Janneke Dekker Tijn Berends Esme Wiersma
Life is not a competition. Its not about being the biggest or the bolldest. ...... (S & S)
Table of content Introduction
Page 1
The brand
Page 2
history
Page 2
Current situation
Page 2
Concept
Page 4
Opportunities & problem analysis
Page 6
Objectives
Page 7
Sub Questions
Page 8-10
Time planning
Page 12-13
Source directory
Page 14
Introduction In this stage of the minor we have to start our research. Before we can start this research we made a research proposal. We started to research their actual situation. We have chosen Scotch & Soda (S&S) because we where intrigued by the brand, amazed by its business successes and we could really find ourselves in its philosophy. Also their marketing approach is really inspiring and we see it as a chance to improve this brand.
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The brand This Amsterdam fashion brand maintains their very own way of doing business. It is exactly this origin that grants S&S a powerful position in the international fashion scene without any traditional marketing. S&S does not believe in target groups and makes an effort in keeping things simple. They just make products they consider attractive, of good quality, contemporary, genuine and affordable. The clothes do the talking, not big bucks advertising. S&S wants people to love their clothes and have fun wearing them. Therefore marketing according to S&S is defined as achieving maximum results with minimum outlay. Its price range is between the 9 Euros for a pair of socks to 250 Euros for a leather jacket. The stores further underline the brands unique character with music, scent, design and light. You are not going to forget you have been there. Within their unmistakable style that could be described as vintage, varsity or fusion, S&S tends to include a modern way of living from what is seen around.
History Laurens Hompes founded S&S in Amsterdam in 1985. After a few successes in Germany in the nineties, the company went downhill. Eric Bijlsma, Joep Rouwels and Patrick Munsters took over the company in 2000. They decided to focus on apparel for men. Since 1985 S&S has expanded operations extensively while maintaining their very own way of doing business. Creativity and individuality are the keys to this success. (Textilia, 2009)
Current situation Next to S&S they have two other lines: Scotch Shrunk and Maison Scotch. Scotch Shrunk is the boy’s line and Maison Scotch is the women’s line. From January 2010 their first girl’s collection will be launched: Scotch R’belle. S&S has developed into a well-respected brand with in total over 6000 shops and about eight own shops in a high-end distribution network in 31 countries worldwide. Both Scotch Shrunk and Maison Scotch are growing. (Textilia, 2007, 2009, 2010, Scotch & Soda, 2010) 2
Concept To S&S life is not a competition. It is not about being the biggest or boldest. To them, knowing what to want and what to stand for, making choices as an individual and as a team is more important than growing business for business sake. After so many years, S&S is still about what they do best: making the best clothes in the world. Creativity is the backbone of the brand; individuality is the secret of their success. They make fashion for every individualist that creates his own style. The brand values are rebellious, out of the box, underground, creative and steering clear of the masses and being individual. They leave expensive and traditional marketing strategies up to others. (Scotch & Soda, 2010)
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opportunities & problem analysis S&S presents a lifestyle; if this lifestyle suits you, you are S&S’ target group. They want to use as little as possible marketing tools. The store and the products have to speak for themselves (Scotch & Soda, 2010). S&S does not believe in target groups, but when looking at their ads and pictures, a target group strongly emerges. We have seen that they only use young people in their pictures for example. We have also noticed that not many people know where to find the S&S stores. In a conversation with the store manager we also learned that the ‘wrong’ people come into the store (couples, elderly, tourists). It is of course not a bad thing, because they buy a lot, but these people are not the target group. A bottleneck for S&S is that people find it hard to enter the shops. The shops are very dark and look like Abercrombie & Fitch and American Today stores. Next to that there is a weird smell in the shop (too much perfume).
We also noticed that many people know about S&S but do not have any garments of the brand. An opportunity for S&S is to choose a target-group and make a targeted campaign to promote themselves. They could also change the shops so people are more comfortable entering.
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OBJECTIVE So their problem is that they speak to a certain group of people, but have no specified target group. This group of people does not match with the pictures they broadcast. How can they reach the group of people they used in their pictures? We came up with a main objective, main question and a few sub questions to research. We also defined which methods we want to use to answer these questions.
Main objective Who are the consumers of S&S and what is the best way to reach these consumers without losing the brand’s image?
Main QUESTION How can S&S grow without losing its unique character?
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Sub question Sub questions & research methods
1. What is the image of S&S according to the existing customers and according to S&S? First we are going to research if the company already did a similar kind of research. If they did not, we want to use primary sources to answer this question; we are going to conduct surveys. The second part of the question we want to answer by doing an interview with the head office. 2. Who are the people that buy at S&S and what is their binding factor? First we are going to research if the company already did a similar kind of research. If they did not, we are going to use primary sources to answer this question. With observations and interviews with the consumers and personnel we will find answers to this question.
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3. Which marketing tools are S&S currently using and how are these working out for them?
We are going to consult primary sources; we want to interview the personnel and the head office to answer this question. We can also use primary sources, like websites. We want to interview the head office to answer the second part of the question. 4 What are the future plans of S&S? We are going to use primary sources to answer this question. We want to interview the head office. We will also use secondary sources, like websites and databases. 5. Who are their competitors and how do they generate growth? We are going to use secondary and primary sources to answer this question. We are going to consult databases and websites, but also conduct interviews with the personnel and the head office.
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6. Who are the consumers of their competitors? We are going to use secondary and primary sources to answer this question. We are going to consult databases and websites, but also conduct interviews with the personnel and the head office.
9. Which consumers have the most possibilities for S&S? We want to do primary research to answer this question. We want to interview the head office and the personnel. We also need to get to know more about the consumers.
7. How to improve the bottlenecks in retail of S&S? We want to use primary and secundary research to answer this question. We want to get more information by interviewing the head office and personnel, but also search the web and use databases. 8. What are the growing possibilities of S&S? We want to use primary and secondary research to answer this question. We will also research the current situation. We will do this by interviewing the head office and staff, but also search the web.
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Time planning TIME LINE:
Third week (week 47)
First week (week 45)
Answering the next five sub questions: 4. Which marketing tools are S&S currently using and how are these working out for them? 5. What are the future plans of S&S? 6. Who are their competitors and how do they grow? 7. Who are the consumers of their competitors?
Trying to make an appointment with the company for a visit at the head-office. We want to interview some people at the office about what they think about S&S. Make a survey to answer our main and sub questions. Second week (week 46) Answering the first three sub questions. 1. What is the image of S&S according to the existing customers and according to S&S? 2. Who are the people that buy at S&S and what is their binding factor? 3. Which kind of marketing fits S&S the best?
Fourth week: (week 48) Answering the last three sub questions and the main-question: 8. How to improve the bottlenecks in retail of S&S? 9. What are the growing possibilities of S&S? 10. Which consumers have the most possibilities for S&S? How can S&S grow without losing its unique character? 12
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Source directory Facebook (2010). Scotch & Soda Official Site. Used: October 30, 2010, from: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ pages/Scotch-Soda-Official-Site/54185757622 Kledingbedrijf Scotch & Soda heeft in Europa 4.000 verkooppunten (November 17, 2007). Het Parool. P.47; 1p. Scotch & Soda (2010). About Us. Used October 30, 2010, from: http://www.scotch-soda.com/#/about Scotch & Soda komt met jeanslijn voor mannen (June, 26 2009). Textilia. Nr. 27, p. 14; 1 ½ p. Scotch & Soda ontwerpt stoere jongensmode (September, 9 2007). Textilia. Nr. 38, p. 8; 1/2 p. Scotch & Soda ontwerpt meisjescollectie (June/July 2010). Textilia. Nr. Bengels p. 74; Full Text.
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