Liv Marketing Strategy by Alice Walker

Marketing Strategy and Communication Plan Alice Walker N0673122

Contents Introduction 1 Methodology 2

Market Overview Brand Overview 4 Womens Cycling Market 5 STEEPLE 6 Positioning 7 SWOT 8 Customer Analysis 9-11 Macro Trends 12-13

Brand Strategy Current Strategy 15 SMART Objectives 16 Gap Planning 17 Ansoffs Matrix 18 Collaborations 20-27

Marketing Plan

Communication Plan 29-30 Creative Concept 31-34 Targeting 35 Marketing Models 36 Budgeting 37 Measure and Review 38 One year strategic plan 39 Three year Timeline 40-41 Conclusion 42 Word count: 3487

Introduction Liv is the sister brand to Giant Bicycles, created by Bonnie Tu in 2008, and it specialises in offering the best bikes and cycling gear for female cyclists, designed by women, for women. In order for the brand to expand and reach new customers, suitable collaborations that resonate with their brand image is a strategy that would allow Liv to grow in consumer appeal as well as their creative image and therefore drive sales. The purpose of this report is to give an insight into the female cycling market, identifying the key opportunities and challenges. From this, a three-year marketing strategy plan will be provided, as well as a one-year tactical communication plan with on-line creative focusing on a collaboration. The report will show where the brand is now, where it wants to get to and how it can be done successfully. How to measure and review the success of the collaboration will be included which will show how this delivers the objectives within Liv.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Liv is the first cycling brand completely dedicated to women. We offer the only comprehensive product collection designed specifically for female cyclists, ranging from beautiful apparel to premium bicycles.â&#x20AC;? (Liv-cycling.com, 2017)

Methodology Research Objectives • • •

Find out who Liv’s customers are, what are their main needs challenges and issues? How could women’s cycling be more appealing to the everydaywoman, what possible collaborations could promote this? Identify the key threats and opportunities in the women’s cycling market, how can Liv use these to their advantage?

Primary Research • • •

Quantitive: Online survey Qualitive: Store observation Qualitive: Employee interview

Secondary Research

Online resources such as Mintel and Euromonitor were used to give trustworthy business information and literature research was conducted to support primary research.

Method

The online survey was conducted to provide a broad range of answers and information that can easily be communicated in the report. A member of staff at the York Liv store was interviewed and provided a response to a list of questions to gain a better understanding of the company and the events they hold. Meanwhile, in store pictures were taken to produce an in store observation to understand Liv’s current strategy in greater detail.

Sample • •

Online survey: 14 Employee interview: 1

Limitations

Although there are many women cyclist, the online survey proved challenging to gain a range of female cyclists. For the secondary research, making assumptions and finding information for the financial aspect of the report was a limitation.

Market Overview

“Women spend money and drive revenue for many companies. The companies that recognise the profit potential of women will end up being successful. Additionally, women are a powerful voice in today’s society and that is only growing in expression in media outlets of all kinds.” (Bonnie Tu, Bikeradar, 2017)

Brand Overview Brand Essence

Fearless, inspiring and motivating.

Mission

To create the best women’s-specific bicycle and apparel products by harnessing the power of a truly global cycling community. Liv believe in creating opportunities and breaking barriers, striving to be a welcoming community for women all over the world, whether they’re beginner or expert cyclists.

Vision

Capture the interest of the future female generations and give them the confidence to feel safe and free when cycling. Encourage diverse communities of women to discover new possibilities through cycling on a global level.

Values

Making the best bikes and cycling gear for female cyclists, designed by women, for women. No matter the riders level, every female is welcome at Liv.

Functional Benefits

Tailored to women, high quality, active.

Emotional Benefits Fun, engaging, uplifting.

“That’s it, pretty simple. Everything we do from the design of our bikes, gear and our message is all for women.” (Bonnie Tu, bikeradar, 2017) 4

Women’s Cycling Market This represents the current and projected global bicycle market size in 2016 and 2024. In those eight years, the global bicycle market is projected to grow by approximately 17 billion U.S. dollars. (Statista, 2017)

The cycling market shows signs of recovery after a poor 2015 as many retailers have seen sales boosted as a result of Team GB’s achievements in Rio. It is likely to grow at around 3% making it worth a predicted £1.25 billion by 2021. (Mintel, 2017)

(Mintel, 2017) In June 2015 British Cycling estimated that 254,000 more women are cycling than in March 2013. This equates to a total of half a million cyclists, with around a quarter of these being regular cyclists. The organisation now has 139% more female members than in 2012. The driving force behind this increase is many of the interventions launched by British Cycling such as #weride and Breeze. (Mintel, 2017)

Group participation is more common in a non-competitive environment with 11% of UK adults cycling in groups, compared to 9% who compete in cycling events. Participation in non-competitive events is fairly level at 10% for women and 12% for men. While more attention from retailers and manufacturers on female cycling means that the gender gap should hopefully start to close as more women have the equipment they need to feel comfortable cycling. (Mintel, 2017) Headlines in the media also tend to focus on the casualties caused by cycling, when in fact they are at the lowest levels seen for some time, even with more cyclists on the road. It would be more beneficial for cycling to be showcased for the positive impact it has on health, the environment and the economy. (Mintel, 2017)

STEEPLE Analysis S T E E P L

The growth in women’s cycling is clear, however women are still in a minority and their visibility within the cycling industry is still low, their representation in sports and mainstream media is a lot less than males. Population is ageing due to a combination of low birth rates and longer life expectancies. Longer lives provide a growing market for consumer health products, health foods, leisure services, tourism and fitness products, benefiting the cycling market because of consumers wanting to get out and be active. With the introduction of GPS, electronic shifters, advancements in materials like titanium/carbon fiber and the ability to use a 3D printer to produce components, cycling is becoming very high-tech. The bike computer allows riders to track every aspect of their ride – distance, maximum speed, calories burned, time spent pedalling, average gradient and even power, linking to the health and wellbeing trend of being able to track specific calories burnt in a cycle. The other major technological revolution that’s occurred in cycling has been the rise of action cameras, with GoPro dominating the market. Sharing experiences online through social media with sporting apps or GoPro is becoming more and more popular whilst motivating people to stay active “People are motivated by what their friends say and think about their workouts,” (Erin Glabets, 2014) The result of increased physical activity has huge benefits, not only to the individual in terms of physical and mental health, but also on the economy, as better health means less strain on the NHS etc. Food and other items are increasing in price, combined with low wage growth and unemployment which puts a squeeze on incomes and leisure activities are likely to become less of a priority. Women are feeling less confident about their financial situation than men meaning Liv will have to reassure the value and added benefits of their products. Air pollution is something that is of increasing concern for consumers and is explored in Mintel’s Trend Airpocalypse Now, so the government needs to ensure that there is enough investment available for more eco-friendly forms of transport, such as cycling. Companies that are backing the Cycle to Work scheme and promoting cycling as a form of transport should communicate this as consumers are becoming more aware of ethics, especially Millennials. Research for the Mintel Report The Ethical Consumer – UK, July 2015 shows that 78% of UK consumers believe that companies should act ethically. The effect of Brexit on the exchange rates has impacted and is likely to continue the impact of cost of imports. It has also negatively impacted the exchange rate which will see most bike prices increase by a minimum of 10% as the majority of bikes are imported. (Mintel, UK Bicycles report, 2017) The increased cost of imports created by the deflated exchange rate courtesy of Brexit means that consumers are less likely to be buying new bikes and therefore may choose to repair rather than replace. This is an opportunity for bike shops to maximise as online retailers cannot provide solutions in these circumstances which could be a threat for Liv which is primarily an online retailer. In 2015 the activist lawyer group, ClientEarth, took the government to the Supreme Court to order them to come up with a plan to bring air pollution down to within the legal limit. Since then there has been a lot of progress beginning to take place in cities, making them a safer place to cycle with the government backing cycling schemes like cycling to work and the Green Transport Plan. Sustainability is becoming an important new driver of consumers’ purchasing decisions. Research for the Mintel Report The Ethical Consumer – UK, July 2015 shows that 78% of UK consumers believe that companies should act ethically and the factor that is ranked third as a way in which a brand is ethical, at 40%, is by promoting protection of the environment.

Positioning Targets females

Competitive market

Retailers are discovering the need for women’s specific cycling ranges by offering them the bikes and accessories needed to take up the sport. Halfords’ latest range from Olympic cyclist Laura Trott includes three road bikes and one hybrid. The retailer also launched ‘Olive and Orange’, a range of cycling and leisure products and accessories in collaboration with designed Orla Kiely.

Leisure market

In terms of positioning Liv positions itself right at the top of the female specific market which is still a relatively new market sector. However, retailers will soon catch on that this is in popular demand and will start to bring out their own brands tailored only to women. Liv is still at the top of the sector as it is offering products on a global scale unlike the other smaller brands close to it. Although, Liv wishes to move into the leisure market and their main competitor from this segment would be velo vixen which offer a huge range of products specifically for females in the leisure cycling market. Not only do they offer a range of apparel but they also dip into the lifestyle market of stationary and body care.

Targets both genders

SWOT Strengths • • • • •

USP of only providing products for female cyclists Has a strong and dedicated user following With the owner of the brand being a female cycling she connects with the consumer and knows their needs Promotes the women’s cycling community well in an encouraging and empowering way Offer a range of products, not only competitive but leisure city bikes as well

Opportunities • • • •

Trends such as health and wellbeing, environmentally friendly, experience over technology and ageing population holds growth for Liv Growing women’s cycling market and with the availability to female specific products Feminism including female empowerment is on the rise with the help of communities on social media Leisure cycling activities are becoming more popular especially in the female market

Weaknesses • • • •

More focused on the competitive side of cycling instead of the more popular leisure market Social media accounts don’t show enough of the “everyday woman” but pro athletes instead which isn’t relatable No Liv app- other apps are promoted on their website Have a lower following on socials than their main competitors

Threats • • • •

Male market is still more dominant and factors such as fear and safety stop women from cycling Women feel less confident about their financial situation which effects the need of spending money on themselves Women may find it unnecessary to spend money on a specific bike designed for females when they can find cheaper designed for men Other top competitors such as Halfords and Go Outdoors have realised the potential for the women’s cycling market, bringing out their own female specific bike range

In terms of likelihood of success for the opportunities, focusing on the health and wellbeing trend for not only improved physical health but also the idea of “switching off” from being immersed online and therefore benefiting mental health. Liv must now take their approach to the leisure market in order to expand their audience as more female cyclists are likely to take part in cycling for fun. The highest probability of occurrence in threats are the main factors that drive women away from cycling, such as fear and safety, so Liv need to create a strong and encouraging community in order to fight this preconception. Liv’s core competencies include having specifically designed products for females, understanding the need for an encouraging cycling community and offering a range of products that aren’t solely competitive. The main issues they face are how low female visibility is within the cycling industry and their focus online being the competitive side of cycling which could be daunting for beginners as confidence is a big issue for women in sport. The main challenge that Liv can turn into a positive is that the cycling industry is mostly males so Liv can provide a strong, encouraging female community to get more women feeling safe and inspired to cycle.

Customer Analysis Liv’s definition of their target market ranges from 18-80. They believe cycling should be an opportunity for everyone, a promotion in inclusivity not exclusivity. However, Liv’s current strategy is mainly focusing on the dedicated cyclist rather than the beginner, making it slightly intimidating for the leisure cyclist who, at the moment, fall as a secondary consumer. The purpose of this report is to offer a strategic marketing plan of collaborations in order to appeal to the leisure cycling consumer and expand Liv’s target market.

“Women are inﬂuencers. Women are in charge of their family’s budget. Women’s activities inﬂuence their children’s choices in life, and women encourage their friends to try new things.” (Karen Bliss, GlobalSports, 2016)

Primary Consumer Name: Anna Foster Age: 24 Location: San Francisco, USA Job Title: Dental Assistant

Back Story • • • • •

Recently finished at Stanford University studying dentistry Enjoyed cycling when growing up so joined the cycling team at college Single but has two dogs who she walks very often Travels around America regularly seeing her friends from college Likes to maintain a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym, eating good food and cycling most weekends

Motivations • • •

Being outdoors to get away from the stress of her job Her image, looking and feeling good Sharing her fitness lifestyle online on social media to friends

Frustrations • • •

Lack of media coverage of women’s cycling Limited styles of women’s cycling clothing and bikes Finding time to switch off from social media and her job

Survey Analysis

The comments received from the online survey highlights the main worries and issues women have with cycling. For example, when asked “why do you think women’s cycling is less popular than men’s?” It was obvious that women felt very insecure in a male dominating market because of issues like not feeling good enough, fast enough or fit enough so they just don’t start. Someone said “cycling should be promoted/marketed differently in a more inclusive and balanced manner” as they felt men’s cycling gets more publicity which can be intimidating for women so the lack of promotion and sexism within the industry is off putting.

Secondary Consumer Name: Sarah Richardson Age: 56 Location: York, UK Job Title: Part time events organiser

Back Story • • • •

Has two children who are both grown up and have left home Used to be a full time mum but now works part time organising events in her local area Always been a fan of Yoga however new to cycling Has a large friendship group and loves socialising and getting involved

Motivations • • • •

Wants to take up cycling for the social and fun aspect Getting involved with cycling communities as a part time hobby interests her Wants quite a bit of guidance and information with taking up a new hobby She is looking to fill her free time with something new and exciting

Frustrations • • •

Intimidation from the male dominating cycling market Self confidence is quite low so wearing Lycra, exposing the body is a scary thought The feeling of starting the new hobby alone seems daunting

“We at Liv believe to truly offer women a bike that fits, it needs to be tailored to a more feminine body mechanics and physiology. We understand that women also come in different shapes and sizes, so our goal is to provide a bike that will more likely fit out of the box without making major changes.” (Bonnie Tu, bikeradar, 2017)

Macro Trends

Environmental

Ernst & Young reports that governments and corporations around the world are focused on reducing their carbon footprint for social and financial reasons. Emerging markets are expected to spur a rise in the demand for energy, which is likely to pose challenges in relation to carbon emissions. This is leading to a more conscious consumers who are making an effort to reduce their own personal carbon footprint which is a positive for the cycling industry.

Feminism

Thanks to social media, no market is untouched from the wave of online feminism that has inspired many people. It encourages sisterly encouragement – likes, shares and stories told in 280 characters which are easily digestible, and an easy way to get people hooked on the movement and, of course, your brand. For example, #ThisGirlCan – an “inclusive and body-positive” mission to get more women involved in sport and physical activity. Liv need to be careful to focus on coming across as believable rather than using the trend as what some people say is “femvertising” and not genuine.

Digital Detox

Making time to unplug is a higher priority than ever before “People feel more lonely, more stressed, and anxious than ever,” “The technology that was meant to connect us and simplify our lives, when overused, causes the opposite reaction.” (Davis, 2016). Mainstream companies have begun to offer a wifi switch for families looking to unplug. Google Wifi, launched in October 2016, offers a “family pause” switch that suspends wifi access at dinner or bedtime. This is a big opportunity for Liv as the activity of cycling can be seen as a time to switch off from the internet and focus on yourself.

Health and Wellness

When cycling, the brain receives more oxygen flow which enhances visual perception, attention and response time. Nearly half of American adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime, and anxiety rates for generation Z are very high. Consumers are beginning to consider mental health alongside physical as one of the many components that comprise wellbeing. (The future 100, 2017) Exercise like cycling has a range of benefits for mental wellbeing. Exercise can reduce your levels of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’.

Brand Strategy

Current Strategy Price

Liv’s price is relatively high compared to its competitors because of their high quality and how their bikes are specially designed for females. Their road bikes range from £369 to £7749, offering a huge range of leisure appropriate bikes to advanced competitive ones.

Promotion

The Liv Ambassador Program includes women in the USA seeking to develop the women’s cycling community through the Liv brand. This works as a promotional technique to build communities with the help of Liv. They attend cycling camps and events to encourage more women to cycle. “This is how we Liv” has become a very successful promotional campaign for the brand as riding is promoted as a way of life and being able to bring people together.

Physical Environment Product

Place People Process

When visiting the Liv store in York it offered a wide range of different products from road bikes to mountain bikes as well as many apparel products and accessories. They also featured a watt bike in order for customers to use in store and test out products. The walls were covered in female cycling pictures and the bikes were integrated with clothing with lots of space in the middle that could be used when holding pilate classes inside the store.

Liv want to be clear on their philosophy and the research they put into their products. “We make bikes from the ground up for women.” (liv-cycling.com, 2017) Their design process starts by gathering information from the global body dimension database which then allows the designers to cater to every part of a woman’s body, for example their weight, size and strength as women’s proportions are very different to men’s. Liv says that a woman riding a man’s bike could cause issues like strains to the lower back and therefore Liv are dedicated in offering products that work with a woman’s body perfectly. Liv is a global brand with shipping available to 38 countries as well as many Giant stores offering Liv all over the world.

If customers were having mechanical issues they can go into their local Giant retailer who will be able to assist them in resolving the issue. The brand is also on hand for any problems or questions someone may have on their social medias for example twitter and they also offer a free telephoning service and customer care email. If the customer is not satisfied with their Liv gear purchase, they can return the item along with the original receipt to the Giant or Liv retailer of the original purchase within 60 days for a one time exchange or refund.

“We create experiences for them and ask them to share their experiences, building a community and a conversation that often transcends the typical cycling conversations. We also believe strongly in teaching and being useful to our customers beyond the product we sell, we want them to learn and be comfortable.”

(Bonnie Tu, bikeradar, 2017) 15

SMART Objectives Short Term

Medium Term

Long Term

Expand Liv’s community of riders to be an inclusive brand on a global level.

Increase overall profits to 20% by December 2020.

To continue to make Liv the preferred brand for female cyclists across international markets.

S- Engagement online needs to increase by 10%

S- Overall profits will increase by 20% by Decem-

S- If this strategic marketing plan is completed suc-

(maximum 1 year)

M- Measure the engagement metrics on social media every week

A- Collaborations can increase a brand’s aware-

ness and engagement very quickly when relating to the brands values

R- The growth of community can be reached when

targeting a diverse female community therefore making this objective realistic

T- This objective will be achieved in one year

(1-3 years)

ber 2020 due to this strategic marketing plan for a one-year tatical communication plan and a three year marketing plan

M- Sales and profits will be monitored and calculated every month

cessfully Liv will be the preferred brand for female cyclists across international markets

M- Market shares between competition will be recorded and analysed

A- With clear focus within the brand and personal employee goals this objective is achievable

A- With the focus on collaborations and campaigns creating communities this will make it achievable for Liv to be a woman’s preferred cycling brand

R- Double digit sales growth has already been

R- Liv was the first cycling brand completely dedi-

T- This objective will be achieved in three years

T- This objective will be achieved at a minimum of

recorded (Liv insight) therefore this objective is realistic

starting January 2018

(3-6 years)

cated to women so as long as the brand doesn’t get complacent this objective is achievable

three years however it is on-going and will be a long term objective for the brand

Gap Planning Where are we?

January 2018, Liv have a following of 31.4k on Instagram, 4.7k on Twitter and 110k on Facebook.

Collaborations will increase the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engagement very quickly, allowing the community to grow.

Where do we want to be?

Increase following on Livâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by 10% in the first year, 20% in the second year then another 10% in the third year.

November 2017, Liv have a global revenue of 2 billion dollars and accounts for 25% of Giants major sales.

The increase in brand awareness from the collaboration will boost sales and allow the company to grow its customer base.

Increase overall profits by 20% by December 2020.

January 2018, Liv believe in inclusivity not exclusivity when it comes to cycling however the cycling market is still mostly dominated by men.

Share Livâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethos on a bigger scale with collaborations by putting emphasis on building a welcoming community.

Achieve an ever growing strong and diverse female community that is inclusive and international.

Ansoffs Matrix Existing Product

Existing Market

• • •

New Market

•

New Products

Secure dominance in the female cycle market • Sell more of current products to existing market to gain market share Continue to promote “This is how we Liv” • campaign on every social media to consolidate with existing brand values

Bring out a safety range including bike lights and bells to satisfy the female consumer needs of feeling safe “Padded pants” are what other women’s cycling brands are offering to make cycling more comfortable

Using the existing e-bike products Liv offer, use this to tap into a growing market “The market is expected to reach about 24.3 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.” (Statista, 2017) Promote the use of their “city bikes” in order to compete in the leisure market. Also, have a category specifically for leisure appropriate products on their website

In order to compete with top competitor, Velo Vixen, Liv could offer lifestyle products like body care, stationary and homeware Also to incorporate the health and wellbeing trend they can venture into the fitness food market and offer new products like protein for smoothies or healthy cereal bars

• •

Currently Liv is not looking for brand extension with new products or new markets. Growth in existing products markets and market development is key for the brand at this moment in time. Although beyond this three year strategic plan, Liv can look to providing new products or venturing into new markets but because of how new the brand is and how successful it is right now, building on where the brand is now is the focus.

Collaboration Ideas 19

Despite Liv having three digit growth in awareness (Liv insight, 2017) there still needs to be a drive for sustaining brand awareness and engagement which collaborations can help to underpin. It will also give the right strategy in order for the marketing objectives to be met. Therefore, the first collaboration idea is with International Women’s Day. Next year’s International Women’s Day will take place on the 8th March and 2018 focuses on #pressforprogress which is a worldwide campaign to take action to help accelerate gender parity. 2018 would be too early for Liv to plan a collaboration, so the campaign would take place in 2019, creating a free mass cycle ride taking place in three major cities (London, Amsterdam and Los Angeles) to promote gender equality and a strong female community. It will be a call to motivate and unite friends to think, act and be gender inclusive. Charities help to bring people together which is good promotion for Liv to promote female empowerment and strength but also appeal to a broader female market and resonate with the brand’s values.

Targeting The collaboration will reach a wider audience on a global level not only appealing to Liv’s existing target market but also new females that may not have considered cycling. The events will be very inclusive and welcoming for beginners and because International Women’s Day is already such a wide spread event it will encourage new audiences to interact with the brand whilst doing something for the greater good. Women are inﬂuencers. Women are in charge of their family’s budget and their activities inﬂuence their children’s choices in life. They also encourage their friends to try new things, therefore by engaging them with this communal event they can influence other females to take part, inspire their friends and family and gain freedom and fun from the activity. This campaign can allow females to feel welcomed by the bike industry that may have once seemed very male dominant and intimidating, but when going into it with a community it can be less daunting.

International Women’s Day

Promotion “Women see experiences, not specs. We create experiences for them and ask them to share their experiences — building a community and a conversation that often transcends the typical cycling conversations.” (Bonnie Tu, bikeradar, 2017 ) The International Women’s Day website will provide downloadable selfie cards that people can edit as preferred, or use as it is. With this, females from around the world can share their #BeBoldforChange actions socially. Some of the respondents will be featured on Liv’s socials as well as their website leading up to the race and afterwards. On the International Women’s Day website, Liv will feature on their “partners” part of the website to show they are supporting the cause. Online sign up forms for the race will be promoted on their social medias and website and when a female joins interest in the race they will get a 10% discount off their first order to say thank you for joining the community. If women don’t want to join the race but are still interested in the event, the race will be live streamed on Liv’s Youtube and Facebook page.

International Womens Day 2019

Event packs will be offered by the International Women’s Day team, collaborating to make banners, bunting, wristbands, balloons and t-shirts as well as the race being promoted on the campaigns website and social medias for a wider reach of females.

Measuring Success •

When females sign up for the cycle ride they can get a 10% discount off their first purchase to attract new customers to the brand and the number of people that sign up will be recorded.

•

The amount of new followers Liv gained on social media and how many people use the hashtag for International Women’s Day 2019 whilst also tagging Liv in a tweet will be measured.

•

Two weeks before and two weeks after the race the number of people that visited the website will be measured as well as sales figures on any of Liv’s road bikes or safety gear will be recorded.

Lon

don

#Press for Progress

Casquette Magazine

Casquette is an inspirational magazine dedicated to women’s cycling. Inside offers stories of the women, beautifully curated ideas on the best kit picks, the best bikes and hottest tech, recommendations on where to ride and refuel, plus awesome travel stories and incredible bucket list rides. It ships worldwide and has multiple stockists. For this collaboration Liv and Giant would stock the magazine in all their stores as well as feature in their June issue. A week of workshops of motivational speakers who are both from Liv and featured in the magazines will be organised in 10 of Liv’s stores, worldwide, with a live stream of the speakers on both the magazine and Liv’s Youtube and website. The feature in the magazine will be showcasing Liv’s products, also with stories from women who work at Liv and design the bikes.

Targeting ‘We believe strongly in teaching and being useful to our customers beyond the product we sell, we want them to learn and be comfortable no matter what bike they are riding.” (Bonnie Tu, bikeradar, 2017) Therefore, by providing Liv’s target market with useful advice in the magazine and also in the workshops they will have a better understanding of cycling and feel more prepared to take up the sport. Research by Sustrans in 2013 found “feeling unsafe” was women’s biggest concern about cycling. The more information and encouragement they have, the more likely they are to start or carry on their passion.

Promotion The Liv issue will be promoted on both the magazine’s and Liv’s website and social medias. Previews of the magazine will be teased online a couple weeks prior to the June launch. The workshops will also be a good promotion for both the magazine and Liv as it features inspirational women coming together and answering any questions people may have. If the magazine audience are yet to try Liv, this will bring them into contact with the brand and that goes for the same for people who haven’t heard about Casquette, making it a successful collaboration.

Measuring Success •

The sales of the magazine compared to other issues will be recorded to see if Liv’s collaboration has made a positive increase in sales.

•

Track how many people used a link from Liv’s social media advertisement in order to purchase online.

•

Track the number of people who view the live stream of the workshop speakers and record the turn out of the number of people at the workshop.

LIV, THE BRAND DESIGNED BY WOMEN, FOR WOMEN

OLYMPIC LEDGEND NICOLE COOKE

AVOCADO RECIPES TO FUEL YOUR RIDES

HOW TO START

JUNE 2018

This is a mock up of the front page June 2018 issue with a double paged spread.

Workshops

We are doing workshops! In collaboration with mega women’s cycling brand Liv. Over a week of workshops, we want to bring together our two communities to celebrate and educate female cyclists! The week will consist of numerous talks and events from inspiring women, both within the Liv community and the Casquette team. Come along, bring a friend, have fun and learn something new. Ever felt insecure or a lack of knowledge about cycling? The workshops are available to give you the right information to build your confidence as a female cyclist because trust us, we know it can be daunting. Whether you’re a first timer or pro rider visit the Casquette or Liv website to find out more. Liv is the sister brand to Giant Bicycles, created by Bonnie Tu in 2008, and it specialises in offering the best bikes and cycling gear for female cyclists, designed by women, for women. The creator, Bonnie Tu, being a cyclist herself saw how much of a struggle it was for women to find the right products tailored to them in such a male dominated market. Therefore her mission was to create the best

women’s-specific bicycle and This is why these workshops are apparel products by harnessing such a passion of hers as it is the power of a truly global cycling bringing together a strong comcommunity. They believe in cremunity of females to a safe and ating opportunities and breaking welcoming environment to purely barriers, striving to be a welcoming focus on their cycling journey. Boncommunity for women all over the nie knows first hand how daunting world, whether they’re beginner or the cycling environment can be expert cyclists. She said “That’s and the brand Liv is here to make it, pretty simple. Everything we do this amazing sport inclusive for from the design of our bikes, gear everyone. Take a look for yourself and our message is all for women.” at www.liv-cycling.com

Chemmy Alcott

The greatest ever British female alphine skier, Chemmy continues to constantly push her body to the limit. However now being a new mum she can take her sporting life more leisurely. She is no stranger to adversity and remains committed to inspiring the next generation and educating people from all over the world through sport. Most notably, she created the ‘X-Elle’ scheme, which aims to develop girl’s confidence through sport which resonates with Liv’s brand values. Women of all ages have fears about appearance, ability and spending time on themselves so therefore by using a beginner cyclist she can showcase how getting together can encourage women to banish those fears. The collaboration will include an edit on Liv’s website and blog of Chemmy’s favourite products, linked to a video campaign on their Youtube. The collaboration will use the hashtag “how we start” to keep with the brands current marketing strategies for example “how we liv” and “how to perform.”

Measuring Success •

Track how many people use the link of the campaign to purchase a product from the edit.

•

Record online sales from the collaboration and see how many new customers are buying from the range.

•

Measure the number of people who used the “how to start” hashtag.

Targeting The video campaign will feature lots of Liv’s products as well as their road bikes in order to reassure that Liv are able to give the new cyclists the tools to start. The collaboration will also launch in January in order to resonate with idea of starting a new year, taking up a new activity and becoming more healthy. By Chemmy showing her favourite products this will be a confidence boost for other begineers to cycling because she herself, is a beginner.

Promotion The video campaign will be released start of January and will feature Chemmy turning over the calendar and going out on a beginners bike ride. A lot of essentials from the Liv range will be used in order to give her the right tools to start her cycling journey. It will be inspirational, fun and motivational, not making it too serious but focusing on the uplifting and stress free bike ride a group of beginner cyclists can have, then will end with the hashtag “how we start”. With the hashtag, riders will be encouraged online to share tips or motivation in order to support new riders. If a female has gone on her first bike ride, no matter the age, if they use the hashtag “how to start” sharing their experience with a tweet or picture they will be praised by the brand by either a like or retweet or a feature on Liv’s social media.

The Chemmy Edit

This is a mock up of the Liv website featuring “The Chemmy Edit” with also their top video on Youtube being Chemmy’s “how we start” campaign.

#howwestart

The Chemmy Edit: How We Start Meet Chemmy, once a pro althlete, now a cycling beginner with wanting to start the year with a new hobby. See more at www.liv-cycling.com/thechemmyedit

Marketing Plan

Communication Plan The collaboration that will be the most successful in meeting the SMART objectives and having relevance across international markets is the International Women’s Day campaign. In order to meet these objectives, integrated marketing communication techniques will be applied to reach an effective communication plan across all platforms.

IMC

International Women’s Day

Event

Events are the only medium that bring the whole market together. The main communitive strategy linked to this collaboration is the bike ride event on 8th March 2019 to stand with and support International Women’s Day. It will be held in three major cities: London, Amsterdam and Los Angeles. It will be free to attend, welcoming to any level of rider to complete at their own pace and will be lived streamed on all of Liv’s social medias. The goal for the event is to bring together a female community, raising awareness for International Women’s Day and introduce more females to Liv, building a discussion that transcends the typical cycling conversations. It will give the audience a chance to share their experiences and feel like they’re apart of something big.

Advertising

Online advertising will be produced in order to persuade the audience to take part in the collaboration. Due to this, it will reach a wide audience quickly and messages can be controlled. A month prior to the event, online sign up forms will be posted and linked on all of Liv’s social medias and website as well as the events page on the International Women’s Day website. The hashtag that will link the collaboration together is yet to be decided for 2019 but the current one for 2018 is #pressforprogress. During the race, women who took part will be provided with downloadable selfie cards that they can edit as preferred. With this, females from around the world can share their actions socially. Some of the respondents will be featured on Liv’s socials as well as their website before the race and afterwards.

Sponsorship Sponsorship can help others while simultaneously achieving defined communications. It will allow an increase awareness for the brand and increase their image and credibility. This will lead to a longer term agreement to continue the collaboration in years to come. Liv will be sponsors of the International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day campaign and will therefore be promoted on the partners page of their website. This will create heightened positive visibility for the brand and therefore drive sales, which was a SMART objective to increase overall profits by 20% by December 2020.

Direct Marketing Direct marketing will allow Liv to communicate directly to its customer. In order to sign up for the bike ride for International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, the audience member will be required to enter their phone number and email address. This will firstly provide crucial information for the up coming event, giving details of timing, where abouts and what to bring. After the race this contact information will then be used to let the customer know of any upcoming events or offers that Liv are providing. This Direct marketing tactic will not be aggressive as the customer can unsubscribe at anytime, it is more for providing information for the audience member to get involved in.

Sales Promotion This can stimulate immediate sales and entice new customers to the brand. Following on from the direct marketing strategy, when a customer has signed up to take part in the race and entered their contact details they will get a 10% discount off their first order to say thank you for joining the community. Then throughout the year the audience member will be updated through the direct mailing list of any upcoming sales promotion that Liv may have. This will hold the possibility of trial and then repurchases for a new customer which was a main objective for Liv, to expand their community. It is also a good strategy for staying top of the competition.

Creative Concept Aim

To support International Women’s Day and expand Liv’s community, being inclusive and welcoming a discussion that transcends the typical cycling conversation.

Context: Trends

• Feminism • Social media for Social change • Community • Health and Wellness • Experience over materialistic goods • Conscious consumer Social media has sparked a wave of online feminism that has inspired females to participate in sisterly encouragement with likes, shares and stories told in 280 characters. “Individually we are a drop in the ocean, but together, we are the ocean.” (Ryunosuke Satoro, 2015)

Context: Insight

Women are inﬂuencers, they are in charge of their family’s budget and their activities inﬂuence their children’s choices in life. They also encourage their friends to try new things, therefore by engaging them with this communal event they can influence other females to take part, inspire their friends and family and gain freedom and fun from the activity. This campaign can allow females to feel welcomed by the bike industry that may have once seemed very male dominant and intimidating, but when going into it with a community it can be less daunting. Research by Sustrans in 2013 found “feeling unsafe” was women’s biggest concern about cycling. The more encouragement they have, the more likely they are to start or carry on their passion.

Idea

Hold mass cycle rides for any level of cyclist in three major cities for free on International Women’s Day to bring together a welcoming female community and stand with the campaign. Have a big focus on sharing their actions online to create a worldwide, inclusive campaign. Use the colour purple to signifies Liv, International Women’s Day and have connotations of power, ambition, peace, pride and magic.

“Complex and contemplative, ultra violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.” (Eiseman, director of the Pantone Colour Institute, 2018)

Examples: Women from the ride will be featured on Liv’s socials, here is an example of their Instagram.

The live stream of the bike ride will be available on Liv’s Facebook page or, as shown here, on their Youtube page.

International Women’s Day Live Stream

omen’s Day International W

Liv Cycling stands with International Women’s Day, join the female community for #pressforprogress and be in on the action by watching live! For more information visit www.Liv-cycling.com/internationalwomensday

International Women’s Day Live Stream

Meghan, Anna, Molly and Summer riding for International Women’s Day, Individually we are a drop but together, we are the ocean.

Calling all women! Support International Women’s Day with a free cycle ride for any level of cyclist, Sign up for the ride here www.liv-cycling.com/bikeride or visit www. internationalwomensday.com for more information

An example of a B2B strategy of Liv featuring on the partners page of the International Women’s Day website to grow brand awareness whilst supporting the campaign.

International Women’s Day 2019

Lon

don

#Press for Progress

Liv 20/2/19 Here’s to say thank you! To: Alice Walker Reply-To: Liv@cycling.com

International Women’s Day

So you’ve shown an interest in our mass cycle ride for International Women’s Day 2019! Whether that means joining the race or just watching along live on the 8th March we wanted to say thank you for joining the community with this 10% discount off your first order at Liv.

Free t-shirts and wristbands will be available at the race which the participant can keep and therefore build brand loyalty, also keeping with the purple theme.

10% DISCOUNT CODE: XJF45HP2

Here at Liv we strive for Making the best bikes and cycling gear for female cyclists, designed by women, for women. No matter the riders level, every female is welcome at Liv. To join our community follow us online or take a look at our website www.liv-cycling.com

The 10% discount code given to those who have shown interest in taking part in the bike ride to try and target new customers and introduce them to the brand.

Targeting One of the aims for this collaboration is not only to engage current consumers but to also attract new ones. This customer identification shows how the campaign will attract the secondary consumer and even potential customers to the brand.

Peripheral

New potential consumers that have not thought about taking up cycling could find this collaboration a way to start and introduce them to Liv. With Liv featuring on the partners page on the International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day website, the information about the bike ride would interest the consumer to take part in something that is for the greater good. Encouragement from friends and not going into it alone will make them feel more comfortable of starting.

Secondary

The secondary consumer may have cycled when she was young but now wants to get back on the bike or make it a more regular hobby. This collaboration will give her the confidence that comes from the diverse female community to feel welcomed and safe. The bike ride will offer beginner routes and an all round positive, helpful environment to make her feel as included as possible.

Primary

Primary consumers will already be invested in cycling so the opportunity for a cycle ride to promote female empowerment will be very engaging. The main frustration for the primary consumer is the lack of media coverage of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cycling so this excitement of a mass cycle ride for females on International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day will be attractive to them.

Marketing Models STP Model Segmenting

Women’s cycle products and apparel both competitive and leisuire wear. International distribution for any age of female from 18-80.

Targeting

Any level of women’s cycling ability from experienced rider to beginner. Have an ethos of inclusivity not exclusivity.

Positioning

Diverse range of product offering for female cyclists. Offering women the tools and confidence to cycle.

The purpose of the STP model is “to satisfy customer needs more closely and, in doing so, deliver sustainable competitive advantage for the company. It is defined by the customers needs, not the company’s and should be revisited periodically” (Mcdonald and Dunbar, 2004) Liv’s STP is quite open which is important for the brand as they focus on offering their service to any female that may wish to cycle.

DRIP Model Differentiate

This collaborative marketing plan is different from the competition as this event is putting Liv on an international level that can resonate with every female across the world. It is also transcending the typical cycling conversation which none of Liv’s competitors are doing.

Reinforce

It will reinforce the brand’s vision of creating opportunities and breaking barriers, also by welcoming women all over the world, whether they’re beginner or expert cyclists. Liv’s brand essence is to inspire and motivate which this event will reinforce through a supportive community.

Inform

Partnering with International Women’s Day will inform new consumers and introduce them to the brand. It will also inform them of what Liv stands for and their product offering, by linking the audience to their website and social medias.

Persuade

It will persuade current users of the brand to stay loyal to the company by showing Liv are apart of something more than just cycling and will also persuade new users to interact with the brand with the help of a 10% discount code off their first order.

This model was made to support the marketing communication plan of the collaboration to set broad communicative goals. Due to the collaboration being a new idea for the brand, it is important that the right message is being put across to consumers.

Budgeting Campaign Type

Quantity

Cost Per Unit

Projected Sub Total

Banners

£20

£180

Bunting

150

£3

£450

Wristbands

5000

£4

£20,000

Balloons

300

£2

£600

T-shirts

5000

£5.99

£29,950

Location Rental

£8,000

£24,000

Sponsorship

£7,500

Additional Equipment

£50

£2,500

Event Staff

100

£300

£30,000

Traffic Control

£4,000

£240,000

Onsite Ambulance

£3000

£27,000

Photographers

£300

£1,800

Speakers

£600

£5,400

Web Development

£1500

£4,500

Web Content

£1000

£3000

Web Analytics

£3000

£9000

Designers

£1000

£3000

Content Creaters

£1500

£4,500

Event

Website

Social Media

Total Expense: £413,380

This marketing budget shows that the total expenses for the collaboration will come to £413,380 which exceeds Liv’s initial ceiling of £200k-£300k however, they did say that they would consider a budget up to £500k when including all online and offline creatives which this budget does.

Measure and Review Determining the word “engagement” is different for each brand, it’s not always just buying a product. For Liv, they are currently competing in a gap in the market at the moment but with research on the market overview, this is likely to change, so measuring their engagement rating is very important to create brand loyalty and not get complacent.

New Visitors vs Returning

This metric will help to establish how effective the new collaboration was at driving traffic to the Liv website. This will be done through google analytics, a month before the collaboration and a month after to review the difference. “Bounce rate” will also be recorded which refers to the percentage of users who leave the site without visiting a second page as well as the “Avg. Session Duration” to find out the average length of time each visitor spends on the site before leaving. To interpret the data, Liv are wanting to see a rise in new visitors whilst also seeing returning visitors which will be key to building a strong brand and an engaged digital community.

Social Media

The two types of social media measurement that Liv will be using are: ongoing analytics, that will be ongoing monitoring that will track Liv’s activity over the three year timeline and campaign-focused metrics, which will have a clear beginning and end, relating to the collaboration and tracking the impact it had. To be able to measure the success the first thing to do focus on the main goal which is to engage with a community. Therefore, Liv are aiming to get audiences to engage with the brand so metrics around retweets, comments, replies, and participants will be recorded. They also want to reach new customers so awareness will be measured by metrics like volume, reach, exposure, and amplification to understand how far the message spreading. This will be achieved through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

Direct Responses

In terms of measuring the direct responses to the 10% discount email, click through rate will be used to find out the percentage of email recipients who clicked on the link contained in the email. Conversation rate will also be measured to record the percentage of email recipients who clicked on the link and completed the desired action of using the code to purchase a product.

One Year Plan Goal •

Expand Liv’s community of riders to be an inclusive brand on a global level.

Timeline January 2019

Tactics

Strategies • • •

• • • • •

Integrated marketing communication Collaboration Engaging on-line creative

8th February

8th-15th March

Registration for the bike ride is open and promoted on Liv’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with a direct link to sign up

20th February

Finalise collaboration with International Women’s Day and start the promotion of the event

Collaboration event Social media advertising Sponsorship Direct Marketing (emails) Sales promotion

Women from the ride will be featured on Liv’s socials with their downloadable selfie cards

Emails for the 10% discount code will be sent out

July-December

Start the planning process of next years collaboration with International Women’s Day

8th March

10th January

Liv features on the partners page on the International Women’s Day website and the information about the event goes live on both websites

12th February

Manufacturing process for the free wristbands, t-shirts, banners and balloons will be underway

International Women’s Day and the day of the bike ride, Live stream available on their Facebook and Youtube

April

Measure and review the success of the collaboration

Three Year Timeline Year 1

April 2018

Review current sales and financial capability in order to set a budget for the collaboration in 2019

Start the planning process for the collaboration event, identifying the aims and objectives, budget and time frame

January 2018

Continue current brand strategy and keep promoting the “How We Liv” campaign

12th February

December 2018

August 2018

Analyse competitors and how Liv are doing in comparison

Manufacturing process for the free wristbands, t-shirts, banners and balloons will be underway

7th February

Record google analytics of bounce rate and average session duration on website

July 2018

Review the current brand values and ethos and check that this is consistent throughout the company

10th January 2019

October 2018

February 2018

Get in touch with International Women’s Day, proposing the idea of collaboration for 2019

Carry out Market research and consumer analysis with surveys, focus groups and interviews to gain an understanding of their consumers and how to go about planning the upcoming collaboration

Liv features on the partners page on the International Women’s Day website and the information about the event goes live on both websites

20th February

Emails for the 10% discount code will be sent out

8th February

Registration for the bike ride is open and promoted on Liv’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with a direct link to sign up

8th-15th March

Women from the ride will be featured on Liv’s socials with their downloadable selfie cards

27th February

Review click through rate and conversation rate from the 10% discount email

August

12th April

Year 2

Decide whether to remain sponsors of International Women’s day and do another collaboration in 2020

May

International Women’s Day and the day of the bike ride, Live stream available on their Facebook and Youtube

May

Based on Liv’s findings of their financial situation, brainstorm ideas on brand stretch and the possibility of entering a new market like homeware, skincare or stationary in the next three years

July

Create new three year strategic plan

8th March

International Women’s Day collaboration

April

8th April

Compare findings of google analytics to a month before the collaboration

Measure and review the success of the collaboration Decide on collaboration idea with International Women’s Day and start the promotion

Refer back to collaboration aims and objectives to decide whether they have been met

See if the three year objective was met to Increase overall profits by 20% by December 2020.

April

January 2020

Review the success of the collaboration by social media engagement

8th March

December

Start the planning process for the collaboration in 2020

Review Liv’s sales and financial situation in comparison to it’s competitors

Year 3 41

Conclusion This report has given an insight into where Liv are now, where they want to get to and how they will do it. It has documented a suitable collaboration strategy working with International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, with the use of a one-year tactical communication plan, online creative and a three year marketing strategy. Liv achieved tripled digit growth in engagement this year and have created a steady buzz since starting in 2008. They are now at a point of wanting to create brand stretch and appeal to a more diverse female market whilst building an inclusive community. This can be achieved through the collaboration strategy talked about in this summary, to collaborate with International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day to offer a global reach, inclusivity and community expansion.

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Appendix Survey Results

Staff Interview at Liv York Store

When did this store open? has it had a good response since then? It opened about 3 weeks ago (23rd November) and the actual opening night was a success as to celebrate the official opening of the first UK Liv store anyone was welcomed with a glass of fizz and nibbles and we actually had a really good turn out! Since then it’s been really busy with lots of women coming into just browse around the new shop and ask questions about Liv and they always say they love the shop. What kind of customer do you get then coming in and looking around? Anybody really, lots of middle aged women I’d say with their families like to come in who didn’t actually know about the us before and love the idea of it being female specific because they always say it’s hard finding such a wide variety of products catered to them. Obviously also we get lots of female cycling fans who know and love Liv already and are just really happy to finally have an actual stand alone store instead of just shopping alone or going into Giant. Are there any other activities you offer in York to build the community of Liv? Just yesterday we held a pilates class upstairs, the store has been designed very well by having lots of floor space and things can easily be pushed to one side to create an almost studio for the class. We also have been offering women’s cycle rides and routes to do as a group, then we finish at a cafe in York just for a coffee and a chat. That sounds fun! In terms of anything else the store offers, what makes it more engaging than shopping online? So we have this wattbike here that customers can be tested on and this allows us to use scientific accuracy to ensure that their bike they choose if optimised for things like power, speed, comfort and control. We also offer a personal shopping experience that includes an initial consultation to make the experience personalised to the customers riding style and goals then a hour appointment with a Liv specialist. Then the technician will be available to deliver the perfect bike that fits specific to the customer. It costs £25 but then you get a £30 gift voucher to spend in store. If you were to suggest a possible collaboration for Liv to expand their community, what would you suggest? Maybe some icons like Laura Trott who’s done so well recently in the Olympics or Victoria Pendleton. Someone who can inspire or maybe working with a charity to get lots of women involved to build that community. I know breast cancer do lots of sport events like runs to bring women together, something like that would be good.

I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of approval in the conduct of this project. Signed ………………………………….. Date……….

York Store Observation