Benedetta Barucco N0647294
FASH10106 Creative Networks Fashion Communication & Promotion
TASK 2 Insight comparison and analysis report
scent
project brand
01
Scent me to sleep
09
a cultural box
15
strong is the new skinny
21
The Big Idea
Appendix
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
time is luxury slow down
POETIC TECH
The incredibly fast pace at which innovations and technologies have been introduced in recent years seems to have reached its pinnacle and crisis point as industries and consumers alike are starting to demand for things to slow down. Booming philosophies such as slow food, slow fashion, slow travel and slow journalism have found shape in several businesses that aim to promote a more conscious type of consumerism (Appendix A).
As people grow tired of gadgets and gimmicks, technologies will be created with an emphasis on purpose and meaningful experiences, with the ‘emergence of more intuitive and human-centred innovations’ (WGSN 2015). Tech-connected homes will represent a cocoon from the outside noise, a haven of contemplative peace and inward reflection, and new technologies will quietly enhance the benefits of slow thinking (Appendix A).
1
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
a holistic approach The health and wellbeing boom embraces both physical and psychological health, possibly spurred by the larger discourse around the stigma on mental health. This holistic approach to wellness means that consumers are losing interest in singular health goals and insular solutions and instead seek for well-rounded lifestyle choices for balancing body, mind and soul, as society begins to be more open to mindfulness and spirituality (Appendix A) and sustainability slowly becomes synonymous with healthy.
2
INSIGHT 1
“SCENT ME TO SLEEP� Following from these insights, sleep has struck me as a solid yet underrated category. As night-time beauty products grow in popularity, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of sleep and its impact on overall wellbeing, however there are few brands on the market which specifically target sleep quality. While aromatherapy and alternative medicine have enjoyed a growth in recent years (Appendix A), a Mintel report highlights an opportunity for brands to align these practices more strongly with alleviation of stress and other psychological distresses, conditions which studies show affect sleep quality. A poll from the National Sleep Foundation has pointed to an opportunity for brands to focus on bedtime routines (Appendix A).
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
competition Luxury
our brand
Generic
Value
How will we communicate? A quiet but steady social media approach through ‘native advertising’ would fit with the unobtrusive kind of technology and digital empathy our brand represents (Cope and Maloney 2016). Endorsement by trendy healthy lifestyle bloggers would contribute to the concept of holistic wellbeing. Promote events like Selfridges’ “No Noise” (2013) to attract media coverage and consumer engagement.
4
Specialist
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
consumer profile
1 5
Healthy-living Guru Student or worker, leads a hectic life. Needs to relax and unwind in the comfort of their home. Wants to disconnect from technology and reconnect to their body. Leads a Western lifestyle but is interested in yoga, meditation. Believes in Zen and clean-living mantra.
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
6
visual
language
SCENT ME TO SLEEP
7
Only
42%
of people in the UK say they get a good night’s sleep every night . National Sleep Foundation, 2013
A CULTURAL BOX
all about me The retail scene has witnessed a growth in demand for bespoke products and experiences. The idea that we are all individuals and that there is no “one size fits all” has led to a systematic rejection of mass-produced universal goods and an increase of customisable and layerable products, reinforced by the larger DIY trend—particularly within the beauty sector (Appendix B).
STUFFOCATION The abundance of stuff accumulating in people’s lives overwhelm consumers, who now want to invest in quality over quantity. This creates an interest for hand-crafted, unique artisanal products that have a story to tell.
mature beauty As life expectancy increases and the definition of ‘old’ becomes less absolute, the mature woman becomes an important player in the beauty market, with more brands targeting their specific needs and older models appearing in advertising. However, this demographic is still largely overlooked and not suitably represented (Appendix B).
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INSIGHT 2
cultural box A subscription box appears as a solution to help the consumer avoid sensory overload from the retail environment and give them the opportunity to pamper themselves with products tailored to their needs. This kind of service breaks through the clutter and invites the mature consumer to try new products risk-free by bringing back the element of surprise. The need for human connection in an increasingly online world and a growing sense of global community based on compassion are fuelling an opportunity to offer ethicallysourced goods emphasising their significance as cultural conduits (Formafantasma.com, n.d.). Allowing the consumers to be part of the journey of people, places and processes behind the product would tap into the new need for transparency in supply chains.
A CULTURAL BOX
competition Artisan/NICHE
our brand
Self Service
Full Service
MAINSTREAM
How Will We Communicate? Being inclusive of mature consumer, not patronising. Subscription box means some knowledge of online shopping; however more traditional methods will be provided as well as close customer service to ensure optimal use. The idea is to make things easy, a no-brainer, for the consumer who has already enough to worry about in their everyday life.
11
A CULTURAL BOX
consumer profile
2
MATURE GLOBAL-CITIZEN Working adult who takes care of everyone and everything but themselves, desire to feel pampered. Cultured and interested in global affairs. Familiar with technology but prefers face-to-face interaction. Likes unique pieces that tell a story and wants a connection with provenance of products. Willing to pay more for quality and service.
12
55%
of over-50s believe that advertising treats them in a patronising manner. MarketingDonut.co.uk
visual
language
A CULTURAL BOX
14
STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY
#FITSPIRATION
BETTER TOGETHER
Strong is the new buzzword and has replaced “skinny” as ideal body aspiration. A growing fitness movement is empowering people to be strong physically as well as mentally (WGSN.com/Bell 2016), with an emphasis placed on the importance of feeling good above looking good. Women especially are encouraged to take control of their bodies and their experiences, with a body-positive message being spread across all sectors (Appendix B).
With the fastest-growing sporting events being communitybased (Peveto cited Forbes 2014), staying healthy is becoming associated with teamwork and camaraderie, wherein workout routines are collaborative as opposed to competitive (WGSN 2016) and serve to build trust and confidence. This is an evolution of the already existing online community, based on several platforms and hashtags used to share one’s fitness goals and keep each other motivated.
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INSIGHT 3
“STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY� It is becoming more acceptable for women to aspire to strong bodies and build muscles, an indicator of a larger shift in the way society views femininity and a reflection of the discourse on gender roles and gender fluidity. However, some women still feel refrained from exercising because of societal pressures (Mintel/Walmsley 2014), which points to an opportunity for brands to promote encouragement and support amongst women.
STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY
competition Feminine
our brand
Serious
Fun
Masculine
How Will We Communicate? Most sport fragrances are only marketed to men, and their feminine counterparts usually lack a thoughtful consideration of the target consumer: opportunity to be pioneers of our genre. Even if not all consumers are committed athletes, it is important to actively promote what we preach in order to maintain authenticity (Cope and Maloney 2016). Through social media and live sporting events we can promote body positivity and place emphasis on inclusivity and team-working by engaging the customers in an interactive way.
17
STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY
consumer profile
3 18
THE “FIT” GIRL A woman who aspires to be more active as a way to feel good in her skin. Hands-on, self-reliant but outgoing, she often has girls’ nights out. She likes the city life but seeks adventure, enjoys the outdoors and reconnecting with nature—she doesn’t mind getting dirty.
visual
language
STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY
19
44%
of women say they would like to be more active to improve their health but don’t feel fit enough to play with others. Mintel Sports Participation report, UK 2014
THE BIG IDEA
21
final selection While each of these main insights have a strength that the others may lack, I believe the one that has the most evidence to support it and the most potential for future development is the big idea surrounding scent and sleep. I have identified a number of macrotrends, which go as far as A/W 17/18, pointing towards the growth and further settlement of the Slow Movement, a key insight behind this idea. Areas for further evolution might include emphasising sustainability by involving directly the consumer (recyclable, refillable) and a transparency policy. Because sleep is universal there is opportunity to further segment and include several demographics.
APPENDIX
appendix a slowing down / poetic tech
1. ‘Like the other Slow movements, we take time to do things properly. [...] We return to the values we all want from journalism – context, analysis and expert opinion.’ (slow-journalism. com, n.d.)
2. ‘The slow fashion ethos is a unified representation of all the “sustainable”, “eco”, “green”, and “ethical” fashion movements.’ (Cataldi, Dickson, Grover 2011)
3. ‘Slow Games is a minimalist and beautifully designed gadget that applies the principles of slow living to video games [by] allowing you to make one move per day.’ (Mickiewicz 2016)
4. ‘Slow TV allows viewers to “enjoy an experience in more detail and intimacy than television normally allows, and sit back and draw your own conclusions.”’ (Plunkett 2015)
a holistic approach
1. ‘Coloring has been said to be able to help you achieve mindfulness, banish anxiety, and even deal with trauma. Some of the books explicitly label themselves as “art therapy.”’ (The Guardian, 2015)
2. ‘Meditating is proven to reduce stress, help us keep calm and sleep better too. [...] There are a range of apps that help you live a more “mindful” life, wherever you happen to be.’ (The Independent, 2013)
3. ‘In the summer of 2015, more than 1,000 participants joined The Big Quiet, a large-group meditation practice in the middle of Central Park.’ (WGSN, 2016)
scent me to sleep ‘“Sleep is deeply inter-connected with health and performance, but it is often overlooked by researchers,” says Jan Born, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Tubingen, German, and a member of the NSF 2013 International Bedroom Poll expert panel.’ ‘Roughly nine out of ten in Mexico (92%), Germany (90%) and the United Kingdom (86%) and three-fourths in the United States (78%), and Canada (78%) agree they feel more relaxed if their bedroom has a fresh, pleasant scent.’ (National Sleep Foundation 2013)
Complementary and alternative medicine, UK December 2015 (Mintel)
i
APPENDIX
appendix b all about me
mature beauty
Mature Beauty, UK - December 2015 (Mintel)
31% ‘FaceCamp is a revolutionary “New Year New You” approach to bootcamp, offering tailored face workouts and a special juice and smoothie diet to get your skin and face looking and feeling back at its best.’ (FaceGym, n.d. Photo: own work)
‘The change in perception of ageing has given rise to a number of beauty and fashion brands celebrating age, whether through use of older models [...] or social media campaigns.’ (Mintel/Khanom 2015)
of women over 55 agree that there are not enough beauty sales assistants that represent their age.
Mature Beauty, UK - December 2015 (Mintel)
cultural box
better together
‘Design studio Formafantasma explores the link between landscapes and cultural heritage by producing objects from local materials - in this case, clocks created in Sicily using lava from Mount Etna.’ (WGSN 2014)
“Tough Mudder is a team-oriented 10-12 mile (18-20 km) obstacle course designed to test physical strength and mental grit. Tough Mudder puts camaraderie over finisher rankings and is not a race but a team challenge.’ (Tough Mudder, n.d.)
ii
list of references Cataldi, C., Dickson, M., Grover, C. (2011). The Slow Fashion Movement. [online] Notjustalabel.com. Available at: https://www. notjustalabel.com/editorial/slow-fashion-movement [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Cope, J. and Maloney, D. (2016). Fashion promotion in practice. Bloomsbury Publishing. FaceGym. (2016). Shop FaceCamp - FaceGym. [online] Available at: http://www.facegym.com/brand/facecamp/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Forbes.com. (2014). Why The Tough Mudder, The Color Run And Spartan Race Will Continue To Drive Running’s Popularity. [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2014/08/28/why-the-tough-mudder-color-run-and-spartan-race-will-continue-to-driverunnings-popularity/#454c0dcc53fd [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Formafantasma.com. (n.d.). About Formafantasma. [online] Available at: http://www.formafantasma.com/about [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Honoré, Carl cited WGSN/Williams, C. (2015). Going Slow - Lifestyle futures 2015. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/ board_viewer/#/61139/page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] MarketingDonut.co.uk. (n.d.). Marketing to older customers. [online] Available at: http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketingstrategy/your-target-market/marketing-to-older-customers [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Mickiewicz, M. (2014) Slow Games. [online] Protein. Available at: https://www.prote.in/feed/slow-games [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Mintel/Duckett, J. (2015). Complementary and Alternative Medicine - UK - December 2015. [online] Available at: http://academic.mintel. com/display/716196/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Mintel/Khanom, R. (2014). Mature Beauty - UK - December 2015. [online] Available at: http://academic.mintel.com/display/716195/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Mintel/Walmsley, D. (2014). Sports Participation - UK - September 2014. [online] Available at: http://academic.mintel.com/display/679731/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. National Sleep Foundation (2013). International Bedroom Poll. [online] Available at: https://sleepfoundation.org/media-center/press-release/ national-sleep-foundation-2013-international-bedroom-poll [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] Plunkett, J. (2015). Gently does it: from canal trips to birdsong, BBC4 to introduce ‘slow TV’. [online] The Guardian. Available at: http:// www.theguardian.com/media/2015/may/01/gently-does-it-from-canal-trips-to-birdsong-bbc4-to-introduce-slow-tv [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Schwedel, H. (2015). Coloring books for adults: we asked therapists for their opinions. [online] The Guardian. Available at: http://www. theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/17/coloring-books-adults-therapists-opinions [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. Slow-journalism.com. (n.d.). Delayed Gratification - Why Slow Journalism Matters. [online] Available at: http://www.slow-journalism.com/ slow-journalism [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. The Independent. (2013). The 10 Best meditation apps. [online] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/the-10-bestmeditation-apps-8947570.html [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. ToughMudder.com. (2014). What is Tough Mudder. [online] Available at: https://toughmudder.co.uk/events/what-is-tough-mudder [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016]. WGSN (2015). The Great Reset. Autumn/Winter 2017/2018. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/63167/ page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] WGSN/Bell, A. (2016). Seoul: The Muscle Movement - Consumer Insight 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/ board_viewer/#/64358/page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] WGSN/Bell, A. (2015). Doing Beats Buying - Consumer Insight 2015. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_ viewer/#/57319/page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] WGSN (2016). Spiritual Spending - Consumer Insight 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/64000/ page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] WGSN (2014). S/S 16 Macro Trends: Eco Active. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/144547/page/1 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2016] WORD COUNT: 1100
BENEDETTA BARUCCO, N0647294 FASH10106 CREATIVE NETWORKS FASHION COMMUNICATION & PROMOTION