Brand Analisis Report
Carmen Guitierrez Ruiz, Eloise Anthony, Federico Sgarlata, Laura Kim Kassin
Table of con
ntents 4 Introduction Introduction research
6 8 18 24 28 30
Management Summary Summary of the internal analisis
Brand Analisis
Vision, mission and core values of the company Brand strategy & brand identity 4 P‘S and target visualisation
Collection concept and Structure Collection overview and range plan analisis
Material Analisis Colour and fabric overview
Conclusion
SWOT analisis, findings and conclusions
APPendix
Sources Range plan Range plan calculations Digital archive of technical drawings Assessment form
Introduction 4
This research report will provide you with an in-depth view into America Today’s brand, their market, consumers , latest collection and its corresponding textiles. This reports purpose is to critically analyse these components in order to gain a deeper understanding of the company to ultimately produce a higher quality and more appropriate range plan in our final product. In order to stay current, charge higher prices, gain more customers and brand loyalty it is of course important for America Today to have a strong competitive edge. It is vital for the survival of the brand in such a highly competitive market, that being the fashion industry. But is America Today‘s USP still valid? In the internal analysis we uncover the truth on America Today. Are they genuinely remaining loyal to their mission statement and core values?
fun Community Authenticy
Independency Comfort
Confidence
MAnagement Summary The purpose of this research paper is to understand to what extent our chosen brand America Today has remained true to its mission statement and core values. Research has been conducted throughout different channels such as brand and collection analysis, interviews and internet research. America today started in 1989 with a store in Amsterdam in which customers could find American brands such as Levi’s, Wrangler and Converse that were either difficult to find or very expensive due to customs fees. Later on, to diversify their USP’s, they added their own clothing line, still inspired by the American lifestyle and culture. The brand’s mission is to bring confidence and make its customers feel empowered through their clothing. According to their website, the brand’s vision is a place where fun and quality join forces. Additionally, they value being independent while still being connected to one another, seeking a community feeling. The latest collection, Fall Winter 2020, is composed of 81% with products of America’s Today own line, while the remaining 19% is other brands such as Levi’s, Wrangler and Calvin Klein. As mentioned by their own employees, the collection does not get released all at once, but rather staggered. For instance, when the collection dropped, they mostly released autumnal garments such as joggers, shirts and sweaters. As winter approaches, they proceed to release heavier garments such as winter jackets. On the other hand, the most selling garments are released together at the beginning in order to be instantly available to customers.
6
The collection is composed of a wide variety of materials. Due to their American heritage there is a focus on denims, sweatshirt materials and flannels. Even considering the darker nature of the season, America Today still decided to keep a very colour diverse collection, with the addition of bright colors as well. Additionally, they opted for very clean design with little use of their logo and just some prints. After conducting interviews and investigating their social media platforms it was easy to underline a customer segment. Their main focus is to bring the American college lifestyle to Europe and therefore their target group are mostly students, ranging from the ages 5 until 30 with a main target group of students aged 14-21. America Today targets teenagers / university students, with the recent addition of a kids line. Their ideal target group are sporty students looking for staple comfortable clothes that still make them stand out. As visible on their social media platforms, they focus on a young audience that have interests in sports, community and an open minded approach to life. It is clear that America Today is losing its unique selling point. This is due to the current accessibility of American brands that doesn’t give them any competitive advantage anymore, and the lack of recognisability of their collection. Subsequently, with the saturation of the market with numerous brands that offer basic and comfortable garments, the brand doesn’t seem to have a strategy that could diversify them from others.
Conclusion
America Today know who they are, who they want to be and who they want to sell to. It is clear that the brand has a distinct idea of what they want to emulate, that being making the American college dream into a GLOBAL reality. Although, it seems that the brand may have lost sight on how to achieve this goal. It is vital for the survival of America Today to implement changes in order to continue to sustain their brand and its authentic vision in such a saturated market.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cons ectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis
Brand analis “America Today – The brand inspired by the American College Lifestyle” 8
sis In 1989 America Today opened the doors of its first ever shop. It was located in Amsterdam and was destined to become the inaugural national hub for American brands in the Netherlands. Eastpak, Levi Strauss, Wrangler and Russell, all brands that came to join the Dutch-American dream with the brand. With the introduction of their private collections, America Today hoped to truly combine the American College Lifestyle into the core of their brand identity.
Vision
The brand states that they can provide the building blocks to create an effortlessly casual look that can help their clients create a foundation for a lifestyle whereby quality and fun join forces.
Mission
As stated in their webpage, America Today’s current aim is to bring confidence and empowerment to their customers through their products.
Values
Their core values are Independence, Authenticity and fun.
Brand
There are three different brand strategies. Many companies choose to focus and capitalize on one in order to survive in the market and make profits, although the best companies use a combination of the three.
Types of brand strategy Cost strategy
This strategy involves the use of pricing to entice and promote customers to buy with the brand. This strategy is applied to give customers “more value for the money.� Unfortunately however, sometimes quality is sacrificed in order to meet low manufacturing costs but is necessary (if this strategy is applied) to remain competitive with other low-price brands.
Differentiated product/service strategy
A brand that uses this type of strategy must have a product/service that no other companies sell. The product must be differentiated for consumers to choose their product over others.
Niche Strategy
A brand that operates in a niche market is capable of utilizing this strategy. A niche market is a small, specialized market for a particular product or service. However, sometimes particular markets can be so niche that they are not worth operating in as the amount of people that that market cater to is so little hence revenues will not be high enough to cover costs (unless the product/service is of a very high price).
10
America Today’s Brand Strategy It is clear that when the company first began operating the strategy they utilized was a differentiated product/service strategy. They achieved a differentiated product by providing customers with American brands which they never had access to before without having to pay high import taxes. However, now the strategy is less apparent. It is hard to understand how the company are remaining competitive now with no clear, definitive strategy. It seems the brand is potentially trying to adopt the cost strategy, *as seen on their website there are constant promotions and fairly low prices* although this alone may not be enough as the brand is competing against some large and extremely low-priced brands such as Primark, Bershka and Pull&Bear. The brand identity is strong but without a clear strategy it may be critical for the brands survival.
After analysing the brand identity through the use of the initial mind map and brand key we were able to identify the true essence of the brand. That of course being, “Making the American student dream into a global reality�. They appeal to their target market (main target group: students between the ages of 14-21) by making consumers feel as if they are a part of a community of students, all wanting to emulate the typical American student lifestyle through their affordable and classic styles.
Strategy
Val ue s&
BRAND KEY: AMERICA TODAY
y alit n o rs Pe
Be
n
efi
t
Their values: -Independence -Individuality -Authenticity -Fun
Functional benefits: -No need to pay import taxes on American brands. -Affordability Emotional benefits: -Allows customers to feel like they are a part of the American student community and lifestyle when wearing the clothing
Esse
Making th student dr global real
Consumer
Target Group
A student between the ages of 14-21 who is looking for affordable, basic closet staples and wants to emulate the typical American lifestyle through their fashion.
-The product ne affordable for a s -It needs to mak feel as if they are American studen -Collections mu styles that are on
e liev be to
Val ue s&
Re aso n
ri m
in a
tor
Essence
is c
efi
n
t
Co n
sum
er
D
Consumer Insights
Target Group
Competitive Environment
- Makes consumers feel as if they are a part of a community of students all wanting to emulate the typical american student lifestyle
Re aso n
e liev be to ri m
in a
tor
- Offers affordable clothing which is suitable for a student budget. - Offers a wide range of American brands. America today were the first to do this in the Netherlands and offered their customers the opportunity to avoid import taxes through purchasing with them.
isc
he American ream into a lity
ity
Be
ence
nal rso Pe
Co
m nsu
er
D
r Insights
eeds to be student budget ke the customer e a part of the nt lifestyle ust include classic n-trend
The market: Affordable clothing for students Alternative choices to the target consumer: -Abercrombie & Fitch -Urban Outfitters -Pull & Bear -Bershka -G-STAR -Zara
Competitive Environment
BRAND HOLOSPHERE BRANDHOLOSPHERE.COM
The 4 P‘s
PRICE Description: Affordable, Mid-range. List Price: Vary from €4,99- €149,99 (excl. sale items) Discounts: Vary from 25%-75% 10% student discount *only in stores* PRODUCT Quality: Mid Quality Design: Basic designs, some seasonal Branding: strong branding. the store gives the consumer a feel that they are buying into the typical American lifestyle from the moment they walk into the store. Packaging: Basic Paper bags with logo printed on the front. Availability (of size ranges): Online- Limited availability (often sizes are out of stock) Good in-store- availability Services: Very helpful and kind staff in-store, not pressuring customers into buying decisions. PLACE Channels: In store, there are currently 70 America Today stores in the Netherlands and 15 in Belgium. Store type: America Today not only sell in their own independent stores but also feature in 8 shop- ping malls/ designer outlets across both the Netherlands and Belgium. E-commerce delivery: Online orders placed on workdays before 8:00pm will be delivered the next working day. Promotion: Active social media presence, influencers marketing, podcast.
14
Store
In store layout very much focused on the college lifestyle. In this case it's also strategically placed in the universities district of the city. As seen in the picture the store is provided with studying areas open to the public.
Customer visuali community
Quirky Music Roy, 25
Authent
16
Fun
isation comfort
tic
social Levi, 18
sporty
Team
Students Illustrations created from real life customers images. Target age: 5-30, main target group 14-21
Collecti America Today is a multi-brand store selling typical American labels like Levi’s, Wrangler, Vans and Champion. Besides re-selling other brands, the biggest part of their product range consists of various pieces by their own brand “America Today”. In selected stores they recently added a Vintage section with limited pieces hand-selected and directly imported from America. Additional to their clothes America Today offers Accessories like shoes, bags, underwear and hats as well as small gifts such as cork coasters representing the American college lifestyle
18
an
ion
Other Brands Private Line
Products
81%
3 Top/Bottom Ratio Bottom
concept nd Structure Top
Collection ov CURRENTLY OFFLINE
20
verview
Private line
Other Brands
22
SMILEY
Bottom Top
Top/Bottom Ratio Private line Width - They offer a high quantity (a few
hundret) of products per collection. These are all very similar in their silhouette, colours and materials.
3
Depht - The products from their own
brand often come in two to six colours creating a deep product range.
Fitting range - While most of the products sold by their private brand come in XS-XXL, items sold from other brands are only offerd from S-XL.
Top/Bottom Ratio other brands
Bottom Top
Width - They offer only a few items from
other brands per product group but these are quite different from each other looking at their cuts and colours.
Depht - The products sold by other
brands mostly come in just one colour making the range not very deep.
2
Mater Materials USed in Current
24
rial Analisis collection
Hang-tag
Their famous raincoats are part of their “For Tomorrow“ collection taking steps toward a more sustainable production.
Colour overview greys
greens
blues
yellow/red
Does the Collection reflect Values the brands Values?
Independence Authenticity Fun
America Today successfully represents the American college lifestyle with their current collection. The pieces are basic staples made out of soft comfortable materials. The colours are muted with only a few selected patterned fabrics making the pieces easy to combine. The main focuse of the current collection clearly is comfort, whereby individuality and uniqueness are upstaged. With their “For Tomorrow“ line they are trying to decrease their environmental impact. However, at the same time they market their product with slogans like „You can never have too many jeans“ promoting consumerism and use many mixed fabrics making it hard to recycle them.
Vintage collection - America Today added a Vintage collection, selling selected, hand-pi-
26
cked vintage pieces directly imprted from America. This collection is only availiable in selected stores and should again reflect the authentic american lifestyle. Besides, it is an attempt to protect the brands heritage and their origin story.
S W trengths
- Clear brand identity - Clear target group / niche - Relatively low price point, fits the target group. - Accessibility in terms of stores - Wide size range, wide in store avai lability of products - Good discounts, vary from 25% to 75% - Fast online delivery - Good Social Media presence. (rele vant for their target group)
O T pportunities
28
- Take advantage of business model of selling other brands, and start selling limited editions, niche brands. - Diversify their market research (by diversifying the type of campuses they visit) - Focus more on community, helloing events etc - For tomorrow collection focusing on sustainability - Expand vintage section, the market for it is growing - Not only selling product but also experiences, for example cafes instore. Community events,...
eaknesses - No clear brand strategy - No clear values, mission and vision - Brands name is very limiting - Even considering their attempt at sustainability they use a lot of mixed fabrics - Promote consumerism in their website main page - Small collection width
hreats - Other brands already sell American brands in the nl - Lower price competitors - European perception of America is not appealing as it used to be - Political situation in the US can have direct impact on the brand - Awareness of fast fashion could decrease audience and sales - Target group doesn’t have a great disposable income therefore forced to keep prices low - Initial brand strategy is outdated due to globalisation
Conclusion
To what extent does the chosen brand remain true to its mission statement?
America Today know who they are, who they want to be and who they want to sell to. They price and discount their products well for their target group and made the brand easily accessible, both financially and geographically for their desired demographic. They appropriately use social media marketing and the use of influencers in order to attract the attention of their youthful consumers. They are fairly inclusive in their size ranges and delivery times are extremely efficient. It is clear that the brand has a distinct idea of what they want to emulate, that being making the American college dream into a GLOBAL reality. Although, it seems that the brand may have lost sight on how to achieve this goal. They no longer have any clear brand strategy. Their original USP is no longer valid, as many other brands in the Netherlands are now able to offer similar American products. Their values are all fairly vague and cliché, the brands actions don’t match up with these values. For example, they state that they’re unique but they have no distinctive characteristics, both in their brand and in their collections. However, there are many opportunities in which the brand can flourish. If America Today were to modernize their original business model to adapt to the current market they would once again be able to gain a competitive edge over rival brands which sell American garments. In this altered model, America today would sell more niche American brands, creating a new sense of brand exclusivity. The use of limited edition collections from America Todays current partnering brands, which are sold exclusively to AT, would add a greater depth to consumer loyalty. As they are now, once again, able to offer something that no other brand in the Netherlands can. The brand also has an opportunity to show that they really are unique. Their website mentions the use of American campus visits, also the staff in store confirmed that the brand does field research in America twice a year to gain market research for their collections. Their current collections are a bit repetitive. Diversifying the campuses they are visiting could let them gain a wider understanding of what the typical student looks like today. This way they can utilize this information to create a more individual, unique future collection. It’s important to bring back the sense of community into the brand, as the brand thrives off a varsity like-energy. The brand could achieve this by creating PR events and perhaps incorporate a kind of café/bar into their stores where like-minded customers can come together and share their love of the American dream. It is vital for the survival of America Today to implement changes in order to continue to sustain their brand and its authentic vision in such a saturated market.
Sources Desk research: -AT B.V. America Today, 2020, America Today – The brand inspired by the American College Lifestyle, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 29th September 2020] -AT B.V. America Today, 2020, FIND A STORE, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/storelocator [Accessed: 29th September 2020] -AT B.V. America Today, 2020, CSR - AMERICA TODAY FOR TOMORROW, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/mvo.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] -AT B.V America Today, 2020, ABOUT US, [Online] Available at: https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, OUR MISSION & VISION, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, VALUES, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, HERITAGE, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/heritage.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, SHIRTS, [Online] Example to show what kind of pricing is used https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/men/shirts/ [Accessed: 7th October 2020] Sources used in Conclusion - AT B.V America Today, 2020, SHIRTS, [Online] Example to show what kind of discounts are used https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/men/shirts/ [Accessed: 8th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, STORE LOACTOR, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/storelocator [Accessed: 8th October 2020] -Instagram, 2020, AMERICA TODAY PAGE SEARCH RESULTS, [Online] https://www.instagram.com/america_today/ [Accessed: 8th October 2020] -Instagram, 2020, AMERICA TODAY HASHTAG SEARCH RESULTS, [Online] https://www.instagram.com/america_today/ [Accessed: 8th October 2020] -Facebook, 2020, AMERICA TODAY PAGE SEARCH RESULTS, [Online] https://www.facebook.com/americatoday/ [Accessed: 8th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, SHIRTS, [Online] Example to show what kind of sizes are available - AT B.V America Today, 2020, DELIVERY, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/delivery.html [Accessed: 8th October 2020] -ASOS, 2020, NIKE SEARCH RESULTS, [Online] Example to show a Dutch online store that sells an American Brand (and many others) https://www.asos.com/nl/search/?q=nike [Accessed: 8th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, VALUES *independence*, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 7th October 2020] - AT B.V America Today, 2020, THE COLLECTION, [Online] https://www.america-today.com/en-nl/about-us.html [Accessed: 8th October 2020]
Field research: Visiting various stores – store analisis, product analisis Staff Interviews Costumer Interviews
30
Apprendix 32 42 44 50
Range Plan Excel Calculations Technical Drawing Archive Assessment Form
Range Plan
32
34
36
38
40
Range Plan Calculations
43
Digital Drawing archive CURRENTLY OFFLINE
44
SMILEY
46
48
2Ei
Carmen Guitierrez Ruiz, Eloise Anthony, Federico Sgarlata, Laura Kim Kassin
