Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Brand Strategy Book
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Brand Overview
New Vision
New Approach
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
GR604: Nature of Identity
History of Claire’s Claire’s has been a destination in malls around the world for girls for more than three decades. The company has over 1,500 stores world wide that focus on selling accessories to girls at a lower price point. They also have been piercing ears since the 1970’s. Claire’s founder Rowland Schaefer initially started his career by founding a company called Fashion Tress Industries in 1961 selling wigs in the southern part of the United States.
In 1973 Schaefer purchased a small chain of boutiques in the Midwest called Claire’s Boutique when the demand for wigs tapered off in the 1970’s. He joined the two companies and focused their merchandising on affordable accessories. The transition was a success and by the early 1980’s sales were at an all time high. The company quickly expanded and had its fair share of growing pains along the way but continued to profit none the less.
Fashion Tress Industries logo, 1961-1973
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“For many, Claire’s was a place for firsts. Your first ear piercing, your first attempt at thievery, your first experience with self-expression, maybe even the first time you pulled bills out of your wallet and handed them to a cashier without the assistance of an adult.”
Quote from Lauren Sherman On Lennyletter.com
GR604: Nature of Identity
“Claire’s... We make memories” Claire’s Inc. slogan
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
In the 1990’s more retail chains started to pop up across the US selling low price point accessories just like Claire’s. This caused Claire’s revenue to take a hit. Instead of figuring out how to compete with these new retail chains Claire’s simply bought them out. They even rebranded one of the company’s they purchased in to Icing, a retail chain that catered towards an older demographic than Claire’s young teens and tween girls. Schaefer was forced to step down as CEO in the early 2000’s due to a stroke. He handed over his company to his two daughters. Things
continued to do well as Claire’s started expanding internationally and launching their Online retail platform. Unfortunately due to the decline in mall retail in the late 2010’s Claire’s was forced to file chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company could no longer support their world wide empire and has been forced to close down a lot of their low revenue locations.
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Original Brand Soul Giving our younger generation the freedom to express themselves and to feel empowered. Original Brand Mission Claire’s aims to inspire girls and women around the world to become their best selves by providing products and experiences that empower them to express their own unique individual styles. Original Keywords Fun Trendy Sweet
GR604: Nature of Identity
Claire’s Timeline
1961
Rowland Schaefer founded a wig retailer named Fashion Tress Industries
1973
1978
Claire’s began piercing ears
Schaefer purchased a Midwest hat store chain called Claire’s Boutiques and re-merchandised it to focus on selling cheap trendy jewelry
1990
1999
The company had a habit of buying out their competitio ever since the early 90’s. In 19 they bought out their biggest competitor Afterthoughts, wh they rebranded into Icing.
Claire’s was in 1,000 suburban malls across the country
20
Claire launch
on 999 t hich
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2002
The company’s founder Rowland suffered a stroke and his two daughters Bonnie and Maria took over as partnered CEOS
001
es.com was hed world wide
2010
2013
Rowland Schaefer passes away
Claire’s expanded internationally by opening it’s first store in Ukraine
2016
Claire’s had a leadership shakeup with a brand new CEO, chief financial officer, chief merchandising officer and executive vice president in hopes of reducing ever growing company dept.
2015
Claire’s has 1,837 stores in America and 1,161 stores in Europe
2018
Claire’s files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which the company blames on a 8% decrease in mall traffic
GR604: Nature of Identity
Brand Soul
Giving our younger female generation the freedom to express themselves and to feel empowered.
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Mission Statement
To become the destination where young girls, tweens and teens go to make memories and take their first steps into independence.
GR604: Nature of Identity
Repositioning Statement Claire’s goal has always been to empower young girls to feel independent and confident in expressing their true self. It’s time to pull Claire’s out of the mall and for us to become the new cool girl hangout where the focus is no longer just about feeling pretty. In this new vision we are broadening our mission out of just being a retail destination where girls go to buy cute things into something bigger.
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New Keywords
Youthful to embody the age of our demographic. We are striving to create a relatable brand for our clientele to ensure they feel comfortable to be themselves.
Vibrant to showcase the energy and enthusiasm girls have the power to create.
Empowered to give our girls the authority to step into their independence.
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Magnolia
Magnolia is a fun loving 10 year old that loves to create things. You can often find her coloring or crafting. While she enjoys being creative and making things she does not like the fact that her mom is constantly making her clean up after herself afterwards. It sucks the fun out of things and she would really love to just be free to be creative without having to worry about upsetting her mom with the mess she’s created in the process. Her mom loves to bring Magnolia to the library once a week for story time but she’s 10 years old and has out grown this activity. Her mom still brings her because she likes the sense of community Magnolia gets from it and there really isn’t any where else to do things like this at. Magnolia wishes there was a more grown up place her mom would take her instead that wasn’t as boring and quiet as the library.
Magnolia is a creative 10 year old who lives in small suburb of Dallas, Texas.
Age: 10 Gender: Female Household Income: $105,000 Favorite Emoji:
GR604: Nature of Identity
Caitlyn
Caitlyn is a 14 year old girl that finds the fact that her parents are constantly telling her to get off her phone annoying. They always say, “Why don’t you just go play outside with your friends for once instead?” But, they don’t get it no one “plays outside” anymore! Being on her phone is the only way she can stay connected with her friends outside of school. They have no place to go hangout close by that their parents trust is safe. Caitlyn is a member of the chess club and also plays travel field hockey. She has a jam packed schedule that really doesn’t allow any time for her to do anything fun for just herself. It would be great if there was an online platform for her to access where she could find things she wants to do and learn to help her unwind from her hectic schedule.
Caitlyn phone obsessed is 14 year old girl who lives in a middle class neighborhood in Scarsdale, New York.
Age: 14 Gender: Female Household Income: $200,000 Favorite Emoji:
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Martha
Martha is a super busy working mom with 3 girls. Her and her husband work long hours and when they’re not working they are constantly running around to get their kids to all their activities and play dates. It would be great if there was one spot that all the girls could agree to go to that way she could have a minute to herself to relax. Martha’s kids go to a private school where things are very structured and they all have to wear uniforms. She is nervous that because of this her kids will struggle to find their own unique personality and style but any time she tries to help they just think it’s uncool and weird.
Martha is a 35 year old working mom of three who lives in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.
Age: 35 Gender: Female Household Income: $125,000 Favorite Emoji: z z z
GR604: Nature of Identity
Brooke
Brooke is a 13 year old tom boy. She loves to go skateboarding and exploring the outdoors. Her mom is a little nervous that Brooke hangs out with too many boys and that her activities don’t fit into what she believes Brooke should be interested in at her age. It’s not that Brooke likes hanging out with boys more it’s just that girls at school aren’t into the same things as she is. It would be great to find a spot where she could find other like minded girls to hang out with. She’s tired of not fitting into the girly girl box her mom keeps trying to fit her into.
Brooke is a 13 year old girl who lives in a small town just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
Age: 13 Gender: Female Household Income: $85,000 Favorite Emoji:
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Julian
Julian part time chef and father of two girls. His wife works long hours at her banking job in downtown Manhattan so Julian takes the lead role when it comes to parenting. His girls are starting to enter their teen years and they are both so different it’s hard for him to keep track who’s into what. They both love shopping but with their different personalities it’s hard for him know what to buy them. It’d be great if there was something out there like his wife’s Birchbox subscription for girls that could be tailored towards their personalities and not just be filled with a bunch of makeup. That way he knows both of their shopping needs are met and he doesn’t have to face the crazy crowds at the mall.
Julian is 34 year old dad of two girls who lives in a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York with his family.
Age: 34 Gender: Male Household Income: $116,000 Favorite Emoji:
GR604: Nature of Identity
Jessica
Jessica is the younger sister to two teenage football stars for brothers. Her family is football obsessed and everything they seem to do is centered around her brother’s football careers. What they eat, what they do on the weekends and where they go on vacations all are centered around football She actually doesn’t like football at all and wishes she could find a small escape from all the football madness every once in a while. A space where she can call the shots on what she wants to do.
Jessica is a 11 year old girly girl who lives in an upper class neighborhood of Orange County, California.
Age: 11 Gender: Female Household Income: $95,000 Favorite Emoji:
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
GR604: Nature of Identity
Claire’s Competition
Direct Competition Claire’s biggest downfall in this generation is it’s still depending on getting a majority of it’s revenue from mall traffic even if the mall formula is a dying breed here in America. Brand’s like Baublebar and Lulu’s who have a heavier emphasis on their Online presence with a smaller presence in larger in store retailers are some of Claire’s biggest competitors. Another brick and mortar competitor to Claire’s is Charming Charlie they differ from Claire’s because a majority of their stores are not located inside large scale indoor malls but instead they situate themselves into outdoor mall spaces that are seeming to be America’s future of brick and mortar retail spaces.
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Ancillary Competition Other brands found within a mall setting that speak to empowering the young female generation by giving them a place to express themselves creatively are Hot Topic, the Lego store and It’s Sugar. Hot Topic falls with in another retailer that offers not just accessories but other items to foster towards self expression. The Lego store offers children a space not only to shop for Legos that they can bring home and be creative with but also an in store space where they are free to build and create. It’s Sugar is a candy shop where their customers are free to fill their own bags with whatever candy they please empowering them to make their own decisions.
Future Competition By evolving Claire’s into more of a destination I had to consider other places that give a younger generation the sense of freedom to be themselves and/or empower them to being independent. Places like Regal Cinemas and AMC offer young adults one of the first places parents allow their kids to go independently. Destinations like Dave & Buster’s and Sky Zone offer kids a space where they dictate how they spend their time. The kids are free to pick and choose their activities within that space giving them a sense of freedom and independence and still giving parent’s the piece of mind that their kids are safe and within one area.
GR604: Nature of Identity
claire’s
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
Current Brand Grid The current brand grid reflects Claire’s current aesthetic that showcases a colorful and overly sweet vision. This Claire’s gives girls the tools to express themselves through fun accessories and cosmetics.
GR604: Nature of Identity
New Brand Grid Our new brand grid reflects the change in the company’s vision. Claire’s main focus is still about empowering girls to become independent. But now instead of focusing on outward appearances Claire’s will now empower girls into making their own choices and giving them the tools to connect and create.
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857
claire’s
GR604: Nature of Identity
Leanne Cacchiotti | 04831857