Lauren Jones 250223330
ONTENTS
Executive Summary 6 Introduction 7 Historical Development 8-9 Brand Identity 10-11 Brand Consumers 12 Brand Positioning 13 Communications Mix: Advertising 14 Sales Promotion 15 Public Relations 16 Social Media 17 Bibliography & Photo Reference 1819
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XECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report disects the brand Valentino, looking at how it functions as a brand and business starting from how it began through hisotrical development and how it has continued to progressed. Also a in depth analysis of their specific brand identity, their consumers as well as their current position within the market. This report also gives an analysis of their advertising methods, PR, social media and sales promotion.
TRODUCTION
Women are the emblems of elegance, so why not be well dressed? You only need the dress.”- Harper Bazaar
This report is based on Valentino looking at Valentino as business, and looking specifically at sub-sectors within which defines and gives you a better understanding of the brand. By the end of this report, your knowledge will be deepened and you will have gained identification to the brand Valentino, to gather material things such as interviews, books, images were all used. The first Italian to take on Paris fashion citadel and achieve an haute couture status, known simply by his first name, Valentino Garavani is one of Italy’s finest exports. Valentino holds the record for remaining in creative control of the house he founded for 50 years, being set up since the late 1950s. His gowns became a global brand, and were and still are renowned for the exquisite quality of dressmaking, selling breath-taking couture gowns as well as expanding to detailed ready-to-wear and accessories. With over 150 stores worldwide, the brand has grown and developed fan-base within the Middle Eastern area, but it primarily based within Italy where Valentino is from. “Best known for his exquisite couture creations and romantic red carpet gowns, he is now retired but the label still remains a significant figure in the fashion world.” The brand still remains a high status in the fashion industry, but it trying to achieve an image to compete with their competitors. Despite having retired from designing for the Valentino label, the designer still works on special commissions.
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani was born on May 11, 1932 in Lombardy, northern Italy.
In 1949, at the age of 17, he moved to Paris to pursue his interest in fashion and study at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts and at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
When he finished studying he became an apprentice at Jean Dessès where he sketched every moment he could - these early illustrations carved out his signature elaborate aesthetic.
After five years he enjoyed a brief spell at his friend Guy Laroche’s small fashion house before returning home to Italy to set up his eponymous label with help from his parents in Rome.
ISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
After five years he enjoyed a brief spell at his friend Guy Laroche’s small fashion house before returning home to Italy to set up his eponymous label with help from his parents in Rome.
In 1962 he showed a couture collection at the Pitti Palace in Florence for the first time to critical acclaim. This was seen as his breakthrough and he soon became the go-to for dressing the glitterati.
1998 saw the designer sell his company to Holding di Partecipazioni Industriali (HdP) for $300 million (ÂŁ193,445,000). In 2002, HdP sold Valentino to luxury group Marzotto. Throughout both transactions Valentino stayed on as designer, remaining a hugely influential figure.
A month after announcing he was to retire from designing, he presented his final ready-to-wear show during the spring/summer 2008 fashion week in Paris. The show saw a host a famous models turn out to support the designer including Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova.
Despite having retired from designing for the Valentino label, the renowned designer still works on special commissions. He designed actress Anne Hathaway’s wedding dress in late 2012 and, more recently, the bridal gown worn by Princess Madeleine of Sweden for her royal nuptials in June 2013.
RAND IDENTITY
A company’s brand identity is how that business wants to be perceived by consumers. “Competitors have greatly defined position built on iconic products (e.g. Chanel’s black jacket) or brand symbols (Dior, Prada). Therefore, Valentino will build on a luxury contemporary position to be differentiated in the market with development of the rockstud accessories and a few core dress styles to form a foundation of iconic products.”- Valentino Strategic Plain Rebecca Harris Although Valentino was the first to do clothes that really enhanced a woman and moved with her. The hit “Rockstud” collection, which debuted spring/ summer ’10, where the bestselling pointy-toed kitten heels, at least, have been a fixture in stores ever since and have been an image of Valentino, which has trickled down to high street brands. Valentino is all about the red carpet and with their bespoke business booming receiving almost as many commissions as it usually does for want to wear. Its all about the gowns and Valentino quotes himself as a creator beauty is the most important, colour, elegance, beauty and femininity and that is what all of his products promote especially the dresses. Its all about the woman with this brand, everything revolves with the woman in mind the advertising, the products through primary research it has been discovered that females are the most popular consumers.
“The creative director mentioned, “We don’t believe that women have to choose many ways...” Zhang, J (2013) however, when a consumer is spending a lot of money, the luxury aspect means it should not be every woman’s product.”
RAND COSUMERS
“Valentino’s clientele was drawn from the start from a cosmopolitan coterie: the wealthy, the famous and the aristocratic.” - Vogue on Valentino Garavani (Drusilla Beyfus) The typical Valentino customer can range from mid 20s to 60s, with the wealth coming from the Chinese and middle east they have become very interested in the top end designers Valentino being one of them brands. The typical Valentino woman is someone who is strong-minded and knows what they want, but on the contrary to that they like to feel like a woman and they want a gown or a garment to give them that elegance and beauty.
The Valentino woman would be a glamorous socialite, gaining wealth through inheritance or through her partner having a big family home caring for children, and finds taking care of herself and her appearance a priority. Valentino himself describes the perfect Valentino woman, “A woman with taste. She must know what she wants, because its very frustrating for me if somebody says, listen, I’ll let you do what you want; I’m there like a piece of glass and you have to do something nice for me. I think its better if a woman comes and she discusses with you and she has personality so you are more attracted to her to make clothes. This is the kind of woman I love.”- The Talks (Alex De Brabant 2011)
OSITIONING.
“In Valentino’s universe, beauty can never be problematic, let alone political, and aesthetic perfection is the only moral absolute.”
“The brand`s positioning is the place in the consumer’s mind that you want your brand to own. It is the benefit you want your consumer to perceive when they think of your brand. • A strong brand position means that the brand has a unique, credible and sustainable position in the mind of the consumer.” The brand is now less relevant to the modern consumer, being based on glamourous eveningwear for royalty. With Valentino himself naming Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent as competitors, that itself gives a clear indication of what type of positioning the brand holds within the market? All these brand with hold similar values and standards, although in comparison Valentino adds the personal touch, known for occasionally dreaming of dresses, he gets inspiration from various things but never from the woman, he does the dress for the woman, but he never takes inspiration from them. - The Talks (Alex De Brabant 2011) All these brands and designers in this day and age are all about the figures, they just want to make money now, if you want to make lots of money, you try to make a product that sells everywhere. But then the productivity goes down. The products are cheap because the materials are not really expensive. This is not Valentino’s world. The Talks (Alex De Brabant 2011) He is very much about tradition he has a old-fashioned perspective you could say, and that’s what sets Valentino apart as brand in comparison, all the others have took an update and strung along with modern society whereas Valentino have kept that tradition and that’s what gives them their USP to consumers.
OMMUNICATION MIX
DVERTISING Valentino is consistent with the minimalistic approach to ad campaigns in magazines and online, remaining the focus on the garments, as they are what have all the detail and embellishment. Up until retirement of the business partners Giammetti was responsible for all financial matters including advertising and promotion, he gave approval on every collection, decides what should be bought by the boutiques, he picked the models and the music for the shows. Giammetti explained, “Studying Valentino’s image and getting it just right is the important part I play.” Vogue also made a comment that it was Giammetti who essentially kept the company modern. Valentino as a brand is of course very classic and traditionally so to appeal to a younger generation it would be through the means of magazines and social media. Published advertisements for the brand in general were known for visual impact and style. Valentino’s campaigns in turn gave rise to supplements and ‘specials’ which provided further support for the house, featuring editorial-style and creative fashion photography by the top practitioners. In previous years Valentino’s logo was a strong feature of the graphics, and a copy line in the fashion advertisement that ran in the 1990s was ‘made in Valentino’, a humorous hint that the power of the label equated with that of a state. Valentino is said to be the first, in 1968, to invent a monogram as an ornament in dress design that was also a brand symbol.- Vogue on Valentino Garavani (Drusilla Beyfus) In more recent years, with the house takeover the advertising has still carried on the image Valentino and Giammetti created but took on a more youthful approach. They have created a consistent image especially with the accessories and shoes campaign with the tattoo arm holding either a bag or a pair of shoes, still a minimalistic and effective way to promote the products. Keeping the focus on the products.
ALES PROMOTION
Valentino’s supply chain is well organised and the distribution network is solid. The main objective for Valentino is to integrate the brand and separate transactional websites to offer an engaging brand experience that is consistent and convenient for a timespare consumer. Ready-to-wear is no longer available online to increase demand, instead a limited collection of pieces will be released online each season to heighten the luxury status. Valentino Strategic Plain Rebecca Harris
UBLIC RELATIONS
Throughout the years he has tested with various advertising approaches, one quite controversial moment was when he refused to ban underweight models in 2012. “It cannot work. You know why? Because when you show something for the first time and you want with your creation, with your mind, to create dresses. You have not to be obliged to do something because if you do something for a bigger body you cannot express yourself like you wish…He breaks off and pulls a face of withering disgust, like a child being forced to eat broccoli.”- The Guardian Decca Aitkenhead 2012 He very much sticks to his own mind when it comes to his brand and doesn’t sway to what the hype is, although people may have found this a narrow-minded view from Valentino he is wanting people to remain their focus on his collections and not on the models. He gets his celebrity endorsement from his popularity within the women in the public eye; known for his elegant red carpet gowns everyone is wanting a Valentino gown for these type of events. See more in appendix “What was good enough for the Oscars came into its own at weddings.”- Vogue on Valentino Garavani A roll call of some of the familiar faces in show business seen in the designer’s models suggests not only numbers but that his fashion hit the spot for very different female silhouettes and dress predilections. Clients included Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Gina Lollobrigida, Keira Knightley, Claudia Cardinale, Aretha Franklin, Jessica Lange, Reece Witherspoon, Jane Fonda, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Hurley, Emma Thompson, Kylie Minoque, Jennifer Aniston and Sharon Stone. - Vogue on Valentino Garavani
OC
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DIA
Nowadays within modern society and if you are a well-established brand, you will have a great support through all types of social media e.g. twitter, Instagram, Facebook, as well as having a frequently viewed and used website. Valentino is recognised on every single one of these sites as well as having a functioning website globally. It seems in today’s society, you cannot get the recognition without the Internet, not only is it another way of advertising your brand. It can also be another way to sell your products expanding it to a wide range of consumers, but it opens it up and makes it more accessible for them customers who may not have a Valentino locally.
IBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography Aitkenhead, D. (2014) Valentino: ‘I have a big big love for England’. Available at: http:// www.theguardian.com/fashion/2012/nov/27/ valentino-big-love-england-couture (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Beyfus, D. (2015) Vogue On: Valentino Garavani. Edited by Sarah Mitchell. Jane O’Shea. Brabant, A. D. (2011) Valentino | the talks. Available at: http://the-talks.com/interviews/ valentino/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Kilcooley-O’Halloran, S. (2012) Valentino. Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/valentino-biography (Accessed: 19 November 2015). McDowell, C. (1984) McDowell’s directory of twentieth century fashion. London: Frederick Muller.Staff, H. B., Lindig, S., Fisher, L. A., Ciufo, E. and Surrett, A. (2012) A moment with: Valentino Garavani. Available at: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a8554/a-moment-with-valentino-garavani/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Watt, J. (2012) Fashion: The ultimate book of costume and style. 1st edn. London: Dorling Kindersley Publishers.
Alarcon, R. (2015) Valentino fall/winter 2015 ad campaign. Available at: http://www.becauseiamfabulous.com/2015/07/17/valentino-fallwinter-2015-ad-campaign/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). BellaN and the, C. (no date) ‘Hollywood Princess Anne Hathaway & Adam Shulman’s wedding | all the details on her Valentino couture wedding dress’, Available at: http://www.bellanaija.com/2012/11/17/hollywood-princess-anne-hathaway-adam-shulmans-wedding-all-the-details-on-hervalentino-couture-wedding-dress/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Hennes, N. (2015) 25 celebrities in spectacular Valentino dresses. Available at: http://fustany.com/en/fashion/celebrity-style/25-celebrities-in-spectacular-valentino-dresses (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Home (2014) Available at: http://www.maginezart.com/2014/09/fashion-style-camu-butterfly-valentino.html (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Inspire master (2014) Available at: http://inspiremaster.blogspot. co.uk/2014/10/be-inspired-by-fashion-icon-valentino.html (Accessed: 19 November 2015). KTC, +Spotted (2015) Valentino fall/winter 2014 ad campaign featuring polka dot bags. Available at: http://www.spottedfashion.com/2014/07/29/ valentino-fallwinter-2014-ad-campaign-featuring-polka-dot-bags/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Russo, G. (2012) Le défilé Valentino A/H 2012-13 - avenue Montaigne. Available at: http://www.avenuemontaigneguide.com/le-defile-valentinoah-2012-13/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015).
HOTO REFERENCES
Staff, H. B., Pieri, K., Rutherford, C., Lindig, S., Surrett, A., English, M., Ciufo, E., Algoo, J., Fisher, L. A. and Kosin, J. (2015) Fashion trends shopping guides and fashion news - BAZAAR. Available at: http://www. harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Valentino F/W14 Camubutterfly collection (2014) Available at: http://www. gonzalezpalma.com/specimen_files/bagaholicboy.php?2014/10/valentino-fw14-camubutterfly-collection/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Valentino (no date) Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/ valentino-biography (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Valentino official Website (2016) Available at: http://www.valentino.com/gb (Accessed: 19 November 2015). Valentino sketch (2015) Available at: https://www.tumblr.com/search/ valentino%20sketch (Accessed: 19 November 2015). haryanto (2013) Valentino fall 2013 accessories ad campaign. Available at: http://ikifashion.com/valentino-fall-2013-accessories-ad-campaign/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015). (no date) Available at: http://www.modehunter.co.uk/2012/01/valentinoss12-ad-campaign/ (Accessed: 19 November 2015).