A View From My NYU Class ...

I taught the summer session of my NYU class yesterday, and once again enjoyed every minute of it.  It's so amazing to talk about marketing and to highlight great brands with a group of people who are so eager to learn and share.  I get so much out of it, and I only hope that they do too.

One of my students, Tish Dugan, weighs in on her perspective of the class and how she is now looking at brands.  What's your experience, Tish?

I am the oldest member of Jim's current semester class at NYU.  And not by a little bit.  Actually by about twenty years.  I don't feel bad though because if he weren't the professor, he would be in competition with me for that title.  Aside from the great info I am getting from the class and his book The Experience Effect, I am learning a lot about life this new decade.  I learned about Vans, Paul Smith, and Saatchi & Saatchi, to name a few.  After class last week I actually watched a Lady Gaga video.  Hmmm.

I have grown to appreciate more, the brands I cling to.  Every couple of weeks I get a catalogue from the "Vermont Country Store, Purveyors of the Practical and Hard to Find."  The minute it comes, I snatch it from the office mail pile with the things that we had in abundance twenty years ago and have disappeared somewhere along the way.  Things like Femme by Rochas (the perfume favored by Audrey Hepburn); Bonomo Turkish Taffy (which I long for now but my teeth say "No!"); and Buster Brown Socks (never got a blister wearing those).  Oh, and my latest guilty pleasure, Chiclets (Google them).

I wonder if some of today's brands will crash and burn long before my old favorites will.  Ed Hardy Shoes (now available in every Ross and Marshall's), the Palm Pilot (on its last legs), Eddie Bauer (Eddie who?), and Old Navy (really).

I do like my Blackberry and Kindle and I even have stock in Family Dollar.  So I guess there is hope for me yet in this country.

By Patricia M. Dugan (.com) -- NYU student

From Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect