Concept and Promotion
CONTENTS
The Brand The Store The Website The Promotion The Public Relations
Topkids is the sister store to Topshop and Topman. It provides fashionable clothing to children aged 0-14 years. Each range is targeted at the children of that age range making sure it is age appropriate yet still desirable and fun. Like Topshop and Topman, Topkids is at the forefront of childrens highstreet fashion, as it offers designer like clothing at highstreet prices. The brand is fashionable and fun whilst remaining serious and respected. The brand colour is yellow due to its vibrancy and it is vital to the Topkids personality. Topkids customer is one that can afford or is willing to spend a little bit more money on clothing and wants to look stylish, feel on top of the world and just be the trend settter.
THE STORE
Topkids will open its flagship store on the lower ground level, sharing the building with Topshop located at 70 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge. Joining the two brands in one retail space will help encourage foottfall to the Topkids store and generate a higher calibre of customer due to the sale of designer ranges in Topshop Knightsbridge.
There are three window spaces, along the side of the store on Brompton road. The concept for the visual merchandising displays in these windows is inspired by the childrens toy Spirograph. Spirograph uses lines to create patterns and shapes. The window displays have used this idea, and using rope it creates lines going across the windows infront and behind the mannequins. This creates a visually pleaseing and colourful display.
As you walk into the store the customer is greeted with a sign informing them of where to go for Topkids. The customer is then taken down a spiral staircase to the lower ground floor where they can find Topkids.
To the left of the stpiral staircase there is an area for a visual merchanding display. Ahead of the customer is the Topkids store.
Throughout the store the rails are single bars of metal that come from the wall, the floor and the roof.
Free standing boxes have also been used. designed to be placed on an angle, this is the lines of a spirograph. Graphics are also to promote the clothing, awhilst also offering
These boxes are again inspired by used on the walls styling sugestions.
There is a shoe section . The shoes are placed on shelves and a free standing table cabinet . A large bench is also provided for customers to try the shoes on. Again, graphics are used.
Behind the bench is a large screen. The screen plays promotional videos that feature Topkids clothing. This is to further promote the clothing and brand within the store.
As Topkids is at the forefront of children’s fashion it tries to keep up to date with technology advances too. The store uses interactive screens to engage with the customer, allowing children to be entertained whilst in store and further promoting the Topkids brand and clothing. The screens allow children to learn about the product range Topkids has and they can play with the clothing, as they can make an avatar figure of themselves and place clothing on it.
There are two sections within the fitting rooms, one for girls and one for boys. The fittingrooms also feature tecnology. Each fittingroom has a Tweet Mirror outside the fittingroom booths. The Tweet Mirror alows the child to take a picture of themselves wearing the clothing they are trying on. They can then upload the image to a social networking platform or email it..
The tills area is a large are that features large graphics.
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The Floor Plan 1: Interactive Screens 2: Rails and Shelves 3: Video Screen 4: Shoes Along Wall 5: Seating 6: Shoe Table 7: Rails 8: Free Standing Shelves 9: Tills 10: Fittingrooms 11: Tweet Mirror 12: Visual Merchandising
THE WEBSITE
Topkids will not only have the flagship store in Knightsbridge but it will also operate an ecommerce website. The site will need to appeal to children and adults. The site is easy to navigate with a menu bar on the left hand side of every page. With the domain name of www.topkids.com it is simple to remember and easy to find. Topkids online will ship to all UK destinations.
The Topkids homepage has a drop down menu on the left hand side and quick links on the righ hand side.
The menu is easy to navigate and the site displays the product in categories with large images of the products.
When a product is selected, a new page opens up displaying the item with options to look at different view points including an image of a person wearing the product. Suggestions to similar products is also displayed on the page.
The site has a promotional video
The lookbook can be viewed online, offering styling suggestions and making the products very desireable.
As Topkids is a childrens clothing brand children are encouraged to purchase online using a Top-up card that can purchased from any Topkids, Topshop or Topman store or alternativly make a Wish List and let their parents pay.
Children can also go on the site and using an avatar figure which they can base on their own looks, they can try the clothing on to see what it will look like with other selected products.
THE PROMOTION
Whilst in any Topkids, Topshop or Topman store customers can get promotional postcards. These postcards have images form the lookbook on the one side and details of where to find the collections of the other. This is ideal to help promote the website to areas of the country that don’t have a Topkids store.
The Topkids tags attached to the clothing have the logo clearly visible on the front with the barcode , size and price on the revese side. Another tag is attached wihitch says ‘1 in 6 children aged 5-14 years in the world is engaged in child labour. This product has been ethically produced.‘
Short promotional videos will be played on video screens in stations and shopping centres throughout London.
As Topkids will primarily launch in London, it is vital that around the city everybody knows that Topkids is launching. To help achieve this posters will be displayed in the major tube stations including, Kings Cross, Picadilly Circus and Knightsbridge.
To help further promote the brand online and in Knightsbridge adverts will run in national magazines. These will include Vouge, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar plus some of the weeklys including Grazia and Look.
Tokids will launch an app, available ont an Ipad, Iphone or Android phone. The app will be a free to download application that allows the user to browse the Topkids collection, purchase from the collection, try the clothing on using an avatar simulation of themslef and view the lookbook.
Social networking is becoming a large part of any comapnies promotiona nd for Topkids this will be vital to engage with the customer. As virtually all children now use some form of social networking Topkids will have a Facebook page and a Twitter page. Using these sites will allow people to follow the brand,. They in turn will be informed of the latest Topkids news, promotions and competitions. They can also see pictures of new Topkids collections and they can upload their images of their Topkids clothing. The wall and the tweeting features will alolow them to communicate directly to Topkids.
THE PUBLIC RELATIONS
The night before the launch of Topkids to the public, Sir Phillip Green will host a press event. This event will be held at the Topkids store in Knightsbridge. The invites for the event feature zoomed in, small version images of the promotional images as if giving them a sneek peek at the collection. The guestlist will include magazine and newspaper editors, journalists, bloggers, stylists, fashions influential people and celebrities. Desired celebrities include the Beckhams, Katie holmes and Suri cruise, Williow and Jayden Smith, Miley Cyrus and other Disney stars, to name a few. The event will be a social occasion and allow people to preview the collection and store. In keeping with the brand colour, guests will arrive on a yellow carpet where photographers will get their press shots. At the end of the eveing, guest will leave the event with a goody bag and press release. The goody bag will have a few products including a Topkids gift voucher and a T-Shirt from the collection.
ARCADIA LAUNCH THEIR FIRST CHILDRENSWEAR BRAND: TOPKIDS The young fans of Topshop and Topman need wait no longer, as the arrival of Topkids is now just months away. Launching in April 2012 In Knightsbridge and online, Topkids will see the development in designer meets highstreet fashion for the younger market. Whilst many wish they could grow up faster to fit into Topshop and Topman’s clothing; Topkids will produce ranges in Baby, 2‐5 years, 5‐7 years, 7‐10 years and 10‐14 years, allowing boys and girls of all ages access to the most fashionable designs to hit the UK streets. Topkids will hold a press evening to preview the store and the collections on the 16th April 2012 followed by the launch of the store the following day (17th April 2012). ‘I’m so excited to launch Topkids in the UK. It is the first children’s brand I have launched, and I think it will fill a gap for designer, fashionable clothing for children. I think in recent years we have seen a change in children’s attitudes where they want to dress up to look good but the highstreet has lacked in fashionable designs. That is where Topkids steps in giving them a unique and style conscious edge. What I really like about Topkids is the clothing is so appealing yet it is always remains age appropriate.’ Sir Phillip Green, Topkids is the new fashion destination on the UK highstreet. It is a fashionable alternative for kids who can at the minute can only wish they too, could shop in Topshop or Topman. The clothing is trendy, and cool giving children a unique edge to their personal style. With products ranging in price, Topkids is still an affordable alternative, giving the appearance of designer clothing, while no item costs more than £80. At 11am on Tuesday 17th April, Sir Phillip Green will open the doors of Topkids for the first time along with his guest for the day; Willow Smith. Throughout the day the guests will be invited to shop the new collections and at 1pm Willow will perform. ‘Topkids will appeal to children who like to take an interest in the clothing they wear, it is for children who want that extra individual edge in their style and isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd.’ Stephanie Fray – Brand Director. Topkids is a fashion frenzy that focuses on seasonal trends like no other children’s store does. Its opening will mark the beginning of children having access to the trends and clothing they crave so badly. END
The Topkids S/S 12 Lookbook Images
To further promote the brrand the PR team will encourage celebrity children to wear the Topkids clothing. Topkids will send samples to the parents or stylists of children such as Romeo Beckham, Willio Smith and Suri Cruise. Should they wear the clothing out in public journalists and bloggers will no doubt write stories, naming Topkids as the childs choice of brand to wear.
David Labuschagne