SEAN TINER

(Sean & Becky Ebenkamp w/ her Stylized Portrait ). Earlier this week, I enjoyed having lunch with Becky Ebenkamp, West Coast Bureau Chief of Brandweek Magazine and DJ on LuxuriaMusic . While enjoying Indian curry, we discussed contemporary marketing and Web 2.0 trends. During our conversation Becky, invited me to join a panel discussion this Fall on teenage marketing and interests. I look forward to participating.

“We're consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don't concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy's name on my underwear.” –Tyler Durden, Fight Club Hate them or love them. The recent "Feed the Pig," television commercials serve as a reminder about our current debt crisis. According to feedthepig.org , the average American credit card debt is over $4,000 and approximately 24% of a worker's salary goes towards paying of debt payments. "The latest and greatest" is a la mode this year, but it's always replaced by something bigger, better or cooler. Yeah, it's cool to raise eyebrows with new products, but it's a continual cycle that has us increasing the average debt. In the parting words of Tyler Durden, "advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy stuff don't need. We're the middle children o...

( Brandweek Magazine , Vol. XLIX No. 19 May 12, 2008, Feature Article w/ Sean Tiner by Becky Ebenkamp) ( Brandweek Magazine , Vol. XLIX No. 19 May 12, 2008, Feature Article p. 26 w/ Sean Tiner by Becky Ebenkamp, article page 1/4) ( Brandweek Magazine , Vol. XLIX No. 19 May 12, 2008, Feature Article p. 27 w/ Sean Tiner by Becky Ebenkamp, article page 2/4) ( Click here for a link to the entire article).

...Yes, I'm a "bobo" --"bourgeois bohemian." "Bobo" is a new term that I recently learned after reading Jin Wang's Brand New China: Advertising, Media and Commercial Culture . According to Wang (2008) " 'these are highly educated folk who have one foot in the b ohemian world of creativity and another foot in the bourgeois realm of ambition and worldly success . The members of the new information age elite are bourgeois bohemians.' " ...So apparently if you are enjoying the "new information age" or Web 2.0 media, you are also a Bobo. ;)

(2008 Guide to Luxury Purchasing Locations (C) Tiner ) (2008 Guide to the Luxury Consumer Experience (C) Tiner ) (2008 Guide to Luxury Purchasing Locations (C) Tiner ) As I am completing a consumer behavior class today at USC's Marshall School of Business , I thought it is an appropriate time to reflect upon the luxury shopping experience. My group project this semester focuses on consumer's preference towards luxury accessories and how these lessons can be applied to different consumer markets. Ultimately the luxury market is summarized by two words: experience & exclusivity. From boutique stores to warehouses, the charts above illustrate the different purchasing options for consumers. Each shopping locations provides a different consumer experience and offers different "exclusive" products. It's noteworthy that a majority of the luxury brands have a range of "starter" products that satiate the consumer's appetite and encourage them to try othe...

(Excerpt from my thesis: Thinking Beyond Web 2.0: Leveraging the Dynamics of Generation-Y to Build Business ) According to Seth Godin, a best-selling author of business books and a famous marketing consultant, ten years ago the third most popular website on the Internet was Jennicam , a site that allowed voyeurs to watch a young girl frolic in her bedroom ( Permission Marketing, 1999 ). Internet surfers were intrigued by the mystique and realness of watching a young girl share her secrets with the world. ...Sound familiar? ....Remember Lonelygirl15 ? Flash forward approximately 10 years from Jennicam and you are introduced to Youtube.com's Lonelygirl15 aka Jessica Lee Rose, a 19 year-old entrepreneur who used Jennicam 's strategy to garner attention and propel herself to Internet stardom. In fact, Forbes Magazine made her #1 on 2007's " The Web Celeb 25 " list, a ranking of the Internet's most influential people ( Forbes.com ). If we flash forward anoth...

…Imagine sharing your song, book or artwork with one hundred thousand people at the click of a button. The Internet has transformed the landscape of contemporary communication. Musicians, artists, authors and brands are creating awareness and knowledge for their companies through social networks and Web 2.0 mediums. A company’s ability to successfully harness the power of the Internet will determine the most successful and innovative brands of the twenty-first century. Generation-Y, the 80 million people born between 1979 and 1999, are self-involved in issues and products that relate directly to their lives (McLean 2008). The ability to connect with Generation-Y on a one-on-one level is a dramatic strength for businesses. According to Anna Ivey, an independent consultant and author of The Ivy Files , a popular blog about Generation –Y, 'businesses that crack Gen-Y are going to have a real advantage' (McLean). Generation-Y is constantly demanding to be electronically stimul...