ManuAL
This is your personal copy of the EASTPAK Manual – your “bible”. It is a condensed and concentrated version of the EASTPAK Playbook and as such contains essential information about the EASTPAK brand, our identity, and our target group. Be sure to take care of this important document. Please DON’T copy, share, distribute or lose it! Please DO read it, think about it, and apply it in practice. I’d also like to thank everyone who contributed to this project, VF Corporation for the opportunity to be a part of this process, the people at IDEO for their professionalism and enthusiasm and my team at EASTPAK. It’s going to be a wild ride! Massimo Ferrucci, General Manager EASTPAK
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1952 Eastern Canvas Products manufactures duffels and backpacks for the US army
How do you go from designing duffel bags for the Pentagon to pioneering an entirely new category of urban lifestyle solutions?
1976 Mark Goldman takes over consumer product line. EASTPAK is born!
1981 1983
EASTPAK breaks with the competition, producing a range of bags in flashy, on-trend colors. Enter Norman Jacobs – architect behind the strategy that was to make EASTPAK number one on the east coast
EASTPAK goes live in South America and Asia
1984 Introduction of the Lifetime Warranty (well, now 30 years for legal reasons)
1985 EASTPAK is the first bag brand to use all-over prints in collaboration with Mattise Fabrics
1986 Kostia Belkin brings EASTPAK to Europe
1987
EASTPAK emerges “out of the woods and into the city” with some revolutionary ad campaigns
1994 The now famous skeleton ad is launched
2000
EASTPAK becomes a part of the burgeoning VF Corporation.
2003
First designer collaborations with Henk Schiffmacher among others.
2008
Opening EASTPAK flagship store 1 Carnaby Street, London
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Meet The
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URBAN INSIDER +
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THE OPPORTUNITY
THE LIFE STAGES
NASCENT
age 12-19
EMERGING
age 20-24
ESTABLISHED
age 25-30 / 31-40
The Urban Insider mindset appeals to and is designed for three broad life stages of consumers. While they all share a similar perspective, each naturally have a slightly different relationship to our brand and to brands in general.
BY ADAPTING OUR PRODUCTS TO THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S URBAN INSIDER, WE NOT ONLY CAPTURE A SIZEABLE TARGET GROUP BUT ALSO ONE OF THE MOST LUCRATIVE. URBAN INSIDERS REPRESENT 20% OF THE POTENTIAL MARKET. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY USE A WIDER VARIETY OF BAGS AND PURCHASE THEM UP TO 46% MORE OFTEN THAN THE AVERAGE CONSUMER.
HIGH SCHOOL 10
UNIVERSITY
YOUNG PROFESSIONAL 11
THE LIFE STAGES Before delving into design, it is important to bear in mind how these different life stages might prioritize or value certain elements of the EASTPAK brand.
YOU CAN FIND THEM:
YOU CAN FIND THEM:
YOU CAN FIND THEM:
In high school
At university and just about to move out on their own
Getting established in the city with a career.
THE LOGO
THE PRODUCT
THE BRAND
THEY REPRESENT X% OF THE BAG MARKET SIZE:
13%
13%
27% / 24% = 51%
SPENDING POWER:
€€
€
€€€
THEY ARE DRAWN TO:
HOW THEY USE BAGS:
# OF BAGS PURCHASED: COST PER BAG: THE SIZE OF THE PRIZE:
BY GRADUATING WITH OUR CONSUMERS 12 EASTPAK INCREASES ITS POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE FROM:
single bag, multiple purposes.
⇣ ⇡
multiple bags, single purpose.
⇡ ⇣ TODAY
⇡ ⇡ TOMORROW
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OUR PROMISE
OUR PURPOSE
Our promise is what we do. This is why people turn to EASTPAK. This is the very real and tangible benefit we offer. This is the commitment we make through every single product we sell. Promise is about trust and expectations. We deepen the first, and exceed the second.
Our purpose is why we do what we do. This is why EASTPAK matters. This is the change we will create in the world. It’s the reason we all work for EASTPAK and not any other brand. Purpose isn’t about making money. It’s about making a difference.
PROMISE IS aBOuT SaLES.
PuRPOSE IS aBOuT SOuL. CLEVER
EASTPAK DESIGNS SOLUTIONS
PROACTIVE, THOUGHTFUL PROBLEM SOLVING
EASTPAK DEEPENS CONNECTION TO URBAN LIFE
ACTIVE, MOBILE
URBAN, PROGRESSIVE
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EASTPAK IS INSPIRED BY AND ROOTED IN A PASSION FOR THE CITY EXPERIENCE
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OUR VALUES At EASTPAK, we are guided and united by a core set of values which help facilitate our brand’s purpose. These values not only resonate with us, but also motivate the Urban Insider.
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PERSONALITY If EASTPAK were a person, these are the adjectives we would use to describe him.
And when you take a step back, a moment to look at it all; When you gaze, long into the city, The city also gazes into you.
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TOUCHPOINTS A touchpoint is just what it sounds like – points at which the consumer touches the brand. Great brands have a coherent touchpoint experience, meaning that these elements work together to reinforce the promise and the purpose.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES Now comes the good part. Design Principles are about choices. Not just what we’re going to do, but how we’re going to do it. This should be the most dog-eared section of the book; the one you return to time and time again when you’re coming up with a new marketing plan, or designing a new collection, or building the latest merchandising display. These are the filters any idea should be passed through. And when someone has an idea that seems “off”, or is good but not quite great, you should be able to point to these principles for ideas and inspiration about how it needs to change. 20
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Yes, our products have practical functionality* and are comfortable to carry*, and while that’s important, they’re both a cost of entry.
Our Product Principles are meant to help us amplify uniquely EASTPAK characteristics. That means that for every new collection we design, we are filtering through these principles to ensure it maintains and integrates the clear EASTPAK perspective on what makes a great product, great. But not all products can incorporate all four principles equally. That’s okay. This is simply a way to stay conscious about design choices we are making along the way.
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* Points of Parity
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES PRODUCT
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
Each design is infused with a reduced, singular nature, both in terms of style and beneďŹ t. Nothing extraneous and unnecessary, at any level. Not a stroke, clasp, zipper, or pocket too much. Iconic and unapologetically essential.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES PRODUCT
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
EASTPAK products highlight the simple ingenuity of low-tech but high-impact design choices. It is this ingenious design that gives the Urban Insider just as much as he/she needs, and more – if required.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES PRODUCT
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
EASTPAK products are resistant in an intelligent and agile way. The strength and resistance comes from smart function and construction rather than exaggerated features and materials.
HONEST
ADVICE
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Don’t let the 30 year warranty hinder your creativity. There are exceptions to every rule and certain styles are only achievable by sacrificing a bit of sturdiness. At least the perception of these exceptions should be reliable and sturdy even if you can’t promise that they are built to last a lifetime.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES PRODUCT
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
While our products carry an Essential Character, with Simply Genius functionality and a Refined Resistance, this doesn’t mean they ought to be boring. In fact, our products aren’t really ‘EASTPAK’ without a healthy dose of wit through textures, finishes, colors and patterns.
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As the old saying goes, everything’s an ad. Our products, our stores, our events, and yes, our advertisements. But while our communication happens across the breadth of what we do, there is a depth to our approach that must be understood.
Our Communication Principles are meant to help us understand and reinforce the uniquely EASTPAK spirit, tone and voice. It’s not just about what we say, but how and why we say it. Regardless of which communication touchpoint you may be designing against or writing for – from hangtag to website to social media approach – they will help you define and filter the message in an unmistakably EASTPAK way.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES COMMUNICATION
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
Great brands tell great stories, and EASTPAK has always had amazing stories to share – from what inspires our collections, to our love for a particular city, to smart design features that enrich the urban experience. This isn’t about inventing or manufacturing stories. It’s simply about uncovering and sharing them in the uniquely EASTPAK way.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES COMMUNICATION
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
So much of the edginess typically associated with city life is stereotypical or superficial – clichéd imagery, overused symbols, shallow rebelliousness. EASTPAK has always had an edginess to its communication style, but now it’s even more informed by our sense of purpose; to enable and enrich urban life. This requires us to be forward-thinking but spirited in our efforts to connect authentically with the city’s pulse.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES COMMUNICATION
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
Think construction, not destruction. So much of city edginess is about vandalism, tearing down, making worse. We re-imagine the ordinary to highlight our love for the city. We aren’t stereotypically rebellious in a way that breaks down; we are unusually insightful in a manner that elevates.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES COMMUNICATION
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
It is the people within a city that make it so. In fact, for EASTPAK, our passion for the city is inspired by what people do within it, how they imagine and re-imagine spaces, how they engage. It’s less a question of “Where is your city?” as it is “Who is your city?” We engage with the city not to tour the buildings, but to connect with like-minded people. As such, EASTPAK models are often shown engaged authentically with the city, not posing in it.
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For a brand so inspired by the city, the importance of how we literally fit into the city can’t be overstated.
These principles serve as guidelines and inspiration for the melting pot of our products and communication – anywhere we exist in “space”. From where you find us to what you see when you get here, the EASTPAK space experience is going to be an ever bigger part of our future going forward.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES SPACE
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
The EASTPAK retail environment is a homage to the specific area of a city within which it finds itself. Each store should feel cosmopolitan, with local flavors and details bringing it to life – along with a classic yet subtle nod to our American roots. As all great city corners find themselves, the store should have the feeling of a social meeting spot - a place to stay as much a place to go.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES SPACE
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
EASTPAK loves cities because of their imperfections. We love scratches in the surface, aged elements, the worn but living textures that give our cities character. For the parts we don’t like, it’s only a matter of time before they morph into something different. It’s this makeshift flexibility that gives us inspiration for our retail experience – using and reusing components in new ways and re-imagining as we go.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES SPACE
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
Our retail environment should encourage the Urban Insider to explore and experiment with our products. Our display units should literally be hands-on and should beg to be touched and interacted with. After all, we’d rather you throw our bags against a wall than admire them from afar.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES SPACE
What
DOES THIS MEAN?
Flash, diamond-studded, designer-label sunglasses don’t sell too well at the local hardware store. Know what we mean? It doesn’t matter how good our products are (and they are!) or what great value for money they represent (and they do!), if they are out of place at the point of sale, chances are they’ll be out of sight and out of mind for our target. Getting selected demands already making a selection, so to speak, in terms of retail market, style and price point. The idea is not to blend in. On the contrary, by slotting into the right category, there is a great chance we will stand out and get noticed.
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CHANNELS
CHANNEL SELECTION Our Channel Strategy revolves around:
PROFILE
PURPOSE
ECLECTIC BOUTIQUE
EDGY EXPERIMENTATION
Highly curated, eclectic and solitary boutique-like. Usually owned by a single person who can personally identify him/herself to the products being sold.
With niche collections in an aspirational, thought leader environment.
1. Does the store seem to have a clear point-of-view on a category? 2. Does the owner feel connected to the neighborhood? 3. When I spend 15 minutes here, do Urban Insiders come in?
COOL URBAN SHOP Cool go-to stores that are urban, popular and have a good collection of brands.
BRAND BUILDING
Reinforcing the brand position through mid-volume but specialist locations.
1. Is this a natural shopping destination for the Urban Insider? 2. Do the other brands sold in this store feel like a good brand ecosystem for Eastpak?
MAINSTREAM STORE
Typically department stores with multiple floors and a range of different products. Could also be mainstream speciality stores (ie. sporting goods, electronics, travel, etc).
MONEY MAKER
Through presence in high volume, high traffic generalist store environments
13%
13%
51%
1. Will it bring incremental turnover while not harming our Urban Insider image?
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THIS ISN’T THE END It’s just the opposite. This is the beginning. Great brand stewardship is about consciousness. It’s about knowing how your design decisions, across all touch points, affect the consumer’s perception of and relationship to the brand. And it’s also about evolution. A brand is a living, dynamic thing, that influences and is influenced by the culture within which it lives. So don’t let this book get dusty, or disappear into a drawer. Scribble on pages, write down questions, make suggestions or edits or changes. Maybe add some thoughts, some ideas, maybe even new chapters. You are the brand and your passion is what will ultimately drive it – and us – forward. Welcome to EASTPAK.
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