Vladimir Kagan

Yuck at first sight...
August 9, 2007

"YUCKS" are a favorite subject of mine because taste is so subjective. A friend of mine has written an amusing book; in it she describes how her father, in the "rags" business, asked her to look over the new spring collection. He invited her to select her favorite 20 garments. She did and he immediately removed them from the racks, saying, "Your taste is not our customer's…thanks for the help!"

When my wife, Erica Wilson, asked me to look over her submissions of new needlework designs, my choice invariably is the prime loser. So, who's to account for good or bad taste? It's all subjective. Walk into a K Mart or Wal-Mart store. Is there anything that catches your eye… that is memorable… that can be considered inspiring design? Even my favorite mass retailer, Target, leaves you cold on first encounter. Can you argue with their sales philosophy? Their success?  Their bottom line?

Two years ago I had the pleasure of designing my first mass-market furniture collection for Bassett Furniture Direct. It was introduced with great fanfare at High Point Market. It looked sensational in their spacious rotunda…I could easily have bought some of the items for my own home (had I needed more furniture).

To help promote the line, I did some personal appearances in their stores. There, I could hardly find the furniture on the floor. You reap as you sow. If you show enough product, if you display it right, you will make sales…otherwise you won't. They didn't, and it didn't sell. Put the right things in the wrong place and it is doomed to failure.

The Bassett Direct stores are a classic example of marketing eye appeal. Two years ago, you walked into a store surrounded by confusion. Groupings were arranged in their own niche without concern for the overall impact. I visited their High Point showroom this past market and it was a changed scene. Sagacious Rob Spilman, the company's president and CEO, saw the light. This go around, room settings were color coordinated, and the eye was drawn from one rich setting to the next. Merchandise seemed to have a cohesive look. Odd fits (including my nice modern designs) were pulled. The company understood what it was, and what it wasn’t. You cannot be all things to all people. The sales force can't handle it. It's like trying to sell a Ford Pick-up and a Maseratti in the same showroom with the same salesmen. It "don't" work.

A second observation. This is a large country. It is not homogenous. What flies on the East and West coast, won't necessarily do so in Peoria or Lubbock, Texas. The answer is, know your market and your audience. And maybe, the "yuck factor" just happens to sell!  -- Vladimir Kagan

(photo credit: Vladimir Kagan by Jean-Francois Jaussaud, Luxproductions)

Posted by Vladimir Kagan on August 9, 2007 | Comments (0)