Overall Analysis Founded in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. The Paris-based •
Maison Margiela is a fashion house founded in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. The Paris-based house creates clothes according to the uniquely unconventional principles imagined by Martin Margiela himself, a philosophy in which deconstruction and heritage go hand in hand to create designs that showcase fashion as an art of meaning rather than a cult of personality.
•
Maison Margiela crosses the fashion spectrum from its ‘Artisanal’ collection, which has held the “Haute Couture” appellation since 2012, through readyto-wear and accessories.
•
John Galliano was named Creative Director of the house in 2014, bringing his sense of spectacle and creative mastery to the unique ethos of Maison Margiela.
Merchandise Analysis: Merchandise analysis (product categories, price points, attributes) Daring and ambiguous, the Maison designs Haute Couture, women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, small leather goods, footwear, fine jewelry, fragrances, interior design and MM6, its contemporary line.
Product categories • Women’s wear/ Men’s wear • Appear: Outerwear/ Top/ trousers • ACC : BAGS/ Shoes/ ACC/ Fragrances
Price • MM 6: $180 - $995 • W/M: $395 -$4200 (Maison Margiela", 2019)
Market details Market details (size, geography, stats)
“
The company posted a drop in revenues and margins last year but said its net financial position strengthened by
NET SALE: 111 million euros.
32percent to 111 million euros.
("The Business of Fashion", 2019)
NORTH AMERICA 37%
EUROPE 22%
ASIA 41%
ASIA EUROPE NORTH AMERICA
Maison Margiela has developed a strong online retail presence and boutique network worldwide through signature store design and exceptional customer experience. The brand is present in key department and multibrand stores throughout Europe, the US, and Asia.("Boutiques – Maison Margiela", 2019)
SWOT Analysis Strength: •
known for its deconstructive design
•
Strong brand image: disrupt, innovate, and inspire
•
Global presence: operating boutique stores internationally.
•
Increased international demand and attentions.
•
Founded by elusive designer Martin Margiela who likes to remain independent from the public and does not want to be in any press.
•
Staged the very first see-now-buy-now season
•
Upcycling: recycle and repurpose deadstock material
•
Customers being part of the design idea:
•
Maison Margiela AW18 collection “digital nomads” , is about people who grew up around technology and smart phones.
•
Maison Margiela SS20 collection “liberation and voice”, is about people who fought for the freedom
Weakness:: •
John Galliano serves Maison Margiela since 2014 and rebranded the brand, he remains the strong brand image , brought new elements in and doubled the revenue, but John was dismissal Christian Dior for racist and anti-Semitic
•
Low social media presence
•
Hard to keep the mysterious
Opportunity: •
Increase public exposure
•
Collaborate with Pornhub to increase appearance frequency to new customers (documentary was leaked at Pornhub)
•
Collaborate with brands like affordable brands like Zara and gap to reach young customers. (Maison Margiela had collaborated with Converse，Reebok，H&M）
•
Work with YOOX to provide discounted product in a wide product range.
•
Create campaigns and connect with customers
•
Increase brand awareness and provide better customer service by creating social account on different platform in different country and select staff to work on it separately.
•
Quicker response to customer ( for example, alexander wang had a sale a few days ago on his website and he announced 20% proceed will be donated to support the UN foundations #COVID19Fund for WHO, but due to overwhelmingly demand, the brand went out of stock fast and had to stop their 72 hour flash sale earlier, a Chinese employee of alexander wang posted on RED, a popular app in China, and told Chinese customers who does not have access to Instagram about what happened and what was the brand solution)
Threats: •
The competition is fierce, competitors all working hard on reaching to new customers
•
If the customers prefer the mystery of the former designer, too much brand exposure will do more harm than good
•
Designer Maison Margiela left the fashion house he founded in 2008, many customers love the brand because of him, when his mystery recedes, how long will people remain interested in the brand
•
One reason Maison Margiela is still successful is that John Galliano can carry on the brand heritage, but no designers are alike，and how long he can stay true to the brand?
Avant-garde
Perceptual Map Higher Price
Lower Price
The perceptual map shows that Maison Margiela distinguish it-self by avant-garde design and a relatively lower price 
 which market.
Classic
makes it a key player against its competitors in the
Competitor Analysis:
Thom Browne
History: Founded by American designer Thom browne in 2001, the brand is well known for its four horizontal stripes and its red, white and blue grosgrain, Thom browne’s signature piece is the grey suits. The brand used to produce made to measure suits by appointments only, and then transiting to retail store. Product categories: ready-to-wear, leather goods, footwear, eyewear, accessories and fragrance Price range: $310-$9560 . Distribution: Operate boutique stores all around the world, partnered with wholesale such as Bergdorf goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and online retailers such as Ssense, Farfetch, Matches fashion. SWOT analysis : Strengths: • Juxtaposition of classic & avant-garde design concept • Outstanding brand awareness • High profile fashion brand Weakness: • Price is too high • Lack of product categories • Lack of a strong marketing strategy
Opportunities: • Celebrity support • Numerous retail partners support • Advanced, unique design style Threats: • Many competitors and no clear advantage • Lack of marketing strategy may face elimination
Competitor Analysis: Alexander Mcqueen
History: Founded by one of the most respected fashion designers Lee Alexander Mcqueen in 1992, the brand joined Kering Group in 2001,the brand is well known for its innovative and creativity with contrasting elements such as femininity and masculinity. Product categories: Ready-to-wear, leather goods, footwear, jewelry, accessories and eyewear Price Range: $380-$85000 Distribution: Operates boutique stores in 19 countries, partnered with wholesale such as Selfridges, Bergdorf goodman, and online retailers such as Ssense, Farfetch, Matchesfashion. SWOT analysis : Strengths: • Unique design style • Outstanding and high brand image • Broad customer base, high visibility Weakness: • Gradually losing market competitiveness • Limited number of exclusive stores • Distribution channels are gradually reduced, and there is a lack of online sales platform
Opportunities: • Take advantage of a sharp brand image and customer base • Use social media, attract young generation • Expand global market Threats: • Many emerging brands and high competition • Missing original brand features, and the brand consciousness is vague.
Competitor Analysis: Balenciaga
History: Founded by spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1919, joined kering group in 2001, Cristóbal is known as 'The Master' of haute couture, Balenciaga is best known for its revolution of women’s fashion in the 50s with “ballroom hems”,“semi-fit” and “sack dress”. Balenciaga is also a big name for its forward-looking sock sneakers Product categories: Ready-to-wear, leather goods, footwear, accessories, jewelry and fragrance Price range: $350-$12000 Distribution: Operates boutique store in 29 countries, partnered with wholesale such as Neiman Marcus, Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and online retailers such as Net-aPorter, End clothing, FWRD, Mytheresa. SWOT analysis : Strengths: • Strong design awareness and heritage • Strong network and successful marketing strategy • Popular design style • Belong to Kering group, strong background support
Opportunities: • Developed network platform and social media • Enhance retailer cooperation and expand global market • With the help of celebrity effect, strong brand image
Weakness: • Designer’s aesthetics are controversial • Less reasonable pricing •
Threats: • The proportion of millennials is too large • Market saturation, competitive pressure
Customer Analysis: Existent Customer Profile Demographics:
Psychographics
• • • • •
Gender: All genders Age Group: 20-40 years old Income: $ 3000-5000 Social status: wealthy gentrification，middle & upper class Occupation: artist, editors, professionals, Fashion & art major students, freelancer.
• • • •
Edgy & Bold Avant garde Trend leader, early adopter and early majority. Influencer, Sensitive about fashion, Keep up with brands through social medias & blogs , Always considered futuristic LGBTQ friendly
•
Behavioral
• • • •
Appeal to unique assortments & specialized store merchandising shopping for clothes during leisure time Pride & prestige buying motive: mature application, unique style, limited edition collectible Tend to gravitate toward purchases that are an expression of their personality
(“Flush With Tech Wealth, San Francisco Warms to Fashion", 2020)
Potential Customer Characteristics •
Age groups: Millennial & early Gen Z
•
Gender inclusive, open-minded
•
tech-innate, hyper-informed consumers，online shopping experts.
•
Metropolis citizen
•
Enjoy join Event, Pop-up , experiential purchases make them happier for longer than material purchases.
•
Asia cultural enthusiast ( Tabi shoes)
•
("Why Margiela's Tabi Boot Is Minting Money", 2020)
Customer Board
• • • • • • •
Shanghai, China: First-tier city in China Fashionable Frequent international trades Sleek city style Highly internationalized Huge rich customer base Fast-pace
• • • • • •
Chengdu, China: Fashionable Inclusive Highly LGBTQ friendly Various well-known art schools Great attention on leisure Huge young customer base
Demographic Expansion of Consumers • • • • •
Seoul, South Korea: Many fashion icons Highly developed entertainment industry Seoul fashion week Fast-pace Frequent international trades
Where to Find More Potential Consumers
The Most Likely Places for Target Customers to Know Information About Fashion: •
Buyer shops and department stores are the places where customers will PURCHASE their products and know what’s new in stores. Customer tend to Purchase item in specialized store with unique shopping experience.
•
Fashion community might be a source for customers to exchange their ideas and to know about the brand. This could happen among friends who share similar interests or in fashion week.
•
The age group of our target customers is in fact the driving force in using social media.
Business Issue Description: •
Lots of brands are inspired by elements of Margiela’s design, such as oversized puffas, covered faces，split-toe and roomy coats. However, Margiela is not as well-known as those designers. Due to the designer’s personality.
•
Martin Margiela never indulged the media with any face-to-face or telephone interviews.
He and his team preferred to respond as a collective to journalists’ questions (‘We’ rather than ‘I’). Their answers were typed up and sent via the trusty MMM fax machine, and later email. •
Martin Margiela was never fixated on the traditional notions of beauty, His brand aesthetic is not the mainstream of the fashion world. And he consistently championed diverse and unconventional-looking individuals to be models at his shows
•
His action is too innovative to accept by the current fashion world. 1997, His artisanal
collection saw him repurposing vintage clothes, found fabrics and everyday objects such as bottle tops into demi-couture garments. Martin Margiela is considered to be the
first designer to offer for sale old clothes recovered in ‘new’ clothing, with its ‘artisanal’ line. This act, close to recycling and then upcycling was unknown to couturiers and fashion designers. However, the brand is not famous for its sustainability •
Masion Margiela does not offer uniform prices to all customers, price varies by countries.
Key Success Factors: •
Huge demand of its iconic tabi footwear，due to budget issue margiela had to continually use tabi shoe in his collection，people's demand for tabi keep increasing and they never stop asking for more，the tabi shoes is also a design coming from real life，he was inspired by Japanese workers from the 15th century.
Key Success Factors: •
Innovations： Martin Margiela avoided using fancy venues and obvious locations for the Maison’s shows and presentations. Instead, the fashion pack would have to nervously trek to decidedly unglamorous areas of Paris to check out the latest MMM collections in venues including a kids’ playground, a semiderelict warehouse, a disused tube train, the staircase of a dropping-to-bits house and even a double decker bus, packed full of models and ‘accessorized’ by a Belgian brass band, which performed the soundtrack. identification of opportunities and challenges.
Opportunities and Challenges: •
Maison Margiela, as a representative fashion brand with a unique style, has a strong brand influence. Although the main people think that low-key luxury is the brand style, today's fashion industry is highly competitive if we do not expand the brand influence may lose brand competitiveness.
• •
Opportunities: Use social media to build brand awareness and corporate social responsibility in marketing strategies:
•
For example, In 2019 ,Marni presented a glassware collection handmade by artists in Colombia, the collection is aimed to support the “Future Brain” project by the Heal Onlus Association, to provide assistance to young patients and their parents through educational and recreational activities. The collection is only on sale in selected Marni boutique stores. The Marni market project also offers exclusive merchandise handmade artists in Colombia, the sales will go to Piccolo Principe association, to support children in difficulty aged 0 to 5 within the Province of Milan.
•
By offering exclusive products, working with celebrities and KOLs, who have a vast influence among the younger generation of consumers, to support people in need will attracting attention,
increasing likability, and instilling a brand with personality
Opportunities and Challenges: •
Open pop-up concept stores:
•
Instead of making direct sales, the first thing our brand maison margiela needs to do is to use storytelling to tell the history of the brand，the conecpt of the brand and the uniqueness of the brand. Maison margiela owns online retail stores in China, By opening pop-up concept stores will keep exclusivity of the brand, and drive sales to its online store.
•
Open online flagship stores around the world:
•
Nowadays, online shopping has become the shopping trend of consumers, and most luxury brands are gradually opening official shopping platforms. Primarily influenced by COVID-19, online shopping is now the only way for every brand to transform. Besides, online shopping can not only make shopping more convenient for consumers but also reduce the cost risk by not spending much money to open
physical stores.
Opportunities and Challenges: •
Challenges:
•
The trade-off between brand mystery and publicity: Increasing exposure means higher revenue, which is also the financial foundation of a brand. However, high exposure is somehow against the brand style, since Maison Margiela is quite edgy and the characteristics of customers probably make them don’t want to see this brand everywhere.
•
Market expansion with low brand awareness: Maison Margiela is not a brand well known to customers in China. How to promote the brand becomes crucial in this case. It needs to take the characteristics of local customers and the characteristics of the brand into account.
•
Specific trending products: Maison Margiela in general is known for its shoes and perfumes. It’s good that brands can have some trending products, but these two categories are not as “consumable/trendy” as clothes. In other words, customers might buy these two categories less frequently compared to clothing, which is potentially not ideal for a brand to run.
•
The contradiction between the brand style and local style: People living in China tend to be more conservative. What’s popular in the West, like expressing their bodies freely, might not work well in China. The untraditional designs in Maison Margiela might be considered way too
bold to local customers.
Research Goals: •
This research aims to find out customers’ shopping habits, reactions to different brand promotions, and the brand awareness of Maison Margiela in China. The goal is to get an insight of customers and to come up with a strategic promoting plan specifically for Maison Margiela after analyzing the results.
•
In order to have a deeper exploration of Chinese customers, We firstly use qualitative methods, interviewing two Chinese customers within various age groups. This aims to help us uncover their behavior and patterns. And then we conducted an online survey with 68 participants, which is used to quantify how common the
behaviors or patterns are.
Research Design Chart:
Interview Base
Primary Research
Online survey Base
Sources of Key Insights
Secondary Research
Online Article Base
Euromonitor Statista Focus Group
Research Format- Primary research • Methodology part 1
• The methodology we used in our primary research was to conduct interviews, which is a qualitative methodology. In the interview part, we interviewed two Chinese customers within various age groups.
• A 50-year-old male, has been Maison Margiela’s loyal customers for over ten years
• An 18-year-old high school student, has heard of Maison Margiela, occasionally shop in luxury brands, interested in fashion industry
•
Interview questions:
1. Where do you normally shop? And why? 2. Where do you know the information about the fashion industry? And why? 3. Where did you hear of the brand Maison Margiela? 4. What’s your first impression on Maison Margiela? 5. What’s your general impression on Maison Margiela? 6. If you have purchased any items from Maison Margiela, what are others’ reactions or opinions? What’s your attitude when you wear the brand? 7. Will you be interested in Maison Margeila’s collaborations with celebrities or other brands? 8. If Maison Margiela has lots of promotions over place, will you like it or hate it? 9. Which one do you prefer when it comes to campaigns on social media, pictures, gifs or videos?
Research Format-Primary research • Methodology part 2 The methodology we used in our primary research stage 2 was an Online Survey, which is a quantitative methodology. To help Maison Margiela have a clear Chinese customer insights, including preferences, behavioral patterns, reasons for buying— or not, we created an online survey with 68 participants.
In searching for the key insight, we used several projective techniques in our survey, including Association, Sentence completion and Expression.
The 15 questions are as below:
Online survey
• Your gender? Age below 16/ 16-25/ 26-35/ 36-45/over 45
• Are you currently...?Undergraduate student； Graduate student；Selfemployed； Employed for wages；Homemaker； Out of work, looking for work；Out of work, not looking for work Others:
• Where do you get information on the latest fashion news or brands? (Instagram，Weibo Red，Bilibili，Tiktok，Friends，Tmall，official website
• How often do you shop for luxury goods? (Everyday， once a week，2-3 times a week， once a month， 2-3 times a month，2-3 times a year， more than 5 times a year, none
• What was the last luxury product that you purchased?
• Have you bought product from Maison Margiela？what is it？where did you buy it？
• I only buy Maison Margiela when it _______?”
• What do you think of these designs?list three words
B. promotes on proper channels to promote
• What types of ads will mostly grab your attention while you doing random searching online? ( Pop-ups， Skyscrapers，Superstital ads，Interstital ads，in-stream video advertisement，
C. has exquisite designs,
• What types of formats will mostly grab your attention while you doing random searching online？(多选）
F. has a long brand history.
A. Campaign
• Would you prefer to purchase luxury goods in physical stores or online?
B. Images,
• What factors will you consider when you purchase luxury apparels? Exclusivity, designs, quality, brand reputation, brand awareness, advice from friends，price，others
C. GIFs,
• Have you heard of Maison Margiela? Yes No
E. Micro-film
D. or videos ,
A. had a trustworthy ambassadors
D. is accessible through retails stores and online
E. has creative & story-telling campaigns
• What are your recommendations for the promotion of Maison Margiela
Design Bran reputation Friend‘s advice others
Primary research- Analysis Online
It is hard to find physical story in China. However, Chinese consumers' demand for this brand is considerable. The loyal costumer would try their best to find and purchase the product online or in collection store. 47% of the participants claimed they have purchased Maison Margiela with 31.8% of them are planning to buy one.
Trying on the cloth in physical store before purchasing online is still the priority of Chinese consumers buying processes. Compared with price, design is account for the key decision element( see figure 2
Impression on Maison Margiela:
Minimal, cool , mysterious and deconstructive..
exquisite and unique
It is Bold and futuristic brand, avant-garde
"How do people actually wear it on daily occasions?”
In-store
50
37% Figure 1Would you prefer to purchase Luxury goods online or in-store？ 63%
Quality Brand awareness Price
Figure 2. Which factors will you consider when you are purchasing a luxury product
It had a trustworthy ambassadors it promotes on proper channels to promote I understand the exquisite and unique design details it is accessible through retails stores and online I watch its creative & story-telling campaign get to know its long brand history and heritage.
Figure 3.I only buy Maison Margiela when_______ 40
37.5
25
12.5
30 0
35
The key idea about this brand is mysterious and deconstructive. It is very important for Maison Margiela to build a very strong brand image to emphasize status in the fashion industry.However, a sound consumer insights is that Like mysterious of the brand is hard to keep, How to maintain continuous innovation and uniqueness to retain loyal consumers and stimulate further consumption is the problem the brand should deal with when targeting Chinese market
To emphasize the high status of this brand in the fashion industry, the promotional plan should be based on brand history, background of the designer and the design details( in figure 3 conveying positive message. Customers need to understand its distinction and privileged in a positive way, like “unconditional”, “outstanding”, “inspirational’, “cool”, “well recognized by real fashion junkies”, etc., instead of “weird” or “quirky”.
The point of this promotional plan is to make customers believe that wearing this brand is a representation of that they are real professionals in the fashion industry and they have extraordinarily taste that is way more superior than the general public.
20
10
0
Number of people
Research Format- Secondary research We began with the secondary research to understand of target consumer’s shopping behavior, the impact of coronavirus on business, positioning in the market, and the future of the brand. An article from BOF spoke about John Galliano carried along Margiela’s philosophy, with a lot of traction with Chinese customers, it will be great opportunity for the brand to expand its retail and rooted in footwear, beauty and digital in China. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Italy’s OTB Group, owner of Maison Margiela has embraced live streaming in china, and were able to reach every corner of china and make business, due to functionality of livestreaming and customers shopping behavior, high-end brands has limited to sell lower price products(beauty products rather than ready-to-wear) Pungetti, the group’s Greater China and APAC chief executive. indicated that when things go back to normal, live-streaming will still be helpful in the future
Conclusion • Based on our primary and secondary research, • It’s a great opportunity for Maison Margiela to expand business in China. Although Maison Margiela is a niche brand, the Chinese consumer are aware of the brand. Around 80% of consumers’ awareness is a huge interest of the brand. The extraordinary design and unique deconstructive could be the highlight of the promotion plan. • At present, the brand only operates an online flagship store on Tmall and the only products offered are perfumes. The customer are having trouble accesses to the brand purchase methods. With the promotion plan on-going, the channel of purchase of the brand should be updated. • In order to keeping up with Margiela’s philosophy and stay cool while expanding business in China, instead of making direct sales, first thing to do is opening concept stores to instill the brand with personality; expand the brand's awareness by offering a wider range of products in its flagship store with a uniform price; • The brand should improve brand Intimacy without fading away its mystery. To expand the market, it’s crucial to raise attention to make it known by more people, such as having a concept pop-up store or the previous Margiela gallery. However, not in a largescale promotion, because if the promotions are everywhere, It will lose its status. • In addition, working with celebrities and KOLs and hold live-streaming sessions to reach a greater number of consumers; opening concept stores to instill the brand with personality; offer exclusive products and support people in need to increasing likability.
Positioning Strategy: Avant-garde
Higher Price
Lower Price
The map shows that Maison Margiela distinguish it-self by avant-garde design and a relatively lower price 
 which market.
Classic
makes it a key player against its competitors in the
Communication Objectives: •
According to our previous research, Maison Margiela has several potential customers, most of whom have expressed great interest in the brand. Therefore, our communication objectives are mainly young consumers who pursue unique design and are interested in purchasing Maison Margiela. In this way, it can not only find more potential consumers but also serve as a communication channel between the brand and the public, to expand the brand market and let more and more people know the brand image and brand awareness of Maison Margiela.
•
Today's young consumers rely heavily on social and digital media. A digital solution can effectively promote the brand, expand the brand influence, but it also can let the brand and customer interaction. Therefore, we also plan to use different social media to promote the brand for customers in different countries and regions. In China, young consumers mostly get fashion information through Weibo, Xiao Hong Shu app, and Tiktok. For Europe and the United States, Instagram and official websites are the most popular channels for
consumers to learn about brand information.
Communication Mix: • Primary Medium: •
The brand that enters the market at the beginning chooses what kind of channel the consumer will brand positioned at the image, and this channel delimits equal sign. Social media will be the primary medium. We will put brand advertising and campaign on it to attract more people's attention to the brand; Secondly, it will design small programs and games on social media, so that more and more consumers, especially the younger generation, can interact with and become interested in the brand. Although many luxury brands now set up live broadcasting platforms, since Maison Margiela's target audience is a small number of people, whether to set up a live broadcasting platform will cause controversy and reduce brand positioning needs to be decided after the brands enter the market according to the feedback from consumers.
Communication Mix: •
Secondary Medium:
•
In addition to advertising, the promotion of various platforms is also significant. Marketing, community operation, publicity, and promotion are all necessary means to help the brand develop. Inviting famous KOL to promote the brand can also bring potential consumers to the brand. Brands can use the influence of celebrities and fashion bloggers among young consumers to promote their brands. These people have a strong fan base, they have fans of different ages, and they can promote the brand among different customer groups.
•
Synergies:
•
Social media, like Instagram, have transformed marketing and shopping habits. However, as a carrier of brand awareness, magazines have much more credibility than social media. So many people are sharing their shopping tips on social media these days that it is impossible to verify whether they are true or not. However, traditional media like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar are the authority symbols in the hearts of consumers. Therefore, it is also necessary to put a brand promotion in the magazine, which can prove the influence, professionalism, and popularity of Maison Margiela in the luxury industry.
•
Other media can promote the brand indirectly, such as Pornhub, which is neither a traditional social media nor popular social media, but it is a controversial medium. The brand will not sell goods in this medium, but the cooperation with Pornhub can get enough social topics, attract public attention, and promote the brand.
Chosen Media:
Group
Vehicle
What/Why
The most popular multi-purpose app in China, with over 1 billion monthly active users
Live streaming
Due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease, live streaming became the most efficient communication tool brand use to interact with users.
Digital
RED
A social media and e-commerce platformďźŒwith over 300 million registered users, RED allows users to share product reviews, lifestyle in short videos and photos
TikTok
A media platform allows users to upload short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos, it’s also the 7th-most-downloaded mobile app from 2010 to 2019
Pornhub
Pornhub is the 2nd most trafficked adult website, the documentary: Maison Margiela in his own word was leaked on Pornhub before its officially released.
Official website
customers usually look for detailed information about the merchandise and history of the brand on its official website, the Official website also serves to attract attentions and turn visitors into prospects.
Magazines
An essential component of fashion industry, articles published were written by different journalists in different perspectives, lots of exclusive promotions and interviews are offered.
Subway station ad
By displaying subway ads, allows brand to directly captive a wider group of audience, and the ads will be seeing over and over again.
Cocktail party preview
Celebrities and KOLs who are invited will get a preview of the concept store, by building an intimate relationship with them allows brand to draw public attention to its concept store in advance.
Pop-up concept store
By launching a pop-up concept store, instead of making direct sales, Maison Margiela will tell stories of its products and create a unique atmosphere for potential customers to to create exclusivity.
Promotion
The most common public social media app in China, like Twitter and Instagram
Activity Map:
F/W Collection Promotional Schedule Pre-launch Group
Vehicle Wechat Live streamin g Weibo
Digital
RED TikTok Pornhub Official website
Promotion
Magazines Subway station ad Cocktail party preview Pop-up concept store
June
July
August
September
Launch week October
Post-launch November
December
Cocktail party preview 4% Pornhub 1% Magazine: Vogue China, Bazzer 6%
Budget Allocation: In 2018, Maison Margiela had a total revenue of €200 million ,accounting for 14% percent of total
•
revenue of its parent company OTB.
Chinese official website 14% Pop-up-concept store 28%
OTB has a total revenue of €1530 million in 2019, we predicted that Maison Margiela had a total
•
revenue of €214.2million, according to OTB 2019-2021 plan, the annual average revenue sales will increase by 12-13%, the report was published before the coronavirus crisis, consumers shopping behaviors had changed, we predicted that the sales will go up by 5-6% this year. which is € 225 million.(244 million USD) Since Maison Margiela rarely advertise the brand, and this is the first time its officially entering the
•
Chinese market , in order to successfully raise brand awareness, we decided to allocate 10% of its revenue for the campaign, which is 24 million USD. The campaign video and ad will take up the largest percentage of budget, second largest percentage
•
of budget will be spending on the invitation-only pop-up-concept store cocktail party preview before
Wechat 4% Tik-Tok 4% subway station ads RED app 2% 4% Weibo( Chinese twitter) 5%
the launch of the pop-up concept store, to get celebrities and KOLs to talk about the concept store on social media. The first concept store will take place in Shanghai(city of fashion), China. The two biggest categories following were live streaming and the concept store, We will also allocate
•
Live-streaming 8%
Campaign (kris wu, Jackson wang, Jackson Yee) 20%
Budget for promotion plan
$0.75 million on subway ads and 0.25 for promotions on Pornhub. Cocktail party preview Live-streaming subway station ads Chinese official website
Pop-up-concept store Weibo( Chinese twitter) Tik-Tok Magazine: Vogue China, Bazzer
Campaign (kris wu, Jackson wang, Jackson Yee) RED app Wechat Pornhub
Budget Allocation: Top Three of The Budget Plan Objective
Task
Cost
proportion
Measuring effectiveness
Vehicle
Campaign
Company chinese official website
Live Streaming
Use visuals and start campaigns with celebrity(Kris wu, Jackson Wang and Jackson Yee) , the campaign will reach to a wider audience with the help form these three popular celebrities
• The campaign video will create a unique atmosphere which will be aligned with the brand image, video forms can be shared on different social media platforms. • We will be collaborating with celebrities to start campaign ads in order to reach a wider and younger consumers
5 million
20%
In order to measure the effectiveness of the campaign ads and campaign videos , we will keep track of the traffic each campaign post and videos directs to the company's website, calculate the conversion rate, and keep track of the total views of each post on different platforms
Both campaign ads and videos will be posted on official website, we will also create a community page and repost pictures that our customers posted on wechat, RED, Weibo.
• The company website will allow us to share the brand history, the story of Maison Margiela, the timeline, and we will also share quotes of the current creative director John Galliano, links that directs to live streaming sessions, weibo accounts, RED accounts, Tiktok accounts to increase followers and build a loyal customer base. • we will also offer a 24 hour customer service on the official website through chats, video chats can be made through appointments.
3.5 million
14%
In order to measure the effectiveness of an official website,we will keep track of the average time people spend viewing the website, the conversion rate, and how many clicks per section.
Broadcast the cocktail event on life will raise the public’s attention and draw attention to the launch of a concept store, by guiding a tour to a part of the concept store and the crowd will also increase foot traffic
• By holding live streaming sessions, consumers who do not have access to the event will get access to it through life, • it allows users to experience the excitement and spread the news of the launch of concept stores.
2 million
8%
In order to measure the effectiveness of Live streaming, we wil keep track of the audience retention, the number of comments people left, total amount of views and likes.
The campaign video and ad will take up the largest percentage of budget, second largest percentage of budget will be spending on the invitation-only pop-up-concept store cocktail party preview before the launch of the pop-up concept store, to get celebrities and KOLs to talk about the concept store on social media. The first concept store will take place in Shanghai(city of fashion), China.The biggest categories following were live streaming
Budget Allocation: Digital Platform Vehicle
Objective Share campaigns, visuals of merchandise,news of the concept store,cocktail preview event and allow users of weibo to use the same huashtag #Wemargiela to share their experience.
Create a official account, share the news of the concept store,cocktail preview event, behind the scenes and the set up of the concept stores. RED
Share the news of the concept store, cocktail preview event, and create in-app games to interact with WeChat user, ten people will be selected to access the cocktail party.
Task
Cost
proportion
Measuring effectiveness
• Post frequently of the cocktail party and concept store will gather attention and gain press, start campaigns on Weibo will also interact with the fan base of the three celebrities we selected, • once the hashtag go viral, the event will be promoted “for free”
1.25 million
5%
In order to measure the effectiveness of Weibo, we will record the amount of comments and likes of each post, the hashtag will also allow us to see the number of people who post and repost the campaign on Weibo as well
• Campaign ads and the set up scenes will be posted through RED, by having a group of associate in charge of the official account, will ensure that we respond to consumers feedback fast, update news, pictures of latest merchandise, pictures of the concept store • celebrities who attend the cocktail party can also draw attention and build personal relationships with users of RED
1 million
4%
In order to measure the effectiveness of RED, we will keep track of the amount of comments and likes of each post, and by search maison margiela in RED, we will be able to see the recent post and calculate the average amount of people who are interested of Maison Margiela and average of post per week on RED
• By creating in-app games and handing out invitations to ten WeChat users who played the game, reposed it, and commented on their WeChat, it will generate buzz to the event before it launches.
1 million
4%
In order to measure the effectiveness of Wechat, we will keep track of the videos and usage of in-app games, in order to enter the raffle for invitation tickets, we will also be able to see how many people reposted on their WeChat.
• /Users can also make reservations to the concept store in advance through WeChat.
Tik-tok
Pornhub
Tik-Tok allows users and KOLs to broadcast and share the exclusive party and do product reviews, lots of Kols also upload unboxing videos, this platform allows the brand to reach a wanted consumers.
• Tik-Tok allows the brand to share the product, the cocktail event in every aspects, • users will be able to get a detailed look of the merchandise by watching short videos posted on Tik-tok
0.75 million
4%
In order to measure the effectiveness of Tik-tok, we will keep track of the clicks of the short video posted, the comments and likes, and the traffic tiktok directs to company’s website
The documentary of Maison Margiela will be posted on Pornhub, and we will make sure it appear on the top no matter what keyword people searched.by advertising on pornhub we will be reaching to a wider audience group and create buzz and uniqueness through the internet.
• By advertising on Pornhub will sooner or later become a hot topic, it will both drive traffic to pornhub and to our company's website, since no other brands has done this way, its works efficiently for us to stand out from the market and increase people’s curiosity of the brands, • research shows since most people self-quarantine, the website’s worldwide traffic had increased, and by advertising on a abnormal media vehicle also allow us to build brand awareness worldwide, and reach to the group of Chinese people who live, work or study abroad.
0.25 million
1%
In order to measure the effectiveness of pornhub. We will be collecting geographic information of users who mentioned our documentary on pornub on different social media, the amount of views and likes they have for each post, and we will also keep track of the views of documentaries on pornhub as well.
As for the investment on social media, based on the previous online survey, we found out that the majority of Chinese consumers get fashion information from Weibo, which is a so-called Chinese twitter. So our budget on social media will be emphasized on Weibo . The following investment on platforms would be RED, WeChat interactive game program and TikTok,
Budget Allocation: Print & Promotion Vehicle
Subway Station Ad in
Objective
Task
Cost
With such a large population using the Shanghai subway as their daily transportation, advertising on the side of a subway will increase awareness.
• Shanghai Subways are used by a huge population of the Shanghai workforce everyday. • It’s important to advertise to the population that Maison Margiela is launching
0.5 million
2%
Before deciding on a location it is important to study the statistics behind each possible subway station. We will look at the foot traffic by the subway station, the demographic of the foot traffic, how many office buildings are around the location. With some stations much busier than others we want to ensure that we choose a location that gets a lot of foot traffic. We would choose the transportation hub , such as Jingansi station, Huanmao station to capture more attention.
6%
Measuring the effectiveness of a magazine ad is based on the magazine circulation and the number of subscribers they have. The SR code of the would lead the customers who are interested in the concept store and brand to visit WeChat interaction program.
its online websites Pop up store in town。
ShangHai
magazine
Vehicle
cocktail party preview
Proportion
• With so many young professionals commuting, ads will increase awareness with the younger generation, which is who we are mainly targeting.
Measuring effectiveness
Increase awareness of the brand as well as the new launching of the brand official website. Share campaigns, visuals of merchandise,news of the concept store. The customer could also scan the Wechat SR Code to make a RSVP for the concept store.
• The magazine ads will provide a call to action to visit the official website and campaign to learn more about the accessible product of Maison Margiela and the official website. • With the three hottest ambassadors and WeChat SR code, we could maximum the click and visiting of the potential customers and incentivize them to pass along
1.5 million
Objective
Task
Cost
In order to create excitement, the opening cocktail party will introduce the new action of Maison Margiela and it will take place in the pop up concept store and will be open to the VIP and celebrities , allowing the top customers to see and interact with the brand history and documentary.
• Taking place in the Pop-up store. The party will be advertised on the company's social media platforms as a kickoff event for the new actions of Maison Margiela. • It will be opened to the VIP and celebrities with RSVP. • The party will be decorated with the same aesthetic of Margiela style and will feature a photo booth and photo wall to encourage attendees to share their photos on their social media platforms. • And we will bring Takeaways and incentivize them to share their outfits in
0.5 million
2%
Having the party in the Pop-up store will allow us to track how many celebrities and KOLs are present and the click and purchase on the official websites, lead to. While we will be able to track how many attendees purchased the collection, we will also be able to see how many people Weibo pictures from the event using the hashtag and sharing the TicTik and RED While this may not be the equivalent of a purchase it creates even more awareness.
1.5 million
6%
To measure the effectiveness of the pop-up store, we will keep track of the number of reservations made through wechat and the actual foot traffic, we will also keep track who posted pictures about the store, which influencers direct traffics to the store, and we can also find out the number of people who intends to visit the concept store by reading comments.
Proportion
Measuring effectiveness
Maison Margiela. And encourage customers to scan the Wechat SR Code to have the feedback of the event and concept store.
Pop-Up concept store
This Pop-up Store will invited the local press and editors of fashion magazines and websites to encourage them to share content on the platforms about the brand history and the new action of Maison Margiela. The collection of the classic products, documentary and designing process will let the customer understand and benefits the brand awareness.
• The Pop-up concept store will be decorated with the same aesthetic of Margiela style and will feature a photo booth and photo wall to encourage attendees to share their photos on their social media platforms. • And we will bring Takeaways and incentivize them to share their outfits in Maison Margiela. • And encourage customers to scan the Wechat SR Code to have the feedback of the event and concept store.
Executive summary The aim of this project is to develop a promotional plan for Maison Margiela on multiple channels. It needs to be creative, interactive, consistent to the brand style and appealing to target customers, especially under the current pandemic. This project contains a series of campaigns. The first one will be a short film. The second one will be photography campaign. The final one will be a continuum of one of Maison Margiela’s current campaign. These various forms of campaigns will be used on various channels in order to maximize the effectiveness of the promotional plan. This campaign primarily focuses on Chinese market. Beloved local celebrities like Kris Wu, Qianxi Yiyang, and Jackson Wang will be invited to show up in our campaigns due to their publicity in China and their reputations as fashion
ambassadors. Their publicity is used to eliminate our current threat—low brand awareness.
Key Success Factors:
•
Detailed Planning Catering to Customers
•
This series of campaigns are developed based on previous primary and secondary research
on customers, which focus on their shopping behaviors and impressions on Maison
Margiela. It’s noticeable from the report that some particular social media are the sources for
target customers to reach the updates in the fashion industry. The media we select are the
most frequently used and common social media platforms in China. It’s actually hard to find someone who does not use the media we select in China. This project aims to make the best use of these channels based on their characteristics and customers’ expectations. •
Thorough Understanding of the Brand
•
The campaigns in this project are based on the aesthetic style of Maison Margiela. The style
tends to present the kind of “thinking out of the box” feeling which is consistent to the brand. After all, the key words of Maison Margiela’s brand image are mysterious, unconditional, high-fashion, and deconstructive.
•
A Positive Reaction to the Current Situation
•
People are forced to stay at home to fight against the spread of virus. Therefore, one of our campaigns will be an interactive opportunity to communicate with our target customers. Together, we make some fun in a unprecedented and artistic way.
•
A Corresponding Strategy to Fight Against Current Weaknesses
•
Weaknesses can be turned into opportunities if appropriate strategies are conducted properly. Current Weaknesses of Maison Margiela in China are low brand awareness and relatively high-fashion designs, but on the other hand, it means that we still have opportunities to shape the brand image to Chinese customers. This is why we will collaborate with celebrities associated with the idea of “high fashion” in our
campaigns and improve brand awareness by their huge fan base and publicity.
Moodboard
Big idea: Showing respect to local culture is the key in Chinese market. Our short film is going to present an insightful and respectful understanding of Chinese culture. However, it’s still important that we need be make it consistent to Maison Margiela's brand style. Therefore, the big idea we select to use here is to connect the idea of Chinese four great beasts (Black Tortoise, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger and Azure Dragon) with elements of Maison Margiela. This is to attract Chinese buyers’ attention without compromising the deconstructive concept of Maison Margiela. Of course, elements of the brands such as logo and mask will be added in the short video to further enhance brand awareness.
Storyboard
Storyboard
Concept store:
Registerďźš
In-store design
Official website:
Magazine:
APP:
Campaign Evaluation •
Campaign tracking techniques and timing:
•
Maison Margiela will use ongoing tracking to assess the campaign's success. Tracking will start before the campaign to help the brand acquire and master the essential information and elements before the campaign. The continuous tracking will continue until the end of the campaign because the brand needs a long-term process to measure and evaluate the results. The campaign will launch in September 2020, so tracking is expected to begin in August and continue until launch and after.
•
Ad Diagnostics:
•
The brand can judge whether the campaign has achieved the effect and revenue that Maison Margiela originally intended by advertising diagnosis. For Maison Margiela, the final effect of the campaign, the extraction of customer information, and social topics' tracking are the primary concerns. This advertising diagnosis is most effective because Maison Margiela is expanding brand awareness and expanding markets. After all, it gives brands a direct view of how the public perceives and perceives a brand, which will be the focus of weekly observation and analysis of 100 target markets. Besides, during this period, the marketing team also needs to focus on the social topics raised by the campaign and the reactions among consumers. To be specific, topics, and information about Maison Margiela were extracted from various social platforms and network media, and the information was extracted through data analysis.
•
Diagnostic Measures and Metrics:
•
Brands can evaluate customers, brands, and markets after the campaign. With tracking and research for a long time, brands can diagnose and analyze different problems at different levels and formulate corresponding improvement measures. For example, for Maison Margiela, brand awareness, brand communication, and whether the campaign launched for the first time is of high level are essential. To some extent, the success of the campaign determines the number of customers the brand attracts during this period. According to the diagnostic indicators, consumers' views and evaluations on the campaign can be understood and analyzed. The brand can analyze the information dissemination amount and information received by consumers through the above practices and then compare and evaluate with the expectation. If the launch of the campaign is not as expected, the brand needs to consider how to improve. If the launch exceeds the expectation, the marketing team can plan how to attract more consumers next time.
Reference: The Future of Maison Margiela. (2020). Retrieved 9 May 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/maison-margiela-strategyceo-riccardo-bellini-renzo-rosso Maison Margiela posted on LinkedIn. (2020). Retrieved 9 May 2020, from https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maisonmargiela_braveactionsforabetterworldotb-otbfoundation-activity-6651537822316662784-OawU (2020). Retrieved 9 May 2020, from https://www.owler.com/company/maisonmartinmargiela Boutiques – Maison Margiela. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.maisonmargiela.com/experience/boutiques/#search/coords/ 14.656930176540481,-50.07541542562865/ne/51.87167507092002,60.7079708048401/sw/-22.557814717839058,-160.85880165609734 The Business of Fashion. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Thom Browne: What You Need to Know About the Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/tag/thombrowne/ The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/alexander-mcqueen Balenciaga: What to Know About the French Luxury Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/tag/ balenciaga/ Why Margiela's Tabi Boot Is Minting Money. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/why-fashionloves-the-margiela-tabi-boot The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Maison Margiela Official Store | Men’s and Women’s Apparel and Accessories. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.maisonmargiela.com/us
Reference: Boutiques – Maison Margiela. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.maisonmargiela.com/experience/boutiques/#search/ coords/14.656930176540481,-50.07541542562865/ne/51.87167507092002,60.7079708048401/sw/-22.557814717839058,160.85880165609734 The Business of Fashion. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Thom Browne: What You Need to Know About the Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https:// www.highsnobiety.com/tag/thom-browne/ The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/alexander-mcqueen Balenciaga: What to Know About the French Luxury Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https:// www.highsnobiety.com/tag/balenciaga/ Why Margiela's Tabi Boot Is Minting Money. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/ why-fashion-loves-the-margiela-tabi-boot The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Maison Margiela Official Store | Men’s and Women’s Apparel and Accessories. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https:// www.maisonmargiela.com/us
Reference: Boutiques – Maison Margiela. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.maisonmargiela.com/experience/boutiques/#search/coords/ 14.656930176540481,-50.07541542562865/ne/51.87167507092002,60.7079708048401/sw/-22.557814717839058,-160.85880165609734 Martin Margiela: In His Own Words — on the trail of a camera-shy fashion designer. (2020). Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.ft.com/ content/27718f96-7f2b-11ea-8fdb-7ec06edeef84 The Future of Maison Margiela. (2020). Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/maison-margielastrategy-ceo-riccardo-bellini-renzo-rosso Will E-Commerce Save China's Luxury Business?. (2020). Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/ will-e-commerce-save-chinas-luxury-business The Business of Fashion. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Thom Browne: What You Need to Know About the Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/tag/ thom-browne/ The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/alexander-mcqueen Balenciaga: What to Know About the French Luxury Brand | Highsnobiety. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/tag/ balenciaga/ Why Margiela's Tabi Boot Is Minting Money. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/whyfashion-loves-the-margiela-tabi-boot The Business of Fashion. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/maison-margiela Maison Margiela Official Store | Men’s and Women’s Apparel and Accessories. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https:// www.maisonmargiela.com/us