Carhartt Work In Progress Carhartt Urban Brand Outerwear Appeal Research
Prepared for: Carhartt December 2013
Carhartt Work In Progress (Carhartt WIP) is the avant-garde way of living the Carhartt brand, reshaping the outstanding Carhartt legacy. In 1889, Hamilton Carhartt founded the Carhartt company in Detroit. His first products were work overalls made of denim fabric and duck, commonly called canvas. This later became Carhartt´s trademark fabric. Since the early years the brand became dedicated to providing “Best In Class” apparel, tailored to meet the highest standards of quality, durability and comfort. Carhartt Work In Progress is not only known for being a reliable supplier of admired textiles but also for its dedicated support of artists, musicians, and riders. Since its very beginning, Work in Progress has closely involved Carhartt with the European skateboarding and BMX scene, aiding in showcasing the scene’s cultural diversity and creativity. Despite other appearances, the scene in Europe is a fiercely independent group wary of being exploited by marketing departments. But Work in Progress’ honest engagement to their cause has managed that Carhartt gained deep respect from even the most hardcore skate activists. The brand’s support includes lobbying work on various levels. It consists of creating partnerships with many of the main skating and BMX events in Europe as well as supporting local scenes over many years, helping skateparks to develop and persist, and much more. Objectives: -
To identify loyal consumers and why they are loyal. What the main competitors for Carhartt WIP are according to our interviewees. Understand what consumers’ ideas behind Carhartt WIP designs are and how that compares to the main competitors. Understand the comfort, durability, and ease of the products according to the interviewees.
Study Method Group Interviews: We will be conducting group interviews that will be about 100 minutes long. These interviews will consist of eight people with different markets being presented. Within these interviews respondents will be asked to answer basic questions about outerwear buying habits that will steer them away from biases that may hold back their honesty. These will serve as a background for us, so demographical, product usage, and attitudinal questions will be responded to. After basic questions are answered we will ask more specific questions relating to brands and why certain brands are selected. Most likely this will lead to a response
related to design, comfort, price, accessibility etc. We will compare Carhartt products to similar products and see how the respondents evaluate in comparison to the question asked previously. Interviews will be conducted in cities such as Chicago, New York, LA, Denver, Detroit, Austin, and London. Sample: A non-probability quota sample will take place. Within this sample we will choose specific respondents who: -Fit into certain demographics (Middle and Upper Class) -Shop in select stores -Have specific and traceable online buying habits -Live in certain major cities -Spend time outdoors every day -Spend time on the Internet every day -Have an annual income of at least $30,000 -Cannot be related to anyone involved in marketing or advertising for an outerwear company, even Carhartt Sample Segmentation: Sample segmentation will be based on how often respondents buy outerwear, and how often respondents show interest in outerwear (fashion blogs, magazines). Everyday: -Show interest in fashion every day -Buy outerwear every month Frequent: -Show interest in fashion every 2-3 days -Buy outerwear every 2-3 months Average: -Show interest in fashion weekly -Buy outerwear every 5-6 months Infrequent: -Never go out of their way to show interest in fashion -Buy outerwear once a year/when they have to Areas of Investigation:
These are points of concern that will addressed: Design: -General interest -Interests that stand out -Disinterests that stand out -Logo appeal -Favorite designs -Least favorite designs -Likelihood to buy any based on design Comfort/Durability: -Comfort appeal inside and outside all pieces -Most comfortable piece -Least comfortable piece -Most durable piece -Least durable piece -Likelihood to buy based on comfort -Likelihood to buy based on durability Comparisons: -How would you compare Carhartt WIP to North Face/ Columbia: -Design -Comfort -Durability -Price -Relevancy Additional: -How many pieces of Carhartt owned -How many pieces of Carhartt WIP owned -How many outerwear pieces worn everyday Reporting and Analysis: Total: 350 Age 18-20: 70 Age 20-25: 140 Age 25-30: 70 Age 30-35:70
Everyday: 70 Frequent: 70 Average: 140 Infrequent: 70
Chicago: 50 New York: 50 LA: 50 Detroit: 50
Denver: 50 Austin: 50 London:50
The report will show respondents buying habits, interests and the stimulants behind these. Each category will show specifics relevant to marketing and advertising of Carhartt WIP.