L:3 PROPOSAL
Annabel Borsberry FASH20032 N0491833
CONTENTS
05
Preface
06
Cartogram (1)
08
Idea One
16
Cartogram (2)
18
Idea Two
25
Conclusion
27
References
29
Appendix
31
Methodology
Execution
Creative Concept
The Big Idea
Context
PREFACE Reflecting on previous work throughout the course so far, I have been able to identify where my strengths and weaknesses lie. Projects such as the fashion film and perfume brief enabled me to look for a gap in the market, identify consumers and create a visually appealing final execution in the form of a video/photographic advertisement. Within these projects I was able to experiment with idea development, conduct research to identify our target audience and edit images for print and digital mock-ups. I found I particularly enjoyed these aspects, receiving positive feedback within these areas. Organising photoshoot’s and coming up with final execution ideas became something I really enjoyed from the course so far, developing a directive role within the team during group tasks. I also have a keen interest within promotion, raising customer awareness
of a product/brand and looking at things from a business point of view. In regards to the FCP triangle this places my interests within the context and execution segments. Photoshoot assistant and co-ordinator, as well as careers in social media and promotion are all potential pathways I would like to take my future career in. Feedback I have received about areas to improve, were as expected in correlation to the tasks which I found most difficult/out of my comfort zone. My writing skills, in particular my analytical writing style often lacks depth of analysis and is often something that I find doesn’t come as naturally to me as some of the more creative briefs we have been given. To improve this in my third year I need to ensure that I break down and examine quotes, evaluate them and have a critical opinion about the matter.
CARTOGRAM
I began my research by looking at life style trends in relation to alcohol having worked in the industry for three years, gaining a keen interest and passion for making/serving cocktails and learning about bartending as an art form. As a starting point, I made a cartogram about current trends in alcohol and what’s going to be the next big thing. An insight I gained from this was about how generation Z’s party habits are changing due to new laws driving the trend and more awareness around how alcohol is damaging to health. Social media also plays a big impact on this trend with the idea that a drunken night out can haunt you forever, being put on social media so everyone can see causing much regret the next day. The impact of this trend shows that there is a shift away from alcopops and ladette
behaviour and a more sophisticated drinking environment is becoming the next big thing. Teenagers get a taste for more ‘grown-up’ drinks and opt for a classy drinking environment where they can sit and relax rather than binging on a night out. I also found that a lot of women’s products have been marketed to men for a long time, especially in beauty, but with evermore discussion about gender neutrality I thought it was interesting to find we’re seeing typically men’s products being marketed to women. I think this is a future of gender neutrality – with women wanting to become more equal and that typically men’s products will be re-invented and re-packaged for women.
“ Don’t find customers for your products, Find products for your customers. ”
WHISKY A mans drink?
IDEA ONE As a starting point I began to look at trends in alcohol, which led me to realise that often marketing in spirits such as dark Rum and Whisky is almost uniformly masculine in tone. Take for instance Whisky brand Jack Daniels who’s brand focus on one of the most brand values most favoured by men: authenticity. The words and phrases they use to describe the brand include ‘masculinity’, ‘quiet confidence’, ‘pride’, ‘trust’, and ‘genuine’ (Tungate, M. (2008) Branded male: Marketing to men. London: Kogan Page) Reading the book, you learn that brands of alcohol men drink are “badges”. ‘Each brand makes a statement about how a man views himself, wherever in the world you are we found that Jack Daniel’s unifying mind-set: Jack Daniel’s drinks see themselves as “the man among men”.’ The insight I have gained from this is that male consumers still exist. Although some marketers insist that gender is irrelevant, others confirm that men respond to marketing messages in a unique and specific way. No matter how much society has changed, it goes against common sense and our own personal experiences to suggest that male and female consumers are becoming as one.
IS THERE A GAP IN THE MARKET?
According to food futurologist Morgaine Gaye there is a gap in the market for making Whisky more appealing to women and giving it a rebrand. (Food futurologist Morgaine Gaye: tutorial 20.05.16) I wanted to see if this really was significant enough and find out from workers in industry what consumers are ordering. I conducted a questionnaire, asking just people who work in the bar/ nightclub industry a series of questions relating to what women/men buy most often. I asked ‘what’s the most common spirit you serve to a male aged 25+ on a non-student night?’ the responses showed that 63% said Whisky and 53% said dark Rum which was expected. I then asked the same question but about females and my survey revealed that 89% of women order vodka and just a small 5% of industry workers said Whisky was the most common spirit they serve to this gender. This has lead me to wonder – what is it that makes Whisky more appealing to men than it is Women? When asked peoples opinion on what makes a drink masculine the main response I received was the branding/packaging of a product and it’s advertising. This leads me to believe that women may shy away from a product because it is advertised with a masculine tone and it is seen as more of a ‘mans drink’. Take for instance, Haig Club Scotch, produced by drinks brand Diageo using David Beckham as the face of the drink, aimed at those “who don’t think they like Whisky” but are presumably a sucker for a celebrity endorsement. Using the well known former Manchester United player can make the brand more appealing to young males with such a masculine driver for the collaboration
WORD ASSOCIATION
I also asked people of a diverse range of ages/ gender what was the first thing they thought about when I said the word ‘Whisky’. I gathered all of my responses and wrote them on post it notes so I was able to see them all together. From this, I found that this backed up all of my other research about associating the drink with masculinity. Some of the responses that stood out as particularly favouring the male gender were ‘My Grandad’, ‘suave gentleman’, ‘mature’, ‘George Clooney’, ‘horseracing’, ‘wearing a suit and a big watch’, and ‘cigar’. My research shows that a Whisky drinker is usually associated with a type of demographic.
THE CURRENT CONSUMER I thought it was important to look at who the current Whisky drinking consumer is so I’m able to get a greater understanding before I look at rebranding it. The idea is making the product more appealing to women, without taking it away from its current consumer but instead, making it a more gender neutral product and hopefully create a product that is appealing to both markets moving into the future. With such a variety of Whiskies on the market, there is also a diverse culture of the Whisky drinker. The three consumer profiles show a category of the types of people you could find drinking the spirit. This will enable me to target my final consumer better, understanding the marketing strategies I would need to use for each category and help me to create a clear brand identity.
THE EXPLORER Matthew, 28 Doesn’t care about somebody’s refined and educated opinions He tries new things and if he likes it, he’ll buy it again He enjoys travelling & seeing new things The experience is everything Engaged & hoping for kids one day Spontaneous Owns a pet Labrador called Max Happy go lucky Enjoys photography Enjoys chilled drinks at bars & pubs with his friends
THE CONTRARIAN “There is no bad Whisky. There are only some whisky’s that aren’t as good as others”
Conrad, 54 Rejects popular opinion Claims to have loads of high end Whisky experience Enjoys watching the races Knowledgable about most things Wears a lot of cologne Takes pride in his apperance & is seen often wearing bow ties Drinks his Whisky on the rocks Smokes a cigar
THE DIET COKE GUY Elliott, 21 Business and Economics studnet Always drinks his Whisky with diet coke He never sips his Whisky Enjoys the flavor of hard liquor Often hangs round at edgy bars with his friends Listens to Artic Monkeys and The 1975 Up to date with technology Goes out once a week Takes an interest in what’s going on in the world Plays football Social butterfly
CARTOGRAM When researching trends, I found that I was particularly drawn to the idea of male pampering and how gender is such an important part of someone’s identity. What makes a man masculine? As a starting point, I made a cartogram about current trends in the male grooming/pampering industry and how social and cultural ideals surrounding masculinity are continuing to evolve and change. I found that the key drivers for this trend were mainly to do with social media exposure telling us what’s ‘perfect’. Shows like the only way is Essex and made in Chelsea glamorise male grooming and shifting away from things like body hair and what was once seen to be manly. With women’s products being targeted to men and discussion about gender neutrality being huge right now there has been a growth in the grooming market, with male only salons and spas making their way up the market.
“ Don’t be afraid of looking good be afraid of not ”
THE MODERN MAN Our expectations
IDEA TWO When researching trends in the beauty industry I noticed that the social and cultural ideals surrounding masculinity are continuing to evolve and change. According to global trend magazine GCI ‘In 2013, for the first time, men spent more cash on male-specific toiletries than shaving products.’ (GCI magazine 2013). In the years ahead, a further segmentation of men’s grooming is expected, particularly in the developed markets where there are opportunities for a strong development of anti-agers making it appropriate for 2017. Men’s toiletries used to consist of shampoo, deodorant, shaving cream, and not much else. But bathroom cabinets of middle-class homes are now full with moisturisers, bronzers, concealers, and even mud masks – all designed specifically for men. Take for instance L’Oreal’s online report stating that ‘the men’s market is continuing to grow at twice the rate of the women’s market in the UK as men invest more heavily in and place greater importance on grooming.’ (L’Oreal, 2015 online) With cult programmes such as itv2’s ‘The only way is Essex’ putting men’s beauty regimes in the spotlight and making it the norm to wear fake tan and have perfectly groomed body hair.
The main factor that drives changes within the grooming market is gender, and how men think a man should look and behave. Gender is an important part of society that helps people anchor their identity and understand who they are. Males are expected to be strong and brave, where as females are expected to be kind and gentle. I want to explore the expectations of how today’s modern man may have changed and look at the expectations of how he should present himself. I want to explore if there’s still some kind of social stigma to a man paying too much attention to his looks – is there still the notion that a “real” man wouldn’t wear moisturiser? Interestingly, it’s borne out by certain statistics – such as the fact that men are more likely than women to search for and buy toiletries online. According to Mintel, online sales of men’s toiletries increased 3.4 percent to 30 million in 2013, taking a 5% share of retail sales. The salon market for a man has also boomed. Men-only salons are gaining popularity – Such as Refinery, a Londonbased “grooming emporium”. The Refinery was launched to give men a comfortable place where they can enjoy hairdressing, barbering and grooming within a male environment. I think that although it’s becoming more of the norm to use beauty products I think the maintenance of grooming is still something that men see as work, rather than pleasure, both in the salon and out.
THE CONSUMER From my initial research I found that my final execution could appeal to several types of men, with male grooming becoming such a big trend it appeals to a mass market. Although my consumers are very different; they all have one thing in common – they enjoy ‘me time’ and looking after themselves. The consumer profiles explore how today’s modern man presents himself, each coming from a different background and social class. The following consumer profiles will will enable me to target them efficiently, understanding the marketing strategies I would need to use for each category and help me to create a clear brand identity.
THE SUAVE GENTLEMAN Martin, 37 Buys products that have timeless style Enjoys playing golf with friends His style represents british heritage Couldn’t live without his bicycle and pug He takes pide in looking smart at all times He has a lot of ‘me time’ Enjoys fine dining experiences He is still looking for ‘the one’
THE BEARDED LIBERAL Damien, 25 Enjoys reading trend and lifestyle magazines Mixologist at a local cocktail bar Very particular in the salons he goes to Creative Couldn’t live without his Macbook Enjoys soft rock music Open minded individual Spends his free time drawing tattoo sketches Part of the local rowing team
THE SELF ASSURIST Ben, 22 Obsesses over his appearance Often seen at the pub with his friends Watches a lot of reality TV Plays squash Lives at home with his parents Often dating several girls he matches on Tinder P.E teacher at a local school He likes habing ‘me time’ Spends majority of his disposable income on clothes & beauty produccts Loves a ‘cheeky Nandos with the lads’ Has high aspirations
CONCLUSION To further develop my ideas for both proposals, over the summer I am going to take part in more extensive research. For the Whisky proposal I am going to use my work to my advantage; documenting and printing out my sales and highlighting when I have served Whisky and whether or not it was to a male or a Female. I will also speak to managers and industry experts, discussing their professional opinion on ideas surrounding appealing Whisky to a female demographic and any other trends within this region. I also want to make use of any holidays I go on, visiting any bars and documenting my research – taking images of how bottles are displayed, packaged etc. I will also spend some time watching customers purchasing habits at a bar – looking into the most common drinks they buy. When looking online I found that there are several Whisky festivals taking place mid September throughout the region, this would be a great place to ask questions to experts in the field, with so many opportunities to chat to people in the industry under one roof. In terms of secondary research, I want to look into how typically male products have been rebranded for a female demograpic and
vice-versa. I think it would also be beneficial for me to read the books: Designing Brand Identity: An essential guide for the whole branding team by Alina Wheeler, as well as the book Creating a brand identity: A guide for designers by Catharine Slade-Brooking. For my second proposal I want to gain an insight into the men’s beauty industry by speaking to industry experts such as award winning photographer and author of the book and blog ‘100 beards 100 days’ Jonathan Pryce. I will ask ask several questions regarding how the industry has made such a breakthrough in the past 5 years and what they see for the future of male grooming. If possible, I would also like to visit male salons – Mudrock and The Refinery to see first hand the type of consumers and what treatments/products they offer, as well as hopefully being able to speak to managers and customers. I want to get hold of a male that fits my consumer profile and get them to create a diary of their beauty regime so I can explore how the expectations of today’s modern man could have changed.
ILLUSTRATIONS Cartogram section News article [report] at: http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/alcopops-in-declineas-teenagers-get-a-taste-for-more-grown-up-drinks-1-1103646 News article [report] at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-alcoholguidelines-show-increased-risk-of-cancer News artice [report] at: http://www.trendhunter.com/drinking News article [report] at: http://www.womanmagazine.co.uk/diet-food/lowcalorie-alcoholic-drinks-vodka-32845 News article [report] at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ fashion/features/mens-grooming-is-now-a-multi-billion-pound-worldwideindustry-a6813196.html Hockley arts club Nottingham [imgae] at: http://thehockleyartsclub.com/ Hockley arts club Nottingham [imgae] at: http://thehockleyartsclub.com/ Gender neautral clothing [photograph] at: http://brandchannel.com/2015/03/23/ selfridges-makes-gender-neutral-clothing-the-norm-with-agender/ Revs de cuba bar Nottingham [photograph] http://www.revoluciondecuba.com/bar/ nottingham/ Pop up cocktail bar [photograph] at: http://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/ spirited-popup Mans concealer [photograph] at: http://www.mensmake-up.co.uk/ Gender neutral [photograph] at: http://termcoord.eu/2014/03/gender-neutrallanguage/ http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-whisky-manly-drink-but-not-how-you-think/ Whisky section Whisky image [photograph] at: http://elitedaily.com/dating/men-whiskey-bestlovers/986960/ Bar image [photogaph] at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ICuDjXx9UT0/maxresdefault.jpg Whisky [photograph] at: http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/man-holdingwhiskey-glass-next-to-poker-high-res-stock-photography/200532504-001 David Beckham advertisement Haig Club [photograph] at: http://www.dailymail. co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2780941/David-Beckham-gets-smooch-beautiful-wifeVictoria-celebrate-new-branded-whisky.html Bearded man [photograph] at: uk.pinterestcompin/311874342918742793/ Male pampering Grooming, T.M. (2016) Male pampering. Available at: http://www. themalegroomingdoctor.com/male-pampering/ Male figure [photograph] at: https://uk.pinterest.com/suzyrock/men-andRudrock [photograph] at: https://www.murdocklondon.com/matt-mudd-100ml.html The refinery grooming salon [photograph] at: http://www.therefinerybar.co.uk/ Team, P. (2016) Why it is OK for a man to get a Manicure – men’s Manicure. Available at: http://papiverse.com/benefits-mens-manicure/ Male grooming [photograph] at: http://www.fashionbeans.com/category/malegrooming/ Business: Men, it’s okay to pamper yourself (2011) Available at: http://www. sptimes.com/2005/12/23/Business/Men__it_s_okay_to_pam.shtml Katz, E.R. and Photography (2015) Manscape your eyebrows without looking like you Manscape your eyebrows. Available at: http://www.menshealth.com/grooming/ manscaping-your-eyebrows Hut, T. (2016) Mankind. Available at: http://www.mankind.co.uk/home.dept Publications, W. (2016) Masculinity redefined. Available at: http://www. mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/masculinity-redefined Crawley, J. (2015) Spencer Matthews shows off his ripped torso and biceps. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3284714/SpencerMatthews-shows-ripped-torso-biceps-poses-shirtless-post-work-photo.html
Page 06
09 10
15
16
18
20
23 25
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books Gladwell.M (2001) The tipping point: London Gordon, R. and Harris, F. (2009) Assessing the cumulative impact of alcohol marketing on young people’s drinking: cross sectional data findings. Addiction Research and Theory, 19(1), pp.66-75. Graves, P. (2013) Consumerology: The truth about consumers and the psychology of shopping. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Maclaran, P. and Catterall, M. (2002) Researching the social web: marketing information from virtual communities. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 20(6), pp.319326. Raymond, M. (2010) The trend forecaster’s handbook. Available at: https://www.amazon. co.uk/Trend-Forecasters-Handbook-MartinRaymond/dp/1856697029 Videos BBC (2016) Louis Theroux, drinking to oblivion. Available at: http://www.bbc. co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07952b1/louistheroux-drinking-to-oblivion Websites Archibald, A. (2015) 10 of the most famous whiskey drinkers in history and today. Available at: http://www.liquor. com/articles/famous-whiskey-drinkers/#gs. RRVmESo Drinking and alcohol trends. Available at: http://www.trendhunter.com/drinking Market watch (2016) Available at: http://marketwatchmag.com/crystal-balljanfeb-2016/ consumer trends and insights from around the world (no date) Available at: http:// trendwatching.com/ McGinley, B. (2014) Why whisky is a manly drink (but not how you think). Available at: http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-whiskymanly-drink-but-not-how-you-think/ Fury, A. (2016) Men’s grooming is now a multi-billion pound worldwide industry. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/ life-style/fashion/features/mens-groomingis-now-a-multi-billion-pound-worldwide-in-
REFERENCES
Archibald, A. (2015) 10 of the most famous whiskey drinkers in history and today. Available at: http://www.liquor. com/articles/famous-whiskey-drinkers/#gs. RRVmESo Alcopops in decline as teenagers get a taste for more ‘grown-up’ drinks. Available at: http://www.scotsman. com/news/uk/alcopops-in-decline-asteenagers-get-a-taste-for-more-grown-updrinks-1-1103646 Department of Health (2016) New alcohol guidelines show increased risk of cancer. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/new-alcohol-guidelinesshow-increased-risk-of-cancer Drinking and alcohol trends. Available at: http://www.trendhunter.com/drinking Corcoran, K. (2015) Diet-friendly alcoholic drinks. Available at: http:// www.womanmagazine.co.uk/diet-food/lowcalorie-alcoholic-drinks-vodka-32845 Fury, A. (2016) Men’s grooming is now a multi-billion pound worldwide industry. Available at: http://www.independent. co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/mensgrooming-is-now-a-multi-billion-poundworldwide-industry-a6813196.html consumer trends and insights from around the world (no date) Available at: http:// trendwatching.com/
APPENDIX
Asking people who work in industry only:
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY