By Association

Maurice Ajanaku & Emma Hooper
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🌎 Cultural conversations on the latest in design, brand and tech news. 🎙 Hosted by Emma Hooper & Maurice Ajanaku

  1. 12/06/2023

    Robbie Williams, Princess Diana, 3D faux products & Emma dates Take That

    We’re back with all popular culture references, topics and opinions this week.  Everyone’s been talking about the Robbie documentary so we guessed we’d do the same. It’s a hit - but not for the reasons we might have thought when pressing play on Netflix. There’s so much more to this celebrity being interviewed in his huge LA home wearing his pants and we’re enjoying it.  We couldn’t continue recording without a mention to The Crown final season, with 8 more episodes to come this month. Fantastic acting and cinematography, but what’s missing for us both?  3D faux product placement ads, heralded by Jacuquemus, lends to conversation over copycat brands creating digital content that exploits the hard work of traditional Gorrila marketing. We see the good and bad in this one, especially as marketers ourselves, need more unique ideas and activations.

  2. 11/06/2023

    Victoria’s Secret Gen-Z Snub, SKIMS Wins & Subscriptions VS Membership

    Victoria’s Secret hasn’t been a winner for Emma, at least for the last 8 years when she woke-up to their dangerous showcase and lack of diversity. This brand isn’t impressing with it’s new look and tactics and luckily for us all, Gen-Z hates it too. The lingerie company’s rebrand simply isn’t hitting the mark in any sense, we discuss how and if they ever could, either.  However, there are positive movements in the world of lingerie to report on this week. Who is doing it right? SKIMS. Kim Kardashian continues to work wonders at her shapewear brand - everything from the product itself to the marketing masterpiece it’s become. Emma is invested, quite literally. But the real question is, will Mo buy a pair of SKIMS underwear considering their NBA partnership? We talk on key differences in marketing to men VS women in this sector and how the right marketing channel makes all of the difference when it comes to building the right audience.  Lastly, we talk subscriptions VS memberships and how brands and consumers often meld or confuse these two terms. There are so many opportunities to leverage on consumer habits and needs, as well as work in sneaky extras - and that’s where the real magic is, Mo says.

  3. 10/19/2023

    Queuing For Luxury, Digital Dressing & Media On “X”

    A week where Business of Fashion CEO Imran Amed says Uniqlo has more luxury when it comes to store stock experience than Chanel - well, at least when it comes to time and treatment. We look at how other brands from many tiers of luxury and non-luxury treat their consumers in-store when something isn’t readily available.  We’ve been loving the Beckham three-part documentary on Netflix. Appreciation from both of us goes out to their honesty and dedication to the truth throughout.  Adobe has launched a digital dress, we’re less than impressed and think they’re missing a trick that could have been a great collaboration.  We end this episode with a discussion around media outlets leaving “X” and how and why this seems to be happening not only with large news outlets globally, but global brands too.

  4. 10/06/2023

    Interview Special: Barth Rougier, Founder at DNA Marketing & Talent Management Agency

    In this episode Emma interviews Barth Rougier, the 26- year-old entrepreneur who is redefining success and making waves in multiple industries, but with a key focus on hospitality. He’s the mastermind behind DNA, a cutting-edge 360 Marketing & Talent Management agency representing over 75 influential talents globally, working closely with luxury brands to create impactful campaigns and elevate their reach.  We talk to Barth about what motivates him, where his joy comes from and what it takes to achieve such success at such a young age too.

  5. 10/02/2023

    PFW McQueen Shifts, Pokemon Catching, Anti-Anxiety Patches & An Exclusive Interview With Van Sha Founder

    Autumn is here, and so is Paris Fashion Week. Sarah Burton steps down after a wonderful showcase of designs that lean more to Alexander McQueen’s more confronting style design and performance-wise. We wonder who will join as Creative Director herein after her wonderful 26 years in the position - someone young, female and maybe from a different creative industry altogether? We hope so.  A second creative subject in focus, closer to home (for us at least) at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A collaborative exhibition designed to encourage a younger audience debuted last week Pokemon X Van Gogh. But souvenirs and merchandise from the exhibition quickly sold out and quickly started exploiting its audience with high resale prices. Great initiative but not so much of a smart output plan. What could and should they have done differently? Furthermore, what do we think their marketing team should do now?  Our final subject is on Megan Markle’s adoption of the anti-anxiety patches becoming more and more popular, created by a company called NuCalm. We talk about placebo effects, alongside positive mental health awareness, but also how wellness leaders Goop have tried and failed to do this before.  Mo interviewed Sharan Bal, she’s the founder of Van Sha - a distilled dark spirit inspired by her Indian roots, and the best thing of all? You won’t have a hangover.

  6. 09/22/2023

    Feedback VS Feedforward, The Russell Brand Conspiracy, Erwin Olaf’s Art & Abel Fragrances Founder Interview.

    This week we kick-off with a look at terms in the workplace when it comes to learning, growing and altering work - “feedback” is out, and “feedforward” is in. Well, at least when it comes to teams within Microsoft. A lot of brands and businesses are now following-suit to allow a more positive, receptive way of working. Do we think this a little OTT? What really is at play here? Discussion takes us to our own experiences with feedback as well as why we think this is becoming a thing.  Next up, we talk on how Russell Brand has been accused of sexual assault and yet pledges a conspiracy against mass media. We look to journalistic professionalism at The Times, The Sunday Times & Channel4 Dispatches who have all spearheaded this story, having worked behind the scenes on it for four years now. Russell challenged the allegations with his own social media platforms, and so we both discuss the value of mass media in a modern world of freedom of speech online.  Finally, Erwin Olaf passed away last week. Maurice is a fan of his art in photography (mostly) and Emma isn’t - there’s one key reason why.  At the end of this episode we cut away to an interview between Maurice and Frances Shoemack who founded Abel Fragrances: a brand disrupting the perfume industry with a focus on clean, sustainable ingredients.

  7. 09/07/2023

    Elon's Retro Supercharger, Messi's MLS Splash, and Luxury's Love for Sports

    The worlds of technology, sports, and luxury collide in this week's episode of By Association. First on the agenda, we delve into Tesla's newly-approved Supercharger in West Hollywood—a nostalgic throwback complete with a '50s style diner and a drive-in movie theater. Is Elon Musk onto the next big thing or is this just another chapter in the Elon ego saga? As summer football sizzles, Lionel Messi has set the MLS on fire, scoring 11 goals in just 9 games for Inter Miami. We explore how his presence is sending shockwaves through the league, attracting royalty and Hollywood elites to the stadium. In a parallel universe, the Women's World Cup has achieved unprecedented success, but not without its share of controversies. We discuss the achievements and the overshadowing negatives, from new records in viewership to the unfortunate incident involving Spain's now-suspended football federation president Luis Rubiales. Luxury brands are also entering the sports arena in a big way. We examine the impact of luxury players like Louis Vuitton and Gucci on the game of tennis, and discuss whether luxury brands should stick to their traditional lanes or venture into new territories. Emma shares her insights on the class dynamics at play in tennis, especially as luxury brands make their way into the sport. Meanwhile, as summer comes to a close, we take a look at how luxury brands have staked their claim on beach clubs around the world, setting new trends for the seasons to come.

  8. 07/22/2023

    The Rollable iPhone, Carlos Alcaraz, AppleGPT & Cowboy's Bikey App

    This week we kick-off with the designs and potential of the rollable iPhone, soon to be released by Apple. Do we enjoy this new hardware update and what consumer would really need what this new mechanism provides? We couldn't run this episode without talking about Carlos Alcaraz's win at Wimbledon. As the youngest man to ever win, he's also knocked the consistent three king tennis hitters out of their helm. We look to his sponsorship deals and which brands have aligned themselves with his success. AppleGPT is in the works, used only internally at Apple right now. Could this be the push Siri needs to evolve and offer a more dynamic and intelligent user experience? We imagine a world where AppleGPT is integrated into our smartphones, Airpods & Apple watch everyday lifestyle. Cowboy have launched ‘Bikey’ - an app showing their commitment to uncertain users of their competitor VanMoof who are closing business. The app assures and allows consumers to be able to unlock their bike should the servers close down following bankruptcy. We're impressed with this cheeky move but Emma wishes Cowboy would focus more on their current customers.

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About

🌎 Cultural conversations on the latest in design, brand and tech news. 🎙 Hosted by Emma Hooper & Maurice Ajanaku

Information

  • Creator
    Maurice Ajanaku & Emma Hooper
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2023
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Maurice Ajanaku & Emma Hooper
  • Show Website
    By Association