Mar 31, 2010

7 W Designer Day Hits The Right Note at The Architectural Digest Home Design Show

New York, NY – 7 W New York® recently hosted consumer trend expert Robyn Waters as she headlined a special off-site edition of 7 W’s Designer Day series. Waters’ well-received and engaging lecture on “The Power of Paradox” was a successful part of The Architectural Digest Home Design Show’s distinctive and high quality programming. Through witty examples, helpful visuals and personal anecdotes, Waters explored the trends and countertrends, which guide purchasing decisions for a packed audience of consumers and the trade. She also spoke about the ultimate consumer paradox: our innate and opposing desires to simultaneously “fit-in” and “stand-out.”

Su Hilty, 7 W VP of Marketing, introduced Waters, who was the perfect speaker on the subject of paradox in consumer trend tracking. After all, Waters was a heavy hitter at Target, when the reinvented chain started attracting devotees who endearingly pronounced Target, “Tarzhay”. Waters is also the author of two books on the subject of consumer contrapositions, aptly entitled, The Hummer and the Mini: Navigating the Contradictions of the New Trend Landscapeand The Trendmaster’s Guide: Get a Jump on What Your Customer Wants Next.

Sharing keen observations about her time at the big box store, Water’s audience was fascinated by all the places where “paradox” pops up. She even referenced her former employer’s ubiquitous slogan, “Expect More. Pay Less.” as well as the store’s widely-used classification as an “upscale discount retailer.” Waters went on to note that business owners and entrepreneurs should stop looking for that one right answer in their industry, and instead begin to embrace the paradoxes that exist in today’s marketplace.

She advised they evaluate their brand and review their archive of old products to determine how they can be reframed. Citing the PT Cruiser, Mini Cooper and classic Montblanc pen as examples, she declared, “Everything old is new again. Retro is in.”

Other important techniques for inducing consumer desire that Waters addressed included; “mass customization;” “elevating the mundane; ” and “counterfeit authenticity,” the latter tying into the idea that fake is sometimes better or has more consumer benefits. The vivacious speaker also commented on the theory of “Social Capitalism” – marrying profit and purpose. She remarked that, “Marketers should be healers and not sellers.”

Throughout the presentation “the power of paradox” became increasingly clear. In the end, entrepreneurs came away with a valuable and sizable amount of knowledge about how to pursue their desired demographic and consumers left with a greater understanding of their complicated behaviors. Overall, Robyn Waters’ sharp and lively session was a very memorable 7 W Designer Day and a great addition to The Architectural Digest Home Design Show.

Save the date for the next Designer Day at 7 W: Tuesday, June 15, Design Eco-Friendly with Robin Wilson, from Robin Wilson Home. Keynote presentation at 11:30 a.m. followed by a light lunch and book signing at 7 W New York, 7 W 34th Street, New York, NY 10001.

For complete and updated information about 7 W New York visit www.7wnewyork.com. You can also find 7 W on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

7 W NEW YORK™ is a wholesale mart building, catering to the buyers of Home Décor, Table Top, Giftware, Textiles, Decorative Accessories, Fine Arts and related industries. Its daily hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm with extended hours during special market weeks. 7 W New York is a trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI).

MMPI is the world’s leading owner and operator of showroom buildings and trade show facilities, bringing buyers and sellers together in more than 300 market events, trade and consumer shows and conferences each year.

MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Federal Center Southwest in Washington D.C.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST, owners of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.