Introduction This book looks at a selection of work completed over year 2 and year 3 of BA (hons) Fashion Marketing Degree. The work shown shows a combination of brand management and creative skills which have been essential throughout the progression of this course. The order of work is as follows: Campaign Planning Fashion Consultancy Brand Management Fashion Entrepreneur Fashion Professional Practice
Campaign Planning
Campaign Planning looks at the development of marketing campaigns and the importance of their success. For our end of year exam we were given the opportunity to develop a campaign for Ted Baker spring summer 2013 new summer subbrand range. The following works shoes a small break down of the Big Idea which and development of the new sub-brand name.
Ted Baker Campaign Ted Baker Ted Baker is looking to launch a women’s range of clothing aimed at 18-25 years currently called born to correspond with the male youth range. Are marketing has to raise aware of the sub brand for young women in the UK, engaging and building brand loyalty with the younger fashion audience. Market research Having an integrated multichannel retail model – In-store, Online and Mobile channels becoming interconnected is essential to attract the 18-25 year market, with multichannel retailing being most relevant within youth fashion market. Social media is continuously becoming more popular with 75% of all internet users owning a social networking site either Facebook or Twitter (BBC 2011). With 3 in 10 adults owning Smartphones, particularly by the younger generation, mobile technology is set to create the biggest drive in online spending as consumers become more confident with innovative technology becoming a way of life (Mintel 2011). Fashion brands and retailers are now developing a strong online and mobile presence. Fashion retailers are showing an increased understanding of the importance of linking social networking sites with their stores now developing mobile compatible apps for their online stores, engaging with the younger consumers. There is potential for this sector to be one of the
fastest growing forms of distribution. Mintel (2011) forecasts that the total online fashion market spend will grow by 46% reaching £7 billion by 2015. Showcasing the attest technology helps shoppers interact more efficiently with retailers, products and brands. To encourage higher levels of consumer spending in the youth market retails and brands must discover innovation to attract new consumers, having an interactive new retail feature will likely draw in the younger shoppers for the novelty factor (Mintel 2011). Big Idea To attract a younger youth consumer the name of the sub brand needs to be fitting with the target audience, the name born will be changed to Besotted. Ted Baker’s merchandise is all signed ‘with love Ted’ which makes the new name more fitting with the current brand image and more relatable to a younger woman differentiating them from the male sub-brand range. Currently Ted Baker does not use traditional forms of advertising. During 2010 the company adspend was approximately £38,000 which had increased from the £20,000 spent in 2009. For the first 7 months of 2011 the adspend was nearly £12,000 and the entire amount was spent on internet advertising (Nielsen Media Research).Ted Baker spend vast amount of money on window displays on average each window costs around £5000 and they are changed every 8 weeks, they are able to spend this much as advertising costs are low. Due to this a campaign was designed which involved digital marketing within their window displays.
The window display will be framed by a 1970s TV, inside of the screen (window display) will be 3 female mannequins who have screens as heads. These screens will each have a different function the first will be a catwalk of Ted Bakers recent collection, the Second will be a QR code which passers-by will be able to scan taken them directly to the website (this QR will be placed on the corner of each window as well), the third will have a continuous changing photo of Ted Baker consumers who are will to submit a photo of them in Ted Baker clothing through the Instragram app to Facebook, then whichever photos received the most ‘Likes’ will be streaming through the window displays. The slogan for this campaign will be “Turning on Ted” relating to the digital media, the TV imagery and the use on innuendoes which are commonly used throughout Ted Baker Campaigns Alongside this campaign will run a gorilla marketing campaign which will place inflatable Ted Baker high heeled shoes around the largest shopping centres in the UK, each shoe will have a cockney rhyming slang saying on. If the passers-by can work out the saying they tweet Ted Baker and will be put into a prize draw. Once the 5 winners have been selected they will be sent one shoe through the post with an invitation to the launch event in the main flag ship store in London and on arrival they will receive the missing shoe. This campaign is set to attract the woman’s youth market in the UK. It has been stated that consumers today look for innovation and uniqueness within marketing and brands to motivate them to buy. This campaign involves both of these aspects, and is fitting with how Ted Baker proportion their marketing spend whilst not deterring already established and loyal brand followers.
Fashion Consultancy
For this module we were given the opportunity to work with Biddle Swayer Silk in Soho. Within consultancy groups we were set the task to design a window display and event which would build publicity for Biddle Swayer. The following extract of work highlights the importance of gorilla marketing within are campaign and are overall window display. Innovative ways of marketing such as gorilla marketing are a deep interest of mine, something which will continue to grow throughout my career.
RĂŞve consultancy
RĂŞve consultancy wanted to create a display which was innovative, creative and successful and I believe we have created this. As a group we decided from day one to focus on an enchanted theme after being mesmerised by the impact of that the Kensington Enchanted Palace Exhibition had on us. We believed that we could use this theme and adapt it accordingly to Biddle Swayer Silks image. We felt that Biddle Swayer Silks online image was not reflected through their marketing and store presence. Their online image was powerful and somewhat characterised into a fantasy scene portraying powerful women. This image needed to be brought to life in their window displays, bringing life to their collections and attracting the attention of passers-by.
Gorilla Marketing Campaign
Using the inspiration from the Kensington Palace Exhibition I came up with the idea of using mirrors for a guerrilla marketing campaign. The mirrors will be situated around Soho London with directional quotes on leading consumers to the store. The use of mirrors is a symbol of self-reflection, we can look back at ourselves and see how we have changed or developed through our life at Northampton University as well as this whether you follow the directional quote on the mirror is a reflection of your personality type for instance the type of strong person portrayed on the Biddle Swayer Silk online advertising would be the type of person who would follow the direction of the mirrors. This idea combines the universities mantra of “Transforming lives, inspiring change” as well as the image of Biddle Swayer. The quotes on the mirrors will read “turn back now”, “turn right”, “turn left”, “straight ahead” and “you have reached your destination”. An example of how the mirrors will be displayed as shown on the following page.
Window Display Campaign
The first concept for the window display was similar to this idea using different materials – metal, silk leather – to create a hanging women’s figure which would revolve in the window, however we decided that this idea is not as unique as we once thought. Another group member and I then took it upon ourselves to create a new window display which was innovative, elaborate and enchanted. From looking through a selection of trend forecasting books we found that ‘Botanic Rock’ was the up and coming trend for 2012. Combining this with trend with the idea of growth that Northampton University brings it students we decided upon featuring a tree in the window display. The tree will be made of leather and be wearing a silk dress representing how each student and the university has grown, there will be burnt leafs at the bottom of the tree with statements from university students, these will be blown around the window display (shown opposite).
Brand Management
This module gave insight into the importance of brand image and how the growth of a product line or a brand extension can harm the overall brand image. The following extract of work shows the planned development for Asos to move from an online retailer to a multi-channel retailer focusing on the key recommendations to do so.
Asos Brand Development Executive Summary
Brands are made up of distinctive characteristics; they are what make it memorable. Brand values start with a vision they reflect the creativity of the brand. Customers buy into brands that have the same values as them. This report will be looking into the current position of the Asos brand their identity and image, both primary and secondary research will be carried out to gain the fullest understanding. Finally the report concludes with the recommendations that Asos should focus on:1. Brand Extension – Shop opening and sister website 2. Brand Repositioning – Fair trade fashionable clothing catwalk 3. Brand Mantra - Innovation the key to the fashion environment 4. Brand Awareness – Advertising attract new customers Asos are currently not portraying their values to the consumer but with the recommendations made their brand values and overall image will be highlighted to the public.
Recommendations Despite being a strong brand from the research carried out there are a few improvements that should be consider to keep the brand growing and to retain and enhance their market presence. Brand Extension Brand extension is applying an established brand to new products categories or services, for this to be successful there have to be attributed similarities between the original brand and the extension. I recommend that the brand should open a small boutique shop in a few of the well-known high fashion shopping centres like Westfield in London they offer high end designer brands next to high street just like the Asos site. From my primary research it showed that one of the main reasons stopping people shop online was that they are unaware of the sizing and quality of the clothing. The shops should only hold own label ranges not to dilute the parent brand. Asos is known to many to be a designer clothing brand so opening a shop that just sells their own range will draw in new customers. Another option for brand extension would be to open a sister site. Asos targets women ages 16 to 34 however this wide customer cliental will want different experiences, a 16 and a 34 year old women would not want or expect the same experience or garments. Opening a sister site would allow the brand to focus on a smaller segment. The questionnaire showed that people gave up looking through the hundreds of pages of merchandise.
Breaking the products down and having more categories would stop this problem. Launching a separate targeted site aimed directly at older business women will avoid changing the perception of the original site adding another category to the original site would not work, it would still be perceived by the older cliental as a high fashion site for teenagers rather than for sophisticated fashion conscious women. Brand Repositioning Asos is known amongst its customers as a high fashion site that offers designer brands for less however this is not their only distinctive characteristic. My second recommendation is to reposition the brand as an ethical high fashion store still offering the same services, products and experience but people would now be aware of the sustainable, ethical side of the brand. Ethical fashion is the way of the future however not many brands have yet to buy into this; Asos have been offering this service to society from the beginning it has just not been made known the consumers. Asos should host a catwalk show promoting there ecologically friendly designs, this will show people that wearing ethical clothing can be high fashion, not only would this change the perception of the brand but of fair trade clothing. This side of the brand will attract new customers as they will be reaching out to another niche in the market, they already have the fashion conscience who want the designer labels, now they can attracted the people who are supporting fair-trade alliances. This will add another aspect of resonance to the brand raising awareness.
Brand Mantra With the ecological state of the world constantly changing brands have to stay up to date if they want to survive in the hard economical downfall. With technology on the increase soon there will be no need for computers or laptops we will be able to do everything from one phone, this mean that online companies like Asos will have to find ways to stay innovative to stay on top as high street stores will start investing more money into their websites. Asos may have to adapt their mantra to continuing a strong brand. People will not be only looking for excellent service they will need other extra deciding factors, I recommend that Asos focus their mantra around their high levels of innovation and their ability to offer fair-trade high fashion pieces. The new brand mantra for Asos is “Innovation the key to the fashion environment�. Brand Awareness All the other recommendation with raise the brand awareness but from the results found I believe it is important to use advertising as the final contributor. From the questionnaire I found that consumers could not recall advertising campaigns meaning that the brand is not differentiating itself from other fashion brands. I purpose Asos run two campaigns, in the lead up to Christmas and one in summer. The campaigns will reflect the brand values portraying the
consumer they are a worthy brand to buy from. The Christmas campaign will be based on high fashion pieces with the focus being ‘show stopping Christmas outfits’ showing the consumer they can get high quality and luxury brands for less. The summer campaign will be focused around ethical aspect of the brand that people are not aware of. The campaign will show all the must have fashion, the final caption will be ‘fair-trade clothing doesn’t always have to be green’. Chris Davis (2007) says people are not buying ethical products because “the extent to which buying an ethical brand implies an inconvenience or a product compromise – if at all (e.g. in terms of quality, style, range of option available etc.) and of course price.” And this has proven to be very true with hardly any retailers buying into the ethical side and the ones which do one stock the simple t-shirts so by showing the garments first it will change the perception that fair trade fashion should be different to high end designs to. Once the perception is changed people will truly understand the brand, they offer luxury brands and own label fair trade clothing, this will then not only keep current customers loyal but attract a new target audience as well. Philosophical Conclusion Overall the company is staying in its comfort zone, they know what sells and they know what they stand for however implicating these recommendations will allow the company to expand and reach its aim, Asos knows what the brand values are, now it is time the consumers does
Fashion Entrepreneur
Within this module we had the opportunity to design and develop our own hypothetical business. We had to examine the current market, develop a unique business approach with realistic financial expectations and targets. The following example of work shows the summary of the business and the key marketing techniques which will be used to make a successful brand image and business.
Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise Executive Summary Overview Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise is an upscale women’s boutique with a difference, which will be opened in May 2012. The name Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise is a representative for the clothes which will be sold, the clothes will all me made from recycled materials which you may not presume to be fashion piece and this is why they are in disguise. Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise not only offers a main stream range it will have an appointment based viewing with the designer to produce on off pieces for them in the fabrics they may provide. Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise is a woman-owned business currently organized as a sole Partnership. Clothing for stylish women Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise will carry Ready-to-Wear casual/contemporary apparel and accessories designed in house for women, and will be the exclusive home of the designs by Hayley Welton and Fionnuala Bailey. In addition Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise will offer the service to create on of pieces for the cliental which will be sold at a higher premium. The Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise customer is a young independent women who lives in Cambridge, and will be aimed at women aged 18 – 30years. She enjoys the
boutique fashions but is now looking for something which offers unique and innovative merchandise. Unique and Innovative Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise appeals to not only the fashion conscious consumer but those who see the importance of purchasing something unique which highstreet stores have yet to establish. It will provide services such as, personal shopping, special ordering to customers during store hours and by personal appointments and the offerings of Style Assessments. The Staff employed will all have a background in fashion and will be able to act as Style Concierges who will be available to customers of a daily basis. Offering this service will not only allow staff it help women understand their personal style it will allow them to put emphasis on educating the consumers about eco-friendly fashion and the objectives of the unique boutique. Spreading the word Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise will generate awareness by advertising in the local fashion magazine ‘Velvet’ which talks about the latest trends and the in places to go, this will reach our consumer, as well as this the launch of the boutique will be advertised in local publications and on the radio. During the launch many PR tactics will be used to draw attention to the brand.
Finance
Start-up costs include inventory, and are estimated at £82,000 of which the owner will inject 100%. Current owner investments are documented at approximately £80,000, of which £80,000 is in savings from inheritance. An additional injection of approximately £10,000 will occur by May 15 of Year 1.
Annual gross sales are projected to grow from £98,000 in the first year to over $200,000 by Year 3, with approximately 10% from customer special orders.
Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise will intend to main approximately 60% markup throughout the next five years
Mission Statements •To provide women with a boutique that is innovative and unique offering a service which is not yet available. •To change the view on recycled fashion •To showcase designs which are cutting-edge and prominent on the fashion scene •To offer a variety of designs main stream and one-off creations
•To help women learn what clothing and styles go best with their unique personalities •To generate buzz and sales through innovative marketing and services. Keys to Success •Having a good location in a high-shopping area where there are similar shop offerings •Quality product and good relationships with manufactures and all components in the merchandising chain •Outstanding customer service and promotions Objectives •To generate at least £20,000 each month •To drive awareness and build sales through mentions in both local print and the nation's top fashion magazines •To offer quality, fashion, design, and eco-friendly products for every consumer
Marketing Objectives
Positioning Statement Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise provides women with an upscale boutique which offers exclusive personal services. The main competitive advantage is the unique Designer consultancies and recycled fabric stance not only educating them on their personal style as well as eco-friendly fashion. Brand Positioning Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise will be positioned as a niche market boutique. The name Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise adds a sense of mystery to the brand as well as a hidden depth and meaning. The elegance of the name suggests the types of clothing and accessories that will be featured. The merchandise will be priced higher than competitively for example Ready-to-Wear dress £54. Brand Personality Innovative | Stylish | Contemporary | Modern | Fresh | Quirky | Elegant| Sophisticated The boutique is a place where women can go to transform themselves with beautiful clothes, determine the right clothes for their unique selves and to educate themselves on eco-friendly fashion. It will offer an experience unlike any other available on today’s current market. Promotion The following promotional tactics will be implemented to raise the awareness of Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise (see appendices 9 for media schedule):-
Personal selling and word of mouth via networks of friends, stylists and customers
Unique visual – window displays will be updated weekly
PR – local newspaper and magazine ‘Velvet’ (see appendices 10 draft advert)
Radio – Local and national
Boutique email newsletters
Direct mail such as postcard notices that are targeted specifically to the customer e.g. Look books
Sales Promotion – after sales shopping hours, events, and bi-annual sales
Ƒashion•ĩn•Ɗisguise Web Site
Advertising will be at a minimum with regular ad placements in ‘Velvet’ magazine, would like to reach high-end publications like Vogue
Year One Sales Plan Objective one – Sell £100,000 merchandise in year one Strategies
Build awareness of the brand and the services that are offered.
Promotion
Hold 2 sales a year Summer/Winter Build relationships through promotions
Web
Promote key merchandise in the form of a look book Advertise key events online
Direct
Monthly emails about the new stock and eco-friendly news
Personal Selling
Employee another member of staff (style concierge)
Events
Unique after sales shopping events, launch party, VIPs of Cambridge Lily Cole,
Public Relations
Get featured in top publications like Vogue
Objective two – Generate 10% on specials orders Strategies
Provide educational material about the boutique and the services they offer
Web
Have a detailed listing on how the designer consultancy works
Personal Selling
Style concierges trained to sell and explain the designer personal service
Events
Hold events parts were consumers can have interaction with the designer to talk and establish relationships with them so that they become loyal consumers.
Objective three – educate consumers on Eco-friendly fashion Strategies
Develop strong relationships with consumers, provide them with educational information
Web
Advertise information on Ecofriendly fashion, and charities that support this course
In-store
Have displays which advertise the course in a innovative way so that consumers learn without realising that they are
Fashion Professional Practice
This module allowed us to take charge of a fashion event to raise money for the fashion students. My role within this experience was to develop fundraising activities which would not only raise money but the awareness of the event. The following work shows two examples of the style of events which the fundraising team put together which were extremely beneficial to raising a substantial amount of money.
Propaganda Fashion Auction
The task set was to organise an auction to raise money for the fashion students. We were put into teams to stimulate the different contributors to running an event, these were fundraising, events, styling, online marketing and marketing. Our first assignment was to decide upon a theme for the event, after much deliberation we decided on the 1940’s theme, which we believed to be one which offered a large selection of creative ideas, as well as fitting with the key fashion themes at the time. Once this theme was decided one we were able to separate into our groups and discuss and work on your individual tasks while reporting back to all teams. I was signed to the fundraising team which was the position that I had pitched for; I believe that this team would be best fitting to the skills that I have learnt through prior experiences in similar events. I believe that working in this team was very rewarding; we were able to help all teams and working closely with each other and business revealed to be exceedingly gratifying as we become more confident throughout the task and you were able to see our skills develop.
Event Plan: Ladies’ Day Date: Thursday 24th February Time: 10am-4pm Location: upstairs room of the S.U (Park Campus) Objectives:
Raise a total of at least £500 towards the fashion auction
Raise awareness of the Fashion Auction
This is a fundraising event designed to raise a considerable amount towards the annual fashion auction which is held by second year fashion marketing students. This will then fundamentally fund third year fashion students to exhibit their work within Graduate Fashion Week. Overall we aim to raise £3,000 through our fundraising activities. Event Details This event is predominantly aimed at females. We will be completing a number of fundraising activities throughout the day at the top of the S.U. For example we will be selling a number of products to raise money:
Clothes donated by fashion marketing students to sell at a price.
Cakes donated by “The Icing on the Cake” to sell
Goody bags donated by Avon to sell
Accessories donated by various jewellery shops to sell
Possibility of Krispy Kreme sales
Free hair consultations provided my Mask hair dressers
Raffle ticket sales
We are also in talks with the manager of Domino’s Pizza (Kingsthorpe) about the possibility of selling their produce, as we feel this could gain greater attention to the event and lure in more custom. As well as this, we aim to fine trained and qualified beauticians offering to complete beauty treatments such as manicures, pedicure, eyebrow waxing and Indian head massages with all profits going towards the fashion auction. Furthermore, we are in talks with a Lancome cosmetics consultant to give make-over’s to the girls, with photographers to then follow with shoots of the girls finished look. These photographs will then be sold, again with expenses covered and profits then going towards the fund (as discussed with Ubhi). Raffle tickets will also be sold throughout the day. The clothes sale and manicures will be the main focus of the day as we feel this will be the most profitable to raise money for the auction, with the idea of free hair consultations and make over’s luring people in. This is an event to create an overall experience for any customer, to be pampered and buy clothes. Equipment Needed
5 – 10 x clothing rails
Free standing mirrors- 3 x for hair consultancy and some for trying on clothes
2x tables for manicures
Chairs to queue for manicure ect.
1x table for cake sales
2x tables to sell Avon goodie bags
1x table to sell raffle tickets
Music and Bar Possibilities of having the upstairs S.U bar open for girls to sit down with drinks- more social event to browse and chill out over a period of time. Background music playing to give more of an atmosphere- either through S.U equipment or we can provide speakers to use (e.g IPod) A “chill out” area for girls to sit down on the sofas. Marketing of the Event Our allocated team of marketers will complete the marketing activities for this event; however any help the S.U can offer will be greatly appreciated. Marketing activities need to be completed as soon as possible in order to raise awareness of the event. Pink, black and white balloons decorating the stairs and upstairs in order to create attention as well as leaflets ect. Night event at Avenue Campus
After discussions with Ubhi, a club style night will commence at the Avenue S.U in the evening of the event date. This will consist of tickets costing around £2, with ticket profits contributing to the fund. Discounted drink prices have been discussed in order to bring in more custom. We have planned to promote this night heavily throughout the day and the build up towards “Ladies’ Day”.
Event Plan: Propaganda: Fashion Auction Pre Party Date: Week of 21st March
Time: 9pm- Close
Location: Avenue Campus Student Union Objectives:
Raise a total of at least £400 towards the fashion auction
Raise awareness of the Fashion Auction to be held on 31st March
Supporting the student union in promoting Avenue Campus S.U
This is a fundraising event designed to raise a considerable amount towards the annual fashion auction which is held by second year fashion marketing students. This will then fundamentally fund third year fashion students to exhibit their work within Graduate Fashion Week. Overall we aim to raise £3,000 through our fundraising activities. Event Details This event will be the pre party to the Fashion Marketers annual fashion auction and will be in the form of a traditional club night. We are pursuing to create the fancy dress theme of pin-up girls and military men. This will be a reflection of our 1940’s theme of the penultimate event and will bring attention in a fun/ tongue and cheek way of demonstrating the theme rather than the contemporary fashion look we are creating at the event. Music and Bar
Any discounted drinks promotions will need to be discussed in order to draw in more attention to the event. We aim to get an in-house DJ to provide music at the event. Marketing of the Event Our allocated team of marketers will complete the marketing activities for this event; including design of posters and forms of distribution. Ticket Sales & S.U benefits We will be selling tickets to the event for £3 each. We look to raise £400 including at least £100 in pre ticket sales to guarantee attendees to the event. This will benefit the student union in terms of behind the bar sales. Last year’s pre party event was held at MoMo’s and was very successful in preceding the main event as well as raising a considerable amount of money. We would like to take this opportunity to work with the student union to promote a big student event rather than using external sources.
Reflection the Propaganda Auction
The Propaganda Fashion Auction was a great accomplishment; we were able to raise ÂŁ1843.64 for the final cause. This event was extremely rememerable for all who took part with us all gaining a huge sense of achievement.
Taking part in this event is an experience which I will never forget. All the skills gained from this event will help with the progression into future careers. I have been able to increase all communications skill and now understand the importance of working together with all organisational groups when organising such events. Being able to work on an event like this as highlight to me how this course has allowed me to develop not only as a person but in theory and practical aspects when working in the fashion industry.
Reflection on the Degree
I believe gaining a Degree in Fashion Marketing has allowed me to combine my creative ability with deeper understanding of the theatrical processes involved with a marketing and management career. My creative skills have flourished throughout my retail work and I am more able to confidently use this to my advantage, developing a high academic understanding into how the fashion industry projects such a mammoth effect on society. The combination of my unique degree and my previous work experience has allowed be to develop as an confident and committed Fashion Marketing, with a large array of skill which can be adapted to any career, whether it be in the fashion sector or not. No matter what view you may hold towards the fashion industry, it cannot be doubted that it is one of the most powerful sources in society, dictating many people’s views, concepts and beliefs. And this is why I believe gain a degree in this sector combined with strong academic marketing mind set will lead to a future of success.