Lost Boys Stay as you as you can, for as long as possible.
Strategic marketing plan and Communication plan
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Table of content Introduction/aim of the strategic marketing plan
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Analysis Internal analysis: brand book External analysis: fashion market, Participants, trends SWOT conclusions for the clothing item
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Strategy Vision Mission Target Group Brand product concept Values Positioning + Usp Main objectives of strategy
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Operational marketing plan / Marketing mix Product plan Pricing Production/buying plan Distribution/sales plan Promotion plan
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Communication plan 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Target group, who knows what? What are the aims? Budgeting and global ideas of communication tools and media Setting the right communication message Select the best tools and media Timing of the campaign
Sourcelist
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Introduction The aim of a strategic marketing plan is for organizations to develop successful strategic marketing planning to achieve their goals and objectives, to set down where they want to go with their company and to decide upon how best to get there. A strategic marketing plan will help company’s better to understand their business, their customers and their strategy for success. Marketing includes everything from understanding the market to which you’ll sell your products and services, to choosing specific tactics you’ll use to reach the market. Strategic marketing plans are made to give complete clarity about the markets the organization or brand wants to go, and in which way they will act. The objective of a strategic marketing plan is to set direction of a business and create its shape so that the products and services it provides meet the overall business objectives. Brands succeed by creating and keeping customers. Offering better value to the customer than the competition does this. This is why companies constantly have to reach and design products than can offer better value. The main problem for this process is the environment that the brand or company works in is constantly changing. That is why a company must constantly adapt to these changes and make decisions to change the marketing mix in order to succeed. This whole process is known as marketing planning Without these fundamental efforts, organizations such as lost boys will not be able to satisfy the needs and wants of their customers or other stakeholders. This strategic marketing plan examines the important role of strategic marketing planning of the brand Lost boys.
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2) Analysis Lost Boys Introduction When we grow up we mostly end in a circle of working and sleeping which belong to a serious life, in which we have to leave all our youth memories and dreams behind, where discovery and adventure is suddenly disappearing. Where impulsive changes into responsibility, and adventure and curiousness disappears behind a desk and a working day from 9 to 5. Focusing on the future means leaving your youth and dreams behind, focusing on something more important, growing up, childish behavior is suddenly no longer acceptable.
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Internal Analysis Brand Identity: Lost Boys is a starting clothing brand that produces formal and casual wear for high intellectual creative’s from 30 to 40. The brand wants to show how important it is to never give up upon a youthful lifestyle and impulsive behavior, to never stop dreaming the way you did once you were a child, and never stop acting like one. On the outside you can reflect yourself to the world as being mature, but on the inside you can stay young, youthful and fresh with a positive and adventurous view on life. You are never too old to be impulsive, adventurous and youthful. Getting older doesn’t mean you have to give up your life and goals. Lost boys always thinks in a youthful way. To stay open minded is really important because without doing so you will lose the will to end up in adventure and impulsive situations. Lost boys gives maturity a youthful twist. Values of the brand are mature, impulsive, open-minded and youthful. Youthful is one of the most important values of the brand, what is often brought back by the use of nostalgic elements from the youth of the target group. Things that derive back from their youth could make them feel youthful again or remind the target group back to the time they were a child or teenager.
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External Analysis Fashion market: Lost Boys operates between the middle and the high segment market of formal clothing and casual leisure wear for men from 30 to 40. Not based on seasonal trends but consumers who go for more than a seasonal trend (slow fashion). Lost Boys produces mainly formal wear as blazers, suits, pantalons, suspenders, blouses, but also more casual wear as dark blue jeans, casual t-shirts and accessories as scarf’s, sunglasses and shoes. Participants: Some of the participants that operate on the market and that could be counted in as competitors are: Paul Smith, Hans Ubbink and Hugo Boss. Hugo boss The fashion business of HUGO BOSS consists of various collections under two independent brands. The core BOSS brand and the trendy HUGO brand constitute two brand worlds, offering extraordinary fashion diversity with a consistently high level of quality. The menswear collection is represented by the BOSS Black, BOSS Selection, BOSS Orange, and BOSS Green lines, as well as the HUGO brand; These textile collections are rounded out by shoes and leather accessories. Licensed products such as fragrances, cosmetics, watches, and eyewear complete the HUGO BOSS product range. Intensive marketing activities, such as our involvement in the sponsorship of athletic and cultural events, are leading to worldwide recognition and enhancing the image of the HUGO BOSS brands and our Company. HUGO BOSS products can be found today in 105 countries and at some 5,900 points of sale. BOSS Black Comprehensive spectrum of elegant business ensembles, casual sports clothing and evening wear. BOSS Selection Premium tier of the BOSS brand, implementing best materials and finest workmanship. BOSS Orange Casual fashion for men and women, unusual materials, vibrant colors and intricate details. BOSS Green Fashion-oriented collection that promises optimum performance for sports and fashion. HUGO Self-confident men’s and women’s collection that combines creativity and individuality into an unconventional and avant-garde fashion. (Source: http://group.hugoboss.com/ )
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Paul Smith: Fashion designer Paul Smith founded his first store in 1970; today his 12 collections are wholesaled to 35 countries. The Paul Smith brand combines a genuine sense of humor and mischief; with a love of tradition and the classics. Paul Smith selected the OTHER media to build the company’s first online store in 2004, since then they carried out one major redesign and built US and Japanese stores for Paul Smith The name of Paul Smith Men’s are synonymous with high catch up with particular attention to male clothing. But is the collection, especially shirts, for men Paul Smith has become more popular as a fashion brand. In a world where men are less fashionable than women, Paul Smith gets up and makes the world think otherwise. When it comes to men’s shirts and, in general, men’s fashion, no other brand offers more color and vigor as Paul Smith. Paul Smith also launched its line of Filofax, which became a standard in the men’s clothing in the 1980s. The brand identity for his signature multicolored stripe pattern best is always in every Paul Smith Belt article. (Source: http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/ ) Hans Ubbink Hans Ubbink has been working as a designer since the 80s and founded his own company in 2000 introducing Hans Ubbink Men. In January 2003 he presented Hans Ubbink Women and two years later introduced Hans Ubbink Blue, his denim collection for both men and women. While perfecting his personal style and business he kept his designs exclusively for the Dutch market and has become one of the most successful Dutch designers in the Netherlands. His last collection he showed during the Amsterdam fashion week at Paradiso was a series of playfully tweaked items. With his distinctive collections for men Hans Ubbink fills a gap in the Dutch market. His broad collection of men’s fashion has a variety from casual wear till tight costumes. Hans Ubbink is everything except for classic and traditional. He chooses for dared prints and contemporary materials, where a little bit of humor is always a part of the recipe. (Source: http://www.fashionscene.nl/industry/ontwerpers/hans_ubbink-10614, http://www.hansubbink.com/)
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Relevant Trends for Lost Boys: Nostalgia Today people want to leave the recession and crisis behind, and they long back to days of the past when they had less sorrow than today, old memories and nostalgic elements appear again. This is especially visible in retro products, for instance the 50’s that pop up again, the 80’s and 90’s disco and Soultrain party’s that have a growing popularity of visitors. Returning of old movies, toys and a growing percentage of vintage stores. Polaroid pictures because they are more authentic than all the digital and Photoshopped images we see nowadays. People care less about fast fashion, instead they long for products that can give them extra value in return for their money, like products that give them memories of their youth. Slow fashion/ New Luxury. After a period of fast fashion and mass consumption people are ready to leave seasonal trends behind and prefer slow fashion and personal pieces over fast production. New luxury is visible in the materials, and is not coming from a factory a million miles away where people not even take the time to finish a product with quality. Nowadays people care more for pieces or products that could last for longer than one season, they want to step out of the cycle of fast fashion and go for something that doesn’t go with trends. Think about pieces that are more about shape than about their patterns or colors. Nowadays Quality goes over the Quantity of a product. People are willing to spend more for a product that will last longer than a season instead of buying cheap mass-products. They see the products they buy more as an investment. Playfulness. In times of recession and crisis people are longing for bringing for more joy and happiness into their lives, and they want to take things less serious. Longer life has led to that 40 has become 20. ‘Kidults’ want to enjoy themselves, cause they don’t want to be serious at all times. They want to let go of grown-up complexities and enjoy simple childhood pleasures. Attitudes become more playful and are becoming less serious. Playful distraction such as neon make-up, fun-to-eat food or interactive sores like T-mobile and Apple are gaining popularity. Also graphic designer Berber Soepboer has created the color-in dress, which reminds of the coloring books of our childhood.
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SWOT Analysis Strengths Lost Boys produces slow fashion products with a high quality and durability. Lost Boys is a brand that cares a lot about the service they offer their customers. The service of the brand is very important to Lost boys also because customers get more service based nowadays. Today is more about building a relationship with your customer, and Lost boys treats its customers with respect. Lost boys sells products that don’t go with seasonal trends but they last for longer than a season, and at the moment more and more people are looking for clothing that could be an investment to their closet instead of a mass-product they have to throw away after a season. Lost Boys is distinctive in its brand identity and products. The brand produces formal and mature products with a spontaneous and youthful twist. Lost boys has a good quality/price ratio. Next to good quality and materials they also offer value attached to their products. Weaknesses Lost Boys has no brand awareness as a starting brand in the market. Looking at the budget and situation lost boys is in as a starting brand, a shop is not reasonable, so lost boys has no chance to give the customer a brand experience in their own store because next to their own web shop they only sell through retail stores.
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Opportunities Especially with the trends that are relevant in this era, Lost boys is a strong player in the market. It goes into these trends and adapts in this way to the demands of the consumers. The concept of lost boys is an answer to social culture trends. This is why they will reach a large group of consumers in the market. Looking at the competitors, there is no brand that exactly does the same, most of the brand that have a youthful image are also targeted towards younger consumers, or brands exaggerate in color and design when being humorous or colorful. Lost Boys aims and targets a slightly older consumer group with their communication, this is why they will reach a big group of the market. Due to the service of the brand lost boys will not easily lose its customers because they will develop brand loyalty towards the customer by the use of its good service. Threats Lost Boys is a starting and only small company, so the brand will find some difficulties growing and surviving between the big company’s and competitors who sell similar products for a lower, higher or better price and quality. There is a chance there will be a lot of competitors entering the market in the future playing in on the same trends.
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Conclusions Best opportunities for the clothing concept. Looking at the competitors, they are most of the time very colorful, The clothing lost boys offers it more subtle and safe than its, and more linked to youthful years and memories. Hans Ubbink immediately draws all the attention with its colorful design and busy prints, and Paul smith is very colorful and is often very funky and feminine, Hugo has a lot of different designs from very formal to informal. There is a gap in the market for clothing with a youthful and nostalgic twist. Brands often exaggerate humor, youthfulness and colors in clothing, or the prices will be very high. Often the brand works with humor but next to it, it doesn’t give the customer a lot of extra value Even though the clothing doesn’t immediately shows it, Lost boys offers the customers more than just a product they become part of the youthful world they once belonged to. They can forget again how it feels to be serious al day, because this is not for them. They want to enjoy their life as long as possible, and they don’t want to take it to serious. Lost Boys works with small details or humorous elements that derive from the time they were still teenagers and went to high school or even before. These elements will be displayed in a safe way. Maybe only on the inside there will be things that could be memorable for a certain time period they have lived in and they cannot share with others than their own age group. On the outside will be very subtle details and a silhouette that is more youthful.
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3) Strategy (for clothing concept) Vision: All children are youthful, the problem is how they remain youthful once they grow up. Mission: Being mature without losing the child in ourselves.
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Target group: The target group of Lost Boys will exist out of dreamy and creative intellectual men from 30 to 40 with middle to higher income. These men appear as serious and mature but on the inside they have a playful and impulsive side, and they have a youthful way of thinking. They don’t easily give up on their memories and their youth and their biggest fear is to end up in a life where everything is planned out already. The target group is open-minded, youthful and impulsive, they have a sense of humor and self-irony. They often eat outside and during the weekends you can find them in trendy clubs, and bars. This consumer really lives outside, but could also be found on the Internet on sites as LinkdIn, Facebook (not on a daily base), or on blogs and websites for news about design, culture, art and music. They would read magazines as Zoo magazine or GQ, also intellectual newspapers. The group has a very broad social network, probably also because they have traveled a lot in their life already. They often live in big cities. They are conscious about they way they look and they are interested in fashion but they could better be defined as followers, and when they buy a product they often look for quality. This guy could look formal one day, but the other day he would come rolling out of bed walking out of the door with a casual t-shirt, jeans, sunglasses and flip flops but still visible he takes good care of himself. Most of the time they have creative jobs as for instance interior designers or architects, but they could also be having another freelance job without a 9 to 5 time schedule. Even though most of them work with their own time schedule they are still feeling life is full of rules and they are missing or could lose something from their past. A life without worries, time schedules, and rules that had to be taken so serious.
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Concept: Stay as young as you can for as long as possible Lost boys will combine youthful and maturity to maintain a spontaneous lifestyle and to show that your life doesn’t end serious when you start working. An impulsive lifestyle and behavior is still possible, we also stimulate them with outside activities and events that combine and show these values. Lost Boys is a brand with a youthful and nostalgic twist, by acting and being spontaneous and by implementing things from the time period of the target group when they were 10-20. Think about Star Wars, Mork and Mindy, Stuif es in, Ren je rot, Ferry’s maats soul show and more. Maybe small lines or hints that immediately remind them of these television shows, figures etc. This will be different for every country when we use these elements in our communication, because every city has a different history. Sometimes only the hanger or a small detail inside will have this elements, but it will give the customer the pleasure of remembering these days and having something that is specially made for them because probably others that are much older or much younger will not understand these pieces unless they also had they were also their in their youth.
Values:
youthful, mature, impulsive, open-minded
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Positioning: Middle to high-end market. Formal to casual wear. A fashion brand that produces clothing with a youthful twist mature and youthful is expressed in the same piece, a design that also has quality. A brand that doesn’t exaggerate youthful but gives it a funny and subtle twist.
Usp: Lost Boys gives its target group more than just a product, it attaches more value to the product by giving them back memories and their youth by implementing nostalgic elements that have played a big part in their youth, but what the consumers have probably forgotten. These elements are memories that they cannot share with younger ones, but that have played a big role in their lives, and they will probably last.
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Main objectives of strategy: Lost boys aims to be a global brand who distributes its clothing through several big cities in the world. We will start our marketing and distribution plan in the Netherlands because that is most reasonable looking at the brand awareness, the budget and the time. Lost Boys aims to set the brand on the market as a strong competitor in formal and leisure wear. The aim of this marketing plan is to raise more awareness with in the target group and to gain customers and the interest of new retailers. On a later base Lost Boys would like to have its own flagship store or stores.
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4) Operational marketing plan (for clothing concept) Product plan Lost boys offers formal wear with a twist. The clothing appears very formal and mature, but is still playful or different by the use of more comfortable materials, a less formal silhouette and small details like suspenders, different pockets attached to the products, or sometimes small elements that remind them of being a child again. The clothing is humorous and youthful in small details like formal shoes with small spots of paint or colored laces. The collection will exist out of blazers, trousers, casual t-shirts, jeans and shoes and accessories as scarf’s and bags. One of the most important details of this collection is that lost boys plays with nostalgia to give their consumers a youthful feeling, by showing them things that reminds them of the time when they were still teenagers or children. For one moment they can forget how it feels to constantly be mature, responsible and stuck in a 9 to 5 job. These elements are not displayed in a very obvious way, but mostly very subtle sometimes even hidden on the inside just to remind the customer. Style: Formal to informal, mature with a spontaneous and youthful twist. Classic fabrics and casual basic materials. Dark colors for the winter collection and in the summer white, nude and soft colors. Size range: Size 46 – 52 for coats, blazers etc S, M, L, XL For t-shirts 28/32 – 36/34 for jeans, trousers etc 39 – 45 for shoes The collection will be mainly based on tops, blazers and T-shirts if we look at the bottom/top ratio. The quality of the products is important because we want to give our customers quality and value in return for their money. There will not be special packaging for the products in the shop, maybe only when it is send from their own website. The warranty and service is very important for Lost Boys. If something happens to sold products, they want to have the right service to receive products back and offer new ones if it is part of the company’s fault.
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Pricing: The prices of Lost boys will be between middle and high segment. We have chosen for this price segment because lost boy’s cares a lot about the quality they offer to their customers and uses high quality materials. They want their products to last longer than one season. They produce clothing for people who see clothing more as an investment, people who don’t hang their closet full with a lot of seasonal products, but who would prefer quality over quantity. Lost boys will use the market down price system. We will start from the market price and than count back to calculate the maximum cost price for a product. The products of lost boys will mainly be sold through different retailers, but Lost Boys will also sell their products through their own web shop. Because Lost Boys will work with 2 different selling points, they will work with 2 different profit margins. For the website it will have a Profit margin of 5 to 6 because they have no retailer between the consumer and the company, and when they sell their products to retail stores they will use a profit margin of 2.3 for their own company and 2.6 for the retailers. Lost Boys will be a market follower in prices. It will look at the competitors and then adapt its prices to the competitors. Price range of Lost boys: T-shirts 60 -120 euro Blazers 240 - 500 euro (depends on the design from basic to fashion) Jeans 190 - 330 euro (depends on the washings) Trousers 190 - 250 euro Shoes 220 - 350 euro Bags 300 - 500 euro Coats 400 - 750 euro Cost price calculations from Lost boys to retailers: RSP = CP x 2.3 (Profit margin Lost boys) x 2.6 (profit margin retailer) Consumer Price blazer = 350 euro Retail Price = 134.6 euro Cost price = 58.5 euro Consumer price T-shirt: 70 euro Retail price: 26.9 euro Cost price: 11.70 euro
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For their own website Lost boys will have a price margin from 5 till 6 times RSP = CP x 5.6 Consumer price blazer: 350 euro Cost price blazer: 62.5 euro Consumer price T-shirt: 70 euro Cost-price T-shirt: 12.5 euro
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Production: buying plan Lost Boys will produce 2 collections a year. They will have a Spring/summer collection and an Autumn/Winter collection. The rest of the year there will be small supplements, and different products, but this doesn’t happen often and these supplements will only be sold on the web shop of Lost Boys. The collection of Lost Boys will mainly be produced in Morocco. Morocco is a specialist in men’s wear and suits, and they are also very good in woven and cotton materials.
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Distribution sales plan Lost boys will have 2 ways of bringing the customer in contact with their products. Lost boys will mainly sell its products through different retail stores, because it is a starting brand and still to young to have its own shop, and next to these retailers they will also sell their products on their own web shop. Lost Boys aims to sell its products in middle to high-end multi brand stores and warehouses as for example Bijenkorf, Maisson de Bonneterie, Players and Questo at the PC Hoofdstraat. The website and web shop of Lost Boys will be an opportunity for the brand to give the customer a brand experience and a way to introduce the consumer to the philosophy and lifestyle of the brand.
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Promotion plan The brand lost boys will use different communication tools and methods to get in touch with their target group and the retailers that have to buy the brand. There are many possible ways to reach our target group and the retailers as for instance -
Fair trade events (Modebabriek) Fashion shows Hosting/Sponsor events and party’s Creating a Facebook fan page Youtube clips (Viral marketing) Posting communication and information on blogs Launching our own website. Sponsored magazine.
In our communication plan we will go into detail with setting our aims, explaining the specific tools, methods and why we use them and give a specific timeline for this plan.
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Communication plan Lost Boys Introduction This communication plan is a plan of how to realize the goals we have described earlier in our marketing plan. This plan will describe how we are going to do this, what tools we will use, when and how to reach our target group and to reach our aims. We will make a selection and differentiation between cognitive, affective and behavioral targets for the different aims we are setting. For this communication plan we will have 2 aims that we will fulfill with different communication methods. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Target group, who knows what? Aim: what do you want to reach? Budget? What can it all cost? Which message do we want to communicate?: AIDA Medium: which channel or medium? Time: When is the best time to communicate?
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1) Target group, who knows what? At the moment the target group is not familiar with the brand Lost Boys because we are a starting brand and we still have to launch our brand and products. To meet our target group we will use different techniques and methods to get in touch with the customer. Our target group is a group that could not be reached through television, they don’t often watch and they have no patience for commercials. To reach them with cheap communication and price offers is also not a good approach, because this does not grab their attention because they are tired of mass communication. The target group could be reached on events, party’s and clubs that they visited, because they really live outside of their house (As for instance George, Bocing, Nevy and De kring in Amsterdam.). We could also reach them through blogs and websites that they read or use like Facebook, LinkdIn and Youtube. We could also approach them through magazines as zoo magazine and GQ, but then in the form of an article in combination with an advertisement.
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2) Aim, what do you want to reach? Lost boys has 3 aims they want to reach within half a year to maximum a year. Aim nr 1: We want to introduce the brand Lost boys to the target group and communicate our philosophy and lifestyle. Aim nr 2: We want a growth of brand awareness of the brand within the target group from 0 to at least 20 percent. Aim nr 3: We want the interest of different retailers and getting them to the behavioral stage (act) so that our brand will be sold in at least 15 different retail stores within the Netherlands. For aim nr 1 and 2 we want to focus on the cognitive and affective stage in our promotion because the brand is not known towards the consumer yet because we are in a starting stage, getting them to know the brand is now our most important mission. For aim nr 3 is it most important to get them to the behavioral stage. We want them to buy our brand and to sell it in their stores, what will also raise the brand awareness towards the consumer.
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3:) Budgeting and global ideas of communication tools and media. Lost Boys has a budget of maximum 250.000 euro to spend within half a year to maximum a year for our communication strategy. We have made a cost plan to make an estimation of the costs that we will have for the promotion activities of the brand. Later we will go into depth with our tools and methods.
Estimation of the costs: Web shop + Website = 15.000 Euro Trade fair at Modefabriek July 2010 + January 2011 = 1500 euro (rental price) x 2 = 3000 1100 euro (materials to build the stand) x 2 = 2200 Tinc PR Amsterdam: Facebook fan page + PR, Communication on blogs = 550 euro (monthly) x 12 = 6600 euro Sponsoring events = Sponsoring + promotion activities 2800 per event x 3 = 8400 euro Youtube viral marketing clip = 17.000 euro Sponsored magazine for two issues = 27.000 euro Photo series for promotional material = 7.000 per shoot x 2 = 14.000 euro Total costs: 93.200 Euro
By hosting and sponsoring events we hope to share the cost and reach the right target group at the same time by maybe organizing a catwalk show that evening, or selling special sample items in a corner for the public that will be there.
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4) Setting the right communication message Lost boys want to introduce the brand philosophy and lifestyle to the target group and raise the brand awareness. The brand is not known because Lost boys is a starting company. They also want to attract retailers to buy the brand. Lost boys wants to communicate the youthful and impulsive lifestyle you could have when at the same time being mature. Like the central theme of the brand: stay as young as you can for as long as possible. We want to communicate our philosophy and lifestyle within all the methods we use. The communication is often done with a humorous twist. If it would be translated to a campaign or advertisement you could think of for instance men from 30 to 35 who look very formal, but act impulsive and youthful for example cycling on the freeway, in a carrousel, bungee jumping, climbing a mountain in a suit or how crazy it could get. There are different ways in which we create attention for our brand in order to get attention, also different ways we create desire in order to let consumers and retailers get into action Through fashion shows and sponsoring on events, creating viral marketing campaigns, posting information on blogs, creating a Facebook fan page and having a trade fair stand at the Modefabriek we will get the attention from retailers and consumers (cognitive + affective). This is a way to get them interested in our brand and raise the brand awareness. Sampling on events, the web shop on our own website and the brand experience we can give on the trade fair will make the customers and retailers come into action (affective + behavioral status) and buy our products.
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AIDA MODEL
Attention: Attention can be raised in different ways depending on the consumer group. For the consumer group it is now most important to get them to the cognitive and affective stage, because we are a starting company and this would be our first aim. This would be done by different methods as fashion shows and samples on event and party’s, creating a viral campaign, a Facebook fan page and posting information about the brand on blogs. Interest: We will pull the interest of the consumer by the messages and lifestyle we set in our communication. The target group will feel familiar and will recognize itself in the brand. They will be known with the values we attach to the brand as well. The retailers will be interested because we create a brand experience in the stand where we will promote our brand and introduce it to the retailers. The interest can be raised in different ways, not only by the look of the clothing, but also by the memories and lifestyle build around the brand that will mainly grab their attention. Desire In this stage the consumer wants to belong in the world again of being youthful and spontaneous. They recognize themselves again and they want to belong to the parties and events, they want to watch the movies and clips from back in the days and they want to be reminded of their youth. The web shop and the trade fair stand from Lost boys will give a good brand experience of lost boys what will make retailers and customers active to buy products. Action If the customer wants to buy the product, we will link them back to the website, on events we will give information about al the retail points and the website where we will sell all our products, and on some of the events they can already buy samples of the brand what makes it even more interesting for them to buy the product immediately.
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5) Select the best tools and media The main objectives for the communication methods are to create more awareness of the brand within the target group and to introduce them to the brand philosophy and lifestyle. Lost Boys will reach the two aims by the use of viral marketing campaigns, events and fan pages that are only with invitations or by selection if you apply to this Facebook pages to keep it selective. The events that will be given will be filmed and put on the Internet so it will raise the interest of other consumers as well. Think about spontaneous events like the umbrella bar that has recently been set up in Amsterdam in the middle of the street. We have different methods for our aims and some will work for more than one aim. In this point we will give the possible methods to reach our aims and explain them further. Possible ways to reach our aims -
Fair trade events (Modebabriek) Fashion show Hosting events/ party’s / sponsor events Facebook fan page Youtube clips to spread the words Communicate on blogs Launching our own website Sponsored magazine.
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Explanation of all the methods. Trade fair event Modefabriek: On a fair trade like the Modefabriek we have the chance to let retailers get into touch with our brand and the whole brand experience and philosophy of the brand. Events and party’s: The brand wants to sponsor and host events where it can also promote its products by having a short fashion show and maybe an extra corner where it will sell special sample items amongst the target group. By sponsoring the right party, it will be the ultimate opportunity to get in touch with their consumers. They will keep the customer updated through Facebook, blogs etc. about these events Facebook fan page: By creating a Facebook fan page the brand will create a community where the target group can share and post about their world of nostalgia and memories, where they can share, comment and post old movies, videos and other things, but where they can also get updated with the last information about the brand, events that will be organized, the collection and other information like sample sales. By being active on these forums and Facebook web pages they can also be an inspiration to the brand, because we can use their memories again for upcoming collections. Youtube clips: This gives us the opportunity to make a compilation of memories and reaching our target group emotional, but also to let them really experience the brand. If they will recognize items from their youth they will hopefully send it around to others in their target group or old friends to share memories what will also result in a growing interest and brand awareness amongst the target group. Lost Boys website: Our own website will give us an opportunity to measure the customer group around our brand and the brand awareness, but will also give the target group an opportunity to get to know more about the brand Lost Boys, the retail stores that sell our products, and the opportunity to buy products online and to get in touch with the story of the brand. Sponsored magazine: 2 times a year we will bring out a sponsored magazine for our consumer group, with small written pieces, memories of their youth, Information of the collection and how to combine it with other brands etc. This will be handed out to people who have bought something in the web shop of Lost boys and there will be items for sale in bookstores.
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A short definition of the tools we will use to reach the customer. Samples: (on events) Consumers are given small samples of products in order to try them and persuade them to buy the product. Brand experience: Orchestration of memorable experiences in order to have consumers undergoing, feeling and living the brand (this will be done with the events, the website and the trade fair) We will make use of the pull strategy, (strategy emphasizes on creating demand for the brand so that the consumers will come to the store with the intention of buying the product) We will use pioneering advertising (seeks to create awareness of a product and brand and to instill and appreciation among consumers for its possibilities. Events will be guerilla marketing: So called unconventional or ‘underground’ activities to promote a name, event or other activity. Often build up in stages where first objective is to trigger and make one curious and then make one to find the sender/ brand. Community marketing: Targeted promotion/communication campaigns launched in communities like Hyves, Facebook, twitter. Viral marketing: Placing or triggering messages (text, image, trailer, movie, etc) often without a direct commercial tone of voice - on community sites, with the aim to have as many as possible people forward messages to others/other sites. Sponsored magazine: A sponsored magazine is a magazine that you supply free of charge in order to support or strengthen the relationship between your organization and a specific target group.
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Point 6: Timing of the campaign Global time line and main objectives We will start launching everything in the summer of 2011 so we have a whole year to work on the website, Facebook web page etc, and so the retailers will have the chance to look on the website, the target group has the opportunity to look up the brand on the website and Facebook web page, and so there is no information missing. It also was the best opportunity for us to start with a winter collection, so we can show our most various part of the collection We will start our communication plan in July 2011 on the Modefabriek, and from there we have planned out or communication for a whole year till July 2012. -Fair trade events Modefabriek 25 en 26 July 2011 and 16-17 January 2012 -Party strand-zuid July, October 2011, February 2012 (3 times a year) - Facebook fan page whole year starting July 2011 - Launching our own website July 2011 - Launching web shop September 2011 - Monthly communication on blogs starting July 2011 - Sponsored magazine 2 times a year in September /October 2011 and February 2012
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Source list: Books: Marketingorientatie Bliekendaal, van Vught
Magazines: Zoo magazine no 13 2007 Homme + arena Sept 2008 Homme + arena June 2008 GQ style summer 2007 GQ style winter 2009-10
Internet: http://www.gq.com/fashion-shows https://intra.amfi.hva.nl/cb/0910/sem4/rm09/ts_marketing/index.xml http://ffffound.com/ http://cyanatrendland.com http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/ http://group.hugoboss.com/ http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/ http://www.modefabriek.nl/ http://www.hansubbink.com/ http://www.psfk.com/ http://www.coolhunting.com/ http://www.fashionscene.nl/industry/ontwerpers/hans_ubbink-10614
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