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FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

Contents Page Page 3- Rationale Page 5- Market Analysis Page 5- Look Book Page 7- Communicating the Event Page 8- Estimated Budget for Campaign Page 9- Estimated Absorption Costing Page 9- Plan for Evaluation Page 10- References

FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

Rationale Mamas & Papas have had a lot of success both in store and online in promoting a sense of luxury and an environment where the shopping experience can be enjoyed and the customer gains a sense that they have got a lot of worth for their money. Mamas & Papas have a reputation for being at the upper-middle end of the market where the products are stylish, fashion forward and high quality. Adding to the success of the Mamas & Papas brand is the large celebrity following, many pregnant celebrities, such as Nicky Hambleton-Jones, have trusted the products of Mamas & Papas over designer brands.

After the launch of an extensive lingerie line in January stocking a large range of sizes and eco fabrics the next step for the company is to target another area of maternitywear that requires more growth, occasion-wear, with a collaboration between themselves and Erdem Moralioglu based upon his designs for London Fashion Week 2010.

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Celebrities using Mamas & Papas(From left) Emma Bunton, Gwen Stefani and Nicky Hambleton-Jones.

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Erdem Moralioglu has received a great deal of positive press for his elegant, feminine designs, being named the young “Prince of Prints” (www.telegraph.co.uk). Erdem Moralioglu’s designs can often be seen gracing red carpet events but interestingly now also used by professional, working mothers such as Samantha Cameron, Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown. This clearly demonstrates how well Erdem’s designs could translate from catwalk to high street and also from occasion to workwear. This is something that is very important to women buying maternitywear, many items can have a very limited usage and many women will refrain from spending money for quality items as they believe it will not be value for money in terms of how long the product will be used (Mintel 2010).

Fig 4 Erdem designs taken from the runway to Red Carpet- Thandie Newton and Romola Garai.

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FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

Erdem designs on working women- (From Left) Samantha Cameron, Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown.

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Only 13% of women asked in Mintel’s consumer research agree that maternitywear is frumpy or unfashionable which is great news for the sector but still more can be done in certain categories- notably in special occasion-wear- and in enhancing appeal to younger women (Mintel 2010). Women no longer try to hide under large smock like clothing to conceal bumps and this is partly because of celebrity influence and fashion and media (Mintel 2010). What greater way to create excitement in maternitywear for the younger woman and those that are influenced by celebrities than with a designer collaboration. Erdem has a huge celebrity following as has already been discussed including trend setters such as Sienna Miller and Kiera Knightly.

Celebrity baby bumps- Angelina Jolie and Holly Willoughby.

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According to Mintel Maternitywear - UK- January 2010, 37% of women asked like to keep up with fashion trends whilst pregnant and 20% like to stand out in a crowd. Erdem’s designs can certainly go a long way to help women with this as they are seen to be fashion forward without following trends that can be outdated after just one season but they are most definitely designs that would get you noticed. The benefits of the Erdem designs are that they can be worn for special occasions during pregnancy but also as workwear they could also be kept and re-used in future pregnancies therefore adding to value for money. 45% of women asked purchased dresses during their pregnancy and of these 55% were over 35 and most likely to be working ABs. 18% of the women asked said that they purchased special occasion-wear with an almost equal share between women aged under 35 and women aged over 35. Occasionwear is also popular with most social grades. This shows the potential for growth in this area.

FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

Market Analysis The number of women having children later on in life has grown significantly. There are now more first-time mothers aged 30-34 than 25-29. Also, there are 50% more women aged 40-44 having babies than just ten years ago (Mintel 2010). With females now having more career aspirations, the lure of foreign travel and longer spent in further education many are putting off having children until later on in life (Mintel 2010). Older mothers are often likely to be in a stronger financial position, with more money to spend on clothing. Younger mothers may be cutting back on their own clothing spending in order to afford all the outgoings that come with having children (Mintel 2010). Dresses are most popular with the over 35’s as these women want to look feminine but also want to look smart. A dress is a comfortable option that can take them from office to a social occasion (Mintel 2010). This makes it clear to see that the age range to aim the collaboration at is 2540 as these women are most likely to require dresses for work and occasion-wear and also the ones that either have more available income or would benefit the most from purchasing a quality garment that will last and be suitable for a range or occasions and a number of seasons.

32% of women that have bought maternitywear have only bought 1-2 items closely followed by 3-4 at 28% and 5-6 at 21%.

Those buying three to four items are most likely 35-44, AB and C2 and more likely to be working. 40% of women think that maternitywear is too expensive, these women should be targeted by this range by showing that buying a garment such as Erdem’s dresses for Mamas & Papas can last through-out pregnancy, a few months after and subsequent pregnancies which equates to more value for money. 13% of women asked stated that there was not much choice of special-occasion maternitywear showing that this collaboration can greatly boost the public perception of the Mamas & Papas and fill a niche in the market for affordable designer special-occasion maternitywear.

Look Book Below can be seen the images of the garments from Erdem Moralioglu’s collection shown at London Fashion Week February 2010 that have influenced the collaboration between Erdem and Mamas & Papas.

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FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

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Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

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FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

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Fig 18 Communicating the event

In order to promote this collaboration a number of methods will be used. A launch event has been proposed which will nd take place on Thursday 2 September 2010 which is the night before the collection goes on general release. The event will be held at the Mamas & Papas flagship store on Regent Street in London. The main features of the launch will be catwalk shows presenting the range and also a meet and greet with Erdem Moralioglu. Erdem will also present his ideas behind the collection and how he feels about the collaboration. Nicky Hambleton-Jones, a celebrity fan and a strong promoter of the brand will also be on hand to offer styling advice. Food, home-made on the premises and drink will be served from the Italian Cibo Café. Nursery advisors will be on hand on the night to offer advice on other Mamas & Papas products and also the baby shower service that is available in the store. Exclusive discounts will be available on the night and an added incentive is that people at launch event will be the first to view and purchase the collection. Discounts available on the night should include: Buy a item from the Erdem @ Mamas & Papas range and receive a 15% discount voucher to use on products through-out the rest of the store (not to be used in conjunction with any other offer) and buy any 3 items from the range and save 20% (not to be used in conjunction with any other offer). Launch event will be by invitation only.

List of press that should be invited to event: Pregnancy and Childcare Magazines           

Angels & Urchins The Baby and Toddler Guide Boots Parenting Club Bumps and Babies Emma's Diary Pregnancy Guide I'm Pregnant Junior Pregnancy & Baby Maternity & Infant Modern Mum Mother & Baby NewGen

FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

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Practical Parenting and Pregnancy Pregnancy, Baby and You Pregnancy & Birth Pregnancy and Parenting Prima Baby Tesco Baby & Toddler Club You & Your Family Your New Baby Your Pregnancy Range of newspapers especially those including lifestyle magazines

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

New Media- Pregnancy and Childcare Websites         

      

allaboutyou Ask A Mum The Baby Directory The Baby Website BabyCentre Babyworld bounty.com Gurgle mumsnet.com

netmums.com Practical Parenting and Pregnancy Tesco Baby & Toddler Club Online ThinkBaby Baby and Bump Mother and Baby Awards A selection of relevant bloggers (List of Magazines and Websites taken from Bradinsight.com)

Gift bags will be available to those invited to the launch. Gift bags should include Mum-to-be toiletries such as The Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Gift Set which includes the following: Mum to Be Body Cream, Mum to Be Bath Soak and Mum to Be Body Wash and also an Erdem for Smythson small notebook.

Also available to the press before the launch date will be a selection of sample sizes to be used in shoots should they be required and also a selection of high resolution images of the collection available via the press office.

Information on the collaboration will be available through the Mamas & Papas website (www.mamasandpapas.com/news) and via the catalogue in both e-catalogue and paper formats. Catalogues can be picked up in-store or ordered online and often include a £5 gift card to be used in-store by a certain date shortly after the catalogue has been released. Discounts on the range could be offered in the catalogue or a gift-card to use towards the range to influence women to spend money on maternitywear. Information on the Collaboration, its availability, prices and images of the range will be sent via email newsletter to those that have signed up for alerts and news via the Mamas & Papas website.

The launch event will also be open to special competition winners that get the chance to enter after purchasing in-store during August. The competition will be promoted at point of sale and the customer will get the chance to enter when having made their purchase they get an extra print out from the till-point with their receipt directing them to the website to enter details and answer a question. This will boost traffic to the website after customers have already purchased and enjoyed the in-store shopping environment boosting the footfall there also.

Fan pages on social networking sites will also be used including Facebook and Twitter. Twitter will offer customers the chance to keep up-to-date with the developments of the range, the launch event and information and opinions on the collaboration with news as it breaks. As the range is aimed at women aged 25-40 it seems a sensible idea to just focus on the two social networking sites as older working women do not have the time to look at all of the sites available and these are the two that are most used by older women to keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family and to keep up-todate with various company and celebrity gossip/news.

Costing Estimate for costing of campaign Press Release- Preparation, design and printing Extra Staff for launch night Celebrities Samples Goody Bags Fashion show Food and Drink at Launch event Entertainment Invitations and RSVP’s Catalogues- Preparation, design and printing Photography Operation Costs (Telephone, stationary etc)

£45 per hour x 8 = £360 10 at £6ph= £60ph x 5 hours = £300 £3000 8 dresses at £250= £2000 x 5 = £10,000 £105 each x 50 = £5250 Models = £4000, Hair and makeup = £600, Choreography= £300, Insurance = £700, Staging hire= £1000 Total= £6600 50 at £30= £1500 £350 £350 £20,000 £2000 £1000

Grand Total = £50,710 (Cost for 6 month campaign) FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

Estimated absorption costs 15%

Estimated percentage of the operating margin

£50,710

Cost for 6 month campaign

£101,420

Total estimated costs of campaign over 12 months

£676,133.33

Total turnover needed to cover costs

12 Months

Number of months taken to absorb campaign costs

£56,344.44

Amount of extra turnover per month needed to cover costs

Launch and Finish Dates th

It has been proposed that the collaboration is launched on Friday 4 June as it is often around this time that there is high demand for occasion-wear for weddings late in the season and also for the Ascot races. It is also more important for pregnant women to feel comfortable and cool in dresses over the summer months. It is also from this time that footfall starts to steadily rise with a steep increase from beginning of November until mid December (See image below demonstrating footfall figures from www.retail-week.com). So it is proposed that the range is available until December meeting the needs for Christmas and New Year parties. It has been suggested that there will be two 6-month long campaigns.

Plan for evaluation It has been suggested that there will be some research towards the end of the first six months of the campaign in order to assess whether or not the campaign has been successful. There will be a focus group of both people that may have purchased from the collection and those that may not. Those that will have purchased from the collection will be able to comment upon what parts of the collaboration worked well and those that did not. Those that did not purchase from the collection will be able to comment upon whether or not they knew about the collaboration- if not it will be possible to see what can be done to further improve the promotion of the collaboration for the next six month campaign and those that

FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929

did will be able to comment upon what worked, what they liked and what they didn’t. There will also be the opportunity to see how the collaboration has impacted upon the company in measurable ways such as increased footfall in stores and traffic to the website and of course via profit levels and sales figures. It could also be considered whether research is done following the first collection via a series of questionnaires available via email and on the company website for those that purchased online. Success with the collaboration will also be able to be seen in the amount of editorial the range receives.

References “Angelina Jolie” *Online Image+ Available at: http://healthyhollywood.com/celebrity-nutrition/angelina-jolie-says-shestrying-to-gain-weight/ (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 9) Bradinsight.com- Available at: http://www.bradinsight.com/brad/ (Accessed 19 March 2010) “Emma Bunton” *Online Image+ Available at: http://growingyourbaby.blogspot.com/2007/08/emma-bunton-models-formamas-and-papas.html (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 1) “Gwen Stefani” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.growingyourbaby.com/2010/01/15/mamas-and-papas-mylo-chicand-versatile/ (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 2) “Holly Willoughby 1” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1139162/Todd-Cartywaves-goodbye-FINALLY-kicked-Dancing-On-Ice-weeks.html (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 10) “Holly Willoughby 2” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/photo-galleries/dos-anddonts-voting/090219-holly-willoughby-pregnant-on-the-re.aspx?positivevote=true&SearchDisplay2browse=9-1 (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 11) “Look Book images” *Online Images+ Available at: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2010RTW-ERDEM (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 12-19) Mamas & Papas Company Website- Available at: http://www.mamasandpapas.com/ (Accessed 19 March 2010) “Michelle Obama” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/archive/2009/10/08/erdem-dressesmrs-o.htm (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See Fig 7) Mintel 2010- Maternitywear- UK- January (2010) Mintel [Online] Available at: http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=479803/display/id=479803 (Accessed 19 March 2010) “Nicky Hambleton Jones” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.thinkbaby.co.uk/product-news/mamas-and-papasbrand-new-lingerie-range-spring-2010/2301.html?print=true (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See fig 3) Retail Week- Available at: http://www.retail-week.com/data/experian-footfall/ (Accessed 19 March 2010) “Romola Garai” *Online Image+ Available at: www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See fig 5) “Samantha Cameron” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/fashion/article-1218658/Pull-Samglam-Her-29-shoes-PR-triumph-Samantha-Cameron-doesnt-ALWAYS-dress-down.html (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See fig 6) “Sarah Brown” *Online Image+ Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/7280319/Rise-of-the-Erdem-woman.html (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See fig 8) The Telegraph- Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/london-fashion-week/7293325/Erdem-autumnwinter201011-collection.html (Accessed 19 March 2010) “Thandie Newton” *Online Image+ Available at: www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com (Accessed 19 March 2010) (See fig 4) Word Count = 2409

FdA Fashion Marketing & Promotion (Online) Public Relations and New Media Planning

Amy-Louise Chapman CHA09271929