Boutique, CafĂŠ and Social Space for Dogs and Owners
Fashion Marketing Realisation Portfolio Hollie1 Tansey Email: hollie.tansey@live.com
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This portfolio presents the realisation of a dog-friendly fashion marketing concept. Boop is a boutique, cafĂŠ and social space for dogs and owners; this experiential concept appeals to a niche market and fills a gap in the market for stylish, fun, and experiential pet and lifestyle retail.
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Contents Brand Overview ……….…………………….
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Brand Identity: Verbal Brand …………..
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Visual Brand Identity: Branding ………..
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Market Demand…………………………..
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Basic Business Model ……………………
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Business Model Canvas …………………
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Resident Trader: Salami & Co ………….
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Products ………………………………………
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Visual Merchandising Overview ………….
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Visual Merchandising Specifics ……….
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Target Customer …………………………….
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1: The Dog Moms ………………………..
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2: The Pet Parents ………………………..
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3: The Suburban Family …………………
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Marketing Communications ………………
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18 Month Timeline ………………………
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Instagram …………………………………
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Facebook ………………………………….
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PR Gift Box …………………………….…
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Mail Catalogue …………………………..
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Final Considerations ……………………….
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Conclusion …………………………………..
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Appendices ………………………………….
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Research …………………………………..
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Reflection …………………………………
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References …………………………………..
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Image References ……………………….
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References and Figures ………………..
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“dogs are not our whole life but they make our lives whole� Roger Caras
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Brand Overview Boop is a multi-brand boutique, café and social space. The boutique offers unique, quality and fun products from a variety of design-led pet and lifestyle brands, with products including attire, toys, treats, bedding for dogs as well as gifts and homewares. Hospitality is provided by Salami & Co, an established dog-friendly café which will hold a permanent residency in Boop, offering all-day brunch dishes, hot and cold beverages and a dedicated ‘hound menu’. Dogs are widely considered not only as companions but as family members (Coren, 2011), and owning a dog is shown to facilitate the formation of new friendships within the local community (Wood et al., 2015). Boop provides a new alternative space to meet and socialise with likeminded dog owners; with the café overlooking a secure area for dogs to play with one another whilst the owners can relax over coffee. Boop is dedicated to fulfilling the social and material needs of modern dog owners - or pet parents as they are often referred to. With quirky and stylish products, a charming café and regular events for dog and human, Boop is a real community hub for dogs and owners.
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Brand Identity: Verbal Brand Boop is inspired by the relationship between dog and human. Every doghuman relationship dynamic is unique, yet fun, love, and friendship are almost guaranteed. Boop also embodies modern suburban, lifestyles: cosy, stylish homes; relaxed brunches; and a sociable community. Boop’s unique, quirky and stylish pet and lif esty le product of f er ings, alongside its social spaces - coffee shop and play area, emphasise its warm inviting down-to-earth culture.
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Visual Brand Identity: Branding Boop’s core colours are mint green - a pastel shade inspired by nature and sweets and a pastel peach-pink - a shade not far from ‘Millennial pink’. These core colours will be prevalent in all marketing materials, from the website to press packs, and also in the store interiors.
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The main typeface of the logo is Rockwell, a slab-serif font with a bold and clear yet playful vibe. The decision to make the logo 3D with an off-black shadow is in order to make the mint green colour stand out more against lighter backgrounds. Boop’s logo is not dissimilar to other pet brands, which according to Young (2019) makes it recognisable to customers in this sector. The use of Always Forever typeface for the slogan again is a nod to the fun, playful aspect of Boop.
Rockwell Bold abcdefghi jkl mnopqrstuvw xyz
R: 252 G: 226 B: 214
Rockwell Regular abcdefghi jklm nopqrstuvwxyz
R: 193 G: 233 B: 212
Always Forever Bold abcdefghi jklmnopqrstuvwxy z
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R: 43 G: 43 B: 43
Market Demand Pet humanisation drives the increasing demand for better quality goods and services for dogs. Many dog owners identify their dog as a surrogate child or member of the family and attribute human feelings to their pet (Forbes et al., 2018) thus believe their pet deserves to have a lifestyle similar to a human’s. This belief has led to a market demand for high quality products and services for dogs, such as spa days, gourmet foods and stylish attire. Furthermore, Millennial pet owners are putting aside more of their disposable income for their pets with 54% stating they would reduce spending on themselves to spent for their pets (Mintel, 2018). Primary market research showed that whilst large pet retailers such as Pets at Home are making strides towards satisfying some of these demands, such as retailing gourmet and natural foods and offering ‘spa treatments’ in their Groom Room, the experience of shopping in these retailers lacks in style and leisure, resembling that of supermarket shopping as opposed to boutique shopping. Research shows consumers prefer independent pet retailers due to their personal customer service (Masunaga, 2015) and innovative products and services (Howland, 2015). 9
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Basic Business Model
Boop has 2 main service provisions: retail and hospitality. Whilst the boutique and play area are owned and operated by Boop, the café in Boop will be run by a resident trader. This will be Salami & Co, an established dog-friendly café business. Salami and Co will have a permanent residency in Boop, and so will pay a fixed monthly rent fee for this residency. Therefore, Boop has two sources of income: sales of products, and rent from Salami & Co. Additionally, customers will be charged to attend some events, so extra income will come from the sales of event tickets.
The reason for Boop’s 3 in 1 concept - boutique, café and play area, is the popularity of existing dog-friendly services in Leeds. The abundance of do-friendly pubs and cafes demonstrates the likelihood of success for Boop. An example is Water Lane Boathouse, a dog-friendly bar and restaurant which holds an annual event for the dog owners of Leeds. ‘Scruffs’ is the bar’s own version of Crufts and in 2019 they reported its largest number of attendants since its evolution (Water Lane Boathouse, 2019).
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SUPPLIERS
Buy in products from wholesalers (abroad and UK)
-££
+££
Rent
Customers dining
+££
+££
Sale of products and event tickets
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Business Model Canvas Key Partners
Suppliers of products: Wholesalers and brands Provider of hospitality: Salami & Co, existing dog-friendly coffee business. Local news media: press coverage to raise awareness Influencers - Local ‘Instagram famous’ dogs and owners
Value Propositions
Key Activities Nurture customer relationships online and in person Driving footfall in-store, and online sales Selling products Organising events Reaching out to influencers and local media
“A cool space in the community for you and your dog to hang out, shop and make friends.”
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Key Resources
New space to meet people in the area A place where people and dogs can eat together A boutique to purchase stylish / cool products for dogs and yourself A safe secured indoor space for dogs to play and socialise
Social Media - Intagram, Facebook The Store Environment - VM Website Wholesalers
Cost Structure Fixed costs: monthly rent, council tax and bills Variable costs: sending PR gifts to local media and influencers, promoting posts on social media, organising and holding events, stock ordering (based on supply and demand)
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Customer Relationships
Customer Segments
Build an informal rapport with customers who visit the store regularly
The “Dog Mom� Treats owning a dog equal to having a child. Visits Boop to spoil their dog- buy them outfits, have a puppuchino and take Instagram photos documenting the process.
Establish online following through humour and approachability on social media (replying to comments and asking customers to share photos / stories about their dogs etc.)
Channels Primary Promotional Channel: Facebook Secondary Promotional Channels: Instagram, Mailing List
The Curious Visits Boop out of curiosity. Revels in the novelty of a dog menu and fun dogthemed homewares. The Post-Walk Regular Visits Boop for coffee and food regularly, after walking the dog in the local park. Browses the boutique and sometimes impulse buys.
Primary Sales Channel: In-store (Brick and mortar) Secondary Sales Channel: Online
Revenue Streams Sales of products in-store and online Rent from Salami & Co Sales of events tickets
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Resident Trader: Salami & Co Salami & Co, founded in 2016, currently have only one location in Otley, North Yorkshire. They offer all-day brunch, cakes and coffee, alongside a dedicated ‘hound menu’ for dogs. The small local business has a significant social media presence with over 3000 followers on Instagram and over 2000 likes and 435 recommendations on Facebook, demonstrating its success as a local concept. By having Salami & Co open a second branch in Boop, it benefits both parties. Salami & Co reach a new audience in West Yorkshire, and Boop benefit from Salami & Co’s existing audience and prominence.
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Products at Boop: For Dogs
Soft Furnishings
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• Blankets
• Tipis
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• Cushions
Attire
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• Leads
• Harnesses
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• Jumpers
• Coats
For Dogs
Toys
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• Balls
• Ropes
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• Puzzles
Food
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• Tinned Food
• Treats
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• Chews
For Humans
Homewares
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• Kitchen Accessories
• Prints
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• Decorative Items
Gifts
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• Jewellery
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• Novelty Items
Visual Merchandising Overview
Inspiration
Boop’s visual merchandising and interior design is inspired by a combination of nature, home interiors and retail design trends. These images - used for design inspiration, depict the natural colour scheme and eclectic, boutique style product displays.
Colour Scheme Boop’s core colour is mint green, representing Boop’s calm yet playful nature. The mint green hue will be complimented by a combination of neutral and pastel tones and natural textures such as stone and wood. Featuring natural materials such as wood in retail design create a relaxing environment and are designed to make customers be inclined to stay for longer , (Design & Build 2019).
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Instagrammable Features
Ensuring that store interiors are aesthetically pleasing and photogenic can improve consumer engagement in the brand (Bouncepad, 2019), as if the store is ‘Instagrammable’, customers will post it on their social media which increases Boop’s exposure. Therefore, design features shown to be successful on social media are key to Boop’s visual merchandising. Plans for ‘Instagramable’ design features include: • A collar wall, inspired by donut walls seen on social media (hotspot) • Indoor plants. • Picture wall of quotes and art - all available to purchase (hotspot) • Pastel hues - millennial pink to compliment the mint green. 19 28
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Visual Merchandising Specifics
Toy box
Customer Store Navigation
Ambience
Customers must walk through the boutique to ,enter the cafĂŠ and play area.
The lighting will be soft but bright, mimicking the natural light of open outdoor spaces. The store will be scented with Heyland and Whittle room fragrances, available to purchase in store.
Beds
Play / Socialisation Area
Fence
Counter
CafĂŠ
Cash Desk
Free-flow store layout
Entrance 30
Fixtures There will be a variety of fixtures in order to replicate the authentic boutique style dif ferent shaped tables, shelving units and wall units.
Hotspots
Macro Space Planning Product categories have their own areas of the store: Attire (with collar wall as hotspot); toys; , treats and food; homeware (picture wall as hotspot); lifestyle and gifts.
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Target Customer Boop’s target customer base reaches across a fairly wide demographic; primarily Boop’s customers are Millennials and Generation X with medium to high disposable income and an interest in good quality and design. They share more behavioural and psychographic characteristics, but their main shared characteristic is the love of their pets. Millennial consumers - who are now the largest pet-owning generation (Danziger, 2018) - are shown to have the highest expenditure on their pet (Ferguson, 2018). Described as a “growing breed of young people opting for pets over kids as the burden of raising a tiny human is losing its appeal for commitment-phobic, cash-strapped, travel-obsessed or simply careerprioritising millennials” (Cox, 2019), research shows millennials are postponing marriage, mortgages and children, instead choosing to become pet owners (Hanbury, 2018).
Generation X customers appreciate authenticity, humility and transparency, responding to trustworthy and personal customer service and marketing (Hoffman, 2018). Furthermore, generation X value family (including pets); many have inter-generational homes with their millennial children still living at home (Quad, 2018). This generation have the highest average income and state they spend more money on family members than they do themselves (Vitola, 2016).
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Target Customer 22
Multigenerational
Sociable
Open-minded 23
Considers dog as member of the family
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Medium to high disposable income
Style and design conscious 33
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Target Customer 1
The Dog Mom
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The Dog Mom Demographic: Millennial Female. Lives alone in apartment in urban area. Working class.
Psychographic: Treats her dog as if it’s her child. Heavy social media usage dog regularly features on stories and highlights and has its own account too.
Behavioural: Regularly purchases novelty items, such as outfits for dog and dog-themed homewares.
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Target Customer 2
The Pet Parents
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The Pet Parents Demographic: Millennial Couple. Working class with middle-class family. First home in suburbs. Psychographic: Whilst they are not ready to have children, they enjoy the responsibility of having a dog. They ensure their dog is well looked after from gourmet food to regular grooming. Its toys and homewares have to fit in with rest of interiors. Weekends are spent socialising and they regularly take the dog to dog-friendly cafes, bars and pubs. Behavioural: Always on the hunt for cool and eclectic items.
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Target Customer 3
The Suburban Family
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The Portrait Family Demographic: Generation X Parents with Millennial children // Millennial Parents with Generation Z children Upper-working / middle class. Live in suburbs and villages. Psychographic: A typical British middle-class suburban family. Family days out involve long weekend walks with the dog(s) followed by coffee, brunch or lunch at a local dog-friendly cafe or restaurant. Behavioural: Spend a lot on eating out and going for coffee / drinks. Looks for good quality and style in products. Parents will impulse purchase without concern.
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Marketing Communications Marketing Communication Strategies 1. Grow brand awareness t hrough Instagram platform 2. Create desire and intention using Facebook 3. Send seasonal PR gift boxes to local news media and influencers to gain exposure 4. Online and in-store sales conversion through mail catalogue
Because Boop is a localised concept with a national e-commerce site, the marketing communications must target both local and national consumers. Therefore, social media channels will promote both the store, its services and the products available online. Influencers and the local media will be sent PR packs with gifts and information; influencers will be used as a PR tool to promote the products online, and local media publishers will be used to promote the store to the local population. A free print catalogue will be sent by post to customers who register online; this will also be available to pick up in store.
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18 Month Timeline
Month
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Brick-and-Mortar Development
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July
August
September
Sign lease on unit in Roundhay, Leeds. Commence refurbishment.
Refurbishment continues
Decorating
Online Development (Website, Email)
Online e-commerce website launched
Stock and Services
Contact wholesalers and brands to order stock for e-comms
Public Relations
Put together PR gift boxes and write press release
Announcement of new business venture. Building brand identity with memes and videos and teasers of Boop.
Sharing images of refurbishment to create excitement and make followers feel involved
Progress images. Memes and videos.
Launch instagram Memes. Products.
Mail Order Catalogues
Editorial Product Photoshoot
Event Planning
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First Catalogue Designed and Printed
First catalogue dispatched - AW 19/20
Marketing Communication Strategy Grow brand awareness through Instagram platform
Why use Instagram? Instagram will be used to grow brand awareness and reach potential customers to encourage footfall and click-throughs. Initially,
What content wil be posted? Boop’s Instagram feed will repost fun, cute and relatable photos and videos from brands, comedy accounts and dog ‘influencers’. Once Boop’s online store and brick-and-mortar store launches, Instagram will be used to promote new products, and repost customer photos, alongside the original content such as memes.
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Target Customer The Millennials
AKA the Dog Moms and the Pet Parents Users of Instagram for sharing their dog’s life
Boop’s Instagram will target its millennial customers. Millennial pet owners create Instagram accounts for their pets to interact with friends and family and other pet owners (Oelbaum, 2017), documenting activities and daily life from the eyes of their pet. Some of these accounts gain significant numbers of followers and become pet influencers, receiving PR gifts and sponsorship from pet brands (Rabimov, 2018). Most pet influencers in the UK are micro-influencers. Whilst micro-influencers have lower follower counts (over 5,000 but less than 100,000) they often have a more engaged audience than macro-influencers (Chabot, 2019).
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Tactics: • Use humour to grab attention and gain followers - memes, quotes. • Use popular generic dog hashtags such as #boop #dogsofinstagram • Use locational hashtags #leedsbusiness #dogfriendlyleeds #dogsofleeds to gain attention of Leeds’ population • Location tags - all posts will be tagged as Roundhay, Leeds - where the Boop store will be based - to gain more exposure to local population • Highlights will be used to provide information and insights - ‘behind the scenes’, ‘new products’, ‘events’ • Highlights will also include Boop’s customers to make the customer feel valued and involved with the brand. • Wall art in-store with Boop’s Instagram handle (@) and hashtags (#)
Estimation of Marketing Costs: • £30/mo. for Hootsuite (inc. Facebook) • £10/mo. for promoting content
KPIs: • Consistency in likes count and genuine comments - maintain engagement rate above 3% (see appendix X). • 1500 followers by end of first year. • At least 20% of Instagram audience based in Yorkshire region.
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Instagram Content • Memes • New Products • Customer Photos • Influencer Generated Content
Here is a mock-up of what Boop’s Instagram feed would look like:
boopleeds Boop Pet Supplies The new place to be for dogs and owners. Social Space Boutique Cafe #beenbooping #boopleeds boop.co.uk
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Marketing Communication Strategy:
Create desire and intention using Facebook
Why use Facebook? Facebook enables local businesses to grow from word of mouth marketing (Hines, 2019). For Boop, Facebook will be the main platform for sharing events and competitions, and followers will be encouraged to invite friends to events and competition entries will require the sharing of posts to increase Boop’s reach.
How wil Facebook be used? Boop’s Facebook page will be launched later than the Instagram page, at a closer time to the launch. Members of Facebook groups such as ‘Leeds Dog Friendly’ will be invited to like Boop. Memes and funny videos will be used to initially create a buzz, but the main priority on Facebook is to create desire and intention to visit Boop. This will be done by sharing progress on the store opening with photos showing the progress of the store’s renovation and once opened, sharing events, promotions and holding competitions.
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Target Customer
Generation X Users of Facebook for local community news, reviews and socialising
Facebook is a key platform for reaching Generation X pet owners through posting authentic and trustworthy content (Hoffman, 2018); this generation make up the largest concentration of users on the platform (Woo, 2018). According to Facebook Business (2017), 2/3 of Facebook users say they visit the page of a local business at least once a week therefore, whilst Boop’s Facebook page will primarily target Generation X customers, it is likely to be used as an information source by a wide range of customers of all ages.
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Tactics: • Humour - fun videos and memes posted to start conversations and increase engagement with comments and likes. • Entry to competitions requires users to share Boop posts and tag friends - thus increasing Boop’s exposure. • “Review us on Facebook” printed on Boop receipts to increase number of reviews posted.
Estimation of Marketing Costs: • Hootsuite £30/mo. (inc. Instagram) • Promoting Facebook page using Facebook Local Awareness Ads. £50/mo.
KPIs: • 1500 likes by the end of the first year. • Frequent use of Facebook for reviews and check-ins from customers. • Rating of 4.5/5 or above from recommendations.
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Facebook Content • Memes • Sharing videos • Promotions and new products • Sharing Boop events • Competitions
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Marketing Communication Strategy:
Send seasonal PR gift boxes to local news media and influencers to gain exposure
Why contact the local media? The purpose of sending out PR gift boxes to local news media outlets and social media influencers is to gain earned media coverage on their platforms (newspapers, magazines, websites). The PR package will include a selection of products available from Boop, alongside an overview of Boop and information regarding upcoming events.
Why work with influencers? The main reason for working with influencers is content creation. Whilst Boop will create some of its own content for social media, influencers are trusted by consumers for authenticity - only promoting products and services they love and believe in (Connolly, 2017).
Estimation of Marketing Costs ÂŁ120/mo. gifts ÂŁ70/mo. boxes, printing and shipping
KPIs Social media content and mentions, blog posts and articles in return Click-through website traffic from shared links Increased growth rate of social media followers after mentions
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Target Customer
Followers of influencers and readers of the local media
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The following news media outlets have been chosen as they cover a range of platforms, and target a wide audience: Leeds List and Independent Leeds are online lifestyle websites, read mostly by Millennials, covering Leeds’ events, restaurants, culture. The Yorkshire Post and the Evening Post are the two largest newspapers in Leeds, mainly read by Generation X and Baby Boomers. Living North is a luxury lifestyle magazine covering the North of England, read mainly by Generation X.
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PR Gift Box Design and Contents The PR gift boxes reflect the Boop’s fun brand personality and are designed for the receiver inclined to share the unboxing on their social media pages. In the boxes will be a note addressing the receiver personally, a selection of new-in Boop products, and a press release and company overview.
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Information given to PR to create content:
The leaflet and press release are provided to the media and influencers to allow them to easily provide their readers and followers with information about Boop.
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PRESS RELEASE: Boop Leeds to hold party for International Dog Day Boop - the dog boutique, café and social space based in Roundhay, Leeds - is set to host a party for dogs and owners to celebrate International Dog Day on Monday 26th August 2019. The party will be hosted in the store, with special offers, games and free refreshments on arrival for visitors. The party will also have an official photographer, with a professional portrait photo service being available on the night. Boop’s founder, Hollie Tansey, says “We wanted to celebrate International Dog Day properly. The people of Leeds love their dogs so we thought a party would be a great way for people to celebrate their lovely pooches.” The party will kick off from 4pm and continues until 8pm. During the evening, Boop will have special limited edition offers in the boutique. The usual food menu will not be available in the café, however there will be complimentary snacks and refreshments for dogs and humans. “We hope that our customers all join us for an evening of fun and celebration of our four-legged friends” says Hollie. For more information about this event, please visit boopleeds.com/ events.
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Marketing Communication Strategy:
Online and in-store sales conversion through mail catalogue
Why send out mail catalogues? The aim of direct marketing is to ‘personally’ contact customers to encourage a direct response (Masterson et al. 2017). Whilst many brands no longer send out catalogues, they are a proven way of effectively converting online sales: In a 2017 survey of UK mail catalogue receivers, it was found that 73% performed an action after receiving a catalogue; 49% visited the sender’s website; 40% went on to make a purchase (Royal Mail, 2017).
Tactics • Include a discount voucher in the catalogue redeemable in-store only to drive footfall - “paper-based coupons beat out digital ones for this money-conscious generation [generation X]. They favour coupons from printed ad inserts, circulars and direct mail over all other formats” (Quad, 2018). • Use ‘matching items available’ and ‘in a selection of colours and patterns’ to encourage readers to visit the website to see more products. • Editorial style layouts to make the catalogue flow better
Marketing Costs • £1.08/ booklet - A5 20 page booklet made with recycled uncoated 150gsm paper for 150 booklets (quote from DigitalPrinting.co.uk) • Postage
KPIs • Discount vouchers redeemed in-store from catalogues • Surge in web traffic within 2 weeks of catalogue distribution
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Target Customer
Generation X Readers of Hard Copy
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As a form of old media, catalogues are an important way to engage Generation Xers, who are inclined to use both old and new media (Quad, 2018). Boop’s catalogue will be printed on uncoated recycled thick paper, giving it a quality and authentic style, manifesting the brand’s values of offering customers good quality, unique and stylish products.
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Mail Catalogue Design The mail catalogue is a curated edit, showcasing a selection of products from the brands stocked at Boop. By including only a small variety of products, it encourages the customer to visit the website to browse the full range.
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Final Considerations For Boop to be a feasible and successful experiential independent retail concept, there are a variety of aspects that must finally be considered before its inception. Boop’s retail location and store square footage are dependent on the level of investment received and the availability of commercial units in the desired area. Whilst the planned location for Boop is Roundhay in Leeds, due to its proximity to Roundhay park and the prestige reputation of the areas, the cost and availability of suitable commercial units will be a challenge for a startup. Therefore, it is potential that other suburbs would have to be considered too. Furthermore, there is a large variety in the sizes of the brands proposed to be stocked by Boop: some are small independents, such as Sweet William; and some are large international brands, such as Blueberry Pet. Therefore, negotiating small orders or short-term supply contracts in the early stages of Boop may lead to a reconsideration of brands to stock. However, despite these potential finance-based concerns, Boop is a thoroughly well-planned-out concept, with sufficient evidence to suggest its success as an experiential pet and lifestyle retail concept.
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Conclusion Boop clearly fills a niche gap in pet and lifestyle retailing, providing dog owners with a brand to fulfil their need for quality, stylish yet affordable products. Boop’s suburban Roundhay-based store in Leeds will embody the brand’s values and identity, as a fun and cool social space for local dog owners to meet, dine and shop. This portfolio demonstrates the consumer demand for brands with authenticity and personality in the pet lifestyle sector; Boop’s focus is to satisfy consumer needs and build genuine relationships with its customers, in order to exceed expectations and flourish in the pet lifestyle sector.
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Appendices
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Research
Logo Development The original logo for Boop (shown left) were c hosen wit h no researc h or reasoning other than an appreciation for the typeface ‘Jonah’. In a tutorial with branding expert Paul Young, a discussion about this logo led to the development of a new one. The original logo evoked 1920s/1930s speak-easy bar typeface and had no resemblance to any other pet brands. Upon research of other pet brand logos (see below), the typeface Rockwell in bold was chosen for Boop’s new logo. The decision to have the main logo in mint green was to emphasise this is the brand’s key colour, with a dark 3D effect to make it stand out more. The slogan ‘the hangout for sociable and stylish dogs’ is intended to look like an underline from a distance. This is in a more playful font ‘Always Forever’ to manifest Boop’s fun identity.
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Secondary Logos With slogan:
Without slogan:
Boop Boop the hangout for sociable & stylish dogs
Boop the hangout for sociable & stylish dogs
Boop Boop the hangout for sociable & stylish dogs
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Development
Primary Logo
Research
Visual Merchandising and Retail Design Planning
Key Trends in Retail Design for 2019 (Design & Build Review, 2019)
- Bold colour schemes “colour blocking is increasingly being used to eye-catching -
effect, particularly for zoning” … another trend is “chromatic colour where multiple shades of a single hue are used”. Wooden wellness “providing a sense of relaxation and nature - perfect for brands that want to encourage customers to linger - it includes natural materials and planting”. Home away from home - “retail environments increase the provision of areas to relax and people watch”.
Facebook Research Facebook Local Awareness Ads (Facebook Business, 2015): • Encourage people to shop in store • Increase local brand awareness • Tell people about new store openings • Get the right people to events • Tell people in the area about things happening now • Build buzz by rallying local communities • Spread the word about local promotions
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Figure 1: Influencer Infographic (Olapic, 2019)
Reasons Why Brands Should Work with Influencers (West, 2019) 1. They generate sales 2. They create content 3. They build brand awareness 4. They are a trusted voice 5. They have authority and influence 6. They build relationships 7. They’re expert communicators 8. They are creative 9. They know their audience 10. They drive traffic 11. They can start the conversation 12. They convert leads 13. They are information providers 14. They craft appeal 15. They grow your social following
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Research
Influencer Research
Research
Instagram Engagement Rates Using Influencer Marketing Hub Tool. According to Influencer Marketing Hub (2019), the average Instagram engagement rate is 3%. Any rate above 3% is considered good engagement.
Analysis of similar businesses: Salami and Co (@salamiandco), - good engagement and good number of comments Water Lane Boathouse Dog Account (@waterlanedoghouse) - dog-friendly bar - very high engagement but less comments Love My Human (@love.my.human) - good engagement and high number of comments suggesting good interactivity of followers
Figures 2-4: Instagram Engagement Tool (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019)
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Research
Instagram Research Research: Developing a Strategy It is important to know the purpose and objectives of Instagram content, before creating it; this can be done by asking ‘why are you using Instagram for your business’ and ‘therefore, what content should you be posting’ (Cronin, 2019). Why use Instagram to promote Boop? Millennials are the biggest pet-owning demographic (Danziger, 2018) and Instagram is the platform most used by this demographic (Benson, 2018).
Great Instagram Post Ideas to Promote Your Small Business (Pilon, 2019):
Development of Boop Instagram Marketing Communication Strategy
• Sale Announcements • Styled Product Photos • Milestone Celebrations • Unique Customer Photos • Competition Previews • Hashtag Posts • Behind the Scenes Shots • Event Updates • Limited Edition Products • Giveaways • Quotes
• Sale Announcements - seasonal e.g. Boxing Day • Styled Product Photos - photos of visual merchandising in store, professional editorial photos of products • Milestone Celebrations - Boop Turns 1 • Unique Customer Photos - dogs in-store at the cafe / play area and at home with their new products • Competition Previews and Giveaways • Hashtag Posts - Boop hashtags #beenbooping #boopleeds • Behind the Scenes Shots - progress of store development • Event Updates - links to Facebook event in bio • Limited Edition Products • Quotes - funny memes and relatable quotes about dog behaviours
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Reflection
Feedback Generally, throughout the project, the feedback I received was positive. A lot of my concept planning and development took place early on, so I was able to incorporate feedback into the design and creation of my portfolio. Much of the feedback prompted my own idea development journeys, but most of my idea development was from observing other marketing campaigns and identifying what other brands were doing effectively. Macro Environment Drivers The concept of Boop was inspired and influenced by a wide range of trends and drivers, both from the macro and micro environments. The concept of creating a fun social space for dogs and owners was to provide an escape from the perils of daily life - from everyday stresses such as work to broader issues taking over the UK’s media such as current political turmoil surrounding Brexit. Boop is a lighthearted fun startup, providing people with a place to forget about these stresses.
‘Instagrammable’ Visual Merchandising I knew I wanted Boop to have ‘Instagrammable’ interiors as I have seen how it successfully generates Instagram content for Salami and Co from its visitors. Using ‘Instagrammable’ as a visual merchandising tactic was a key piece of feedback from tutors in the portfolio presentation so I wanted to ensure I took it on board. From regular visits to Salami & Co, I took note of colours, accents and decorations: they have a pastel theme with Millennial pink as the core colour and yellow as the accent colour. Table are made from natural wood and there is decorative pendant lighting hanging over each table. Then, research showed that these trends - pastels, wood, bright lighting - were key for retail design in 2019, so I incorporated these into Boop’s visual merchandising. I feel that the visual merchandising plans were hard to communicate without an actual store to decorate, so I provided a brief store mock up, small mood board, and floor plan to give a brief idea. Whilst an online room design tool to create a virtual store would have communicated my ideas clearer, I struggled to find one that was free of charge and easy to navigate.
Experiential Concept Whilst Boop is primarily a retail business, the inclusion of a cafe and play area show how pet retail can be made more fun through experiential aspects. Once I had developed my concept, I read about a pet store in Wales, which had opened a dog cinema and play are, and a pet bakery and boutique concept in Skipton, North Yorkshire. This confirmed there was a clear demand for leisure and retail combined in the pet industry, which reassured me that my concept was strong and viable. Hindsight: Boop as a Brand Extension Initially, the concept of starting Boop as a business from scratch was positive as it allowed complete creative freedom. However, in hindsight, I would have preferred to launch Boop as a brand extension of an existing lifestyle brand who’s values are similar to Boop’s such as Oliver Bonas. Oliver Bonas’s brand identity is fun, stylish and quirky; they also have a dog-friendly policy in their existing stores. A pet lifestyle store extension of Oliver Bones - Boop by Oliver Bonas - would both enable Oliver Bonas to expand stores into suburbs (where concentrations of dog owners are often higher), but also would have enabled me to develop my marketing concepts in more depth as less time would have been focused on brand development.
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Not using Flyers as a Marketing Communication Strategy Initially, one of the marketing communication strategies was going to be flyer distribution in the local parks, veterinary clinics, groomers etc. However, I realised this strategy did not create any added value. Nowadays, most people use Facebook and news sites to learn about local events. Furthermore, the cost of printing flyers is high and the ROI is hard-to-measure. Therefore, the development of a flyer campaign was scrapped. Influencers Initially, Boop was not going to contact influencers, as pet influencers often work with individual brands rather than boutiques or retailers. However, the benefits of working with influencers are vast and the world of pet influencers is booming, so it is an opportunity to promote Boop authentically. Mail catalogue idea The idea of a mail catalogue came from the Oliver Bonas and Mint Velvet catalogues that my mum receives regularly in the post. I found the act of flicking through a catalogue to be more engaging and authentic than actively visiting an e-commerce website. Upon further research, I found it is common for Generation X (my paren’t generation) to read paper copies and respond well to catalogues especially with offers in them. Therefore, a mail catalogue seemed a clever way to encourage Generation X customers to shop at Boop. Instagram As Instagram is such a popular platform, it is not impossible to gain followers without a strategy, however, for the retail side of Boop to succeed, it’s important to have a strategy that attracts and engages users to gain and retain followers but that also creates desire and intention to purchase products. As Boop’s initial marketing budget will not allow for any expensive paid marketing (e.g. advertisements), Instagram is the main creative promotional platform. Facebook From my personal experience, dog owners have a huge presence on Facebook. There are many geographically based dog groups. As a member of “Dog Friendly Leeds” and “Spaniel Walks Yorkshire”, I have discovered a large community of Facebook users, who all have dogs and share their updates of their dog’s lives with the members of these groups. I found dog owners often look for and give recommendations for pet businesses (grooming parlours, vets, shops, cafes) using Facebook, also leaving reviews and sharing competitions. Therefore, I realised the potential for Boop on Facebook. Boop’s Facebook marketing communication strategy is to target the local community and encourage engagement in the form of recommendations, reviews, event attendance and post shares in order to gain exposure and a trustworthy status among dog owners in the local community. 79
Reflection
Developing the Marketing Communications Strategies The aim of my marketing communications strategies was to cover all aspects of the consumer funnel (awareness, consideration, desire, intention, conversion). Instagram and PR activities were to create awareness consideration and desire, by sharing content (or influencers and the media sharing content) that makes Boop seem exciting and desirable. Facebook activities (competitions, sharing memes, events) covered most aspects of the consumer funnel: memes, videos and competitions raise awareness through users sharing them; by encouraging customers to review and recommend Boop, it improves brand equity so more consumers then consider Boop as a choice and have a desire to visit / shop; intention and conversion is created by sharing details of events at Boop. The mail catalogue focuses on desire, intention and conversion. Customers who receive mail catalogues are already aware of Boop, as they have signed up to receive catalogues; so the aim of the catalogue is to prompt website and store visits, thus sales conversions. I found it challenging to create marketing communications strategies that addressed both the localised Boop store whilst attracting a national customer base for the website. Overall, I think the marketing communications strategies for Boop are quite basic, yet all are effective ways of promoting a local business and a retail business.
References
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