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Course title: BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing

Unit title: Fashion Communication FAM 113

Assignment title: Individual Project

Assignment tutor: Christine Hammond

Allowed word count: 2500 Words

Actual word count (excluding appendices and electronic front sheet): 2746

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Student Number: Q7981 8099 Student Name: Eve Fisher

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This assignment is my own work

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Fat Face Individual Project

Fashion Communication

Eve Fisher, Q7981 8099

BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing

Level 5

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Contents Page

Introduction 3

Situation Analysis 4

Marketing Objectives 20

Marketing Strategies 25

Marketing Tactics/ Methods 27

Marketing Method Visuals 29

Marketing Calendar 36

Marketing Budget 40

Evaluation of Methods in Relation to Marketing Objectives 42

Harvard References/ Bibliography 43

Communication Methods Research 47

Appendices 67

“Fat Face’s heritage is in the

outdoors and customers

associate it with wind, air and

snow, not formalwear, delicate

fabrics or fine knits.” Anthony

Thomas, Fat Face Chief

Executive

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Introduction

Fat Face History

Fat Face began in 1988, by two British adventurous friends who were travelling and currently staying

at the French Alps. They enjoyed travelling and wanted to pursue this lifestyle, however, money was

limiting their plans to do so. Tim Slade and Jules Leaver began selling t-shirts to fund their lifestyle,

with the brand values revolving around the idea that ‘Life is Out There’ and ‘Better a Bad Day on the

Slopes than a Good Day in the Office,’ suggesting that their lifestyles of surfing and skiing were far

more interesting and ambitious than leading a routine life with a dull office job. These bold

statements still apply to the brand today.

The brand continued to grow, as they now own 205 stores. Fat Face relies on their loyal brand

following, and has always emphasised the importance of relationship marketing to communicate to

their consumers. The brand aims to create an emotional attachment between the consumers, as the

values are aspirational and appeal to a particular lifestyle.

The brand targets consumers who are interested in and lead active lifestyles, with an emphasis on

British Heritage. However, the brand realised their consumers were becoming detached from the

brand as they grew older. Therefore, Fat Face recently underwent a repositioning programme. This

entailed changing the colours and fits of their products to aim for a younger demographic of the

ages 25-35. However, this failed at attracting this desired market, and alienated their loyal

consumers, now aged 40+.

Report Aims and Objectives

The aim of this report is to produce a successful integrated marketing communications plan in order

to attract their potential younger consumer, and retain the interest of their older loyal consumers.

By doing a situational analysis and establishing where Fat Face are positioned in the market, along

with a PEST and SWOT analysis to define the current market circumstances, the project aims to

identify marketing objectives, and

implement these using

marketing strategies, tactics

and methods. In order to

establish these factors

realistically, a marketing

calendar will be used to

identify key periods and events

to target the marketing

strategies, as well as an

allocated budget of £2m in

which all the objectives need to

be achieved.

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Situational Analysis

Current Positioning for Fat Face

This section of the report aims to look at

the current situation of Fat Face, and the

future of the company. There are many

factors to consider in depth, both

external and internal to establish how

the company is successful, and how they

could potentially be more successful by

meeting the demands of their market. By

analysing the company’s current

situation, clear conclusions can be made

and marketing objectives can be

developed and executed.

Market Share

Fat Face is an active lifestyle brand who is currently aiming for a new market aged 25-35, whilst

trying to retain their older loyal consumers. Fat Face has a very weak presence on the high street

with a small and minimal market share. In a Mintel report from 2011 that studies clothing retailing

and where consumers shop, Fat Face are not even acknowledged as a dominant high street retailer,

and in another Mintel report, 2011, that also looked at Sports Clothing and Footwear, Fat Face were

not even referred to, as well as the sports that Fat Face are traditionally associated with, such as

skiing and surfing. Fat Face has a very small market share and is trying to aim at such a wide

demographic, that they have alienated their older consumer and have lost focus of who the Fat Face

consumer is. Brand awareness appears to be low, due to little information about the company and

their consumer available. Competitors in casual wear, brand values, and target market have

dominated the market share Fat Face could potentially own, either due to more advanced

marketing, better execution of the four P’s, or a better knowledge of the target market and their

demands. In order to gain market share, Fat Face need to implement a strong integrated marketing

campaign to attract their desired younger audience, whilst listening to what their older consumers

want in terms of product and service. By developing brand awareness and building market share, the

brand will eventually be more favourably perceived by their consumers.

The Four P’s in Fat Face

The four P’s refer to product, price, place and promotion, which provide a basis for the marketing of

any company. Getting these four aspects accurate to the consumer’s demands and needs is essential

to the efficiency of a fashion business. Fat Face is currently struggling within their target market. By

observing how they operate price, product, place and promotion can help determine changes that

need to be met in order to meet the demands of the market.

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Product Fat Face have repositioned their products recently to cater for a younger market of 25-35 year olds, who tend to lead active lifestyles and demand clothing that provides this. Their product strengths include robust, durable, high quality, practical and comfortable. However, the weaknesses include the lack of products associated with the active values of the brand, such as board shorts and wet suits, the lack of fashion, a change to slim fit (that the older consumers disliked) and lack of variation. Fat Face is currently working on a number of projects to help improve the lives of the people who make their products, as being ethical is important to them. Fat Face claim they produce ‘Products with Purpose’ with an emphasis on high quality and attention to detail, as well as designing for ‘real people with active lifestyles’ and using healthy models to promote a realistic body shape. They are also trying to use less harmful dyes and chemicals in the production of their clothes, and have even started using bamboo fabric in their socks. According to the reviews placed on reviewcentre.com, it is clear to see a loyal consumer base, as many comment on how they have shopped at the brand for years and how they love the brand, with comments on how robust the clothing is and how the quality is high. However, there are a couple of negative comments made about faulty items which broke very quickly. The review centre will essentially be biased though, as consumers are more influenced to write a review from a negative experience as opposed to a positive experience. As a general observation, Fat Face promote themselves as an active lifestyle brand, but do not cater products specifically for the activities they suggest consumers are interested in, for example, backpacks, board shorts and wetsuits for consumers who enjoy sea and water sports. These products are not within the product mix, whilst competitors such as Volcom and Animal do supply these. This instantly loses Fat Face precious market share, as well as suggesting the products are not being particularly exciting and ambitious and suffer from a lack of choice. Fat Face currently (April 2012) sell 342 products for women, 162 products for men, 79 for girls and 56 for boys, showing a greater market for

Place Fat Face has over 200 stores across the British Isles. They have not expanded into the rest of Europe, Asia, America or Australia, where they could have a potential market. It appears that despite having a strong UK presence with many stores spread across the country, accessible to a wide audience geographically, that brand awareness is generally low. Pure Play: The Fat Face online channel is poorly designed as well, with dull graphics and fonts, lots of unused space, and the logo appears very small. There could be huge improvements by making the website easier to use, by making it easier for consumers to envisage products, as well as more obvious links to the interactive features, such as their ‘Live In It’ page which features their iPhone App, videos, ad campaigns and competitions. It needs to be more visually stimulating and representative of the company, as it fails at gaining the interest and attention of the consumer. Bricks and Mortar: Fat Face typically are very creative and inspirational when it comes to visual merchandising, with accessories and props reflecting the brand values of an active lifestyle. Window displays have previously featured buckets and spades, boats and buoyancy aids, and stores are aesthetically accurate of the brand. Every product is presented neatly and the stores use spotlight lighting to highlight the most popular ranges. The decoration is very authentic, and has connotations of a beach hut, such as the dark wooden flooring, wooden storage such as shelves, and wooden hangers. The store is typically filled with promotional images and captions. Catalogue: Fat Face also offers a catalogue facility, as a method of distribution, which presents products visually and is designed to meet the needs and demands of their older consumer. The catalogue is effective at promoting the products, and also allows consumers to browse in their own leisure time. Concession: They also run concession stores within John Lewis, which is successful as John Lewis have a similar consumer demographic (ABC1, 25-50 years old, men and women). Generally, Fat Face successfully visually expressed the values, themes and aspirations of the brand in store, and their stores are

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women. widespread across the UK making them very easily accessible. Fat Face have successfully used place in the marketing mix to maximise profits.

Price Price is an important factor considering the recession and the rise in price for cotton and fuel. An item of clothing clearly needs to be of a certain price if the consumer wants a product to be ethically sourced and produced. By ethically sourcing a garment, the cost price increases. Then the price of cotton and shipping charges has raised which impacts on the retail selling price of a garment. On reviewcentre.com, a few consumers commented that although they loved the brand and had been loyal consumers for years, however they believed it was a little bit overpriced, despite acknowledging the high quality of the product. According to the Guardian (2011), in the year ending 31st May 2010, Fat Face were selling more discounted items than full price ones for the first time in history, due to the recession and rising prices. Consumers maybe perceiving the brand as being too over priced, even though they still want to purchase from the brand and consume the lifestyle offered. In order to maintain the perceptions of the brand, and to meet the demands of the consumer, effective sales promotions such as discounts, special offers and sales will attract consumers and encourage spending, without lowering the value of the brand. Entry Price: £1.50 (Entry prices tend to be sale items, accessories, socks and jewellery) Mid Price: £20 (Mid prices tend to be t-shirts, swimwear, cardigans, dresses and beachwear) Exit Price: £220 (Exit prices tend to be coats, jackets, trousers, shoes, maxi skirts, shirts, jumpers and gilets)

Promotion Fat Face is currently trying to build brand awareness in an attempt to attract new loyal consumers, which if done effectively, will gain more market share and will boost the profits and reputation of the brand. Above the Line: Above the line promotion refers to any promotion that reaches a mass audience, for example advertising. Fat Face tend to avoid the corporate perception by rarely pursuing above the line methods, however, with poor market share these methods could attract their ideal demographic as well as building awareness for the brand. Below the Line: Below the line focuses on more niche tactics, which Fat Face dominantly pursue through the use of as email newsletters, social networking, online competitions, events, short films, look books, and catalogues. They also use Sales promotions, which currently include 2 polo shirts/ t-shirts for £45 on selected item for menswear, 2 t-shirts for £35 on selected t-shirts for women and 2 kids’ tees for £18 on selected styles (Fat Face, 2012). According to Pete Crowe, head of IT at Fat Face, “We don’t advertise, we use word of mouth or PR.” This explains why they are trying to generate word of mouth with their strong presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where they personally reply to their loyal consumers. Fat Face use a number of communication methods to promote the brand. Even though event marketing is fantastic for their target consumer, there is very little above the line promotion for their events. They also have very little press coverage, so increasing public relations promotional strategies could contribute to increased brand awareness. However, they currently have 39,828 Facebook likes, whilst competitor Gap have 2,358,065 which essentially shows that they need to build their consumer base and advertising is the most effective promotional method for building awareness.

After observing the marketing mix of Fat Face, it is clear to see that building brand awareness and

attracting their desired younger consumer are their main objectives. Assessing the strengths and

weaknesses will help determine for the company what changes need to be made, what can be done

to make these changes via an integrated marketing communications programme, and what

strengths need to be retained throughout this process in order to secure their older, loyal consumer.

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Consumer Base

Fat Face prides themselves on having a strong, loyal consumer base. However, in the past 2-3 years,

Fat Face attempted to re-position the company in order to attract a younger consumer between the

ages of 25-35, as they realised that they needed to attract a new generation whilst retaining their

loyal consumer who had grown older with the brand. The brand eliminated the previous bestsellers

from their range, and opted for bolder colours and changes to the cut to make the products more

slim fitting, due to the current trends of the time. However, marketing was poorly executed in

attracting the new generation consumer, and the older consumers became alienated and stopped

buying from the brand. The brand now wants to re-position itself within the casual wear market, to

attract the new generation consumer and win back the loyal, older consumers. As research has

indicated though, there is a poor awareness of the company, especially to younger consumers,

market share is low, and the market Fat Face caters is fairly small.

The brand follows the idea that ‘Life is Out There,’ with the phrase of ‘Better a bad day on the slopes

than a good day in the office.’ The brand is designed to appeal to people who pursue an active

lifestyle of alternative sports, with a strong emphasis on British Heritage.

The demographics of the consumer are 25-35 for the new generation consumer, of ABC1 social

group living in the UK, dominantly in the South West. The older consumer is around 40 years old.

The consumer has a well-paid job and is successful, as they can afford active holidays and travelling

(the prices set by the brand also suggest this). They are typically educated with a family, possibly

young children.

The psychographics of the consumer is that they lead an active lifestyle, with a demand for high

quality robust clothing to suit this, as well as a high interest in sport and travelling. The Fat Face

consumer tends to be in a relationship, possibly with young children, who are very social and have a

wide group of friends with similar interests. They have traditional values and are friendly and

approachable.

The consumer buys from Fat Face as they demand the quality, robust clothing that Fat Face provides

them. They buy the product for every day casual wear that serves the purpose of being functional,

yet retains a sense of style. They choose Fat Face over their competitors because they prefer the

style of clothing and the high quality materials means the products will last longer. They typically

shop by visiting the store, or the John Lewis concessions, using the pure play channel, and the older

consumers use the catalogue facility that Fat Face offers to them.

Sarah Jones, who visually designs for Fat Face, has proposed the past dominant Fat Face consumers:

Sassy: (Aged 25-35) She’s single but dates, she has a good career, believes in function over

fashion, does not wear makeup and loves the outdoors

Vicky: (Aged 35-50) Vicky is married with kids, drives an Audi, is successful in her career. She

is still active in her later age.

Max: (Aged 25- 35) Max is in a relationship; he is interested in extreme sports and wants his

clothes to be functional. He goes on active holidays regularly to indulge his hobbies

Ben: (Aged 20-30) Ben is a young professional who is dating, and enjoys beach holidays and

wants his clothes to be functional to his lifestyle.

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Charlie: (Aged 30- 58+) Charlie is married with kids. He is established, and has a strong

interest in sailing and wants his clothes to have a high quality.

However, Fat Face now follow the idea that “It’s an attitude, not an age!” therefore emphasizing on

the psychographics and interests of the consumer rather than their age and demographics. Their

consumer follows the ideas of an active lifestyle and the brand ethos.

Pen Portrait of the Fat Face Consumer

Tim

The Fat Face consumer is called Tim. He is 35 and married, with two young children. Tim gained an education and has always been interested in travelling the world, being active, surfing and skiing. After his education he became a journalist where he got the opportunity to travel. Tim then met his wife travelling and they settled down and had children. With their incomes, they have enough money to go on two active holidays a year, which could entail surfing, skiing, walking, climbing, cycling or rafting. Tim has always been brought up with good values, with a sturdy family unit. Tim prefers function over fashion, but still wants to maintain a sense of style to an extent. Tim generally is impulsive and adventurous, not wanting to ever work in the office or a routine job. He has a desire to explore the world, see new sights, experience new things, and to make the most of his life. Tim also has a lot of friends, who tend to join him on his travels. He is very social and loyal to the people close to him. Tim lives in Newquay in Cornwall, as this enables him to go to the beach regularly and enjoy the countryside. At the weekend, he will usually go for a long walk with the family dog along the seafront. As Tim leads an active lifestyle, meaning he needs robust, long lasting, high quality clothing that will withstand his energetic way of life, which also provides him with a sense of style and class. Tim has always been willing to spend more money on a product that he believes will be functional for a long period of time. Fat Face fulfils his needs and suits his lifestyle choices.

Sally

Sally is 26 and a young professional. She graduated university and had a gap year for travelling, where she discovered her love of extreme sports, such as rafting, kayaking, snowboarding and surfing. She has always been a popular girl who is charismatic, and has a large group of loyal friends. Each year they go on holiday to places which are famed for surfing and skiing, such as the French Alps and Costa Rica. Sally goes on the occasional date, as she plans on settling down and having children in the upcoming years. Sally has a strong family, and usually goes sailing and fishing with her father. Sally hates staying indoors, as she has a huge sense of adventure. She grew up in Southampton but moved to Bournemouth to be near the beach. Sally wants her clothes to look flattering and stylish, as well as being comfortable and highly practical and functional to her outdoor needs. Fat Face provides her with this, as the clothes serve the purpose of being stylish and practical.

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Competitor Analysis

Fat Face is a varied brand, focusing on casual wear, sportswear, style, practicality, quality, durability,

as well as aiming the brand for such a wide demographic in terms of age. Therefore, they may not

have many direct competitors who offer everything similar; instead, they have competitors who

have similar products, similar target markets, similar values and similar prices.

Perceptual Map

The perceptual map shows how companies are perceived, by price and brand focus. All these brands

could threaten Fat Face by either dominating the potential market share, or by offering better

products are services to fulfil the needs of the consumer. Therefore, competitors can be

distinguished in three ways: the competitors of casual wear, the competitors of brand values, and

the competitors of demographics. Fat Face traditionally aims for 25-45 year olds, as well as revolving

the brand around an active lifestyle with an emphasis on British heritage. By observing the

competitors, it is easier to distinguish what Fat Face needs to do to keep up with the ever changing

market, and what methods are most effective for communicating with their consumers.

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Competitors in Casual Wear

Gap: Gap specialise in casual wear, as does Fat Face, and offer many similar products at a very similar price and quality. The main difference between the two companies is that Gap does not aim at an active/ sportswear market, as their brand values and products revolve around the broad idea of casual wear, which is comfortable and high quality as well as flattering and stylish. Gap targets for the 25-35 year olds market despite originally designing for a younger generation.

Hollister: Hollister is an American lifestyle brand, sister company of Abercrombie and Fitch, that specialise in casual wear clothing. The brand emphasizes Californian culture with their products inspired from beach wear and surfing fashion and aims their brand at a much younger audience than Fat Face, by targeting 14-24 year olds. The price is high, usually with the expectation that the parents will buy the clothes for their teenage offspring or that students will buy the clothes using their loans. The brand has grown fast and has achieved a reasonable market share, as well as becoming a fad amongst the younger generation. Fat Face poses a similarity to this brand in terms of casual wear and taking inspiration from surf wear, however Hollister is far more aspirational simply because they aim at a younger market and California is more associated with surfing lifestyles than Britain.

Weird Fish: Weird Fish began as a small business venture with an aim to build long lasting, high quality clothing which is comfortable and flexible. Their products are similar to Fat Face, and the brand is aimed at people with active lifestyles. Their unique selling point is the supply of Macaroni, a fabric which is known to be very durable but not expensive to manufacture. Prices are similar to Fat Face, aimed at an age group of 35+, however they have less brand awareness than Fat Face, and also rely on their loyal consumers to keep the business operating.

Competitors in Brand Values

Animal: Animal is a lifestyle brand that sells apparel for surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, kite surfing and mountain biking. The brand is very similar to Fat Face, in terms of products, marketing, brand values, target market and price. The company focuses on providing apparel for surfing, and also emphasizes the British heritage values that Fat Face also shares. The target market is not really defined by age, but more by psychographics and lifestyle. Animal use very similar promotional images to Fat Face, usually shown on beaches, with similar looking models. The products are very similar in terms of style, quality and comfort. However, the main competitive advantage that Animal has over Fat Face is the product mix. Animal are aware they are aiming their products for an audience that leads an active lifestyle, so they sell products relevant to the lifestyle of their consumer, such as ski pants, coats designed for snow climates, wetsuits, board shorts, surf boots and surf caps. Therefore, Fat Face should introduce products that support the ideas and values of the brand, outside casual wear.

White Stuff: White Stuff is a lifestyle brand which began very similarly to Fat Face, with two travellers selling products in the French Alps. White Stuff has slightly shifted focus now, moving from the active wear market to the casual wear market. The price is slightly more expensive than Fat Face, aiming at a middle class market, and by observing the

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reviews on White Stuff, it is clear it is dominantly a women’s wear brand and the target age group is 35+. The brand has little awareness, and relies on their loyal consumers to sustain the business, similar to Fat Face. Their products are made to a high quality, and similarly to Fat Face, White Stuff is beginning to emerge in John Lewis, which could threaten Fat Face and their market share.

Volcom: Volcom are a surfing and skating lifestyle brand. They have a global presence, and attract a wide geographic audience, as well as all age groups. The brand operates more on the interests of the consumer rather than the demographics, and has an essence of fashion mixed with the practicality that their consumers demand. The pricing is slightly higher than Fat Face, due to the brand having huge awareness and loyalty as well as supplying quality clothing designed with a high durability. The brand also sells more products than Fat Face, such as board shorts and snow wear, which gives them higher market share and brand recognition.

Quiksilver: Quiksilver follows similar brand values to both Fat Face and Volcom. They are an active lifestyle brand that aim for a wide demographic. As they are a global brand, their products are more expensive than Fat Face with a slightly higher quality. Quiksilver also supply products for their target market, such as ski and snow accessories, as well as wetsuits and board shorts to cater for their surfer community.

O’Neill: O’Neill is a globally recognised surfing brand. Their products are designed for any consumer who has an active interest in surfing, selling a wide range of apparel, wetsuits, surf boards and board shorts. Fat Face aim for the whole active lifestyle demographic whilst this brand is specific to surfing. O’Neill has a similar price to Fat Face and a high quality.

Rip Curl: Rip Curl is also a well established surf brand, aiming the brand for people who have active lifestyles and enjoy surfing. They also sell similar products that are durable, with less emphasis on fashion and style compared to Fat Face. Rip Curl has diversified by selling surf boards and mountain wear for cyclists and mountain climbers. This brand shares the same values as Fat Face but is different in the sense of the product mix, and also that Rip Curl own more market share and have established themselves globally.

Competitors in Demographics

Next: Next is a popular fashion high street brand that aims for 25-50 year olds. Their products are designed with style in mind, as well as quality and durability. However, as Next take a fashion approach to the brand, they do not present the same practicality and functional purpose as the products Fat Face produce. Fat Face aim for an active lifestyle, whilst Next aim to supply fashion for their demographic. Next tends to be cheaper than Fat Face, as the products are designed for the season and fast fashion rather than a lifetime investment. Despite the brands being very different in terms of values and ethos, Next appeal to the same demographic and own a large proportion of Fat Face’s potential market share.

Debenhams: Debenhams, similar to Next, also aim for the same demographic as Fat Face, by targeting anyone from the ages of 25-50.

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With so many ranges and designers within Debenhams, it is clear that their focus relies in fashion rather than practicality. The brands are very different, even though the quality is similar, and the price range varies hugely in Debenhams depending on the designer. However, Debenhams will still threaten Fat Face as they dominate the market share for 25-50 year olds.

Marks and Spencer: Marks and Spencer have always had the assumption that they aim for an older target market, 40+. However, Marks and Spencer are aiming for a slightly younger market (25+) more recently, in an attempt to dominate the market share. Marks and Spencer focus on quality for value, so essentially their products are of a lower price and lower quality. Similarly to Debenhams and Next, who typically specialise in casual wear and fashion conscious consumers, Marks and Spencer’s is dominating the market that Fat Face wants to expand into. They pose as a threat to Fat Face and their potential to increase growth and gain market share.

Fat Face may not have many direct competitors, but in terms of the brand culture, demographic and

casual wear market, there are quite a few who dominate the market and have more market share

than Fat Face. For any company it is essential to understand what competitors are doing, and

offering a better service than them in order to grow is important. Many active lifestyle brands sell

equipment, apparel and accessories which cater for the activities their consumer pursues, which Fat

Face do not do, instantly giving them a competitive disadvantage. Even though it is realistic to aim at

a younger market, the products Fat Face supply will not necessarily appeal to a younger market. The

brand is perceived as older, so an integrated communication programme would need to build

awareness, challenge consumer perceptions and introduce new product lines which appeal to the

Fat Face consumer.

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The External Market and Fat Face: PEST Analysis

Political A Rise in Unemployment: Graduates, which are at the younger end of the scale for the ideal Fat Face consumer, are struggling to find careers after gaining their degrees. According to the Daily Mail, 2012, there are on average 48 applicants per graduate vacancy, meaning there will be a lot of disappointment within the job market, and that employers are claiming no matter what degree an applicant has, there is a very small chance that they will attain a career without any work experience. This has therefore increased the ‘backlog’ of graduates who have been trying for a number of years to try and gain a well paying job, which means that the younger consumers of Fat Face will have less disposable income.

The Rise of VAT for 2011: VAT rose from 17.5% to 20% in January 2011, which meant that every item purchased increased in price by 2.5%. This would have a significant impact on the economy, and will therefore decrease the amount of disposable income of consumers. This will essentially change perceptions and attitudes towards buying fashion, meaning that value retailers will potentially gain more market share. Ed Miliband, the current leader of the labour party, estimated that the rise in VAT would cost the average household approximately £7.50 per week (Retail Gazette, 2011). According to the Centre of Retail Research, retailers would be hit hard with the rise of VAT, with sales expected to have dropped by £2.2 billion in the first quarter of 2011, and household income was expected to suffer by £520 on average. 50% of consumers claimed they would spend less due to the VAT rise (Retail Gazette, 2011). With a general reluctance to spend, the fashion retailers will suffer which potentially will affect Fat Face’s profits and market share, as value retailers gain an increased market share.

Changes in Tax Credits and Child Benefits in 2012: Child Tax Credits were recently cut in 2012. Previous to this, any parent, despite income and working status, were always entitled to some form of child benefit. However, if a family has one child and a household income of £26,000, they will not be eligible for it, and if they have two children, this limit goes up to £32,200. Working Tax Credits has also been changed for couples with children. Prior to these changes, couples that were responsible for children, with one partner working at least 16 hours a week could gain working tax credit. Single parents have not been affected by these changes. The new changes imply that if you are a couple with children, then their joint working hours needs to be at least 24 to qualify. This means that if both people are working, their joint hours need to be at least 24, with one doing 16 hours a week, or that if only one works, they need to do at least 24. If this is not the case, then the working tax credit has been cut. As the Fat Face demographic is 25-35, then 40+, then the chances of their consumers being affected is quite high. Many of their consumers will have children, and with their benefits being cut, will lower their household income which will mean they will have less disposable income for clothes. According to the Guardian, around 212,000 working couples with children will be affected, losing £4000 a year in tax credit. This will have a dramatic effect on families, and is likely to lead to consumers to shop at cheaper stores, which poses a threat to the company and their high price points.

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Economic A Rise in Cotton Prices: Cotton is a dominant fabric used to manufacture Fat Face’s products, as it is easy to move in, it is comfortable and it is soft, making it the perfect fabric for an active lifestyle brand. CBS News claims that cotton prices doubled from November 2010 to April 2011, and The Daily Mail suggested that clothing prices were set to rise in the US by 10% in 2012 due to the increase in prices for cotton. This could inevitably cause a severe drop in profit from Fat Face, by increasing the cost price of cotton garments, which means the consequences could include an increase of the retail selling price, or a loss of profit. The rise in clothing prices due to rising prices of cotton could discourage the consumer from buying a garment, as there will be a noticeable difference, which will have a negative impact to the company’s profits.

The Recession: The recession has hit the economy hard, resulting in people losing jobs, having less disposable income, and becoming extremely cautious over what they buy. The recession has mainly changed consumer’s buying habits, with a greater emphasis on value and quality. According to the Mintel report written in 2010, Fashion: The Impact of the Recession, claimed that value retailers performed well with young people due to their carefree attitude to the recession, as well as over half of the consumers not cutting back on clothing in 2009. Over a quarter of consumers surveyed were willing to spend more on clothes which would last longer, showing a demand for quality, and even though four in ten people spent less than they usually would in 2009, they still continued to buy clothes. One in five 25-34 year olds also intended to increase their clothing expenditure in 2010, which is Fat Face’s target market, which shows this age group is developing an increased desire to spend during the recession. The recession has also made consumers less impulsive with their purchases, as Mintel also suggests that nearly three in ten consumers are buying fewer clothes and products as a treat or an impulse buy. This highlights the importance of brand awareness and loyalty. Fat Face operate a brand which began as a small business attracting many different consumers who all had a passion to be active, so ensuring they give their older generation consumers what they want to sustain the brand loyalty is crucial.

Rising Fuel Prices: Rising fuel prices have been a huge economic issue for a number of years. Between January and March 2012, crude oil charges rose by 12%, reaching 140.20p per litre. In addition to this, the tanker drivers are threatening to go on strike which has resulted in an increased chance of petrol to grow in price and for delivery charges to enhance. This will affect the fashion industry due to shipping costs, from manufacturers to the retail stores, as well as delivery costs within the pure play channel. Importing and exporting goods will significantly increase costs for all fashion companies.

Social The Rise of Social Networking: Within recent years, developments within technology have changed the way people communicate. The internet has become more widely used across the world, therefore creating the opportunity for social networking to be used by the entire world to communicate. The concept originally began with chat rooms and email and has now developed into more innovative ways to communicate, such as the ‘Facebook’, ‘Twitter’, and ‘MySpace’ phenomenon which all allow users to chat, message, share information about themselves, upload photos, share links and videos and update statuses. At the end of December 2011, Facebook had 845 million monthly active users (Facebook, 2012). This

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innovative, exciting online community has provided many companies a tool to communicate with and update their consumers with the latest news, which is an ideal promotional method. Fat Face are involved with social networking, as they promote the brand by sharing the ideas and values of the brand, justifying the active lifestyle perceptions of the brand, updating the consumers with news and updates, as well as engaging the consumers by involving them in competitions, events and sales promotions. Fat Face usually personally responds to their consumers on Twitter, and listens to their input. This essentially builds a strong bond between the brand and consumer and increases the sense of community that the brand offers. Social Networking is used as a communication method by Fat Face to build brand loyalty with a focus on relationship marketing.

A Larger Demand for Ethical Fashion: Consumers are increasingly concerned about how and where their clothes have been produced, manufactured and how ethical a company is. The fashion industry is filled with scandals about exploiting employees, mistreating suppliers and enforcing child labour. Therefore in recent years there has been a huge demand for the fashion industry to enforce Corporate Social Responsibility and improve their ethics. Mintel conducted a report into Ethical Fashion in 2009, and results from this showed that 60% of consumers believe it is important for a company to act ethically, and a huge 45% of consumers claiming they would not buy from a company that they disapprove of (Mintel, 2009). This suggests that within the fashion market, it is important for a company to be perceived as ethical, in order to portray the positive values of the company and to not ‘taint’ the brand with an unethical image. Fat Face claim they run a ‘Code of Conduct,’ which reinforces the brand values of being active and making the most of life, being ethical, and to always work closely with suppliers to ensure they are treated fairly. Fat Face also claims they are working on projects to implement a better life for their employees, which will be updated on their website (Fat Face, 2012).

Rise in Blogging: The fashion consumers of today are interacting more socially using technology, and with the rise of blogging, which is essentially an online diary, fashion conscious consumers can write about their favourite brands, fashion news and events that have attained their interest, as well as post outfits. Many people ‘follow’ these bloggers, as they have a desire and aspiration to dress in a similar style, and it provides inspiration for fashion and achieving a desired look. Bloggers typically break down all the products they are wearing, by writing the brand and occasionally the price. Some fashion companies have began to commission famous bloggers to wear their products in order to promote them and encourage sales from the followers. Websites such as Chictopia and LOOKBOOK serve a purpose of viewing innovator’s styles and outfits. As Fat Face serve an active community, an opportunity is present; to commission iconic sport and leisure icons to wear their products to cause a boost in sales.

Technological Developments in the Pure Play Channel: The pure play channel has been a well established selling method for a number of years; however, it is fairly recent to some retailers. Pure play is a widely used medium within the fashion industry, and is important for encouraging impulse and treat purchases during the recession. As people are working more and have less leisure time, internet shopping provides an easy convenient way of shopping. Competition is strong though, so not only should a fashion

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company own a website to sell their stock, but it should be highly developed, interactive and easy for the consumer to use. If the website is dull, consumers will have no incentive to browse, which causes lost purchases. According to Mintel, clothing and footwear outperformed any other industry online, with 34% of consumers purchasing clothing and footwear online in the three months leading until October 2010 (with a 26% increase from the previous year) (Mintel, 2011). Fat Face have a strong weakness in their pure play channel, as it is not very exciting, easy to use, and there is a lot of unused white space. The website should be interactive in order to entertain the consumer, as well as visually enticing to maximise the profits of this channel. As the recession has caused panic and worry over spending, consumers use the internet as a research tool to seek the best offers and deals, and as well as convenience and the ability to shop at any time the consumer wants, the buying habits of the modern day consumer need their demands to be met by the company.

Search Engine Optimisation: This technology allows companies to find out what phrases are being searched into a search engine, how many people are searching for a word or phrase, and how high the competition is to optimise the search so that a company’s website is the first web page seen. When phrases about surfing, activities and clothing are placed together, Fat Face rarely comes up. It has become an effective marketing tool in building awareness, as typically a consumer will search for something and click on the first page of links. In order for a company to be noticed, and to build brand awareness and to increase online traffic to the pure play channel, search engine optimisation is a fairly cost effective method to do this. By gaining more online traffic, the consumer can then browse the website which could inevitably boost sales. Fat Face needs to have a more dominant online presence. Their competitors, such as Hollister, Vans, Volcom and White Stuff are getting far more visitors and are appearing more frequently than Fat Face, meaning they all have more market share. To change this, Fat Face should optimise searches around activities, clothing, surfing, and events in order to attract their target consumer.

Smart Phones: The technology of smart phones is becoming increasingly evolved. Smart phones do not have an official definition, but usually involve innovative internet technology which allows users to access the internet, download applications, instant message and connect with social networking. By the end of 2011, 41% of the UK population owned a smart phone, with 37% of adults and 60% of teenagers claiming they were “addicted” to their smart phones, showing great enthusiasm for the product (Mintel, 2012). As this new innovative technology improves communication, the fashion industry has begun using it to their marketing advantage. With consumers downloading apps regularly, fashion applications are being explored by many companies and 27% of people with a smart phone download and use apps suited for their lifestyle (Mintel, 2011). As Fat Face is a lifestyle brand, a mobile phone App could target the interests of their demographic. Fat Face has recently released an iPhone App which allows consumers to find a store, see the latest offers, and also view a list of activity ideas. According to the Mintel report (2011), men are more likely to download apps with sporting apps being a preference. This poses a great opportunity for Fat Face to develop their app that considers the sporting and active interests of the consumer.

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SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

Strengths

Robust and Durable Clothing: Fat Face believe that in order to pursue the active lifestyle market, that their clothes should be high quality, long lasting, durable and robust. During a recession, where consumers are looking for quality and value and investment pieces, Fat Face has met the needs of the consumer.

Loyal Following: Many Fat Face consumers have been loyal to the brand for years. According to a Mintel report, 2010, four in ten consumers bought their clothes from 2 or 3 stores whose designs fit and suit them, which emphasises the importance of brand loyalty. In order for Fat Face to retain the consumer’s loyalty, effective communication and meeting their demands is crucial.

Strong British Heritage: The year of 2012 is a very ‘British’ year; The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics are two reasons for this. Brands that are known for their strong English roots will be successful, as consumers demand British fashion. This is a major strength of Fat Face as it gives the brand an inspiration and focus, as well as emphasising the values.

Concessions in John Lewis: John Lewis is a very successful and favourable fashion and lifestyle department store, with huge market share aimed at ABC1 25-50+ year olds. By opening concessions, Fat Face are building brand awareness and gaining market share from their target market, as well as attracting browsers who are looking to buy.

Lots of UK Stores: Fat Face has over 200 UK stores, all easily accessible in built up areas. They offer facilities which mean that consumers can order online for free and pick up their purchases in store, which has been complimented on their review page. By having so many stores, they are geographically targeting as many consumers as possible. Competitor Animal does not have as many stores

Weaknesses

Weak Brand Awareness: Fat Face unfortunately has a limited market, and generally has a small presence amongst British high streets. As observed earlier, location is certainly not the cause of this, as they have many stores in shopping centres and are easily accessible to consumers. The weak brand awareness could be due to their lack of advertising. Fat Face aim to promote the brand via word of mouth and public relations; however, to achieve this company need to create a hype or talking point about the brand to build recognition.

Alienating Loyal Consumers: Fat Face recently underwent a repositioning programme to attract a younger audience by changing the cuts and colours of their products. However, this alienated their older loyal consumers who had shopped at the brand for a long period of time, meaning that they began shopping at other brands, and Fat Face lost market share as they failed to attract the younger consumer.

Dull Website: Fat Face operates a dull website, with boring graphics, dreary fonts, and too much unused space. There is a lack of colour, the logo appears very small and the pure play channel is not very interactive and entertaining. The website needs to be renovated to make it a fun and entertaining experience, reflecting the active values of the brand, and online shopping should include more features, such as suggestions of what would look good with an item, and a rollover feature as a suggestion of how the product is used.

Lack of Expansion: Fat Face has only expanded internationally in Ireland, and has not taken the brand to other potential areas where their consumer exists. For example, the brand could do well in France and California, due to the

18

across the UK which gives Fat Face a strategic advantage at supplying similar products.

Excellent Customer Service: Currently on their online reviews, Fat Face has 96% positive service in the past six months, with a small minority being negative. Even if a consumer has a problem, they tend to rate the company well due to their efforts to help them solve the problem. This is surprising; due to many consumers only feeling motivated to write a review when dissatisfied or angry. Many people have commented on the quick, efficient, friendly service, which always helps create repeat sales and build customer loyalty.

nature of the brand and the style that is produced.

Lack of Products: Fat Face offer apparel which is aimed at consumers who pursue an active lifestyle and enjoy activities such as surfing, skiing, hiking and cycling. However, they do not offer products to cater for this lifestyle, as they do not sell board shorts, wet suits, snow coats, ski pants, surf shoes and caps. As their competitors, such as Volcom and Animal supply these products, Fat Face has put themselves at a strong competitive disadvantage.

Opportunities

Growing Population for 25-34 Year Olds: According to Mintel, 2010, the age group of 25-34 year olds is set to grow by over 11% by 2015. This is the younger target market that Fat Face are aiming for, suggesting that if Fat Face could gain a larger market share of this market, and then essentially this could boost profits.

The London Olympics 2012: The Olympics is being hosted in London in 2012, bringing huge amounts of attention and publicity to the country. This is likely to create a huge increase in tourism, as well as a demand for sportswear and active wear apparel, which presents two opportunities to Fat Face; the first being able to increase brand awareness and optimise store environments to encourage tourists into the shop, as well as producing apparel that is practical to Olympic sports. Consumers will be enthusiastic about the Olympics, which could act as a motivation to go outdoors more and become more active, in the same way the World Cup encourages people to play football and rugby.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: This presents an opportunity to Fat Face as it links in with their values of British Heritage, as well as attracting tourism

Threats

The Current Economic Situation: Britain is in a tough recession, which has resulted in rising prices for fuel and cotton, as well as political changes such as the withdrawal of child benefits to higher tax payers and the VAT rise. All these elements are changing the buying habits of the consumer, such as value retailers becoming more popular and gaining more market share, as well as wariness surrounding purchasing with consumers being less impulsive whilst shopping for fashion. As the economic changes are lowering disposable income, people are less willing to spend money on clothing. As Fat Face has slightly higher price points than high street competitors, it could potentially be very threatening to the brand. However, the recession has caused a demand for quality and durability within clothing, which could work if Fat Face’s favour.

Loyal Consumers Becoming Older: As the original generation of Fat Face consumers have grown older, they are beginning to dress differently and shop elsewhere. These consumers are very significant to the survival of Fat Face, as their strong loyal consumers provide the majority of their turn over. Fat Face want to target a new generation, which

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and maximising sales amongst tourists. Many tourists really pursue British clothing brands in the current market, meaning that Fat Face could use this opportunity to get their brand values across.

Sponsorships: Many active lifestyle brands sponsor iconic sporting figures and commission them to wear their clothing and use their products at big events and competitions. Fat Face could communicate to their consumer and increase brand awareness by sponsoring a surfing, skiing, snowboarding or wind surfing icon. This will also make the brand appear more favourable amongst consumers who are fans of the sport icon.

The Rise of ‘Staycations’: More people are going on British holidays, with The Mirror claiming that lack of finance is to blame, as 39% say affordability is the reason to holiday at home and 91% plan on having a British holiday in 2012. The Mirror claims that Cornwall is the most popular destination, and the love of the British great outdoors is the biggest motivation to staycation. As Fat Face aim for active lifestyles in British culture, this provides a great opportunity to gain new consumers and boost sales, and to take advantage of more people going surfing, walking, wind surfing, kayaking and cycling therefore increasing the demand of durable quality clothing.

means that if they fail gaining new consumers, then their traditional consumer outgrowing the brand could seriously threaten them.

Competitors: Competitors will always threaten Fat Face, especially in a very competitive market. Most of Fat Face’s competitors have either a large market share or sell a variety of products relevant to the brand, so are already making it difficult for Fat Face to be a leading brand. Other competitors also provide a better pure play channel that is far more interactive and engaging than Fat Face. In order to lower this threat, regular competitor research should be first priority for Fat Face, and ensuring that Fat Face offers more than their competitors do in terms of product, price, value and promotions could steal their consumers and sustain the company’s future.

The Lack of Advertising: This threatens Fat Face, as advertising can help boost sales, create desire and aspiration, challenge consumer perceptions, and show off the products visually. All these reasons are exactly what Fat Face needs to do to make them a successful brand, and by relying on public relations and word of mouth is not effective enough. They have recently started events marketing to cause a ‘buzz’ and encourage P.R. and W.O.M, however, with a lack of events promotion, this has not worked as effectively as planned.

Evaluation of SWOT

The SWOT is a key tool to analyse the company in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and

threats. From conducting a Fat Face SWOT, it is clear to see that communication with the consumer

needs to be stronger and that weaknesses need to be corrected, opportunities need to be taken,

and threats need to be analysed to predict consumer buying behaviour and to evolve with the

changes in the market. By observing all these factors, Fat Face can now make clear objectives with

their marketing, as well as creating an integrated marketing communications programme.

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Marketing Objectives

Marketing objectives are vital in the success of any business. In order to be successful in the current

market, a business needs to monitor their situation, internal and external, to analyse the market

conditions and act accordingly. Competitor, market, and consumer research is vital to ensure that

the business meets the demands of the consumer. The main purpose for marketing objectives is to

exploit the strengths and opportunities, and to prevent and overcome the weaknesses and threats,

which provides a strong foundation for constructing marketing objectives.

After conducting a situation analysis, Fat Face has some weaknesses that need confronting, and

threats which will need to be considered within their marketing. Guiltinan and Paul (1988)

recognised four fundamental areas within which marketing objectives can be defined:

1. Achieving market share growth or maintenance

2. The maintenance or improvement of probability

3. Establishing an opening market position

4. Maximising cash flow, harvesting.

(Brassington and Pettitt, 2006)

This is a very broad method

of defining marketing

objectives. Once defining the

marketing objectives, this

can be further developed

using SMART, which helps to

construct a thorough

objective. Specific,

measurable, achievable,

realistic and time are all

factors that need thorough

consideration in order to

create a successful and

efficient marketing objective.

Fat Face Marketing

Objectives

As monitored in the SWOT Analysis, there are areas of the business that need improving in order to

become more successful amongst their current and potential consumers. Marketing objectives are

actions that have been taken from the situation analysis, with emphasis on the SWOT, to overcome

threats and weaknesses and to achieve success in particular areas of the company. The chart below

shows what Fat Face needs to do to gain success, with suggestions and ideas on how to do so, with

an overall SMART objective to clarify exactly what the company wants to achieve.

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To Increase Brand Awareness by Attracting Customers into Store:

Fat Face has build a loyal customer base since their beginning, however many people are unaware of the brand. Fat Face recently recognised that they needed to build brand awareness and therefore created a competition to win a VW Campervan, which is iconic of the travelling, adventurous, exploring culture that Fat Face pursue. Alison Shears, direct marketing manager of Fat Face, claimed that “The competition was great for brand awareness – the number of people interacting online was incredible and the resulting database almost ten times larger because of this. Data capture enabled us to see the demographics of those entering, generating useful information for future marketing. It was also great to see the volume of people who opted in for Fat Face information. Obviously the incentive was well aligned with our brand!” (Simple Web, 2010).

In order to build brand awareness, Fat Face could set up a series of promotional events nationally and advertise these in shop windows and on social networking, as well as their email newsletters. These promotional events will be held in stores, and would feature freebies which are authentically British, such as cakes, whippy ice cream machines, tea, as well as a 15% discount. Flyers will be distributed in store in order to promote the event and to build awareness to encourage more people to attend. The success of this scheme will be measured in store footfall and online visits, with a hopeful increase after the events which will build a larger consumer base. Another potential idea to attract a younger audience could be to supply free rain ponchos with the Fat Face logo at festivals and events that promote active sports, such as the Olympics, and Relentless Boardmasters and Wakestock festivals. Fat Face could also introduce more events marketing, such as their famous ‘Rock Up and Sea’ tour across the country recently, which taught people to surf, paddle board and kayak for free as well as live music, drinks and fresh grilled food. Continuing to do this will increase brand awareness, create favourable brand perceptions and attract press.

Another important objective to increase brand awareness for the company would be to create a buzz, especially as the company relies on public relations and word of mouth marketing. The company could sponsor one male and one female to endorse Fat Face products to create a continuous interest in the brand to those who follow the sport. The sports chosen should be aligned to the Fat Face demographic, and the effect should be measured in sales of specialised products associated with the sport. The possible sponsorships could be Chemmy Alcott, who has competed in the Olympics for Britain and was the first British female skier to reach the world cup finals, and Russell Winter who is a top UK surfer who is involved in the Association of Professional Surfers. These sport icons for surfing and skiing could draw interest in the brand from consumers who pursue the active lifestyle values of the brand and follow the sport.

Due to the success of the VW Campervan competition, which caused huge buzz for Fat Face and attracted new consumers to their direct marketing database, holding a similar competition of interest would be successful at building brand awareness. The brand could give out free holidays to locations consumers would be interested in visiting, ranging from Cornwall

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in the UK (as staycations are proving very popular, with Cornwall being the most popular location), the French Alps, and Hawaii could be the top prize. Other competitions could be entered via social networking, such as product and voucher giveaways. SMART OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS USING PROMOTIONAL INSTORE EVENTS, SPONSORSHIPS, AND COMPETITIONS TO INCREASE STORE FOOTFALL AND ONLINE VISITS BY 25% BY THE 30TH SEPTEMBER 2013.

To Improve the Website:

Fat Face currently operates a very dull website and pure play channel. There is too much white space, the logo is very small, and the colours used are bland and fails to incorporate colour.

The website fails at being interesting and interactive as well as engaging the consumer with the brand. Fat Face’s brick and mortar channels are very visual, as they incorporate promotional images and hold a resemblance to a beach hut, with clothes displayed neatly, plenty of space and spot lighting highlights the best products. Therefore, the pure play channel needs improving to increase the profit potential. It needs to be easy for consumers to envisage how the products would look such as a rollover feature or model wearing the garment, as well as suggestions on what goes with the product, more promotional images, a larger logo, and more graphics to make it look visually appealing.

Features could include a Fat Face online magazine which updates consumers on events, news, and features on activities, travel locations, and new product launches, as well as promotional videos (more accessible than they currently are), e-books to engage the consumer on the brand’s history and heritage, and larger obvious links to their social networking and YouTube pages.

SMART OBJECTIVE: TO RENOVATE THE WEBSITE BY MAKING THE SUITABLE CHANGES TO INCREASE ONLINE PAGE VIEWS AND BROWSING TIME BY 30% BY 31ST DECEMBER 2013.

To Increase Market Share:

Fat Face operates a unique company, by offering an active lifestyle brand that specialises in high quality, robust casual wear with a wide demographic. Despite this, they have little market share. Therefore, they need to adapt their business to the ever changing demands of the consumer and keep up with their competitors.

To increase their market share, they need to extend the amount of products they provide to the consumer. Many of their lifestyle brand competitors sell products which cater for their market, such wetsuits, hiking/ travelling bags, ski equipment, snow coats, board shorts and sturdy footwear. Fat Face also could improve the practicality of their clothing, for example with shirts the company could supply more long sleeved, anti-mosquito, quick drying, light items, and trousers could emphasise multi-pockets, secure storage, comfort, waterproof, breathable items, and finally, outerwear could be waterproof, breathable, lightweight and more detailed. As the products at Fat Face are

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already vague, it would provide a good incentive to increase products to attract a larger audience into the store, as well as justifying their brand values that ‘Life is out there,’ especially with events such as the Olympics and the rise of ‘staycations’ increasing demand. Another potential product expansion could be ‘Baby Face,’ following the successful kids range ‘Brat Face’. Fat Face are aiming to reach a younger demographic, from the ages of 25-35. This age is common for families to have settle down and have children, which suggests that a ‘Baby Face’ range has a lot of potential to boost sales and market share to this demographic.

SMART OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE MARKET SHARE OF ACTIVE CASUAL WEAR BY 15% BY INTRODUCING A SERIES OF NEW SPECIALISED PRODUCTS TO REACH A WIDER INTEREST AND DEMOGRAPHIC BY 31ST APRIL 2014.

To Boost Sales and Increase Profits:

In 2010, Fat Face sold more discounted clothing than full priced, suggesting that consumers were unwilling to buy an item at full price. This statistic would have caused a financial struggle for the company and significantly ruined their potential for making a profit. Therefore, it is important that the company increases their turnover to survive in a difficult economic time and remain profitable.

If the above SMART objectives go to plan, then that will essentially boost sales and increase profits. However, other incentives need to be taken to secure this. Introducing online exclusive promotions and discounts to their loyal consumers would be effective, such as having to spend over a certain amount to get attain a discount, or encouraging bulk buying with smaller items such as underwear and socks, so if a consumer buys 3 pairs of underwear/ socks, they get a free pair. Therefore, the company will be encouraging people to sign up to their email newsletter, increasing their mailing list, as well as meeting the demands of the consumer for cheaper items without jeopardising the perception of the brand. Add-on sales could also be effective at increasing the average spend of a consumer, such as beaded bracelets at the till, sweets, wallets, purses, umbrellas, key rings, bottle openers and pens.

SMART OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE LIKE FOR LIKE YEARLY SALES BY 15% FROM THE 1ST JANUARY 2013 TO THE 31ST DECEMBER 2013 BY USING EFFECTIVE VISUAL MERCHANDISING TO CREATE ‘ADD ON SALES’ AND SALES PROMOTIONS TO CONSUMERS WHO SIGN UP TO THE EMAIL NEWSLETTER.

To Communicate to a Broader Market

Fat Face is looking to attract a younger market, of 25-34 year olds, as their older consumers are beginning to grow out of the brand. The brand has a lot of potential with this audience, but firstly needs to gain their attention. Implementing a successful integrated communications plan is part of this. Ideas for this objective include targeting sport and music festivals, such as Relentless Boardmasters, and Goldcoast Oceanfest. This could include stalls at these events, as their target consumer will be present. According to the Boardmaster’s Sponsorship Pack for 2012, 19% of attendants were between the ages of 24-30, and 10% were 30+. 75% of attendants were between the

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ages of 18 and 30 (Boardmaster’s Sponsorship Pack, 2012). This presents a huge amount of potential, as the target demographic are present, as well as appealing to their lifestyle and interests of music, surfing, and socialising. With the rise of ‘Staycations,’ with Cornwall being the first choice, the event attracts over 100,000 people to Fistral Beach, with a huge industry open to the latest fashions in surf wear. Sponsoring the event would be possible with the budget. Opening a stool would also be effective, as it enables passersby, browsers, and consumers of the brand to look and buy clothing, as well as merchandise such as keyrings and waterbottles. These events also enable Fat Face to promote the brand around the festival, with leaflets encouraging consumers to sign up to the newsletter and gain an exclusive discount on their first purchase, as well as the complimentary rain ponchos as discussed earlier. Flyers can be handed out to consumers at these events to notify them of future events and to encourage them to sign up to the newsletter. Online advertising is an option as well. Facebook caters for a broad range of budgets, and has the ability to monitor what people look at via their internet data. Therefore, Fat Face could operate an advert that attracts a particular demographic with interests that centre on the brand. Television advertising reaches a broad audience and it a suitable method to communicate to a larger market. On average, adults spend most of their media day watching television, spending 3.7 hours, compared to radio at2.1, magazines at 0.3, newspapers at 0.6 and the internet at 1.8. Channel 4 has the second largest viewing audience in television, watched by a large demographic. According to TGI, Channel Four is the most talked about commercial TV channel for 16-34 year olds, and is watched by 22.9 ABC1 adults every month (Barb, 2012). Channel four is the channel that 16-34 ABC1s feel the most emotional attachment for. The pen portrait of Channel Four suggests that consumers ‘enjoy the TV ads as much as programmes,’ ‘like to keep up with the latest fashions’ and is ‘tempted to buy products they’ve seen advertised’ (Channel 4 Advertising Information). With these statistics and demographics, it is clear to see that Fat Face would be reaching their target younger demographic, of ABC1 25-34 year olds, as well as reaching their older audience. The Channel Four consumers clearly consider fashion important, which also poses a great opportunity for the brand. TV advertising on Channel 4 could be great method to boost brand awareness and attract their ideal younger consumer. SMART OBJECTIVE: TO COMMUNICATE TO A BROADER MARKET BY TARGETING THE DEMOGRAPHIC AT LARGE EVENTS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE ONLINE HITS, FOOTFALL, AND THE EMAIL DATABASE BY 10% FOR THE AGE GROUP 25-34 BY THE 31ST NOVEMBER 2013 (12 WEEKS AFTER THE FESTIVAL PERIOD).

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Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy is how a company sets out to achieve the marketing objectives. As discussed

earlier in this report, the marketing objectives included increasing brand awareness, increasing

market share, improving the online channel, boosting sales and attracting a younger market. The

following actions were suggested for each objective:

Objectives Suggested Actions

Increase Brand Awareness In-Store/ Outdoor Promotional Events (Discount Day with free refreshments and a 15% discount on all purchases, Rock Up and Sea Tour, Stall at Boardmasters)

Competitions (Holiday Competition, Giveaways on Facebook, £250 Fat Face Voucher Prize Draw)

Sponsorship (Athlete Endorsement on Chemmy Alcott and Russell Winter)

Increase Market Share New Product Launches (Wetsuits, Ski Coats, Board Shorts and Back Packs)

Attracting a Broader Market TV Advertising (Channel Four, One Spot for 3 Months)

Online Advertising (Facebook)

Sponsorship/ Trade at Relentless Boardmaster’s Festival

Improving the Online Channel Website Renovation (Redesigning, Introducing Blogs, Videos and an E-Magazine)

Boosting Sales and Profits Increasing In Store and Online Promotions (10% off Days for Particular Categories, Seasonal Sales, Christmas Promotion to gain a free stocking filler, Free Next Day and Standard Delivery Online Days, and Two T-Shirts for a Discounted Price)

Improved Visual Merchandising (More Props Placed in Shop Windows Relevant to Season, Low Price Items Placed at Till to Encourage Add On Sales to Increase Average Spend).

Following these suggested actions will contribute to the execution of marketing strategies.

Brassington and Pettitt (2006) suggest six different strategies in which the objective actions follow:

Reposition the Product: To alter the product to suit changes in the market.

Improve Product Packaging: To change the product packaging in order to generate increased

interest.

Alter Prices: Depending on demand and the current market, prices could be increased or

decreased.

Improve Productivity: To make a company more productive in terms of marketing such as

introducing or improving distribution channels.

Standardise: To help make the company more cost efficient and balanced in the market.

Change Sales or Customer Mix: This could suggest targeting a new market, or changing the

way the product is sold to the consumer.

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Previously, Fat Face attempted to ‘reposition the product’ as part of their marketing strategy. They

did this by changing the fits and colours. However, this method did not work very well, as it failed to

draw in their younger audience and alienated their older loyal consumer. Therefore, Fat Face needs

to implement a new marketing strategy in order to meet the proposed marketing objectives.

From observing their current strategy, the SWOT analysis, and ideal marketing objectives, the

company can decide the most relevant strategies.

1. To Improve Productivity:

This strategy is particularly relevant to Fat Face’s online pure play channel. It currently fails at

interacting and engaging the consumer, and also fails to capture the attention of the audience due

to poor visuals. The website could essentially work more productively. Currently, the website only

attracts an average of 3352 visitors a day, and the average time spent on the website being three

minutes and ten seconds (WebsiteMeta, April 2012). They could simply boost the time spent and the

number of visitors on the website with the use of social media, competitions, e-magazines, and a

blog. By making their website more productive, the company will see the benefits of this by

increased sales, increased attention from consumers and the press, and it will also generate a ‘buzz’

that will lead to word of mouth marketing, which has proved to be very effective at gaining new

consumers and creating favourable perceptions of the brand. Another objective was to increase

footfall into stores, which improves the productivity of the business by gaining more consumers

which potentially leads to an increase in sales. If footfall is increased, Fat Face could also potentially

gain new consumers of their desired target market which could lead to long term brand loyalty.

2. Change Sales or Customer Mix:

Changing the sales and customer mix is a particularly difficult strategy to implement, due to the fact

that if it is approached incorrectly, it could cost a company their loyal consumers by alienating them

and fail at attracting the desired market. Fat Face has a strong desire to attract a younger audience

to their brand, with a demographic of 24-35 ABC1 adults. This strategy is important to the company,

because as their current consumer is growing older, they are becoming less active and involved with

the brand. The older consumer will begin to develop different needs from their clothing, leading

them to shop elsewhere. Even though Fat Face want to retain

this consumer, they cannot keep repositioning their

product to evolve with this audience as the brand will

gain the perception of being aimed at an older market,

which will essentially destroy the brand values and any

chance of ever attracting a younger market. Therefore,

Fat Face needs to implement a strategy that still caters

for this market but dominantly focuses on their desired

younger market.

In order to achieve these marketing strategies and

accomplish the desired result, marketing tactics and

methods will need to be executed successful. These will

consist in a variety of actions.

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Marketing Tactics and Methods

After observing Fat Face’s current situation in the market, and what they want to achieve from an

integrated marketing communications programme, conclusions can now be made as to how Fat Face

will implement their marketing strategy.

As outlined previously, the two main strategies to achieve the marketing objectives include:

1. Improving Productivity

2. Changing Sales and Customer Mix

These strategies are particularly relevant to the company which aspire to be perceived as a cultural

life-style brand as opposed to a corporate high street retailer. Fat Face has always particularly

favoured public relations, viral marketing and word of mouth marketing, so the marketing tactics will

still involve these methods to achieve the objectives and to maintain the marketing focus of the

brand.

Defining marketing tactics and methods involves elaborating on what specific actions need to be

performed in great detail to achieve the marketing strategies. The marketing programme needs to

precisely specify actions, responsibilities and timescales in order to gain a clearer idea of how the

strategy needs to be achieved and how realistic it is too achieve. The marketing budget for the

company was generous, at £2m, which enables the company to indulge in a variety of methods and

actions which will effectively communicate to the consumer.

Below is a series of actions that will be implemented in order to successfully convey the marketing

strategies chosen, and to fulfil all marketing objectives. As Fat Face emphasise a strong relationship

marketing campaign, aiming to build long term loyalty from their consumers, it is important to take

this into consideration and ensure that marketing actions convey this. In order to look at these ideas

realistically, the budget clarifies costs and meets the demands of the budget.

28

Improving Productivity Changing Sales and Customer Mix

Actions Taken

1. Renovating the Website to improve the design, visuals and to hold the consumer’s attention for longer.

2. To increase footfall by holding in store events that offer free tea, Mr Whippy ice creams and fairy cakes, as well as 15% discount, as well as further promotions throughout the year, such as ’10 %’ days for particular categories of clothing.

3. To increase online hits with a ‘Holiday

Competition,’ this can be entered via the website. Other methods to increase online hits will include a Fat Face blog, e- magazine, promotional videos and magazines.

4. To optimise the catalogue distribution

channel with more interesting and aspirational images in order to retain the interest of their older, loyal consumers.

5. To advertise all events via flyers to be

distributed at events associated with the brand and in store to encourage people to attend. This should build interest and cause a ‘buzz,’ gaining interest from consumers and the press.

6. To use the Olympics as an opportunity

to gain interest from sports fans, by focusing promotional material (videos, photo shoots) from an ‘active lifestyle’ perspective.

7. To issue press releases that create a

buzz about the brand, which will get consumers more excited, therefore increasing the direct marketing database, fans, followers and subscribers on social media.

8. To improve visual merchandising with

the use of props to draw consumers into the store and to encourage add on sales.

1. New Product Launches to attract increased market share for consumers who pursue active lifestyles, such as wetsuits, ski coats, board shorts and back packs for both women and men.

2. To advertise on Channel 4 and on Facebook to reach a broad audience and build brand awareness amongst their desired younger target consumer.

3. Sponsor Boardmaster’s Festival in

order to reach their younger consumer, as the desired demographic attends this event and also pursues the sports and music that Fat Face are associated with.

4. Sponsor Chemmy Alcott and Russell

Winter to endorse the Fat Face brand in an attempt to engage the consumers who follow the sports associated with them (Skiing and Surfing)

5. To set up a trading stall at

Boardmaster’s festival in order to gain interest and publicity from their desired market.

6. To aim advertising campaigns,

promotional images and videos at the younger audience by creating a sense of spontaneity and adventure (younger consumers pursue surfing, quad biking, zorbing, rafting, camping, kite-surfing and snowboarding) as well as creating separate campaigns that appeal to the interests of the older consumer (older consumer into hiking, fishing, sailing, skiing, mountain cycling).

7. Communicate to the younger

consumer on social media via images, videos, competitions. Communicate to the older consumer via e-mail newsletters with features on the sports, activities and travel locations.

8. To continue the ‘Rock Up and Sea Tour’

which has proved successful at conveying the brand values to their whole target market.

29

Marketing Tactics and Methods: Visual

Representations of the Proposed Actions

1. Win a Holiday Competition:

This will appear in the Fat Face e-newsletter and website. It has been designed to glamorise

the prize, to gain the attention of the audience, to inform consumers about the event and to

encourage them to enter the competition.

30

2. Redesign the Website to Improve Productivity:

The visual representation of the new website design captures the authentic British Heritage values

of the brand, using a background associated with a beach hut, and a key image taken from a Fat Face

promotional video and edited to hold the interest of the consumer. The image shows a VW

Campervan, which can be associated to the values and cultures that the brand pursues. Icons in the

bottom right hand corner link to YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to make it easier for the consumer

to interact with the brand via social media. The logo is larger and more obvious, and the colours

navy blue and white have been used along the top, as these colours are associated with the brand.

31

3. To Gain Interest and Communicate with Consumers via an Online Magazine:

The online magazine is designed to increase the productivity by increasing time spent on the

website. It is also a useful tool for promoting and communicating the brand to the consumer.

This mock up visual portrays what the magazine will look like and what images will be used.

32

4. To Increase Communication Methods by Creating a Blog:

The brand could share consumer news and images as well as update their consumer with

lifestyle articles and news from the brand. If written creatively, it will successfully entertain the

consumer. The visual for this blog coincides with the same design concept as used for the

website.

33

5. A Visual for a Flyer to Promote ‘Discount Day’

In order to increase footfall into stores, the idea of a Discount Day was created, with the thought

of promoting the event using flyers in store and online. The visual describes the event and is

authentic of the brand, with a focus on the ‘British Heritage’ , as well as images to make the flyer

gain the attention of their consumers, promote the event, and to enhance visual productivity.

34

6. Visuals for Promotional Images for the 40+ Consumer

35

7. Visuals for Promotional Images for Desired Younger Consumer (25-35)

36

Marketing Calendar

The marketing calendar is a tool used to help plan particular marketing actions derived from the

marketing objectives. Certain times of the year are effective for executing particular marketing

plans. In constructing the calendar, the following points were considered:

Seasonal Weather Requirements: As Fat Face considers the brand to revolve around the

ideas of leading an active lifestyle, summer is a great opportunity to host outdoor events.

Therefore, the summer months are filled with events, such as the sponsorship of

Boardmaster’s Festival and the Fat Face ‘Rock Up and Sea Tour’. Summer should

theoretically be the busiest time of the year for the company, as sales should increase with

the rise of consumers going on holiday, going on day trips and the hot weather encouraging

people to be outdoors and active. Therefore, promotions at this time of year should be

heightened to encourage as many sales as possible. Products also need to be promoted to

suit the time of year, such as coats and jackets in winter and beachwear and t-shirts in

summer. Advertising has also been aimed to encourage spring, summer, and Christmas

sales. Competitions for the holidays will be launched before summer, as there will be a

higher demand for summer holidays making it a desired prize, therefore more people will

enter. This will also encourage the press, therefore building brand awareness in time for a

busy season and optimising sales as a result.

Quiet Periods: Typically, in a fashion calendar the transition of seasonal ranges is one of the

least busy times of year. Therefore, the discount days and promotions are focused around

these times to encourage footfall into stores and online hits.

Busy Periods: Christmas is typically one of the busiest periods in a retail calendar, beginning

in September and lasting until the end of December. Therefore, promotions are more

limited as footfall should be naturally be higher, however, the introduction of a free stocking

filler with any purchase over £80 should encourage consumers to spend more to make this

value, and free next day delivery is available online with a purchase over £100. Summer will

also be popular for the company, hence the events and enhanced promotions.

Consistence: Fat Face need to retain consistency with their

marketing and communication strategies. Therefore it is

important to publish and update their website, blogs,

newsletters, videos, online magazine and promotional

window displays. Continuing to endorse athletes will be

important in the consistency of the brand, and will act as a

platform for product promotion throughout the year at large

events.

Planning: With the events, new product launches,

competitions and promotions, high awareness is needed from

the consumer in order to get a significant attendance.

Therefore, planning when to promote the event is essential,

therefore prior to these occasions, flyers will be distributed,

and consumers will be notified via direct marketing and social

media.

37

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40

The Marketing Budget

The marketing budget, which is used to create and implement a successful integrated marketing

communications programmes, has been limited to £2m. From the marketing objectives, notes and

ideas need to be examined realistically, in order to meet the budget demands and to take the

appropriate actions to target a younger demographic whilst retaining the older loyal consumer. Fat

Face in the past has communicated to their consumers using strategies such as word of mouth and

public relations. The company has created a buzz in the past year by promoting outdoor events, such

as the ‘Rock Up and Sea Tour,’ and in-store events, such as the store opening in Southwold which

offered consumers a free pint of beer and live music, both of which have been very successful, and

therefore has been acknowledged in the budget. The VW Campervan competition caused huge buzz

as well, making the online database ten times larger compared to before, which has also influenced

the content of the budget. However, other methods included in the budget are sponsorships, stalls

at events, advertising, new product launches and website renovation. The budget is under by

£10,076.80, which can be used for any additional costs that arise as a result of the current actions.

Budget Cost and Description Total Cost

Advertising

TV £151,700 for a spot on Channel 4 for one month- for 3 months. (Channel 4 Advertising Information Quarter One 2012)

£455,100

Leaflets 1000 to advertise 'Discount Day' per store= 205,000. 50,000 for Outdoor events. (Total of 255,000 flyers). A7, full colour both sides, on glossy card. (www.flyerzone.co.uk)

£1,053.80

Promotional Images

Hair, Beauty and Photography on Location= £114 Per Hour for 8 Hours= £912. Six Models (Two Men, Two Women, One Girl and One Boy) at £100 Per Hour (£600) For Eight Hours= £4800 (Shoot Me Studios)

£5,712.00

Promotional Videos

Aztec Video: Half a Day Filming, Two Cameras, One Crew, Two Days Filming, Half a Day Recording Voiceovers, Eight Days Post Production (Editing, Graphics, Animation), Three Point Lighting, Draft DVD for £3680. Use of Models for Two Days (Six Models, Two Eight Hour Days)= £960. Two Promotional Videos, One for Spring/ Summer and One for Autumn/ Winter

£26,560

Sales Promotions

Competitions Large Holiday Competition (includes spending money, flights, accommodation, food and drink for two adults): Twenty Weekend Breaks in Cornwall at £1500 each= £30,000, Ten Week Long Breaks in the French Alps at £4000= £40,000 and One Two Week Holiday in Hawaii at £15,000. £500 in Fat Face Vouchers, and £1000 Worth of Clothing Giveaways a Year.

£86,500

Public Relations

Sponsorships Athlete Endorsement: Chemmy Alcott (Olympic UK Skier and Dancing on Ice Star, and Russell Winter, Top UK Surfer in the Association of Professional Surfers). Quote from Kelly Enfield on Average Sponsorship Per Annum: £30,000 X2= £60,000. Premium Sponsorship for Event: Relentless Boardmasters Quote for Pre-Event Activity Marketing, Event Branding, Digital Rights, PR and Media Opportunities, Product Placement in Athlete/ Artist's Dressing Rooms, Hospitality Rights and Free VIP and Hospitality Tickets= £78,000 with VAT (Quote from Boardmasters). Sponsorship of 'Extreme Sports' Channel for 12 Months= £600,000 (Quote from Wesleigh Lewis).

£738,000

41

In-Store Events Discount Day'- Refreshments: 50 Stores to Feature Mr Whippy Ice Creams, and Tea, Other 155 Stores to Feature Tea and Fairy Cakes. Ice Cream Machine Hire for 50 Stores (£115 for Day Hire Each)= £5750. 500 Ice Creams per Store (£1.80 for a litre of ice cream mix which makes ten ice creams, and 5p per ice cream cone)= £115 per Store X 50= £5750. Flakes (144 for £15, four sets per store= £60)= £3000, Sauces (£2.30 for a Bottle, Ten Bottles Per Store Five Chocolate and Five Strawberry= £23 per Store)= £1150 (Quote from Fun Food Catering). In the other 155 stores, 500 Fairy Cakes at 5p each= £25 per Store, £3875 (Tesco). Cost of Hiring a Tea Urn for a Day= £12.60 for 205 Stores= £2583 (Beaver Tool Hire). Tea Bags (480 for£7.38 x 205 Stores) =£1512.90 (Tesco). Semi-Skimmed Milk (5X4 Pints= £5.90 per Store) = £1209.50 (Tesco) Events Photography from £60 per Hour, for Three Hours= £180 for Five Stores= £900. (Shoot Me Studios) Two of these events.

£51,460.80

Outdoor Events Relentless Boardmasters Festival- Music and Sport: Cost of Hiring a Stall at Fistral Beach 9X3m= £4000, plus £10.20 Crowd Barrier, £258 Electricity, and £1200 for a Porta Cabin= £5468.20, Cost of Hiring a Stool at Watergate Bay, in The Main Arena £160, £162 for Electricity, £10.20 Crowd Barrier= £332.20 and Campsite Stool, £150 plus £10.20 plus £162= £322.20 (Boardmaster's Guide to Trading, 2012). Complimentary Rain Ponchos with Fat Face Logo (£78 for 200, wholesalerainponcho.co.uk Quote) 100,000= £39,000. Events Photography for Boardmasters and Rock Up and Sea Tour, 8 Hours Each, £480X2= £960. (Shoot Me Studios)

£46,082.60

New Product Launch

Products Hiring a Fashion Designer for a Year to Re-Design Current Products for Both the Older Market and Desired Younger Market: £40,000 (TotalJobs). Good Quality Wetsuits, Unisex, In a Variety of Colours with the Fat Face Logo, Cost Price per Unit= £21.98, Order a Trial Order of 5000, which averages out as 5 Men's and 5 Women's Per Store= £109,500. Women's and Men's Basic Backpacks, in a Variety of Prints and Colours, Cost Price of £4.96 a Unit, Order 10,000 Units (5000 for Men, 5000 for Women= Five Different Designs for Both Genders= 1000 per Design)= £49,600. Printed Good Quality Board Shorts for Men and Women, Cost Price of £2.51 per Unit, Order 10,000 for Women and 10,000 for Men (Average of 48 per Store, Popular Purchase)= £50,200. Ski Coats for Men and Women, Cost Price of £6.28 per Unit, Order 2050 (10 per Store, 5 Women and 5 Men)= £12,874 (All prices attained from: www.made-in-china.com).

£262,174

Promotional Images of Products for Blogs, Magazine, Social Networking.

Hair, Beauty and Photography on Location= £114 Per Hour for 8 Hours= £912. Six Models (Two Men, Two Women, One Girl and One Boy) at £100 Per Hour (£600) For Eight Hours= £4800= £5712.00. Holding four photo shoots for each new product; Wetsuits, Board Shorts, Ski Coats and Backpacks. (Shoot Me Studios)

£22,848

Interactive

Web Site Renovation

Web Site Renovation: For 150-250 Pages, World Class Style Design, Search Engine Optimisation, Word Placement Guarantee for 150 Words, Full Database Integration, E-Commerce Functionality (Enterprise), and Control Management System to Allow Modifying. (webpagefx.com)

£70,224

Online Advertising on Facebook

Monthly Budget of £18,684 ($30,000) for 12 Months (Facebook Advertising) £224,208

Overall Total £1,989,923.20

42

Evaluation of Methods in Relation to Marketing

Objectives

The overall report aim was to tactically identify key marketing objectives to successfully implement

an integrated marketing communications programme, using a variety of methods and tactics to do

so.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that Fat Face are beginning to improve their marketing

communications whilst using their typical methods of public relations and buzz marketing to make

an impression amongst existing and potential consumers. Fat Face has increased competitions,

interacted directly with consumers on social media, increased the amount of promotions held in

store and online, as well as implemented events marketing via the Rock Up and Sea Tour and Fat

Face Night Surf to involve their consumers with the brand.

The proposed marketing communication actions in this report are very similar, with a couple of

substantial differences. Even though Fat Face are creating a buzz and gaining interest from both

their consumers and the press, they still need to increase brand awareness, the most significant

marketing objective mentioned within this report. If people are unaware of the brand or uninformed

on the fantastic opportunities Fat Face are offering to their consumers, then these strong ideas and

strategies are potentially failing.

As outlined in the research, advertising is the largest and most effective media at gaining brand

awareness and notifying the consumer about key events and promotions. Within the fashion

industry, television advertising is becoming increasingly used due to its success. As defined in this

report, Channel Four advertising would be a fantastic method of reaching the desired younger

audience and the older loyal consumer, as well as serving the key purpose of building awareness. It

is clear to see that the brand can potentially build market share, however this is not possible with

poor brand awareness from the target demographic.

The actions have been successfully defined in order to implement the key marketing strategies

proposed, all with the ideas and values of the brand in mind. Fat Face is reluctant to be associated

with corporate high street retailers, and has always focused on strong relationship marketing to

their loyal consumers. The marketing actions have considered this, and as a result will prove

successful in achieving the marketing objectives. The advertising needs to be aspirational, with the

connotations of being an active lifestyle brand clearly involved. Fat Face’s current promotional

videos are excellent in getting this message conveyed, so it simply involves distributing this

information to a wider audience to increase market share.

All the marketing actions, methods, tactics and strategies will meet and successfully implement the

marketing objectives, as they are still focused with the marketing efforts of the brand currently, and

incorporate new methods which will achieve stronger, reinforced brand awareness from the

targeted demographic.

43

Harvard References/ Bibliography

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ANONYMOUS, 2010. Fat Face to Open in Southwold [online][viewed 10/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/fat_face_to_open_in_southwold_1_516116

ANONYMOUS, 2010. VAT Hike to 20% Effects on Retailers and Consumers [online][viewed 3/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.retailresearch.org/vatincrease.php

ANONYMOUS, 2011. Fat Face launches first integrated marketing campaign [online][viewed 5/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/07/07/fat-face-launches-first-integrated-marketing-campaign

APPLE, 2011. Fat Face Life List App [online][viewed 12/4/2012]. Available from: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/life-list/id449177086?mt=8

AZTEC VIDEO, 2012. Video Production Packages for Corporate, Promotion, Event, TV Adverts, and Training [online][viewed 14/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.aztecvideo.co.uk/video-production-package.htm

BBC NEWS, 2012. Petrol Prices Hit Another Record High [online][viewed 3/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17490088

BBC, 2012. Petrol Prices Hit Another Record High [online][viewed 2/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17490088

BEAVER TOOL HIRE, 2012. Cost of Hiring a Tea Urn for a Day [online][viewed 13/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.beavertoolhire.co.uk/productview.php?CategoryID=15

BLACK DIAMOND, 2012. Chemmy Alcott Sponsorship and Endorsement [online][viewed 13/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.chemmyalcott.com/sponsorship-a-endorsement

BOARDMASTERS SPONSORSHIP PACK, 2012. Demographic, Psychographic, and Cost of Becoming a Premium Sponsor. [viewed 16/4/2012]. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=136c64ee8a7c3e5f&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Da4958e04be%26view%3Datt%26th%3D136c64ee8a7c3e5f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSfIeffFGDxUJxJq8tntnYwkQgkDA

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CARROLL, N., 2012. Pro Surfer Salary [online][viewed 12/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/whoknows.cfm?id=11687

44

CHANNEL 4, 2012. Advertising Information, Quarter One 2012. [viewed 17/4/2012]. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=136c633f18395640&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Da4958e04be%26view%3Datt%26th%3D136c633f18395640%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbTilxYRneDdP-sGChqcw5ENgNoNPQ

DAILY MAIL. (2011). No More Cheap Clothes! Cotton Prices Set to Rise by 10% Due to Soaring Labour Costs. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1357027/No-cheap-clothes-Cotton-prices-set-rise-10-cent-soaring-labour-costs.html. Last accessed 2/4/2012.

EDWARDS, J. (2011). How Rising Cotton Prices Could Doom American Apparel. Available: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42748072/how-rising-cotton-prices-could-doom-american-apparel/. Last accessed 2/4/2012.

FACEBOOK, 2012. Fact Sheet [online][viewed 3/4/2012].Available from: http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22

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FAT FACE, 2012. Products with Purpose [online][viewed 4/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.fatface.com/csr-pages/products-with-purpose/page/productswithpurpose/

FLYER ZONE, 2012. Quote for A7 Flyers, Full Colour, on Glossy Card [online][viewed 14/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.flyerzone.co.uk/flyers?gclid=CJykpp20v68CFUsMtAodFX8evw

FUN FOOD CATERING, 2012. Mr Whippy Ice Cream Hire Information and Costs [online][viewed 13/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.funfoodcatering.co.uk/icminfo.html

HARRIS, S., 2012. Jobs Bottleneck as Graduates Struggling to Find Work Creates Backlog [online][viewed 3/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2084992/Jobs-bottleneck-graduates-struggling-work-creates-backlog.html

HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS, 2012. Tax Credits: Effect of Budget Changes From April 6th 2012 [online][viewed 7/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcreditsbudget/

HOGEBOOM, R., 2003. Active Lifestyle Brands: Popular apparel brands reach pinnacle and ride wave of success [online][viewed 5/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.brandchannel.com/papers_review.asp?sp_id=1126

INSLEY, J., 2012. Tax Credit Changes Mean Black Friday for Thousands of Poor Families [online][viewed 7/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/apr/05/tax-credit-changes-bleak-friday-poor-families

ITV, 2011. Spot Advertising Costs [online][viewed 12/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.itvmedia.co.uk/assets/itvmedia/content/downloadables/spot%20costs%20-%20itv%20media%20-%20itv1%20and%20multichannel%20-sept%2011.pdf

KING, L., 2008. Fat Face Hungry for Web 2.0 Friends [online][viewed 4/4/2012]. Available from: http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/applications/7418/fat-face-hungry-for-web-20-friends/

45

MADE IN CHINA, 2012. Cost of Buying Board Shorts for Men and Women in a Variety of Designs [online][viewed 14/4/2012]. Available from: http://crownway.en.made-in-china.com/product/OorQNeCxyshj/China-Beach-Shorts-CW-B-S-1-.html

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47

Summary of Research

Fashion Communication

Eve Fisher, Q7981 8099

48

Contents Page

Introduction 49

Classic Communication Methods Summary 50

Contemporary Communication Methods Summary 60

Conclusion 65

Harvard References/ Bibliography 66

49

Introduction

Knowing the consumer is essential to any business, as it establishes a target market and how to

communicate with them in the most efficient and effective methods. The fashion industry is highly

competitive; therefore knowing the market and investigating new, innovative, engaging ways of

interacting with the consumer is essential.

The company’s individual goals and objectives help to determine what communication methods

need to be used, whether it is to boost sales, build brand awareness, and create desire and

aspiration or to strengthen brand loyalty.

In today’s market, consumers are very aware of marketing and the industry’s attempts to sell to

them. Therefore, gaining the consumer’s trust and helping them enjoy communication methods are

vital in gaining their attention and creating positive perceptions. For example, a company could hold

a free event that appeals to the lifestyle of the consumer, which is seen as a good method for

interacting with the consumer and their wants and needs. However, methods such as direct mail and

telemarketing can be very negatively perceived by the consumer, which causes irritation which can

cause negative perceptions of the brand. Therefore, it is important to choose the right methods, as

desired by the consumers.

Classic communication methods refer to the promotional tools which interact with the consumer

and have always been used as marketing strategies. They are methods widely used by all fashion

companies, and all aim to tempt the consumer to buy and therefore the main aim of them is to

boost sales and encourage the consumer to purchase, whether it is from creating desire to providing

a solution to a problem. The main five areas of classic communication are advertising, direct

marketing, personal selling, sales promotion and public relations. In order to interact with the

consumer, they need to appeal to the interest of the consumer.

Contemporary communication methods refer to those which are alternatives to the traditional

methods; they involve being innovative, imaginative, and focus on interaction rather than

interruption. These methods are more recently developed, due to changes in technology, changes in

the market, and companies trying to overtake their competitors by partaking in more innovative

marketing as well as gaining more publicity and building brand awareness. These include lifestyle

marketing, buzz and viral marketing, guerrilla marketing and websites.

Within the research into classic and contemporary communication methods, there are thorough

explanations, examples, and it describes each method in more detail. The effectiveness of each

method has been examined, especially in correlation with the fashion industry as well as the

purpose of the communication method.

Interacting with consumers is vital in order to encourage sales. Consumers need to feel that they

have an attachment to the brand in order to feel involved and as if they are gaining something other

than the product. In fashion, self esteem and status are huge motivations to buy. Therefore,

attaching emotions to the products being sold is essential, such as TopShop appealing to the fashion

conscious consumer by attaching a style and trendiness to the product. Communicating these values

to the consumer needs to be done to make the brand favourable amongst competitors.

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Classic Communication

In order for a brand to be successful, communication with the consumer is essential. Schramm

(1954) defines communication as ‘the process of establishing a commonness or oneness of thought

between a sender and a receiver’ (Brassington and Petitt, 2006). If linked to communication within

the fashion industry, this can translate as a desired signature style, brand, or trend transferred

between the retailers to the consumer.

Classic communication can be defined as the traditional methods used by a brand to

communicate the values, ideas and perceptions to the consumer. These methods include

advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling.

Advertising

Advertising has always been a very well known communication tool used to express the ideas of a

brand. According to Advertising Age, a study conducted in 2007 looking at expenditure and methods

of advertising used by different industries, the apparel industry spent a small proportion on

advertisements compared to other industries, with 75.1% of their advertisements being placed in

magazines, followed by 19.8% on television (Clow and Baack, 2010).

Purposes for Advertising:

Build awareness

Create desire and aspiration

Build brand loyalty

Boost Sales

New Product Launch

Change/ Challenge Customer Perceptions

Strengthen brand image

Boost positive status with public

As a defensive response to a competitor

Magazines are an effective method of advertising, as they can target an audience by interest; they

are typically read during leisure time that means that there is a longer attention to the advert, high

quality colour, and high market segmentation. In 2010, Vogue increased their advertising pages by

24%, whilst Harper’s Bazaar gained 12%, Elle grew by 18% and Marie Claire by 11% (New York Times,

2012). Vogue is one of the world’s most popular magazines, boasting a print audience of 11.4

million, and a 1.2 million average online monthly audience (Conde Nast, 2012), making it a perfect

opportunity for fashion brands to show their latest seasonal stock and create aspiration and desire

for a product. However, magazine advertising is very expensive, with a full page in vogue costing

$165,232 (Conde Nast, 2012). Due to the expense, this is why smaller companies choose this method

less frequently than a larger company would. Large companies who do pay the expensive costs for

placing an advertisement normally use it for the purpose of challenging consumer perceptions,

boosting sales or creating desire and aspiration rather than building brand image and awareness.

Many lifestyle magazines, such as Cosmopolitan and Look, also have strong links to fashion

advertising. According to a study conducted by McPheter’s and Company in 2009 in co-operation

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with Conde Nast and CBS Vision,

magazine advertising delivered more

than twice the number of ad

impressions than television

(Marketing Charts, 2009). There is

further evidence that magazines are

an effective method of advertising,

when recent research conducted in

the USA claims that every dollar a

company spends on magazine

advertising yields an average of

$8.23 (£4.84) in sales, compared to

the average return on investment

for all other media being $3.52 (£2.07) per dollar spent on advertising (Clow and Baack, 2010).

Television is the most well recognised method of advertising. It is the most expensive method of

advertising, but can be very efficient if done tactically. Television adverts generally are used to build

awareness of a brand or product. The advert should be planned to be showed when their target

audience will be watching a programme of interest to them. For example, consumers who are

interested in fashion will watch programmes such as ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix’ and ‘America’s Next Top

Model’; therefore showing fashion commercials during the ad breaks for these shows would be a

strategic move. The advantages of television includes a high reach, high frequency, low cost per

contact, high intrusion value, and an opportunity to be very visually and aurally creative, whereas

the disadvantages include a high cost per ad, channel surfing during commercials, and a low level of

attention from the audience. High end luxury fashion tends not to advertise on television, as it could

ruin the perception of elegance, classiness, luxury, and mystery. However, it is becoming increasingly

popular for high street brands to advertise using television, and new, upcoming smaller companies

have found that it is a great way to boost awareness and boost sales. For example, many retailers

that specialise in the pure play channel are using television to build awareness, strengthen the brand

image, and boost sales, such as La Redoutte, Simply Be, Marisota, Fashion World, Jacamo and

Boohoo. However, well recognised high street brands such as Marks and Spencer, New Look, H & M,

Debenhams, John Lewis and Next all use television advertising. All these mainstream retailers aim to

create desire and aspiration, as many of them feature beautiful models looking really stylish

partaking in fun, social, desirable activities. The most effective time to launch these adverts is in

March for Spring/ Summer collections, and September for Autumn/ Winter collections, as this is

when consumers will be inclined to go shopping due to changes in the weather.

Other methods of advertising are less common and not as strong for communicating the ideas of the

brand to the consumer. These methods include radio, outdoor, leaflets, cinema, and the internet.

Cinema is similar to television. Similar adverts are chosen, and the target audience can be depicted

dependent on what genre film they are watching. This method is fairly unfamiliar with fashion, as it

fails to captivate the audience in a way which makes them have the desire to purchase, it is very

expensive, and only targets a limited audience. However, leading high street fashion magazine Look

have been one of the first magazine brands to advertise in cinema, with their senior marketing

manager, Tara Steidman, claiming that “Look is a hugely powerful brand in the UK magazine market,

52

and the opportunity to work with DCM to target our brand messages in the cinema context around

these films – which deliver the perfect audience – was simply too good to miss.” (IPC Media).

Radio is a method barely used by the fashion industry. The main purpose of this is to quickly deliver

an aural message which typically builds awareness about an event, promotion, or product. For

example, Debenhams have a radio advert to remind consumers of their impulse Blue Cross Sales

events, and H&M had a radio advert narrated by Madonna advertising an exclusive ‘Madonna’ Track

Suit.

Outdoor methods such as billboards and

transports only get a small exposure time

to the audience, but can be effective for

brief messages. They are good for

targeting a particular geographic, and

reach a broad audience, and have a strong

usage to a fashion company. Companies

such as Nike, Wonderbra, Levis, Prada,

Regency, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Aldo,

Armani, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and La

Senza are all examples that use billboard and hoarding advertising. Luxury companies tend to target

their geographic within cities, as more affluent fashion conscious people live there. There is a higher

chance of attracting their target audience in build up areas, and the billboard advertisements are

going to be seen by more people in larger cities, as this increases their exposure.

Leaflets and flyers are another form of advertising, usually to inform

a consumer about an event or to build awareness. Fashion companies

usually only do this at high street level when informing consumers

about a sales promotion event or their own account card promotions

and information. For example, River Island has held ‘Student

Discount’ events where an exclusive discount is offered, prizes and

offers have been given out, and flyers have been used as a form of

communication with the consumer.

The rise of e-media is becoming a very popular way of promoting and

advertising fashion. Most companies use social networking and buy

advertising space to target fashion conscious consumers, as well as

luxury companies beginning to stream their catwalk shows live to

consumers, such as Burberry. Other forms of e-media includes e-mail

newsletters informing the consumer of new promotions and news, as

well as using YouTube channels showcasing videos with the purpose

of boosting sales for particular brands, as well as communicating

ideas and events which are relevant to the brand and consumer.

American Apparel encourages quick sales by advertising ‘Flash Sales’

on social networking quickly before the event. Pure play channels

typically begin by building awareness, so online advertising is

essential in order to get people to browse their websites and

53

products. Net-A-Porter have set up their

own online magazine and television

channel which show catwalk shows,

interviews, advertorials, and how-to-wear

guides. Online has overtaken many

traditional communication channels, as

technology evolves and develops and

allows brands to communicate with the

consumer on a far more advanced level.

Personal Selling

Personal selling is a personal method of communicating one on one with a consumer, and aims to

create favourable perceptions of the brand and the service they can offer. According to Fill, 2002,

personal selling can be defined as ‘An interpersonal communication tool which involves face to face

activities undertaken by individuals, often representing an organisation, in order to inform, persuade,

or remind an individual or group to take appropriate action, as required by the sponsor’s

representative (Brassington and Petitt, 2006). As this quote suggests, it is a clear dialogue

communicating between the brand and consumer.

The personal selling process examines what the concept involves. It begins with prospecting, and

then leads onto preparation and planning, initiating contact, sales presentation, handling objections,

negotiation, closing the sale and finally, the follow up and account management (Brassington and

Petitt, 2006). Many fashion companies have developed into personal selling in an attempt to have a

more personal relationship with the consumer and offer a better quality of customer service. It is

more common in luxury fashion, as affluent consumers who are spending a significant amount on

clothing expect a thorough, personal, polite and friendly shopping experience, with the best

customer service which can be offered. Advice and help should be known and given wherever

possible. One to one interaction is important in order to get a personalised service. Personal selling

is effective, as it allows the consumer to feel like they are special and receiving their own

personalised service, and this is likely to increase their loyalty and make them visit more often and

spend more per visit. Many fashion businesses use personal selling in the form of a ‘Personal

Shopper’ who will advise the consumer on new trends and styles to suit their figure, as well as colour

and the ideal price the consumer wants to spend. For example, upmarket fashion department store

House of Fraser offers a personal shopper service, as well as Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges,

John Lewis and Marks and Spencer. However, these services generally are only offered in the larger

stores. Some are complimentary, as well as needing appointments, or some charge which would be

redeemed towards any purchases. Other forms of personal selling within fashion can include altering

clothes, bra fittings, and sales advisors, which are usually offered in larger department stores.

Sales Promotion

Sales promotion is a promotional tool used strategically to either boost sales or to increase brand

awareness by enticing the consumer using a variety of techniques. The Institute of Sales Promotion

defines sales promotion as ‘...a range of tactical marketing techniques designed within a strategic

54

marketing framework to add value to a product or service in order to achieve specific sales and

marketing objectives.’ (Brassington and Petitt, 2006) Even though it may be assumed that sales

promotion is a short term tactic to boost sales, it can be used as part of an integrated marketing

communications programme to establish long term value to a product or service.

The objectives of most sales promotions strategies are to:

Increase store traffic

Increase store loyalty

Increase own-brand sales

Frequency/ Quantity of sales

Even out fluctuating sales

Boost sales

Build awareness

Improve consumer perceptions

There are many methods used as tactics for sales promotion. One used most commonly within the

fashion industry is trade shows and exhibitions. These tend to be better for business to business

marketing programs, which benefit both the retailer and manufacturer. They benefit the

manufacturer as it provides an opportunity to find new customers, as well as discover what their

competition is doing. It benefits the buyer as it enables them to compare merchandise, and to make

a number of contacts in a short amount of time. Pure is London’s largest fashion trade show, which

promotes and showcases designers work and allows retailer’s buyers to make orders. The show is

also open to the public, so is effective at promoting products to consumers.

Catwalk shows, exclusive to fashion, are another successful and effective method of sales

promotion, showcasing clothes and how to wear them, as well as footwear and accessories. Recent

developments in technology have allowed many luxury fashion companies to showcase their catwalk

shows live to their loyal consumers, with functions to

purchase the clothes as they are being shown. This creates

desire and aspiration for the consumer and encourages

impulse buying as well as increasing brand loyalty, therefore

boosting sales. It also ensures that stock is sold quickly whilst

in high demand, which essentially lowers the chances of mark

downs and makes the range as profitable for the company as

possible.

Coupons and online discount codes are also methods of sales

promotion. Coupons are used as incentives to buy, due to a

price reduction offer exclusive to consumers who have

attained the coupon. These tend to be discounts, or buy one

get one free offers, or to spend a certain amount to get

money off. Coupons are becoming increasingly outdated, with

24.6% of consumers never using coupons and 17% rarely

using them, and tend to only collect coupons from a brand

they are already loyal too (Clow and Baack). Coupons could

55

be placed in Sunday Supplements, newspapers, or magazines, as well as direct marketing such as

letters and emails. For example, New Look recently had placed a coupon allowing 20% off in ‘The

Sun’ newspaper. Coupons and vouchers are increasingly being used online, and websites such as

Wowcher, Groupon and MyVoucherCodes.co.uk regularly update and research discounts and offer

them via an email subscription, or instantly on the websites. With the recession causing consumers

to be more careful with their spending, these websites saves the time of the consumer by instantly

informing them of offers and discounts. Fashion companies, such as Debenhams, Marks and

Spencer, House of Fraser, Urban Outfitters, ASOS and Boohoo are all retailers which advertise offers

and discounts of myvouchercodes.co.uk. It is an effective way of enticing consumers, due to their

desire to save money on fashion products, and benefits the retailers as offers and promotions gain

awareness and have a strategic advantage over their competitors.

Premiums are another strategy of sales promotion,

which offers the consumers prizes, gifts, or special

offers and incentives that customers receive whilst

purchasing from that company. This method builds

brand loyalty and creates favourable perceptions by the

consumers. The most successful premium in the UK is

Tesco’s Club Card scheme, which allows consumers to

gain points for every purchase, which can be exchanged

for gifts such as electrical goods, as well as exclusive

offers such as 5p off for every litre of petrol purchased

from one of their petrol stations. Many fashion

companies have began to encourage their consumers to

sign up for their own credit card, which gives the

consumer exclusive offers and gifts, as well as

generating increased brand loyalty and achieves more

profit for the company, such as Topshop, Debenhams, and Next.

Contests are a popular method to entice and excite consumers, usually ones who are loyal to the

brand. They usually involve the participant to do something in order for them to partake in the

competition, such as making a purchase, providing contact details to be used for direct marketing,

answering a question or completing a survey. ASOS usually ask their fans to ‘tag’ themselves in

images on social networking sites in order to potentially win vouchers to spend on the site, and have

recently asked consumers to vote ‘Future Stylist 2012’ in order to be entered into a draw to win

£200 to spend on the site. Next held a competition to find the next ‘Next’ model, which involved

winning a modelling contract, a photo shoot, and £2000 of Next vouchers, as an incentive to get

their consumers involved with the brand and give many people a chance to be involved with the

company. Competitions are effective in creating excitement amongst loyal consumers of the brand,

and giving them the chance to engage with the brand.

A subtle method of sales promotion is the facility of offering a refund for an unwanted purchase.

Consumers of fashion act on the incentive that the product fulfils a practical or emotional need, and

the option of being able to return the product if it does not fulfil the needs of the consumer provides

them with a sense of reassurance. Offering an exchange is also beneficial, as the consumer can swap

56

the product without losing out on money already gained. This contributes to effective customer

service, which could create favourable perceptions of the brand if handled correctly.

Sampling is another method used to encourage a consumer to purchase. This is an effective method

for a launch of a new product. Many samples are complimentary, to give the consumer a chance to

try the product, with the hope that they will judge it positively and want to buy it, which can work

effectively with particular products. Typical products that are given out as free samples include

perfumes, cosmetics, cleaning, food and drink. Fashion does not conventionally give out samples,

due to the nature of the product and high cost per product.

Other sales promotions are offered in store with fashion retailers, such as sales, discounts on

particular products on particular days, buy one get one free/ half price, and online incentives include

discount codes and free delivery on orders over a particular amount.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing is defined by Brassington and Petitt as ‘An interactive system of marketing which

uses one or more advertising media to effect a measurable response at any location, forming a basis

for creating and further developing an ongoing direct relationship between an organisation and its

customers.’ It is a strong form of relationship marketing, where the company aims to build a

relationship with the customer by directly communicating with them.

Direct mail is a technique used by companies to promote the brand. The company will gather names

and addresses and send them material through the post, such as promotions, special offers, or

information regarding a new product or service. The mailing list does not necessarily contact existing

consumers, as the company may have not had any contact with the consumer, but is effective in

targeting geographically. It is more commonly used by local businesses, in order to generate more

business and profit. Information about e-mail addresses can also be obtained in order to contact

consumers online. Email, internet data, purchase and communication history, geo-coding and

customer information companies are all techniques to build a database to target consumers. Levi

Strauss and Co is a successful company that have used database marketing. They surveyed all their

consumers to find out what they needed and wanted from the company, and placed their customers

in five different categories depending on their different needs. After this, Levi’s targeted the groups

individually, with promotions offered to coincide with the customer profile. For example, they had a

group known as Valuable Shoppers, who were willing to spend $60 or more on a pair of jeans. After

purchasing, they received a gift which was a planter and flower bulbs signed by the assistant that

had fitted them. This built a very positive perception of the brand, was extremely effective, and

increased customer loyalty, as these customers would averagely buy 2.3 more pairs of jeans within

the next few weeks. Generation Y, the online shoppers, typically were aged from 15-25 and got

fashion messages sent to them, to fulfil the needs of this particular consumer. However, people

dislike spam being sent to their emails and addresses, which can cause direct marketing to be

annoying and ignored by the consumer. Therefore to be effective, direct marketing needs to be

exciting, enticing, and able to gain the attention of the consumer and benefit them in some way

relevant to the company.

Telemarketing is also a method of communicating with the consumer directly. It involves obtaining

the consumer’s telephone number, and attempting to sell products and services over the phone, as

57

well as offer the consumer special deals and discounts for using their company. It can be inbound or

outbound, allowing the consumer to phone the company and purchase the product or service, or if a

customer has a problem and complains, the problem can be dealt with and sales can also be

attempted. The trouble is that telemarketing is time consuming for the consumer, and is highly

annoying and irritating, causing consumers to ignore the call or hang up the phone. It is not typically

used within the fashion industry, as it is not very effective at encouraging sales and consumers like

to visually see and feel fashion products. However, Next did experiment with this method by making

‘Welcome’ calls to new consumers after their first order. Six months after, it was proved that 92% of

the customers that had received a welcome call were still active consumers, whereas only 86% of

those who had not were active, meaning that the welcomed customers were spending 30% more

(Brassington and Petitt, 2006).

Catalogues are a popular method used for direct marketing. They allow the consumer to view them

at their own leisure and to view the products, know the

price, and they can be ordered from home. The internet

is changing the way consumers use catalogues, as the

internet also is done within the consumer’s own time

and can be done quickly and efficiently from home.

Older consumers, who tend to be unfamiliar with the

internet and technology, still tend to use catalogues

which is why retailers such as Next and Marks and

Spencer offer this facility; it does not alienate their

older consumer and still engages and communicates

with them. They are an effective method to use, as

consumers can see what products are being offered,

suggestions on what to wear them with, and ordering is

simple.

The internet has become one of the largest tools with direct marketing. E-mails instantly contact the

consumer and suggest links which can lead on to sales by enticing the consumer, as well as

consumers having the facility to instantly respond to web advertisements. Search engine

optimisation also works well, as consumers will click on the most relevant link on the first page. The

internet also benefits companies, as it is very cost efficient and simple to do. Within the fashion

industry, internet direct marketing is commonly used to encourage consumers to use the pure play

channel, as well as to communicate news, new seasonal stock, offers and discounts as well as

interactive features the brand has created.

Direct response media is becoming more common, through the mediums of television, radio,

magazines newspapers and the internet. They encourage contact with the consumer, by suggesting

methods. For example, home shopping channels provoke a direct response by showing and talking

about a product, then encouraging the audience to purchase the product by phoning them and

placing an order. Channels such as QVC occasionally sell fashion products, such as bags or garments,

and can be effective for quick sales, as well as the facility of reaching a wide audience.

58

Public Relations

The Institute of Public Relations has defined public relations as ‘The deliberate, planned, and

sustained effort to institute and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its

publics’ (Brassington and Petitt, 2006). This can be further defined of how a company communicates

with the consumer and how their actions are perceived within the public.

Positive public relations are an objective for every fashion company and preventing and dealing with

negative public relations and turning them positive is also essential. Many companies have been

faced with bad public relations due to mistreatment of employees and poor working conditions in

the factories their products have been created in. For example, Nike has had to improve their

corporate social responsibility, following scandals that child labour had been used in production with

their soccer balls in Pakistan, which effectively damaged the brand and their reputation.

Events marketing are a very popular

method of managing positive public

relations. If the event is directly linked

to a company, then the brand can

either get recognised or generate

positive publicity for a larger company.

The event needs to be promoted well

in order to get people to attend, as

well as using mediums such as direct

marketing and advertising to build

awareness of the event. They are a

great opportunity for a company to

communicate with their consumers,

personal selling, and enhancing brand

image. Events, such as London Fashion

Week and Pure, generate large

amounts of publicity, and allow

fashion brands to participate and also attract publicity, mainly positive. Many events are sponsored

by companies to create favoured perceptions and enhance a popular reputation.

Sponsorships are a method of increasing a company’s positive publicity, and building brand loyalty. If

a consumer feels passionately about a particular event, and a company has provided funding for

them, then the consumer instantly perceives the company positively. Sponsorships can be used for

television and radio shows, events, festivals, and even art. Topshop, for example, have sponsored

young talented designers in order to give them the chance to be noticed, and River Island sponsored

a fashion auction.

Auditing corporate social responsibility is essential for creating positive public relations, especially

with many scandals about exploiting employees within the fashion industry. Corporate Social

Responsibility is the obligation and duty a company has to ensure it is as ethical and ecological to the

needs of society. Examples of how a company gains positive public relations due to good corporate

social responsibility is to show empowerment of employees, charitable contributions, sponsoring

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local events, selling environmentally safe products, and supporting community events. American

Apparel own America’s largest apparel factory, and use corporate social responsibility as a unique

selling point, as all employees are

treated to a range of benefits and paid

above the minimum wage, all the

companies operations happen in one

building, so is very environmentally

friendly as stock only travels from the

factory to the stores. They operate the

best corporate social responsibility in

the fashion industry, as CEO Dov

Charney is very passionate about the

well-being of his employees.

Positive public relations are very

effective at promoting the brand. It has been estimated that PR can be worth up to 4x the value of

placing an advert. It has a greater influence over the public and results in greater brand awareness

and more sales (C. Hammond, 2012).

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Contemporary Communication

Contemporary methods of communicating with the consumer are becoming increasingly effective

and entertaining. David Meerman Scott claims that “People just don’t trust advertising,” and with

this, alternative methods of marketing focus on interaction rather than interruption, therefore

making them more effective communication tools. Walt Disney claims that “Of all of our inventions

for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language." This

suggests that essentially the most effective way to communicate with the largest audience is to

essentially use pictures, or to create something visual which will instantly communicate a message

and grab the attention of the potential consumers. Contemporary communication is a new

innovative way of marketing products and services, and can be more effective than traditional

methods as they gain more publicity, usually causing a word-of-mouth effect, as well as being

fascinating and entertaining for the viewer. The consumer of today is very aware in such a

competitive market that companies are trying very hard to persuade consumers to purchase a

product, with promotions, special offers, discounts and constant advertising, which can make

traditional methods of communication seem dull and tedious, which is why contemporary marketing

works so well.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing is a very powerful communication tool, both positively and negatively.

Word of mouth marketing refers to a sharing of opinion for a particular product, service or brand. It

works effectively, due to the fact that if someone who was trusted, for example a family member or

a peer group, shares their opinion about a product, the correspondent is far more likely to believe it,

and if it solves a particular problem that they have, then are very likely to buy the product in the

belief that it is successful at curing the problem. It can be used via face to face interaction, emails,

blogs, chat rooms, social networking, text messaging, reviews and instant messaging. However, this

method could work negatively, as a product or service which is perceived as not being effective by a

consumer will tell the people surrounding them, therefore preventing potential sales. Most

consumers who are wary whether a product works well or not usually read reviews of the product

before making a decision to buy it or not, which could work either positively or negatively depending

on the type of feedback that was given. Kotler (1991) states that customers dissatisfied with a

product will spread negative word of mouth to approximately eleven acquaintances, whilst a

customer satisfied with a product would only spread positive word of mouth to three people. Richins

(1983) also found that consumers who were dissatisfied with a clothing item told an average of five

others. (D. Charlett, R. Garland and N.Marr, 1995). Many fashion companies attempt to use word of

mouth marketing for the offers, discounts and sales that are offered. For example, Debenhams offer

a Blue Cross Sales with huge discounts for a short period of time, and if a consumer gets a very good

deal for a nice product, they are very likely to mention where they got it from and the great deal that

was offered, therefore encouraging footfall and sales to Debenhams at a particular time from their

peers, work colleagues and family.

Buzz Marketing

Buzz marketing poses a similarity to Word of Mouth marketing and works on the same concept.

Word of mouth marketing generally is used to encourage positive comments communicated

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between the consumers, whereas buzz marketing is communicated directly from the company to

the consumer, who then communicates with their peers. Buzz marketing is usually an activity or

event which causes publicity and excitement, which is then spoken about between the consumers. If

the event or tactic used is successful, then it is likely to be written about and generate good publicity

which could inevitably boost sales and gain favourable perceptions from the public. For example, the

Cadbury Dairy Milk advert of the Gorilla playing drums to a Phil Collins song generated huge

amounts of buzz and communication, with nearly 2 billion views on YouTube.

Viral Marketing

Buzz marketing is a form of viral marketing, which follows the analogy that the marketing strategy is

a virus. It follows three stages; inoculation, incubation and infection. The inoculation stage relates to

the product or service being introduced. Incubation refers to the first innovators and trendsetters

using the product and introducing it to their peers via communication methods. After the message

of the product has been delivered to a wide audience, and the product use is widespread, this is the

final stage of infection. This is certainly relevant to fad products in fashion, meaning ones which

become the ‘must have’ product of the season, such as UGG boots. UGG boots initially were not

seen as a desired fashion product; however, the marketing team came up with the tactic of

convincing fashion conscious consumers to consider wearing them. They did not directly advertise at

the consumer, instead, they targeted high profile fashion icons, Kate Hudson and Sarah Jessica

Parker, and commissioned them to wear the boots. Oprah Winfrey also praised the boots on her

show, and within a short period of time, the boots became the next fad product with retailers

struggling to keep them in stock. Sales eventually reached $30 million dollars within a few months

with no form of advertising. By creating a ‘buzz’ and generating hype around the product, caused the

product to be considered as an iconic fashion item.

With the large increase of social networking in the past few

years, marketers have resorted to using this technology as

the largest tool for creating ‘buzz’. It helps to increase brand

awareness as well, as new brands rely on word of mouth

and hype from existing consumers to attract potential

consumers. This can be done using e-books, flash games,

look books, promotions, and short films. Diesel, a popular

denim company, uses technology as a communication tool

with their consumers. They invented the concept of ‘Diesel

Island; Land of the Stupid, Home of the Brave’. They have

created a concept that there is a small idealistic society of

consumers, who live an aspirational care-free life, and as a

result Diesel have created many humorous advertising

campaigns and videos all to gain the attention of the

consumer, create and enhance hype and excitement, and

engage the consumer in the ‘Diesel Island’ community. They

have even created ‘post cards’ from Diesel Island and a

‘national anthem’. It is an effective campaign, as it engages the consumer, it is humorous making it

desirable to watch and consume, and the style and aesthetics of the campaigns evoke a desire and

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aspiration to be involved in the concept. The campaign is also slightly controversial, being overtly

sexual, which has also generated huge amounts of publicity for the brand.

Lifestyle Marketing

Another way of communicating with the consumer in an interactive way is lifestyle marketing, which

involves identifying the target market and creating tactics of selling the product or service by

appealing to their lifestyle. It is very similar to event marketing, as it usually involves getting involved

with an event or activity which appeals to their consumer. Burberry has recently started ‘Burberry

Acoustic’ to appeal to their consumer’s music tastes, and seeks out British talent to coincide with

their values of ‘British Heritage’ such as Ben Howard. This engages the consumer and allows them to

discover new music that they will appreciate and enjoy. It builds brand loyalty and strengthens the

brand values and perceptions. Fat Face recently held an event in Bournemouth, called the ‘Rock Up

and Sea Tour,’ which appealed to the lifestyles of their consumers by holding a surfing and music

event. The target consumer of Fat Face traditionally enjoys water sports and partakes in surfing,

sailing, and wind surfing, as well as being social and active, so engaging the consumer with their

lifestyle choices builds brand loyalty and invokes a sense of community with the brand.

Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla marketing is one of the most successful and captivating ways of communicating with

consumers. It was a concept initially developed by Jay Conrad Levinson, meaning “...achieving

conventional goals, such as profits and joy, with unconventional methods, such as investing energy

instead of money.” Guerrilla marketing tactics involve spending as little money as possible, making a

large impression, and creating quality creative programmes with an unusual and unconventional

approach. Guerrilla advertising needs to be extremely relevant to the brand, and is usually based on

the ideas of human psychology and behaviour. It aims to entertain the consumer, build brand

awareness or loyalty, to publicise an issue, as a sales promotion, to drive consumers into the store,

to attract attention or to become a talking point in the media.

DKNY have used guerrilla advertising to promote their brand and alternative methods of transport

during New York Fashion Week, with the slogan ‘Explore the City’. It was similar to a campaign

‘Ghost Bike Memorial Project,’ which promoted road safety by dedicating white bikes to cyclists that

had been killed across the city. DKNY spray painted many bikes orange and placed their logo on

them, chaining them up around the city. Despite the campaign having positive intentions and being

creative and original, it caused a backlash and offended many cyclists, causing a lot of negative

publicity.

Ghost Bike Memorial Project DKNY campaign to promote alternative transport

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Ralph Lauren have also used guerrilla marketing in the form

of a 3D projection show on Bond Street in 2010. It lasted

nearly eight minutes and showcased designs on a projected

catwalk as well as fragrances and the iconic image of the

brand in the form of a game of Polo. It gained a huge amount

of positive publicity and strengthened the brand image, as

well as provided innovative spectacular technology.

High street retailer Accessorize also used guerrilla marketing

to gain publicity as a form of advertising. They placed giant

necklaces where chain fencing would typically be, with the

logo and price written on them.

Louis Vuitton have also partaken with guerrilla marketing,

using hot air balloons as a method of gaining attention.

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Websites

In the business world of today, it is essential to have an easily accessible, interactive, informative,

interesting and engaging website. It allows a brand to directly communicate with their consumers,

which allows the company to be creative and tell a story of the brand, or to entertain with images

and videos. Successful pure play retailers, such as ASOS and Net-a-Porter engage their consumers by

sending out newsletters, being easy to navigate, magazines, videos, competitions, blogs and

editorials. Diesel has made many short films around their current campaign of Diesel Island.

Burberry engage their consumers with features such as ‘Art of the Trench,’ where consumers can

learn the fascinating history behind the iconic piece as well as post images of themselves wearing

them. In order to keep up with competitors, this form of marketing is vital to get right, as well as

ensuring the website is creative and interesting to the consumers. The content should be open for

consumers to comment on and share their opinions. Topshop have opened the option to leave a

review and star rating on all their products on their pure play channel. It allows consumers to

comment on their purchases. In the fashion industry, it is extremely important to have an excellent

website due to the huge rise in internet shopping, and search engine optimisation can also improve

a company’s profits due to increased visits, which leads to browsing and interacting which could

result in a purchase and potential long term consumer.

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Conclusion

The research conducted has pinpointed the main areas of communication between the brand and

the consumer. There are many methods that companies use to communicate to the consumer;

however, each method varies by the aims and objectives of the communication as well as what

medium the communication is produced from.

Communication tools are essential for a business to survive. If the customer is not encouraged and

exposed to the brand, then they will generate little revenue. Knowing the target consumer and

giving them what they want or need is the key to selling products to them. If a company has no

direction and no consumers to communicate with, the business will lose focus. Successful marketing

requires an integrated communication programme, and using the traditional promotional

communication tools to interact with consumers.

In conclusion, contemporary marketing is an interesting creative medium in which brands can

communicate with their consumers. Typically, due to the creativity, they can be far more

entertaining than traditional communication methods therefore resulting in consumers interacting

more and holding more favourable perceptions of the brand. Despite this, it is still essential for a

company to combine contemporary communication with traditional, as a business cannot survive

purely with these methods. Knowing the target consumer and what appeals to them is critical, and

what methods typically work more effectively for the industry is also important. By establishing a

strong sense of who the customer is contributes to the selection of communication methods

implemented by a company, which can essentially establish the company’s place in the market.

Both classic and contemporary methods are effective in different ways. Magazine advertising is still

very popular in fashion, to create desire and aspiration and challenge brand perceptions, whereas

buzz marketing was very successful for UGGs to challenge the product’s perception. Different

methods work better for different brands, depending on the brand values and what the brand wants

to achieve.

A method that tends to be one of the most favoured ways of communicating to the consumer in the

fashion industry is the internet. Due to the rise of the pure-play channel and technology allowing

businesses to create interactive features easily accessible to their consumers, websites are a

fantastic resource for fashion companies so it becomes a priority to make it simple to use, features

easy to find, as well as engaging the consumer and making it an enjoyable experience for them.

Communication, no matter what method, is needed for a business to be successful. Ensuring the

suitable methods of communication are chosen to suit the purposes of the business, and those

consumers should interact with the brand and feel more involved with the whole concept of the

brand. Communication is the largest form of relationship marketing, which refers to the idea of

building a positive relationship between the consumer and the brand, and many fashion companies

rely on their consumers to possess a strong attachment to the brand. Therefore, communication is

of high priority within the fashion industry.

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Appendices: Emails- Queries and Responses

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Attempting to Gain Information for Fat Face

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Channel 4-Advertising Costs

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Print Screens from the Attached Channel 4 Document

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Relentless Boardmaster’s Festival: Trade and Sponsorship

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Print Screens from Boardmaster’s Attachments: Traders, Sponsorship

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