The 20/20 Editorial Team

James J. Spina
VP, Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Micucci
Executive Editor

Gloria Nicola
Senior Features Editor

Andy Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

Melissa Arkin
Assistant Editor

Lauren Taylor
Editorial Assistant

11/29/2007 Care for some Brand-y?
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
I’m sure most of you are familiar with What’s Brand New, 20/20’s extra-edition March issue dedicated to helping you discover the latest in branded eyewear and sunwear collections. That issue also contains an extensive listing of ALL of the eyewear brands we are aware of in optical with both phone and online info on how to connect with the vendors and manufacturers presenting those collections.

Collecting, collating and correcting that info is a painstaking (read PAINFULL) task that involves countless phone calls, tremendous web browsing and sleepless nights of misspelling nightmares. All that anguish because the list clocks in at nearly 2500 brands…and even the experts here at 20/20 are sure we’re missing more than a few.

So…

Who needs all those brands?

Do you?

Do your patients?

Are consumers THAT fixated on swimming in a lifestream of that many brand-name products? Does it make the retailing aspect of eyewear dispensing difficult? Or…is it kinda fun and a definite inside track when it comes to positioning eyewear (not to mention sunwear…oops we just did) as a priority stop on that stroll down the boulevard of MallAmerica?

Frankly we want to know how you are coping with this name game. From a strict business point of view it makes total dollars and sense with the faithful and fruitful advertising clients that basically pay the bills for publishing 20/20. The vending side of the eyewear industry is hell-bent of providing every single name or brand in existence. It certainly carries tremendous fashion and lifestyle cache.

It caresses a key aspect of retailing on a global basis. But does it stoke your practice?

Or has the fire gone cold on your branding iron?

—James J. Spina, 20/20 Editor in chief
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Comments (3)   Add Comment
Re: Care for some Brand-y?
By Rich		 12/5/2007
s
Brand names make it easier to sell the product. However the product still has to have the right styling at the right price! Product will always be KING!
Re: Care for some Brand-y?
By J Fields		 12/5/2007
s
Brands are important for practices that want to truly offer a "retail environment" in terms of product category and merchandising. Brands allow for easier merchandising of product by lifestyle, price, gender, image. Hopefully each brand carried doesn't cross over too much within specific categories. If careful buying is planned and executed a Practice can have a diversified product mix available. Now, the bad news: Optical "buyers" (overall) have not had retail merchandising training or education. Consequently, they aren't truly benefiting from the power of the brand with proper purchasing and in-store merchandising. Many dispensaries still look medicinal or messy and not like a boutique retail environment. Many "buyers" don't track their inventory and/or their sales. Brands must be merchandised properly. Brands need to be sold just like non-branded product... just having a name alone on eyewear won't cause the product to jump of the board or shelf. I'll take a buyer that maintains an inventory management program and a clean "shoppable" environment with non-branded product over a haphazard brand 'snob' buyer any day! The Brand isn't the problem...
Brands make John Q feel good about eyeglasses
By Barry Santini		 12/7/2007
s
In fact, frame and sunwear branded-development has really transformed our reference from eyeglasses into eyewear! Do we really need all these brands? It depends on who you ask:

1. The retailer: probably not. They'll pick what works best for them
2. The wholesaler: Yes, definitely! A "brand" is the only way to give them fashion appeal (Silhouette,to an extent, notwithstanding).
3. The public: The younger you are, the more you desire brands. The older you are, the more you hear "I don't want to pay/wear names. They should pay me!"

Branded product transforms the "need" for eyewear into the want for fashion, function, lifestyle or even a change in "personality".

Barry

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