No-Brand Branding

I think any marketing / business books will say branding is very very very important. It applies to all, not only business. But let me not preach on that as I’m kind of anti-brand. I mean I have nothing against branding, it’s just there is something how it is done, which I don’t know how to articulate, that kind of leaves a bad aftertaste.

I’ve been thinking about branding “seriously” for quite some time already, ever since I committed to “work” on runroo. I was hoping of making “runroo” a brand that stands for the running community, it’s about the people out there running, doing the impossible, getting on what they want / like without a care about how others sees it. But I think I miserably failed at it when some would comment to me that it’s “runroose” (rose is my name), or everyone would point me as “runroo.” Sometimes, I would find myself explaining that “no, runroo is not about me. it’s about you!” But I would just be greeted with confused look. So I gave up! And, so when someone told me I’m runroo, I would just accept it as it. For me, it was a failed branding job! I was hoping that when (very few) people would think about runroo, they would think about their friend, their neighbor, the other athletes or weekend runners who inspires them… and not me the annoying chismosa poser runner.

What makes it fail? That’s another long debate with myself.

So the kind of branding I kind of admire to is “threadless.” I mean others may see the brand differently. But for me, I see threadless as “not threadless” itself. But I see it as my artists’ friends (I’m the only one claiming to be friend of the.). I mean, I don’t buy threadless because its threadless. I buy it because I see the artists’ passion and part of their selves put to it. I mean the artists who are putting their design there are not “designing” for threadless (I’d like to believe this is the case.) but for what they believe in or what’s in their “hearts.” Unlike probably in other labels where artists are asked to design for the “label’s personality,” what the label believed in. I’m not underestimating those artists who work for certain labels. And, I’m not against how labels do it. It’s “branding” after all.

So when I buy a design in threadless, it’s like a like to the “artist’s” work and passion, not threadless. Unlike, when you buy a binch shirt because Anne Cortez wore it.

Anyhoo, there probably is no difference at all. I’m just making it complicated.

So I’m currently having that far-away look as to how to do it. We’ve been meaning to do tech shirts and stuff for runroo, (also pls watch out for smootee.com which probably i should stop talking about or else it will be associated again with me. feelers lang!). But I’m stumped as to how to go about it. One is that I’m not really into the idea of adding yet to the habit of consumerism, which is, of course, another issue I need to settle with myself. I probably cannot sell if I don’t like to sell. Funny, these look more like a personal issue than a branding problem. But yeah, I guess, how do you make it worthwhile?

(The reason why the shirts below: one shirt has a runroo, and other has none. This design is by Mark Deustch of Happy Garaje.)
We got a few ideas. The next question will be is that it’s definitely going to take a lot of time from us, who are already quite short on time. But as they say “limitation is an advantage.”
Now back to branding, I noticed that it’s probably a Pinoy thing that we want to be associated with a kind of brand. Or, I guess it’s human nature. The way how I wanted the branding to be, it’s probably going to be a struggle.
We had one time approached a reliable “supplier” but we kind of back out because they wanted to print their brand on the shirt. On a thought, having their brand on the shirt is actually a good marketing strategy, because they have a more popular brand. It’s in a way a free marketing. But somehow, it just not stand with how we wanted to shape “it.’
So, yeah, I finally am able to put these random thoughts down. Talking like a pro… mo girl! =) 

F OOTD: the wet (market) look

I love shopping, and getting dirty! I mean dirty in a sexy kind of way! 🙂 And so wet market is the perfect shopping place for me! I go there at least twice a week for my dose of retail therapy!

Forgive my husband for ruining this perfect moment! But that’s me in my most glam wet market spree attire!

This one a better shot.

It’s marang season!

Outfit: shirt not from smootee.com. Beach shorts from roxy or billabong, the logo’s gone after hundred timea of washing. Flipflops from ipanema (spelling?). Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish from the lovely manongs and manangs that look like me! 🙂 that’s why i so belong! Next time, i will wear a smootee.com shirt to inspire the manangs and manongs about art and fashion!
MU: no make-up, only natural perfume from the wet market!

F OOTD: couple shirts

Long time ago, few asked me why mark and i wear the same shirts. 

There was no romantic reason behind. It’s because:
* Mark is lazy. So he just picked 2 of the same design everytime threadless was having sale back back then. Note that we’re now on smootee.com. 🙂
* I want to annoy Mark so I’d wear the design he’d wear. 
* To strengthen our relationship!!! 

Outfit: male and female shirts by smootee.com. I need to ask the designer the story of the design.
Male and female boobs. Man boobs not from smootee.com.
MU: MOR lip macaron, a pasalublong way from down south australia from a friend! Colgate for our teeth!
So get now couple shirts from smootee.com! If you don’t have a partner, well, at least you have a couple shirt! 🙂 

OOTD: Everyday Look

My fashion is stuck in college. Just change the color of the shirt, and it’s my everday uniform.

Outfit: shirt by http://smootee.com !!! Bag by an online seller friend who swears it’s an original longchamp on a fake price! Red laptop sleeves just to add color to this OOTD post. Hair accessory from my daughter’s collection. Jeans, my one and only, from giordiano coz their 30 fits me! 🙂
MU: some revlon lipstick that looks like a pencil! 🙂

A reader at home?

I don’t want to make a big deal out of it because it might get jinx. But I’m feeling such a proud mother to see Meg in a frequent random acts of “reading.”

It’s not unusual that Meg would sometimes ask for the headlamp to

read some fairytale books to make her self fall asleep. But it’s a bit different when she picks up every night the “whimpy kid diary” book which was bought by Migi years ago.
Then she tags it along with her when we go out.
Then sometimes she arrives in a different car pool from her kuya because she got left behind. She was left behind because she sneaked into their library.
We had to get her another library card as she lost it.
And, I just learned via eavesdropping in their conversation that she’s the president of their Aesop’s club. It’s like a book club in their school.

Ootd: boyfriend shirt

I don’t have a boyfriend. But then i can wear a boyfriend shirt, and pretend to have one! And, hey, I look more manly than any other boyfriend out there.
Outfit: can u read the words? Congrats, you’re not color blind! And most of all, it matches the pillow.
MUA: did not arrive

OOTD: Smootee Teaser

Haters gonna hate… 

But before that, i need haters!!!
Outfit: pregnancy shirt worn inside out and nothing more. Less is fab-ly!
MU artist: God
Check smootee.com! 🙂

Wealthy People Don’t Flaunt Their Stuff…

With the bash on Napoles daughter for flaunting her stuff on social media, a lot of people are commenting that real rich people don’t flaunt their expensive stuff.

But why?!?

* because real wealth is their brains, and what made them up, which is hard to visually flaunt.
* because wealthy people aim for things / goals that they cannot mostly achieve, like “world peace”
* because expensive stuff is nothing new, and nothing out of ordinary for them
* because they know that they owe whatever they have to a lot of people, and flaunting them is not the best way to be thankful about it.

Speaking like a real rich diva!!!

Our mansion, I could not afford!

Book wither

Lately, I feel I badly need to read a book again. After writing in and out about running, I felt I needed to see a different view. (I did recently finished a book, sneaker wars, but it’s a bit related to running so it does not count.)

There’s no problem in books. The problem is there are too many books.

But my bigger problem is that I felt I had read all kinds of books. And I feel that all other books i want to read are more or less will have the same thoughts.

Like I read “founders at work,” “coders at work,” and now I see there’s “vc at work,” which I fancy to read but it seems duh. 
I fancy reading Churchill(sp?) but I had read Fidel Castro, and i feel like there’s no other stupider , in a wicked way, political personality than him.
I also think of reading entrepreneurship / marketing kind of books but gawd, I think I read too many of that genre, I want to puke just thinking of yet another seth godin book.
Mark told me that I should be reading a book. Well, I don’t have a kindle, that kindle that glows in the dark. Lame excuse, ikr! 🙂
Anyhoo, at the start of long weekend, I tried to pick some books. But no one stood out thus I cannot decide!

I read a few books about Steve Job’s that somehow I already knew the story of Pixar.

Richard Branson book. I never read one branson book but mark had probably read all his books, and narrated them all to me.

There’s a “eat, sleep, ride” book. I see them all in real life in different forms, I certainly need some time away from them.

Then a mashed of start-ups and marketing books!

Can you reeally blame me I just don’t feel like pouring myself to a book?!?