Contents page Executive Summary 2 History 3 The Brand 4-5 Mission and Vision Statement 6 Brandy Melville Mood boards 7-10 The Customer 11 Brandy Melville Store, Window Display and Packaging 12 Market position 13 Identity Prism 14 Attributes and Distinctiveness 15 PESTLE 16 SWOT 17 The Future 18
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Executive Summary
The primary objective for this research analysis on Brandy Melville is to explore the ways in which this fashion brand utilises its branding and marketing strategies to grow as an successful company. Firstly, the Italian fashion and accessories brand, which was established in 1970, offers their products onto teenage girls and young women, focussing on a 13-25 year old demographic. In terms of the Brand, their consumers value comfort yet a trendy chic and cool style that encapsulates the essence of a free-spirited, youthful young woman. Their affordable products include a variety of clothing that are simplistic, creative and unique that ultimately fills in a gap in the market for a quirky and cool image for the Generation Z/Millennials currently desire. The Brands DNA demonstrates inexpensive yet high quality clothing that reflects the fashion of the younger generations. They’re socially interactive with their target customer by which they use their social media platforms, particularly Instagram, as their fundamental tool to understand what their typical customer likes as well as alluring them through teenage aspirational lifestyle posts which overall promotes their brand and connects with their target market. Through its exclusivity and trendsetting attitude, Brandy Melville has proven to be an affluential fashion brand that inspires young women across the world to express their style. 2
History “Italian but with such a clear California filter”. Brandy Melville is a womenswear and accessories brand founded in Italy during the 70’s by Silvio Marsan and his son Stephan Marsan. The brand markets its clothing line towards young women and teenage girls by providing high quality, inexpensive items that are perceived as fashionable and trendy amongst the demographic. Since opening their first store in 1994, they’ve continuously expanded their private company from launching in the USA in 2009 in Los Angeles, by which it gradually became one of the most populous teen clothing brands, and introducing the store to the UK in 2012, where they currently possess multiple stores situated in London. Their success with their target market has given them the ability to reach their products to currently 95 countries like China, France, Switzerland and so on, signifying the importance of the brand for young trend-seeking girls. According to Marsan, the story behind the creation of the name, is inspired upon a children’s book where ”Brandy was this American girl, and Melville was this English guy. They fell in love in Rome” this highlights the merging of European and American fashion in their clothing.
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“Fashion that captures your girl-next-door aesthetic” Brandy Melville & it’s New Strapline
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Brand in Actions Socially interactive, user-friendly site, continuous global expansion, fun and informal tone across social media platforms Personality Fun, creative, vintage, free-spirited, innovative, Engaging, youthful, feminine, cool, trendy, unique, Independent, niche, simplicity, easy-going, romantic, bohemian, alternative, exclusive.
Combines vintage and contemporary fashion in their clothing, high-street products, popular social media presence.
Values Well targeted price range, high-quality, fashion forward, social media awareness, always producing new ranges, customer-focussed, easy online shopping experience, large collection of clothes and accessories.
Promotes only on social media, maintains affordable price points, specific target customer, teenage-orientated product research team.
Essence The essence of Brandy Melville fundamentally focusses on a youthful fashion-orientated lifestyle. It prioritises in delivering high-quality and affordable clothing that establishes the cool ‘Brandy girl’ aesthetic.
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Mission & Vision Statement Brandy Melville serves as a niche Italian clothing brand designed for teenage girls, emphasising on a cool, simplistic and aesthetically pleasing lifestyle. Brandy Melville endeavours to achieve the quintessence of a youthful teen spirit, through their trendy products and overall vintage look, motivating young girls to freely express themselves with their style. Brandy Melville will efficiently, competitively and creatively deliver high quality and in-expensive clothing for teenagers and young women. Brandy Melville has manifested a unique and fashion-forward lifestyle that is represented in their products, from their cool graphic t shirts to their romantic flowy dresses, therefore it aims to continuously grow and expand within the targeted marketplace in order to establish their brand as one of the most trendiest and go-to clothing label. Brandy Melville believes in their customers, in which they strive to put them first and to be conscious of what they love and dislike within the fashion world, so that they can utilise their opinions and create pieces of clothing as well as accessories that perfectly resemble and represent what their typical target customer would wear.
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Brandy Melville Brand Board
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Brandy Melville City Girl Mood board
This Brandy City Girl mood board is inspired by Brandy Melville’s focus on the girl-next-door lifestyle in a major city, like London and New York, both places where Brandy Melville is known and admired by many. It depicts the typical Brandy Girl and explores the current trends that create an overall aesthetic look
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Name: Bella Age: 18 Gender: Female Occupation: Student at UAL Location: City of London Status: Single Hobbies/Interests: photography, old & new music, watching films, fashion. Style: aesthetic, Californian, casual chic, youthful, trendy. Her go-to outfits range from comfy oversized hoodies/sweaters to cute colourful crop tops paired with classic blue jeans or a mini skirt.
The Brandy Girl Customer Persona
Who is she? She’s the epitome of a young cool, artsy girl. She enjoys socialising; hanging out with her friends, going outdoors whether that be to the beach, city or fun fair. Being a typical teen, she adores shopping, drinking iced coffee and posing for her Instagram page. She’s an extrovert and a confident social butterfly who always wants to have fun. She loves going on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram to discover fashion inspiration, aesthetic images, see her favourite celebrities and be entertained by funny content. Living in the concrete jungle, London, means being wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of a city. Her routine are early mornings, slurping on her coffee and catching the tube to uni. She’s tirelessly working all day, aspiring to become a fashion stylist, making sure her work is her best yet and her nights can range from sitting in bed binge watching Netflix with some takeaway or going crazy with her friends on a night out to the club. When she’s not immersed in work and play, she enjoys exploring her beloved city attending the latest exhibitions at the Tate or just treating herself to some retail therapy in Oxford circus. Bella believes in cultivating a positive and fun lifestyle. She deeply cares for her friends and family and is trying to achieve a great balance in her work and social life. She hopes to make in the fashion world and be able to travel to infamous fashion-orientated cities like Paris and New York. Right now she’s in her prime element so living the independent city girl life is her ultimate dream, the vibrant atmosphere excites and 11 stimulates her to go have fun, wear cool clothes and express herself freely!
Brandy Melville Store, Window Display and Packaging
The store environment, window display and packaging are vital elements to the brand image of Brandy Melville. They persistently maintain the same aesthetic of the store in an organised, efficient and practical way, which undoubtedly contributes to a positive experience for the customers as well as attracts them to visit more often. Research shows 95% of consumers report that exterior appearance is important in selecting a store to shop, thus Brandy Melville exhibits their newest collections for their window displays, showcasing outfit ideas and stacks of monochromatic or patterned garments and even Americana or City dĂŠcor to allure customers into the store. In addition, continuing on their simplistic aesthetic their packaging emphasises on their minimalism with just a plain reusable paper white bags with the words ‘THANK YOU’ which communicates the care they show for their customers.
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Brand Positioning Brandy Melville and its other competitors is inexpensive however what the other competitors lack is they normally don’t have is high quality clothing. Brandy was comfort, durability and trendiness which all play a part in drawing customers in.
High Quality
Low Price
High Price
Low Quality
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PHYSIQUE Youthful chic aesthetic clothing Unique and trend setting apparel Floral, tartan, plaid prints Pastel and colourful monochromatic
PERSONALITY Casual, creative, popular, fashionable, young, chic, fun
RELATIONSHIP Good quality clothing for affordable prices Trades in the fluctuating currency of the teenage identity
CULTURE Combining European and American style into a new unique look. City and Californian beach lifestyle
REFLECTION The free-spirited cool girl "The Brandy Girl�
SELF-IMAGE Girl-next-door Cool Exclusive Individualistic Alternative
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Attributes Competitive pricing Season orientated products On-time delivery High quality clothing Newsletter service Unique graphic designs Social media presence Accessible website Phone call, email and live chat customer services Stickers and postcards with each packaging Add new items daily Gift cards
Distinctiveness Prices are more affordable than their competitors i.e. Hollister Guaranteed comfort and durability Offers standard and express delivery so that customers will receive their products quickly Offers clothing with great quality that are inexpensive Customers constantly updated on new items added and can save their all their information e.g. your shopping basket Their clothing graphic designs are one of a kind and brings on a vintage feel for their customers. Their popularity on social media platforms, especially Instagram, where they’ve attained 3.9 million followers, shows their influential presence. Constantly putting up stories and post on their Instagram page of their latest collections. Brandy’s website is minimalistic, straight-forward, visually pleasing and follows the brand identity look overall making the customers experience easy and enjoyable. Customer contact services in Brandy Melville are direct and personal, ensuring the customer is heard and cared for. Their stickers and postcards make them stand out compared to their competitors, as it shows their unique brand identity and the exclusivity the customer receives. Regularly replenishing and adding new stock increases their demand and allows customers to get items they desire quickly and efficiently. Gift cards represent the opportunity to build stronger relationships with their customers, attract new customers and raise their brand awareness.
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Political National and international tax legislation Corporate tax, custom duties, income tax, have to follow the guidelines to remain ethical and avoid negative publicity Brexit complications- import taxes, trade agreements the rate of tax levied by the government Political stability- aggressive takeovers e.g. London riots overthrow the government and disrupt the business
Legal Health and safety legislation changes Employment equal opportunities legislation Acts of parliament designed to ensure equality both in the work place as well as in the recruitment and selection process Discrimination laws, mainly hiring Caucasian women Labour laws and ensuring they’re being followed Follow copyright laws, not using other artists or companies artwork
Economic Interest rates Economic growth patterns Foreign exchange rates- international stores in China, EU and US can affect profit margin Consumer spend, minimum wage rising, Brexit uncertainty- the end of free trade which poses a serious risk to growth Increased import costs from the depreciation of the pound. The threat of trade tariffs with EU countries
Technological The rise of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and most importantly Instagram The age of the internet means new ways of distributing their fashion brand and communicating with customers, improve and make it a main source to get new Brandy Melville items Lack of traditional media advertisements like TV and magazine ads, which weaken their interaction with the target market
Social Negative media attention from their exclusive one size fits all sizing More representation from diverse cultures, races and ethnicities Consumers becoming more brand conscious Problems with fast fashion, individuals are criticising companies online who employ it and ultimately stop buying from it, affecting the success of the brand and ruining its reputation
Environmental Recycling and sourcing materials Ethical consumers becoming increasingly aware on the impact of businesses that affect their environment Fast fashion affects the environment and is one of the major polluting industries, making a change to a efficient yet environmentally friendly production Must seek to minimise their impact on the environment which may consist of reducing waste, running more efficient transport operations and implementing ethical sourcing policies. Failure to comply can result in negative backlash and a 16 loss in consumers
Strengths High quality clothing with affordable pricing Easily accessible, multiple locations in London Uncomplicated shopping online experience Strong brand image Popular Instagram page, nearly 4 million followers Big influence in major cities such as New York
Weaknesses Negative image of the company from media, articles criticise its one size fits all clothing and its lack of diversity Limited store locations, only 4 in London thus none in any other areas in the UK No traditional advertisements, only utilising their social media Company rarely offers sales or discounts
Opportunities Gain the ability to expand their physical store locations, open stores in areas outside of London They have a lot potential to widen their target demographic market instead of just exclusively focussing on young girls sized extra small and small. Provide more representation, such as models who belong ethnic minorities to break the whitecentric image they possess.
Threats Face serious negative backlash on social media platforms such as individuals informing their followers of their bad and personal experience with the brand on sites like YouTube or Twitter. Other brands copying �The Brandy Girl� style Competition with other fashion brands who have more locations and a wider variety of inclusive clothing than Brandy Melville. 17
The Future Brandy Melville is a youthful clothing company that is currently thriving within the Generation Z and Millennial community, which is their target market customer. They’ve attained great success in their sales, by which it is believed that the privately held company is likely to bring in about $300 million in 2018. Not only that but they have a large following on their popular Instagram as well as being worn by celebrities like Kylie and Kendall Jenner, iconic figures in our contemporary Western culture, which easily promotes the overall brand. Despite their popularity and acclaim, they undergo negative criticism in which they face issues from their exclusive smaller sizing, not frequently representing ethnic minorities, not using traditional advertisements and the lack of store locations. Therefore, a positive future for them is to create more sizes that are inclusive in race and size so it is suitable for every young girl. The future of Brandy Melville will promote a body positive image, self confidence and a loving acceptance of all women as well as having easily accessible stores for everyone. In conclusion, Brandy Melville will continue to strive and represent their aesthetically pleasing teen identity in a welcoming manner. 18