55-491500N-A: Business of Fashion 1: Evolution Grandy Katega
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2. hISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAND 5. eVOLUTION OF THE BRAND
9 THE BRANDS POSITIONING
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10.MATRIX OF BRANDS MARKET POSITION
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12 Brands communication tools
Xiaomeng Huang wearing Whistles styled by Alexandra Stedman for
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8 the BRAND INDENTITY
Schon! Magazine! /
ve u m ti cu
THE c o n t e n t s
Whistles becoming highly credited by the fashion industry meant the brand gained one of its most successful form of advertising as every season the brand gains substantial press and buzz which adds to the success of the brand. Whistles international dominance is increasing substantially and this report brings to light how this is achieved
Autumn Winter 15 campaign whistles
the excetive summary
Spring/Summer 15 styles by the hunger magazine styled by alexander jiodine
This report depicts how three decades after the com pany was founded whistles was tr ansformed into the sweetheart of the British high-street and how it became one of the most successful retailers within its target market. The evolution of the whistles aesthetic brought in an entire new consumer base who were a younger, fresher crowd much to to joy of the company’s stockholder’s who feared the company’s demise during the great recession. The brand was rejuvenated through the transformation of the labels brand Identity and it was a feature highly responsible for its success. The aim of this report is to analyze and evaluate how whistles operates, and how its able to distinguish itself from its competitor’s through its brand positioning.
"Its an effortless way of dressing. It's is unique, there's an insouciance to itIt is easy and laid back, but also luxurious"
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Spring/Summer 15 styles by the hunger magazine styled by alexander jiodine These figures brought to light that younger consumer’s being apart of the digital age were most likely to have been the online shoppers, not being hit with the recession like their adult counterparts. Therefore, targeting a younger market became crucial in the reinvention of Whistles which is what helped ensure the survival of its company during the period of minimal disposable income from the brands middle aged consumer.
After Shepherdson created an entirely new product of which exuded the idea of minimalist, effortlessly-chic dressing with a sporty edge as described in the observer as “A tightly edited wardrobe of classic pieces, the collection focuses on longevity and quality rather than flash-in-the-pan trends.”(Gonsalves, 2014) She wanted to solidify her target consumer, within the the middle market of low end luxury by creating a brand for women who wanted luxury but couldn’t afford the designer prices. Brand Consumers Shepherdson saw her first priority as Chief Executive was to usher in a younger, fresher consumer into the stores, buying into the brand in or-
der to drastically improve sales. She saw she needed to forge an entirely new aesthetic for the chain. She expressed why she felt she drastically needed to transform the creative direction of the brand ‘Most of the customers when I first went round the stores ..had grey hair ..it led me to believe that it was an older customer base and there weren’t any new, younger customers coming into the brand. And that worried me (Imran Ahmed, 2012) further stating ‘first this is a brand, where’s the future if you’re not getting the younger people coming in buying your product? You need a customer who is 20, who can stay with you for 10 years.’ (LAUREN INDVIK , 2014).
Brand identity
THE
(ync.org, 2015
Whistles brand Identity can be easily gaged by the unique elements within their store’s. Which is another feature which solidified Shepherdson’s revolution of the whistles brand; the refurbishment and overhaul of the brands physical presence. Primary research into a flagship Store in the Bullring Shopping Centre saw the uses of various technology within the store. Apple ipad’s had been strategically placed alongside the neatly folded garments on tables to allow customers to conveniently browse the entire whistles range and even view future collections such as the resort 2016 collection, that is not yet available in store. The feature could also allow consumers to find online the items they possibly were unable to locate in store.
It was the simple elements like these that created a true feeling of luxury solidifying the brands’ Identity within the store
Whistles Spring/Summer 15 collection campaign image. As seen at London Fashion week
Although the overhaul of the the brand’s entire image appeared as a success as it adhered to Stephenson’s finely tuned new vision for the brand, the previous Whistles consumer ‘the yummy mummy’ felt exiled by the complete overhaul of her favourite brand. The brand became unrecognizable to her with exception of the trademarked name, which even changed from a fuchsia pink shade to a bright white. Stephenson spoke openly of her worry after the original whistles customer abandoned the brand “I can’t tell you how many customers we lost after the rebrand,” Although targeting the new customer through its rebranding enabled the sales to raise significantly.
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pretty a s a t i w dif ,“ d fic Jane recalle ult time.”
modern Whistles customer is described by Jane Shepherdson for the brands own site as ‘She’s creative, intelligent, stylish, very understated, confident and cool’ furthermore the occupations of the whistle’s customer is described as ‘works in creative industries like media, fashion, the arts’(whistles. com) which would explain her cool lifestyle choices seen through the contemporary, untraditional furniture featured in the stores.
by showing that Whistles goes above and beyond for their customer. Furthermore, one of the walls boasted a screen which blended seamlessly into the stores interior but unexpectedly displayed this season’s campaigns films, giving customers a view of this seasons collection and an option to see how their clothes hang on the body without having to even try them on necessarily. Elements such as these allow Whistles to impress and communicate with the digital consumer furthermore creating a unique shopping experience for their shoppers. The uses of contemporary, avant-garde, minimalist furniture and features within the store such as low hanging multiple spotlights and caged shelves that are instantly recognizable as items that are artistic, creative and edgy pieces that whistles woman would select. This creates a feeling of cocooning the consumer in the brand aesthetic. Within the store it was impossible to find a single detail that had not been accounted for with its own strategic positioning And because of this the store is able to encapsulating the Whistles brand.
Brand Positioning
Fashion
end Fast
Low
end Luxury
High
Communication mix
Whistles Spring/Summer 15 collection campaign image. As seen at London Fashion week
Amed. (2012). CEO Talk | Jane Shepherdson, Chief Executive Officer, Whistles. Available: http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/ceo-talk/ceo-talk-jane-shepherdson-chief-executive-officer-whistles. Last accessed 10th November 2015.
liogr a b ib ph
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Cochrane . (2012). Whistles conquers the 'middle market' of British womenswear. Available: http://www. theguardian.com/fashion/2012/aug/24/whistles-middle-market-success. Last accessed 11th November 2015. Gonsalves. (2014). Whistles' first contemporary menswear collection is all about clean cuts. Available: http:// www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/ whistles-first-contemporary-menswear-collectionis-all-about-clean-cuts-9702650.html. Last accessed 28th October 2015. Indvic. (2014). HOW WHISTLES REEMERGED AS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING CONTEMPORARY BRANDS IN FASHION. Available: http://fashionista. com/2014/05/whistles-ceo-jane-shepherdson. Last accessed 25th October November 2015. Kilcooley-O'Halloran. (2014). Whistles Spring/ Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear. Available: http://www.vogue. co.uk/fashion/spring-summer-2015/ready-to-wear/ whistles. Last accessed 15th November 2015. Long. (2011). Belles and Whistles. Available: http:// www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/ belles-and-whistles-922320.html. Last accessed 3rd November 2015. Mathiason. (2008). A Nightmare on the High Street as shops fall like dominoes. Available: http://www. theguardian.com/business/2008/nov/30/retail-christmas-downturn-investments-business. Last accessed 15th November 2015. (2014). Two of a Kind: The Business of Fashion. Available: http://www.ycn.org/events/59-two-of-a-kind-thebusiness-of-fashion. Last accessed 12th November 2015. Whistles original content. (2014). Jane Sheperdson. Available: http://www.whistles.com/whistles/janeshepherdson.html. Last accessed 20th November 2015.