Excerpt:

Simulating In-Store

Of course, matching the upscale retail store experience to the online one is also a challenge for luxury names in the beauty and fashion world, such as Giorgio Armani. Last fall, the brand launched a new cosmetics site, www.giorgioarmanibeauty.com, which offers consumers the opportunity to browse and buy products that are only available at 30 counters in the U.S. Since 2001, consumers could find information on the Giorgio brand in a separate section on www.giorgioarmani.com, but were unable to purchase products. "The time was right in terms of consumer readiness to now expand that site to e-commerce," says Ava Huang, vice president of marketing for Armani Cosmetics & Perfumes. "The wide acceptance of e-commerce across all categories has been embraced by the beauty consumer as well, who expects to purchase his or her favorite products online."

ID Society, a New York-based Internet marketing and Web design agency, was charged with creating giorgioarmanibeauty.com, which uses the same design aesthetics as the other Armani-branded sites. "The real challenge was creating a luxurious shopping experience with strong Armani customer service in an e-commerce site that doesn’t detract from the elegance," says Adam Berkowitz, CEO of ID Society. "The overall Armani brand attributes of ‘minimal’ and ‘modern’ led us to the overarching design aesthetic. Using simple accents and a healthy dose of air and spacing, the site evokes luxury quietly."

Unique to the site, and a first for Armani, is the Beauty Bar, which simulates the in-store counter experience for online shoppers, who can view all beauty products lined up next to each other. The screen seems to scroll through the products, which are illuminated once a visitor rolls over an item. ID Society also created an Armani Advisor section, where celebrity face designer Tim Quinn provides lessons on how to apply four various looks with direct access to purchase the products.

Since luxury consumers are accustomed to personalized treatment and service, a Register section on the site provides perks to loyal customers. In addition to free shipping and exclusive offers (such as special limited edition samples), customers can locate a record of their past purchases.

"More luxury brands are creating these programs not only to offer more personalized service, but also to make the consumer feel special, like they are aspiring to the luxury image portrayed by the brand," says Berkowitz. "Brand teams also want the consumer to feel so special that they will recommend the products and Web site to other friends, therefore becoming true evangelists for the brand."

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June 17, the featured guest on Bloomberg Radio’s "Bloomberg on the Ball" was Adam Berkowitz, CEO of ID Society. Bloomberg Radio is a 24-hour digital all-news radio station broadcasting world, national and local news with a focus on business and financial markets.

"Bloomberg on the Ball" airs six times throughout the day every Saturday, and can be heard throughout the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut area. Additionally, the program is aired on satellite radio and to more than 840 radio stations worldwide.

Host Bob Goldsholl is an industry veteran, interviewing countless well-known sports figures, from athletes to owners, talking the business side of sports, industry news, major deals and games of the week.

We are pleased to present Adam’s commentary here.

The featured guest on the May 28th edition of The Advertising Show was Jon Winsell, Director of Online Media Strategy for ID Society. The Advertising Show is America’s only weekly nationally syndicated radio program focusing on advertising, media, marketing, sales and customer relations.

The Advertising Show, sponsored by Advertising Age Magazine, airs nationally Sundays from 5 - 7 p.m. Eastern Time (2 - 4 p.m. Pacific Time). All shows, including Jon Winsell’s appearance, are archived commercial free. We are also pleased to present Jon’s commentary here (audio player below)

Podcasts and audio files of all shows are available commercial free. RSS feed is now available for the latest industry news and guest interviews. The Advertising Show is listed on over 60 online radio directories including Apple iTunes, Windows Media, Yahoo Podcasts, Open Media Network, GigaDial, Odeo, Podcast Alley, BlogFonk, Researcher.se and The Media Drop. The Advertising Show reaches a global audience with more than 25% of show listeners originating from Europe, Asia, South Africa, Oceana and South America.

NEW YORK, NY, June 12, 2006 ID Society, an award-winning strategic, interactive design and marketing agency, today announces the launch of www.hillsbros.com, which supports the entire Hills Bros.® brand online for the first time. Hills Bros., a brand known for its coffee and cappuccino instant drink mix, was formerly under the collective Sara Lee Coffee & Tea division, until its recent purchase by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, a privately owned coffee company with headquarters in Bologna, Italy.

The indulgent new site marries the rich history and familiarity of the coffee brand with an updated look to acquire and retain a younger cappuccino audience. Hillsbros.com offers a seamless online experience featuring information on each coffee blend and cappuccino flavor, a store locator, preparation tips, company history and recipes that users can engage with in a real way.

“A key design point was to ensure that consumers would continue to recognize the familiar Hills Bros. brand, while providing easy navigation to facilitate site visitors’ ability to locate product in local retail outlets,” said Rahul Sabnis, creative director, ID Society.   “We focus on relationships and empowering consumers to make a connection with the brand.”

Hillsbros.com serves to reinforce the relationship with consumers who have been loyal to the coffee brand for years, while expanding brand awareness of Hills Bros. to a new generation of coffee and cappuccino drinkers.

“The creative and strategic redesign of the Web site successfully showcases the brand’s rich and distinctive taste profile,” said Esperanza Carrion, Sr. Director of Marketing of Hills Bros.  “We are very excited with the launch of the site as it provides a platform to create a forum with our core users, reach new ones, and allow them to be engaged with the many offerings of Hills Bros. An online presence maximizes our marketing efforts and brand initiatives.”

Hills Bros. expands ID Society’s high-profile roster of clients in the consumer packaged goods industry which includes companies from Giorgio Armani Cosmetics to Walkers Shortbread.

About ID Society

Founded in 1998, ID Society is an award-winning, interactive marketing and design agency whose clients include Diageo, L’Oreal, ABC Family Network and others.  ID Society specializes in designing strategic online marketing programs that build loyalty and relationships while extending brands to new audiences.  For more information, visit www.idsociety.com.