Index Executive Summary 4 Brand Analysis 5-6 Brand DNA 7 Brand Touchpoints after Posner (2011) 8-10 Francis Leon Costumer and Segmentation 11-14 Brand Positioning 15-16 Competitor Analysis 7-18 Value Proposition 19-20 SWOT Analysis 21-22 PESTLE Analysis 23-24 Strategic Issues and Opportunities 25-26 Digital Strategy E-commerce and Omni-channel 27-30 Social Media 31-34 Sustainability Strategy Product Development 35-38 Business Strategy - Internationalisation 39-40 Hollis’ Geographical Brand Extension Germany 41 South Korea 42 Key Performance Indicators 43-44 Communications Plan 45 Conclusion 46 Personal Professional Development 47-48 Appendix 49-52 Hollis’ BrandDynamics Pyramid 49 Fish Leather 49 Francis Leon Social Tracking 50 Blogger Suggestions 50 Survey Germany 51 Key Performance Indicators 52 List of Plates 53-54 Bibliography
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Executive Summary Francis Leon is a London based fashion brand founded in 2010 specialising in women’s outerwear and leather jackets while also offering tops and bottoms. The brand, known for its innovative design is creating a very specific aesthetic through material mixing and structured panelling. Francis Leon offers the ultimate wardrobe staple for a sophisticated woman who wants to be rebellious in a considered way. The target consumer is a +25 female of the Millennial generation living in an urban environment. Currently the brand is stocked with 33 retailers in 14 countries. Looking at the internal situation of the brand it is unfolded that the brand has a strong brand identity offering a very futuristic and innovative product. However, since the brand DNA is not communicated verywell and the brand’s online presence is very weak with only a simple website and not very well managed social channels the brand equity is very little. Nevertheless, the brand has been very successful in gaining international stockists ensuring that the brand has great potential as buyers all over the world engage with the product.
Francis Leon’s actions will be the relaunch of the current website with an online store (e.g. Digital Strategy) with a limited edition of a jacket called #iconic making the brand accessible to a wider international target audience. The #iconic is a leather jacket created out of high-functional fabric together with fish leather enhancing the functionality and sustainable aspect of the product helping to develop brand equity (e.g. Sustainability Strategy). A campaign around with the same hashtag will be used to engage followers to post pictures of themselves wearing FL items, helping creating UGC while increasing brand awareness and building up higher social following on Instagram and Twitter. Additionally a blogger will go on the journey of the #iconic with a competition to win the limited edition jacket. A launch video will be created of the #iconic which will be presented on the website, the social channels as well as trade fairs to create interest from consumers and buyers and enhance the brand awareness. Francis Leon will attend Bread and Butter trade fair show in Germany to expand the brand into new European markets while a long term goal will be to expand more into the Asian market particularly South Korea (e.g. Business Strategy).
Research of the Macro environment stated growth of womenswear market with the outerwear sector being particularly strong (Sender, 2014). Furthermore, the online shopping is growing with developing the multi-channelling (Mercer, 2014). These developments offer potential for Francis Leon to grow the brand equity, increase sales and stockists and ultimately grow the business. The following recommendations are made based on Ansoff’s Growth Matrix (1965) to outline strategies for future growth: 1. E-commerce and Omni-channel – Digital Strategy Market Penetration: selling existing products to new customers 2. Product Improvement through Functionality and Materials – Sustainability Strategy Product Development: selling new product to existing and new customers 3. Internationalisation and Stockist Growth – Business Strategy Market Development: expanding into new markets using existing offerings
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Figure 1: Karpferer’s Brand Identity Prism - Francis Leon
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Brand Analysis Francis Leon is a womenswear brand founded in 2010 in Brisbane. Shortly after,the brand moved its headquarter to London where they are focusing on women’s outerwear while also offering tops and bottoms. The brand has previously collaborated with Barbour on an outerwear collection for AW 2014/2015 and launched a denim collection in 2014. Karpferer’s Brand Identity Prism (1986) illustrates the outward expression of the brand. Francis Leon’s signature aesthetic is a unique mix of sophisticated tailoring and structured mechanically panelled leather jackets which mash-up high quality leathers and fabrics – all of which boast detailing and design twist that reinterpret classic looks stylised with a masculine edge. Francis Leon offers Sport Luxe products that are currently produced in Turkey while fabrics and trim are sourced in Italy.
I’M USING THE LEATHER JACKET AND THE MATERIAL IN GENERAL AS THE FOCUS AND FOUNDATION OF A LUXURY LIFESTYLE BRAND. (Jo Turner) 6
Brand DNA Burnett’s brand dimension helps to outline and understand the essence of Francis Leon. Francis Leon’s main USP is lying on innovative design with a high importance on detailing creating a look that is both sophisticated and nonchalant at the same time. Panelling and fusing different materials are key features of the Francis Leon products. Mesh is used as the lining for all jackets strengthening the Sports Luxe aspect of the brand. All products are versatile and easy to wear. As all fabrics are sourced in Europe and produced in high quality they are offering an investment piece rather than fast fashion. Francis Leon’s aesthetic is inspired by a strong feminine heroine and for each season, Jo Turner creates a central character that reflects the theme of the collection.
MATERIAL MIXING AND PANELLING ARE DEFINITIVELY FRANCIS LEON SIGNATURES. (Jo Turner)
Figure 2: Burnett’s Brand Dimension - Francis Leon
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Brand Touchpoints after Posner (2011) The brand’s current touchpoints are the Francis Leon website, the Francis Leon social channels (Twitter, Instagram) as well as the Francis Leon stockists.
Consumers are increasingly expecting, even demanding that brands interact with them through social media. It’s not enough to just show up on social channels. Smart brands are taking control of social customer engagement by figuring out how to tackle meaningful activities with their social customers – things like collecting feedback and new product ideas. (Katy Keim, Lithium CMO)
Currently the website is kept very basic only stating information about the company, stockists and shipping. No online store is available neither a customer enquiry section. The website does not represent the brand very well as the brand DNA is unclearly communicated for example through graphics, imagery and through using terms like ‘Republic of Francis Leon’ and ‘Francis Leon Studios’. Consequently, the brand equity is quite low meaning there is not a lot of bonding happening between the brand and consumers, therefore consumers will not be keen to buy from the brand (Hollis, 2010). The social accounts used by Francis Leon are Instagram and Twitter with a low following on both accounts. To be able to analyse the growth of FL’s social accounts primary research has been conducted which showed an exponential growth: whenever an engaging picture was posted the following went up (e.g. Appendix).
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Awareness around sustainability is growing while consumers start to reject the fast fashion with its ‘throwaway fashion attitude’ and its negative impact on the environment demanding from brands to engage with ecological practices. Consequently, this offers a new market for brands to tap into and develop their products further. (Fulton, Lee, 2014)
Managing the stockists is part of a business strategic plan: Being reliable and loyal to your stockists is key to develop a good relationship with them where clear communication and well organised distribution channels play a significant role. (Lithium, 2014)
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Francis Leon Customer
SHE IS A CONFIDENT WOMAN WORKING IN SOMETHING CREATIVE. SHE’S INTELLIGENT BUT HAS A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK ATTITUDE. SHE’S SOPHISTICATED BUT ALSO ENJOYS HAVING A LAUGH. HER STYLE IS NONCHALANT AND NOT FUSSY. SHE IS FIERCE, SHE IS STRONG AND SHE IS NOT SIMPLE. SHE IS CRAZY AND SOMETIMES SHE BARELY SLEEPS. SHE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. SHE HAS FLAWS BUT THAT IS OK AND WHEN SHE IS DOWN SHE GETS RIGHT BACK UP. SHE IS A BEAST IN HER OWN WAY, BUT ONE IDEA DESCRIBES HER THE BEST:
SHE IS UNSTOPPABLE AND SHE TAKES ANYTHING SHE WANTS WITH A SMILE. 11
Customer Segmentation
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Brand Positioning
IT’S ULTIMATELY ABOUT MAKING THE WEARER FEEL AS THOUGH THEY’VE OWNED IT FOREVER BUT OFFERING SOMETHING NEW THAT THEY NEVER KNEW THEY WANTED OR NEEDED. (Jo Turner) 15
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Figure 3: Conceptual map: Design, Value Perception
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Competitor Analysis
The conceptual mapping shows that there is a widespread market of brands focusing on outerwear and leather jackets emphasising the importance of a USP and a competitive advantage. The following competitors have been analysed as they have very successfully practised how to reach out to their target audience. Francis Leon will copy and take on the successful practices and will use their weaknesses as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Nevertheless, it has to be considered that these brands have much bigger budgets and therefore are able to work on a different scale than Francis Leon. 18
Value Proposition Looking at Francis Leon’s value proposition and the brand’s distinctive benefits will allow to differentiate the company. Specific aspects of branding, design and innovation as well as quality, as followed below, are used to distinct the brand from its competitors (Aaker & McLoughlin, 2009).
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(Jo Turner)
Francis Leon believes that the modern woman can be rebellious, strong, cool and sophisticated at the same time. Her style expresses her personality. Francis Leon is creating the ultimate wardrobe stable offering exceptional outerwear that is fashionable and functional through innovative design using material mix and panelling providing the customer with great fit through structured tailoring.
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REBELLIOUS IN A CONSIDERED WAY
The perfect leather jacket becomes a second skin. It’s well cut in a beautifully supple leather that’s both malleable & structured. I imagine it as armour unique to the wearer, giving them a bit of an edge and connection to the rich history of rebellious cool.
SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis identifies FL’s international stocking. The brand’s main weakness is its online presence (website, social channels) which is not communicating the brand message well. Key opportunities lie in the development of existing products to create more functional and sustainable garments (Product Development after Ansoff, 1965) while keeping true to Francis Leon’s specific aesthetic. This will allow the brand to differentiate itself from its competitors, which is highly important as the leather jacket market is saturated (e.g. Competitor Analysis).
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PESTLE Analysis The womenswear market in the UK is consistently growing with outerwear being the strongest sector offering an opportunity for Francis Leon to extent its market share (Westnedge, 2014). New developments in fabric technologies creating high functional materials - beneficial for the wearer and produced in a sustainable manner – gives Francis Leon new options in its collection production. Furthermore,, answering the demand for sustainable products as consumers are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of ecological purchases understand the personal and global health responsibility is essential (Dukett, 2014). Furthermore, affluent Abs are more likely than other socio-groups to buy into sustainable products and are the keenest online shoppers (Sender, 2014). Consumer purchase behaviour becomes more and more blurred with multi-channelling and social networking sites being used for clothes shopping (Ruane, Wallace, 2013). Subsequently, the m-commerce market is predicted to grow offering new opportunities for on-the-go shopping (Arthur, 2014). The PESTLE analysis will outline the current Marco environment in more detail offering the opportunities for Francis Leon.
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PESTLE Analysis
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Strategic Issues and Opportunities Looking at the internal situation of the brand has unfolded Francis Leon’s strong brand identity which differentiates itself in the market through offering a very futuristic and innovative product (Porter, 1985). However, the brand’s value proposition is not very well communicated and may only be understood by already existing consumers. Furthermore, the brand’s online presence is very weak with only a simple website and not very well managed social channels leading to very little brand equity (Aaker, 1991). With consumers evaluating the online environment in the same way as they evaluate the offline service environment it is essential for brands to engage in multi-channel retailing as it will help to improve consumers’ perception as well as the brand’s equity (White et all, 2013). Nevertheless, the brand is currently stocked with 33 retailers in 14 countries ensuring the brand’s great potential as retailers all over the world like selling the products.
1. E-commerce and Omni-channel/ Social Media – Digital Strategy Market Penetration: selling existing products to new customers 2. Product Improvement through Functionality and Materials – Sustainability Strategy Product Development: selling new product to existing and new customers 3. Internationalisation and Stockist Growth – Business Strategy Market Development: expanding into new markets using existing offerings The growth strategies outlined above will be implemented by leveraging and emphasising many of FL’s already existing strengths (e.g. SWOT). Short-term goals are improving Francis Leon’s online presence through creating a coherent brand message on the website and social channels (e.g. Digital Strategy - E-Commerce and Omni-channel) and consequently increase brand awareness and develop Francis Leon’s brand equity (Aaker, 1991). Relationship marketing will be key to create emotional selling points and get consumer to bond with the brand (Hollis, 2010). Furthermore, delivering high quality service both offline and via a retail website can be used to create positive associations between the service quality delivered and the brand which will also improve customer’s retention and brand equity (White et all, 2013). Also with purchases becoming transformational experiences it is key that Millennials’ focused consumerism is given weight and also offer them a platform to share their experiences with the product. User Generated Content will play an important part in creating value and get consumers to engage with the brand (e.g. Digital Strategy – Social Media).To answer the demand for more sustainable products Francis Leon will produce a leather jacket out of fish leather also improving the product through working with innovative fabric technologies (e.g. Sustainable Strategy – Product Development) Long-term achievement will be to receive funding from the British Fashion Council to create a professional fashion film communicating the brand’s DNA visually. Video is a very strong way of conveying messages with one minute of video equating up to 1.8m words (Rubin, 2014). In addition the brand will keep focusing on internationalisation. With already 33 stockists in 14 countries (e.g. Stockist Map) the brand has already shown its potential for international growth and therefore will build up on it (e.g. Business Strategy- Internationalisation).
Research of the Macro environment stated growth of the womenswear market until 2019 with the outerwear sector being particularly strong accounting 49% of all spends on clothing and accessories (Sender, 2014). Furthermore, online shopping is growing and total online retail sales are predicted to grow by 14.5% in 2015 demanding retailer to engage in E-commerce (Mercer, 2014). Click and Collect increases the development of multi-channelling with more and more consumer wanting to shop online and in-store in one transaction (Mercer, 2014). In addition, Millennial consumer becomes more and more aware of the benefits of buying green products asking brands to engage with sustainable practices (Duckett, 2014). These developments offer potential for Francis Leon to grow the brand equity, increase sales and stockists and ultimately grow the business. The following recommendations are made based on Ansoff’s Growth Matrix (1965) to outline strategies for future growth:
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Digital Strategy - E-commerce and Omni-channel The total of online retail sales will grow by 14.5% in 2015 in the UK. Almost one fifth of clothes shoppers have ordered clothes online in the last month, people aged 25-34 being the main online target consumers (Sender, 2014) emphasising the importance of an online store. Francis Leon therefore will relaunch its website with an online store making its product range available to a wider target market. Moreover, consumers are demanding a variety of touchpoints and services leading to increased multi-channelling and rising popularity of services like Click and Collect (Mercer, 2014). Consequently, Francis Leon will improve its customer service by introducing a click and collect system, a lay by service, an online account ‘My Republic of Francis Leon’ and Francis Leon will be offering free delivery in order to improve customer experience. Creating an overall better Performance after Hollis’ Brand Dynamic Pyramid (2010) will help improving customer rating of the brand.
Figure 4: Ansoff Matrix - Francis Leon
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Delivery and Return
Click and Collect Service ‘Click and Collect shoppers say the service encourages them both to shop online more often and to visit stores more often’ – suggesting both channels stand to gain to some degree (Mercer, 2014) Order an item online and try at one of the FL stockists – only available in the UK for the first year -> otherwise brand cannot financially back it up Option to order an item while at a stockist online if it’s not available there -> additional service enhancing brand experience (USP) +Brand: more items can be sold, reaching out to a wider market –> improve customer retention +Stockist: extends their product offer, earn a certain percentage of purchase, higher footfall in store +Customer: able to try on garments before purchase -> females twice as likely to use this service (Sender, 2014) Increasing popularity of Click and Collect -> Omni-channel: removes distinctions between online and in-store bringing both channels together in one transaction -> removes traditional barriers of online shopping (Sender, 2014)
The Republic of Francis Leon Section showing images of customers wearing FL products posted on Instagram building up a community: ‘The Republic of Francis Leon’ -> feeling part of a group -> engages customer with the brand User Generated Content: 51% of millenials surveyed said when seeking information about brands they trust UCG more than information on the company’s website, articles around the company and advertising (Bingham, 2014) -> backs up brand statement Steady stream of content: UGC hashtages to keep consumers engaged with creating content on Instagram #republicFL -> seek permission for picture: reach out to consumer -> reply: #boostmystyle Quality over Quantity: only pictures that reflect Brand DNA are posted
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Digital Strategy - Social Media Over the last one and a half months the social following has been tracked and what can be recognised is that whenever the brand posts content that is engaging new people start to follow the brand (e.g. Appendix). Ben Jones from Think with Google stats: ‘Brands must create compelling and immersive content rather than trying to snatch attention through interruption’ (2014). Francis Leon therefore will start using a content plan to ensure consistent posting and will make us of analytics to analyse engagement. Also a campaign around the #iconic will be launched by working with a blogger supported by a launch video and campaign imagery as video content is becoming more and more popular on social channels (Rubin, 2014). Creating engagement within consumers and motivating them to create UGC will also support the bonding between the customer and the brand (Hollis, 2010).
Most importantly, social media offers businesses a chance to listen to and respond to consumers directly. You can entertain, inform and engage but it’s important to remember that listening is far more important than speaking. (Bristol Post)
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Social Media Management
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Campaign #iconic
Launch Video and Imagery
For the website relaunch Francis Leon will team up with a blogger who goes on the journey of the #iconic jacket and will write about its production to create a unique story around the brand’s engagement in a sustainable practice. Additionally, a competition will take place where followers can win the limited edition by retweeting/regramming a picture taken by the blogger on their accounts which will drive traffic to Francis Leon’s social channels and will create customer engagement.
Used on social and on website for the launch of the limited edition Featuring a girl being followed by a paparazzi: She’s an icon wearing the jacket that makes her stand out of the crowd She feels empowered in a devilish elegance
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Francis Leon will apply for British Fashion Council Fashion Film Initiative -> may not be possible for the first fashion film but for fashion films for collections in the future: ‘BFC Fashion Films is about promoting new ways of thinking in this exciting emerging genre.’ (Stephan Whelan, 2014) Reasons for video creation: 66% of people watching a video more than once will eventually make a purchase while there are now more than a billion unique visitors on YouTube worldwide every month (Rubin, 2014)
One Minute of video can be equated to 1.8m words (Rubin, 2014) and is therefore a strong way to convey a message Lookbook photography of the #iconic jacket to be posted on the website and on social
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Sustainability Strategy - Product Development Francis Leon is creating innovative products. To enhance this Unique Selling Point of the brand a limited edition of a sport luxe leather jacket – the #iconic – will be launched as part of the website relaunch. Francis Leon is using Ansoff’s Product Development Strategy to create a new product that is functional and fashionable while also incorporating a sustainable production to extend growth within existing customers and to draw in new consumers (Kotler, 1996). Improving the quality of the products plus enhancing emotional benefits through packaging and service will help the brand to position itself in the Advantage and Bonding section of Hollis’ Brand Dynamic pyramid (2010) allowing the brand to increase its brand equity and build up loyal customers.
Production Previous Francis Leon collections have been produced in Italy and Turkey. Production of the #iconic taking place in the London-> allows Francis Leon to control production process, quality control possible –> reduces costs in supply chain Fish leather production: great importance to ensure products are made to the best standard as brand has never worked with the product before Tag ‘Made in London’ -> adds fashion city associations (Hollander, 1970) and signifies quality (Kapferer, 2012) ensuring the customer in purchase decision
Packaging
. The #iconic leather jackets will be packaged in a bag made out of leftover fabrics from jacket production, helps minimizing fabric waste and strengthens the sustainability aspect of the edition: creates an ESP and enhances customer experience Hashtag #iconic: stitched on the bag to enhance campaign -> hashtag to unit the campaign (Arthur, Earl, 2013) Add a note: ‘Dear (name), thank you for your order! We hope you love the #iconic just as much as we do. X Francis Leon! : creates an emotional selling points as customers are more likely to buy from a brand that connects with them (White et all, 2013) 35
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Functionality Improvement - Innovation
Ecomaterial Fish Leather
Fancis Leon will use high functional fabrics - Softshell and Coated Cotton - instead of using neoprene as consumers demand functionality in clothing being reactive and adjustable to weather conditions (Verdict, 2014).
Francis Leon is offering a similar product as its competitors, however, it is going to differentiate it by engaging with a sustainable practice in production of the #iconic (Porter, 1985). Currently the brand has mainly focused on using mammal leather and is going to replace it with fish leather which is considered a eco material as described below.
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Business strategy - Internationalisation UK Stockists (Short-Term) Francis Leon will keep on focusing on keeping existing UK stockists while trying to target new accounts after Ansoff’s Market Penetration selling existing products to an existing market. This is the least riskful growth strategy however, it has to be considered that UK market is highly oversaturated while department stores are underperforming (Sender, 2014). Nevertheless, consumer confidence remains strong as the economic recovery is picking up speed (Clark, 2014). Francis Leon therefore will try to differentiate itself by offering a Click and Collect service for UK stockists as Click and Collect shoppers say the service encourages them both to shop online more often and visit stores more often allowing both channels to gain revenue to some degree (Mercer, 2014). Applying this service will be a USP to gain more stockists and consumers offering a better service than competitors and therefore will help avoiding competition (Porter, 1985).
Expansion to South Korea (Long-Term) Bread and Butter Berlin will start organising a Bread and Butter trade fair show in Seoul from 2015 onwards. Francis Leon will join the trade show in 2016 to expand Francis Leon’s presence in Asia. Seoul’s duty free shops draw in tourists from all around Asia with Chinese consumers being the main shoppers in South Korea. Chinese also remain the biggest buyers of luxury goods worldwide making up 29% of the world luxury market (Jin, Kim, 2014).
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Expansion to Germany (Short-Term) Lifestyle brands should consider expanding into Germany as a great demand for high quality products is occurring (Sender, 2014). This pull factor is an opportunity for Francis Leon to expand into a new market using Ansoff’s Market Development Strategy. Francis Leon is offering a premium investment item which fits with the demands of the German customer. Over 68% of German consumers have bought from a department store in the past six months with a high satisfaction level while highest ranking factors are store standards and product quality (Monk, 2014). Francis Leon’s products therefore will be perceived as high quality when customers first come in touch with the brand. Additionally, a survey has been conducted which showed that German consumers are placing high importance on quality products and rather buy into lifestyle brands.
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Hollis’ Geographical Brand Extension - Germany (Short-Term)
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Hollis’ Geographical Brand Extension - South Korea (Long-Term)
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Key Performance Indicators Francis Leon is using Key Performance Indicators to measure how effectively the company’s key business objectives are achieved and to understand the performance level of the organisation. The KPI’s are used to learn and lead improved performance. In this context, KPI’s are used internally as the evidence to inform management decisions and to challenge strategic assumptions. Another reason for collecting the KPI’s is to inform external stakeholders and to comply with external reporting regulations and information requests.
The KPI’s outlined below focus on the effectiveness of social media management and the #iconic campaign trying to create brand awareness aiming for gaining a stronger social following and more customers to ultimately achieve growth of business. Further information on KPI’s can be found in the Appendix.
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The key to costumer engagement is to gain a well-rounded view of the consumer based on how she interacts with all of her preferred touchpoints, so that you can serve them in all channels. (Michael Kingston, SVP and CIO, The Neiman Marcus Group)
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Communications Plan The communications plan below outlines the strategic planning of the launch of the #iconic campaign in July 2015. All other recommendations will be implemented as soon as possible (content plan creation, TOV document). Gaining new stockists is a on going process that will be supported through attending trade fairs and through staying in touch with buyers.
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Conclusion The internal and external analysis of Francis Leon has outlined the brand’s growth potential. Through offering a very innovative product the brand will be able to differentiate itself from its competitors. Nevertheless, in order to grow the business Francis Leon will need to take on a Digital, Dustainability and Business strategy to be able to ensure corporate survival in the future. It is a steady process and not all recommendations may be implemented immediately however long-term achievements will be visible through consistent input.
GROWTH IS ESSENTIAL TO CORPORATE SURVIVAL AND VALUE CREATION… COMPANIES THAT CAN SUSTAIN GROWTH AND VALUE CREATION INCREASE THEIR SURVIVAL RATE BY AN ASTONISHING FIVE TO SIX TIMES. (Tom French of McKinsley & Co 2003 in Hollis 2010, p.39)
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Personal Professional Development Having both experience in design and marketing also prepared me to create products for a reason. This Fashion Specialism Unit helped me to further develop these skills. We are not designing clothes that are particularly what we like – we are meant to design for a purpose. The key aspect for this project was to create products that meet customer demand. First of all, I found it quite challenging to establish that one perfect item that will create a want aspect. However, in depth research, a lot of testing on the stand as well as sketchbook work helped me to develop a jacket that reflects the Francis Leon brand DNA. In regards to the brand DNA I tried to contact the brand and received an automated email back saying they would reply as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I have not received an email back. The brand’s website did not state a telephone number which made it not possible for me to get in touch with them and gain business insights.
The first term kick started and went by even faster. This quick turnover gave the whole project an industry like feel. Adding on the aspect of working with an actual business made the project even more realistic. I chose a brand called Francis Leon which focuses on women’s outerwear with an innovative design approach. One of the main reasons for choosing the brand was that they aspire to produce functional fashionable garments. Consequently, it was a challenge for me to develop a better product for them. Techniques learned in Mark’s lesson as well as insight from tutors pushed my thinking process forward supporting me in becoming more experiential and innovative. Furthermore, the digital presence of the brand was really weak. Since I am currently working as a Social Media Manager I felt like there was a lot of ways of improving their digital communications to create brand awareness. Combining the knowledge gained through my job as well as the information given through university allowed me to develop a Digital Strategy that fits the brand. Working on a small brand also forced me to think strategically and consider carefully which aspects are most important for the business to currently focus on. All the knowledge gained over the past two years studying on this Fashion Design and Marketing course and learning about branding, business management, communications and marketing was extremely useful to analyse the brand and develop the right suitable strategies.
Nevertheless, this unit allowed me to get a lot of industry insight through industry talks we had throughout the term. Having industry professionals coming in and talking about their work was not only inspiring but also educational. To see how they are running a business and applying theoretical strategies nourished my understanding on how all the theories will be used in practice. Also receiving further information around sustainability affected my way of thinking about the fashion industry and made me more aware of the ecological responsibility of companies. Another crucial aspect of this unit was time management. Having only 7 weeks to finish the overall project asked for great organisation being a good preparation for the dissertation. A lot of my research done in this unit will also be useful for the upcoming Research project, hence will help me to get head following the quote of Mark Twain: ‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started.’
Having to restrict myself to the assets given by my chosen brand made the project reality-based and prepared me for what I will be facing in the industry after graduation. The finished project will also enable me to show my ability on how to react to internal and external factors and my innovative thinking process in how to achieve business growth. Consequently, this can be very useful when going for interviews and can be used as a USP to demonstrate employability.
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THE SECRET OF GETTING AHEAD IS GETTING STARTED
Appendix Hollis’ BrandDynamics Pyramid
Fish Leather
Millward Brown’s BrandDynamics brand equity framework adopted by Hollis (2010) is used to determine brand strength. Brand’s which consumers feel to have either rational, emotional, or saliency based advantages are likely to be worth more to their owners in the further than ones which are bought purely on the basis of pricing and availability. Therefore creating a strong attitudinal bond with the consumer is fundamental for the brand’s long-term success.
Malou Koldenhof, co-owner of the Wales based firm The Fish Leather company stats ‘I’ve noticed that more and more people are becoming interested in fish leather, and we’re seeing an increase in sales and inquiries, but at the same time there are still people who don’t know about it.’ (Braw, 2014) Dewulf from WGSN (2014) mentions buyers are particularly drawn to more visible textured snake and fish leathers. Especially semi matte finishes or weathered surface finishes gain greatest demand. Sustainability win: More fish leather used, reduces mammal leather production which is more toxic than fish leather production Fish leather product can help create new jobs in existing processing locations Less fish skin waste is produced from fish meat production The tanning process of fish skin is done with vegetable tanning colour
Figure 5: Hollis’ BrandDynamics Pyramid - Francis Leon, 2014
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Francis Leon Social Tracking
Blogger Suggestions
Over the past two months - October/November 2014 - the social follower development of Francis Leon has been tracked. The graphs below shows that whenever an engaging post was published the social following went up demonstrating that there is a good growth potential for Francis Leon’s social accounts. A loss in Twitter followers also becomes visibile, however these are usually fake accounts that get removed by Twitter.
The following bloggers will be contacted for the blogger campaign for the #iconic. Nevertheless, it has to be kept in mind that bloggers charge for all kinds of social posting. Therefore, it is important to agree on a set amount of posts before the campaign start allowing Francis Leon to allocate its budget.
Twitter .
Figure 6: Graph: Twitter Follower Development - Francis Leon, 2014
Figure 7: Graph: Instagram Follower Development - Francis Leon, 2014
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Survey Germany The following survey was conducted with 40 German participants all being part of the Millennial generation having absolved a higher education and are developing into affluent AB consumers. The survey confirms that these consumers are interested in purchasing investment products and aspire to buy into lifestyle brands. Consequently, Germany opens up a potential new market for Francis Leon.
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Key Performance Indicators Following KPI’s in marketing, social media and retail will be measured by Francis Leon:
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List of Plates Figure 1: Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism - Francis Leon, 2014 Figure 2: Brunett’s Brand Dimension - Francis Leon, 2014 Figure 3: Conceptual Map: Design, Value Perception, 2014 Figure 4: Ansoff Matrix - Francis Leon, 2014 Figure 5: Hollis’ BrandDynamics Pyramid- Francis Leon, 2014 Figure 6: Graph: Twitter Follower Development, 2014 Figure 7: Graph: Instagram Follower Development, 2014 Page 5: Wutz, G. (2014) Karpferer’s Brand Identity Prism - Francis Leon, (20 October 2014). Page 7: Wutz, G. (2014) Brunett’s Brand Dimension - Francis Leon, (20 October 2014). Page 10: Wutz, G. (2014) Francis Leon Stockist Map, (22 October 2014). Page 12: Wutz, G. (2014) Muse Moodboard, (30 October 2014). Page 13: Wutz, G. (2014) The Republic of Francis Leon, (2 November 2014). Page 17: Wutz, G. (2014) Conceptual Map: Design, Value Perception, (20 October 2014). Page 26: Wutz, G. (2014) Design Inspiration Moodboard, (25 October 2014). Page 27: Wutz, G. (2014) Ansoff Matrix - Francis Leon, (15 November 2014). Page 30: Wutz, G. (2014) Website Mock Up: home, collection, product, (16 November 2014). Page 34: Wutz, G. (2014) #iconic Jacket, (13 November 2014). Page 36: Wutz, G. (2014) #iconic Packaging, (17 November 2014). Page 37: Wutz, G. (2014) #iconic Design Drawings, (14 November 2014). Page 38: Wutz, G. (2014) #iconic Product Imagery, (17 November 2014). Page 40: Wutz, G. (2014) Bread and Butter Stall Design, (16 November 2014). Page 49: Wutz, G. (2014) Hollis’ BrandDynamics Pyramid - Francis Leon, (16 November 2014). Page 50: Wutz, G. (2014) Graph: Twitter Follower Development, (18 November 2014). Page 50: Wutz, G. (2014) Graph: Instagram Follower Development, (18 November 2014).
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