CONTENTS PART ONE 06 - 07 Aim 08 - 09 Introduction 10 - 11 Brand heritage 12 - 13 Rationale 14 - 15 Statistics 16 - 17 Trend/audience relationship PART TWO 21 - 29 New technologies 30 - 31 Launch strategy 32 - 35 Creative outcomes 36 - 37 Bibliography 38 - 39 References
A WEEKDA PART
AY STORY T ONE
AIM
How can the fashion industry utilise trend insight and future technology to meet changing demands and create innovative brand concepts?
Weekday will launch a new product range from the SS21 season. They want a fresh, digital promotion and campaign concept to accompany the product launch that utilises new, digital technologies and media platforms. Page 6 | Aim
Page 7 | Aim
Page 8 | Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Fashion brand Weekday are creating a new spring/summer collection for their 2021 season, based around the ‘Retro Escapism’ trend. After a global pandemic and an increasing Gen Z mental health concern, Weekday are putting an emphasis on optimism, whilst channeling retro themes, to incorporate a sense of fun and whimsicality into young adult life. The idea of the collection is to create a sense of escapism for Weekday’s mainly Gen Z and Millennial consumer base. A 2016 Monitoring the Future study showed 27% of social media users showed an increased risk of depression (Johnson, L. 2016), therefore it is essential that a generation brought up in a social media-driven world is given an outlet to escape. To market their new collection, Weekday will release a new mobile game prior to the release, as a way to create hype and connect with their Gen Z and Millennial consumer base. The game will be called A Weekday Story. Page 9 | Introduction
BRAND HERITAGE
In 2000, Weekday was originally founded by 4 friends in Sweden, under the name Weekend. Given the name, the store would only open on Saturdays and Sundays, until its rise in popularity in 2002. The opening hours shifted to seven days a week to accomodate the demand, prompting Weekend to become Weekday. According to their website, Weekday is a ‘street/fashion brand, influenced by youth culture and street style.’ They have collaborated on collections with an array of other brands, such as Lee and Fila. Their clothes are shipped across 18 markets, and they have 38 physical stores in 10 different countries, offering a unique retail experience and a curated mix of women’s and men’s assortments as well as a small selection of external brands. Starting in 2011, Weekday launched a weekly printed t-shirt line named ‘Zeitgeist’. This involves the screen-printing of a new design every week, based on current events in popular culture and society. These limited-edition shirts help Weekday to create hype and connect more personally with their consumer, as the topic is always very relatable to the Gen Z and Millennial zeitgeist. Weekday has a large online presence with over 520k followers on their @weekdayofficial Instagram page. They use the hashtag #inweekday to encourage their audience to share their purchases for a chance to be reposted, and create a community feel. Page 10 | Brand Heritage
Page 11 | Brand Heritage
ESCAPISM VALUE
RATIONALE
The Retro Escapism trend itself is all about trying to find escapism from modern Gen Z issues, by incorporating childlike ideals and a sense of fun into young adult life, combined with a retro, seventies-inspired aesthetic. Therefore, the perfect way to market this trend to Gen Z, a generation raised on technology and gaming, is through a free mobile app. As most of the Gen Z population keep their phone close by at all times, it makes sense for the platform for the game to be on mobile devices. It can provide short bursts of escapism from everyday life at whatever time the player would like. Mobile gaming apps also tend to be less complicated than console video games, meaning less concentration is needed to play, providing an overall more relaxing experience to the player. Games with similar sort of themes have proven to be highly effective on helping to provide escapsim for players, and even improving the mental health of some. An example of this is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a life simulation game for the Nintendo Switch, released during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Animal Crossing offers a haven and can give players a feeling of empowerment and community, and a “release from many of the anxieties being felt by millennials, especially those who turn to drugs and alcohol.” (Khan, I. 2020)
MARKETING VALUE Mobile gaming apps have proven to be very successful marketing tools in the past. Kim Kardashian’s mobile game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is one great example of this, as their in-game colloboration with Balmain resulted in over 2 million users being drawn to the French fashion-house’s website (Complex, 2016). On top of this, the game itself was estimated to have made $200 million in revenue by the end of its first year (Forbes, 2014). Weekday’s app could not only be successful from an economic standpoint, but also from a social and ethical one. The game’s focus on escapism and mental health shows that Weekday is a company that cares about their consumer, something which is becoming increasingly important to Gen Z consumers globally. Page 12 | Rationale
Page 13 | Rationale
STATISTICS
Page 14 | Statistics
75m mobile gamers 39.5m mobile gamers
2015 In a study of 1000 gamers,
55% of people aged 18-30 said video games help them to ‘unwind and relieve stress.’
In 2015, there were 39.5 million smartphone gamers in North America. By 2017, this number had almost doubled to 75 million smartphone gamers. (Statista, February 2019)
2017 In a study of 80,000 internet users, aged 16-22 in 45 markets...
97% Of Gen Z reported owning a smartphone.
(The Independent, February 2018)
(Analysis conducted by GlobalWebIndex and Snap Inc, June 2019)
9 in 10* Gen Z adults reported feeling emotional or physical symptoms, such as depression or anxiety, associated with stress. 27% described their mental health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor.’ (*91%, according to a 2017 Stress in America survey, conducted by the American Psychological Association)
Page 15 | Statistics
TREND/AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP
Both the Retro Escapism trend and the Weekday brand market themselves at a Gen Z audience, meaning Weekday’s customer base will be compatible with the trend. Over the years, Weekday has accumulated a cult following, particularly through their Zeitgeist t-shirt range, which allows customers to connect through politically, socially and economically fuelled slogans. Some of these t-shirts include messages about uniting for the Black Lives Matter movement, addressing young adult mental health issues, and political events such as Brexit. This shows that Weekday’s resilient consumer base are very aware of societal issues, and could benefit from the Escapism that Weekday’s new trend and mobile game provides. Page 16 | Trend/Audience Relationship
PROPOSED CONSUMER PROFILE Age: 16 - 25 Gender: All Location: Across all of Weekday’s 18 markets Income: Some disposable income Lifestyle: Busy, on-the-go, fashion follower, connected, unapologetic Colours: Pastel brights, retro tones, mustard yellow, burnt sienna, bold colours Interests: Gaming, current affairs, relaxing, sustainability Film/tv: Wes Anderson films, comingof-age movies, Netflix shows such as Stranger Things and Sex Education Architecture/interior: Bold, conversation pits, warm tones, curved silhouettes, indoor palm plants
Page 17 | Trend/Audience Relationship
A WEEKDA PART
AY STORY TWO
Page 20 | New Technologies
Page 21 | New Technologies
A Weekday Story is a new mobile gaming app for iOS and Android, created in partnership with Swedish fashion brand Weekday to help promote their new Retro Escapism themed collection. The app seeks to provide escapism from contemporary issues faced by its Gen Z audience in modern society, by providing immersive and calming gameplay. It embraces the evolving involvement of technology within retail, resulting in a unique and interactive shopping experience.
Page 23 | New Technologies
A Weekday Story is an adventure/simulation mobile game, which follows the story of a customisable main character who has just moved into a quaint new village. In the game, the player forms a friendship with two of their neighbours, a fashion designer and a builder. The player helps them to follow their respective dreams, of developing a worldrenowned fashion label, and expanding the village into a bustling town.
Page 24 | New Technologies
These icons are displayed at all times at the top of the screen in the task bar, to help guide the player.
The experience tab shows your progress towards the next level. As you progress through levels, you unlock more in-game features. Page 26 | New Technologies
Energy allo complete ce The energy you how m you have to these tasks.
ows you to ertain tasks. bar shows much energy to complete
The money bar shows how much in-game currency you have accumulated. Money can be used to buy clothing and to help complete tasks. Page 27 | New Technologies
Page 28 | New Technologies
A large part of A Weekday Story is the clothing and character customisation. In the wardrobe section of the game there are 6 categories: appearance, hair, tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories. The first 2 sections, appearance and hair, are to make the game more personal to the player. The tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories categories consist of strictly Weekday clothing, both from their Retro Escapism collection and core collections. By double tapping a specific clothing item, the player is greeted with a pop-up box, showing the real garment. The player can then tap the specific garment to be redirected to Weekday’s website, where they can purchase the item in real life.
The proposed launch strategy is to begin with teasing the app and collection a month before release. This will be through short trailers on Instagram stories and Twitter, contacting Weekday consumers directly through mailing lists, and with advertising signage in-store. Then, a week before the Retro Escapism clothing collection is released, the app will be released, to help build hype around the collection. The player will have a sneak-peek into the Retro Escapism collection by wearing the clothes on their new avatar, giving them the opportunity to plan what they will buy when the collection is released. The advertisements will also offer incentives for new players. These will include things like an exclusive in-game clothing item for the first 100 downloads, and a ‘15% off at Weekday’ code when you download A Weekday Story to your device. On release day, Weekday will upload a series of Instagram stories of influencers playing A Weekday Story, such as Callum Mullin (@callummullin) and Betty Belle (@buckbetty), to draw even more hype and players to the game.
Page 31 | Launch Strategy
Page 32 | Creative Outcomes
Page 33 | Creative Outcomes
BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Johnson, L. [2016]. Monitoring the Future: National Survey on Drug Use. The National Institute on Drug Abuse at The National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from https://www. wgsn.com/assets/marketing/toprightbox_assets/images/Gen_Z_Equation.pdf [2] Khan, I. [2020]. Why Animal Crossing is the Game for the Coronavirus Moment. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/arts/animalcrossing-covid-coronavirus-popularity-millennials.html [3] Euse, E. [2016]. Even the Cartoon Version of Kim Kardashian Wears Custom Balmain. Complex. Retrieved from https://www.complex.com/style/2016/02/exclusive-balmain-forkim-kardashian-hollywood-game [4] Ziegler, M. [2014]. Why ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’ Is A $200 Million Hit App. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/maseenaziegler/2014/07/16/why-kimkardashian-hollywood-is-a-200-million-hit-app/#f7a5e771d86d [5] Gough, C. [2019]. Number of mobile gamers in the United States and Canada from 2014 to 2017, by device. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/454381/ mobile-gamers-number-north-america-device/ [6] Bailey, G. [2018]. Playing Video Games Is A Key Strategy For Coping With Stress, Study Finds. The Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ video-games-stress-playing-strategy-key-gamers-study-a8202541.html [7] GlobalWebIndex, & Snap Inc. [2019]. The Youth of the Nations: Global Trends Among Gen Z. Snapchat for Business. Retrieved from https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/blog/theyouth-of-the-nations-global-trends-among-gen-z [8] American Psychological Association. [2017]. Stress in America Report. Time. Retrieved from https://time.com/5437646/gen-z-stress-report/
Page 36 | Bibliography
REFERENCES Weekday. [2019]. Weekday LDN Creatives [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.wonderlandmagazine. com/2019/11/13/weekday-ldn-creatives/ Zhang, L. [2018]. PH5 Fall 2018 RTW Look 1 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/ fall-2018-ready-to-wear/ph5/slideshow/ collection#1 Weekday & Recover. [2019]. Weekday & Recover SS19 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.magneticmag.com/2019/03/ weekday-recover-create-ss19-collection-from-100-recycled-clothing/ Weekday. [2019]. Weekday X Lee Collaboration [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://hypebae.com/2019/9/ weekday-lee-collection-lookbook-90s-denim-workwear Exposed Magazine. [2019]. Sheffield Store Opening [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.exposedmagazine. co.uk/news/the-new-weekday-storeopens-in-sheffield-city-centre-this-week/ Weekday. [n.d.]. Storefront [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.rli.uk.com/ weekday/
Page 38 | References
H&M Group. [n.d.]. Weekday Interior [Photograph]. Retrieved from https:// hmgroup.com/brands/weekday.html
Weekday. [2017]. Zeitgeist T-shirt [Photograph]. Retrieved from https:// indie-mag.com/2017/09/weekday-zeitgeist-interview/ Weekday. [2019]. Weekday X Lee Collection [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.weekday.com/en_gbp/women/get-the-latest/weekday-x-lee-unisex. html Weekday. [n.d.]. Brand Banner [Photograph]. Retrieved from https:// www.linkedin.com/company/weekday/
Weekday. [2019]. Weekday X Fila Collaboration [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.complex.com/ style/2019/07/weekday-x-fila
Weekday. [2019]. Weekday Swim Campaign 2019 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://3rdspacemgmt.com/Weekday-SWIM-campaign-2019
@drydockshop | Tumblr. [n.d.]. ’70s Interior Design [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ pin/432275264214555720/
Weekday. [2019]. Weekday X Lee Collaboration [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://hypebae.com/2019/9/ weekday-lee-collection-lookbook-90s-denim-workwear
@dtxmcclain | Tumblr. [2012]. 60s Conversation Pit [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://dtxmcclain.tumblr.com/image/18377221180
Dadon, R. [2018]. In Bloom Editorial for Lucy’s Magazine [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/lucysmagazine/ docs/lucys_be0ddd206b77fd
@mim.yi | Instagram. [2019]. Nintendo Switch [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B5zzgm-ImFQ/?igshid=1g8u2sriwoj54
Weekday. [2019]. Weekday X Lee Collaboration [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://hypebae.com/2019/9/ weekday-lee-collection-lookbook-90s-denim-workwear
Sadler, A. [2018]. House of the Rising Sun [Photograph]. Retrieved from https:// lookbook.nu/look/8945802-Classic-RockCouture-Rising-Sun-Jacket-House-Of-TheRising-Sun
Netflix. [n.d.]. Still from Sex Education [Photograph]. Retrieved from https:// deadline.com/2020/04/sex-education-delayed-coronavirus-lockdown-1202910961/
Anderson, W. [2014]. Still from The Grand Budapest Hotel [Film]. Retrieved from https://webbcanyonchronicle.com/4627/ culture-and-lifestyle/five-reasons-why-youshould-love-wes-anderson-films/
Page 39 | References