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CLOTHING
The clothing market has had a low growth since 2015 and this is due to consumers not spending so much money on clothes C or fashion items and more money on leisure, the clothing market has also had a low growth of 1.8% in 2016 to £54.8 billion due to the unseasonal whether as there was a slow start to the summer and a slow start to winter therefore consumers have not updated there wardrobe making clothing brands resort to discounting sales to try and shift stock. Online only retailers such as Amazon and Asos have had the biggest growth in the market as consumers shop online more than going instore and they are both brands that offer quick and cheap delivery options. Asos offer next day delivery for a year for only £10 this entices consumers to continue shopping on Asos due to the speedy and cheap deal on delivery. 2017 is estimated to be an even tougher year for the clothing market as due to the Brexit some fashion brands will have to increase the price of their items due the currency fluctuations and due to the increased prices of importing stock from overseas. Women’s outerwear make up 49% of the clothing market which men’s outerwear make up 27% a 1% increase from 2015 this is due the men taking a higher interest in fashion and grooming and this has lead retailers such as New Look, River Island and H&M, solemnly known for womenswear, to start launching standalones menswear clothing stores. UK Clothing specialists have been expected to drop 4% in 2016 to £39.7 billion, with only 54% of clothing sales being made at specialist stores or websites, it is affirming the underperformance of specialist clothing brands. Primark is the most popular place for consumer to buy clothes for 36% of people going to Primark, M&S and Next are in second both with 29% and Tesco is in third with 23%, supermarkets have grown in popularity for clothing, this is due to the change in grocery shopping behaviour as consumers are doing multiple smaller shops throughout the week rather than the big traditional weekly
Business of Fashion Two shop this has driven up clothing sales as consumers are in the shop more frequently and therefore are more likely to impulse buy items of clothing. Amazon has had an increase of 19% from 2015, 22% of customers have brought off the online only brand and a similar increase has happened to Asos with a 13% increase from the previous year this is because shopping habits have changed and consumer find online shopping more convenient and they can do it wherever and whenever due to the global use of phones, tablets and apps. Primark is a clothing specialist that has been though a huge decline in the in the last year with sales dropping from 74% to 57% due to them not having a transactional website losing out on a the online shoppers. The clothing markets the most effective way of advertising for brands is through the use of social media and creating hashtag campaigns used with brands such as Calvin Klein, Boohoo, and Burberry, this is also the cheapest and in some cases the freeway to advertise so therefore most of a company’s advertising budget goes on press advertising with 47% of the clothing advertising is though magazine and other print adverts. TV advertisement is also popular way for online only brands such as Prettylittlething.com, Very and Boohoo using most of their advertising budget on TV campaigns.
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The footwear market is a growing market that is expected to reach £10.5 billion by the end of 2016 which is a 5.4% increase from the sales in the UK in 2015. The footwear sector is estimated to grow by 25% to £13.2 billion by 2021 (Mintel). Women shoes make up approximately 52% of the sales in the UK although the market is dominated by women’s footwear the men’s shoes sales have increased by 2% from 2015 accounting for 37% of the footwear sales. The reason for this is the due to the changes in men’s fashion. As men are becoming more conscious about fashion and grooming and therefore push up sales for men’s clothes and footwear, men are now just as likely to have brought a pair of shoes as women in the last three months. Millennials aged 17-25 are the main shoppers in the footwear sector as they are buying online, 67%, and in store, 83%, there has been a 7% increase in 1624 year olds shopping for shoes online. Women prefer flat shoes over heels as 51% of the female shoppers brought flats whereas only 33% brought heels, flat shoes have increased in sales from 50% in 2015, women are also more likely to buy flat boots over heeled boots also, trainers have also become more popular for women as well as they have over taken heels with 37% of female footwear sales being trainer sales. The sportswear trend has also had its effect on the footwear sector as consumers are more likely to buy trainers or casual footwear over formal styled shoes, and brands such as Dune and Kurt Geiger have introduced sporty styles of footwear and launched campaigns that are all about fitness and wellbeing. Due to the increase in trainer sales. Sports shops such as JD Sports and Sports Direct have been thriving as 21% or shoppers, particularly male, went to sports shops to buy footwear and as these shops have good offers on trainer’s consumers are 43% more likely to buy shoes that are on offer.
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The leading brand in the UK footwear market is Schuh with 14.8% of the market share, with Hotter shoes coming in second with 11.7% of the market. Hotter has grown a lot in recent years due to the demand from the older consumer for comfort yet stylish shoes. Premium shoe brand Kurt Geiger has 11.2 % of the footwear sales. Advertising in the footwear market has been estimated at around ÂŁ42.9 million in 2015 which is 13.6% more than in 2014, this is a massive increase and that is due to sports brands spending more money of advertising as the trainers are becoming more and more popular. ÂŁ24.4 million of the ÂŁ42.9 million of the advertising money is being spent on direct mail advertising. Although social media is a popular way to advertise footwear and is the most effective it is also the cheapest, spending no money of social media gives companies more money to spend on press and TV advertisements.
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The accessory market has grown by only 3.4% in 2015 to £2.7 billion due to a slowdown the in the luxury market sector and in particular the sale of luxury handbags. This is due the currency fluctuation deterring the pound to luxury buyers. Luxury sales is the accessory market are doing well in Japan and Europe due to the changing shopping habits of consumers in in China and Russia. However there is an estimate that the Accessory sector will grow by 23% over the next five years taking the overall sales to £3.4 billion. The handbag market is over 50% of the overall sales in the accessories market and has had a slow growth since 2014, with the sales rising only by 5.3% to £1.4 billion in 2015. This is due more brands selling handbags at a discounted price, and with 72% of consumers buying handbags that are on special offer. The UK handbag market strives on more affordable yet fashionable bags therefore premium brands such as Michael Kors and Ted Baker have become a lot more popular in the last year. This has also had an impact on the luxury designer brands such Burberry, Fendi and Alexandra Wang to create less expensive smaller versions of there bestselling handbags. The Jewellery market has only increased by 0.7% to £746 million in 2015 costume jewellery has had a decline due to the rise of value jewellery from brands such as Primark, people have been turning to branded specialist brand such as Pandora and Thomas Sabo.
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The fragrance market is estimated to decline by 3% by the end of 2016 to ÂŁ1.45 Billion as special offers and reduced prices have led consumers to buy products at discounted prices, however by 2021 the estimated growth for the perfume industry is to grow by 3% to ÂŁ1.49 Billion. 37% of people who have brought a perfume in the last 12 month brought it though and online only retainer such as LookFantastic.com, Amazon or FeelUnique.com, this is due to consumer shopping habits, also websites such as FeelUnique.com and LookFantastic.com also send emails to their customers offering them special discount codes that are specifically to that consumer. The innovative side of the fragrance market the unisex perfumes, which gender specific perfumes saw a decline in it growth unisex perfumes had a growth of 10%, this could be due to openness towards gender in the last year as more and more people are become more comfortable in their sexuality that is portraying in all beauty and fashion sectors. Perfume is the most advertised sector in the fashion industry with the perfume market spending ÂŁ113 million on advertising in 2015. 53% of the advertising budget went on TV adverts, and 24% on press advertising this is magazine adverts and 19% on billboards. Social media is the newest platform for advertising in the fragrance sector and a number of different brands have used Snapchat to promote their product and interact with consumers, brands such as Gucci showed behind the scene footage of the Gucci Guilty ad campaign and they had Jared Leto takeover the snapchat, they also used celebrity endorsing here also to reach not only Gucci fans but also Jerad Leto fans also.
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A celebrity endorser is defined as “any individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it in an advertisement” (McCracken, 1989). The solemn reason companies use celebrity endorsement is to advertise the brand the product the company is trying to sell to their demographic. Using a celebrity has been proven to be most effective however celebrity endorsements are only available in the main to big companies as it can be a very expensive way to advertise. Celebrity endorsements to provide a great return on any capital investments as they are the easiest way to communicate the brand message image, identification and the brands values directly to the consumer. The use of a celebrity can capture the attention of consumer, strengthen brand recognition and reinforce the image of the product creating a relevant credible message to the consumer. Pairing a product or a brand with the right celebrity increases the attractiveness and desirability of the product, and increases the likeliness of purchase. The selection of a celebrity is very important process as the use of wrong celebrity will communicate the wrong message and may drive sales down in the product. (McCracken, 1989) The celebrity endorser will be the most effective when there is not only a good match between the celebrity and the product but also with the brands image and values. The more comparable the celebrity is to the product and company the better the response from the consumer to the advertisement. Consumers will also have a positive reaction to the celebrity endorsement when there is a consistent long term relationship between the celebrity and the brand (Tellis, 1998) e.g Michael Jordan and Nike. However if there is no clear association between the celebrity and the brand, the consumer may only remember the celebrity which is known as the “vampire effect” (Byran et al, 2003) meaning that the celebrity sucks the life out of the brand.
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TEARS
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Business of Fashion Two Shimp (2003) sets forth a theory about the two general attributes that are essential when calculating the effectiveness of the celebrity endorser and the message the brand is trying to communicate with the consumer: credibility and the attractiveness. The credibility of the celebrity two sub-categories and refers to the trustworthiness in the celebrity and the expertise the celebrity has about the brand. The attractiveness has three sub categories the physical attractiveness of the chosen celebrity, this may not be the social norm of attractive but what the chosen demographic will consider to be physically attractive. The second category is respect, this is something that the celebrity has earned from their accomplishments. The last sub attribute for attractiveness is the similarity between the celebrity and the brands demographic, this relates to how the endorser matches the audiences in terms of the age, gender, ethnicity and style. These attributes, trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, respect and similarity is the frame work for the TEARS model. Trustworthiness, this refers to how relatable, believable and dependable the celebrity is. Celebrity earn trust though their accomplishments in their skills or talents or even just by their personality traits. The audience’s perception of their trustworthiness realises of the celebrity’s gains for the endorsement. If the consumer believes the celebrity is endorsing the product for their own self-worth and fame the credibility of the advertisement is as risk. Whereas if the consumer believes the celebrity is endorsing the product for no selfgain then the persuasive affect will have a positive outcome
of the targeted demographic. Expertise, this refers to the celebrity have specific skills or knowledge that relates to the brand. This does not necessarily mean that the celebrity has to be an expert in the product field of the brand but more if the target market perceives the celebrity. A celebrity can achieve the expertise status from their association in the particular field and due to continuous media attention. Attractiveness this is considered the most important attribute in the TEARS model as it is proven that physically attractive people have the biggest influence when persuading audiences into a purchase. However physical attractiveness is different for everyone and to get the best response from the targeted demographic companies have to use the right physical attractiveness that suits the brand, product and style of the target market target market Respect applies to the quality of admiration the celebrity has toward the consumer though there personality and achievements. If the celebrity is respected by the audience the brand will gain equity, the trait of being fair, and consumer will gain a positive view on the brand as a whole. Similarity this is the identification of the audience though the celebrity endorser, this can be thought the age, gender, ethnicity, social class, cultural views, characteristic and style. Companies use this as the ground work in communicating with their targeted consumer. Consumers admire celebrity’s that they can relate to and using a celebrity that is most like the targeted audience will make the endorser seen as trustworthy and creditable, this also adds positive views towards the brand.
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NO TEARS The TEARS model focuses on the factors that are to be considered when brands and companies select a celebrity for their advertising campaign; the No TEARS approach explains the legitimate way that managers and advertisers choose celebrities to avoid pitfalls and an unwise decision in selection the wrong persona. Advertisers and brand managers follow a diverse range of factors when selecting a celebrity however these are the most common (Shimp, 2000) ; celebrity and target market match up, celebrity and brand match up, celebrity credibility, celebrity attractiveness, cost, ease or difficulty working factor, endorsement saturation, celerity and brand association risk. Celebrity and target market match up refers to the marketer’s choice in celebrity depending on the congruency with the prospective target audience. The celebrity has to align with the audience and has to be someone that the audience will have a positive reaction towards otherwise it will be the ultimate pitfall in the celebrity endorsement and the advertisement will be unsuccessful. The celebrity and brand match up is also an extremely important factor that could determine the success or failure of the advertisement. Advertisers and brand managers must choose a celebrity that will hold all the behaviours, values, etiquette that is associated with the desired image of the brand; failure to do this will ultimately lead to the decline in interest in the product that the advertisers are trying to launch and sell. The advertisers must use a celebrity that personifies the brands image for it to be successful and communicate the right message to the target market. Celebrity credibility refers to the reliability, dependability, knowledge and trustworthiness the audience perceives the celebrity to have. Advertisers have to choose a celebrity that has knowledge of the brand and its effectiveness, if the celebrity’s trust in the brand is reflected though the advertisement and the celebrity vouches for the brand; this will make the advisement more credible and therefore making the celebrity and the brand relationship credible resulting in a positive audience reaction and a successfully advert. The attractiveness of the celebrity is the celebrity themselves; this doesn’t just cater for the physical attractiveness of the celebrity, although this is also an important factor. Attractiveness also refers to the celebrity as a whole, their personality, their charisma, and their character and
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how that will relate to and align with the target audience The cost of the endorsement is an important factor that advertisers take into consideration as celebrity endorsement can be a very expensive advertising strategy. Therefor the brand managers will assess the worthiness of the celebrity depending on the brands advertising budget. Advertisers will determine if the cost of the celebrity can be justified in the terms of the revenue that could be generated from using the special celebrity. This can be estimated by the audience’s reaction to the celebrity, the more positive the response the high interest and therefore sales for the product. The ease and difficulty working factor is a concern for many advertisers as it refers to the professionalism and attitude of the celebrity. The hassle-free, easy to work with celebrities are preferred by advertising agencies. However there are celebrities that that will be difficult to work with and are stubborn, temperamental, arrogant, inaccessible and unwilling to bend their agenda are unwilling to cooperate with the brand and are therefore difficult to work with. Managing difficult celebrities will have cost implications for the brand however these celebrities may offer the best brand alignment and most effective return of the brands investment. The saturation factor refers to the number of other brands that the celebrity has endorsed. If a celebrity has been overexposed across different product areas and array of different brands, this could jeopardise the trustworthiness of their alignment with the brand and send mixed messages to the targeted audience. A celebrity that is willing to endorse anything for the right fee can do more damage to a brand or product than no celebrity endorsement at. Celerity and brand association risk this refers to the association between the brand and the celebrity, therefore if the celebrity is convicted of a crime or is associated with any unsocial affairs then that will reflect badly on the brand, however there are some cases where the celebrity has acted wrongly and it has increased popularity on the brand it depends on the brands image and the product that is being advertised. The advertisers must decide if the risks of aligning with a celebrity persona and any brand damage this way incur is worth the exposure that the celebrity brings. Advertisers will also need to know when it is time to stop their association with errant celebrities.
MODEL
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That Girl Sussi is a female character created by a male and is redefining new drag for a modern society. That Girl Sussi is based in London and New York City and has access to a wide audience. That Girl Sussi will be the advocate for the brand BodyMap as she is the modern day club kid, she has 50,000 + followers on Instagram who follow her status updates. She has collaborated with ID magazine, Paper magazine and a new brand call Lover boy. She a fairly new socialite so overexposure will not be an issue. The character does not conform to nor accept the notion of gender and instead subscribes to the concept of new drag. Whilst BodyMap did not focus on drag in the 1980’s, their products were androgynous and were not gender specific; this provides a relevant and relatable matchup between the celebrity and the brand. Sussi will empower and embody all of the brand values that BodyMap have developed. It is not about being sexy or fashionable; it’s about the art and the expression of the lifestyle and that is a value that BodyMap have had in their brand since the 80’s.
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COLLABORATION 20
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Co-branding is a communication strategy that may be used to revive a brand and it message. It is becoming an increasingly popular way for luxury brands to access the mass market by co-branding with global fast fashion retail stores such as H&M and Target. Luxury brands and products, designers clothing and accessories are seen to be hedonic products “defined as goods whose consumption can be characterised by a sensory experience of aesthetic or sensual pleasure, fantasy or fun” (Oeppen and Jamal, 2014). Luxury brands therefore struggle to expand their demographic as it threatens the exclusivity, individuality and uniqueness; these qualities justify the premium pricing of the products. However the luxury market is becoming democratised; making them more accessible to the general market due to top designer fashion brands such as Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld and Balmain co-branding with high street stores such as H&M to create collections that share the same style as the brand but have a much smaller price tags. These collections ensure that the premium brand can reach out to a broader target market and expanded the brands awareness and customer base without damaging the brand image. Cobranding allows premium brands to combine with other brands to create a limited edition hybrid brand that will appeal to both brands demographic and will convey the messages of both brands in to one combined brand message. Co-brands tend to be a part-time, limited time alliance between two companies which will produce a few collections over the course of a few years. As the collections
values. The third tier is the “ingredient co-branding” which has a higher creative level and aspect to it as the brand with the biggest market share will supply elements to the other brand. Lastly, the highest ranking of the hierarchy is the “complementary competence co-branding” which combines both the brands together and share skills, advertisements and a co-branded product that will create the highest level of shared value this level of co-branding will maximise the brand association acts as a creative advantage against core competitors. This will have the greatest impact and create the high profit margins for both combined brands. (Blackett and Russell, 1999) The success of the strategic alliance can be determined from the consumer evaluation and response to the collection or product. The consumer is most likely going to have a positive response the co-branding alliance if the target market has a positive attitude towards both the brands that are combining or an at least towards one of the brands. The risk of co-branding exercises can be reduced if a brand is partnering with another brand that is trustworthy and has positive attitudes. (Blackett and Boad, 1999). A Co-branding alliance’s success is however mainly measured on the congruency between the two brands image and how both the brand have come together to create a new brand that still connects the two individual brands and their images. The key way brands create this is by picking the key and iconic elements that are most recognised by consumers; these elements are then meshed to create products that
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encapsulate both brands whilst also having a new combined brand identity. In doing this, the two brands should create something that embodies the character of both brands but also creates something that is altogether new. The co-brand will appear to the demographic of both of the founding brands but will also a new demographic or consumer market than neither brand has accessed before. A successful co-branding collection will increase the awareness of both brands and reach out to a larger market therefore giving each brand a bigger market share. Co- branding has many positives if done correctly. The importance of choosing the correct brand to partner with is extremely important; failure to choose the correct co-branding partner could seriously harm a brand and communicate the wrong message to its existing consumers. This may alienate their loyal customer base, causing possible irretrievable damage the brands reputation. Likewise if the brands fail to create a combined product that encompasses the most memorable features of the both brands they may be creating a huge hazard to the potential success of the strategic alliance. (Oeppen and Jamal, 2014) A successful example of co-branding was the limited edition creeper trainers Puma released with global popstar Rihanna; the product caused so much hype that the trainers sold out almost instantly and was re-released on three more occasions. The product was also granted trainer of the year. This collaboration was a strategical tactic by Puma to revive the brand back to what it once was; a thriving sportswear brand. As a result of suc-
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are limited in terms of the time they are available and the number of products on offer; both brands are able to capitalise on consumer interest and increase the kudos of the mass-market brand whilst retaining the exclusivity of the premium brand. Consumers are more likely to buy a product if its limited edition or for only a certain amount of time as consumers fear of missing out on all the new products. The co-branding exercise has to be completely separate from either of the brands involved but has to still embody the key qualities that both brands are recognised for. The alliance will have its own branding, marketing, advertisements, products, packaging, and product range; each of these must be appropriate to both brands and not too far removed from either brands core message. Co-branding is defined as “a form of cooperation between two or more brands with significant customer recognition, in which all the participants’ brand names are retained. Co-branding is usually of medium to long term duration and its net value potential is too small to justify setting up a new brand and/or legal joint venture.” (Blackett and Russell, 1999). Blackett and Russell identified the different tiers of co-branding; the lowest level on the hierarchy is the “reach/ awareness co-branding” where the purpose is to expand the brands aweness by utilising the co-brands customer base and demographic. The second level is the “values endorsement co-branding” which is the done by advertising both brands identities and bringing them to the foreground of the customers minds to remind consumers of the brands and there
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cessful co-branding, Puma has successfully revived its brand and has once again access to its target audience by providing luxe fashion sportswear that now has its own catwalk shows. Co-branding with celebrities is a strategy that has been utilised by sportswear brands. The Yeezy collection, a collaboration between Adidas and Kayne West, also started out from just one co-branded pair of trainers but due to high demand it has now expanded into its own brand that has delivered four catwalk fashion shows that have not just swayed fashion on the high street both men’s and womenswear but also created great controversy in the fashion world as Kanye has been the only designer ever to request only women of colour or ethnic orientation for his latest runway show. (Okechukwu-Ani, 2016) The key to success with BodyMap is to create a fashion line for the target market that will create the highest impact. BodyMap is a brand that focuses on club wear and avant-garde pieces created from tight form fitting knit and stretch Lycra jersey suitable for the crazy and non-gender limited club goer. The BodyMap demographic for the 2018 relaunch will be the LGBTQ community and the club kids of this decade; because of this the brand which would be most suited and reach out to the most relevant demographic will be That Girl Sussi. She shares a similar belief system to BodyMap and demonstrates similar characteristics to its target audience. She is Instagram famous with a growing following of 150,000+. Being Insta-famous is increasingly becoming the most modern way to be iconically famous in
the present era. Her following and high presence of social media, provides a great opportunity for BodyMap to connect directly with a target audience that BodyMap would not ordinarily be exposed to. That Girl Sussi considerers her herself to the new age of drag that focuses on clubbing and expression through art; the clothes Sussi wears can also by theatrical and this sense of bold, over the top in an almost structural way of dressing is something that BodyMap aims to capture in their combined fashion product. That Girl Sussi, as a creative artist, will use her own image and brand to create a product that will be limited edition club appropriate garments that will combine the bold patterned that BodyMap continuously used in the 1980’s and the use of black and white with the primary colour that is used by both BodyMap and That Girl Sussi in her art and makeup artistry. The collection will also embody the boldness that both brands are known for and will portray an unfearful anti-fashion. That Girl Sussi considerers her herself to the new age of drag that focuses on clubbing and expression through art. She will have full creative direction for the co-brand which according to Blackett and Russell is the most rewarding tier in the hierarchy of collaboration; “complementary competence co-branding”. The co-branding exercise will have a shared product which will be launched, creating a social media buzz around the collaboration with various hashtag slogans. That Girl Sussi and BodyMap will combine and utilise their shared skills to create a brand that will reach out to club going, daring, free, LGBTQ community in a way that speaks to them.
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Business of Fashion Two BodyMap was a British influential fashion brand founded in the 1982 by Stevie Stewart and David Holah. BodyMap is a brand that strived in the club scene in the 1980’s, it was inspired by the freedom and the innovative clubber of that decade. BodyMap was all about bold pattern, unstructured shapes and layering items to create a unisex silhouette. BodyMap specialised in “form fitting knits, layered stretch Lycra jersey and rhythmic print” (Stanfill, 2013). Body Map reached their peak in the Fashion industry when they collaborated with choreographer Michael Clark to create costume designs that were visually outgoing, and contradicting with the other decade’s fashion, trends such as power dressing. Stewart and Holah’s designs always contained a knitted element to their collections this was due to inspirational knit designers such as Beth Brett and also due to knitwear being a big part of British fashions heritage and was easily accessibly for British designers and became a tradition and inspiration. The duos designs had a balance between being ridiculed but also having a high fashion appeal to the to the offbeat club kid. Their designs consisted of tight fitted knitted hot pants, patterned stocking and boxy cropped jumpers, which can still be seen today on runways and the high street. BodyMap also use a lot of pattern in their work and kept to the black and white colour scheme but also introduced the primary colours; Red, Blue and Yellow due to their love in Dr Suss. The duo also incorporated the author’s book into one off there catwalk shows “The Cat in the Hat Takes a Rumble with the Techno Fish.”. BodyMap worked with designer Hilde Smith to create prints and patterns that really helped shape the vision of BodyMap and helped them become one of the most iconic brands of the 1980’s they were the
leading brand in ready to wear fashion in the post punk, new romantics ere. Street style was becoming more and more popular within the British fashion scene, the early 80’s was the time when fashion wasn’t just about items of clothing it was the whole package from hair and makeup to the way you carried yourself and spoke. The blitz kid scene of the 80’s was all about expression and becoming whoever you wanted to be no matter gender, size, ethnicity there was a sense of freedom in the decade and that is the main values of the brand. BodyMap was targeted at the innovative clubber in the 1980’s it wasn’t for the shy, it was a bold brand that used a blend of different fabrics, textures, patterns, and structures. BodyMap’s fashion wasn’t just about creating innovative pieces it was also about performance and the art behind fashion, they also used choreographer Michael Clark to bring life to the runway. They had many iconic catwalks with legends such as Boy George and cult 1980’s blitz kid Leigh Bowery making appearances. “Barbie Takes a Trip”, “Querelle Meets Olive Oil” and “The Cat in the Hat Takes a Rumble with the Techno Fish” are the names of the most popular collections from BodyMap. BodyMap folded eight years after it was founded due to the British economy. They had plans to go global with the London based fashion brand however in the late 80’s the recession hit and there was a decline in consumer spending, due to employment rates being at an all-time low and inflation was at 9.5% which means that prices were rising however income was declining. Many independent brands in the 80’s struggled to keep afloat and the same for BodyMap as their niche sales weren’t enough to keep them striving as the brand that focused on fierce prints and reconstructed shapes. (Mulhall and Dazed, 2009)
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IDENTITY BodyMap is an innovative brand that uses non gender specific garments to send a message to customers that not all fashion is about gender and that fashion seen in the main stream is not the only thing out there and BodyMap is here for those that are not getting enough out of today’s mainstream. They are a brand about expression and artistic flare. What makes BodyMap is there continuous use of knit and Lycra material with a blend of pattern and monochromatic colours running throughout there collections. Body map is a fun and exciting brand that have no limits and that is why is was such an iconic brand in the 80’s. BodyMap is a confident extreme fashion brand that has an easy going vibe to its personality and it’s a strong minded, fun, outgoing brand that is always up for a night out. With the collaboration with That Girl Sussi there will be a collaborated logo with BodyMap and Sussi that will consist of block letters with splashes of the primary colours as seen in both That Girl Sussi and BodyMap. The use of stars in the logo is found in the patterns used by BodyMap and also to That Girl Sussi so this can be identified back to both brands, and help vision the hybrid brand.
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Business of Fashion Two
ECTIVES OBJ
BodyMap have many objectives and aims to achieve, one being to become the highest market holders for the LGBTQ community and the new era of drag wear. This will be achieved by the choice of product collection that will reintroduce and relaunch the revival of BodyMap it will reach out to the target market though the creative collaboration of That Girl Sussi who will reach out to the new drag and penetrate the LGBTQ market. Another objective that the brand aim to achieve is to revive BodyMap back to its full potential like in the 80’s. This is will be done with the use of social media and to create a hype. But also by launching a one-time limited edition collaboration with That Girl Sussi. BodyMap will also have a launch party at, the controversial, nightclub Fabric in London and within this launch party there will be a catwalk show. As BodyMap was all about the club to catwalk fashion and this is the most effective way to communicate that to the demographic
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S W O T 30
The LGBTQ community is something that been growing since early 2014 and it is now time that there are fashion brands that are catered for their expressive and wild tastes. BodyMap will be considered the first big brand to be targeted solemnly at the LGBTQ community and this is something that will help the brand become the monopoly of the market and will lead the market sector or the fashion in that market, having monopoly power in the market means that BodyMap will be able to determine their own prices, and due to them being a luxury premium brand this will be the highest price possible, they will dictate the fashion trends within the market and there will be no direct competition as BodyMap hold the monopoly power. However the trouble with targeting such a specific group of people may create a niche brand that may limit the brand sales however because they are such an elite and niche market they will be willing to pay more money for garments as it will be catered specifically to them. And with the growth and acceptance of the LGBTQ market the market will continue to grow. Using an artistic socialite, That Girl Sussi that has such a high presence in New York City gives BodyMap the opportunity to explore and reach overseas to the American market, this expanding is something that BodyMap was hoping to do in the 80’s however the recession limited the brand to just UK markets. A threat that the BodyMap faces is the new empowerment of Donald Trump this new leadership may harm all the progress the LGBTQ community has had in recent years and Donald Trump may induce a movement that may ban or stop or limit the LGBTQ community there for jeopardising the target market and there for the purchase behaviour and overall the sales of BodyMap.
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BodyMap were on the foreground for the whole 80’s decade, so what has happened that has just left them in the background in the fashion world? The BodyMap brand has not been in use since the early 90’s however the two designers David Holah and Stevie Stewart still continue in the fashion behind the scene working with musicians such as Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and Girls Aloud working of costume designs for their times on stage and tours they had. However BodyMap it’s self as a brand that stands for differentiation and individuality has not been around. Is this due the narrow mindedness of consumers today? The reason BodyMap works is because there was blurred gender roles in the decade however with today’s society everything is gender orientated and has to have a he, she, her and him label. However with the new movement in the LGBTQ community there is more freedom to create garment there are gender neutral and this is the perfect time for BodyMap to create its newest fashion line and target it at the LGBTQ club going community. That is something that BodyMap will have to do to revive in the 2018 demographic they will have to slightly change their target market. Body map will also need to understand society’s shopping behaviour. In the time we live in now everything is online (Mintel, 2016) therefore body map will need to create an online presence they will have to introduce a website, social media, mainly Instagram as this is something that is taking off and becoming on
the most popular social media sites to use with over 500 million active users on Instagram (Statista, 2017) body map also need to penetrate the target market with a celebrity endorsement that will connect with the market and also create a collaborative product that will create a hype and frenzy on the relaunch of BodyMap. The brand is an innovative young artist that already has a foot fall and a fan base in the market that body map are trying to penetrate. The chosen artist will be That Girl Sussi, he is a London and new York based artist that has been in ID magazine and dazed and confused for his new era of drag that consist of fashion art and clubbing. He already has a high online social media presence with over 50 thousand followers he hangs out with high fashion new British designers that have all penetrated the market with Avant Gard and gender neutral collections, Matty Bovan and Charles Jeffrey. The biggest completion that BodyMap faced in the 80’s was Vivienne Westwood, who brought out her infamous Pirate collection in 1981 and continued to be an iconic brand throughout the 80’s. However Vivienne Westwood is still a very active fashion house today, why is this, why did Vivienne do so well to still be one the most influential British designers today? Is it because she kept up with the consumer wants, needs and trends? Even though the collection she brought out in the 80’s the styles altered slightly to suit the trends (Westwood, 2014)
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BodyMap has two main competitors in the market, Matty Bovan and Charles Jeffrey. They are both British designers that focus on blurring the gender in fashion and they are both designer that are interested in the club kid market and have both had feature in ID magazine as new up comers for the fashion industry. Matty Bovan focus also on knitwear and dresses that have slight sculptural effect and the use of blended textures is a theme that runs throughout his collections. Charles Jeffrey is an innovative designer that focuses on menswear but will introduce suit dresses into his collec-
tions. Charles Jeffrey has also created a club night called Loverboy that has revolutionised the clubbing scene for the LGBTQ community. Both these designer are niche and upcoming designer that have only brought out two to three collections however they share a similar demographic to BodyMap and they portray a similar message. However BodyMap will have an edge over these two brand as there is history to BodyMap and they were the original club kids and BodyMap is a brand has a heritage from the 80;’s which will create a untie selling point and edge over Charles Jeffrey and Matty Bovan.
C O M P E T I T I O N 35
THE CONSUMER
The LGBTQ community is the new demographic for the revived BodyMap, this is because they are a daring and new market that have been growing since 2014 when gay marriage was first legalised in the UK. The consumer is a powerful expressive individual that uses fashion and anti non mainstream fashion to express their art and their opinions visually though; clothes, materials, makeup, style and music. They ridicule fashion though there love for it go over the top whereas the usual fashionista follow the rules, they see fashion as a performance and fashion as costume to over style and over work. The BodyMap consumer is fun, outgoing and always keen for a night out. The target market may be seen as an outsider but this is because they are someone that doesn’t fit the social norms or the mainstream requirements of beauty or fashion. The consumer may be seen as “weird” however they are not fazed by the comments of oblivious Kardashian followers they are strong and powerful and know exactly who they are. The BodyMap consumer is something that doesn’t let gender define them, they are someone that doesn’t conform to the social norms of gender and that is very important for BodyMap as the collection created will be unisex. To reach out to the target market
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BodyMap will need to create a launch party and catwalk performance that will be appropriate for the audience. British menswear designer Charles Jeffrey has created a new type of club scene in London called Loverboy, this is the route that BodyMap will take, it is innovative and a club night which speaks to the demographic BodyMap aim to reach. The use of a club night in one of London biggest and most loved clubs, Fabric, is ideal as it will be targeted at the young innovative group in London, it will be a club night where people can dress up how they want and are free to express themselves, it will be a night that will be enforced on social media thought the hash tag #GetOnTheMap. The get on the map club night will be held once a month with exclusive photographers and magazine editors, and the people that give BodyMap inspiration will be featured on BodyMap’s blog or Instagram under the street style where the readers of the blog or the followers of the Instagram can be inspired. The club night it to interact with the target market to create a trust between the consumer and the brand. The launch party will be not only be a club night but also hold the catwalk show that will show of the collaborated collection with That Girl Sussi.
Business of Fashion Two
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The collection that will be created for the relaunch of BodyMap and the collaboration with That Girl Sussi will be something with the use of tight fitting knit wear, stretch Lycra jersey club wear, like that of BodyMap yet still hold a provocative, daring, costume affect that similar to the That Girl Sussi brand. The collection created will be array of club appropriate outfits that stem from an all over PVC, rubber latex body suits and two piece suits with knit detailing and Hilde Smith pattern running throughout the collection as that pattern is something that kick-started the brand and will stay close to the brands credentials. The bodysuits will array in colours but they will all be tight fitting and layered with materials such as knit, leather, and Lycra, they are to be bold, big and bright, and in the catwalk they will all be accessories with big head pieces that will create a theatrical feel to the fashion show and outfits. The packaging for the products will resemble the avant-garde head piece as a way to stand out and each body suit will be pair will a corresponding lipstick as makeup is important to not only That Girl Sussi but as the club kids as this is their form of expression. The colours used to create the collaborated brand and product will be; black, white, bright red and royal blue. These are the colours that have been seen in both that girl Sussi art and also in the 80’s BodyMap collections. The materials use will be PVC and knit, this is in a bid to create a sex appeal with PVC and the use of knit keep the product close to the heart of BodyMap. The difference with 80’s and now is that sex is an important factor in selling process, sex sells where as in the 80’s sex was never a factor that BodyMap ever aimed to achieve (Webb, 2013) however to keep up with today’s society BodyMap will have to keep sex as a theme though out the fashion collection and advertising.
THE PRODUCT 39
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The communication mix will be very important for the re launch of BodyMap as this may have been one of the reasons it declined in the early 90’s due to them not getting there brand awareness out there. A cheap and global way to reach the global market in social media. Social media is going to play a very big part in the revive of BodyMap as they will be on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs in a bid to connect with the demographic in as many platforms as possible. As BodyMap is a luxury brand there will not be over exposure to brand as there is a fear that it could cheapen the brand, so there will not be any TV advertisements and there will not be an broadcast advertisements as luxury brand tend to keep away from the general public and broad cast advertisement is for high street brands (Mintel, 2016). However there will be print advertisement is specialist’s magazines that have a similar demo graphic to that of BodyMap, the print advertisements will be in high fashion cutting edge magazines such as ID, Dazed and Confused, Dry and Love magazine. The collaborative collection with That Girl Sussi will bring a lot of exposure to the relaunch of BodyMap and it will already create a truest between the market and BodyMap as we are collaboration and endorsing an advocate the market trusts and admires. The club event will also be a unique exposure for the brand and its message as it’s not just about fashion but also standing up for what you believe in and taking a stance.
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REFRENCES ENDORSEMENT
Bergstom, C. and Skarfstad, R. (2004) ‘Celebrity Endorsement Case Study of J. Lindeberg’, Bachelor’s Thesis, (1404 - 5508), pp. 1–18. Byrne, A., Whitehead, M. and Breen, S. (2003) ‘The naked truth of celebrity endorsement’, British Food Journal, 105(4/5), pp. 288–296. doi: 10.1108/00070700310477086. McCracken, G. (1989) ‘Who is the celebrity Endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process’, Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), p. 310. doi: 10.1086/209217. Shimp, T.A. (2000) Advertising, promotion and supplemental aspects of Integrated marketing communications. 5th edn. Holt Rinehart & Winston. TELLIS, G.J. (2005) ‘Advertising’s role in capitalist markets: What do we know and where do we go from here?’, Journal of Advertising Research, 45(02), p. 162. doi: 10.1017/s002184990505018x.
COLLABORATION
Alba, J.W. and Williams, E.F. (2013) ‘Pleasure principles: A review of research on hedonic consumption’, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(1), pp. 2–18. doi: 10.1016/j.jcps.2012.07.003. Alexander, B. and Contreras, L.O. (2016) ‘Inter-industry creative collaborations incorporating luxury fashion brands’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 20(3), pp. 254–275. doi: 10.1108/jfmm-09-2015-0075. Blackett, T. and Boad, R.W. (1999) Co-Branding: The science of alliance. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Blackett, T. and Russell, N. (2000) ‘Co-branding — the science of alliance’, Journal of Brand Management, 7(3), pp. 161–170. doi: 10.1057/bm.2000.3. Das, T.K. and Teng, B.. (2000) ‘A resource-based theory of strategic alliances’, Journal of Management, 26(1), pp. 31–61. doi: 10.1177/014920630002600105. Geylani, T., Inman, J. and Hofstede, F.T. (2008) ‘Image reinforcement or impairment: The effects of Co-Branding on attribute uncertainty’, Marketing Science, 27(4), pp. 730–744. doi: 10.1287/ mksc.1070.0326.
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Oeppen, J. and Jamal, A. (2014) ‘Collaborating for success: Managerial perspectives on co-branding strategies in the fashion industry’, Journal of Marketing Management, 30(9-10), pp. 925–948. doi: 10.1080/0267257x.2014.934905. Okechukwu-Ani, I. (2016) A firsthand account of the Yeezy season 4 casting call. Available at: http://uk.complex.com/life/2016/09/ yeezy-multiracial-casting-call-black-woman-model (Accessed: 4 January 2017). Wu, D.G. and Chalip, L. (2013) ‘Effects of co-branding on consumers’ purchase intention and evaluation of apparel attributes’, Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 24(1), pp. 1–20. doi: 10.1080/21639159.2013.852910
STRATIGIC
Hyland, V. (2015) The ’80s club-kid label that’s getting a new lease on life. Available at: http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/04/80sclub-kid-label-making-a-big-comeback.html (Accessed: 4 January 2017). Mulhall, A. and Dazed (2009) Fashion archive: Bodymap. Available at: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/6120/1/fashion-archive-bodymap (Accessed: 4 January 2017). Stanfill, S. (ed.) (2013) 80s fashion: From Club to Catwalk. London: V & A Publishing. Statista (2017) Instagram: Active users 2016. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/ (Accessed: 4 January 2017). Webb, I.R. (2013) Blitz: As seen in blitz: Fashioning ’80s style. London, United Kingdom: ACC Editions. Westwood, V. (2014) The early years. Available at: http://www.viviennewestwood.com/en-gb/history/early-years (Accessed: 4 January 2017).
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