A snitch in time? Fashion and spying Off Message Kevin Baker,
FacebookDiggDel.icio.usMore “Intelligence” in the spy-games sense — information collected by secret means for strategic use — features in two intriguing new press releases. Canadian women’s clothing chain Tabi has renewed its subscription to the Business Weather Intelligence Platform, a service of Planalytics Inc. of Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Business Weather Intelligence is “actionable information companies need to understand and optimize the impact of weather.” The release does not give examples but we can guess. Approach of new season detected. Historical data suggests period of relative warmth. Impact analysis indicates optimization action as follows: discount parkas, mittens; introduce sundresses, wide-brim hats, sandals. When snow-melt begins, move rubber boots, splash pants front-of-store.
The Planalytics Platform is “powered by an unparallelled database of weather’s financial and volumetric impacts, proprietary forecasting technologies and market-specific expertise.” So, it’s not just a business-school whiz-kid with the Farmer’s Almanac and back issues of Flare, if that’s what you were thinking.
Generation5 (trendy/dumb names will be our subject another weekend) has announced “the availability of its Consumer Intelligence for 2008.” “Consumer intelligence” you might think would be information for consumers to help them avoid rip-offs and nuisance calls.