#shes only seen the carefully crafted image that is my ig

[mydream-synopsis]

need to be cooler

[dippedanddripped]

There’s no mistaking an Acne Studios store for any other. Regardless of whether you’re in London, Stockholm, New York, or Tokyo, Acne Studios stores are stages, with carefully considered lighting, layout, ambiance, furniture, art, and a cherry-picked cast of shop associates.

“Artists, architects, and furniture designers have always been part of Acne Studios’ DNA,” says Dan Thawley, Editor-in-Chief at A Magazine Curated By, a fashion publication which has worked with some of the world’s most innovative fashion designers – including Martin Margiela, Kim Jones, and Thom Browne – as guest curators. When Thawley originally pitched his idea to create a magazine titled 'Floragatan 13 Curated by Acne Studios' (Floragatan 13 being the address of Acne Studios’ new headquarters, situated in the former Embassy of the Czech Republic) to Acne Studios in 2019, Thawley was inspired by the strong physical presence that Acne Studios always had, as well as the opportunity for a deep editorial dive into the brand’s beliefs, ethos and curated aesthetics.

The partnership is simply one example of a shift towards curation as a preferential strategy for modern brands to differentiate themselves, gain relevance, build equity and ensure longevity. With a good reason: the aesthetic world and the narrative that curation creates is much harder to replicate than a brand’s visual handwriting and a tone of voice. For Acne Studios, a curatorial point of view lives as a store experience; a carefully chosen influencers and friends of the brand and what architects and interior designers the brand collaborates with. It also lives as a company headquarters, as the mood it creates in its stores, as a piece of furniture, or now as an issue of a magazine. The variations are endless, and that’s precisely the point.

The Democratization of Curation

Modern curation is a far cry from the art curators of lore, who were revered and feared, and who could make or break an artist. Yayoi Kusama famously threw herself out of the window when she couldn’t make it in the New York art scene, which in the '70s was stiflingly white and male.

More recently, curators went from the capital “C” to the lowercase one. Democratization of curation changed the role and value of curators in form, but not in cultural importance. For Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, the role of curation has always been to democratize, to bring art to different sections of society and “build exhibitions into society.” Obrist brings up the idea of “civic curation,” where curation is linked to generosity and has a bigger social role.

“Places where exhibitions are presented are inaccessible to large parts of society. I was always interested in creating exhibitions that can be seen by as many people as possible, shown in many cities and open to many audiences,” he notes, adding: “Curare, curatus means to care. Initially, it meant to install objects in the museum. A curator was a caretaker of objects. Curation is also about curiosity. But then it happened that curation has expanded, and that has to do with art having expanded.”

This expanded meaning of curation makes products only one of the currencies individuals and brands trade in. “It has a lot to do with proliferation of ideas. It includes non-objects, quasi-objects and hyper-objects, like the weather, that are more complex systems,” says Obrist.

When brands moved from manufacturing products to manufacturing culture, design, luxury and art, curation zoomed onto taste, aesthetics, identity and social status. Curation became the fuel of modern culture: it is indispensable in the cultural landscape where products, people and experiences are all comparable in value: a concert can be equally desirable as a bottle of vintage bourbon as a pair of rare sneakers. It is not hard to see how this crowded cultural landscape can lead to the consumer choice overload, and why curation gained prominence as the obvious way out of it. The role of a curator is to sort through culture and show us what we need to know and why.

“There’s value in having someone who’s amongst what’s happening in culture. The value is having me as a narrator and telling the story, telling you what’s relevant,” says popular Instagram curator Sam Trotman, more commonly known under his IG moniker Samutaro. “A good curator does the research, writes and edits, and doesn’t just repost images.” Trotman sees himself as an educator and a dot-connector. “A lot of my followers enjoy reading the context and history behind images,” he says. “I connect what’s happening in culture right now with the past. There’s value in finding a new angle on old things and connecting them with new things.”

Beyond simple empathy for consumers’ attention spans, there are wider cultural shifts that took curation from the art world and made it part of our everyday consumption. Curation shifts attention from products to the curatorial point of view, which is infinitely more valuable. This flips the script of brand strategy from product benefits to the story, and makes it imperative for brands to think like curators. Case in point: Floragatan 13 Curated by Acne Studios is infinitely more exciting than any item that Acne designed in years. In the 80:20 framework of brand growth, which claims that 80 percent of brand success can be attributed to storytelling and 20 percent to its products, this does not matter. The Floragatan 13 curatorial halo will urge many former fans to consider buying Acne Studios again.

Democratization from a few curators to many inevitably results in the acceleration of culture and the compression of trend cycles. People get bored quickly and want to move on to the next thing. Hyped up by media, celebrities and brands, a new collaboration or the latest drop lasts only as long as people pay attention to it. Curation gives them longer legs and allows them to reincarnate in a number of future iterations. Original Air Jordans enjoy iconic status partially due to their proto-context (an unrivaled sports star, a popular sport, a critical mass of fans), but mostly to many curatorial interventions since.

Curation as 21st Century Creativity

Under pressure for newness, brands struggle to actually create new stuff, but by curating the old, they give it renewed meaning and purpose in consumers’ eyes. Curation contextualizes product within a specific time and a point of view. “I look at what’s happening across culture. Someone like Supreme may reference an artist, and then I’ll bring it back to the original sources or look into the history behind where Nike Dunks came from,” says Sam Trotman.

Trotman mentions My Clothing Archive, a niche Instagram account that is oriented towards OG Japanese designers like Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto and gives context to a new audience. Consumers are ready to spend premium on products that belong to a curated collection and that are enriched with cultural and social value. Curation turns items into collectibles and more often this value is created by curators, showing the importance of brands becoming curators of their own.

Viewed through the lens of creativity, curation becomes a perfect connective tissue in our niche and micro culture. “The curator is a junction-maker, a catalyst, a sparring partner, somebody who builds bridges,” says Obrist. The Internet created micro-collectives of menswear, streetwear, luxury watches, artisanal coffee, and Japanese denim aficionados who share ethos, style, reference points, even a vocabulary. It is easy to link up with others who share our taste, interests and hobbies and ignore the rest. Curators bridge the gap between different taste communities and introduce them to one another. They also often connect people, products and ideas in a way that creates something that’s simultaneously new and familiar (think LVMH x Supreme, IKEA x Off-White, or Nike x Dior).

Brands as Future Curators

Consumers today are omnivorous in their cultural interests, and they treat everything as an opportunity to flex their aesthetic muscles. And so, a good starting point for any brand to think like a curator is to create your own aesthetic world instead of simply relying on your product’s aesthetic or your visual handwriting. A brand’s aesthetic world is infinite: it extends to a pair of sneakers, a piece of furniture, a playlist, and even collaborations. Telfar expresses its aesthetic world through the brand’s multimedia performances, experiential retail, zines, Bushwick Birkin myth, artist and brand collaborations and its diverse community. Telfar’s clothes are simply one expression of Telfar’s taste and point of view.

Telfar's example also shows how curation gives mundane objects, like White Castle’s uniforms, value by connecting them with a point of view and a subculture that makes them stand out in the vortex of speed, superficiality, and newness. Beyond making products more valuable, curation as a brand strategy extends to the entire value chain. Menswear and furniture retail platform Bombinate curates the suppliers and producers the brand works with according to its values of quality, craftsmanship, localization and sustainability. By doing that, the retail platform not only protects and preserves the work of human hands by connecting craft brands to consumers seeking high-quality lifestyle products, but also narrows down and directs consumer choice.

To curate is also to pick the right retail, distribution or collaboration partners. In 2018, Rei Kawakubo told Dezeen, “I want to create a kind of market where various creators from various fields gather together and encounter each other in an ongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos.” Places like Dover Street Market or Kapital don’t prioritize mass and superficial reach; instead they curate their own kind of niche customer with their elevated and informed selection of choices.

Going forward, it will be very hard to imagine a retail establishment that does not give off an impression of a gallery. Bankrupt department stores and downsized mass brands are a cautionary tale of what happens in the absence of any curation. Good news is that, unlike art galleries of old, modern culture welcomes curators of all stripes and presents endless curatorial opportunities for brands.

[devontroxell]

14 Inspiring SMB Instagram Accounts to Follow Right Now

With the onset of the pandemic, small businesses have been severely impacted across the globe. Shelter-in-place policies have put many at risk of permanently closing their doors, if they haven’t already done so. In Facebook’s most recent Global State of Small Business Report, about 25% of the 30,000 small businesses surveyed said they had shut down between January and May of this year, and about two-thirds of businesses still open have reported that sales are significantly down in comparison to last year.

Image source: Time Magazine

Morale is low, so I've decided to put together a list of inspiring small business Instagram accounts from an array of verticals for you to view, follow, and gather ideas from for your own posts. I will:

Share real examples of posts from small businesses in finance, health, restaurants, the arts, and more.

Extract key takeaways for effective Instagram marketing.

Provide tips on how to incorporate safety and positivity into your own marketing messaging.

See what captivates you about these particular accounts, and even if they aren’t in your industry, see if there are ways you can apply similar concepts when it comes to content and creative for your own business.

Why Instagram for SMB inspiration?

Businesses that are still operating are being forced to re-strategize, pivot offerings, explore new channels, take more creative risks, and share different types of engaging content in order to stay afloat. Due to its versatility and array of features, Instagram is one such platform to facilitate these shifts, and can be used to:

Keep your customers and fans informed amidst the rollercoaster of a year it has been.

Drive more business through organic and paid advertising efforts.

Promote your business within your community.

Small business Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration

The above goals (and more) can be accomplished through regular posts, Instagram Stories, longer-form IGTV videos, and Instagram Live events. Let's take a look at various IG content that has proven successful for small businesses and inspirational for customers and fellow business owners alike.

1. BlackRock (finance)

I can’t say I’ve seen any Instagram account, let alone in finance, have such well-crafted, diverse, and engaging content like BlackRock. They truly embody their company culture through their content and if I were to put myself in the shoes of a job applicant or a customer, I would be in support of what this brand is accomplishing by genuinely portraying itself as a trusted, employee- and community-driven, diverse, and accomplished business. Their quality posts showcase employee stories, events they partake in and ways that give back to others. It’s an inspiring account to say the least. Check out the engagement on each post. It speaks for itself.

2. Kristin Damstetter (wellness)

When it comes to our mental well-being, mindfulness, and meditation, our client Kristin Damstetter’s Instagram feed is a delight to frequent. As we can see below, it’s calming, on-brand, and seamlessly complements her website. She also does an excellent job of saving her Instagram Stories in their respective categories so that new users and existing followers can refer to her Stories on meditation, journaling, and more. She has a great story to share with others as she is a former art teacher and intertwines her mindfulness practice with those in education.

3. WORK (fitness)

Among some of the hardest pandemic-hit businesses are gyms and fitness centers. While they are making a comeback by using COVID-safe measures, it’s inspiring to see what some are doing to keep their business going, and what better way to see than to watch videos of the action. WORK in Orange County does a fantastic job of sharing video content on their Instagram account, which will help get you pumped up to work out and then hopefully to sign up for video workouts online.

4. Tradesman (coffee)

As an avid coffee consumer, this next inspiring Instagram account—Tradesman��in Boston—immediately caught my attention. They are a terrific example of exceptional photography and strategic curation. Just take a peek at their aesthetically-pleasing feed and delectable-looking, unique menu of treats. They do a really great job strategically placing various photos to entice users to view more of their feed as it varies from larger multi-photo posts to individual ones. My Boston friend Casie Gillette says that she saw the account and the photos of their pastries (and red velvet croissants) made her go out of my way to find them. Hint: it was worth it. See for yourself:

5. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters

It was challenging to select just one example here, so in addition, I have to also give a Dark Horse Coffee Roasters a mention in San Diego as they have excellent coffee and their customer service, even on Instagram, is matched. They update their account with real-time information, which is crucial during this challenging year for service businesses.

6. Rabecca Onassis Boutique

Rabecca Onassis Boutique in Seattle curates a beautiful feed that is not only visually appealing but also successful in driving business. My friend Hannah Glazko, a frequent shopper, raves about this boutique. The combination of both static images and videos where new arrivals are tried on, styled, and shared by a variety of people, is beautiful. It’s a fun, colorful, and relatable account given the diverse yet on-brand approach they take. If your product can be seen by a variety of people and feel relatable, it will drive more business and expand your on and offline reach.

7. El Arroyo (restaurant)

For restaurant marketing during COVID-19, showcase your best-looking dishes and drinks. Share videos of your space, your smiling staff, the ambiance, the feel, take out options if those have changed, and be sure to include mention of the COVID-safe measures you are taking to make people feel comfortable in visiting your establishment.

While many of us enjoy seeing drool-worthy dishes in our feed and become patrons, you don’t always have to share food photos to find success on Instagram and beyond. Chances are, you have seen a photo of an El Arroyo sign at some point while browsing the web. Their signs have gained them so much popularity that this popular Mexican restaurant in Austin has found a way to drive engagement, followers, and business by entertaining people with their sign, near and far.

8. Squee Club (restaurant)

Another effective strategy to implement on your Instagram account is to post your COVID-19 protocols at your dining establishment. Share Stories with easy-to-explain, step-by-step details, and save it to your profile, so it is quick to locate and simple to understand for your potential customers, as seen here on Squee Club’s account:

9. Future’s Past (the arts)

If you are in the photography, film, music, or arts business, Future’s Past Instagram account is impressive in terms of creative content curation, and they do some really great stuff such as highlighting local acts with their Unfiltered Fridays posts on their Feed and IGTV.

10. Fox and Plume (photography)

With many events postponed or cancelled this year, photographers were put in quite a predicament as well. On the upside, many are still in business and thriving, using bigger lenses and being able to still do socially-distanced shoots. If you have a particular style, showcase it in your feed as seen here, with Fox and Plume. She shoots a variety of people across all life events, you can tell by her style that glows through her feed.

11. Stacie Larsen (photography)

Utah photographer, Stacie Larsen, follows a visually appealing pattern of posting in sets of three through the week on her feed. Patterns make things memorable for people, especially in groups of three.

12. Ruby and Revolver (jewelry)

There are small business owners, and then there are small business owners who are one-person shops, using their craft to make unique pieces. Carefully crafted, visual content for these types of business owners is crucial as it helps sell their pieces. The better the photography, the greater the desire for people to engage, share, and purchase their work, as seen here by the stunning and unique jewelry made by Ruby and Revolver. She sells out of all inventory each time she creates a product and posts about it on Instagram. Put your best foot forward when it comes to the images, videos, and accompanying text you post. In addition, if you have limited inventory, take into account what is popular based on engagement and sales and bring it back to drive more sales.

  13. 1502 Candle Co.

Another creative and inspiring Instagram account is from 1502 Candle Co as she does tutorials on where you can learn a variety of things, such as how to clean a candle container properly instead of destroying your nails attempting to remove the wax. Create tutorials using Stories and IGTV and save your Stories to your profile so people can later reference them when the timing is better suited. They will remember you and possibly become a customer because you provided something helpful to them and didn’t necessarily push a product on them.

14. Cute Nail Studio

When it comes to hair salons, nail parlors, barbershops, lash extension places, and other beauty-related businesses, there are plenty of ways you can use this visual platform to showcase beauty as it relates to your services. Cute Nail Studio is a profile worth visiting as they have a vibrant Feed and helpful, business-driven saved Stories. Another great thing to take note of here is that they have reviews, which can help with bringing in new prospective clients and customers to their location in case they are on the fence about the services they provide and want a real customer’s take.

What we can learn from these SMB Instagram accounts 

We can certainly learn quite a bit from what other brands and small businesses are doing and use it as inspiration for our own accounts. Let’s recap what the accounts in this post have taught us: 

Showcase employee stories, events you partake in and ways you give back to others.

Save your Stories to their respective categories so followers can quickly reference them.

Strategically place photos to entice users to view more of your feed.

Display your product in relatable ways to drive more business and expand your reach.

You don’t always have to share photos of your product. Share videos of your space, your smiling staff, the ambiance, the feel, and more.

Share your COVID-19 protocols with easy-to-explain details to make people feel comfortable visiting your establishment.

Use patterns to make things memorable for people, especially in groups of three.

Share customer reviews to help bring in new clients and customers.

Get inspired and implement

This is the time to be creative in your efforts to stand out, keep your followers and customers informed about the state of your business, and to continue not only surviving, but thriving, as we move forward. Use these examples and others you see in your Instagram Feed, Stories, and IGTV to leverage the platform to benefit your business and attract customers in an authentic way.

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