Brand Audit of Goodwill Central Virginia assignment
The class was broken into four groups and told to create a strategy and tactical suggestions to engage 18 to 24 year olds in the Richmond area. All of the teams presented their insights and recommendations to representatives from Goodwill. Our team was judged to have won and the representatives were so impressed with our presentation that we were invited to go to the January Board of Directors meeting and share our findings with of them.
research
Primary: Online Surveys, Focus Groups, Man-on-the-Street Interviews, Retailer Interviews, Expert Interviews, In-store observation Secondary: Category Exploration, Text on Philanthropy and Gen-Y, SWOT Analysis, Competitive Analysis
insights
Real Fashion is at Goodwill - Goodwill stores carry clothes that are in good shape and in fashion. This went against most of the preconceived notions of “Old, dead people’s clothes”.
It’s not a lack of interest; It’s a lack of knowledge - Almost no one knew Goodwill’s mission of helping the disabled and disadvantaged members of the community gain employment. Most were under the impression that Goodwill was just a place to give away and buy secondhand clothing.
We must eliminate the enabler - All of their lives our target has mainly relied on their family (most
commonly their mom) to collect and drop off donations. Since our target was beginning to live alone we needed to restart a relationship with them.
Conversation is everything - This generation, and more specifically our target, does not respond well when a message is thrust upon them; if they are going to respond or embrace a message they must be spoken with in a two way dialogue, not preached to.
positioning target
objective strategy tactical suggestions
Goodwill is the original recycling bin full of conversational fashion that inspires. We chose to target a group that we named the “RVA Borrowers”. They do not call their home Richmond, they call it RVA. They are trendsetters and are seen as unique by their peers. They are socially aware and involved in local causes. They “borrow” fashion from the past and proudly wear it today. They love vintage clothing stores and boutiques and are always looking for a bargain, which fits perfectly with what Goodwill offers. Their goal is to be different but still in fashion. Our group was the only one not to target fraternities and sororities.
Start a dialogue showing this group how much they have in common with Goodwill.
Speak their Language - use media and messages that they already embrace Fashion Advisory Board - This council would be made up of local students and youth that are involved in
fashion. They would be in charge of re-merchandising the boutique store that Goodwill runs as well as posting content on the Goodwill Fashion Blog. This gives our target input into how Goodwill works. This will allow them to feel as though they are part of the brand as well as creating brand ambassadors.
Goodwill Fashion Blog - This would be a blog that would focus on vintage fashion which is what Goodwill specializes in. It would keep up with all of the fashion happenings in Richmond and create a forum where RVA borrowers and others can communicate with one another as well as with Goodwill.
tactical suggestions
In-Store Experience - We created a series of in-store radio ads and playlists that would appeal to this
demographic in an effort to make their shopping experience more informative and enjoyable. We also proposed an instore information center using computers from Goodwill’s e-cycling program. This would allow for more direct dialogue, giving the customers a way to express their opinion to Goodwill as well as giving Goodwill a way to collect information (name, age, address, interests, etc.) about their clientele.
Seasonal Postering Campaign - To keep
Goodwill at the top of mind at opportune times of the year (spring cleaning, dorm move in/out, halloween, etc.) as well as spreading Goodwill’s mission we created posters. These would be posted around area campuses and local hangouts of our target. Also they would keep a vintage, simplistic look that appeals to our target.
THOSE OLD JEANS ARE WORTH MORE THAN YOU THINK. EVERY 53 SECONDS GOODWILL HELPS SOMEONE GET A JOB.
VINTAGE. SECOND-DEBUT IN CARYTOWN
T-Shirt Printing Subsidiary - Goodwill owns a subsidiary that prints custom t-shirts and is doing very well, but
very few people know that its profits go to Goodwill. We created a simple logo that would go inside the shirt where the size tag is. This had Goodwill’s core values on it to inform people of its affiliation and Goodwill’s principles.
Goodwill Winnie - To start a direct donating relationship between Goodwill
and this demographic we created a Goodwill Winnebago. A vehicle that is big enough to hold donations but still has a vintage feel. This branded Winnie would make stops around the community collecting donations and gaining attention as well as playing the radio spots and playlists we created.