Dr. Martens P.R. Plan

Dr. Martens: Background Analysis Bill Griggs, Dr. Maertens, and Dr. Funck created Dr. Martens. The Griggs were a family of shoemakers striving to make something better than other shoes on the market.

In the late 1950s their wish was granted when Bill Griggs discovered an ad in an issue of Shoe and Leather News magazine. The ad was by a German pair looking for overseas partners for their revolutionary new air-cushioned sole. The air-cushioned sole was invented due to a foot injury on a skiing trip.

The trio collaborated and the legend of Dr. Martens was born on April 1, 1960.

The shoes become an instant hit; kids were trying to rebel against their parents and stray from the cookie-cutter version of previous generations of teenagers. The shoes brought out rebellion and subcultures throughout the world.

The ska-lovers, the skinheads, and the workingman were all major consumers of the boot until Pete Townshend of The Who donned a pair of original 1460s. This was to show his pride for the working middle class, and sparked major consumption for youth culture. In the 90s Dr. Martens exploded once again with the grunge youth culture and disappeared briefly until the brand came back with a vengeance due to the post-modern culture the youth of today are striving for. Essentially, Dr. Martens has been the premiere shoe for youth sub-cultures since the 60s and that will never change.

Dr. Martens has flagship stores overseas; in the U.S. there are flagship stores, but mostly the shoes are sold through other retailers, many of which are online: Journeys, Dr. Martens.com, Zappos.com just to name a few. Overseas the brand is a big deal, creating a lot of buzz via their Stand For Something campaign on Facebook. The campaign connects the consumer with the brand by asking the consumers to share videos about

what Dr. Martens means to them. Their Tumblr account is the exact meaning of the brand: rebellion. The account is full of pictures of punks, old women doing silly things, and grunge fashion. The Tumblr represents the underground and looking at it there is no indication that it is a brand's blog page. Their Twitter has approximately 119 thousand followers; a good portion of the followers is American, but the majority of their popularity comes from England and other European countries. The brand targets adults 18-25 years old and sells a variety of different kinds of shoes and boots. The cost is between $70-200 a pair, and the shoes last for a long time, in some cases 20 plus years.

The durability, versatility, and style options make Dr. Martens a popular shoe for any punk rock kid or urban fashionista.

While charitable endeavors were difficult to find for Dr. Martens USA, the Dr. is very busy abroad with charitable tasks. The most interesting is their partnership with Singaporean nightclub Zouk, which celebrated their twentieth birthday recently. Dr. Martens commissioned artists to create custom pairs of 1461s. The shoes were put on auction, and all proceeds went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Dr. Martens has also paired with Strummerville, which is a music foundation that helps new musicians get off the ground. The company supported Stummerville’s music festival financially, and helped announce bands that would be on the festival's lineup. Dr. Martens is woven into youth culture and underground music so it makes sense for them to support this cause.

The most recent news for Dr. Martens is that they have been bought out by a private equity firm named Permira for 300 million Euros. The deal was completed in early January of 2014. The brand became relevant again after decades of lying dormant with production being moved from the UK to China and Thailand. In 2007, R. Griggs

reopened the original store to recreate vintage styles and the trend caught on again. The shoe started to make a comeback in March of 2013 when sales rose by 27%. The brand is now sold in 63 countries including U.S., UK, Asia, and Europe. Permira hopes to conserve the integrity of the brand that so many customers have valued as a symbol of self-expression. The brand has recently launched its spring 2014 campaign “Stand For Something,� which features videos of alternative young adults speaking about what they stand for and an interactive Facebook and Twitter campaign to get customers involved.

The brand wants to hear what their customers stand for and how the brand fits into each person’s lifestyle.

SWOT Analysis Strengths: 1. Permira has bought out Dr. Martens, but not even a corporate buyout can cramp our style. The corporate heads have said they will not change the core culture of Dr. Martens. The brand is reemerging with pop stars such as Miley Cyrus wearing the shoes.

2. Dr. Martens has as strong personality on social media, which connects the brand with the consumer demographic. Our Tumblr, for example, is a compilation of exactly what the brand is about with hardly any recognition that it is actually a brand's Tumblr blog while completely screaming the core message of the brand: rebellion.

3. The brand is expanding and opening stores in multiple new locations across the globe; including the mall of America.

Weaknesses: 1. Changing fashion trends may be a problem for Dr. Martens. The brand fell off the U.S. radar in 1996 when style started to change and has only recently began to reemerge in fashion. The current trend of urban hipsters and punky-polished looks has ignited a newfound interest in the shoes that make a fifty-year-old brand seem new.

2. Dr. Martens has recently pushed most of its manufacturing outside of the UK, but still upholds a British image. To those who know this, the company seems to have a fake credibility about it. Dr. Martens tries to uphold its British punk roots, while a laborer in Thailand is making the shoes in a sweat shop.

3. Human rights are an issue for the company. Since they have outsourced their labor to Thailand and China the manufacturing of the shoes could be done by sweatshop workers, or by workers in poor conditions that the western civilization would deem unsatisfactory. This means that a brand that seems to stand for the disenfranchised is actually pushing a product on the public made by the thing they say they stand up for.

Opportunities: 1. The Stand For Something campaign is an interactive campaign to get old and new customers voicing why they love Docs, and what they mean to them. The brand is pulling their audience in and gaining insights to why the brand is important to their customers.

2. Dr. Martens is not only a fashion icon; they are a top name in functionality. Being a reliable steel-toed boot for heavy-duty workers and farmers. The brand has many different lines that function in every walk of life.

3. Dr. Martens is the only brand, compared to Converse and Vans, the competitors in the alternative market, to have a boot style shoe. Dr. Martens is the also the only brand to offer leather shoes as compared to cloth or canvas. This makes Dr. Martens weather-proof, long lasting, and durable. Some Martens can last for more than ten years, as compared to competitors which have a life of less than three.

Threats: 1. Vans has sponsored the Warped Tour (USA) since its beginnings in 1995. The tour is often called the Vans Warped Tour. Dr. Martens has only been a sponsor of Strummerville (UK) for one year. The Warped tour has a reputation of being one

of the largest touring festivals in the USA. Dr. Martens will have to do something major to get their name on the festival's title to gain recognition like Vans.

2. Black Sabbath has partnered with Converse to create a shoe for the second time in the brand's history. Dr. Marten's stands for the underground and this pairing could take away some credibility of the brands underground-ness. The brand has also partnered with other musical talents such as The Beatles.

3. Vans has started a new online mini-series called Blackouts that shares up-and-coming bands on the scene with their audience and gives customers the chance for feedback.

Demographics: · Age- 18-25 · Race-White · Location-Urban · Adults · College students · Marital Status-Single · Part-time workers Psychographics: ⁃ Nora is 23 years old. She lives in Logan Square with her two roommates, Hallie and Jane. Nora attends school at The Art Institute for fashion design. On her free time Nora dabbles in photography and frequents local pubs with her friends. She likes to be the first one out of her friends to discover up and coming musicians and attends small shows frequently. She works part time at a small coffee shop near her home that holds open mic nights twice a month.

⁃ Tom is 24 years old. He lives in London with his dog, Punky. He is a recent graduate and is working to pay off his loans. Tom is a tattoo artist and part time model. He enjoys going to concerts and has many musician friends. He plays the drums on his free time and teaches lessons to children. You can often find him sketching or out for a few drinks with friends.

Marketing Objective: Keep adults 18-25 years old invested in Dr. Martens through new corporate ownership.

PR Objective: Keep our customer base engaged and excited about the brand Strategy: Hold a celebration for the new ownership Tactic: We need to stick to what we know best: music and shoes. The event will be held at one of London’s hottest nightclubs, 333 Club. We will have two of Britain's up and coming bands will perform at the event; The Artic Monkeys and You Me At Six. VIP guests will have chances to meet and greet the bands. We will also give the guests a sneak peak at our newest collection. The party will also include an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. The guests in attendance will have a night to remember and will be asked to Tweet, Vine, and Instagram the happenings to commemorate the event and to give those at home an opportunity to join in the action.

Tactic: Let customers who cannot attend the event in London be a part of the event via live tweets and live streaming of the event. Have live coverage of the event streaming on Dr. Martens’ website showing interviews with the bands as well as their performances and happenings during the event. Using the hashtag #UnderGroundAwesome the fans at home will be able to enjoy the party without actually being there through our content and content created by fans at the event. Those not attending the event will be able to participate in a media scavenger hunt to scope out celebrities at the event. Those who log the most celebrities on twitter will receive a pair of Dr. Martens that were previewed during the event.

Strategy: Connect with consumers on social media by having them share why they love their Dr. Martens.

Tactic: The little snippets of why people love us will keep our business on track while spreading the word of why Dr. Martens is so great. Using the hashtags #DrMartens and #UnderGroundAwesome Viners will be able to share the everyday special reasons why Dr. Martens are important to them. The five Viners who have the most re-vines and likes will receive a trip for two to London for the new ownership celebration and will be asked to document their journey. These Vines will also be shared from our Vine and Twitter account to get fans involved from home.

Tactic: On Instagram customers can share photos of the coolest places their Docs have taken them (picture of the shoes and scenery) with the hashtags #DrMartens and #UnderGroundAwesome. This will show the various facets of underground culture that Dr. Martens is a part of; letting us focus even more on what our customer base is interested in. The Instagrammers who have the most interesting stories will be featured on our Facebook and Instagram accounts telling their story more in depth via a vlog post.

Our fans will vote on the most interesting story and the top two winners will have shoes created based on their story.

Media Contact: Ayla Connell- Marketing, Publicity ARConnell12@gmail.com 815-572-1341 May 14, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dr. Martens new ownership celebration June 12 at 333 Club in London London, England- We are pleased to announce the celebration of Permira’s new ownership of Dr. Martens' on June 12, 2014 at 333 Club in London. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and the celebration will start at 8:00 p.m. Keeping with the Dr. Marten brand, there will be entertainment by two of Britain's own up and coming bands, You Me At Six and The Arctic Monkeys along with a sneak peek into Dr. Martens' newest collection.

Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided. General Admission tickets are $25 and VIP tickets are $50. General admission tickets will include admission into the concert and a small goodie bag complimentary of Dr. Martens. VIP tickets will include reserved seating, a meet and greet with the bands and a complimentary goodie bag. Fans can purchase tickets through this link: www.eventbrite/drmartens.com or by visiting select Dr. Martens stores throughout London.

“We have fully embraced our new ownership, and want our customers to see that our company will stick to its core values. We have decided to show that in the best way we know how: music, Says Vanessa Pembrooke, V.P. of marketing.” Dr. Martens was built around the musical underground and we intend to keep building around that purpose. The concert will be streamed live for fans unable to attend with interactive social media features that will make the viewers at home feel like they are part of the action. Our mission is to show that no matter who we work for, Dr. Martens will stay the same freethinking company we have always been. We are proud to have merged with a larger company and know it will do nothing but spread the purpose of Dr. Martens.

We are very excited to begin this chapter in our company's history and are working hard to make it seamless for our fans. Directors and event coordinators are working with our team to ensure we capture the message of Dr. Martens and the way we live our lives.

For more information, please visit www.drmartens.com/celebrate or contact Ayla Connell at ARConnell12@gmail.com with any questions. We have guest listed you and a friend and look forward to seeing you at 333 Club in London on June 12. Please let us know if you will be in attendance.

Dr. Martens is a British company based out of London, started in 1969 and has since become a global fashion trend for the underground young adult music scene. Committed to preserving underground youth culture and a rebel attitude, Dr. Martens' style creates memories for youth across the globe. ##

Conclusion A corporate equity firm has recently bought out Dr. Martens. This buyout could mean bad things for the company, but we are sticking to our core values of music, freethinking, and working hard. We are embracing our corporate buyout, but sticking to what we believe in and asking our fan base to interact and be vocal with us more than ever.

Despite being apart of a corporation, we are determined to march to the beat of our own drum and our demographic appreciates that.

Dr. Martens reaches adults 18-25. The strategies and tactics being put into motion will be successful because these are activities that our demographic profile enjoys. They are music buffs and like being part of the underground elite. They enjoy a good party, and sharing those experiences with friends. Every twenty something uses social media, but our fans do an exceptional job interacting with us, as seen through the Stand For Something campaign. These new tactics will get them involved even more so.

This proves that the social media tactics will be successful with our target demographic because this has them interacting and receiving a payoff through freebies or a spotlight.

The objective is to keep our audience invested in our company throughout a corporate buyout and the best ways to accomplish this is through interaction through social media and events displaying our core values to the public.

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