These have been 2 attempts at customer profile boards. As well as these I have tried out websites but due to the fact that It has to go into the report an interactive/online CP board won't
work. After many design attempts I have come up with my final core customer board. All 3 customers (primary,Secondary, Tertiary) will be done in the same way with the same design.
The time has come for me to develop my customer profiles, and I want to do it an an innovative and creative yet informative way. For this I will research other ways companies have delivered their customer profiles.
Looking at creative ideas taking inspiration from designs rather than copying them. The first one is
I really like the idea of creating an info graph style customer profile board. This kind in particular instead of being a list I would do a diary. For example. 9am - Wakes up has a coffee on the go from starbucks. With a starbucks illustration. From one hour we have established she's busy, she is a starbucks customer and likes coffee. And so on until the end of the day. Then at the end or on the other side some text referring to her ACORN group, How much she earns, marital status, etc.
This second image is a screen shot from an info graph about colour psychology. My idea is to create each of the little boxes into parts of her life. Example: Her office at work, The bar/cafe she visits with her friends, Her bedroom/kitchen/living room, the park she goes to jog, etc.
At the XXvsXY trend conference they creatively showed their customer profiles in 2 steps. 1. A video of the actual person talking about their life, what they do, what they like, etc. 2. A cartogram showing objects from their every day life, however these carefully selected objects gave us a general idea of what the person is like, how much money they have, what they are in to.
This has inspired me to create some sort of interactive customer profile. With similar categories, you would click on each category to find out the full details about said category. For example : Drinking : I would include her favourite restaurants, food chains, international food she may like. when she eats out, if she cooks, what she cooks,etc. Although this style would be very informative and in-depth its a little impersonal.
I like this design because its very simple and simple designs are ones I usually sway towards however it may be a bit too basic in terms of information.
This Marketing week article - The new CSR, Explains how the old model is out and brands have to create a whole new outlook ok CSR. "What is the point of a business behaving well and responsibly if it does not actually generate more profit? " . With this starting sentence the article highlights the old model and everything it stands for. The article then challenges this showing that what is the point if we are not really doing good in the long run? Puma Chief Executive, Jochen Zeitz, comments on the whole idea of a new CSR model "saying that companies need to consider how to “do more good, not just less bad”. The article discuses how brands must take as many things as they can into consideration do overall do better for the environment and to create a sustainable future and consider short -term growth but long term sustainability. One of the business models they use to demonstrate this, is one I myself am very familiar with. The Marks & Spencer PLAN A. With their slogan "Plan A, because there is no plan B". With small things such as 5p carrier bags towards sustainable fish, recycling everything and anything from in store than can be recycled and not letting any vehicles go unloaded, it leads to a big impact. M&S Head of sustainable business Mike Barry, claims that although it took a while to see the benefits financially, they are definitely reaping the rewards after much hard work, an extra £50 million was made by the company in 2010. Although this article makes compelling points,and uses big brands such as Puma, M&S, Unilever and Coca-Cola to prove its successfulness, how could this work for a small brand with significantly smaller revenue? CSR is an evident trend in the market with the RSPCA now awarding retailers (of both General merchandise and good) for being ethical and sustainable. With these brands being some of recent winners : Fashion without fear
Global fashion giant ASOS scooped this year’s Innovation Award. Despite the online fashion and beauty retailer offering over 50,000 branded and own label products, they lead the way in developing and implementing an impressive animal welfare policy that covers wool, angora, cashmere, feathers and down; animal testing, as well as endangered species, fur, leather and exotic skins.
George at Asda was presented with the Large Fashion Company Award, while Izzy Lanescooped the Small Fashion Company Award for producing desirable, ethical high fashion at an achievable price. Eco-fashion label Rapanui was highly commended in this category.
Designer and co-founder of Red or Dead Wayne Hemingway, an RSPCA Good Business Awards fashion judge, said: “This proves the industry has run out of excuses. If a company as large as ASOS can bring so many labels and lines together under one ethical sourcing policy then there is no defence for others.” Source :http://www.goodthings.org.uk
One of the main issues with ethical clothing ( as mentioned in my first post) is that it tends to not look great of be fashionable. The general connotations to ethical clothing is hippieish, unfashionable, unflattering , not on trend. However with Designer Duchess I am to change that.
After assessing the brands budget and needs I have developed a CSR as follows. The fact its a fairly new brand with a low budget has to be taken into consideration:
Ethical values & Practice:
All of the faux furs that Designer Duchess supply are made in factories where
the workers receive a fair wage, so no worker goes exploited at any point in
the manufacturing procedure.
Designer Duchess will also limit the use of unrecyclable materials. The
packaging instead of using tissue paper will come in a voile bag for safe
keeping and the box it comes in is 100% recyclable. Environmental /Social concerns and actions: The brand will aim to raise faux fur awareness. This will help raise
awareness on faux fur availability and help consumers choose faux instead of
real fur. Many real fur coats come from animals who are close to extinction
and/or kept and killed in unethical ways. For this reason Designer Duchess will
partner up with animal rights group PETA.
After a lot of research I have come to gather that after many years of the fur VS faux fur debate hibernating it is about to come back with a bang. A/W 2013 runways showed that 69% of designers used real fur in their collections.
This does not close the door completely on faux fur because even though real fur is set for a comeback. 95% of british women claim that they wouldn't wear real fur in a study conducted by the RSPCA.
Source : http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/aug/01/fur-back-fashion-designers-wear
We have already started to see the heated fur vs faux fur debate reheat. The International Fur Trade federation launched a new fur campaign in september 2013 to which animal right activist group PETA opened fire. PETAs most well known anti fur campaigns are their anual "id rather go naked than wear fur" campaign featuring big name celebrities.
I recently attended the world famous trade show PURE. It was a great experience for me especially in terms of gaining trend awareness. While I was there I had a look at other faux fur brands and this post can be considered as an extension to my previous "competitors" post. Out of the hundreds of brand at Pure there where a mere 4 faux fur brands, one of which being Designer Duchess. I spoke to the UK leader of the brand however I already know him, so it was just to maintain a good relationship for work and final campaign purposes. The other 2 brands at Pure where Lello Pagnotta, and the Jayley collections. I managed to get a few primary images of their garments however they aren't great as you could only photograph if you where to buy so I had to be weary of not getting caught.
Lello Pagnotta:
This Italian brand has a website, however you cannot buy from it. You can only buy from a wholesaler. The website just offers information about the brand, in Italian with no english translation. However I have seen enough to understand what the brand is about. Its classic, timeless styles in incredibly authentic, great italian fabric. They also supply an array of products however seemed to specialise in accessories and outerwear such as gillets and coats.
JayLey promote both faux and authentic fur. they specialise in accessories such as hats, shawls, etc. The do have ponchos and other outerwear. Unfortunately I cannot get hold of price points as the website is for wholesalers only. They are quite fun with their garments with mismatch materials and bright colours and patterns. The only promotion they do is their website and attending other trade shows.
To establish how bit the gap in the market is, and to gain insight to the faux products industry ( which is a narrow industry to say the least) competitors must be looked at.
This LA originated brand, fights the corner of endangered animals with a whole list of non profit organisations to back them up. They create faux fur head pieces which are quirky and different and claim to get you in touch with nature and your wild side. I wouldn't describe spirit hoods as one of DD biggest competitors as they specialise in headwear and their style is very quirky whereas DD is more classic. Spirit Hoods' Promotion is basic. Their main promotion is social media marketing (SMM). They update their plethora of Social medias regularly from their youtube channel, to instagram, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and a blog.
They also send out weekly newsletters to registered emails. The second form of promotion is advertorials in magazines such as InStyle and online advertorials and articles such as maxim.com. Thirdly they rely on bloggers and celebrities to wear their product and write about them. Finally they have a number of charities and causes to which they support, all of which being animal welfare based. This heightens their animal cruelty free message which is their ESP (Emotional Selling Point).
This brand is primarily online however has one studio in its place of origin, Kentucky USA. They have a slightly older feel and supply a plethora of products from menswear, womenswear, children's wear, accessories and Home wear. It gives of the impression that its the kind of place mums and grandmothers go to shop. Maybe a little too old fashioned to the DD target market and therefore although a good brand with more products available than DD, the target market is slightly older. More comfort than fashion. In terms of promotion they do SMM on twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Youtube and have an email sign up for their customers can receive news letters and offers. They also do advertorials in magazines such as InStyle and VOGUE.
This faux fur brand also sells a large array for products however its not for just anyone to buy. Only wholesalers. For this reason it lessens its opposition to Designer Duchess. This brand presents its product as a mere product and not as anything fashionable, or lifestyle. The only promotion they have is their website
Shrimp has its own style as a brand. The furs they tend to go for are teddy bear furs (fur like a teddy bear has so thick and short) in an array of bright colours and styles. Their quirky image is new to the market and have amounted a good range of press coverage.
The fashion telegraph online claims that Shrimp is "the best faux fur around". Their innovative style and boldness is a big part of that. In terms of promotion , online articles and blogger/celebrities are a huge part of them up to now. Shrimp is a fairly new brand and event their website isn't finished. They do however take an active part in SMM on twitter, Facebook and Instagram and have their own blog.
I would say that Unreal Fur is Designer Duchess' biggest competition. Fellow Australian brand, whom launches in 2012, are also trying to emerge into the UK market. They have classic styles, colours and furs like Designer Duchess however they also have more trend focused furs, colours and shapes as well as menswear, and something called 'The big bang collection'. Their promotion is basic with SMM on Facebook and Twitter and a newsletter sign up. They have also had editorials and advertorials in high profile magazines such as Grazia.
Faux England:
http://www.faux.uk.com
I would describe Faux England as Designer Duchess' main UK competitor. The London brand started in 1919. Their faux furs are impecable and the offer a bespoke service. Everything is designed and made in the UK. Their product range is large with faux fur throws and home accessories to coats and other garments.They also have a wedding range. Their promotion consists of celebrities wearing the garments on high profile TV programmes such as the X Factor and films such as the James Bond films as well as SMM on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Pinterest. Finally they have also had advertorials in UK magazines such as 'Fabulous'.
After being able to back up my idea with suitable research I decided to look at the online market as well. As discussed in the previous post, the current Australian website doesn't (in my opinion) reflect the product or the brand accurately, so it made sense to think about a whole new website for the UK market.
My first idea with the website ( in terms of website features) was a virtual fitting room. In which the customer can either try a garment on a picture of one of the models or upload a picture of themselves.
The reason for this online service is because buying things online one can often not know the exact length, fit, etc of the garment and what is often the case is that it looks very different on a picture to what it does on. With such a specialist item such as a fur coat it is ver useful to know the measurements of the model in the picture and be able to compare it with the chosen garment on her (or the customer) in the virtual fitting room.
"Mintel’sFashion Online – UK – August 2013 found that one of the main barriers to shopping online is fit and consequently a quarter of women who have bought clothes online in the last 12 months are in favour of virtual fitting rooms that allow you to visualise what clothes will look like on.
People who shop online at Topshop stand out as being particularly interested in virtual fitting rooms. While the retailer has trialled virtual fitting technology in the past, it does not appear to offer this option at present. H&M has a virtual dressing room that lets browsers pick one of the featured models to wear the clothes, but it does not allow shoppers to input their measurements. Meanwhile, Warehouseoffered a service provided by Metail that allowed the user to enter their height, weight and bra size to create a 3D version of themselves onto which they can impose dresses"
Another benefit, according to Mintel, is "Key analysis: Interest in online fitting tools peaks among consumers who browse online but tend to buy in-store and finding a solution to the issue of fit could mean that more of these consumers complete their purchases online. Furthermore, returns are costly for retailers and helping customers select the correct fitting clothes will lower these return rates."
Below is something a chart by Mintel with reasons customers shop online. I have posted it to keep note when making the website to keep these features in mind when it comes to the logistics of the website.
“Thinking about your spending habits when buying for yourself, which, if any of the following items do you like to spend any extra money on (ie money you may have left once everything else has been paid for)? Please select all that apply.
People have become considerably more prudent with their money as a result of the recession. Over half of Britons, or an estimated 23 million adults, agree that they now buy items only when absolutely needed, as a direct effect of the downturn. Low price is the overriding factor when making purchases, with half of adults paying attention to prices, whilst only a fifth focus on quality and/or durability (seeBritish Lifestyles 2013: Examining the Legacy of the Economic Downturn – UK – April 2013).
It is very important to consider the economic climate and even though this campaign would take place in a/w 2015 or even 2016 the economic climate will still be the biggest factor in consumer behaviour, or at least its extremely likely. At least this study proves that outerwear ( the main product in Designer duchess) is the leader in sales.
Mintel's Womenswear 2013 report http://academic.mintel.com/display/638093/
in downloadable article "issues in the market" they claim that "Women aged 25-34 are forecast to grow by 8% to reach 4.5 million, and
will on the other hand provide new opportunities for the industry. These
females are buying clothes more often and there has been an almost
ten percentage point increase in those making purchases once a month
or more. This age group are most willing to pay more for a brand they
like, with three fifths of females aged 25-34 agreeing with this, meaning
that retailers hat have more premium sub-brands could benefit."
25-35 is (according to the brand) their core target market. Their secondary target market is 35-50. Mintel claim that the 45-54 consumer spend is also on the rise.
This information supports the idea that DD target market will buy at the time of release.
Mintel womenswear 2013 report section "What women buy" states that "Coats and raincoats have grown in popularity between 2011 and 2012 as coats have become more trend-led and have meant women are updating them instead of wearing last year’s style." With DD forte being coats this is definitely a good sign in terms of product demand. http://academic.mintel.com/display/663003/
This is the press release from Designer Duchess. The brand give off not only an ethical message but a very edgy street style vibe. This is accurately represented in the press pack and Look book. (selection of look book pages, but not all of them).
However the website doesn't really give of the same vibe. Although the way it is designed is simplistic, modern and chic,
the images used for the garments aren't styled well, the hair and makeup and model look basic and slightly amateurish and the images themselves give a cheap, tacky feel to the garments.
This is a misrepresentation of the product. Having seen, and felt the product it feels very genuine and its incredible quality but these images don't show that.
Here is another press release:
The tone and design of this piece I feel misrepresents the collection also. However the content is education and successfully puts the brand message across to the consumer.
At the current moment there are 2 strong concepts
in mind in terms of my final campaign. The 3rd concept is a little
less developed however worth pitching.
1.Designer Duchess
At my internship, I manage my own brand called
designer duchess. This Australian brand , that started in 2011, is rapidly
taking the world by storm with their strong brand values. DD (Designer duchess)
are passionate about animal wellbeing and are front liners in the battle
against using real fur in the industry. As an answer to this DD have designed
an amazing feeling faux fur range. Not only this, they use other materials to
substitute all other animal products such as leather and they make the garments
look really great. With their strong brand values and timeless brand style my
campaign would be a Launch campaign for the UK. Although they are stocked in
boutiques all around the country DD have yet to break the UK market. My
campaign aims would be to raise brand awareness as well as awareness for their
passionate cause.
2.Social Media takeover.
After researching through up and coming trends,
it seems that the Social media trend is here to stay for at least a few more
years. My idea is to embrace this to the max for a brand that heavily uses
social media such as topshop. The social media takeover will take place in
flagship stores and maybe only on certain lines in the stores depending on the
logistics. Some of the things included in this campaign are digital hangers
with how many likes and shares the garment has on social media. This already
exists in some stores in Brazil. With these kinds of ideas in mind it would
show that the brand is not only fun and creative, but leading the game in all
things technical ( which is a raging wars for many brands ).
3. Luxury Experience
Being interested in the luxury market my idea was
to create a sort of luxury experience for higher market brands. My brand in
mind is Burberry. From Burberrys promotion, POS, and VM one would get the
impression of a luxury brand yet it offers no super luxury services to its big
spending clients. My idea is to create a
luxury, personalized VIP experience for its elite customers. This would not
only keep up the brands luxury image but attract a high spending clientele.
These VIP sessions could involve tailoring, personal shopping, fine food
tasting or a mix of these three and other possible options. Having Discussed these ideas with my course leader I have decided to start my research with Idea number 1. Designer Duchess UK release Campaign.
