AMY NEWELL
Technology is advancing at incredibly fast rates, pushing society to enter a more virtual reality that has opened up the availability and connectivity of the world and global information, all through our hand held devices. I wish to embrace this advancement in technology, by creating an innovative device application, which combines our love of ethical consumption and technology, into an application that can aid us in making informed procuring choices, as well as explaining that ethical and sustainable goods cost, and that you are not consuming these products, but investing in them.
SiMi://
SiMi is a downloadable application for all personal smart devices. A simple tool that intends to educate, demonstrate, and formulate, a means for us to better understand how our purchasing habits impact the environment, locally, globally and personally, with the aim of encouraging better, more ethical and sustainable consumer decisions within the apparel market. SiMi would have the ability to scan and read the digitally ingrained information of a product barcode, and then geographically maps the production line of the product, from the origin of the materials, to the point of assembly, showing the journey, financial and ecological cost. SiMi will then calculate the carbon footprint of that product, taking into consideration: a product’s manufacturing process, material/ ingredient sources, treatment of workers, waste emissions, among other sustainability concerns, and then translate this information into a clear and understandable bar-chart and traffic light system; the more red you score, the more unhealthy those jeans are.
My research was diverse, utilising a broad spectrum of resources to enable me to build an accurate and insightful customer profile. Using reports that represent both global and national markets, featuring a range of demographics, and, have been published in the past three years, to ensure accuracy and relevance, we are able to draw well-rounded conclusions and build truthful customer profiles
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS://
I came to identify that there were three types of customer that may invest in SiMi, all of different demographics, and all of which were in search for a tool that would enable them to make the wisest procuring choices in order to suit their needs. The secondary research was sourced via market and trend forecasting sites that would provide me with the most accurate and applicable statics in order to draw accurate conclusions. The most useful and relevant sites were: Mintel, a global and awardwinning provider of market research, LS:NGlobal, a trends forecaster created by The Future Laboratory, and WGSN, the fashion trend forecasting site. Primary research that was conducted as part of the investigation revealed that there was great interest into the apps that better fed people’s desire to be educated in the background of a product/brand, in order to identify whether that product/brand compromises the welfare of that customer.
The conducting of competitor analysis involved me looking into other businesses that were offering a similar service to SiMi. My analysis looked into the strengths and weaknesses of two potential competitors, Oroeco and How Good. Oroeco, A carbon footprint calculator that reviews your consumer purchases, travel, food consumption and daily life activities, which is then totalled and provide a CO2 emission score. The purpose of OROECO is to encourage individuals to take an active role in minimising their CO2 emissions and reducing their environmental impact, with the aid of inapp incentives and personalised goals.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS://
Based in the USA, How Good is a phone application created by two brothers, whose aim is to help shoppers identify the best, most sustainable food products. With the aid of independent experts, How Good is a tool that advises shoppers on all aspects of food production, from geographic areas, to food & environmental policy. The information is all summarised into a coherent scoring system. What both apps lacked was, the power to intrigue and inspire potential users due to their ‘preaching’ tone of voice in their written language, uninteresting aesthetic and being unavailable to users in the UK. SiMi would not only be available to a global market, but also be inviting, contemporary and stimulating.
The operation of SiMi is simple. Open SiMi display the scan screen. Focus the barcode of the product and tap the centre of the framed box, which will blink red.
SiMi INTERFACE://
Swipe screen to the left, where a world map will load and the maufacturing journey of the garment revealed. For the traffic light rating, swipe the screen up, where the facts will be simplified into a bar chart, where links to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ can be located, and enable the user to ‘shout’ and share product information. To return to the beginning and scan a new item, swipe the screen down.
Utilising multiple social media platforms, allows SiMi to interact with users in a shared and friendly setting. Social medial is at the heart of every person’s online life today. It is also an important part of daily life for businesses. Customers enjoy interacting with a brand in a social context, for a feeling of being in control and influential over a brand’s future.
SiMi & SOCIAL MEDIA://
SiMi shall benefit with having closer relationships with our customers in order to promote brand loyalty and user feedback. Where Facebook is targeted at relationship building, Twitter target itself at users who are more interested in current events, and quick news updates. Either platform is important for any entrepreneurial business to be part of, in order to interact with a global community and to share SiMi’s ethos; Scan it. Map it. Shout it.
Visual merchandising is, primarily, the presentation of merchandise at it’s best; colour coordinated, bedecked and self-explanatory. However, window and in-store displays need to offer more than just product, but provide a pizazz, vivacity, sparkle and shine, which encompasses the presentation of merchandise and makes a shopper stop, look, and invest. It is not only the presentation of merchandise that is important, but also the presentation of the brand itself. A means to forward a store’s marketing goals, and describe them; the window displays are the face of the store and the brand. I want to be able to educate myself in the basics of effective visual merchandising, and it’s importance as a promotional platform that is part of an integrated marketing strategy. The 7P’s illustrate that there is a lot more to be considered by a brand than just thinking of a product and selling it, and that actually, not only do brands need to sell a product, but also, they need to sell the brand itself. The high street needs to evolve, and offer something new. Shopping is a social activity, and it will always have a major role in the consumer experience, however, store windows are…a barrier…something that can be quite boring, quite uninspiring, and quite uninviting. Within this project, I aim to push window displays into new territories in order to enhance a customer’s shopping experience, and provide store displays that are stimulating, using interactive technology, that not only encourages customers to utilise their smart-phone devices, but also promote physical interaction.
MAGICALLY MARVELLOUS: JOHN LEWIS CHRISTMAS 2016 VISUAL MERCHANDISING: THE SILENT SALESMAN
Sonnet 130 is an ethical business that specialises in the conservation, preservation and education of ethical fabric production, creating luxury accessories and homeware products made out of ahimsa silk, an ethical alternative to traditional silk, a hypothetical business I had created as part of a past project, where I also created a business report. In the business report, I proposed to open a brick-and-mortar store, and, as I am to educate myself in visual merchandising, I could create a visual merchandising plan for this hypothetical store.
SONNET 130 CONSERVATION. PRESERVATION. EDUCATION.
Sonnet 130 is to have a fresh and organic aesthetic, with an almost ‘raw’ quality. One of the unique selling points that I outlined in my business report for Sonnet 130, was that I would eventually produce my own ahimsa silk which customers would be able to watch, so I bringing in lighting and displays that utilise glass as a symbolic gesture illustrating the transparency of my brand, and the use of foliage to best communicate the idea of Sonnet 130 being a natural and more organic alternative. The products that I would produce are beautifully coloured and digitally printed silk scarves, ties and homeware products such as cushions, curtains and bedding. Ultimately, the brand image that I want to portray is one of luxurious elegance and sophistication; I also want to communicate that this is a brand that specialises in conservation and luxury. A proposed idea was a Spring/Summer display where products have been inspired by the world’s most rare and expensive flowers. The displays would feature these flowers, preserved in resin, educating customers in these beautiful blooms, with the displays to then be donated to the British Museum, where they can continue to educate and inspire.
GOLD OF KINABALU ORCHID
KADUPUL
KING OF THE PAPHS
DUTCHMAN’S QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
The Kinabal, King of the Paphs, Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid, named after Baron Ferdinand James Von Rothschild, a keen orchid collector, and the gentleman who discovered the orchid. Fetching up to £3,300 per stem, the price tag of this bloom is thanks to its rarity, where the flowers can take up to 15 years before they are ready to bloom. Amazingly beautiful; with green petals speckled with red spots. The upper and lower petals have a linear pattern when looked at from afar, while the two petals at the sides are magnificently long. The thin stem can hold up to six flowers horizontally, which give them the appearance of being extremely large flowers, which are in fact quite dainty. Its leaves are semi-translucent and the orchid thrives in wet and humid environments. This Southeast Asian beauty lives only in the wild at the National Park in Malaysia, a world heritage site that houses the most expensive orchids in the world.
Like any flower, this bloom has multiple names: Epiphyllum oxypetalum, Dutchman’s Pipe, Queen Of The Night, Nightblooming Cereus. Native to Sri Lanka, and some parts of Australia, the Kadupul is a species of cactus and one of the most sophisticated species in its category, and has an almost poetic and ephemeral beauty as it only as infrequently as once a year. Even the local people of seldom see this delicate beauty. Blossoming just before midnight and perishing before dawn, no one, neither orchid-lover nor oligarch, has yet been able to remove the flower from its stem to make a gift of it, hence why this flower is not the most expensive flower in the world, but in fact, priceless, for that it is so rare, and so frail, that it does not live long enough in order to be sold. Due to its incredibly short life span, this flower has become almost mythical in its status and is revered by many as the most desirable and valuable flower on earth.
JULIET ROSE
SAFFRON CROCUS
“A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET”
CROCUS SATIVUS LINNAEUS
This beautifully soft bloom, with sophisticated shades of peach, is a manmade flower created by David Austin, an English rose cultivator, who breeds roses that have rich character and fragrance of traditional garden roses, but have capabilities of modern hybrid roses which allow the flowers to have repeat-flowering ability that can come in a wide variety of colour. Also referred to as the ‘£3million rose’, as that is how much it approximately cost Austin to create, it took Austin over fifteen years of intensive breeding, and the Juliet rose combines the beautiful cupped rosette form of old roses with a very contemporary peach colour. When fully open, Juliet’s blooms reveal many neatly arranged petals nestling in folds within the heart of the bloom. Available for a healthy sum of £3.3million per stem, the apricot-hued Juliet rose was debuted in 2006 at the Chelsea Flower Show, and remains to this day, the most expensive rose ever developed.
The delicately beautiful purple flower, blooms in the late summer months, and is home to the three deep golden orange stamens that are hand picked and then dried in order to produce the luxury saffron spice. Originating in western Asia, saffron has a rich and extensive history, with its earliest historic references in Ancient Egypt and classic Greece, where saffron was used as an aromatic and seductive essence; and its history continues to spread through the middle ages, the renaissance and beyond. The saffron flower, or Rose Of Saffron, is widely famed as the producer of the world’s most expensive spice. It takes almost 15,400 of the purple-blue flowers to harvest 100 grams of saffron spice, and as the only way to harvest the spice is through a extremely hand labour intensive method, a mere 100 grams of saffron spice incurs a £7,500 price tag. The beautifully delicate flower has price that rivals gold in value.
ROALD DAHL THE VISIONARY
I have come to find that Sonnet 130 is not the strongest of concepts for showcasing my commercial understanding of visual merchandising. However, my new muse is Roald Dahl, I concept I had pondered on at the beginning of this project, and a concept that offers greater marketing potential. My earlier mood boards for the Sonnet 130 theme, gave me the creative inspiration I needed for the Roald Dahl concept, and after researching into Roald Dahl’s extensive works, his screenplays, his adult books, and his infamous children novels. As an individual, Roald Dahl is a character that appeals across the generations and to a multitude of demographics, who all share this link and understanding. Roald Dahl’s wit, humour, creativity and family-friendly persona are traits that not only suit John Lewis, but better John Lewis’ image also. Not only does Roald Dahl offer an extensive customer scope, but also to promote and support Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which aids ill children across the UK, demonstrating John Lewis’ key values of bettering society locally and globally. Using Roald Dahl’s works as the visual and narrative concept behind John Lewis’ Christmas 2016 campaign, as November 23rd 2016 marks the passing of the infamous Roald Dahl, who would have celebrated is 100th Birthday on the September 13th 2016. An opportunity to recreate his magical works alongside the magic of the festive season, providing a tangible backdrop that can be easily translated across multiple promotional platforms in order to create a consistent theme that is identifiable and coherent.
WILLY WONKA
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
JAMES BOND: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
FANTASTIC MR FOX
INTERESTS
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS
CHARACTER
ART
AFFLUENT
SOCIAL MEDIA
OPTIMIST
COOKING
ASPIRATIONAL
PETS
CARING
URBAN EXPLORATION
AMBITIOUS
DESIRES INQUISITIVE INDEPENDENT RURAL HOME LIFE CREATIVE
ENTREPRENEUR HOME OWNER TRAVELLING SUCCESS LUXURY
John Lewis has a rich and astute understanding of who their customer is and how their customer shops, revealed through the annual How We Shop, Live & Look annual reports. By having such an insightful and in-depth comprehending of the John Lewis customer, John Lewis have shaped themselves into a brand that is appealing and incredibly dedicated to providing the optimum customer experience. Indeed, 6,000 consumers participated in a survey awarding John Lewis the Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards 2014. By keeping themselves viable amongst their current consumer group, John Lewis is able to evolve and maintain strong dominance amongst the department-store-battle-arena.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Whether it is a small business, large corporation, or just the sparks of an entrepreneurial venture, what the competition is doing, is a key part of discovering whether a business is viable or not. Through competitor analysis, I can better protect the future of my John Lewis Christmas promotion, and anticipate what threats and opportunities lay ahead. There are multiple department stores worldwide, but the two competitors I chose to focus on as part of my John Lewis marketing plan, were House Of Fraser and Debenhams. Both offer a diverse range of product, but it was not their business strategy that I needed to analyse, but their past Christmas promotion campaigns, as that is the field that I am focusing on for this project. Not only did I look at the aesthetics of the displays themselves, but also the TV advertisements, and financial reports over the Christmas period, in order to ascertain whether the growth or decline in sales was a reflection of their marketing tactics.
The fictional worlds that Roald Dahl has created permit me manoeuvrability in unconventional and experimental creativity, which shall build a strong Christmas promotion that fascinates and captivates the target audience. This is best achieved through the technological advancements that allow the physical realisation of the fanciful, providing a multi sensory experience that is interactively engaging. Window displays that utilise colour, light, shape, sound, smell and touch, integrating social media and advertising for both online and televised broadcasting, will aid in the recreation of Roald Dahl’s fantastical worlds, and promote John Lewis as a cutting-edge and pioneering entity that shall be our unique selling position. The concept for this interactive display was to recreate the demise of Violet Beauregarde, the third of the five children to find one of Willy Wonka’s exclusive Golden Tickets. The scene that the window display is creating is where Willy Wonka invents a gum, which is not yet ready for human consumption. Ignoring the warnings, Violet Beauregarde chews sampling the flavours of an entire three-course dinner with the defective blueberry pie dessert, which causes Violet Beauregarde to turn blue and inflate into a giant blueberry. For this display, it requires the passer by to physically tap the glass in order to pop Violet Beauregarde’s inflated body, which then reveals the brightly lit ‘Magically Marvellous’ sign, the proposed slogan for this promotional campaign.
WILLY WONKA
TAP THE GLASS TO DEFLATE THE PURPLE RUBBER MANNEQUIN WHICH FILLS THE WINDOW. FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A BLINKING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, WHICH SHALL CREATE A MAGICAL AURA. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP IN DEEP MAUVE, HAS A METALLIC QUALITY THAT REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THEM BRIGHTER. FIXED ON THE BACKDROP OF THE WINDOW IS STAINLESS STEEL BOXED LETTERING WITH WHITE INCANDESCENT BULBS, THAT BRIGHTLY LUMINATE THE ‘MAGICALLY MARVELLOUS’ SLOGAN. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS, TWO OF WHICH SHALL HAVE A PURPLE LIGHT FILTER. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING OF THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE DISPLAY. THE ‘MAGICALLY MARVELLOUS’ LIGHTING WILL HAVE A TRANSLUCENT GLOW THROUGH THE INFLATABLE MANNEQUIN TO CREATE AN EERIE PURPLE GLOW.
MANNEQUINS WILL BE MADE OF A SMOOTH ORANGE RESIN, CONTRASTING THE TEXTURE OF THE GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP IN DEEP MAUVE, HAS A METALLIC QUALITY THAT REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THEM BRIGHTER. FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A BLINKING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, WHICH SHALL CREATE A MAGICAL AURA. OVERSIZED SWEETS WILL BE MANNEQUIN PROPS THAT SHALL ACT AS CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE REFERENCES. A CANDY CANE PROP SHALL ACT AS A CHRISTMAS REFERENCE ALSO, THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS, TWO OF WHICH SHALL HAVE A PURPLE LIGHT FILTER. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING OF THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE DISPLAY. THE MANNEQUINS SHALL BE ARRANGED IN CONTORTED POSES, WITH THEIR HEADS BEING MOTORISED SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO FOLLOW PASSERS-BY ON THE STREET. THE AIM IS TO ENCOURAGE ONLOOKERS TO FILM AND SHARE DISPLAYS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, FURTHER PROMOTING THE CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN.
On either side of the Violet Beauregarde themed window, will be windows that feature mannequins, wearing fashion products available in the John Lewis store. Replicating the bright orange, green-haired Oompa-Loompas in the 1971 adaptation of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart. As an adult, I no longer see the OompaLoompas as joyful all-singing, all-dancing beings, but more like Willy Wonka’s puppets. Suspended in the air, in different poses, the mannequins’ heads will have the ability to follow the direction of people walking past, in theory, bringing the windows to life! All the Willy Wonka themed windows will have purple glitter walls and flooring, as this will reflect light, making them brighter and more alluring, as it will also have a twinkling quality, assisted with blinking fairy lights that are featured only the back wall of the display. The use of lighting effects with fairy lights can create an essence of fantasy and magic, whilst spotlights at the front of the windows will have coloured filters to create the atmospheric mood of each window display. The coloured lighting filters cannot be overly pigmented, as this could alter the colour of the garment being displayed. The use of oversized sweets as mannequin props can help in giving mannequins’ character but also act as a direct reference to the Charlie And The Chocolate Factory story.
FANTASTIC MR FOX
Recreating Mr Fox’s night-time prowlings, the backdrop and side panel of these window displays will consist of a glittery navy backdrop with fairy lights protruding through, replicating a starry sky. The metallic quality of the glitter will reflect light, making them brighter and more alluring, with the fairy lights creating the idea of twinkling stars. Compared to the displays I propose for the Willy Wonka themed window theme, the Fantastic Mr Fox windows are more simplistic, as I am trying to create greater emphasis on the product that will be featured in these displays. The centre window features three sleek, dark green mannequins, with animal heads, a rabbit, a duck, and a fox to reference the animals featured in the Fantastic Mr Fox story. The mannequins will be set in 3-dimensional scenery consisting of a grassy hill flooring and leafy silver birch trees in order to create depth within the window display. The reflective quality of the silver birch bark will keep the window bright in colour. The mannequins have the ability to change poses when passers-by walk past the display, with motorised heads that can create humanoid facial expressions that give mannequins character. On either side of the central display are two displays that will have the same glittering backdrop, and 3-dimensional scenery, however these shall have moving model chickens pecking in the grass, which is another reference towards the Fantastic Mr Fox story. People are naturally drawn to colour and light, which is why lighting is extremely key in these displays, and one of the displays will feature a large, circular moon with a warm ambient glow. Products shall be suspended from the ceiling of the left and right windows, which shall be the focus in these minor displays to promote John Lewis’ product offering.
FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A TWINKLING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, AND GIVE THE ILLUSION OF STARS. A RESIN MOON SHALL BE FEATURED ON THE BACK PANEL THAT HAS A YELLOW GLOW, CREATING A WARMER AMBIENCE. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP IN A RICH NAVY HUE, HAS A METALLIC QUALITY THAT REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THEM BRIGHTER. MOTORISED CHICKENS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE THEIR HEADS AND PECK AT THE FLOOR. THE AIM IS TO BRING THE WINDOW DISPLAYS TO LIFE THAT SHALL ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF PASSERS-BY. PRODUCT SHALL BE SUSPENDED FROM THE CEILING OF THE DISPLAY WITH SILVER GLITTER THREADS, AS IF THE PRODUCTS ARE BEING SUSPENDED BY THE STARS. AN AIR OF MAGIC AND LUXURY. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS, TWO OF WHICH SHALL HAVE NO COLOURED LIGHT FILTER. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING OF THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE DISPLAY.
FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A TWINKLING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, AND GIVE THE ILLUSION OF STARS. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP IN A RICH NAVY HUE, HAS A METALLIC QUALITY THAT REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THEM BRIGHTER AND MORE ALLURING. EACH MANNEQUIN SHALL HAVE AN OVERSIZED ANIMAL HEAD, REFERENCING CHARACTERS FROM THE FANTASTIC MR FOX STORY. INTERNAL MOTORS SHALL GIVE THE ANIMAL HEADS HUMANOID FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. THE AIM IS TO ENCOURAGE PASSERS-BY STOP AND LOOK, WHICH HAS THEN SUCCESSFULLY ENCOURAGED THEM TO INTERACT WITH THE STORE. TWO FEMALE AND ONE MALE MANNEQUIN SHALL FEATURE IN THE CENTRE OF THE DISPLAY, MADE OF A SMOOTH DEEP GREEN RESIN. THIS SHALL CONTRAST THE TEXTURE OF THE GLITTER WALLS AND BACKDROP. THE LOWER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE SPOTLIGHTS, WITH NO COLOURED FILTERS. THESE SHALL BE DIRECTED UP AT THE MANNEQUINS TO CREATE INTIMIDATING SHADOWS ON THE MANNEQUINS’ FEATURES. TWO ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS WITH NO COLOURED FILTER SHALL BE DIRECTED AT THE GARMENTS WORN BY THE MANNEQUINS, SO THAT THEY ARE BETTER ILLUMINATED, AND BALANCE AGAINST THE LIGHTING DIRECTION OF THE LOWER SPOTLIGHTS.
FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A TWINKLING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, AND GIVE THE ILLUSION OF STARS. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP IN A RICH NAVY HUE, HAS A METALLIC QUALITY THAT REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THEM BRIGHTER. WINDOW DISPLAYS ARE USUALLY STATIC, SO THE USE OF MOTORISED CHICKENS ADDS A SIMPLISTIC TWIST ON CONVENTIONAL DISPLAYS, ATTRACTING ATTENTION OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO ENTER THE STORE ITSELF. PRODUCT SHALL BE SUSPENDED FROM THE CEILING OF THE DISPLAY WITH SILVER GLITTER THREADS, AS IF THE PRODUCTS ARE BEING SUSPENDED BY THE STARS. AN AIR OF MAGIC AND LUXURY. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS, TWO OF WHICH SHALL HAVE NO COLOURED LIGHT FILTER. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING OF THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE DISPLAY. MOTORISED CHICKENS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE THEIR HEADS AND PECK AT THE FLOOR. THE AIM IS TO BRING THE WINDOW DISPLAYS TO LIFE THAT SHALL ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF PASSERS-BY.
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
The James And The Giant Peach display encourages customers and passers-by on the street to use the smart devices in order to transform the window display, and promote online social media activity. Using a black, that fades into gold, glittering backdrop, side walls and flooring in order to reflect light, making them brighter and more alluring, with fairy lights to emphasise the glittering effect, this will only feature on the left and right windows, of this three window display theme, and shall create Roald Dahl’s Miss Spider, which was the most glamorous of the six magically altered garden bugs that James befriends in Henry Selick’s 1996 live-action stopanimation film. A moving Miss Spider model is suspended in one window, as she spins her glittering silver web, which dangles fashion products available at John Lewis, targeting the younger, more fashion conscious customer John Lewis are trying to appeal to. Warm, amber tinged lighting will create a warm atmosphere that will best correlate with the central window theme. The centre window is the main interactive focus of the James And The Giant Peach theme, combining a 2-dimensional background with 3-dimensional scenery with the use of a grassy mound and tree in the foreground, in order to create depth within the display. There shall also be a young child mannequin within the display, providing further opportunity to showcase John Lewis’ children’s fashion offering. The innovative characteristic of this display, is that the backdrop image is pixelated, and it is only when the looked at through a smart device camera, that the image is then brought into focus. This can then be shared through social media, promoting an original and entertaining Christmas campaign. The lighting for this window will incorporate glowing spotlights with the aid of amber incandescent coloured filters, same as the left and right displays, to suggest an affectionate and happy excitement.
THE AIM OF THESE WINDOWS IS TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS THROUGH THE LIGHTING AND COLOUR. THESE DISPLAYS ALSO HAVE A CLEAR NARRATIVE THAT IS EASILY IDENTIFIABLE. TWO OF THE UPPER FRONT DOWNLIGHTS SHALL HAVE AMBER LIGHT FILTERS. THE COLOURED FILTERS SHALL CREATE WARMTH WITHIN THE DISPLAY. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP FADES FROM BLACK INTO GOLD, WITH THE METALLIC QUALITY OF THE GLIITER REFLECTING THE LIGHT MAKING THE DISPLAY BRIGHTER AND MORE ALLURING. FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A BLINKING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, WHICH SHALL CREATE A MAGICAL AURA. PRODUCTS AVAILABLE INSTORE SHALL BE SUSPENDED IN THE WEB AND FROM SILVER GLITTERING STRANDS FROM THE CEILING. NOT ONLY DOES THE GLITTER REFLECT LIGHT, BUT ALSO GIVES AN AIR OF LUXURY. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING FROM THE FAIRY LIGHTS AT THE REAR OF THE STORE, AND BETTER ILLUMINATE THE FEATURED PRODUCTS. A RESIN MODEL OF MISS SPIDER SHALL BE SUSPENDED UPON A SILVER GLITTERING WEB. THE MOTORISED MODEL WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE, AS IF SPINNING THE WEB ITSELF. AS JOHN LEWIS IS TRYING TO TARGET A YOUNGER, MORE FASHION CONSCIOUS CUSTOMER, THESE WINDOWS WOULD BE BEST PLACED TO SHOWCASE FASHION PRODUCTS, SUCH AS LUXURY LEATHER ACCESSORIES, WHICH ARE HIGH VALUE ITEMS.
THE AIM OF THIS DISPLAY IS FOR PASSERS-BY TO PHOTOGRAPH THE DISPLAY AND SHARE THE IMAGE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, PROMOTING THE DISPLAYS AND JOHN LEWIS BRAND.
THE BACKDROP IMAGE IS PIXELATED, AND IT IS ONLY WHEN AN ONLOOKER LOOKS THROUGH A SMART DEVICE CAMERA THAT THE IMAGE IS BROUGHT INTO FOCUS.
3-DIMENSIONAL SCENERY, SUCH AS THE TREE & GRASS FLOORING SHALL CREATE DEPTH AND TEXTURE WITHIN THE DISPLAY . MANNEQUINS WILL BE MADE OF A SMOOTH BLACK RESIN, SO THAT IT DOES DETRACT FROM THE KEY DESIGN FEATURE OF THE BACKGROUND IMAGERY. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING FROM THE FAIRY LIGHTS AT THE REAR OF THE STORE, AND BETTER ILLUMINATE THE WINDOW DISPLAY FEATURES. TWO OF THE UPPER FRONT DOWNLIGHTS SHALL HAVE AMBER LIGHT FILTERS. THE COLOURED FILTERS SHALL CREATE WARMTH WITHIN THE DISPLAY.
JAMES BOND: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
The British Secret Service agent has always been a character associated with glamour and class. This is the same image I want to create for these James Bond themed displays. I had not realised that Roald Dahl had written more than just children’s stories, and even more surprised that he had also penned the screenplays for one of the most money spinning movie franchises. The centre window of the James Bond: You Only Live Twice window display is an interactive LED featuring the iconic opening sequence of all James Bond films, filmed from the view point of a gun barrel, it features 007 walking, turning, and then shooting directly at camera, causing blood to run down the screen. The idea behind this display is a ‘1…2…3…draw’ game, whereby the participant races James Bond. Although there is no prize incentive, just the physical interaction with the display can then encourage to see what other forms of entertainment lay within the store.
FAIRY LIGHTS INSERTED THROUGH THE BACKDROP, WILL HAVE A BLINKING SETTING IN ORDER TO CAUSE GLITTER PANELS TO SPARKLE, WHICH SHALL CREATE A MAGICAL AURA. THESE DISPLAYS ARE TO EVOKE GLAMOUR, AND SOPHISTICATION. THE AIM OF THESE DISPLAYS IS TO GET PASSERS-BY TO STOP AND LOOK, WHICH WILL THEN ENCOURAGE THE CUSTOMER TO ENTER THE STORE. THE UPPER FRONT OF THE WINDOW SHALL BE LINED WITH FOUR ADJUSTABLE DOWNLIGHTS, TWO OF WHICH SHALL HAVE A AMBER LIGHT FILTERS. THIS SHALL BALANCE THE LIGHTING OF THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE DISPLAY, AS WELL AS CREATING A SENSUAL HEAT. GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP, STARTING WITH A BLACK AT THE TOP WHICH FADES INTO A SUNSET GRADIENT. THE METALLIC SHEEN OF THE GLITTER BEST REFLECTS THE LIGHT MAKING THE WINDOWS BRIGHTER. MANNEQUINS WILL BE MADE OF A SMOOTH BLACK RESIN, CONTRASTING THE TEXTURE OF THE GLITTER WALLS, FLOORING AND BACKDROP. THE MANNEQUINS SHALL BE ARRANGED IN POSES REPLICATING THE JAMES BOND YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE PROMOTION POSTER FEATURING THREE FEMALS AND ONE MALE. THE MANNEQUINS’ HEADS HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE AND FOLLOW PASSERS-BY.
As John Lewis is trying to target a younger customer that has keen interest in fashion, I am trying to create window displays that will best exhibit these types of product. The left and right window displays feature a glittering backdrop, side panels and flooring of a black that transcends into sunset hues, with twinkling fairy lights in the backdrop panel; the metallic sheen of the glitter reflects light from the fairy lights and spot lights, not only making the window display brighter, but more alluring. The sleek black mannequins are arranged in poses that replicate one of the promotional posters for the James Bond: You Only Live Twice film, which features three Bond girls and the master of espionage himself. Passers-by of these windows will notice the mannequin heads following the onlooker as the walk by, which may be unnerving, but extremely fixating.
WILLY WONKA
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
JAMES BOND: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
FANTASTIC MR FOX
THE ADVERTISEMENT “THE KEY TO CHRISTMAS ADVERTISING IS MAKING IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE & EVOKING AN EMOTION THAT EVERYBODY CAN CONNECT WITH.”
The TV advertisement is an essential part of John Lewis’ Christmas campaigns; past, present and future, and is not a marketing fad, but a national event. Where I am designing the window displays to be more unconventional and daring, narrative-based persuasion advertising has proven to be successful in engaging and procuring customer support, but also is a John Lewis trademark that aids in building tension and excitement within the festive season. John Lewis’ TV advertisement has always had a strong link with the visual merchandising in order to create a comprehensive story behind the marketing campaign. Not only can this be linked visually, but also through the use of sound. I also want to involve other marketing tactics within my proposed Christmas promotion, and use my advertisement as a launch pad for celebrity endorsement, and who better than the granddaughter of the infamous Roald Dahl himself, Sophie Dahl. A talented writer, loving wife and devoted mother, Sophie Dahl’s national popularity and fame, is the best link between the audience, Roald Dahl and the John Lewis brand, and can appeal to customers far and wide. I want this advert to be just as memorable and adored, as all of John Lewis’ past advertisements.
Entering the living room with a box of Christmas decorations, a melancholy Sophie Dahl places the decorations at the foot of a vary bare Christmas tree. The darkness outside the living room window reveals the lateness of the hour, and a glance over her shoulder at the clock on the mantle piece, lit by the glowing embers of a fire, tells Sophie that it is time for bed. Before switching of the living room light, Sophie gives a final glance to a framed picture of her grandfather, Roald Dahl, softly lit by an amber glow, and with a woeful expression, leaves the room. Focused on the picture of Roald Dahl, in the background, the dying embers of the fire start to glow more intensely, and the box of decorations rustles and then tumbles over, spilling out tinsel, baubles and toy replicas of Roald Dahl’s most notable characters. They straighten up, look at one another and with mischievous grins, run towards the tree and begin to decorate. A nutcracker-style doll of Willy Wonka waltzes with the tree angel, whilst in the background, others work on guiding up the baubles; dipping and diving amongst the branches, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang zooms around, gold tinsel streaming behind it; a Matilda doll is joyfully swinging her legs as she lay on a sofa reading a book that has been left open, whilst the decorating continues in the foreground. As they stand back to admire their work, a light flicks on behind them in the doorway, and they quickly disperse to hide, with Willy Wonka pays a quick glance before hiding behind the base of the tree. Sophie enters the doorway, wrapped in a cosy dressing gown, who appears to have woken after hearing some sort of disturbance. Her eyes scan the living room and then fall in the direction of the tree, and widen in amazement, as they fall upon a beautifully bedecked Christmas tree in gold and crimson, with twinkling lights. Shocked, she looks around, searching and hears the flap of the letterbox at the front door. She rushes to the door, opens it and steps into the night, still searching for something that explains the eerily magical happenings, but with no one in sight, she then glances up at the night sky and beams a loving smile, as there, in the star filled heavens, is the twinkling face of her grandfather. Have a magically marvellous Christmas.
ONCE UPON A TIME...
I have compiled my findings into a detailed marketing report that is a hypothetical marketing plan orientated around the visual merchandising of John Lewis’ Christmas 2016 window displays and accompanying TV advertisement. The aim, to create a highly imaginative and pioneering image for the John Lewis brand that shall arouse and inspire customers far and wide, reenergising the brand and the high street. Available at http://issuu.com/aenewell/docs/_magicallymarvellous__issuu_