This week,  New York City celebrates fashion week. Thousands of style gurus from around the globe will get exposed to the hottest new looks, designers and trends as they all proudly prance on the catwalk.

A noted item this season looks a lot like an old “fanny pack”. However, now it is called a “belted satchel” or as creative director for Diane von Furstenberg, Yvan Mispelaere proclaimed they are “hands-free bags”. Mr. Mispelaere refers to the smashing accessory as an item of functional shape, but with a touch of glamour, luxury and seriousness.

The old item with the new life sells for $325 to over $4,000.

A little strategic word-smithing goes a long way or should I say, a reincarnation of a nomenclature?

Here’s a few others that come to mind.

Mercedes, BMW,  high end cars
Old word, used car
Reborn word, pre-owned vehicle

Groupon and LivingSocial
Old word, coupon
Reborn word, deal

Name re-birthing does not just apply to products, people do it too.

Bernie Madoff’s daughter in law last name
Old word, Madoff
Reborn word, Morgan

Need more resources on brand naming? Check out these previous blogs.
3 A’s of an awesome brand name
Koolwordz
Name you business

This sediment is shared by millions of young baby boomers everywhere. While official boomers (over 76 million of us) were born between 1946-1964, I’m so not ready to hear that term, if fact it really freaks me out.

I know I’m not alone. And smart marketers understand that there is a brand new generation of boomers, just like me.

Don’t call me a senior, and don’t even remind me that I’m aging, even if I am like a nice bottle of Merlot.

I prefer something more like a middle-aged person or how about no reference to age at all, that’s even better. That’s not a lie, 51 is the middle of 100. A lot of people live that long.

So why a blog about this?

My birthday is next week. On Feb. 12th I will be 51. Yes I’m crossing the mark of the other side of the game. Ole Abe and I share the day, although he is a real senior at 201.

I don’t feel 51 and I live a young lifestyle, I play tennis 4 times a week, I watch music videos, love Linken Park, Train and Katy Perry, shop at Forever 21 and occasionally drink really cheap wine.

Today, the Wall Street Journal did a story on retooling boomer marketing and it caught my attention. The story covers everything from how small type faces can hurt sales  to colors that won’t help you market either. But the big point is, don’t tell any of that to the young boomers.

Seniors like my mom, are cool with that Senior marketing stuff. I suppose when you hit 75, it’s like a merit badge and senior discounts are a bonus. But for people like me, marketers better be very sensitive with how they speak to me, or I’m not buying their products.

As a young boomer, I’m famously demanding, independent and rebellious. I’m health-conscious, I text daily, tweet sometimes hourly, don’t have gray hair (thank you Clairol®) and my eyes were bad when I was 30.

So marketers, please don’t use models that look like my parents to get my attention, don’t assume I won’t try new things and do know that I’m fit, not fat and child proof containers always pissed me off.

And AARP, I have enough magazines, so why not save a tree and your postage and just chill for a few years.

For more on aging, check out: Who said interns have to be young?

It’s freezing in New York, but fun and stimulating!

First thing, check into my hotel. I am staying at a small boutique property on upper West Side (I’ll share the details on this property at the end of my trip). Are you traveling to a big city and want a great deal on cool hotels? I always use Hotwire.com. You can pick the number of stars and which part of the city you want to stay in. You get a choice of many, showing prices and star rankings. I’ve never been disappointed and sometimes save 50% off rack rate.

Worried about bedbugs? Go to Bedbug registry and make sure your chosen hotel won’t have uninvited guests in your bed. My hotel is awesome – it was not listed, WHEW!

Our first adventure: A food tour of the Lower East side via City Food Tours. This is a great way to taste and learn some history about New York’s fabulous food. Most tours are a couple hours long and range from 40-90 bucks per person. They include a knowledgeable guide, outside exercise and samplings of 5-6 culinary bites along the way. We discovered: The Essex Food market, a gem, which houses Roni-Sue chocolates, an artisan spot with truffles and to die for chocolates in every variety. The Pickle Guys, one of the few pickle places around. Economy Candy, a massive store that feels like a mall of a million sweets. The Roasting Plant, a great coffee cafe founded by a former Starbucks  staffer who turned a vacuum into a Javabot® coffee roasting system and lastly, one of the best slices of pizza from San Marzano Brick Oven Pizzeria.

A great afternoon! More marketing commentary coming. Packed agenda.

Robert’s at the Museum of Design.

Prohibition a neighborhood spot for live music acts. Rachel Platton performed and was an amazing, fresh and entertaining sound. She’s a New Yorker who is hitting the world tour scene. Check out her schedule, and check her out.

Tues. night
Went to Jimmy Fallon Live with Jack Black, recap coming, was tooooo much fun and got to hang and dance with the Roots. I’m now the proud owner of an official drum stick too.

Weds.
Got to run, sorry for the short hand, promise to fill in. Headed to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Review coming too with lots more street stuff.

Victoria’s Secret sure hopes so. Because they spend big bucks on those branded bags.

This morning FOX TV invited me to share my views on “The Branded Bag Effect”, Is there one? Do consumers even think about which bag they carry and which one they dump?

That depends on who you ask. Some studies show there are two kinds of consumers who carry bags.  Specifically, people are either “entity theorists” or “incremental theorists.” Entity theorists believe no action of their own can change who they are. They know their failings and their limitations. Incremental theorists see no limits to what they might accomplish, see no end to how they might improve themselves.

So you’d think the later were the big buddies with their bags. Turns out both believed in external helpers.

This is where a branded bag becomes part of the carrier identity, like an outside branding agent, a persona accessory.

The study, to be published in December, is the work of Deborah Roedder John, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. In one of four experiments, John and a colleague approached 85 women in a mall, asked them to fill out a survey — embedded in which were questions about their self-perception — then gave the women one of two shopping bags to walk around with for an hour. One of the bags was from Victoria’s Secret. The women in that group reported to the researchers that they felt more sensual and glamorous simply for the carrying.

Brands can influence people in other ways as well. The study also notes the curious case of some M.B.A. students asked to take notes for six weeks using a pen embossed with the MIT logo. Those who did reported feeling smarter at the end of the term.

No big surprise, a couple of years Apple computer studied the brain and prior to exposing the research candidates with problems to solve they were shown Apple products and image. Those folks scored higher as they believed they were more creative.

So what does this mean for your brand? Watch the video

Packaging is an important touch point for many brands. It not only further tells your story (brand personality) by your choice of graphics, style of bag, materials used etc., but it can serve as a strong emotional connection to the shopper’s core values. And if the consumer is proud to be associated with your brand, it’s a transportable billboard too. And you can’t beat that.

And remember packaging and bags are not limited to fashion brands, they can also be a great point of distinction for a restaurant’s to-go food packaging,  a dentist’s toothbrush pouch or a consulting firm’s proposal wrap. And reusable  and recycled bags can also earn you points for the save the planet movement too.

All annoying,  all unnecessary, even if you work on commission.

My good buddy, international sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer said it best, “People don’t likes to be sold, but, they like to buy.”

You know who I’m talking about, it’s likely one of your relatives, I know it’s one of mine. They are always pushing food on me, try this, eat this, have some of this. The more I say “no thank you”, the more they push, the less I want it.

Does it make me want to try the food? Heck no. It aggravates me, same goes for pushy sales people.

I understand in tough times, we all want the sale, but instead of pushing, try pleasing, providing value and supplying pure helpfulness.

4 pleasurable ways to get customers to want your stuff instead of running from it.

1. Share a tip or secret about your product or someone else’s.
2. Send an unexpected handwritten note with a special offer, personalized and just for them.
3. Randomly offer a free trial or sample of a service or product with no strings attached.
4. Add a bonus gift to a small purchase.

Jump in your customer’s shoes today, and you can.

If you have a marketing role as an entrepreneur or a professional, you’d better be able to get in those customer shoes or you are in big trouble.

Today’s marketers of the most successful companies have a special skill.  Call it enterprising empathy—an astute ability to walk in the shoes of customers, see the world like they do, own their values and feel their most important needs, desires and pain.

This week, I’m in Aspen CO, a very elite mountain town and resort community. I’m staying at a several million dollar condo, surrounded by wealthy guests who sport everything from designer Prada garb, to Rolex bling, to Gap brand distressed jeans and no name flip flops. Nothing is inexpensive. There are masses of fit and attractive people every where and you experience an extreme attitude of quality and thoughtful service.

Businesses that do well here, even in the recent tough economic times understand the values of their market and know what makes them tick. They put on the Cole Haan and Jimmy Choo shoes, no matter how they personally see the world.

Is marketing to the affluent about entitlement, status, design, attention to detail? Or maybe a mix of all? Likely it depends on what they are selling to what affluent segment.

As a marketer or entrepreneur, especially if you are a successful one, it can be easy to put on the shoes that best represent and fit you. You are successful and affluent, you live a lux life, it’s a natural way to serve your customers the way you want to be treated.

But here’s the challenge, your customer or clients may be very different than you. They might be unemployed, have less disposable income, wouldn’t know great design, if it bit them in the butt or even be flat broke. They can also be older and have a very different set of values.

Yet many marketers and entrepreneurs try to push their values and preferences on their customers and wonder why sales are weak. DAAH!

Empathy is truly essential in effective marketing. Doing things just the way you like them can be the kiss of death, unless you are a mirror image of your customers, which often we are not.

On your next marketing challenge, try these strategies.

1) Loose all your beliefs
What matters is what your customer believes.

2) Don’t fall in love with your first idea.
First ideas often come from values you embrace.

3) Have an open mind to things that seem weird, stupid and crazy.
A Gen Yer views the planet, technology and TV advertising completely different than a 75-year old grandmother.

4) Shut up. Watch and listen to the target market.
Marketers tend to talk too much, often filling the heads of their research pools with their beliefs and then the market pool or research subjects will just agree with what you’ve thrown at them.  This will not produce gems of relevant marketing brilliance, but more of what you like.

When creating marketing plans for clients or your own business, think about what the buyer really wants and will respond to.  A Walmart fan may not even know who Frette is and most senior citizens are not digitally dominated. And don’t forget the importance of gender wiring. There is a huge gap in how women want their info and what men think and don’t think about.

For the most effective marketing ideas, jump into the buyers’ shoes. Leave your boots, heals and running shoes at home for your personal journey.