INK & IMAGE Volume. 2
Brand and Image Advertising Brand Critiques Cherise Hoefler Kelly Macleod- 13128555 Bond University, Semester 143
Chanel:
Gabriel Coco Chanel did not build a brand. The brand built around her.
Victoria’s Secret: Unveiling the secret
Secrets Shhh:
Elegance at affordable prices
Gabriel Coco Chanel did not build a brand. The brand built around her. Mademoiselle found the formula for the feminine eternal- Chanel N째5
Simplicity is the keynote of true elegance- Chanel No.5
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he story of mademoiselle begins and ends with eternal elegance; spreading strength, passion and legacy through her iconic signature brand, Chanel. Once you have entered the chic world of Chanel, you can no longer look back, as you move heel first with the brand, adding fine art and classic statement pieces into your once ordinary wardrobe. Life before Chanel resembled shades of grey, but you are now enticed with simple black and white with a touch of gold; illustrating Chanel N°5 and its timeless style. Designer, visionary, and artist, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel reinvented fashion by transcending its conventions, creating an uncomplicated feminine elegance. From the little black dress to the tweed suits, the quilted handbag to the two-tone shoe and camellia brooch paired with the perfect red lipstick; Chanel stood for feminine, yet a strong and charismatic lure. The famous world’s best-selling fragrance Chanel N°5 stands at the forefront of Chanel’s innovations that are unparalleled to all former top of mind brands. Chanel continues to inspire women of all ages all over the world with its everlasting modernity. Chanel N°5 has continued its glorious heritage of creation, playing fearlessly with Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy; offering a vision for the future of the House of Chanel that is as memorable as its past. Chanel is an attitude, a spirit and a certain abnegation of feminine frilliness. Chanel began a “fashion avalanche”
The everlasting journey of French fashion designer Gabriel Bonheur Chanel began in 1913, where she opened her very first boutique in the center of town on a fashionable street of Deauville, Paris. Chanel’s early beginnings introduced deluxe casual clothes suitable for leisure and sport, providing upmarket hats, jackets, sweaters and the famous mariniere; the sailor blouse. Gabrielle’s seed of strength was planted at an early age of twelve years old, when her mother passed away from tuberculosis. The young and delicate Gabrielle was sent to an orphanage of Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she learned the trade of a seamstress; as her father could no longer take care of her and her siblings. Chanel’s struggle from an orphan to the most influential women resonates with modern young women towards self-actualisation, encouraging women to be independent and have equal rights. Chanel is the quintessence of feminism. Some might state that Chanel was born in the fashion industry by chance and unfortunate events; however Chanel had a powerful love for the theatre and art, which she later adapted in her design work. Gabrielle acquired the name “Coco” through her performances, singing “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco’ at a café concert in a Moulin’s Pavillion, “La Rotonde” (Pettinger, T. 2009). Soon after performing, Gabrielle realised that a serious stage career was not in her future. Chanel was an incredibly sought after woman; her petite figure, ageless style and radiant charm led her to being a mistress to young French ex-calvary officer, Etienne Balsan at the age of twenty-three and then followed onto Captain Arthur Edward Capel, friend of Balsan’s. Gabrielle’s affair lasted nine years with Capel, who later died in a car accident; which was said to be the most devastating event in Chanel’s life. “His death was a terrible blow to me. In losing Capel, I lost everything. What followed was not a life of happiness; I have to say- Gabriel Chanel. It has been said that from this tragic event in Chanel’s life, she then dedicated her soul and time to building the brand ‘Chanel’ and focused purely on designing fashion and fragrances. After Gabrielle passed away in 1971, creative director Karl Lagerfeld joined Chanel in 1983 to design haute couture, which led the brand value to $7 billion (Forbes, 2014). Lagerfeld has not only safeguarded the towering legacy of Coco Chanel, but has also enhanced it by turning the house into one of the most powerful and profitable brands in the world with over three hundred stores worldwide today.
The Chanel style is an idea, but this idea is now in a kind of collective memory, and that is very rare indeed.
Focusing on the brand as a whole and the timeless perfume N°5, Chanel’s brand identity is exclusively elegant and the most recognisable brand throughout the globe. We live in a world where brand names and logos portray our status and execute an idea of who we are and what we earn. We seem to be identifying ourselves through brand names and creating an image of our positive face to boost our self-esteem using brands. This idea relates to Politeness Theory, where a person’s desire to be accepted and approved of in a certain group and appreciation of the self-image by others (Haugh, M. 2007). However, another reason we love brands is because of the marketing and advertising geniuses behind the name. It has been said and proven that a great advertising team creates easily remembered and recognisable brands. Specific brands, when marketed right, make us believe and trust the product. No matter the cost of the brand, if we trust it, want it and like it, we will save and spend on it. Chanel has created an irresistible brand, which has identified them at the forefront of class, elegance and sophistication with an eternal style.
It is the injection of Coco’s personality and emotional direction as well as her strength which drives the brand essence
Chanel’s journey through time, well over a century, has evolved and stood the test of time in regards to branding, rebranding and reinventing themselves. The classic chic style of Chanel has elements that stand out from the clutter of competitive luxurious brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Prada. Karl Lagerfeld, along with Chanel’s creative directive team have chosen brand elements that are executed through simple and classic typography, tone of voice, colour schemes, symbols and packaging of products. Researching Chanel and finding myself lost in the magic of their brand website ‘Inside Chanel’, proved that Coco Chanel did not build a brand, instead the brand built around her. Perhaps it could be stated that every detail of the brand was chosen so expertly to symbolise her life, as secrets of each detail are unveiled through certain elements, creating brand equity through brand identity. One main element that has been skillfully used in their brand identity is their use of bold colours. Each colour represented Coco Chanel’s life and important elements within her legacy.
Gabriel’s favourite colour; black, has said to have been used to extenuate the essentials, such as the iconic little black dress. In advertising, the use of the colour black symbolises elegance, sophistication, formality, power and strength. These words resonate the true description of what it meant to be Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel and create her signature brand. The colour black was not only chosen as her favourite colour, but it had a touch point for her; which took her back to the days of living in the Catholic monastery where the nuns wore black and she first learnt how to sew as an orphan. The colour white resonated for Chanel, as it was the colour of pearls, which she loved and adored. The colour white in advertising is used to show peace, simplicity and purity. This colour was chosen as the main colour along with black, as white reminded Chanel of her childhood at the monastery where the nuns wore white cornets. The colour white complemented black, as one could not be without the other, stated Karl Lagerfeld (Inside Chanel, 2014).
The colour beige was chosen because of the soft and simple natural tones, which reminded Chanel of the beaches in Deauville, where she opened her very first store and spent most of her days.
The colour Gold is extremely powerful for Chanel, as the Duke of Westminster gave her genuine gold. Gold is the colour of the famous Chanel N°5 perfume, because of how gold shines like the treasures from St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice where she spent a great deal of time as a teenager and felt wealth through gold.
The Colour red resonated for Chanel as her signature lipstick colour and a declaration of good spirit. In advertising terms, this colour symbolises love, energy, determination, desire and passion, which accumulates the lure of the sought after women, Coco Chanel.
chanel colour chart: Advertising and it’s symbolism
It is a legend that can be viewed. It is a cosmopolitan legend- Karl Lagerfeld on the woman he had the most respect for, Gabrielle Chanel.
During 1921, Couturier Coco Chanel called upon French perfumer, Ernest Beaux to help create her very first perfume to give to her best clients as Christmas presents. Chanel seeks in her own words, “a woman’s perfume with a woman’s scent”. Adding to the brand’s identity and extension, Chanel N° 5 was created using only floral scents of up to eighty different kinds, including her demands of adding the most precious of essences, Jasmine. The Eau De Parfum is extravagant in floral richness and has remained the same ever since the first bottle was created. After the first four trials of Chanel N° 5, Beaux perfected the scent on the fifth sample, resonating the name, ‘Chanel N° 5’. The number five proved to be Gabrielle’s favourite number, as she explained it to have luck giving qualities. When asked by Beaux what she wanted to name the perfume, she stated, “I always launch my collection on the fifth day of the fifth month, so the number five seems to bring me luck- therefore, I will name it N° 5”. The branding of the bottle has changed ever so slightly through the years, as the images below portray.
The octagonal cap of her first perfume recalls the Place Vendome, where Gabrielle spent time searching for inspiration. Through the above mentioned colour schemes, Gabrielle included personal touch points into her designs from fragrances to fashion that meant a great deal to her and her memories of her early life. Chanel has influenced artists, and artists have influenced Chanel. The timeless perfume became an icon in the twentieth century, as popular culture and advertising enlarged the focus of the brand through Andy Warhol and his art, which Gabrielle incorporated into her designs. The brand has been an over-achiever in brand elements, such as memorability, meaningfulness, likability and adaptability. This has been proven through Chanel N° 5, as it has been aesthetically appealing through rich imagery, bold typeface, edgy colour schemes and has survived for over a century, unlike many other competitive brands. Chanel as a brand possesses more positive than negatives through careful techniques, advertising and customer service. However, as the brand has only ever been advertised through top female models and actresses, the brand moved away from traditional to an altered style and presence towards their market.
October, 2012 saw Brad Pitt became the very first man to advertise Chanel, which ultimately shocked loyal Chanel fans. The world did not take to the advert as easily as they did with Nicole Kidman, as the angle of the ad was completely different to their usual branding. The once clean and classy woman was now a bearded man, the once colourful and musically styled commercial with Moulin Rouge themes were turned into a mysterious and dark demeanor of Chanel. After speculation of the new style and celebrity endorsement through Brad Pitt, Chanel seemed to have a few curious and confused loyal customers. Sales however still were at the forefront in revenue, as Chanel and the iconic brand were still advertised, despite the change in gender and style of commercial. Through this change and diversification of advertising, Chanel remained one step ahead of transformation by including Brad Pitt in their commercial for Chanel N°5 ladies perfume. A commercial that strained away from their tradition of bright colours, female celebrity endorsement and romantic gestures of Great Gatsby or Moulin Rouge. lcore of what it means to be a strong, successful and independent
woman.
Gabriel Coco Chanel enchanted Paris and her spirit continues to enchant the globe. Through retaining specific brand mantras and standards which Chanel set, The House of Chanel has dressed a century
Co-branding and celebrity endorsement has catapulted the success of Chanel, as strong relationships have been built within the brand for over a century. During the success of Marilyn Monroe’s career in 1952, the status and demand of Chanel increased dramatically after Monroe quoted in an interview that she only wore Chanel N° 5 to bed when asked what she slept in. The popularity of Monroe’s declaration to the perfume, which was seen in photos next to her night stand, made the perfume irresistible. Before long, every woman wanted the bottle of N° 5 and every woman felt ecstatic wearing it. Since then, Chanel has seen the likes of Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightly, Cara Delevigne and most recently Gisele Bundchen advertising the perfume and being the delicate face of the brand. Chanel has remained a top of mind brand through co-branding with some of the world’s most glamorous and sought after models and actresses. Recently, Chanel N° 5 introduced the world to their latest campaign alongside Baz Lurhmann and Gisele Bundchen for #theonethatiwant. The video went viral instantaneously, many found they were lost in the Great Gatsby meet Moulin Rouge theme with the ever successful and iconic song from Greece, ‘You’re the one that I want” rendition by Lo Fang. Chanel N° 5 has explored their brand and perfume through mini-movie styles, creating wealth and brand awareness that has been and always will be at the forefront of luxury brands. Chanel has been persuasive towards their target market of girls aged sixteen and over, and has influenced girls not to buy Chanel, but to be Chanel in class, elegance and independence. Within the world today, feminism and equal rights have been circulating more boldly, and Chanel is at the very core of what it means to be a strong, successful and independent woman. Chanel CEO, Maureen Chiquet stated in an interview on Inside Chanel that, “It is the injection of Coco’s personality and emotional direction and strength that drives the brand essence. Its Character is romantic and feminine, yet it’s clothes were inspired by the strength of men” (2010). Chanel has towered over brand leveraging and extensions through her beginnings as a hatmaker to the world’s most sought after fashion and fragrance brand. Chanel has integrated through their targeted market through strategies aimed at mass marketing and direct marketing through blending together their digital world of mini-movies and ad campaigns to traditional media and their website. Chanel CEO, Maureen Chiquet states that “Chanel take their time in expanding markets and focus on training the staff on what it is like to “be Chanel” as they can focus on customer service and tell the story of Chanel. The sense of belonging in the Chanel world resonates for all. It is our main goal to deliver quality over quantity” (2010). Chanel is a brand I have fallen deeply in love with and aspire to being a part of in the near future. I want to thrive myself in a land of secrets, dreams and fantasies. Chanel lies at the heart of a fabulous house that has never stopped beating, still pulsing to the rhythm of the future. Chanel N° 5 is always alive.
References:
Chiquet, M. (2010, April 26). Inside Chanel with Chanel CEO. (T. & Co., Interviewer) [Video]. Retrieved from https://ww youtube.com/watch?v=JomEhITwMmg Forbes. (2014). 2014 Chanel Brand Value. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/companies/chanel/ (Haugh, M. (2007, November 21). The Discursive Challenge to Politeness Research. Retrieved from http://www98. griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/16087/46280.PDF?sequence=1 Inside Chanel. (2014). Chapter 11: Colours of Chanel. Retrieved from http://inside.chanel.com/en/colors-of-chanel Pettinger, T. (2009). Coco Chanel Biography: Her Life, Her Secrets. Retrieved from http://www.biographyonline.net/ artists/coco-chanel.html
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Unveiling the Secret
The Magical World of Victoria’s Secret
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dd a dash of lace, a sprinkle of pink and a drop of angel wings and you have created the most glamorous recipe known to man. Described as ‘heaven on earth’ the brand has created a world of all things feminine, frilly and fragrant. From delicate lacy bras and underwear, to coconut and musk fragrances, right down to the tiniest of bows; you merge yourself into a magical world of sexy, glam and all things nice. The hidden mystery of Victoria’s Secret is unveiled through their persuasive branding and rich use of celebrity endorsement through strong brand elements and emotional bonding.
Roy Raymond sparked Victoria’s Secret to life in 1977, through inspiration from an idea when trying to purchase his wife lingerie. The idea ignited from the 1950’s and ‘60’s where underwear was all about practicality and durability, and sensual lingerie was reserved for the honeymood trousseau or anniversary night. Fredrick’s of Hollywood was the first of the speciality lingerie retailer that drove the women’s movement of the late seventies, as women wanted to liberate themselves from the bondage bras with new designs that claimed to give them the natural look they had desired for years. Victoria’s Secret was born after Raymond created every man’s dream as he envisioned a Victorian boudoir that would assist men and women in feeling comfortable in purchasing lingerie. The name “Victoria” was chosen to evoke the propriety and respectability associated with the Victorian era, outwardly refined, Victoria’s “secrets” were hidden beneath. As the brand profited $500,000 in its first year of opening, Raymond later sold the brand to American businessman and philanthropist Leslie Wexner for $4 million. Through Wexner’s retail knowledge and power, the decision to revamp the original idea with new branding was of utmost importance to dominating women’s apparel amongst competitors. Brand attention and emphasis shifted towards women instead of only male captivated advertising and marketing, which led Victoria’s Secret in a new and modern direction. In 1987, the brand was reportedly among the best –selling catalogues, as the New York Times described the brand as a highly visible leader (Gross, 1987).
As the years passed, the brand introduced fragrances in 1991 and later in 2002 announced the launch of Pink. The brand’s success granted them access to adapt a teenage extension of lingerie, targeting 1522 year olds. This strategy was developed by marketing and advertising leaders of the brand Limited to introduce teenage girls to Victoria’s Secret, as brand expansion and awareness were valued traits for the company. In 2012, Victoria’s Secret launched the “The Victoria’s Secret Designer Collection”, described by Vogue as the company’s first high-end lingerie line. Today, the brand is a top of mind brand with over a thousand stores worldwide, which continue to adapt and evolve with technology and trends. What was once a small lingerie store created by a man desperately seeking to fill a gap in the market for modern and delicate lingerie, rapidly turned into a global phenomenon that caught the attention of both males and females.
According to Forbes, Victoria’s Secret is currently worth $7 billion and continues to grow through brand extensions and leveraging (2014). The brand have positioned themselves at the forefront of lingerie brands, as Victoria’s Secret has developed strategic advertising campaigns to gain further awareness. The lingerie brand has developed positive consumer brand equity by transforming an ordinary idea and product, into a boutique operation that consumers are willing to pay for. As the brand has targeted their market with competitive prices and a unique style, consumers have developed an emotional connection and bond with the brand. Today, emotional brand building requires companies and brands to develop a personal dialogue with customers on the issues that are most meaningful to them. Emotional branding- defined as the successful attachment of a specific emotion to a brand is an increasingly popular advertising strategy (Roberts, 2004). In a recent article in the New York Times, brand strategist Kevin Roberts wrote that “in the post industrial society, material satisfaction is extremely easy attained, however emotional fulfilment has become the true challenge for providers of goods and services. Consumers are more concerned with how it makes them feel, instead of what the product or service does for them (Roberts, 2014). Victoria’s Secret has focused on the emotional connection they have as a brand with their consumers, while building a strong relationship over the years. As the brand is heavily focused on women; building trust, loyalty and empowerment, the brand have focused on reaching out to women through advertising campaigns, social media and brand direct emails to their very vast database.
BOMBSHELL...VERY SEXY...FEARLE SPORTY..ANGEL..WINGS..runway..br Today, consumers expect a brand to inspire them and express their values so well that being a customer should be a source of pride and joy for them. Victoria’s Secret has focused purely on emotional bonding and brand extensions, through careful chosen words aimed at young women in society today. The brand focuses on positioning their core idea to consumers that by wearing Victoria’s Secret it will make you feel sexy, fit and beautiful. As research proves women are more emotional and can relate to a brand or idea, the brand has used a pathos approach in their persuasive technique to advertise their brand globally. This is identified through their chosen words on all advertising campaigns and materials such as angel, fantasy, bombshell and very sexy. The brand has been strategic in gaining attention and likability from their target market of girls sixteen and over. Another advertising persuasive technique adopted by the brand is the snob appeal. This technique is used to advertise a product and make the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle. Through this appeal, supermodels have advertised the brand and made girls feel unique and part of a group that is inspiring and encouraging. Persuasion is incredibly important when advertising lingerie to a market that is heavily body focused. Victoria’s Secret has embodied super models to persuade customers to purchase their products and feel glamorous and model-like in their own skin.
The brand has focused on their brand identity and consistency of rich imagery over the years that ensure that consumers are aware and familiar with the brand. Through seasonal campaigns and promotions, and end of year Christmas Fashion Show and in-store appearances from the ‘angels’ has ensured the brand are at the forefront of ‘top of mind’ brands. Through the word choice of ‘angels’ being linked with the likes of Candice Swanapoel and Adriana Lima, global attention has been received for the brand through strong celebrity endorsement. Through strong relationships with multiple super models, including the original angels such as Gisele Bundchen and Heidi Klum who are still at the peak of their career, the brand has gained further attention, likability and memorability. The brand has become well known for not only their delicates but for their catalogues online and in-store, focusing the highlight of the year through their Christmas Fashion Show presented to the world in a different country each year, with strong artist connections performing on the runway. Victoria’s Secret has become more than a lingerie brand, it has become a cult followed by males, females, artists and the media.
ESS..BEAUTIFUL..FANTASY..PINK.. ra..cheeky..body..bikini..glitter Victoria’s Secret upholds positive brand equity through its image and brand elements. Brand elements such as memorability, meaningfulness, likability, adaptability and protectability are combined to create an overall image of a brand and its brand equity (Farhana, M. 2012). Victoria’s Secret has developed powerful likability through their large social media following of 6.5 million followers on Instagram and 26 million likes on their Facebook page (Instagram, 2014). As the brand is likeable through their colour choices of pink, red, gold, silver and black, consumers fall in love with the femininity whether they purchase items or not. Victoria’s Secret is a ‘top of mind’ brand due to their powerful advertising, vast brand extensions, brand awareness and overall brand image. Aesthetically, Victoria’s Secret visual branding and identity has labelled itself as a store for women as a powerful player within the lingerie and apparel industry purely due to their multiple line extensions, affordable cost and updated fashion collections seasonally. Through brand leveraging, Victoria’s Secret established a new category extension in 1991 with Pink and fragrances. Adding to their collections, the brand has shown the world that the company is transferable- categorically and geographically with multiple stores in each continent. Today, the brand offers sleepwear, lingerie, fragrances, sportswear, clothes, swimwear and cosmetics, proving the brand is your one-stop shop for women.
Victoria’s Secret has dominated the playing field of competitors through impressive advertising and marketing techniques through Cialdini’s six principles; social proof, liking and persuasion. Consumers purchase the brand because it is what friends, family and acquaintances purchase above all competitors; they follow the lead of others (Cialdini, R., Martin, S. 2006). With millions of products sold each year, it can only be assumed that social proof plays a huge part in the success of the top-minded brand. People are influenced by people they like, therefore through an array of celebrity endorses; Victoria’s Secret has Cialdini’s principle of liking. This principle encourages the consumer to purchase the product and interact with the brand via multiple platforms, for example Facebook and Instagram (Cialdini, R., & Martin, S. 2006). Victoria’s Secret has powerful, creative and picturesque advertising that has the power to persuade the consumer that by wearing Victoria’s Secret, the consumer will feel like an ‘angel’. As the brand has had more positive light shun than negative, any billion-dollar brand will have the odd few negatives shun down on them, particularly with feminism and body conscious era we are currently in. As the brand advertisers their lingerie through women who are top super models and a small percentage of the world can relate to that certain body type, negative comments and backlash are highlighted. 2014 brought the brand from shades of pink to shades of grey after releasing their ‘Perfect Body’ campaign. As social media is a platform used both positively and negatively in making or breaking a brand, Victoria’s Secret saw 26,000 people sign a petition against their ‘body’ campaign. Critics said the campaign was offensive and damaging to women and called on the brand to apologise and change their campaign. The company did not formally apologise, however altered the campaign to “A Body For Every Body”. As the brand has been operating for over 37 years and has been guided by advertising geniuses, the brand has remained focused on the tall, skinny, long-legged model portraying that this certain body type is ‘perfect’.
Overall, the brand is wonderful to look at, comfortable to wear and engaging with all their advertising materials. However, through heavily focused ‘body’ advertisements and subtle hints at being ‘perfect’ the brand could end up in deep water if they do not tread lightly on vulnerable women and girls of today.
References: Cialdini, R. &. (2006). Cialdini, R., & Martin, S. Training Journal, 44-45. Farhana, M. (2012). Brand elements lead to brand equity: Different or die. Information Management and Business Review, 223. Forbes (2014). Leslie Wexner: Victoria’s Secret Billion Dollar Company. Retrieved October 24 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/profile/leslie-wexner/ Gross, M. (1987). Lingerie Catalogues: Changing Images. The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/26/style/lingerie-catalogues-changing-images.html Roberts, K. (2004). The Future Beyond Brands. Stanford Management Institute, 2-4. Retrieved from http:// qcseminars.com/wp-content/themes/SuperQC/images/LoveMarks.pdf Victoria’s Secret. (n.d). Timeline [Facebook page]. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from https://www.facebook. com/victoriassecret
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n a competitive jewellery industry, Australia’s finest jewellery experts uncovered a secret. Diverging into a world of diamonds is a dream had by most women today. Bold, elegant, classy and fashionable jewellery landed on Noosa shores to bring women what they were always looking for; a stone that looked like a diamond sparkled like a diamond and had brilliance that would last forever. Through brand equity derived from Aacker’s model, including strong brand elements, Secrets is at the forefront in advertising and gaining strong brand awareness.
Co-Founders Jane Meredith and Dietmar Gorlich first introduced Australia to Secrets in 2000. The brand’s first store opened in Noosa and has grown abundantly to operating over nine stores within fourteen years of business. Together, the store was created with a combined effort of thirty years of jewellery experience to create a brand that the average-working women could afford. Jane came to the inspiration of the store and diamond exposure through an unwanted divorce. Through heartbreak and the loss of wearing a wedding ring, Secrets was born. It was the idea that women who were single, not engaged and not married could buy themselves a diamond ring without waiting for a man to purchase it for her or for a special occasion. Secrets were the first Australian company to introduce revolutionary Diamond Simulants set in beautiful fine quality designs. The opening of the first Secrets store brought Jane’s dream to fruition. The brand focuses on giving women the opportunity to feel equally valued; to be confident wearing beautifully crafted fine jewellery. In a recent interview with Jane, upon the launch party held in Noosa she stated, “we decided to focus our brand on boutique elements to highlight our exclusivity and affordability through online platforms and our catalogues. We did not want to overwhelm our customers by throwing ourselves at them daily.” The brand has shied away from opening multiple franchises annually across Australia as they have focused on remaining exclusive and fashionable in the competitive jewellery industry.
The brand is run by a talented group of women working together with design and advertising expertise in the Noosa head office to produce only the finest gemstones for Australian women. As the brand has grown since opening, their online presence has grown with them accumulation over 35,000 likes and followers on Facebook and Instagram (Facebook, 2014). With Brand Ambassador Kirsty Macleod and influential celebrity endorsers, the brand has adapted to technology, trends and highlights the beauty of being a women and wearing affordable jewellery through persuasive techniques. Glittering generalities, a persuasive technique used by Secrets through the use of appealing words and images has been used to sell the product vastly. “The Royal Collection and Midnight Elegance” are a few of the named collections that strike out to women through rich imagery and emotional bonding to sell a product. Majority of images used by Secrets are rich in colour, typography and beautiful photography, creating feminine, yet bold brand awareness.
Cultivating brand equity, Secrets has identified their brand through carefully chosen brand elements. Identification and differentiation are important aspects of a brand, including what is known as a trade dress. A trade dress refers to the appearance and image of the product, including its packaging, labeling, shape, colour, sounds, design and style (Andrews, 2013). Secrets have coordinated the brand’s colours to two tones, black and white. Through classic colours as mentioned, the brand has followed the likes of Chanel with simplicity and elegance. Black and white colours in advertising portray sophistication, class and purity. For a store that focuses on diamonds, the colour choice compliments the brand through sophistication and class. The typography used is a white bold logo of ‘Secrets’ writing on a black background, with majority of advertising campaigns written in a cursive and elegant font, much like Mademoiselle Camille type. A brand represents a set of values that it’s marketers, senior company officials, and other employees consistently embrace and communicate for an extended period of time (Shimp, 2014).
Secrets originally started much like Pandora through beautiful imagery and classic jewellery, however the brand has altered their advertising strategies towards a more modern and chic style. It has only been in the past year that Secrets have evolved in the industry as a force to be reckoned with. Through celebrity endorsement of Antoinette Marie, founder of Sydney Fashion Blogger, the brand has dressed the likes of Ash London and well-known TV personalities from Offspring, Asher Keddie. Through strong brand extensions and leveraging in the market, Secrets has been featured monthly in Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Weekly. The choice of advertising the brand in popular and well-known magazines has further gained brand identity and has monopolised profits.
Secrets have maintained strong brand identity amongst the Australian market and have dived into the international playing field most recently. This has been achieved through David Aackers business model of brand equity. Aacker identifies five brand equity components: brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, brand association and other proprietary assets (Aacker, 2009). In terms of brand loyalty, Secrets have grown through attracting new customers from existing customers since 2000, when it originally opened and entered the market. Brand awareness has been gained through familiarity and liking, mainly through their social media following. Consumers have a positive attitude towards the brand and have spoken highly of the brand quality and customer service received in-store and online. This has been found on positive social media comments, word of mouth and direct customer feedback. The perceived quality of the brand is the level of differentiation and it’s position amongst competitive brands such as Pandora. The main reason the brand has a strong perceived quality boils down to their competitive price target, providing customers with lower prices than the average fine jewellery store.
While Secrets has changed the viewpoint of purchasing diamonds, the brand still has not developed a strong enough brand image for the world to know as a number one jewellery store. Although consumers are happy to pay more for jewellery, especially items ranging from $300 to $3000, the brand is still new in the market. The company has positioned the brand as an upmarket competitor, due to their boutique prices, however have advertised their brand as affordable compared to the likes of Michael Hill. Secrets use a direct distribution channel, providing the brand to interact face-to-face with consumers.
Overall, Secrets has gained positive brand equity through a strategic business plan and therefore should overcome any potential threats. The minimalistic look is the perfect choice for the brand and their product. With new collections arriving seasonally, the brand is at the forefront of working their way up to being a ‘top of mind’ brand in terms of affordable and glamorous jewellery. Secrets is memorable, adaptable to trends and social ideas and credible amongst their consumers, while gaining new customers daily. This is only the beginning for the brand and its profitable journey.
References: Andrews, T., & Shimp, C. (2013). Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. Journal of South-Western, 30. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=HTcWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=brand+equity+for+jewellery+store&source=bl&ots=KZjHccJYu9&sig=bQaV2xybRz1T0c2pZkET1ZY4Wq0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7616VPrSIo3N8gXfzYKwBg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=brand%20equity%20for%20jewellery%20store&f=false Aacker, D. (2009). Aackers Brand Equity Model. European Institute of Brand Management. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.eurib.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documenten/ PDF/Merkmeerwaarde_ENGELS/s_-_Brand_equity_model_by_Aaker_EN_.pdf