Week Seven BOC: Visit a Retailer

How do retailers convey their brand image through their retail stores? Visit a retail store and observe its atmospherics, store, marketing, fixtures, customer service, and sales associates. Does the retailer convey a specific brand image to the customer? What is it? Is a story being told? How does the store space influence your opinions about the products being sold?

I visited my workplace Louis Vuitton at Crystals City Center. They categorize their products by menswear, womenswear, leather goods, and their jewelry. They always maintain their same concept of design but they also like to have an influence on their target market depending on their store location. They have excellent customer service and always try to engage an a own personal experience with their customers. What I have learned from working their is that they have a lot of influence on art and craftsmanship and they convey it in their products as well. They like to have a personal connection with their customers and build a relationship. Their products are sorted out by season and category but they are not all mounted on the floor. They create space so each individual piece has its own space and can visually be enjoyed.
I also visited a retail store at my local mall it was the Forever 21 at the Galleria mall. I noticed that it was small compared to other Forever 21's. They did not have a lot of products. Their accessories were located in the center of the store next to the cash register which I think is always a good idea, they also had all these small products formed as the line for the cash register. I actually prefer this store location rather than other ones because having so many clothing racks can get overwhelming and messy. Usually when I ask for a certain style or clothing I like I'll ask for more and the sales associate have no idea where they are or cannot find more. This location was rather organized and clean. 

Week Six EOC: Discussion Questions

Chapter 5

How do mass-market brands compare to luxury brands in terms of value, pricing attitude and location services?

In terms of value mass-market brands are driven by cost and value rather than originality and margins. When it comes to price mass-market brands can adopt to any pricing strategy, they do not adopt a premium price strategy. Mass-market brands are most subject to re-pricing adjustment strategies such as promotional sales and clearance markdowns than luxury brands are. Mass-market brands are located in central locations usually downtown, mainstreet areas in smaller towns and in shopping centers and malls where cluster of small shops are also located. It is also based on ease of parking, traffic flow, visible slot, and competition. In terms of service luxury brands differ highly with mass-market brands because luxury brands are expected to take extra measures to pamper and please the customer. mass-markets only offer the basic level of service to its customer. "The main difference may be that the core value for most mass-market brands is rational in nature, while for luxury brands, it is emotional" (Hameide, 158).




Briefly compare premium brands to luxury brands.

Premium brands are referred to as aspirational or new luxe brands that are luxury brands that introduce RTW labels. This markets stands at the highest spectrum of mass-market brands . They are not based on exclusivity like luxury brands are but on emotion and relationship with the consumer. "The decision to create a premium brand is primarily a business strategy and as such must be developed and executed by CEOs and divisional leaders of large companies as well as entrepreneurs and innovators of small companies. A premium brand is product centered and also requires keen understanding of consumer motivation and buying behavior" (162). 



Name a few of the challenges private labels face to compete with manufacturing brands.

Private labels are brands owned by retailers not manufacturers. Some challenges private labels face are that manufacturers offer many services that stores are now forced to provide themselves, such as transportation or warehousing, which imposes and adds cost. Manufacturers also share costs of promotion and marketing activities, and it is handled by the stores in the case of private labels. This can also affect the diverse merchandise in the retail store forcing manufacturers to take their merchandise elsewhere and leave them with no diversity at all. One of the major challenges is that private labels will never be able to compete with manufacturers because they do not have the dedicated resources and they also suffer from a general lack of advertising. "The rivalry between retailer and manufacturers' brands is also evident in their fight over in-store space and locations dedicated to each brand" (166).

Week Six BOC: Bruce Weber

 



Bruce Weber is an American photographer. He was born on March 29, 1946 and grew up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He has done campaigns for several American designers like Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein. He is best known for shooting campaigns for Abercrombie and Fitch. He uses black and white shots in most of his work but occasionally ads color. He first became known in the 1980’s and early 1990’s for shooting images for Calvin Klein. He is also well known for shooting ads with shirtless models. “His straightforward black and white shots, featuring an unclothed heterosexual couple on a swing facing each other, two clothed men in bed, and model Marcus Schenkenberg barely holding jeans in front of himself in a shower, catapulted him into the national spotlight”.  This was his first shot where he was established as a photographer and catapulted him into the fashion world photography. His work was classified as homoerotic, because his signature shots included black and white shots of nude males.

"Almost every major publication such as Vogue, V, W, Vanity Fair, Interview and Rolling Stone, has employed Weber for editorials and portraits of figures from Patti Smith to Robert de Niro". He is a well-known photographer who has established himself  on his ads although he also has done some filmwork, books (25+) and directed music videos for artists such as Chris Isaak and Pet Shop Boys. Most of his work gives the story of outdoor leisure and romance, he was inspired by the work of  photographer Diane Arbus. Bruce has shot for Abercrombie and Fitch since 1993 to this day and still maintains the signature look for each ad.

"His photographs are in the permanent collections of London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris".  Mr. Weber played a major role in redifining the male beauty and he established the male nude as a public figure the same way the female figure was in fashion. Even though he started off with the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog, in 2003 they were discontinued partly due to the fuss over his sexual imagery

 

Week Four EOC: Discussion Questions

Chapter Four

Explain the social element of luxury and explore how this concept relates to some of the challenges facing luxury brands, such as counterfeiting and parallel markets.

Since the beginning luxury has been an identifier of social status, it defined aristocracy and royalty and it was easily identified as how fast wealth spread. Luxury has mostly always been identified as good craftsmanship and high quality it is why up until the 19th century, luxury was identified as custom made. Luxury brands have been described as "brands that no one really needs, but everyone desires" (Hameide, 111). A luxury brand is associated with social elements like wealth, success, sophistication and so on. Part of the social element of having others perceive and appreciate your purchase as well. Counterfeiting  comes with the territory of a luxury brand, because they are so high in demand their exclusivity and high price points make it impossible to be purchased for the mass-market thus creating counterfeits at affordable prices but not with the same value and quality.  Parallel markets or grey markets are items that are are originally purchased to later be sold in a different market usually at higher prices.

What is the meaning of a lifestyle brand? Why are most luxury brands described as such?

A lifestyle brand is a brand produced by marketing different products within the same brand that can range from apparel to jewelry and perfumes. "Lifestyle brands rely on an enormous marketing machine to establish a convincing story and an identity strong enough to overcome the need for a historical reference" (116) . They lack the history and craftsmanship that a luxury brand was founded on as well as the heritage of the lifestyle from those times. A lifestyle brand is a brand that promotes a certain lifestyle and many luxury brands promote a wealthy lifestyle.

Explain how luxury brands seem to defy traditional marketing principles.

Luxury brands defy traditional marketing principles in many ways for instance they aim at a higher price point not only for the cost of the manufacturing process but to maintain an exclusivity in the market. Luxury brands are not meant to satisfy needs but to try and shape them. They are expected to be harder to acquire and purchased from the market, they are not mass-marketed. A luxury brand will never advertise sales and promotion but to promote the lifestyle instead of the product and its price. "The role of advertising is totally different. There is usually no sales proposal in luxury advertising. It is usually minimalist with a photo and logo and not much to say. Even more interesting, most of the ads may not be really targeting the luxury customer who is already aware of the brand, its products, and where to find it. In many ways, these ads target the “others” who are meant to be aware of the brand—even if they cannot afford it" (150).

Week Four BOC: Hawaiian Tropic

Hawaiian Tropic has been using the famous “bikini pageants” for thirty years to market their products and attract customers. The Hawaiian Tropic bikini pageants was introduced in 1969 but it has just announced that it will be retiring this contest, which since 2008 has been held in Australia. The company has been focusing on replacing this contest with a new search to attract their target market, which is women ages 18-34. This new contest will be held through their face book page. In this contest, contestants will be asked to fill out a character profile, in an aim to find the “woman who best embodies everything Hawaiian Tropic now stands for — beauty, confidence, style, enjoying the sun and keeping skin healthy.” The face book users will choose the winner who will win a vacation to Hawaii and be the spokeswoman in an advertising campaign.
“Bikini contests as a tactic just don’t resonate with our consumer and don’t fit with who the brand is now,” said Danielle Duncan, the brand manager for Hawaiian Tropic. The brand is trying to establish themselves as more than the bikini contest and focus on the qualities that their customers are looking for in a product. They have also started working more on the product to find benefits that will help with skin care like antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients especially their products that deal with sun care.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/business/media/that-hawaiian-tropic-scent-no-bikini-required.html

Final: Chanel classic flap handbag

Chanel's classic flap handbag is very popular among women all over the world it  has been reinvented many times to adjust to modern times and the fast pacing change in fashion. "The first flap handbag was introduced in February 1955 and was named 2.55 or 255 because of the date of its creation". When Karl Lagerfeld took over of the Chanel house he reinvented the flap bag by introducing the interlocking CC turnlock and later on introduced different sizes, leathers and fabrics to accommodate every season and fit the need of every woman.
"Alongside the Hermes Kelly, this is the most infamous, recognizable, chic and elegant piece of accessory history. Buying one is an investment not only financially but from a style perspective: this bag will never date and will always make you feel like a million dollars".
 -Louise Roe, Fashion Editor at Large, Glamour Magazine
"This bag speaks to women of all ages. Chanel's flap bag is essential in establishing yourself as a style icon. It's soft and sexy structure are everything!' -
Erica Domesek, Founder & CEO, P.S.- I Made This 
"To own a Chanel classic flap makes you feel that you are a part of something bigger than just a handbag. There is a sense of elegance, heritage and timelessness that you don't get from other brands. One must understand and appreciate the art form of this particular piece; I know I will have it forever"
-Kristy Rogerson, Founder & CEO, Operation Style

The pricing of this timeless handbag varies from country and fabric but expect to pay a good amount for the quality and significance it has to the fashion world. In my research I discovered that they are many options when wanting to buy this classic handbag. It has 6 different variations of size that ranges from: the mini Mine, Mini, Small. Medium/Large, Jumbo and the Maxi. "If you compare the prices from 2011 to the prices from 2012 you will see that almost every bag has had a price increase around 600-700 USD". The type of leather they use in creating these handbags is also important when you want to purchase one, for example there are two types of leather used lambskin and caviar. Of course because lambskin leather is super soft it is also very fragile and not as sturdy as caviar making it the more expensive. 

Week Three EOC: Discussion Questions

Chapter 3 Questions

Explain the VIP concept, and compare it to the traditional Four P's.

The VIP concept stands for value, identity and product mix. Value is the most important as it is the main proposal and ultimate reason for the purchase and existence of the product/entity. The identity refers to the brands personality and or visual identities or signals of the brand/entity. The product mix is the product and its attributes. The VIP is like the Four P's they both endorse the product as the core of the brand but the VIP adds the emotional values added to the product. Just like the Four P's its product mix is an integral part of the product but not the most important. "Evidently, the concept totally ignores the “brand” component and the emotional value created by the branding process" (Hamiede, 78).

Explain the concept of co-branding; give examples.

Co-branding is the practice of using multiple brand names to promote one single product or service. It is an alliance to promote the product or service by having two well-known brand names come together. "It can enhance a brand's image and allows the brand to appeal to a new market through its association with other successful brand's" (86). A few examples are Stella McCartney for Adidas, Diane Von Furstenberg for Roxy, and Versace, Roberto Cavalli and Karl Lagerfeld have all co-branded with H&M in the past years.

How do licensing and brand extensions compare as growth strategies.

Both licensing and brand extensions enhance the popularity of a well-known brand further. The licensing can achieve the same way brand extensions can just under a different way. Licensing is just allowing your name, logo, trademark to be put on a product or service. Brand extension is offering different products and services under the same brand umbrella. "This introduces new sources of revenue and market expansion when the licensor might not otherwise have had the expertise or financial capability to enter such markets" (88).