Burberry Brand Report

Zainab Shah-Jehan 26012833 Business of Fashion

B U R B E R RY BRAND REPORT

CONTENTS Executive Summary

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Brand Profile

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Brand Identity

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Brand Positioning

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Brand Consumer

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Communications Mix:

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- Advertisement

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- Public Relations

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- Social Media

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- Sales Promotion

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- Personal Selling

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-Direct Marketing

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References

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E xecutive S ummary This report aims to analyse the luxury fashion brand Burberry from its origins to its important, leading role in today’s fashion industry.

It explores the strategies the company took to achieve success, even when sales slumped and the brand appeared to be losing its identity, and how it has established itself as a strong contender in the industry.

The report will also outline the key reasons that make the brand unique which include its trademarks and unique selling points as well as its position with in the marketplace.

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T

B rand Profile

homas Burberry, at age 21, established Burberry, a worldrenowned British fashion brand in 1856. The business began as a specialist in ‘functional garments for farmers and sportsmen’ (BBC South Today, 2013). It identified itself as a pioneer in outerwear after Burberry invented Gabardine in 1879, a lightweight, waterproof material, made by coating each yarn with a waterproof coating before weaving into cotton. (BBC South Today, 2013) The result was a light, comfortable alternative to the ‘heavy and uncomfortable to wear’ (Burberry, n.d.) outerwear of the time.

In 1914, Burberry was commissioned to design the trench coat for British War Office during the First World War. (Stegemeyer, A.P & Alford, H. 2014.) The trench coat remains a

permanent piece in the Burberry range and is reinvented every season in a multitude of colours and textures. This reinforces the brands British heritage and its impact on the modern world as a truly timeless piece.

“The idea of not abandoning the heritage but reinventing it. Many people search for the new and forget the old” Mario Testino (Burberry | Fashion TV. 2013)

The check print was introduced as a lining to the trench coat in 1924, (Stegemeyer, A.P & Alford, H. 2014.) which is a trademark of the brand and is incorporated in a majority of their products.

Today the brand is internationally recognised for its luxuriously tailored coats and characteristic check pattern, with 215 mainline stores and 214 concession stores spanning worldwide (Burberry. n.d.). It sells luxury clothing, shoes, fragrances, accessories and cosmetics.

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B rand I dentity “Brand identity is controlled from within an organization and should relate to how the company wishes consumers to perceive and engage with the brand”. (Posner,H & Williams,S. 2015. Page 146) Burberry as a brand communicates a sense of prestige and heritage to the consumer through their logo. The Equestrian Knight Logo, labelled with the word ‘Prorsum’ meaning ‘forward’ suggests Burberrys leading role in fashion. Posner, H & Williams, S (2015) suggest that “some brands add a crest or cartouche to enhance the logo and bestow an air of grandeur or heritage” and even bold, capitalised fonts can create an air of authority and tradition.

Burberry’s Identity Crisis - Burberry garnered attention from the wrong kind of consumer. Due to its association with football hooligans and the ‘chav’ stereotype in the 1970s, the brand identity of exclusivity and luxury was tarnished.

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Rose Marie Bravo former chief executive at Burberry turned its fortune around with a strong marketing strategy. She expanded the product range with handbags, accessories and purses to boost sales. She also paired Mario Testino, successful photographer with popular model Kate Moss to create a campaign, which brought a ‘younger, sexier image’ to Burberry. The use “…They became identified of the check on products were with something that was reduced and by 2004 it was on a complete anathema to less than 5% of its products. everything that the brand Now the check style has been represented”. Caroline adapted from the infamous Taylor, Retail Analyst, beige, red and brown check to Mintel an enlarged, modern version to (BBC 2, 2005) stay true to its historic roots.

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Positioning According to Blythe, J (2012)

Positioning ‘refers to the place the product occupies in the consumer’s perceptual map of the market”; for example Burberry would be a top-ofthe-range brand who produce high-quality, reliable products The consumer would group this brand with several similar brands, for example, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes etc.

Burberrys position within the market is luxury with practicality. It appeals to a broad age range; the young generation, because of the innovative, modern design of the current couture shows, and the older, traditional generation, with loyalty to the artisan tailored classics such as the trench coat.

Before the unification of the sub-brands; Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London and Burberry Brit, the brand had a broad positioning as it appealed to a wide variety of consumers with varying income levels. By the end of 2016 the brand will operate under one cohesive name. This helps to create a ‘consistent experience’ (Jannuzzi, J. 2015.) for the customer and therefore consolidates the brand as one and not split into three. This maintains a coherent brand in the mind of the consumer and helps to send a uniform message.

“The behaviour of the luxury customer is evolving; their style

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is more fluid and this is reflected in the way they shop. The changes we are making allow us to serve this new behaviour more intuitively.” Christopher Bailey, Creative Director Angela Ahrendts former CEO of Burberry helped transform the brand when sales slowed down in the 2000s. The reason was given to the broad product range, “…something for everybody, but not much of it exclusive or compelling”.

The product range was not consistent worldwide, and this was a result of separate creative teams around the world. This diluted the essence of the brand and caused inconsistency.

The issue was rectified when Ahrendts centralised the creative direction to one global director; Christopher Bailey.

Ahrendt’s rescued the brand’s identity when she bought back ‘23 licences Burberry had sold to allow other firms to put its check on everything’ (Neat R 2013.) This was essential to keep in control of their brand image and to prevent ubiquity.

She also emphasised the importance of making use of the brands British heritage and keeping core products like the trench coat in vision in order to keep Thomas Burberry’s legacy living.

Brand Consumer “F

With a wide target market of age range 25-55, the brand appeals to the younger generation from its modern handbag designs and colourful outerwear, to the older generation who opt for the classic styles of outerwear like the beige trench coat. The unisex style and cut of some of their classic pieces shows the versatility of the brand to When Burberry first established appeal to such a broad audience. itself, the consumers were agricultural men and women The brands image of luxury, and military officials. It was British clothing appeals about delivering garments globally, more specifically the that were practical, durable Asian market that make up a and comfortable. Today the large proportion of Burberry’s consumer still desires Burberrys sales. The attraction to the quality and functionality of classic brand is partly due staple pieces such as the trench to successful communication coat or the signature check through social media platforms scarf. of the fashionable brand, which appeal to professional working men and women in Asia. A high cost of identical products in Chinese stores also results in an influx of Chinese tourists in the UK buying the discounted designer goods. ashion begins and ends with the consumer; the primary task is to satisfy the consumer and their needs.

Fashion provides us with a means of expressing ourselves, our identities and personalities through our clothing,�

(Dillon, S. 2012)

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Communications Mix

Advertisement T he definition of Advertisement: “A paid insertion of a message in a medium” Blyth J (2012) Burberry is a heavy investor in digital media which they use to convey messages to the consumer. Being one of the first luxury brands to broadcast and share information on Facebook and numerous other platforms.

Burberry has an in-house creative media team as opposed to contracting advertising agents to create content for the brand campaigns. This way they have control of what was being sent out to the consumer and thus a singular vision, enforcing the brand identity. (CNN Money. 2012)

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Public Relations “A ctivities intended to convey an organisation’s messages to its publics”.

(Blythe, J 2012) Burberry’s spring/summer 2010 campaign featuring the work of Mario Testino and actress Emma Watson who has a ‘classic, effortless beauty’ (Bailey, C. 2010), captures a casual yet elegant look. The use of such an inspirational model as the face of the campaign helped boost the brand image and attracted a younger market while it helped to bring a fresh outlook to the brand.

The Tale of Thomas Burberry, a short film about the life of the creator of the brand, aims to promote the brand and strengthen their image towards the consumer. As well as promoting the brand it also attracts consumers who are new to the brand. The video appeared on the ‘Trending’ page of YouTube which exposes the brand worldwide and to a large number of individuals. Consumers are more likely to invest in a brand if they are aware of their history and have an emotional reaction linked with the brand, provided by the acting.

Communications Mix

Social Media “S ocial marketing’s

media broadens potential, beyond the level of keeping the consumer informed, and expands it to the level of commitment, consideration, loyalty and customer support”.

(Chatzithomas et al. 2014) “Since 2010, Bailey claimed digital revenues have grown by 40% and he talked up the fact its combined social media following now totals 40 million”. (Hobbs, T. 2016.)

Burberry were one of the first luxury fashion brands to tap into social media as a powerful marketing tool and digital media is at the forefront of how they communicate with the consumer.

Art of the Trench – “Art of the Trench is a living document of the trench coat and the people who wear it. The project is a collaboration between you, Burberry and some of the world’s leading image makers” (Burberry:AOTT. N.d)

Burberry’s picture sharing miniwebsite called the ‘Art of the Trench’, first launched in 2009, aims to connect with customers from around the world and build a network to share photographs of everyday people sporting the trench coats. It also tries to ‘reach out to the younger generation’ (Bunz, M. 2009) The brand was one of the first to run its own channel on Snapchat’s discovery page on April 4 2016. The channel included articles on ‘How to be a modern man’, ‘A guide to spotting the perfect suit’ and video clips on the ‘Mr Burberry’ ad campaign along with the story behind the fragrance.

It also had an interactive feature in their stores where the customer can scan ‘Snapcodes’ to take them to the content. This is another way Burberry has managed to enrich the customer experience and reach a larger target audience. (Milnes, H. 2016.)

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Communications Mix

Sales Promotion When visiting the flagship store on Regent Street and Bond Street, London, it had a similar atmosphere and aesthetic which shows Burberry’s consistency and strong branding strategy, two things which make up a successful business.

Burberry packaging reflects the brands heritage and Britishness with its plain brown paper bag with regal gold logo, which reflect the brands association with royal figures, and their position as a leading luxury brand.

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Communications Mix

Personal Selling Personal Selling is defined by “a person-to-person communication intended to meet a customer’s needs at a profit”. (Bythe, J 2012) Burberrys pop up exhibition in Soho, which lasted two weeks in September, called ‘Makers House’ showcased their newest September 2016 collection and the inspirations and craft behind the pieces.

The aim was to share the creative process behind the collection such as mood boards and fabric swatches as well as interactive sessions, where consumers can have old clothing patched up by fabric from the collection or their portrait painted in miniature. (Alice Goody, Retail Analyst, Mintel, 2016) This creates a user experience that goes beyond the show and the store and to a more personalised, one to one experience. The event also reinforced the idea to the consumer of the high quality and detailed craftsmanship that goes into the products which is important as retail analyst Alice

Goody says consumers in Britain are increasingly sceptical of the quality of luxury products.

Burberry’s instore and online monogramming service to personalise scarves and accessories with initials provides yet another level of user experience and artisanal quality and a unique selling point to their products.

Direct Marketing Burberry has outlined that it will no longer be creating collections by seasons but instead two fashion shows, in February and September, where the consumer can buy immediately after viewing the show. The heritage brand is taking lead on the ‘See now. Buy now’ wave that is shaking up the mechanics of fashion. (Hoang, L. 2016).

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References Stegemeyer, Anne Price Alford, Holly (2014) Who’s Who in Fashion. (6th edition.) London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

BBC South Today. (2013, October 29). Behind the Brands: Burberry [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTl8WhWXdoI Burberry. n.d. Our History. Retrieved from: https://uk.burberry.com/our-history/ Burberry. n.d. Annual Report 2015/16. Retrieved from: http://www.burberryplc.com/documents/ar-15-16/burberry_annual_report_2015-16.pdf Christopher M. Moore Grete Birtwistle, (2004),”The Burberry business model: creating an international luxury fashion brand”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 32 Iss 8 pp. 412 - 422 Posner, Harriet & Williams, Scott (2015) Marketing Fashion, Second edition Strategy, Branding and Promotion. (2nd Edition). London: Laurence King Publishing Jannuzi, J. (2015, November 4th) Why Burberry Is Dropping Prorsum, Brit, and London From Labels. Retrieved from: http://www.gq.com/story/why-burberry-is-dropping-prorsumbrit-and-london-from-labels Burberry | Fashion TV. (2013, August 7th). Burberry - The Story of [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDVy9FCo1D4&t=678s Caroline Taylor, Retail Analyst, Mintel (2005). Burberry vs the Chav. [Documentary Film].

BBC 2 Dillon,S. (2012). The Fundamentals of Fashion Management. Page 82. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA Bunz, M. (2009) Burberry check out crowd sourcing with The Art of the Trench. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/media/pda/2009/nov/09/burberry-art-of-the-trench Chatzithomas, N, Boutsouki, C, Hatzithomas, L, Zotos, Y (2014) Social Media Advertising Platforms: A Cross-cultural Study [Article] Retrieved from: http://www.ijsim.net/index.php/ papers/item/15-social-media-advertising-platforms-a-cross-cultural-study Bailey, C. (2010) Burberry: Brit Girl Retrieved from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/burberrys-new-campaign-with-emma-watson Hobbs, T. (2016) Burberry admits its customer loyalty is ‘lagging’ and marketing needs ‘rebalancing’ Retrieved from: https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/05/18/burberry-admits-customer-loyalty-is-lagging-and-marketing-needs-rebalancing-as-profits-fall-10/ Milnes, H. (2016) Burberry becomes the first luxury brand to run a Snapchat Discover channel native ad. [Article] Retrieved from: http://digiday.com/brands/burberry-becomes-first-luxury-brand-sponsor-snapchat-discover-channel/)

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Goody, A. (2016) Burberry’s Makers House emphasises the craftsmanship behind luxury. [Report] Published by: Mintel Retrieved from: http://academic.mintel.com/display/791857/?highlight Hoang, L. (2016) How Burberry is Operationalising ‘See Now, Buy Now’ Retrieved from: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/how-burberry-is-operationalising-see-now-buy-now CNN Money. (2012, June 22) The Secret’s behind Burberry’s growth. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMIuOmT7t9g Neate, R. (2013) How and American woman rescued Burberry, a classic British label. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jun/16/angela-ahrendts-burberry-chav-image Blythe, J (2012) Essentials of Marketing (5th edition) Harlow : Pearson Burberry: AOTT. (N.d.) The Art of the Trench. Retrieved from http://burberry.tumblr.com/

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