EOC: Chapter 8 Discussion

http://www.converse.com/

1. "The user is the drive and inspiration behind the brand, and it is the user who eventually decides on the brand's positioning through the image he or she creates for it" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). New technology places the user at the center of the creative process because they have such an influence due to hyper connectivity. New technology allows the consumer to be so connected to the branding and product development process that they themselves can provide input. Social media allows consumer to tell companies what they want from a product so the designers in return can develop exactly what the consumer want.

2. Experiential branding is "the discipline of understanding and defining brands in terms of the way they are experienced, in order to differentiate them in the most powerful dimension: relevance" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Branding I now more than just simply the product and services it provides. Branding is about the attributes and qualities that a consumer relates too. Versace is a brand but the consumer also relates the quality and high end to themselves.

3. "a mass-customized brand (MC brand) is a brand where every consumer decides on the distinctive feature of his or her customized item" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Basically, a microbrand  is a sub category of a product that already exists. An example of a microbrand is the Converse Chuck Taylor that can be customized to provide a more unique look. The Chuck Taylor is a brand that has been created into a microbrand by the consumer. Brand extensions are just new product lines within a company to ad variety, prince range, and different qualities to a product. In the end, the micro-brand is the smallest subcategory that I consumer can break a product into because it is totally custom made by the consumer.

EOC: Chapter 7 Discussion

1. A person looking to open a new business has the ability to sell new and unique products because consumers want to be seen as individuals. A small business does not have the ability to produce massive quantities of certain products so what they do instead is make small runs of certain items. Small business also have the unique ability to listen to their customers and make something that they want. "Mass-market brands and consumer goods should be generally comfortable with adapting MC and inviting customers to participate in shaping and designing the product" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The issue with MC is that very small companies are not gonna have the resources to provide custom products for every customer. 

2. "Mass-market brands and consumer goods should be generally comfortable with adapting MC and inviting customers to participate in shaping and designing the product" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Like all technology, mass customization has disadvantages such as the high cost and the fact that some people might not embrace change. It can cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars for luxury brands to incorporate MC technologies such as body scanners. The other issue with MC technology is that people wont want to use it and prefer to do things the old fashion way. 

3. "Inspired by the trend of terms prefixed with the letter “i' that was initiated by computer guru Apple and adopted by others" is now a term used to describe brands (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The iBrand to me is more of a trademark than a term I would use to describe items companies that deal with internet branding. I would find it hard to associate and iBrand with anything other than an apple product. I don't see the benefits of establishing a new category of brands by labeling them iBrands. 

EOC: Chapter 6 Discussion

walmart

1.Products serve to fill a need for a consumer such as purchasing a bottle of water to quench thirst. It is easy for a consumer to measure a product for being good or bad based on wether is satisfied their needs. A service fill s a different type of need because the consumer is not actually receiving a physical item for them to own. "Accordingly, many believe that a service possesses a higher level of risk than a product, so branding becomes even more relevant" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). It makes sense that branding needs to be stronger for s service because there isn't a product that will be carried by a consumer for others to see. 

2. The retail concept is defines as the business strategy, model, values, and philosophies that a company will use in order to build a brand identity. "A retail brand needs to compete by establishing an emotional value for its customers built on a strong identity" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The challenge for a retail company is that they have to place position themselves in the market so that the company can be successful. The company must offer products and services that interests or fill the needs of consumers. The location must also be in a place where there are few competitors but there is also consumers to buy the product. 

3. One of the first advantages that a company or retail has when trying to expand globally with the franchise is that they have instant recognition. A franchise business model allows an employer to place an operation that is already has a history of success. The disadvantage of a franchise is that it might be something that consumers don't need or don't want. Walmart is a brand that has a successful business model but there are areas where consumers don't want them to open up. Walmart has a history of putting small business out of work and that is something that hurts their brand image. There can also be legal issues if there is a issue that rises at one of the franchise locations. 'There are many brands that adopt the franchise model or a mix of franchising and other models' (Fashion Branding Unraveled). People will continue to establish franchises because they are successful. 

EOC: My Brand

The first step of in developing the retail operation is building the experience and atmosphere along with it."The store experience is strengthened by the brand's personality" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). There are hundreds of stores that sell similar products but its the experience that the consumer remembers. The atmosphere plays a vital role in helping establish a company as a brand. The brand image always something that a company has control over. "The customer plays an important role in the shaping of the brand throughout the branding process" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Consumers are the individuals that truly determine what value a company has. To help establish the brand I plan on servicing the customer by providing them with trending, quality garments with an experience that cant be matched. "Fashion brands are an interesting breed of brands in that they are in a continuous state of innovation, transforming themselves at a constant rapid pace" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Many of the fashion brands manage to stay continuously successful and that is because they adapt with the market. Companies that keep the same work model with out developing it as time goes on eventually see a decrease in business such as JCPenny has in recent years. Pricing is also  very important when trying to present a certain brand image of a company. My plan is to sell products at a higher price so that consumers dont associate the brand with being cheap. Some companies like to set the price very high and reduce it over time. Location and placement is the third area to focus on when establishing the brand. The location must be in an area consistent with a brand image but also in a place that will help increase sales. 

EOC: Chapter 5 Discussion

1.  The advantage that Zara has in the market can also be a weakness. Zara has a quick response time which allows it to manufacture new products in short runs when a new luxury trend is adopted. Making quick runs of new styles allows Zara to maximize sales by offering a product long before the competition and selling during the peak of a trend. "Zara, which manages through a vertically integrated system to reduce the production cycle, control quantity produced, and minimize inventory so that they can offer new styles in their stores almost every week" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The problem with short runs is that there might not be a large enough quantity produced to meet demand. If items are sold out for a significant amount of time, the retailer has missed out on potential sales. The challenge for a retailer is having the right amount of product in stock.
2. "Many premium brands such as Zara adopt a fast response concept of production and distribution" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The fast response strategy adopted by the retailer would fit in this company because many of the people that shop in the high end destinations are tourists. Fast response ensures that luxury trends will be adopted quickly and that the items will be on shelves in time for interested consumers. "Most products are produced in small quantities to minimize stock and reduce the need to discount their prices" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Urban Outfitters targets a completely different consumers segment but it is possible that high end retailers could use some of their distribution methods. UO allows consumers to order items right from their store if they are not in stock. The items ordered are redirected from shipments that are already on their way. It saves the company money because items dont have to be shipped individually and it creates a sale at the same time.

EOC: Chapter 4 Discussion

1. Louis Vuitton is one of the most popular luxury brands if not the most popular brand in the world. The luxury brand generates millions of dollars per quarter in sales all over the world. The LVJ brand took a risk by opening a stand alone store in an area that wasn't known for high end stores."Tokyo had no major street known for its luxury brands such as Foubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris or Fifth Avenue in New York" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). The company also changed its tradition of focusing on women take make up a large portion of their consumer segment.  men's products were introduced, including watches, scarves, bags, and pens. "The merger meant transforming LV from a brand with traditional luxury products to a fashion company offering a ready-to-wear collection" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). 

2. It is a huge change for a company that is over 100 years old to have a dramatic change in the way that they sell products. LVJ had to adopt new philosophies in because the shopping habits are different for people from japan. It was hard to measure the success of the LVJ project because of the economic situation that caused certain companies to adjust their inventory control. In their new strategy, LVJ used local marketing and advertising agencies because it was believe that the traditional world advertising agencies would not have a huge impact. "Advertisements that were produced locally rather than using their universal ad campaigns since brand recognition in Japan was still limited and largely based on its bags" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). LVJ has shown that a name alone does not guarantee success, selling techniques and strategies have to change in order to be successful in different areas. 

BOC: Hawaiian Tropic

www.nytimes.com

Recently, the Hawaiian Tropic company has decided to do away with a tradition that has been a part of its company for close to three decades. The "brand announced the retirement of their famous bikini contests" (yahoo.com).In 1983, the company started the first of many swim suit competition that grew in popularity over the years. It was just 14 years after the company initially began that they decided a good way to gain exposure is to host a swimsuit competition. The Hawaiian Swimsuit competition became so popular that at one point they were featured in a film starring Jim Carey. A few years later, some of the women from the Hawaiian Swimsuit competition even appeared in playboy which was probably in its peak during that time. Company representatives decided that it was not in the best interest of the company to continue with an event that had seen a lack of popularity in recent years. "The bikini contest wasn’t resonating with our target female consumers" (yahoo.com).The move has come as a big shock to consumers because for many years that was a way that the company kept its name in public view.The Hawaiian Tropic company has recently announced that it would focus its public relations and advertising in a different way. In recent years, research has shown that the majority of consumers that buy the Hawaiian Tropic products are women and it is not likely that they are being influenced to purchase items because of the swimsuit competition. "Now the company is launching a national search for a new spokeswoman" (yahoo.com).The company is looking for a person that represents the company which includes confidence and beauty. Consumers interested in becoming the new spokesperson for Hawaiian Tropic can submit their information to the official facebook page for the company.

EOC: Chapter 3 Discussion

1. Burberry set out to rebrand itself as a luxury lifestyle brand but at a lower price than its major competition such as Prada and Gucci. "Many brands eventually die when they fail to remain relevant and updated as this causes them to lose market share and consumer interest" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). There is no need for consumers to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on items. Burberry wanted to keep its image of a high end brand but at a price that the average consumer could afford. "Focuses on becoming more relevant to its own market with the possibility of attracting more and new customers" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). They cut the number of products they were creating by more than 75 percent but created new product lines so they could serve a wider range of demographics. With the new product lines, Burberry is now serving young trendy adults, older traditional consumers, and with price ranges for high end and the average consumer. 

2. The turnaround for Burberry was a little different than that of Gucci with Tom Ford. Burberry was not doing as bad financially as Gucci because they had not lost a core of their loyal customers to other brands. Gucci was in a tough spot because decades of less than innovative designs led to their consumers to seek other brands to meet their fashion needs. Gucci needed Tom Ford to connect with its consumers in a major way or they were in serious danger of having financial troubles. Burberry was also having difficulty connecting with its consumer but it was in a much easier situation where it could release certain product lines to market different products to key consumer segments. Marketing and rebranding can be a difficult process but it can be done. "Branding is neither easy nor cheap" (Fashion Branding Unraveled) and success is not guaranteed. 

EOC: Chapter 2 Discussion

.
marketingtochina.com

1. Shanghai Tang experienced early success in many areas due to their advantages such as producing their products in the manufacturing capital of the world and exposure to consumers. Tang set out to create a high end fashion brand and change peoples perception that anything that was made in China was going to be of bad quality."Perceptions of production quality have haunted Chinese products for years" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). By manufacturing their products at home, they had the initial low cost of production and reduction in other costs such as transportation and other logistics. "That the brand seemed to be heading at the right direction" (Fashion Branding Unraveled) .The colorful designs and cuts that were popular among asians at the time could have been something that led Tang to initially fail in New York. Americans are normally regarded as consumers that are late when it comes to adopting trends.

2.  During the time when tang was opening his store in america, grunge was the prominent trend in the marketplace. Grunge included dark colors, and heavy fabrics which was the opposite of the style that Tang was trying to introduce at the time. Style in america was relatively conservative compared to the styles that were being adopted all over the world. It is also possible that the location of the store itself in New York could have had a huge impact because the initial store for Tang received millions of visitors each year."China has gone from being the low-cost factory of the world to a purchaser of some big name brands to a stage where they create their own global brands built on local innovation capable of competing in quality, style, and prestige with designs coming out of the fashion capitals of the world" (Fashion Branding Unraveled)

EOC: Chapter 1 Discussion

1. Brands are the solutions that people meed for ether a practical or emotional need. Brands are products or services that can be represented by symbols, words, or design that represents a product or service. The brand allows consumers to associate an idea to a product which can be value, quality, or identity. "Consumers often define brand identity in terms of very concrete, palpable, and tangible attributes" (Fashion Branding Unraveled).We need brands to distinguish between companies that offer certain features in their products that we are looking for. Value isn't something that is just measured by how much we spend on something but  also how well it fills our need. "Consistency is another key factor for the success of any brand"(Fashion Branding Unraveled). 

2. An 8 dollar bar of soap is cheap compared to the price of a new car but when taking into consideration the average price of soap it doesn't seem like the best bargain. Value can be purchasing a certain product such as $300 smart phone that eliminates the need for an MP4, computer, internet service, and GPS. A purchase that requires several hundred dollars doesn't seem like something that would provide much value but it fill several needs while eliminating costs simultaneously.

3. "The concepts of the terms innovation and consistency may seem a bit contradictory" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Brands have to constantly develop new services and products that are in tune with the new needs of consumers. The new products also have to be consistent with the brand image. Apple is a company that is always innovating with their new products but they are consistent with the quality image and service they provide. Apple could innovate software for computer systems but it is not consistent with the company image.