Episode 243: I'm With The Brand (we, the customers), part five

This episode is part five in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we will unpack how brands use customer information to create that emotional connection:

• A nostalgic trip back to the 00s: the rise and fall of Urban Outfitters’ “coolness", and what it revealed about aspirational vs. actual customers.
• Why brands claim to be “obsessed with the customer,” yet often misunderstand who’s really shopping with them.
• The shift from emotional branding to data-driven surveillance marketing and how companies now know us better than we know ourselves.
• Very special guest Kim Christenson (aka Amanda's cohost of The Department) joins us to explain how digital marketing, social media, and algorithms shape what we buy.
• A deep dive into “surveillance pricing” and how brands adjust prices just for you (and no, that's not a good thing).

And so much more!!

Additional reading:

"Hotel booking sites show higher prices to travelers from Bay Area," Keith A. Spencer, SFGate.FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Indicates Wide Range of Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices"On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels," Dana Mattioli, Wall Street Journal."Businesses can use your online data to overcharge you. What can customers do?" Adrian Ma, NPR.

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Slow Fashion Academy is a size-inclusive sewing and patternmaking studio based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designer and fashion professor Ruby Gertz teaches workshops for hobbyists and aspiring designers, so that anyone can learn the foundational skills of making, mending, and altering their own clothes. Ruby also provides professional design and patternmaking services to emerging slow fashion brands, and occasionally takes commissions for custom garments and costume pieces. She has also released several PDF sewing patterns for original designs under her brands Spokes & Stitches, and Starling Petite Plus. Check the schedule for upcoming workshops, download PDF sewing patterns, and learn about additional sewing and design services at www.slowfashion.academy.

The Pewter Thimble Is there a little bit of Italy in your soul? Are you an enthusiast of pre-loved decor and accessories? Bring vintage Italian style — and history — into your space with The Pewter Thimble (