The Week of April 15th in Review

Posted on April 21, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

By Paul Pannone

The week of April 15th, 2013, will always be remembered for the tragedy and terrorist activities in Boston. Thoughts and prayers go out to victims and families of the terrorism.

Couples living in today’s society continue to move away from tradition and how weddings were once planned. An ongoing poll shows 62% are mindful of tradition (guided) while 24% say they’re paying for their event and will make their plans their own way. Combined, 86% of respondents so-far will plan their wedding to make them distinctive and unique.

The poll fortifies a new forecast by Sheryl Davies, owner of Bridal Talk. Davies, a wedding industry veteran, has managed to keep up– and ahead– of wedding planning and becoming a progressive thinker. Her show this Sunday hosted like-minded vendors who are keeping pace with consumer demand requiring the skill and knowledge to make their events elegant, memorable and affordable.

In other newZ Samantha Goldberg will be helping to promote destination weddings to Caribbean nations.

 

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Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Magazines, Business, Celebrity, Destination Weddings, eWedNewz, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, Poll, Uncategorized, wedding industry Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

The Biggest Wedding Trend in 2013 is to Buck the Trend

Posted on April 15, 2013 Written by 3 Comments

By Paul Pannone

 

Expression and individualism are reported to be the growing trend in wedding planning over the past several years reaching new heights in 2013. The changes that began decades ago brings us to the new normal of wedding planning and marriage in general. For the past few years this newZ source has fought to find credible sources who consistently stay on track with the changes but who can also be real about those changes and not sprinkle fairy dust to tell the world what they think it wants to hear.

 Couples who decide to marry  no longer want the drudgery of planning and adhering to traditional protocol.

 

Among the leaders is Sheryl Davies, a long-time wedding industry veteran who has seen the changes but also knows why they came about. In her latest post  she tells of what’s coming and where we are.

Every bride envisions her wedding day as being the stuff that dreams are made of.  And this season is no different, as we find weddings steeped in beautiful details, wrapped in fabulous fabrics, sparkling gem accents and featuring stunning bouquets and centerpieces. There will be delectable and creative cakes and unique locations to round out the day.

Today, it is more important to couples than ever, to be true to who they are; rather than follow the traditions of the past. No longer do you have to be pushed into a scenario that isn’t totally you!

The biggest trend in 2013 is to buck the trend; each couple can do what makes them happy and what reflects their personalities.  Most nuptials today are a reflection of the bride and groom, their lifestyle and what makes them comfortable.

It is evident in such practices as “First Look”, when the couple and their wedding party meet for a photo session, prior to the ceremony.

Alternate bridal registries and dessert bars, pizzazz lighting and cart service add to this list. Today’s gorgeous bridal fashion, over – the- top decorated  theme receptions, delicious food, stunning photography and musical and lighting wows are all part and parcel of what makes wedding receptions the event of a lifetime for marrying couples and their guests.

Bridal fashions have come a long way and are bedazzling with gowns in many colour palettes from red to black, blush pink, vibrant blue to mint green. This year, sleeves are in, lace, chiffon, satin and silk are favourite fabrics.  A huge trend in gowns has them encrusted with beautiful trim that catches the light with a high shine and a lot of bling.

For the first time, the details in the back neckline of the gown are stunning. The biggest trend this year is the bridal gown. As predicted last season, Bridesmaid gowns continue to be different colours, and styles, which make them flattering to wear again, after the wedding is over. The new Pantone colours for 2013 highlight the dusk and inky blues, poppy red, shades of greens in jade, emerald and lime tones and a carry forward from last season, palettes in the orange and purple family with Nectarine and African violet.  Neutrals like white and cream continue to be strong with gray as a contender, too.

Headwear continues to look big for next season’s brides; lace caps, birdcage fascinators, veils (short and long), and flowers in the hair. Hats and gloves are also on the horizon and set to make a big comeback.

One of the most important accessories to come on the scene in the past few years has been the bridal shoe.  They are adorned with jewels, bows, lace as they peek out from under her bridal gown. Bridal bouquets are real or silk and full of jeweled accents and, they can be rhinestone bling or ribbon handled as they create a classic and timeless feeling. Backdrops are becoming huge and will continue to grow in popularity.

Backgrounds behind the head table can be comprised of ribbon in multi-colors, yards of lace or garlands of flowers to add a sense of style and glamour to the reception. Always a compromise, wedding planning for this upcoming season offers so much choice that it will be easier to find exactly what the bride is looking for. Nostalgia continues with vintage, rustic and retro themes that are beautiful and full of elegance.

After hours and hours of planning, a couple needs to remember to enjoy their day with their eyes fixed on their future life. Their individual wedding style will be the foundation of the life they build together.

Davies also agrees  rental tuxedos are on the rebound and sees an increase in activity due to upgrading of products via fit, fabric choices and recognized branded products over no-name, unknown items.

50% of an ongoing poll so-far says wedding plans are guided by tradition. What do you think?

 

 

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Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Magazines, eWedNewz, General News, tuxedos, Uncategorized, wedding industry Tagged: , , , , ,

Chinese Get more Aggressive while American Gown Makers Look on

Posted on April 4, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

By Paul Pannone

On the first anniversary of an unprecedented meeting in New York the American Bridal and Prom Industry Association convened members of the wedding media to update them on the progress of efforts to slow down the rampant piracy of American goods and conceptual property. Members of the ABPIA board gave the gathering a realistic assessment of the current status saying the campaign enters another phase of an expected long, arduous process.

Bob Cahoon of Maggie Sottero gave the media gathering in New York his honest assessment of a very difficult situation. Steve Lang looks on.

Steve Lang took his usual place at the start of the meeting but yielded midway to Bob Cahoon, president of Maggie Sottero and board member. Cahoon reiterated what Lang has been telling eWedNewz and the wedding industry for over a year staying consistent with the message. Both Cahoon and Lang went beyond the usual rundown of what’s been done so far and stressed how the battle becomes more difficult with each win.

“They’re not going to just sit still and allow us to gain any ground; to the contrary they’re becoming more aggressive and tenacious in their efforts, ” Lang told eWedNewz.

According to Lang the battles won so-far were only preliminaries of what is to come. The illegal use of imaging and explaining how it hurts manufacturers is a difficult legal battle. Now the greater use of technology changing the face of models, creating an entirely different image, makes convincing a judge of a crime more difficult.

Exuberance of a year ago turned serious this time around, as Lang and the ABPIA fight an uphill battle for support from an industry whose nation is under siege. Lang cited a  New York Times story of how the middlemen and layers of overhead are being stripped away from the chain supply of manufactured goods. Lang and Cahoon admitted retailers are part of the traditional structure and conduit between their products and consumers. But rising cost of operation inflates prices  and is forcing some stores, including Vera Wang, to figure out how to stay competitive while boosting revenue.

“We know all the challenges that exist; they’re not going to go away. All we can do is adjust our businesses to the realities that are out there. The best we can hope for is to slow down the deterioration that is taking place,” Lang told the gathering.

An ongoing poll shows 71% of combined replies so-far think the chances of beating online piracy are fair-to-excellent. 26% of combined replies say chances are poor-to-impossible.

 

Only 5% of current replies say they would not join an industry organization. An overwhelming majority say they would support an organization that was well-run, offered good benefits and was not too expensive to join.

 

An appeal to the gathered media to spread the word about the organization was reinforced by board members. Cahoon told the members of the media he keeps track of the perception of the organization’s effort by having Maggie Sottero sales people ask accounts what they think. The results of the surveys were not clear or available for review, but Cahoon mentioned the $100 dollar membership fee was sometimes an issue.

On his own, Lang brought up plans to provide affordable healthcare to the broader  wedding industry beyond dresses. But while poll results so-far show a strong sign of support, actual membership does not show the results.

 

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Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Dresses, Bridal Magazines, Bridal Shops, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Social Media, Uncategorized, Wedding Dresses, wedding industry, Wedding Marketing Scams Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bridal Guide Boss Claims paying “A Lot More” for “Similar” Space a few blocks away

Posted on February 24, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

 

By Paul Pannone

A developing eWedNewz story stemming from a simple story release could cause some seismic changes at Bridal Guide as eWedNewz uncovers new information that could force other advertisers to re-think their association with the magazine. eWedNewz fans out our investigation into the matter.

 

In a Twitter exchange Bridal Guide travel expert, Jeff Hendlin alluded to the fictitiousness of eWedNewz reporting. Yet Hendlin posted this picture of the office he is leaving behind for the “much better” space a few blocks away. Hendlin captioned the image with, “gonna miss my office”.

 A reply to the story from Bridal Guide that protested too much said:

“Bridal Guide celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. While some major bridal titles have been shuttered and others have been forced to make drastic staff reductions and changes, Bridal Guide has never dramatically reduced staffing and has no plans to reduce staff in the future. Most of our top management, editorial, and sales staff have been highly successful in their roles for decades and have been promoted from within the company. We’re proud to boast of the most knowledgeable and expert staff of any national bridal publication.

Contrary to your assertion, Bridal Guide isn’t shrinking. In fact, our focus is expanding and our bank of expert consultants in all wedding-related categories grows each year. Visitors to our new office will observe that it is an upgrade from the space that we’ve occupied on 7th Avenue for nearly eight years. The office configuration is less than traditional — with significant open space to facilitate greater communication between staff. The new office is intended to reflect Bridal Guide’s evolution to much more than a print product. As many of our advertisers already know, Bridal Guide embraces changes that include amazing advancements in our web site  traffic, our social media following, and digital publishing. In a very real sense, we’ve expanded our capabilities to establish Bridal Guide as much more than a magazine. We’ve evolved to become a communication resource that offers an efficient combination of media to produce positive results for our advertisers and an inviting environment for our audience.

Print always will be a core component in Bridal Guide’s marketing platform. We continue to stand head and shoulders above our primary competitor in this arena. As documented by the most recent ABC statements, Bridal Guide’s newsstand sales remain healthy while newsstand sales at Brides have plummeted to an all-time low of 38,000 copies per issue — lower than that every other nationally distributed bridal publication. As documented by the most recent MRI Syndicated  Research report, Bridal Guide reaches significantly more engaged readers than Brides, as well. I’m happy to provide ABC Fast Facts and MRI data to verify the veracity of these claims to you or to anyone who would like to review them. Our role in the print category continues to expand.

Tremendous changes are happening in the bridal industry — changes that are impacting the way in which we all do business. In spite of  these changes — or perhaps as a result of them — Bridal Guide offers tremendous opportunities to bridal market vendors. We attribute this to the fact that our staff includes some of the most seasoned professionals in the world. Again, neither our staff size nor our aspirations are shrinking. You were misinformed. We’re doing a lot  better than “holding our own.” Given our history, we expect another 25 years of growth and success, according to Bridal Guide.

In January Bridal Guide called out its competitors with similar information claiming to be sustaining it’s newsstand sale success. But in a developing story, eWedNewz finds dramatic information into the leadership of the company that could quickly shift support away from the magazine.

Over the weekend an exchange with Barry Rosenbloom, owner of the magazine, purports paying “a lot more” for “similar” space when faced with the eWedNewz question of whether the new offices are bigger than the ones departed on 7th avenue. Given the nature of Rosenbloom’s track record, it’s amazing– even laughable– that he would spend a nickel more for anything.

 

eWedNewz plans to dig in deeper and take Rosie up on his offer to come and view the new space, once they’re settled in.

 

 

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Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, bridal, Bridal Guide Magazine, Bridal Magazines, BRIDES Magazine, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Poll, Publications, The Internet, Uncategorized, wedding industry, Wedding Water Cooler, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , ,

The Week of February 18th in Review | Breaking Bridal Guide story

Posted on February 24, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

By Paul Pannone

An ongoing investigation into the flaws and cracks widening in the wedding business exposes the sensitivity and threshold of pain on several fronts, including the wedding magazine business. Top newZ comparing current wedding business standards of operation was nearly overtaken by a developing story involving a move by Bridal Guide magazine that sent the owner into a tirade. More on the story  as it develops.

Among the many thieves in the upper level of the business, soft-spoken, hard-working members, including Wendy Hartigan, take the approach that have not allowed her play in the popular circles of the business. Yet Hartigan and others like her who put the emphasis of marriage in the proper context are expected to overtake the unsustainable and deteriorating path of wedding industry charlatans who make it all about themselves at the expense of the wedding couple.

 

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Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, Breaking Newz, bridal, Bridal Guide Magazine, Bridal Magazines, eWedNewz, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, The Week in Review, Uncategorized, wedding industry Tagged: , , , , ,

Bridal Guide Shrinks to Match the Market

Posted on February 22, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

By Paul Pannone

Bridal Guide magazine is shrinking their operation, leaving their 7th avenue home of over ten years for a smaller, more modest spot  uptown. The move comes at a time when the bridal magazine– and all print media– face the relentless onslaught and losses of digital.

According to sources at the magazine business has not been awful and has actually sustained in the past several years when compared to their competition.  But luck can only run so far against the lightning fast and more cost-effective digital forms of advertising, as a new generation of brides will no longer be aware of a time without the internet.

 

Bridal Guide says they’re fine at the moment– but like all print, for how long?

67% of an ongoing poll says print will continue to decline. What do you say?

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The Week of February 11th in Review

Posted on February 18, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

 

 

 

By Paul Pannone

The wedding business continues to undergo the necessary changes to again appeal to consumers who’ve taken flight away from the same misinformation that’s been around for several generations. A move away from traditional methods of planning a wedding and towards recommendations from friend, family and trusted sources leaves many wedding marketers and those who (prey) make a living on the emotions of couples high and dry.

An ongoing poll shows 46% of respondents  feel wedding websites are outdated, no longer a factor and to the extreme extinct, now that the use of Social Media grows exponentially.

As a result newsstand sales of major bridal publications, specifically BRIDES magazine, continue to slide. eWedNewz readers say they’re amazed to learn subscription rates seem to rise as quickly as newsstand sales decline.

The distribution of printed material is hurt by both digital mediums; websites and Social Media.

eWedNewz continues to investigate the source of negativity in the wedding business, fueled by old-time marketers who have a firm grasp on the past and are unwilling to let go.

 

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Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, Bridal Magazines, Bridal Shows, BRIDES Magazine, eWedNewz, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Social Media, The Week in Review, wedding industry, Wedding Marketing Scams, wedding websites Tagged: , , ,

Social Media Adding to Website Slide; both hurting print

Posted on February 13, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

By Paul Pannone

In the latest eWedNewz coverage involving the decline of traditional media, conventional websites are taking a beating.,  As far back as mid 2011 eWedNewz questioned the sustainability of static websites. Today webmasters who say they’ve made millions over the past decade admit they’re suddenly forced to reinvent themselves because of the Social Media explosion.

The growing use of Social Media displaces the need for websites; that displaced the need for printed products since the late 1990′s. Both Websites and Social Media have plummeted the sale of magazines.

 

In the beginning there was the Information Superhighway, A.K.A, the Worldwide Web. Blank stares soon became familiar with the term that gave way to the Internet and later just the Net. E-mail was some futuristic way to communicate and the letters AOL was the facilitator, connecting us with friends and thoughts.

Marketers jumped on banner ads charging exorbitant fees to tap into traffic with inflated numbers that were indisputable. Today banner ads are a joke, along with excessive hosting fees, domain name procurement and all the mystical SEO propositions put forth by Hucksters trying to make a buck. But can websites really totally fade away?

Not according to Wedding Water Cooler members who say they have a place, along with printed product experts.

Newest member of the Cooler, Dorinda Duclos told eWedNewz:

“Build it and they will come?  Yes…and no. Not without a lot of hard work and the right web master.  But that’s not to say that a well-built site won’t bring clients.  The social media takeover does not replace a traditional website.  It enhances it.  For example, you have a new product you want to promote, so you add it to your website.  Who sees it?  If you’re lucky enough to place highly in the search engines then maybe a few more people will.  Now take that same product back to Facebook, upload a picture, write a description & link it back to your website.  You now have a captive audience, through your fan base, (although with FB’s many changes, you may need to promote the product) who in turn will view your product, click the link and land back on your website.  This gives them the opportunity to view more products.  A traditional eCommerce website also allows the client to immediately purchase directly from there.

Pretty doesn’t mean better.  A flash site is a big no-no today because it won’t convert to mobile.  Unless you have code within your site that alerts when the user is accessing your site from a mobile device, they will not see your pages as you do when looking from your computer.  The code makes the necessary switch to a site that you’ve built specifically for mobile access.  Most websites today have this.  There are a few companies that offer the service and will actually build the mobile site for you.  You just have to add the html coding into your site.

The most important thing you can do is refresh your website’s main landing page as often as possible.  This helps keep content fresh and let’s the search engines know there’s something new to index. (Proper coding for Google, yahoo, etc is also needed for this)

Are websites dead? No.  Are they fading? Perhaps.  It really all depends on how much effort you, as the business owner, put into it.  You can’t expect a flower to grow without watering it.  Same thing holds true here.  Don’t think because you have a website that you have business.  You’ll wilt and eventually die…” says Duclos.

Duclos agrees with other business owners who realize launching a website is not the end of anything but only the beginning of the non-ending plight to promote the site. Experts tell eWedNewz the time and cost of standard websites has come crashing down, especially over the past six months. Webmasters who say they’ve made millions since the late 1990′s quietly admit the impact of Social Media has been destructive to their business. Add to the mix out-of-the-box products by Word Press and the “free” effect of available products (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc) allowing business owners to post their own content and update their pages, it’s no wonder the thriving website business is suddenly in serious trouble.

On ongoing poll shows 57% of respondents look to the Internet for their  marketing needs (33% Social Media – 25% e-mail blasts). 16% say they use print. What do you say?

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, Breaking Newz, Bridal Magazines, Data, facts and figures, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, Publications, Social Media, The Internet, Uncategorized, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Poll Shows BRIDES Newsstand Sales Slide Just a Sign of the Times

Posted on February 12, 2013 Written by 5 Comments

 

By Paul Pannone

The shocking release of declining newsstand sales at BRIDES magazine stunned print media experts who either worked for or against the Conde’ Nast property. An ongoing eWedNewz poll shows the magazine is just another victim of the general decline of print. The poll shows 61% of respondents so-far say Print will continue to decline while only 17% of replies say print and digital have finally found  a way to coexist in harmony.

 Available data suggests the damage inflicted on printed products by the internet.

eWedNewz coverage of how print and digital struggle to find a common ground tells of how all media is affected by the decline in marriage and formal weddings. With more places for brides to quickly search for what they’re looking for– for free– print has been hit the hardest, shown by declining newsstand sales; the barometer of how healthy a publication really is.

Finding the balance involves full-time effort, according to Sheryl Davies, who looks for the right mixture of print and digital. Davies gave her view of how websites are affected by Social Media, challenging digital the way DOT.COM challenged print.

“A good website still depends on good, reliable content and the ease of gathering the information a bride needs to host her wedding. Brides are tired of always being “advertised to.” They also want to research each service that they need to hire and for that they require information. Sometimes a company just needs to market. A wedding is an expensive proposition and not one of those brides wants to make a mistake and waste their hard earned money.

Cluttered websites make brides run away. They are busy people and more confusion makes them crazy. Keeping it simple, providing what they require and being real is what they want. Social media is fine if you are not looking for a target niche market,” according to Davies

Onlookers outside the wedding business reading the newZ, including O. Liam Wright, gave his view to the sinking numbers at BRIDES citing how digital moves faster than print. After reading the eWedNewz story about the changes at BRIDES involving their sinking newsstand sales Wright said:

“Interesting stats. While I am not an expert in your field. I certainly understand the sweeping effect of well positioned technology as see in the huge decline in use of I.E. (Internet Explorer) from 55% in 2008 to only 14% in just 4 years – with Google Chrome taking position as the dominant web browser used world-wide today (source: http://bit.ly/XvmibP ). Bruce Sterling in his book “Shaping Things” talks about the Line of Empire – which, once it’s crossed, certain positions can never be reclaimed.”

What do you think; will print ever return to where it once was?

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Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, Bridal Magazines, BRIDES Magazine, Data, facts and figures, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Poll, Social Media, The Internet, Uncategorized, wedding industry Tagged: , , , , , ,

BRIDES Newsstand Sales Continue to Slide

Posted on February 11, 2013 Written by 1 Comment

By Paul Pannone

BRIDES magazine newsstand sales continue to decline, according to Alliance for Audited Media. Sources familiar with the story claim the only true read to the health of any magazine is their newsstand sales figures.

 

 Newsstand sales figures are what’s most important to sources watching the story.

 

In an unprecedented move the competition, Bridal Guide Magazine,  called out Conde’ Nast property, BRIDES, last month citing what they called flawed information and questionable demographic facts about the magazine’s reach. Further allegations are still being investigated, including how  subscriptions rise at exactly the same rate as newsstand sales drop  at BRIDES.

39% of ongoing poll results so-far say BRIDES has fallen too far to survive.  27% feels BRIDES is sinking quickly, like all printed products. 21% says BRIDES is adjusting to the market and will survive. 10% says BRIDES is as healthy and relevant than ever.

What do you say?

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, bridal, Bridal Guide Magazine, Bridal Magazines, BRIDES Magazine, eWedNewz, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, Poll, Uncategorized, wedding industry Tagged: , , , , ,
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