August 7, 2012 10:30 am
OK, here we go again another branding meeting.
I thought this meeting is supposed to be about me — the brand. About helping me. Everyone is pushing me to shoot only with the man. But this is supposed be about m.
The logo girl is the same so essentially we agree she captures me. I just want a big “j” because my previous experience with other companies I owned has shown me that people misspell Sonja as “Sonya” or “Sonia” and when people Google I don’t want them going to another Sonja or different business entirely and getting distracted. We live in a busy society today!
My first reaction is this font is like Times Roman printed off the computer. I got it 25 years ago on my bath towels at Bloomies!
This guy holding the microwave is in a Samsung ad! I think I’m more original thank you very much. I’m the brand — not the Abercrombie looking guy. I get it sex sells! I think my persona is enough to sell the toaster. I am the brand and people believe in me and my concept or not.
What’s the big deal if are going to shoot from 8 to 5 pm to do one picture with the guy and one picture with me alone? It’s not two different setups. At this very moment I don’t feel like this is a friend helping me. I feel like I’m being steamrolled. Essentially I am the client because they are the two experts and I am seeking their advice based on my own expertise and knowledge of my customer base and its wants and needs as they have communicated it to me. I’m also very intuitive.
Heather Thomson… “I don’t think Sonja recognized the Samsung Guy… let’s move on…”
I do prefer to work as a team, so I don’t mind brainstorming and I was going to roll with this. But I definitely needed a Ramona monster at my side to get their attention! She has known me a long time. At the same time I am going to be open to what Heather has to say because she is an expert with tons of experience. I just wanted to shoot without the guy in case my buyer didn’t go for it. Better safe then sorry. I always get a ton of pictures out of a day long shoot. So why not try different campaigns?
Among friends drinking fine wine one should be allowed to slip a bit. This technical business over aboriginals, Indians, and Natives is dizzying. I think Lu felt provoked and did the gesture over her mouth. I didn’t realize we were being judged by friends. I agree with Lu, since she’s of the descent she can say whatever she wants. Especially with friends. What do I know?
LuAnn de Lesseps… “Screw you, Carole… I’m part Indian and I’m stickin’ to it!”
I know Ramona may be over the top this season but she has never looked better or happier. What a waste of Château Margaux at the world famous Le Cirque with legendary Cirio Maccioni. My dear friend.
Rebound! Aviva did not say that Harry was a rebound. He’s very elegant and always speaks highly of people or nothing at all — a well bred man. Aviva says at Le Cirque was a special place where she and Harry were married in front of Reid, so obviously her family is in agreement. I can’t keep track. I want to be friends with both.
Harry Dubin, Harrison Dubin, Aviva Drescher… “This is your legacy, my son… PoopieThePig!”
Amazing this Poopie the Pig! Kids love it! He’s irresistible.
Harry is an Aquarius and will always have cutting edge ideas ahead of the universe. Something will hit, and it will be HUGE. Really huge! Typical of Aqaurius. I only want the best for him. I have nothing but respect for him.
Team? Heather says she put a team together. She brought a brander with a font and a photographer with a book. Both amazing — but this is just the start. I will bring the studio, hair, makeup, stylist, the borrowed dressed, and the toaster set up with silver platters, etc. I also bring part of the team. We really are just getting to know each other. I still respect Heather because she has an opinion and sticks with it. Some people don’t!
I had a brander from Martha Stewart. Heather asked me to wait until after London to work with hers because she trusted him. I had a photographer and Heather had hers. Mine, as well as hers, are free. This is a tremendous opportunity for all involved. Not only is it an exciting brand with great reach but a chance for Heather and I to build a respectful friendship.
I really don’t believe you tell Harry Winston that they’re going to do your concept or not anything at all. In fact I was told by James this is why it’s so terrific because I own my own company and I don’t have a large board of directors that I can do whatever I want. So really it’s quite the contrary.
The difference here is I’m setting up a campaign to show to different investors, buyers, and shopping networks, plus I also need photos for promotion, cookbooks, and the website.
You will have to tune in to see how our friendship weathers this. Should we mix business with friendship?
Ramoaner is more than over the top this season, she has finally lost any sense of decorum that might have had left. Mario is just as bad. Talk about ruining a nice evening over a good bottle of wine. If he wanted to speak to Jacques about the wine tasting, it should have been done privately, man to man.
Dr. Terry and Mario act like school girls, rather than grown men.
Sonja was way out of line with her wine soaked, emotional rant at LuLu’s party. Wrong time, Wrong place and None of her business!
As for the branding fiasco….Sonja has NO Problem taking up the valuable time and resources of others. So, she has Heather and her team, Martha Stewarts “People” and Ramona. How many freakin people does she really think that she deserves for “FREE?” Even after all of these meetings, Sonja shows up late for meetings, empty handed, with No Notes, nor clear ideas. Sonja seems to just enjoy sitting there saying….”me, me, me, it’s all about me” and somehow, out of her confused mind and bankrupt accounts, a Major Brand should magicaly appear!?!? Perhaps this is exactly why, Sonja has not had any lasting success up until now and has lost many millions!
Listen, if Sonja doesn’t like working with Heather’s team and believes that they do not understand her “process and vision,” she had a perfect out…..she could have just said Thank you for all your hard work, I will move on. But, NO! Sonja chose instead, to put Heather on the spot and continue playing all sides against the middle. By the way, I also find it interesting that on Sonja’s website, she uses photos that include a Toaster oven that is Not Her Brand!
Sonja has no storyline, therefore she injects herself into situations where she does not belong. She doesn’t give a damn about Luann and Jacques. She put on that ridiculous crying act simply for air time. And, of course she wouldn’t move on from Heather and her team because she has no money to hire people!!!
I just don’t get it. What makes Sonja, think, that just because she puts her name on a Toaster Oven? that it will sell enough to matter? She isn’t Emeril, or Wofgang Puck, or Gordon Ramsey….she’s just a person who figured out how to get over and cook things in a toaster oven…BEEN DONE, believe me, by more people than she can ever imagine. College kids do that! Big deal!!! Cookbook maybe…but a MACHINE in her name? at this point? Don’t get it. How come, she hasn’t got a bottle of wine coming out, like every other housewife practically on every other show. What did Bravo do…buy a grape field?????
Still waiting on that cookbook. How long does it take to write a toaster oven cookbook? If she has so many dishes she already makes, it should have been fairly easy to get one done. Maybe she should talk to Teresa’s people.
Where is the business plan? You are right SmallMiracle; who would buy this toaster oven?According to Heather (Hea Man) and her logo assistant they don’t want Grampa they want the grand kids; are you kidding? The grand kids are going to Tar-Jay and buying the least expensive Toaster Oven and the more elite will be gong to Wills Somona and investing into a real Toaster Oven and CJ you are correct where is this Toaster Oven cook book? And the naked, six pack guy, no way Jose! Picture this….Sonja in a gown, in front of a dinner table with a six course meal, winking and the toaster oven in the back ground with oven mits right by it.
Exactly, Ann!
Sonja is in bad shape. Her no underwear look is not helping her professional image. I agree with her observations about the Times Roman font. I don’t think the toaster oven will have much success.
I love love love reading this column however this is the first time I’ve written. SonJa if possible is more annoying than Ramona. These two really need to go! Ramona will do ANYTHING to remain relevant and Sonja is just plain desperate and sad to watch. Really a brand? Who the hell ever heard of her, uses a toasteroven or constantly brings up her ex-husband and all HIS perks, which are no longer available to her. Like I said just plain sad and desperate Sonja. BTW one the reasons she doesn’t have a man, any man is because her biggest reason for being in a relationship for her is the PERKS not the person! I would suggest she take some time off, sell off if she can, her mansion and find some happiness.
Heather is really rubbing me the wrong way. I get that Sonja is flakey but Heather acts as if her and her guy friend’s idea is the best when it simply isn’t. Who the hell would put a naked dude on a woman’s lifestyle brand? Beyond tacky.
In comparison to the new women on the show, Ramona and Sonja (and Mario!) come across as even more uneducated and unaware than they did before. Sonja’s defensiveness toward Heather’s free advice and help was ridiculous. Ramona’s interruptions, thinking she knew more than Heather, was particularly cringeworthy and laughable. Mario’s setting up dinner at Le Cirque, along with Ramona’s having to announce that they opened a 14K bottle of wine, then using this setting to get drunk and try to start a fight with Jacques is about as unsophisticated as a person can get. In previous seasons, Sonja and Ramona were on more equal footing with the brash, classless Jill Zarin, Bethenny and Alex. But now they really stand out as fake and pretentious. And poor Sonja – her attempt to act like a Hollywood femme fatale from the 1940s is bad acting.
Agree with your comment about Sonja acting like a femme fatale. When she was at the table with the girls and had her hair up with a faux diamond hair band (and showing all her dark roots), I thought she looks like a cleaning woman from the chin up. Really. Like some of the cleaning women in my office building.
She needs better grooming. And less pity party for Sonja.
Hey Sonja, you actually have to PAY people to work on your line.
No one works for FREE.
Your friends don’t work for FREE.
PAY UP.
Also, Heather doesn’t want to sleep with you, so that won’t work.
But, Delia, Sonja now has 10 Interns and 3 man servants and all of them willingly work for Free at Sonja’s Grey Gardens!!
Hil.ar.i.ous! LOL!
Heather helping Sonja with her “branding” comes under the rubric of “no good deed goes unpunished.”
I really like Heather. She has balls. And if her business is as successful as she portrays then her time is very valuable. Just as any other honcho. I don’t see any other CEO she knows jumping to her rescue for free.
Sonja is not the NY socialite she would like everyone to believe she is . She runs in a very small circle. As pointed out, the majority of which are her assistants, which are there for show. She plays a very small part in the gay community. Not the godmother as she tries to portray in the press. The events I know of, she was not paid to attend or to host anything. She has been invited. Everything with Sonja is blown out of proportion. My guess is 5% of New Yorkers know who she is and that is mainly due to this show. She expolits a lot of charity’d for her own good and has actually not been included in a few functions due to her “demands” – which are frivolous. How long does it really take to “launch” a toaster oven. 2 season? LOL!! She is striving to live a Dynasty lifestyle on a Brady Bunch budget. Sonja, you still have a few real friends. Nurture them, not the one’s with the camera’s and gossip columns. Maybe then you will lose your title as Queen…….of denial.
Hear! Hear! Well said!
Good insights, Bill, TY. My guess is that the only money that Sonja currently gets is whatever she is paid by Bravo. Not much!
I love my Toaster Oven, I have the Breville, Convection model. It is great for reheating and cooking for 1 or 2 people. With that being said, what is the potential for a Sonja oven? My research indicated that Breville is the best, followed closely by Kitchenaide and Quisineart. Perhaps, if she can get on a home shopping network and slashes the price she will get some sales? As for her cookbook. Any recipe can be easily adapted to the toaster oven, no special recipes or cookbook is needed. Besides, I looked at the recipes on her website and they did not wow me. So sad, I wonder if Sonja bothered to do any sort of market research or a marketing plan?
As for Sonja in the City?? If the party she planned for the Dreschers is any indication of the job she does, I think she is in trouble there too!
I think she is HSN material.
I know Sonja can be flakey, but I agreed with her this time. Heather volunteered to help her and do all this, and she is a client. If it all works out well and the ovens sell like hot-cakes, are Heather and that snotty guy going to refuse all credit and say Sonja wasn’t a client? Just because someone isn’t paying you, (because you agreed to do it that way), doesn’t mean they should have no say in the process, or that you can treat them like an idiot and give them dirty looks. I don’t know why Heather offered to do this, did she think she was going to take over and do the entire thing in one afternoon, with no input from Sonja? And I’m sorry, a semi-nude male model can be fun to look at, but not when I’m shopping for a toaster oven!
There were at least a couple of meeting with Sonja over a 3 week period of time. Sonja had No other information to share other than, 1. She wanted her name with a prominent J and she wanted the female figure. She also wanted it to be sexy, to blend with her Sonja in the City premis. What I saw in each meeting was, Sonja flipping her hair and putting on airs and just babbling a lot. She truly was of no help. I could not believe that Sonja did not even bother to bring any notes or sketches to any of the meetings.I thought that Sonja was quite rude and snotty when she called herself a “client”. She was also rude by inviting Ramona to the meeting. This was a total setup. Sonja could have changed direction at any time, after all Sonja claimed that she had her own team and that she also had a member of Martha Stewarts team……where were they? I don’t think that Heather and the designer were interested in taking credit, but, I do think that they did not want to come out looking bad either. That is business. But, I do agree, I also did not like the concept, but remember, it was Sonja’s concept.
Isn’t a person a client when they PAY someone for a service? If you are getting help for FREE, you don’t invite someone else to the meeting. You might like some ideas they have, and I don’t know take some notes or jot down the ideas for the actually meeting not just bring the person into the meeting, not professional! Sonja could have easily told Heather, thanks for the offer but I do have someone else. To me, it sounds like Sonja wants everything for free, which let’s face it, the uber wealthy are used to getting tons of things free. Demands because you once lived that lifestyle don’t mean that you always get it. If it were me, I would have reminded Ms. Morgan, that it was I doing HER the favor and not the other way around. I am not even gonna get into the whole toaster oven thing, don’t sound like a way for Ms. Morgan to keep her elite lifestyle going. Even for appearance sake, but what do I know, I am cheap and don’t spend money on things like toaster ovens.
Thanks SH for doing the facebook/twitter thing, WordPress isn’t so friendly to those that can’t remember their passwords.
Clearly, Sonja is not a business person. Oh, yes, she has tried some ventures, all have failed and she has lost millions in the process. I have done business with Uber Wealthy people and they Do Pay for services. What Sonja is doing, expecting Free Services and multiple Free Interns to use as servants, is not the usual way that things are done. I feel for Heather, she felt badly for poor, broke Sonja and offered her help, instead, Sonja took advantage of her.
Heather and her “professional team” were a joke. They knew nothing about Sonja with a J..and were playing into whatever Heathre said. Ramona would be miles above them since she runs several businesses and she cares for Sonja. Heather is doing it for air time to make herself look good..<<<< which is impossible.
also ..if Heather offered free that is fine..Sonja is the client. PERIOD! Should she settle because they do not agree..NEVER!
I found a toaster oven potato chip recipe on Sonja’s site and it was really good. (Jump all over me, it was.) He toaster oven is retro cute as all get out and I would buy it if I had money to waste, which I don’t. I kind of like her even if she’s scattered, self important and never wears underpants. (Gross) She’s pretty and photogenic. She doesn’t seem mean. That ad those people came up with was so stupid. A naked man? Really? For a woman’s brand in retro style? What hacks. I’d have walked out show or no show.
A cute classy kitchen logo would work. “Chef Sonja” would be a start in the right direction.
I think RHNY is targeting Sonja Morgan for a “let’s make fun of this housewife” story. First, Aviva’s disgusting father is “fixed up” with Sonja (since Sonja married a much older man). Now, kicking her toaster oven because she is in dire financial straits (and using sex to sell a kitchen item).
love nj, yeah, wouldn’t putting her in a 50′s outfit with a vintage apron be cute? I may actually make that and send it to her. I wonder if she’d actually read email? I hated their logo too. I got what she was saying. The J is important, I couldn’t remember when I was searching for her, if it was Sonja or Sonya. I am a shite speller.
I don’t get the concept of the guy holding the box it Sonja needs to be focus not some guy with his shirt off! Looks like Bethany image of skinny girl though being used by adding the girl to Sonja’s name. She should find other image or just use her name or people will think she is trying to chase after Bethany.IMO