DONE DONE DONE

woohoo gave it in an hour ago!

However as I was writing I realised some of the Brand Elements weren't consistant with each other so I tweaked them (For example the Packaging...a wooden box for lingerie was not a great idea)

I also blended in the market context with the competitors because I realised I didn't have direct competitors and so it was more focused to evaluate my market by criteria.
Because my Target market is so broad I was finding it hard to do a customer Profile that made sense. So I focused more on the spending attitudes and paterns of my target market, from this I deduct a short respective marketing strategies to target them.

All this goes to say that the things you will be browsing through on this blog represent more of a virtual brainstorm...

I am now stressing about these last minute changes. wooptidoo.

final video

Ad Video try 1

Any comments, suggestions?
(this actually took me the whole day lol)

Class task, Promotional Offers

Ok so this is DropBox.

A lovely application that saved (and saves) my life (and homework) more than once. For someone who forgets to save their stuff and would enjoy an internet back up of the file they are working on that saves automatically after a few seconds DropBox ROCKS YOUR SOCKS! jeez I should advertise for them.

So the point is, once you are a member they encourage you to spread the word, and when you invite people to Dropbox, DropBox returns the favour by giving you some extra space.
The offer reads:

"You can earn 250MB (500MB if you're a subscriber) for each friend you refer to Dropbox. Referrals let you earn up to 3GB of extra space (6GB if you're a subscriber) just for inviting your friends to join Dropbox! All it takes is 3 easy steps."

Ok, so the person you invite doesn't get anything but its a free application so they get to know about something UBER COOL. and uber lifesaving.

There are some projects that I was working on without saving and bam computer crash. I was close to tears and then after the fury I remember to check into my dropbox and there it is sitting nicely on internet in my account saved 15 seconds before my computer crash. IT IS LOVE.

Mystery Web Shopper: Figleaves.com

Class Task: Website evaluation

I chose Figleaves

1) URL
http://www.figleaves.com/uk/
2)Use of colour and graphics on main page:
I find it more or less effective because suits target market shopping style.
The layout is pretty basic and the use of colour is not particularly attractive to me, but it suits Figleaves’ target market who are looking for discounts, quick find of what type of underwear they are looking for and sizings.
The main page, puts the accent on discounts (there is even a link to their clearance website at the bottom!)

3)Use of colour throughout the website:
The colours used remain consistant throughout the website. Each section “Holiday” Basics” has its own colour theme which makes it pleasant to navigate on the website.

4) Consistancy of look and feel throughout the site
The feel is consistent throughout the website

5) Professional use of wording
the site uses casual language to communicate to its young audience, but the language used is also appropriate for its older target market in a way that it makes them feel “trendy” without trying too hard to give out that vibe. The terms to described each model are well used and consistent throughout and there is a sizing guide which is always a good thing on a lingerie website

6) Navigation
The site is very easy to navigate, using only the tabs on top of the page which is present through out the site or using the option column on the left hand side which is always visible

7) Return to main page
By clicking on the Figleaves banner icon.
This may be made simpler by creating a visible home button that actually says “Home”...


8) Site features good FAQs
The site does not actually have an FAQ page. It does have a “Help at a glance” section when you click on “Delivery Info” (very small at the bottom)
People that come to the website are either used to shopping online or they should create a more visible “Help section”. (they do have a "Fitting Room" section which answers questions about bra fittings)


9) Appealing and exciting
I wouldn't say the site is particularily appealing or exciting to me. It gives out more of a convenience vibe.


10) The site sppears to be up-to-date
The site appears to be up-to-date. There is a 'what's new' section on the home page.

11) Offers online buying
Yes its main purpose seems to be online retail.


12) Overall evaluation of the site
Figleaves is the main player in lingerie retail. Its website caters perfectly the needs of its target market, most of them seem to know what they want and navigate easily through the sections to find it. However it isn't very aspiring the visual displays and zoom options for the products could definately be improved though.

Gold Case study

Gold Case study

What characteristics did the WGC use to segment the consumer market?

- consumers’ attitudes
- behaviours
- usage and
- values towards gold

The survey was carried out over 6 different countries, identifying 3 types of women with different attitudes and values towards gold.



What were the key aspects of the re-branding campaign? Globally? Locally?

WGC global campaign concentrated on the values and attitudes associated with gold. It addressed reasons for buying gold (instead of any other luxury material) as well as reasons and occasions to purchase gold.
One of the smartest element of this campaign I find was to do tailored campaigns according to where they were going to be launched.

Customer Profile

Customer profile for D lingerie.
ACORN TYPE ABCD WEALTHY ACHIEVER, AFFLUENT GRAYS,Flourishing Families, PROSPEROUS PROFESSIONALS.

• Demographics
Age: My customer target is encompassed in the 20 to 40 age range. These are ages at which the former finds herself beautiful, wants to highlight her originality whilst the latter more mature target may need to be reassured about her beauty and hence needs thing to have the perfect fit. Since my brand is made to measure the people it targets has a wider and more comprehensive range of people that include people that NEED my product (e.g. maternity, or mastectomy patients)

Income: She is a Wealthy achiever and falls into the My target customer has a high disposable income and tends to spend it on herself; she is not affected by the credit crunch. She is in a good family situation, has famous parents or is a famous or popular person herself.

Gender: Female
Education level: She is highly educated and knows about the new technologies and their benefits, she is an expert in her field and is technology savvy

• GeoDemographic

Location:
She is likely to live in trendy areas and capitals London being most popular but she travels around the world and has home bases in her preferred cities. These can include

The main characteristic of my target customer is that in what ever field she is in she is an innovator a trendsetter. Someone people aspire to be and look up to. She is looked at and in the public eye.

Interests she is very highly interested in fashion and it is potentially her profession, she can be a lingerie buyer, an “it” girl, a royalty, a celebrity, she needs to feel good and feel like something somewhere belongs to her and only her.

Lifestyle: She leads a hectic lifestyle and enjoys the rush but finds time to travel, relax unwind, go to the spa, she gets special treatment wherever she goes. My younger target market is very much into the clubbing scene and is quite a trendsetter.

Purchasing behavior
She is likely to buy into Veblen goods if she finds she is getting value for her money or simply if she is drawn to them. She can buy on impulse when it comes to clothing. But most of the time she wants to buy the good stuff.

Attitudes: she is a high profile person and is willing to pay the price to be treated that way.

Packaging

Fiddling with photoshop this is the packaging I want for D. Lingerie



It is a simple wooden box with kraft coloured gift filling.

On the inside of the cover there will be the logo along with the slogan and the number of the garnment will be discreet on the outside of the box, it should look a bit like this (with the garnment inside).

I want to make the packaging as discreet as possible in order to remain the exclusive feel of the brand.



Along with a little personal note inside the box. This makes the customer feel a direct connection with the brand and reinforces the fact that they have purchased a unique high end luxury good.

Main competition

Rigby and Peller

Why D is better?
Younger target audience
More of an arty take on things
state of the art technology: bodymetrics
Trendy
Reputation
Materials

Comp Shop Group Exercise: Luella

Our Group: Emete, Sarah, Megan, Reanne
Our Brand: Luella
Here was my slide in the presentation:



And we sure had a lot of things to say on Luella Bartley, that's simply because she is so cool!

Brief Intro (just in case no one else has it)
Luella Bartley= London based designer
-Central St. Martins Alumni
- One time British Vogue editor, Luella started her career at The Evening Standard
-she launched her playful signature label in 1999. 'Daddy I Want A Pony.' low-key, yet stylish and had a strong British theme behind it, which proved popular with the fashion pack.
- “Daddy, Who Are The Clash?” her 2000 show was one of the most anticipated shows of the week, and featured The Clash and Kate Moss as eager audience members.
- Her funky rock 'n' roll, punky edge was a huge success and made Luella the new queen of quirk. By her third collection, she had taken the rock theme even further and used inspiration from The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s comment that ‘pink is the only true rock ‘n’ roll colour’.

What is your brand saying?

When she did decide to launch her own label in 1999, she said she designed 'the kind of clothes you can get drunk and fall over in'. They emerged as refreshing and edgy as they were girly and wearable - clothes that could be whipped on straight from the catwalk, which gained her a cult following amongst the young and trendy.
Bartley has been delivering effortless street-chic season after season. Her eternal muse is the rebel Brit “It” girl who can’t help but be adorable in her pink button-down shirts tucked into skintight jeans or layered under Bartley’s favorite striped sweaters. Bartley mixes themes with élan: punk motorcycle jackets with gingham skirts; little black dresses with pearls for polka dots; preppy navy, red, and white. Add to this Bartley’s always in-demand accessories lineup of cool leather bags and shoes.
The Look is basically: Squeaky-clean badasses and pretty punks.

It girls and hip kids following the lead of Kate Moss such as Alexa Chung, Lily Allen or Agyness Deyn are adepts of Luella’s vibrant colour bold prints, eye-catching accessories, dress up jewellery and overall British granny on acid designs.

She is said to have stylishly brought back the mod teenager. Wearing Luella reflects trendy girl British eccentric or messed up ladylike royalty.
Video links to integrate into PowerPoint:

Luella Show and the IT kid CORY KENNEDY


style.com SS09 FASHION SHOOOWWW

Off question info I found useful if we want to make an opening onto how she isn’t just the Luella brand.
Her big 'break' so to speak, came when she designed a hugely successful range for Mulberry, which every model carried down the catwalk and then went on to become one of the brand's biggest sellers for years to come.
Now an established talent, Bartley has settled in Cornwall with her three children and partner, in addition to designing one-off collections for Sony, MAC and O'Neill. In 2006 Luella was selected to launch Target’s Go International line, which saw her create a teenage line for the USA store

Technology I want to use for my lingerie

To ensure my customers get the perfect fitting lingerie I will use Bodymetrics technology.
Video below shows what it does.
It was used in Selfriges. It might be one of the factors contributing to the USP of my brand: made to measure lingerie for your body.
PS: I think I found a brand name...

Edwin's task 2

The brand I chose is called:
LOCHER’S



Context: Locher’s is a Parisian pureplay retailer specialising in Clothes and accessories. It is utterly tongue in cheek and cheeky. Nicole Locher's line features adorable tops and accessories, that all semi-secretly have dirty little messages hidden in the embroidery and design.Its website is at the brand’s image playing on the sweet but dirty theme. It has no store and only retails online.The T-shirts retail at around 45£. There is the possibility to subscribe to their newsletter.



Recommendations for giving physical presence to the brand:

• Brand strategy (Target market, positioning …)
They should keep the same target customer the 18 to 25 cheeky quirky fashion savvy girl. The positioning of the brand as unique well crafted tongue in cheek pieces shouldn’t be changed and their location should not be too widely advertised in order for it to keep its indie edge.

• Brand proposition (products, services, ‘shop’ characteristics)
The products should remain the same but it might be a good idea to expand in clothes alltogether instead of just Tshirts. My suggestion to continue with the theme would be embroided little panties and socks (perhaps little camisoles and triangle bra's too) keeping the same saucy and cute designs.

I believe the physical manifestation of the brand should be either a cute shop in an indie location in Paris such as Bastille (in the 11th arrondissement) or in London in Brick Lane. The shop should be boudoir inspired to fit the designs and perhaps have a little bit of a cheeky edge to it. This could be achieved through the shop decoration (with pin up posters in unexpected places such as the changing rooms) or wall paper with hidden sentences…Shop staff can also help exude the brand image by speaking in a certain manner and making the shopping experience worthwhile. The products should be displayed in a girly and attractive manner to make it look like a girl's dressing box.
The services in store should perhaps include tippings on where to get pole dancing, strip tease and cooking lessons.


• Brand expression/communication
The way in which the brand should communicate its launch of a boutique should be through female lifestyle magazines, internet podcasts and banners in Lifestyle internet newsletters such as DailyCandy.com and blogs it has already been mentioned in as well as through its newsletter. I find that the appeal of this brand comes from the fact that not many people know about it and this contributes to the surprise effect its t shirts and jewellery create. Too much advertising and promotion would not benefit the brand’s longevity.

Customer Profiles from Videos on Blackboard

Video 1-5 graduate:
What I would sell: bathroom products, beauty products, career services, career clothes, cheap phone services and operators, organic clothes food beauty products, ready made meals, gig tickets
How I would communicate: radio, TV, mail, text messages, online, public transports,
What messages I’d send: be active and get your career started, beauty tips, best phone deals, be organic.


Video 6-9 party girl:
What I would sell: beauty products with nice packaging and catchy slogans, clothes indie exotic stuff
How I would communicate: radio, internet, bus, pubs, outdoor
What messages I’d send: exciting, sexy, posh but value for money, unique, saves money

Video 10-14 professional:
What I would sell: health supplements, travelling agencies and airlines, men grooming products, children products, quick and delicious breakfasts, trusty babysitters
How I would communicate: train ads, quality newspaper, glossies, Sunday supplements, regional’s, radio, broadsheets, outdoor adverts, supermarket ads,
What messages I’d send: time saving, latest news always, be updated, be aware, be quick, take time out, relax, unwind

urgh

seems like recession will be hitting my market...

But I think its still worth it. The luxury market may suffer but what I am proposing is both a service and a good intended for people that are still currently not worried about their spending.

Targeting Customer for my idea

Sex: Female, Homosexual or Metrosexual male

Age range: 25 to 60 (because its harder to find nice lingerie that fits when you are older)

Body type: any.(made to measure product)

Demographics:

Worldwide: fashionable cities(New York, Rome, Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Singapore)


and I'll add Moscow and Dubai even though they only make the top 25 because I believe in their luxury markets.

Inspired? ...Brainstorm.

How about:
-type of good: VEBLEN GOOD (yep going for the people that are likely to coin phrases such as "Recession? what recession?" or "I looked everywhere but couldn't find a CreditCrunch chocolate bar"

-Product: made-to-measure lingerie
-uber exclusive
-understated packaging (to imply only people that know about it actually recognize it) delivered to home
-pureplay retail
- but fitting in a company studio designed for this purpose( and equipped with a body metrics machine (as seen in selfridges) or staff going to the clent's place(for the experience)
-restrained advertising (not for the masses so very dependant on word of mouth and PR) (perhaps on websites such as www.asmallworld.net)
-customer target: very wealthy, celebs,royalties, people that usually go get portraits of themselves (I'll elaborate on why that's a criteria later)

re-reading this, it all kinda sounds like a crazy idea...let's see how much sense i can make of it. i already have a lil ad speech written out but that's my lil secret until i figure out how to make stuff fall into place. (plus i need to find the tiny scrap of paper i wrote it on.)

Bloggwatching

New blog (well technically website) watch alert. I m addicted (and subscribed)to adrants.com.

cynical......]
sharp........]-comments on ad campaigns
fun...........]

anyways ch-ch-check it out!

http://www.adrants.com/2005/03/american-apparel-ad-campaigns-dance-with.php

Inspiration ad 3

again by wonderbra using a pin up burlesque artist (in their case dita von teese) is quite a good idea too, less realistic for my "homemade video" framework though...

Lingerie ad inspriation 2

I think it is funny, catchy, suitable for different types of audiences. This one is a DEFINITE FAVORITE, I want to use a similar concept for my ad. I would like to use things that imply rather than show which would enable me to show my ads in more places...Saying this however I realize that it wouldn't have the same effect as Aubade Lingerie ads have had (I wrote about them an earlier post) But maybe it is a bit too tacky for what I want my brand to reflect...as well as my target market. But the concept can be used...maybe with jewels in suggestive shapes?

Inspiration.lingerie ad 1

first try at making an online survey

http://www.freesurveysonline.com/fso/AskSurvey.fso?Survey=16155&CheckID=13875

CS Framework

100 Words on Mr Cruise

From Idolized sex symbol to most famous face of the scientology church. How is it that Mr Tom Cruise continues to intrigue or irritate?At least he gets attention?

Talking of which it seems to have become trendy to loathe the fellow.

Somehow, the constant "coincidences" between an event in his "personal" life and the release of his movies just have to make anyone, even in the flyover states, raise an eyebrow.A wedding, a new girlfriend, a baby- always in combination with a new release.

Coincidence 1: Sought out Katie, went beserk at Oprah, proposed in Paris..etc.; War of The Worlds

Coincidence 2: Baby Suri; MI3

Some find him hypocritical. I don't particularily care, I like the way he dances in Risky business and the way it was so cult that ads (guitar hero for example) had fun replicating it.

Acorn Profiling. NW1 7ET

Often, many of the people who live in this sort of postcode will be affluent urban professionals living in flats. These are known as type 15 in the ACORN classification and 1.17% of the UK’s population live in this type.
Neighbourhoods fitting this profile are found primarily in London (Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Merton, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond-upon-Thames and Ealing) as well as in Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. Here is an overview of the likely preferences and features of your neighbourhood:

• Family income:Very high
• Interest in current affairs:Very high
• Housing - with mortgage:Medium
• Educated - to degree:Very high
• Couples with children:Low
• Have satellite TV: Low

These people live in affluent urban areas, where large attractive houses have often been converted into flats. Whilst many do own their home, the proportion of rented accommodation is relatively high. People in this type are very highly qualified; one in four have postgraduate and professional qualifications. They work in professional and senior managerial occupations, with many spending very long hours at work. Most residents are either young singles or couples. There are very few children and those there are tend to be under five, which suggests that young families move on from these areas. As one of the highest earning types, they have relatively high disposable incomes. They invest in a broad range of products including high interest accounts, ISAs, and stocks and shares. They are comfortable using the Internet to do their financial research. In the winter, this type is the most likely to go skiing. They will then take at least one other holiday which is usually foreign and often far flung. When at home they take advantage of the range of theatre and arts available to them from living in the city. They also enjoy good food and wine, both at home and in restaurants. They are interested in current affairs and are very likely to buy a daily paper, which they probably read as they commute to work. They usually choose from The Guardian, Independent, The Times and Financial Times. At the weekend they like The Sunday Times and Observer.

This is a description of the type of neighbourhood to which this postcode has been matched, it is not a description of the postcode. The overview describes characteristics frequently found in these neighbourhoods. Since most postcodes include a mix of people we don’t expect everyone there will fit the description perfectly. Learn more.
You should not base important decision-making on the ACORN classification alone. ACORN © CACI Limited 2008 All rights reserved; no right to publish is granted.

Inspiration

Inspired by this "song" for my brand. I'd like it playing in the background at the catwalk of my show.

Branding

If I were a brand: I'd be in the Lingerie sector

I would be: exclusive, haute couture, innovative, well crafted, arty, sexy

I would bring accross the message of: self adornation, singular pleasure, empowerement, preciousness, fun, extravagance.

I'd have a motto: Selfishness and Vanity before you share yourself with anyone else.

Feeling Terry Richardson for Princesse tam tam

Learning from les lecons d Aubade

The pictures I have inserted are examples from the advertising campaign I have selected. They are taken from the French lingerie brand, Aubade.

The advertising media that was used is print. The pictures are shot by Hervé Lewis. They are in Black and White and of faceless beautifully proportioned women wearing Aubade underwear.

The tone of the message is in my opinion playful, provocative and seductive at the same time. I find that the association of seductive classy pictures with slightly tongue-in-cheek lessons keeps the viewers hooked to the campaign as they wait for the next ad to come out in order to discover the next seduction lesson.

The Advertising aims to make both men and women feel that they are buying something special luxurious and seductive. The Black and White shots give the pictures a classy feel and help position Aubade as a luxury lingerie brand. The advertising also seeks to achieve a sort of brand loyalty and spark the constant interest from its customers. This is achieved through the consecutive lessons given, as the viewer waits for the next advert to come out in order to find out what the next seduction lesson is.


The advertising is seeking to achieve a sort of intimacy with women by teaching them how to seduce men. The lessons are intended to draw women together by sharing tips on how to charm a man, but are risqué enough to appeal to men. In addition, there are sort of catchy puns that link the image to the lesson that target both men and women. For example the Lesson Number 52 depicts a model's curvy back in a laced-up corset and says "Strengthen the ties." Hence, women are entranced by the advertisement as they identify to the faceless model and want to try out the seduction lessons on their husband/boyfriend. Whereas men are seduced by the pictured female curves embellished by the brand’s products and they want their wife/girlfriend to be like the woman on the picture. “To charm her man, a woman must buy Aubade lingerie. To obtain a woman as sexy as the model in the ad, a man must buy her Aubade underwear.”as states Emilie Boyer King in April 26, 2004 issue of brandchannel.com

There has been a social conflict around this advertisement campaign. Feminist have argued that the campaign portrayed women as “a sexual object deprived of any identity” due to the fact that the women in the photographs were faceless and only their bodies were photographed.

When asked to state my favourite advertisement campaign I cannot refrain but to continuously cite the Aubade Seduction Lessons campaign. It is in my opinion one of the most successful and tasteful lingerie advertisement yet. The photographs have caused accidents on the French highways, talk about an impact! I may favour this campaign because I cannot think of any way it could have been more successful as every variable (colour, mystery model, quirky lines) seems to have its purpose…


Having a faceless model associated to catchy seduction lessons creates mystery and intrigue. Intrigue is what keeps people interested, which in my opinion is the key to successful advertising.

Lusting over James Jean for Prada

Start me up!

Why Chipped Red Nails?
Picture it: Green Park tube station. Exit 2. She walks down the street with her bag dancing from her left elbow, her heels clicketing on the morning rain glazed sidewalk. Wondering if she is late, or out of pure habit she raises her frail wrist to look at the time. Captivated by something much more existential than time she notices the chips in her red nail polish.
What was she up to last night?