Advertising and Marketing Communications of Stella McCartney - Assignment Example

Situation analysis Internal analysis Stella McCartney first collection was shown in Paris in the year 2001. Being a vegetarian, Stella McCartney makes sure that she does not use any animal products in the production of his designs. Throughout the progress of the brand, Stella McCartney has always strived to avail stylish and luxurious alternative to brands that make use of animal products such as leather and fur. The brand’s achievement in the field of fashion has been acknowledged in a number of occasions. The brand’s partnership with Adidas which was first introduced in the year 2004 led to the brand’s involvement in the design of Olympic kits for all the competition for both Paralympic games and London Olympics in the year 2012 (Senker 2012, p. 101). Stella McCartney was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Arts London. Stella McCartney is a modern designer brand that is popular for wearable and aspirational. Stella McCartney’s collection includes accessories, women’s ready-to-wear, eyewear, lingerie, fragrance, and kids wear. This brand is clearly conspicuous due to the blend of femininity and masculinity with the signature style that is characterized by natural confidence and sharp tailoring. Ecological and ethical values seem to be the core of this brand. This brand does not use leather, exotic skins, or fur in its products (Ungs 2004, p. 97). However, the brand is well known for vast use of innovation and creativity. Their products are produced using bio-synthetic and organic materials. At the moment, the brand operates 23 different stores in various locations, including London’s BromptonCross and Mayfair, Paris’ Palais Royal, Los Angeles’ West Hollywood, Tokyo, and Milan. At the moment, the brand collections are now available in more than 50 countries through wholesale accounts that include department stores and speciality shops (Bingham 2005, p. 123). The brand has 600 wholesale accounts. However, the brand is also available in 100 couturiers through online sales. One of the communication efforts that have been used by the brand previously is scholarship of design students who adhere to the brand’s ethical perceptions. This has been particularly effective in raising awareness about the brand’s corporate value. The band would also introduce their products through online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, mobile application and partnership with department shops. These communication strategies have in a way worked well for the brand in the past. A good example of the application of the combination of these communication methods is during the introduction of the brand’s fragrance by the name L.I.L.Y. During this particular occasion, the brand made use of online platforms, mobile applications, and department stores partnerships. The brands corporate mission is to avail classy and luxurious fashion products that have the unique nature of not including any animal products in the designs. They have been able to do so since the brand has been able to give their customers a blend of both class and luxury with products that have no animal product in them. The brand’s corporate mission is to be able to encourage a vegetarian kind of lifestyle that still manages to be classy and fashionable (Lea-Greenwood 2013, p. 189). They have been particularly bale to achieve the goals through the collections that are recognizable under the brand and the scholarships that they give with the aim of promoting the brand’s ethical stand. Product characteristics The products that are produced by being fashionable and classy. However, Stella McCartney also makes sure that all the products that are produced under the brand are in accordance to the ethical standards of not using any animal products. These products are mostly bought through online channels. However, the brand also has a number of department stores in more than 50 countries. Most of the brand’s products are sold through online shops with customers from more than 100 countries being able to access the products through the internet (Easey, 2009, p. 211). At the moment the brand can be said to be very active in the United Kingdom and in the United states of America. This is because most of their stores are located in the UK and the US. However, many customers from other countries have been able to get their products through online shops whereby they have to make the booking, pay for them then the products are shipped to the customer’s shipped destination. However, sometimes they can refer their online clients to nearby departmental stores if in any case they have one close to the location where they want the products to be delivered. Competitor analysis Despite the fact that is known as one of the best ethical fashion brands it will face fierce competition in the process of accessing the Russian market. The brand is likely to face fierce competition from Vilda, Martin Avetisyan, and Kering . These brands are likely to be of direct competition because of the fact that they are also of vegan value. Apart from the vegan brands the other fashion brands that might offer competition in the Russian market include: Alena Akhmadullina, Chapurin, Dasha Gauser, and LesiaParamonova. Despite the fact that these brands are not vegan they are already well known in the Russian market (Saviolo & Marazza, A 2013, p. 163). However, the best way through which Stella McCartney can position themselves is by identifying themselves with classy women who are leading a vegetarian lifestyle. Because the brand produces classy and fissionable vegan women ready-to-wear clothes vegetarian women who are classy and affluent will definitely go for this brand. The good thing is that even their children will have something from the brand as the brand avails vegan children wear (Okonkwo 2010, p. 119). Most of the vegan brands that are available in the Russian market cannot boast about being able to produce both ready-to-wear classy women wear and children wear too. Most of the competitors in Russia use fashion blogs and fashion events in advertising their products. However, it has also been noticed that brands such as Chapurin and Lesia Paramonova makes use of product launches to create public awareness. However, product launch has been described by many analysts in Russia to be costly and ineffective (Kapferer& Bastien 2012, p. 154). However, it has also been observed that majority of fashion brands in Russia highly depends on social media for their marketing communication. Customer analysis Most of the potential customers described the brand as classy. Customers who were more concerned about the ethical values of the clothing and accessories that they use this were a perfect brand because they would always be certain that no animal products are used. Other customers believed that the availability of the products online also makes it convenient to them (Solomon& Rabolt 2004, p. 167). This was specifically observed in Russia given that the brand does not yet have a store in the country. The buying process is also convenient because the customers just have to pay to the producers through the internet then the delivery will be made directly. As for the stores it is much easier because the products can be received in real-time. Marketing communications objectives This marketing communication will basically be focused on informing the potential customers from Russia of the benefits that the products under this brand has to them. The communication campaign will basically dwell on the brand’s ability to discourage unethical use of animal products such as leather and fur in the production of fashion accessories and clothing (Fill 2006, p. 186). Given that the brand is a vegan brand it would be advisable for the campaign to dwell on the fact that these are products that has a very low frequency of use. Not everybody does buy fashion and luxury accessories, even those who buy them do not buy on a daily basis (Posner 2011, p. 209). It is also of importance to note that the campaign will take an emotional approach. Given the nature of the brand this will be the most applicable approach in this case. Marketing strategy– segmentation, target market and positioning Given the nature of the brand it will be obvious that in their entry to the Russian market, they will be targeting vegan women with some level of affluence. This is because the products are in most cases based on fashion and luxury. Non-vegetarians will not find emotional attachment to this brand. However, the brand will particularly be very attractive to vegetarian women who want to live a vegetarian lifestyle and the same time has the affluence to afford the brand (Choi 2014, p. 203). Therefore, in order maximize the profits from the Russian market the brand will launch a communication campaign that will appeal to this group of people through emotionally relating the brand’s mission and goals to the lifestyles of the targeted segment (Ormeño 2007, p. 167). The marketing strategy that is currently used by the brand can be said to have worked because it enables the production of products that are attractive to a certain segment, makes sure that members of the targeted segment from different parts of the world can access the products, promotional programs associated the brand to the lifestyle of the targeted segment, and the pricing is also in accordance with the kind of people who the brand targets (Okonkwo 2007, p. 142). Campaign strategy In this campaign the brand will use both push and pull strategies for marketing. The brand will open a number of stores in Russia so that their customers from the country can get somewhere they can go and buy the products. They will also use the push strategy in that customers will only have to book and pay for the products online, then the company will make sure that the products get to them (Rath Petrizzi & Gill 2012, p. 131). In this campaign the brand will also use a number of channels to make sure that they communicate with their customers and potential customers in Russia. The tools that will be used in this case include: public relations and online advertisement. Public relations will come through their scholarship program that had already been initiated in the UK and the US. By sponsoring design students who happen to share the same view as the brand the brand will be communicating the level to which they are passionate about making sure that the vegetarian lifestyle is enhanced (Mckelvey& Munslow2009, p. 198). This will convince their customers that this is more than just business to them. Online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook will be influential in letting the people of Russia know about the brand and its corporate mission ad goal. Implementation of the strategy and pitfalls -monitoring and control The possible shortcoming of the public relations strategy is that the high financial investments that are involved does not necessarily give an assurance of success of the communication campaign (Chitty 2011, p. 111). The company might be able to sponsor as many design students as they can but still fail to convince anyone rather than the students that they sponsor. The use of online marketing might be very beneficial in the process. However, the shortcoming is that most of their competitors have sued this tool and might not give the picture of anything new (Lent, Tour& Lent 2009, p. 172). However, it is of importance of the brand to test the campaign before launching it. In this case they will have to carry out a survey on the extent to which their targeted market uses and trust online marketing platform (Koekemoer & Bird 2004, p. 211). They will also have to evaluate the extent to which fashion and design students can influence fashion in Russia. During implementation the campaign will be monitored through a program that will seek to know exactly how the new customers got to know about the brand. Through this program the company will know which tool is beneficial to the brand and which one is not. With such information they might consider evaluating the tool with regard to the amount of resources that are spent on them and decide whether or not they should continue using the tool or not (Tungate, 2012, p. 213). If a tool brings less profit as compared to the amount of resources that are invested in it then it would not make sense to keep using the same tool. Bibliography Bingham, N 2005,The new boutique: fashion and design,Merrell, London. Chitty, W 2011, Integrated marketing communication, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, Vic. Choi, TM 2014,Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors Scientific Models,Imprint: Springer, New York, NY, Easey, M 2009, Fashion Marketing, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=7545. Fill, C 2006,Simply marketing communications,Financial Times Prentice Hall, Harlow, England. Kapferer, JN & Bastien, V 2012,The luxury strategy: break the rules of marketing to build luxury brands,Kogan Page, London. Koekemoer, L & Bird, S 2004, Marketing communications, Juta Academic, Lansdowne, South Africa. Lea-Greenwood, G 2013, Fashion marketing communications, Wiley & Sons, West Sussex. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1040816. Lent, Tour & Lent, R 2009,Selling luxury connect with affluent customers, create unique experiences through impeccable service, and close the sale. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=6166. Mckelvey, K & Munslow, J 2009,Fashion Forecasting,John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=28480. Okonkwo, U 2007,Luxury Fashion Branding Trends, Tactics, Techniques,Palgrave Macmillan, New York. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=370435. Okonkwo, U 2010,Luxury Online Styles, Systems, Strategies,Palgrave Macmillan, New York.http://www.SLQ.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=515042. Ormeño, M. O 2007, Managing corporate brands a new approach to corporate communication, Dt. Univ.-Verl, Wiesbaden. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8350-9599-1. Posner, H 2011,Marketing fashion,Laurence King, London. Rath, PM, Petrizzi, R & Gill, P 2012, Marketing fashion: a global perspective, Fairchild Books, New York. Saviolo & Marazza, A 2013,Lifestyle brands: a guide to aspirational marketing,Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke. Senker, C 2012,Fashion designers,PowerKids Press, New York. Solomon, MR & Rabolt, NJ 2004,Consumer behavior: in fashion,Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J. Tungate, M 2012, Fashion brands: branding style from Armani to Zara, Kogan Page Ltd, London. Ungs, T 2004,Paul McCartney and Stella McCartney,Rosen Pub, New York. Read More