboard and further research should follow. 

After not being able to sleep and thinking about ambient ads...

Ambient Ads make reaching a large amount of people a really easy job to do, obviously creating them is the hard part. This would really help me with reaching my target audience, as my research has shown me that Rich people aren't going to pay attention to TV adverts and millionaires have better things to do that search the net for their next product to buy. I think that in doing an ambient ad it will give me the option to make something striking and create an image that can be repeated across the globe, or make people wonder, what is that doing there?! and then they will in turn do some research into it and find out, which in turn makes them find my product. I need to make sure I keep with the stylised art theme and catch their eye.

I LOVE MY MUM.

Told my mum about my idea for my product and so on and she got back to me with the following... 

 "Fantastic idea about the tea. You have to go back to the 17^th & 18^th century though for some more ideas. Tea was soooo expensive then only the upper classes could afford it and they locked it away in very ornate tea caddies and actually had parties where they just drank tea, one to drink it and two to show off how much money they had. Google tea caddies and you will see some really impressive ones some go for as much as £150,000 at auction now depending on their condition. Maybe your tea could be boxed in something similar to be exported to these wonderful parties and events that it would be drunk at.. It could all help towards your research"

So here we go... Once again I'll highlight the most important parts.

During the late 17th and through the 18th Century, tea was very expensive. The price would fluctuate due to the great distances travelled and the safe arrival of ships from China. Looking at some prices quoted by a London tea merchant in 1787 you could buy basic tea for the modern equivalent of about £20 per pound weight (500gm) or fine tea for about £60 per pound weight! It is obvious why only the nobility or merchant classes could afford to drink tea!

Due to the price, tea was drunk (or ‘taken’) as a very formal social beverage, certainly not to quench the thirst! It’s rarity and price meant that only tiny amounts were taken in very small Chinese tea-bowls. In England we didn’t like placing our hot bowls or cups on our expensive wooden tables leading us to look at the available Chinese porcelain wares and often use the small sauce bowls to place hot cups upon. Hence the term ‘saucer’.

Tea was coarse-cut at this time which meant a lot of waste in the bottom of the cup. This is why tea services included a waste or slop bowl in which to discharge the waste between pourings. The tea-bowl could become hot so people may lift the bowl to the mouth on its saucer or even tip the tea into the saucer.  In these cases you would also need a spoon tray to place the spoon in! Etiquette differed from house to house.

Those that could afford the best would order their tea-bowls with handles. These early handles can look very strange being merely stuck onto the side of a tea-bowl with little thought for aesthetics. The handled tea cup was reserved only for the most expensive tea-services. The handle became more popular during the last quarter of the 18th Century and the tea-bowl eventually fell from use by about 1820. During this period the tea cup also became wider as tea prices reduced. Price reduction also led to tea being taken at breakfast time to quench thirst, again in much larger cups.

The wider cups allowed tea to cool quicker and handles on cups reduced the need to drink from the saucer. The saucer therefore started to ‘flatten out’ a little and eventually, during the 1840’s, incorporated a little recess in the centre in order to prevent the cup from slipping around. By this time, falling tea prices saw the working classes able to afford tea for the first time. Since 1850 the teacup and saucer have changed very little - apart from the fact that most of us unfortunately use the ubiquitous ‘mug’ on a daily basis! (http://www.antiqueporcelaincollector.com/about.html)

 Literally possibly the most important research I could have done, and I've only come across it now. This really fits with the work I am doing, I love my mums idea of serving my tea in Tea Caddies, like little vials or bottles within the caddy... for visuals of a tea caddy you need only look below...

 Pair of Tea Caddies by John Kincard London 1756

Maker Unknown Circa 1767

For some reason in my head, the kind of caddy for my tea looks a bit like this ornate cabinet I found on google (as always). A place to store your 'Opulence' products.

The world's most expensive tea.

Now this is interesting... Panda Poo.

Tea Made of Panda Poo...

Who makes this? Chinese entrepreneur An Yanshi, of course.

"The former calligraphy teacher has purchased 11 tonnes of faeces from a panda breeding centre to fertilise a tea crop in the mountains of Sichuan province in southwestern China, home to the black and white bears.

An says he will harvest the first batch of tea leaves this spring and it will be the "world's most expensive tea" at almost 220,000 yuan ($35,000) for 500 grams (18 ounces)." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9004086/Secret-to-worlds-most-expensive-tea-Panda-droppings.html)

As this product hasn't even been made yet it's hard for me to scrutinize it, however this is the furthest from my product you could get, it's taking something completely crazy and trying to sell it as the healthiest tea in the world... oh wait, that is what I'm doing. I'm just glad I'm not trying to sell tea made from panda poo... now that's a hard task. Least mine's going to have gold and maybe a few diamonds.

 

Vodka Advertisements

 

Diva Vodka Advertisements. 

This Vodka is made with colored swarovski crystals (or 'gems' as they call them in a center column in the bottle.
Various color versions as well as custom colors are available. 

I personally think that the different colours down the centre are very suitable to what I need to do with my products, somehow my 3 products need to look the same but at the same time have 3 very different uses and this needs to be visible either in the advertisements themselves or in the packaging of the product. I love how beautiful these bottles are, it's a shame they're ruined with the terrible typography (bit harsh?).

 Diva Vodka describes themselves as 'The worlds most glamorous vodka' which to me is a pretty lazy end-line but there we go. Everything about this vodka is obviously aimed at women; the multi-coloured swarovski crystals, the brand name 'Diva', the visuals of the vodka linked to beautiful flowers (white roses; innocent, pure) or incredible rings (wealth, beauty). Again, like the Bollinger ads, the bottle is centre of the advertisement. They are well lit, the liquid inside basically unnoticeable which gives you the sense of a perfect vodka, absolutely clean. A bottle of this stuff is going online between £50-£65 for a 70cl bottle.

 I love that this vodka has it's own website, something I was considering doing with my product, although like this one, my product wouldn't be available to buy online from the website. The most interesting thing I found on the website (www.divavodka.co.uk) was that there was a downloadable 'brochure'. This excited me a heck of a lot, but I was dissapointed to find that it was basically a two page PDF file with the shown picture of a '1920's' classic, beautiful woman with a bottle of Diva Vodka stamped in the bottom right hand corner. The second page constisted of a bigger image of the bottle with a description of the vodka along side "Diva Vodka is a wheat-based vodka that is triple distilled and
ice-filtered through Nordic birch charcoal.
The bottle contains a tube filled with crystals that can be used
as a garnish. The 48 crystals in each bottle include cubic zircona,
smoky topaz, pink tourmaline, amethyst, citrine and peridot and
the crystals in each bottle are hand-filled with each bottle having a
unique combination of crystals."

The images aren't even of a good quality which doesn't really stick with the brand's obvious 'glamorous image'. However I think that what they have set out to do with their brand is pretty similar to my outlook, the main differences being that mine is to start a new way to drink tea and will be available to everyone, not just aimed at women. Also something nice to add that I just found out 'The DIVA premium ranges in price from $3,700 and $1 million.'

Oval Vodka Advertisement

Oval vodka is by far my favourite branding. 'Vodka's Natural Evolution' really excites me, the world evolution, is brilliant! It makes the reader feel that this is the way the world was meant to be, the world evolved so that Oval vodka could exist, making it a part of history. It's just brilliant. But with a pricetage of £45 for 70cl I don't think I'll be buying any, any time soon. They've obviously gone with a 'space-vibe' for this advertisement, fitting with the evolution idea. The blue's work really well, still keeping the vodka looking pure and crystal clear while fitting in with the end-line connotations. I also like how they've included a 'martini/cocktail' glass in the background to promote the fact that their drink is to be enjoyed best in something seen as 'posher' (sorry for my shocking grammar) rather than enjoyed in a long glass with a mixer such as coke/lemonade.It also gives off the idea that this vodka could maybe enjoyed straight, cause you aren't going to fit much else in that glass. 

The liquid coming out of the bottle seems to be taking the form of something other-worldley, something completely different to anything you've seen vodka do before in other words. It's also a very beautiful composition, whatever it is, and reminds me of microscopic cells (once again linking to the idea of evolution). The vodka is becoming a part of us (I know vodka is definitely a part of me). 

Well, just been on the website and found this "We recommend that you drink OVAL Vodka straight and not too chilled. (14-15C/57-59F)" which definitely shows what I thought the advert was trying to say... drink it straight. 

 Taken from the website this vodka's main aim is obviously PURITY, as is so nicely written in capitals on the main page (http://www.oval-vodka.co.uk/) I really love the branding of this vodka, the simplicity, love something when it's simple. As you can see from the image on the right they've gone for the blinged out look, and if I'm not mistaken that bottle on the right retails at $6,922, the bottle is limited edition and is festooned with 7000 Swarovski crystals. The showcase of the bottle has to be a luxurious one hence it was displayed on "The Glorifier," which is a rotating LCD display unit, highlighting the sparkling Swarovski crystals. The bottle is available only at the exclusive places like well-known night clubs and Embassy, Dolce, Amika, Maya, Tramp, Maddox and Chinawhite.

If it's hard for you to read the bottom paragraphs this is one of my favourite exerts '

The exceptional aspect of structured OVAL Vodka is its distinctively harmonious taste, its absolute purity and premium-class quality.

In this way, its multifaceted taste components are able to unfold sip-by-sip. Drinking OVAL ice-cold, as is usual with other vodkas, hides all its aromas and represses the taste receptors.' 

You can't go wrong with words like distinctively harmonious, absolute purity, premium-class, multifaceted, taste receptors. All sounds so thrilling.

I think it's important for me to look at adverts for the world's most expensive drinks, such as Vodka and Champagne. I also think it's important to add that these drinks tend to be alcoholic, alcohol being one of the world's favourite indulgences. I heard the most amazing thing yesterday watching Russel Howard's Good News, it was a scene taken from a news show looking at the recent floods in the UK and one of the locals was talking about how he was trying to help some people stranded in a rubber dingy in the middle of the flood he said the following 'Well I gave them the essentials you know, wine and vodka' god I love being British. 

With my brand being tea I think it's time for a post on the world's most expensive tea, showing the differences that will be between said tea and my product, and the similarities that will be between my product and these expensive alcohols. 

Bolinger Champagne Ads

I was thinking of types of adverts I could look at that would include things rich people tend to buy all the time, that become a part of my life. A first thought was caviar but after scowering the internet and library I found... caviar doesn't really need to be advertised it's just too much of a social icon that well, the rich buy it anyway. Champagne however has crazy amounts of different brands and bottles and tastes and price. This you think would make champagne adverts easy to find... think again. The most exciting I have found have been this Bollinger for James Bond ads... the only Ads Bollinger have done, but I think the link is quite exciting. Since my product is bottled and expensive and what not I think it's important that I understand how to give my bottle centre stage. It's not like Twinings where I can give everything a back story, I can't advertise on TV because the rich won't watch it which means my product has to be a symbol of rich life, everything has to mean something, I can't get away with absolutely mental adverts because I'm trying to promote a life of class... anyway enough waffling onto the Bollinger Ads.

Little bit of history of where the adverts started

"The literary James Bond first encounters Bollinger in the book Diamonds Are Forever, when Tiffany Case sends a quarter-bottle to his cabin on the Queen Elizabeth.

 The relationship began when the Broccoli-Wilson family, producers of the Bond films, sought a wine to match Bond's impeccable taste and refined personality. Not surprisingly, they chose Champagne Bollinger, long acknowledged as one of the world's finest Champagnes. A mutual friendship developed between the Broccoli-Wilson family and the Bollinger family, and Champagne Bollinger has remained a Bond favorite even as the torch has been passed from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig. " (http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/champagne-bollinger)

 I think it's very important to note the prominence of the bottle in the print ads. The champagne is always centre stage, but given different scenarios and background for the different Bond films it's promoting. Side by side promotion has always interested me, such as product placement in music videos/films, just because of the amount of people you can reach through this media. This however is a complete partnership between two brands, both of which together promote a lavish lifestyle, helping each other in using the visual language and semiotics to achieve this. As the quote from jamesbondlifestyle.com says Bollinger is acknowledged as one of the world's finest Champagnes, which represents Bond as someone who lives like a king and then links that back to Bollinger with Bond's 'impeccable taste' and 'refined personality' all targeting the wealthy and superior. 

The ads themselves use images such as ice in one, giving you the feeling of a nice ice cold glass of champagne, with connotations of fresh, pure, clean and perfect. Another shows the Champagne in front of flames in the shape of a woman's naked body holding a gun, giving a whole different side to the champagne, promoting danger and sex, giving the champagne a whole new image, and targeting a different type of person within the wealthy. The link between the films and champagne gives them an endless meaning that they can place with Bollinger, they can keep re-inventing the brand, linking it to the different story lines in films, making sure that then with each ad they appeal to a whole different kind of person. Suiting one of my favourite quotes, learnt in a seminar with Janine, ' meaning is in a constant state of flux/change'. This keeps the brand relevant and takes them through generations of people. As long as Bond films are made I'm pretty sure Bollinger/Bond ads will be generated.

Analysing the 'Opulence DirecTV ads'

Uploaded earlier in my blog I am going to explore the semiotics and language used in the advert to persuade and excite the viewer.

This is probably one of the most heavily 'symbolised' adverts I have ever watched, think I just made the word symbolised up...
Everything in the advert is trying to put across the perception of a certain life or person. There is art (rich), women (rich), bodyguards (rich rich rich!!), dogs playing poker (crazy rich that things happen that are pretty much impossible), fur (again RICH!) and gold everywhere, and the connotations of gold can lead your mind many places; royalty, wealth, class, beauty, heirarchy, passion, but above all... rich. This straight away stamps the foundation of wealth on the advert, however it's quite important to notice straight away the target audience, this is not for rich people, this is for the middle class who strive to 'live like the rich'. You can tell this from the humour in the advert, the product itself, with a little research it only costs $29.99 a month. Within the script this guy says ' I like the best, but I also like saving the money, so when DirecTV tell me 5 months free for most premium television package, I jump in it' obviously they are appealing and persuading to the middle class of America here, the rich wouldn't jump on an offer for 5 months free television, if they wanted it they'd have bought it months ago. I really like the way the camera shoots in to his face on the 'I jump in it' line, the camera angle is slightly below his eye line, making us 'look up to him' in more ways than one, making him subconsciously appear higher or better than up. He also says the line with a lot of power and no questioning. It's one of the most obvious advertisements in the world, but it works so well, I think this is also due to the fact that he could become a prominent 'character' to DirecTV's adverts because of the Russian accent and 'crazy man' personality.

Where I am going to advertise

http://harrods-advertising.com/

Shows a new innovative way of advertising in Harrods, somewhere that would be incredible useful for me to advertise my product, gives me the option of making a moving advertisement. The targeting is pretty much spot on with targeting people on the way to 'Fine Jewelery and Watches'. It's just going to give me a lot more options and allow me to come up with something that would show maybe the product in use, very stylized, well shot 'fashiony'. I have to remember I'm trying to make a new ritual, a new experience. Something that people are going to take time out of their days for.

Wealthmoniter being helpful again

Top European Streets for Luxury Retail

Posted on October 19, 2011 by fabt83

Hello dear readers,

I came across an article that shares interesting key insights from a recently released study of Europe’s most important luxury shopping destinations.

The global market for luxury goods has emerged from the financial crisis significantly faster than expected, according to a study of Europe’s most important luxury shopping destinations by Jones Lang LaSalle, focusing on the 100 most renowned luxury brands and their presence in Europe’s metropolitan centres.

James Dolphin, Head of EMEA Retail Agency at Jones Lang LaSalle, commented that “despite booming online offerings, retailing on Europe’s most prestigious high streets remains a very important success factor for the luxury segment. After two years of subdued spending, luxury retailers are responding to the return in consumer confidence with healthy expansion plans. Increased demand for prime space in the best locations is forcing rents up. Other retailers are also looking to benefit from the proximity to famous top-level brands, and this additional demand for scarce showroom space is placing even more pressure on premiums.”

Let’s have a look at some European luxury shopping hotspots: The most expensive luxury High Street in terms of prime rent is London’s New Bond Street which costs EUR 7,905 per square metre on an annual basis. London is followed by Paris’ Avenue Montaigne (EUR 7,500 sqm/year) and Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow (EUR 7,015 sqm/year).

Despite the booming online offerings, stationary retailing remains a very important success factor especially in the luxury segment. A look at the latest annual reports published by the leading firms impressively shows that the sales contributed by company-managed shop-in-shops and stores have risen considerably. Almost all renowned luxury brands have been making substantial investments in their own retail structures in recent years, thereby lessening their dependence on wholesale business.

The highest density in terms of international luxury labels can be found in Paris. Between them, the top 100 luxury labels operate more than 150 luxury stores in the French capital, meaning that a part of them have multiple stores here.

I’d say that’s something to keep in mind when you travel to Paris next time.

Bon voyage and happy shopping!

Possible places for me to seel my product? Exclusive shops in main capitals of the world...

London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, New York, Los Angeles... if you catch my drift... types of products available like this are normally high fashion labels.

Examples to come.

10 shopping capitals of the world

TOKYO

Top retailers 38.68%

Tokyo is well known for its fashion and people living in Tokyo are said to be obsessed with top brands. You can find here mass retailers like Uniqlo and boutiques such as Boutique W as well as Side by Side, a clothing store established by the stylist Nicola Formichetti that also showcases the work of emerging artists.

BARCELONA

Top retailers 39.09%

Barcelona has its fair share of high street stores including Zara as well as the more mature Cortefiel. Designer’s shops including Chanel and Cartier are also to be found there. The shoppers will really appreciate lesser known shops such as luxury designer boutique Jean-Pierre Bua that sells brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier – and Le Shoe.

MUNICH

Top retailers 39, 92%

Munich is the third largest city of Germany and attracts shoppers from all over the world. Brands like Brioni, Armani and Cerruti 1881 and Polo Ralph Lauren attract shoppers from near and far. If you look for something really German, go to Marienplatz and get your own Bavarian costume.

BERLIN

Top retailers 40.33%

The capital of Germany is also the shopping capital of this European country. Department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and fashion-forward boutiques like The Corner attract masses to spend their money here.

6. MOSCOW

Top retailers 42, 39%

Moscow is considered to be the most expensive city in the world and if you look for luxury Moscow is the right place to go. Le Form is a shop that carries many brands with complimentary aesthetics as well as international favorites such as Derercuny, Maison Martin Margiela and Dries Van Noten. Mass brands like Gap, Zara and H&M have also expanded to the city.

7. MADRID

Top retailers 44.03%

Madrid is the capital of Spain and serves as home to many of the world’s top brands, including Adidas, Loewe and mass mainstay H&M. Local favorites such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Desigual are also to be found there.

4. DUBAI

Top retailers 45.68%

Dubai is known for its endless shopping malls including Mall of Emirates, Wafi Shopping Mall and Villa Moda housing designer shops like YSL, Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton.

3. NEW YORK

Top retailers 46.91%

New York is beloved for its department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys both situated in Midtown. Funky boutiques such as Crave, Aloha Rag and What Comes Around Goes Around in SoHo, are also typical for this city. Of course every top retailer under the sun seems to have a presence in N.Y.

2. PARIS

Top retailers 49.79%

Paris, the capital of France, is considered to be the most stylish city in the world. It is also home of the world’s most well-dressed artists, stylists and designers. Maria Luisa, Colette and L’Eclaireur are the best known multi-brand boutiques in the world. Palais Royal is the latest hot shopping spot which hosts boutiques such as Stella McCartney, Rick Owens and Corto Moteldo.

1. LONDON

Top retailers: 59.26%

London is with its High Street the capital of the world’s shopping. The city hosts more than half of the world’s shop retailers, including the young and trendy Topshop as well as high end department stores such as Liberty of London and Harvey Nichols. Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market is a boutique that focuses on hard-to-find designers such as Anne Valerie Hash. Labour of Love stocks little-known labels such as Louis Amstrup.

 I really know now that I need to limit myself to 3/4 exclusive countries where my Tea is sold, this will target my millionaire (money to waste) audience, because of their constant traveling/private jets they will be the only ones who will go that far to get my product, or will be the ones who can afford to live in those kind of cities. Just need to find my shops now...

Wealthmoniter telling me what the rich do in their spare time.

Ever wanted to know what the wealthy do in their spare time? Wealthmonitor unveils the mystery for you!

Posted on May 30, 2012 by alexandragogo

When they are not busy visiting a tax advisor or wealth manager, the wealthy, as you may imagine, enjoy sunny tropical beaches, cruising on a yacht and golfing in breathtaking locations. They may also collect sport cars; including Maseratis, Ferraris, Jaguars, Bentleys, Audis and Range Rovers and also vintages, like a Bulgari SpA director, whose full profile is available on wealthmonitor, has been collecting rare Buick cars for a couple of years. Let’s not forget the obvious passion that most rich men share for building up a watch collection as it gives them the opportunity to wear jewellery. The most preferred brands are Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Piaget, TAG Heuer and last but not least Franck Muller whose handmade Swiss watch sells between $5,000 and $600,000.

Some HNWIs become involved in charities and philanthropic activities in their spare time and use their influence and wealth for the benefit of others. The impressively high amounts of money given last year for charitable causes by the 50 top philanthropists outlines that, with a sum amounting to not less than $10.4 billion, the most generous donor is the shy and discrete Margaret Cargill who inherited part of the Cargill fortune.

Flying private jets and helicopters is another source of joy for millionaires; some take the experience to the next level like a shareholder of Blacktie Limited, who skydives from his own helicopter.  Other thrill-seeker millionaires get their fix by going into the wild just like Santorum’s principal backer, Mr. Friess, a mutual fund manager who enjoys crocodile hunting in Tanzania. On the other hand, some highly-paid sports people prefer spending their leisure hours retaking studies like Juan Mata who’s currently pursuing a double degree in sports science and marketing in the University of Madrid, whilst others opt for relaxing activity such as keeping tropical fish like one of the shareholders of Provepharm who finds it’s an easy way to manage a stressful routine.

Other millionaires share less conventional hobbies: eccentric nature lovers Gile Roderick McGregor breeds rare birds, while Simon Sherrard breeds rare sheep, Leonardo DiCaprio collects fossils and Nicholas Cage had an impressive comic book collection. Some collectors like a manager of Sablon Distribution, another of our listed HNWIs, pride themselves in owning rare original drawings of different cartoon artists while others are ready to pay up to $2 million for a comic containing Superman’s first appearance.

You can see the full profiles of all individuals mentioned above on wealthmonitor. Among the hundreds of thousands individuals dossiers available, discover Warren Buffett’s passion for ukuleles and a director’s rare rock collection.

(Highlighted interesting words to me, to help in aiding either advert ideas or an endline... hopefully. Also how nice is it to know what wealthy people enjoy doing, hint of sarcasm)

LIterally Googled Opulence...

http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/the-worlds-most-expensive-foods

http://www.serendipitycakes.co.uk/wedding-cake-opulence.php

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/directvs-opulence-ad-rich-subtleties-12404

DirecTV Opulence Ad in Russia...

Grey New York and director Tim Godsa filled this "Opulence" DirecTV spot with awesome subtle details, like the actual dogs playing poker (one of whom has an ace in his paw) and what appears to be a Van Gogh on an easel behind couch. And there's the miniature giraffe, of course, which is so cute we'll forgive the otherwise unpardonable sin of Twilight playing on his TV. The best part is the song clip at the end, though; it's a Russian folk song called "Korobeiniki," better known over here as the Tetris theme.

 COULD THERE BE MORE GOLD IN THIS ADVERT? If I wasn't sure on whether to use gold in my own product, I definitely am now.

Word come from googling Opulence: MAJESTIC.

http://www.modern-rugs.co.uk/rug-collection/opulence-rugs

Quote taken from their website: A very distinctive traditional rugs, the Opulence collection is inspired by the splendour of masterpeice antique rugs. Each rug has a 100% viscose pile which is silky soft and creates a beautiful antiqued finish.

(Words highlighted interest me.)

Crystal bottles I found that interest me being in a 3...

Research into Product Ritual

Death Becomes Her Potion.

Thinking about my product being ritualistic, I am thinking into how they would take the tea. What would you do when you take the tea? Would you pour it in? Spray it in? Drop it in through a pipette?
I have come to the decision that using a pipette style bottle would be a lot more royal/new it would feel better to make tea that way. It feels SPECIAL to do it that way, with a little bit of magic.

Would it be coloured? I NEED TO MAKE THE RITUAL.

 (Just incase the word pipette is confusing)

Something about the colour gold that means regal, royal, expensive, indulgent...

What are regal colours?

Purple and gold are a pair with a lot of history. Purple was the exclusive color of royalty, and gold detailing and accessories were a true display of wealth. A warm reddish plum or a deep aubergine are bold statements, yet I'm loving the fresh twist of an airy lilac or lavender paired with gilt accents. It's a modern twist that can work in any home, nobility or not. (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/modern-regal-li-158365)

Relax, Sit back and live like Royalty (quote from ehow.com)

I was talking to David today about my product and saying about how it could be ritualistic (look back to Japanese tea ceremonies) and it sparked a Downton Abbey episode where he had to wear a certain suit for a certain occasion and to us living now the suit he was wearing looked posh as hell, but it wasn't suitable for what he was doing. It's like being part of an exclusive group, being in on what you should wear or how you should act. A bit like Titanic where Jack isn't 'down with the rich' and sticks out like a sore thumb. He has to get taught how to act in that kind of situation and how to dress. The exclusivity is what is incredibly interesting. The research I have done into how to advertise to the rich has shown that I need to make them feel SPECIAL. 

 

 

Semiotic Research

Advertising Language - A Pragmatic Approach to Advertisements in Britain and Japan

Keiko Tanaka.

Semiotics approaches are based on the assumption that communication is achieved by encoding and decoding a message, and this is how Barthes one of the most distinguished scholars tackles advertising language.

Barthes says that there are 3 messages within an advert, linguistic, coded iconic message and non-coded iconic message. The name of the product denotes (in the books example) a pasta and connotes 'Italianicity'. Putting aside linguistics, Barthes argues we are left with pure image. 

It is however said that cultural knowledge/experience however, changes how you see a certain ad and whether or not you see the coded messages, this is the problem and challenge that advertisers have to deal with, and what I will have to look at throughout my project.

Never posted so much in one day...

That art post from earlier JUST led me on to another hilarious website, dedicated to who other than the rich...

stuffrichpeoplelove.com/ 

Telling me pretty much 'stuff rich people love' I really do love researching into rich people.

The article closest to my kind of research is probably the following on designer cupcakes... I know there's humour to it, but they really do seem to like buying designer cupcakes. 

Designer Cupcakes
Price: $36 a dozen
Prevailing wisdom dictates that little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Spend some time in a trendy shopping district and you will soon find that this is largely due to designer cupcakes, emphasis on the sugar and light on the nice. Thankfully, for the financially endowed, they need venture no further than around the corner in their hybrid SUV to satisfy a craving that used to take their private chef as much as an hour to whip up. Designer cupcake shops are becoming so popular, they are threatening to supplant Starbucks as the storefront voted most likely to replace a former tenant, although Vietnamese nail salons run a close third.
While common people may purchase these single serving delights at the supermarket, this could never satisfy the sophisticated sweet tooth of a high net worth individual. For starters, store bought icing isn’t rich enough; cupcake shops appear to have cracked the age old problem of condensing a full pound of butter into a half pound of icing. Second, buying a dozen chocolate cupcakes is blasé; the baked pleasures of the wealthy deserve creative names like “Tickled Pink”, “Lady Baltimore” or “Dirty Blonde”, the latter may also describe one’s third wife. Finally, the creativity doesn’t end with naming cupcakes, rich people love to fawn over the playful shop names where they purchased these heavenly indulgences; think Babycakes, Buttercup and Flour Girls for starters; I adore the t-shirts from Babycakes in NYC.
While many quirks of the wealthy are out of reach of the common man, a love of rich desserts is a human condition that knows no economic boundaries. With this in mind, impressing the wealthy is simple when done by the dozen. Discussing your favorite cupcake shop will certainly do in a pinch but it is the gift of cupcakes that will truly impress. The elegance and tastefulness of ribbon wrapped sugary goodness will have your hosts beaming at your thoughtfulness and once it comes to naming these savory delights, they will figuratively if not literally be eating out of your hand. An excellent conversation starter, your affection for cupcakes will win hearts, minds and stapled stomachs. Be sure to save the “Sexy Red Velvet” for the beautiful heiress you’ve been watching and she may turn out to be your sweet temptation!

Update - Just found another good article...

Bottled Water
Price: Two Parts Hydrogen, One Part Oxygen
Water is the proverbial elixir of life. Like the nouveau riche, its natural form is colorless, odorless and tasteless. Water is the perfect drink on a hot summer day, can be frozen and for billions around the globe turning on the tap is as complex as water needs to be…unless you are wealthy. The rich know that nothing less than bottled, carbonated and occasionally lightly flavored spring water imported from the European Alps will satiate their thirsty yet sophisticated palate although champagne is a close second.
As any butler and some maids know, rich people are an interesting bunch when it comes to wetting their whistles. Despite installing commercial grade water filtration units in their luxury penthouses, country estates, lake houses, ski chalets and private jets the rich are more likely to raise a child without a nanny than drink water from a tap; the horror. Fortunately, enterprising minds with glass bottles, a nose for capitalism and an extensive distribution network have solved the agonizing task of turning on a tap and replaced it with the satisfying crack and familiar hiss of twisting a metal cap. It is this exhilarating release of gas that reminds the rich that they are able to spend more on water than the average household budgets for gasoline.
Rich or not, an appealing attribute of H2O is that, unlike seasoned wine snobs, an appreciation for expensive water requires no special training, no acquired taste and no heightened sense of smell that rivals a bloodhound. Instead, the ability to distinguish whether or not carbonated bubbles are dancing upon your tongue is all a connoisseur of dihydrogen monoxide really needs, making it the perfect addition to any table. All the same, it is important that you always comment on how refreshing it is; this despite tasting no different than chilled water from your Brita. In fact, a surefire way to ingratiate yourself with wealthy hosts is to comment on how much the water reminds you of a particularly exotic destination, be it Fiji, France, Amazonian rainforests or Norwegian Fjords. This will provide them the opportunity to inform you of the great distance the bottles have travelled and the rarity of its contents. Strike the right chord and it will be like a baptism into their wealthy circle and you will be welcomed one of their own! Santé!
 

'We don't own modern art, the super-rich do'

 Cannot believe it took me this long to have the thought 'SHIT, RICH PEOPLE BUY ART' and then carry that thought up with research.

 

Art is a luxury, the ultimate luxury. Imagine the glory of having an original work of art by a great artist on your wall. It beats the best car, the best helicopter. Art is money and if you want people to know your wealth, you must buy art.

 Taken from -http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/jul/01/modern-art-super-rich-sothebys

 Sorry if this imaginary blurb for the art market seems offensive, but that is kind of the idea. The market in modern art is truly offensive. It is becoming more sickening by the day. This week saw businesses go bust and an entire nation on the edge of the economic abyss. In Britain, famous high street names such as Thorntons and Habitat hit the buffers. In Greece, riot police held back protesters as punitive austerity measures were imposed by parliament.

Meanwhile, a sale of modern art at Sotheby's on Wednesday night made £108.8m, a London record according to the auctioneers. A Bacon went for £8.3m, a Warhol portrait of Deborah Harry for £3.7m. Spectacular sums were also paid for works by German contemporary artists, while a Damien Hirst spot painting topped a million quid, suggesting he is still attractive to the people he needs to be attractive to.

This article is making me two thing
1: I should advertise at auctions
2: My advertisements should take from either a certain art style or play on modern art

Green Tea Benefits

 'Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one' - Ancient Chinese Proverb

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

This is obviously really useful research for me and getting to know one of my products which is a weightloss aid, a.k.a Green Tea. Health and Ease-of-use are the two most important parts to my product, they're what make it work. I think that just latching onto the fact that 'the rich' will catch onto any craze that will apparently make them appear better than everyone else is enough for me to sell on, but getting to know my products as well is obviously incredibly important. As is how these adverts are going to end up looking.

A little reflection on money and visuals

I'm starting to find it pretty shocking how much money people have, I've always found money interesting. When you go to the bank put your little plastic card into the machine and see computerized numbers on the screen telling you how much money you have. Just some numbers on the screen, that basically place you in the social group/situation that you are in now. They define people, split people and decide how you get to live. It's mad to me what 'the rich' must see when they put their cards into a machine (if they even bother). Something interesting about the visuals in that though. How do you visualize money? Numbers or notes?

On that point, I remember taking cash out at Tesco and they had a Cravendale milk ad on the screen before I withdrew my money, asking me if I knew about how long their milk lasted unopened and actually wanted me to respond before they allowed me to have my money, crazy. No point me doing that kind of advertising though, don't think you'd see a millionaire at a cash point.

Forbes Rich List 2012

1. Carlos Slim Helu & family: $69bn fortune (Mexico)

2. Bill Gates: $61bn (United States)

3. Warren Buffett: $44bn (United States)

4. Bernard Arnault: $41bn (France)

5 Amancio Ortega $37.5bn (Spain) 
6 Larry Ellison: $36bn (United States)
7 Eike Batista: $30bn (Brazil)
8 Stefan Persson: $26bn (Sweden)
9 Li Ka-shing: $25.5bn (Hong Kong)
10 Karl Albrecht $25.4bn (Germany)
11 Christy Walton & family: $25.3bn (United States)
12 Charles Koch: $25bn (United States)
12 David Koch: $25bn (United States)
14 Sheldon Adelson: $24.9bn (United States)
15 Liliane Bettencourt: $24bn (France)
16 Jim Walton: $23.7bn (United States)
17 Alice Walton: $23.3bn (United States)
18 S. Robson Walton: $23.1bn (United States)
19 Mukesh Ambani $22.3bn (India)
20 Michael Bloomberg: $22bn (United States)
21 Lakshmi Mittal: $20.7bn (India)
22 George Soros: $20bn (United States)
23 Michele Ferrero & family: $19bn (Italy)
24 Sergey Brin: $18.7bn (United States)
24 Larry Page: $18.7bn (United States)
26 Jeff Bezos: $18.4bn (United States)
27 Thomas & Raymond Kwok & family $18.3bn (Hong Kong)
28 Alisher Usmanov: $18.1bn (Russia)
29 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud: $18bn (Saudi Arabia)
29 Lee Shau Kee: $18bn (Hong Kong)
29 Georgina Rinehart: $18bn (Australia)
32 Berthold & Theo Jr. Albrecht & family: $17.8bn (Germany)
32 Iris Fontbona & family: $17.8bn (Chile)
34 Michael Otto & family: $17.6bn (Germany)
35 David Thomson & family: $17.5bn (Canada)
35 Mark Zuckerberg: $17.5bn (United States)
37 Ricardo Salinas Pliego & family: $17.4bn (Mexico)
38 Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez & family: $16.5bn (Mexico)
39 Rinat Akhmetov: $16bn (Ukraine)
39 Cheng Yu-tung: $16bn (Hong Kong)
41 Michael Dell: $15.9bn (United States)
41 Vladimir Lisin: $15.9bn (Russia)
41 Azim Premji: $15.9bn (India)
44 Steve Ballmer: $15.7bn (United States)
45 Alexei Mordashov: $15.3bn (Russia)
46 Vladimir Potanin: $14.5bn (Russia)
47 Phil Knight: $14.4bn (United States)
48 Paul Allen: $14.2bn (United States)
48 German Larrea Mota Velasco & family: $14.2bn (Mexico)
50 Carl Icahn: $14bn (United States)
50 Birgit Rausing & family: $14bn (Sweden) 

Don't know how this is going to help me, but it's quite amazing seeing that people actually have that much money, and it's just weird seeing it written so casually.


Then again it may give me the culture to aim at... U.S.A





http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9130322/Forbes-rich-list-2012-top-50.html