Aleksandra Pavlova // &Other Stories brand extension proposal

Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

Strategic Marketing and Merchandising Plan project

by Aleksandra Pavlova BA Fashion Marketing & Communication, Level 6, 2018-2019 6FAMK004C Marketing Techniques and Strategy 3 Alejandro Gonzรกlez, Teresa Buhigas Word Count: 3904

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& Other Stories

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& Other Stories

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METHODOLOGY

The aim of this project is to investigate the possibilities of expanding the brand & Other Stories in a way that would be coherent with the current brand strategy as well as being an advantage to the overall brand internal and external environments, taking into account the brand’s current ranges, as well as investigating the potential market of entry and it’s current state and consumers through first-hand collection of qualitative research done through interviews, and secondary quantitative data reflecting the market’s economic state and it’s potential. In the end of the internal and external analysis of the brand & Other Stories, an in-depth proposal will be formed and a new product category range will be formed, including it’s launch and marketing aspects, in addition to the forecast of the budgets needed for the given operations to be concluded. Lastly, the strategies of entry will be supported by a benchmark of the future competitors to reflect on both the potential strong aspects as well as dangers they may bring to the brand’s extension proposition.

& Other Stories

Aleksandra Pavlova

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& Other Stories

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

INTERNAL ANALYSIS

BRAND OVERVIEW & Other Stories is a brand that has orig-

own style and giving thought to making

inated in Stockholm, Sweden in 2010,

their own perfect personal wardrobe [H&M

when the current CEO of the brand Sam-

Group, 2017].

uel Fernström proposed an idea of setting

Other Stories and its competitors, however,

up a new brand dedicated originally to

is that the brand remained largely focused

cosmetics and makeup, operating under

on accessories, makeup, cosmetic prod-

the H&M umbrella, however soon after

ucts, with fashion being only the final piece

the company started expanding it’s prod-

of the “puzzle” [Fumo, 2014]. From there on,

uct range and so was created a brand that

the first stores were opened around Eu-

would “give the customer an entire look,

rope - in London, Copenhagen, Stockholm,

also including the accessories, the shoes,

Paris, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona, and now

the bags”, rather than only focusing on

the brand has over 60 owned stores around

makeup and skincare. The idea then was

the world in 16 countries, including a recent

born to make a brand dedicated to wom-

expansion to America, Australia and South

en who are interested in transmitting their

Korea [H&M Group, 2017].

The main difference between &

THE CHALLENGE The main challenge is to correctly inter-

herent communication and merchandising

pret the current brand strategies and pro-

plans, as well as a detailed budget to “sell”

pose a brand extension that would fit the

the proposed idea. Lastly, the vital point of

current brand image and the needs of the

the investigation is to understand correct-

customers. Through the analysis of the

ly the wants and demands of both the cur-

potential market of entry, it is crucial to

rent and potential consumers and develop

evaluate both the benefits and disadvan-

a collection that fits their lifestyle, personal

tages that may arise in the process, as

styles as well as the image of the brand on

well as understand the potential threats

the other end of the channel. With the strat-

that the competing brands may bring on.

egy proposal, the success factors of the ac-

In order to achieve a successful outcome,

tions will be drawn, with the use of which

the main challenge is to develop a co-

the success of the launch will be ensured.

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

BRAND ANALYSIS - key events

1 3 5 2 4 6 Founded in 2010 by a small group with a proposition create a brand that would give women an opportunity for freedom in self expression and portraying their own style

The first & Other Stories flagship was opened on Regent street, London in 2013. The same year the online sales have started to escalate across the European market

2010

The original idea was to create a brand focused at core on cosmetics and skincare, however the idea soon developed into selling the “total look� with everything that can be worn

The brand then took shape to the current devision into ateliers, each of which is responsible by delivering a particular [life] style to the different types customers

Year by year, the brand now works with different designers, artists, and worldwide influences in developing collaborative collections, and thus connecting customers and talents across the world

2019

Now, the brand is made up of many collections that launch often, each inspired by the everyday woman, offering a coherent aesthetic throughout ready-towear, skincare, accessories, and everyday items

*The above timeline is a summary of the key events that have taken place in the formation over the years since the brand has been launched and that have affected the way it has developed.

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

CURRENT BRAND POSITION & Other stories itself does not provide any

ous year. Also during the year, H&M entered

financial information to the public, how-

8 new online markets and expanded its

ever it is known that it belongs under the

physical retail network to 5 new countries.

H&M Group umbrella (for the review of the full

Overall, worldwide a total of 479 new stores

internal business structure, reference to Figure 1

were opened. At the end of the financial

in the Annex) , thus the financial report of the

year, H&M has reported to have presence in

company overall can be reviewed in order

69 sales markets, 49 of which in the online

to collect evidence regarding the current

environment [Retail SEE Group, 2018].

financial position of the brand, although the analysis may not be accurate.

Regarding the sustainability improvements of the company, H&M Group is currently

The last available annual report has been

one of the largest users of organic cotton in

published in 2018, and showed that as a

the world, and the statistic shows that that

company, H&M continued to expand ma-

value has nearly doubled since 2015, and

jorly on global terms, recording sales of

the aim is established to use 100% sustain-

approximately 23.5 billion EUR, which is a

able materials by 2030 [H&M, 2019].

4 percent increase compared to the previ-

- KEY FIGURES: 9.9 billion Net Sales in 2018 4% increase from previous year 1.5 million operating profit 1,655,072 shares

5000 stores 123,283 employees 70 million online searches monthly *The figures above are given for the total H&M Group and are rounded up for easier interpretation [H&M Group, 2018]

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

BRAND IDENTITY

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/ Gentle // Confide ity / n t nal // Cr rso e pe at iv

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// Stylish // Emp o end w eri ng

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ustainability a n // S de gs th tric approac h hin ce n / / S ics l t er s // e al m n si sm sto tiv H u C

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*The Brand Identity Onion diagram above illustrates the key components of the brand and help to understand it’s values and personality, which stands in the core of every strategic action taken by the brand and, amongst other things, reflects it’s differentiation from it’s competitors and defines it’s tone of voice towards the customer

Aleksandra Pavlova

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& Other Stories

BRAND CORE - mission, vision, values Brand’s mission statement:

“The mission of & Other Stories aims to bring detail and quality to offer everything a woman can wear within one brand - such as shoes, bags, accessories, beauty, stationary and ready-to-wear. To empower women to create their own personal style.”

Brand’s vision statement:

“ & Other Stories aims to stay true to it’s parent group H&M’s visionto make sure customenrs wear their products with pride, and staying conscious of all [their] actions.”

Brand’s values sustainability statement:

“We believe that the manufacturing of clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty products should be done in a responsible way. Our aim is to create collections, with well thought-out solutions, that give people the opportunity to express their personality” The brand plays in the environmental-

and support to it’s workers on all stages of

ly conscious market, and aligns its val-

it’s manufacturing, and since being a part

ues with the ones of the current social

of the H&M Group is quoted to stand behind

and consumeristic aspects. The brand

the proposal to “reduce the environmental

is “committed to care both for the pres-

footprint in the fashion world”, additionally

ent and the future” [& Other Stories, 2018].

through offering in-store beauty recycling

Through this statement, the brand follows

schemes, as well as introducing textile re-

the Code of Conduct, and offers training

cycling since 2015.

Aleksandra Pavlova

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& Other Stories

Aleksandra Pavlova

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& Other Stories

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

THE ATELIERS Through the brand becoming what it is now,

pieces, merged with innovative Scandinavian

it now parts in three ways - the three atel-

elements, and Los Angeles, that has been the

iers coming from Paris, as the designers of

most recent extension of the brand and where

the clothing line are predominantly french,

its has been directed thought it’s “Californian”

focusing on the elegant and more feminine

lifestyle [Carreon, 2018]. Mixing those collec-

components of the collections, Stockholm,

tions supports the mix & match concept of the

where the brand has originated and gained

brand’s clothing and allows each customer to

most of its character, atelier is being more

combine different elements and create their

minimalist, working on sharply tailored

our personal styled outfits [Nicola Fumo, 2014].

* The images above are taken from the & Other stories website’s “About” section that explains the devision of the brands into ateliers and the history behind the formation of each one

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DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES & COLLABORATIONS

Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

CURRENT STRATEGIES * The following segment discusses the key strategies used by & Other Stories in order to differentiate from its competitors and stand out in the marketplace and win over its target.

The main promise of the brand is to provide

sister brands of the H&M Group, & Other

a luxury experience of the higher-end high

Stories stands out by being more suitable

street brand that offers very style-driven

for a broader audience, offering a wide as-

product combined with offering the brand’s

sortment of products like H&M, and being

“signature” classy look with high quality

very fashion-focused like COS. The target

pieces. The creative nature of the brand is

of the brand is therefore directed at women

showcased thought all aspects of its oper-

who are driven by style, and use it to reflect

ations. Thus, & Other Stories emphasises

their personality. The brand is inspired by

offering complete freedom to their cus-

social media and bloggers, who are aware

tomers explainably offering a wide range

about the fashion world and have a strong

of styles and letting the customer choose

presence in the digital sphere [Fumo, 2014],

how to combine them, only providing them

[Takhar, 2015].

with inspiration of the complete looks. The mix & match concept in combination with quickly changing collections are the key ideas implemented by the brand, seen through the way the collections are organised in the store and showcase on social media.

One of the highlights of the ways the brand operates currently is through collaborations with other brands, designers, artists, writers, musicians, creators. This is one of the main elements of the brand’s identity and what it is known for. Usually & Other Stories releases a few collaborations every

Thus, the brand sells a lifestyle rather

year, including Nike, TOMS, Shoplifter, Ra-

than just separate pieces of clothes, which

chel Antonoff, Faux/Real, and others. All

is one of the main reasons for high brand

these help the brand to reinforce their ap-

loyalty amongst the customers. The aim of

proach in providing a variety of differ- ent

the brand is to be “shoppable” by all wom-

styles while still attaining the brand image

en, no matter the age, style, or income

and keeping the cool edge [& Other Stories,

[Fumo, 2014].

In comparison to the other

2018].

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[& Other Stories, 2019], [Murray, 2018]

& Other Stories

Aleksandra Pavlova

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& Other Stories

BRAND COMMU Campaign made by an influencer and blogger Ivania Carpio (2016), referring to the importance of recycling and wasteful habits of people in day to day life.

The aim of the campaign was to spread the word about the recycling program of & Other Stories and create a story of the product from the day of purchase to its last day being given into recycling and replaced.

STORYTELLING

FEMALE EMPOWERMENT

The latest International Women’s Day campaign (2019) launched by & Other Stories tag-lined “dance like nobody’s watching”, with the aim to “indicate the importance of being true to yourself” through showcasing women who have achieved their goals through being themselves, at the same time valuing the sense of belonging to their team [Email Tuna, 2019], [Terribles, 2019].

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& Other Stories

REAL STORIES

NICATION CODES

Valentine’s Day A/W 2015 campaign shot as a self-portrait by a real life couple Eden Clark and Lizzie Tovell. The campaign is focused on portraying real emotions, love and diversity, as well at the couple’s own styling and visual interpretation of the collection, given by the brand a freedom to create. [Schlutt, 2015]

GLOBAL ISSUES All transgender campaign for & Other Stories’ 2015 S/S collection. The aim of the collection is to break fashion’s normative rules of gender specific clothing and the views on transgender people in the industry [Out.com, 2015].

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

1. PRODUCT

- current product portfolio Each “collection” (rather the flow of product releases) are made through the collaboration

MARKETING MIX

between the brand’s ateliers described earlier on. The building of the designs is inspired mostly by quality and mindfulness, rather only the always changing fashion trends. This is how the brand always manages to keep its essence and recognisable style. In regards to the products themselves, the overall focus is held mostly on the beauty products and clothing, which are prioritised to shoes, bags, and accessories. Although, the jewellery is also a big part of the brand’s core, however is not seen as a primary purpose. Overall, the brand believes that the main component for creating fashion is the customer’s own personal sense of style and their story.

“Seeking global relevance” The main marketing strategy of the brand in

ers where the brand predominantly operates, &

the product department is seeking global rel-

Other Stories’ thoughtful and “slow” approach has

evance in every market it sells.& Other Stories

brought it it’s success and is also helping to change

has been a successful example from being a

the minds of it’s customers and making small steps

trend-setter rather than a trend-follower, al-

to showing them more environmentally sustainable

though still managing to stay style-current and

ways. Currently, the brand is performing well due

making recent appearances on the red carpet

to a strong and consistent concept which is com-

at the Oscars as well as on the Paris Fashion

municated through all consumer touch points. One

Week runways. Another strength of the brand

of the issues that the brands may need to prepare

is the ability to grow financially at the stay time

to face is adapting it’s core concepts and style such

focusing on it’s core values and playing against

as feminine street-style and the digital aspect of it’s

the providers of “disposable fashion” and mov-

operations involving blogging to the markets out-

ing towards sustainable production despite be-

side of Europe, since the blogger-sphere is not as

ing part of a huge mostly fast-fashion corpora-

developed in some of the other potential markets,

tion such as H&M Group. In addition to this, The

where consumers are less experimental and still

brand manages to keep its success beyond the

are seeking “style direction” from the brands then

hype surrounding its initial opening, thanks to

trust. This topic is important to manage correctly

remaining very consumer-oriented and keep-

especially since at he current time, the brand does

ing its reputation in the mid-segment as one of

not adapt it’s products specifically to different coun-

the most authentic brands. Although the notion

tries’ specification or seasonal and style differenc-

of fast fashion has become very ingrained in

es, although they do exist even within the current

the minds of specifically European consum-

market range of the company.

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& Other Stories

*The following chart represents the proportional devision of the whole current product range of the brand into the type of item, which is done in order to understand the quantity of items in each of the ranges, necessary for the future collection proposal.

RANGE BREAKDOWN

*The following chart represents the total number of items in each size currently available on the website. This chart shows which items are in most demand and are stocked higher than other. As a conclusion, the results can be interpreted as the sizes S and M being most demand, followed by XS and L, and the size XL being the least common. This information it going to her to shape the proposed collection’s size range.

BREAKDOWN OF SIZES *The above chart shows the segmentation of the whole current product range of & Other Stories, divided by product categories and the quantity of product within each category. Other charts on this page are made using the data from this table.

A further analysis of the brand’s product mix but related to the pricing aspect is displayed in the following “Price” segment of the marketing mix.

XS

S

M

L

XL

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

2. PRICE

- price analysis chart The price point of & Other Stories is made up mostly of the high quality of the products and the experience offered by the brands regarding customer communication, as well as the range of styles provided making it “shoppable” by a range of buyer profiles. The prices for clothing range between 19 and 399 euros for some items, which is comparable to upper mid-market and lower end premium brands, some of which are the brand’s direct And secondary competitors (e.g. Whistles, COS, Reiss, Arket, Anthropologie, Uterque). The more expensive items of the current range are all the leather and online-exclusive pieces, thus most of the other products are prices below the 250 euro mark. As for other product categories, & Other Stories’ least expensive product are found within the beauty and accessories segments, where the lowest prices are between 7 and 15 euros.

“Right price-quality balance” The main strategy of the brands in regards to it’s

the brand’s involvement with environmental sus-

pricing positioning is getting the right “quality to

tainability throughout it’s in-store communication

price” balance, thus justifying the higher than av-

and some of the campaigns. The items are then

erage prices compared to other brands in the mid

seen as “investment” pieces rather than everyday

market segment, with the customers being willing

items, although the prices are not as high as they

to pay more for the brand image and communica-

could be when the products are promoted that way.

tion also. Thus, the success of the pricing strategy

Thus, the buyer may even feel like they are purchas-

of the brand is thanks to managing to hit the “sweet

ing a bargain, especially considering a more pre-

spot” between the more affordable brands within

mium level of customer service they receive during

the H&M Group like H&M itself, and the low-pre-

their customer journey and also post-purchase.

mium segment including COS. The reason the cus-

transmitting this philosophy helps the brand reach

tomer is willing to pay more in this case is due to the

a relatively large spectrum of customers, from the

noticeable difference in communication, merchan-

ones usually shopping mass-market and coming

dising, the customer service and the overall brand

to & Other Stories to buy a more expensive item to

language that & Other Stories offer in comparison

complement their wardrobe, as well as the “older”

to even H&M. In addition, the brand communicates

target for whom the brand is a go-to for everyday

a lot more intensely the quality of their product,

wear and they are satisfied with the product and

showcasing the fabrics used in the production and

service they receive for their money.

*The following chart represents whole segmentation of the current & Other Stories range and reflects the product types offered and the quantity of items of each type, opposed to the prices. The Findings are summarised on the bottom of the chart.

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& Other Stories

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

3. PROMOTION - poes analysis

“Digital Era Brand” A large part of the brand’s communication

out of these elements, rather than turning to

comes the fact that even apart from the online

them only when the trend has come. Through

worlds, the in-store atmosphere of & Other Sto-

this, the brand captures contemporary consum-

ries is evoked through short snippets of text and

er attitudes towards their personal style. The

campaign imagery, often featuring women cap-

brand’s website further reinforces this narrative.

tured naturally in their element rather than shot

It features a tumblr format flow of imagery, pre-

in a studio. This is established to be the gener-

sented like a scrapbook, a mix of colours, prints,

al style of the brand’s image when it comes to

and textures.

communication - it always has something to do with the “everyday woman” in whom every customer can see herself.

Thus, due to the brand’s substantial involvement on the online sphere, it relies heavily on it’s own channels for promotion, as well the word of

Moreover, placed in this era when social media

would and UGC, since they put effort into creating

holds more commercial power than traditional

meaningful and “shareable” content which is

print, & Other Stories has been originally formed

then expected to be shared widely online.

*The following chart showcases the brand’s official social media channel with the analysis of the scale and type of content presented on each of them:

MEDIA

FOLLOWERS

ACTIVITY

CONTENT

Instagram

1.5 million

2 posts per day, 5k - 15k likes, 50 - 150 comments

lifestyle photos, UGC reposts, campaign content, product photos

Facebook

285,000

1 post per day, 100 - 300 likes per post, 300-500 per photo

new releases, streetstyle, brand news, product photos

Pinterest

75,000

few posts per week, 5.5 million views monthly, 50 - 150 pins per post

product photos and looks, style inspiration, themed “boards”

YouTube

*not showed

few posts per month, 500-2,000 views (223k on most viewed video)

campaing videos, interviews, short fashion film, branded content

Apart from the social media channels described above, & other Stories additionally advertises in both online and printed “independent” magazines (e.g. latest “#LOVESTORY” campaign featured in Kaltblut magazine [Schlutt, 2015]) as well as payed online ads and branded events, however, the advertising channels are very selective and the brand majorly relies on it’s own channels and the channels of the H&M Group directly in spreading promotion.

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& Other Stories

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

PINTEREST

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

4. PLACEMENT

+ distribution strategy - SALES LOCATIONS At the current time, & Other Stories has over 60 stores in 16 countries worldwide, the majority of which are focused in central Europe and Scandinavia, with the original headquarters being based in London and Stockholm. Other locations include New York, Los Angeles, Arab Emirates, and 3 stores in Asia. However, the brand is still undergoing a phase of rapid expansion at the current time, looking to expand further in the middle-east and the Asian markets. Apart from those locations, a new large headquarters has been opened recently inLondon, marking the brand’s 5th location in the UK.

WORLDWIDE LOCATIONS

LOCATIONS IN CENTRAL EUROPE

Since & Other Stories belongs to the H&M Group in regards to it’s distribution activities amongst others, the variations between the production and delivery processes of the brand and partially limited, however, there are some ways that the brand operates differently due to it’s more sustainability oriented core and the remaining support of the corporation behind it to upkeep the somewhat higher costs required in those aspects.

- DISTRIBUTION MODEL H&M Group

product design

Owned Manufacturing

(China, Bangladesh, UK, France, etc.)

H&M Group’s distribution facilities in Europe

& Other Stories retal locations

Consumer

*The model above shows the outline of the & Other Stories’ distribution chain, including the main locations of production through the root of product design to the end goal of the product getting to the consumer.

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& Other Stories

- THE STORES The following segment covers the key ideas of the brand in regards to the visual merchandising techniques used in brick and mortar stores. the stores in different countries do not differ much between each other in terms of visual representation and branding, since & Other Stories only sells in it’s own stores and does not sell in corners nor in multi-brand stores.

“Visual merchandising through driving emotional connections” Since the in-store environment and visual

customers to shop by “moods” opposed to by

merchandising plays an key role in convey-

“trends”. The only segments of the store that are

ing the brand’s ethos, & Other Stories adopts

usually separated from others are the footwear

a strategy through which the consumers are

and cosmetics, however the products are always

faced with the unconventional placement of

displayed also throughout the store. Overall, this

products - the majority of the store consists

lack of compartmentalisation is a key differenti-

of cross-merchandise of clothing, jewellery,

ation strategy of & Other Stories, which, in com-

shoes and skincare, directed through full-looks

bination with the brand emphasising beauty and

and styling inspiration, instead of dividing the

accessories as much as ready-to-wear gives it a

products by season or collection, allowing the

feel of multi-level “specialisation”.

*Examples of visual merchandising in the stores + the brand colour scheme

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

STORE OBSERVATIONS - field research and analysis

This segment of the field research and store analysis is done on Barcelona’s only & Other Stories store located on Passeig de Gràcia, 8-10, in order to summarise the store experience and point out the key aspects of the brand’s merchandising techniques, that will be needed to support the proposed merchandising activities in the final part of the paper.

Firstly, a breakdown of the 3 floors of the store is the following: • The ground floor of the store is dedicated to some of the clothing assortment, as well as limited amount of beauty products, stationary, and accessories. The cross-merchandising technique is very visible here, and the enviroement overall acts as the “introduction” to the brand rather than presenting all f what it has to offer.

• The second floor holds the majority of the clothing section, as well as the 6 changing rooms and the entire beauty range of the brand. As well as this, there is also the whole assortment of jewellery located on the second floor that also has a whole section dedicated to it with minimal cross-merchandising. This is the largest of the 3 levels by scale, and one where the customer would spend the most time due to it’s “loop” structure.

• Lastly, the basement floor is dedicated to footwear range and some of the accessories, such as bags, socks, and very minimal clothing.

*For a full store planogram reference to Figure 2 in the Annex

- INTERIORS

- PRODUCT ORGANISATION

Overall, the interior of the store is sleek,

The “collections” within the store are organ-

minimal, and have an industrial feel, al-

ised by colour scheme or the overall style,

most like a “work in progress”. Most el-

rather than by atelier or season, There are

ements are made from wood on metal,

few products of each style displayed on the

adding to the overall theme of the store,

racks at a time, however more sizes are

and general colour scheme is light, with

available in the stock, for which the store

the walls and the majority of the furniture

assistant can help the customer get hold of,

being white. Flowers and spotlights are

or offer to place an order online if the need-

used widely as decor elements, as well as

ed size is unavailable. Store pick-up is also

paintings and wooden frames and textile /

possible. In regards to receiving stock and

wooden mannequins. From these the store

new arrivals, the assortment of the store

has it’s own personality and an up-scaling

changes every 2-3 weeks, with the whole

it’s natural state.

selection only being available online at all times. The store selection doest not depend

*The total size of the store is 650 msq

on the country of sale.

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& Other Stories

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Aleksandra Pavlova

& Other Stories

EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

AFFECTING FACTORS - “pestle” analysis

SOCIAL SCENE: • The socio-cultural scene is experiencing increasing consumer expectations. Thus, due to rising market competition, a total fulfilment from all brand offerings such as conven-

ience, quality, value orientation, newness, price, functionality and immediacy is expected by consumers.

For fashion brands this constantly monitoring the market and the competition to stay on top of customer expectations and keep their place in the market.

• The

ethical macro trend is expanding, meaning more people are concerned with the ethical side of fashion brands and their reputation in the sustainability field before making purchases. Although the impact of the decision making is still minimal, it is a raising concern and is a part of the current social dynamics. reputation of brands on social media can be raised as well as harmed due to the conflicts e.g, poor customer • Due to the social media becoming a concrete part of the current generations, the

service being brought out to the public eye. For brands such as & Other Stories that is heavily involved in the digital world the current monitoring of customer relations is vital.

• Clothing retail reports specifically in Europe have showed an increase in spending on adver-

tising on fashion brands of mid and higher segments in the past years (10% rise).

• Digital reports have shown that consumers are favouriting the use of image-heavy social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, due to them being more appealing to an easily understandable emotional message. This is an advantage for brands since a well thought out strategy of emotional marketing can lead to greater results of reaching the customer.

TECHNOLOGICAL SCENE:

• In the past years digital studies have reported an increase of consumers being more interactive on-the-go over using a desktop. This tendency leaves an opportunity for brands to develop applications that would make it easier for customer communication from a phone and introduce tablet-specific marketing techniques.

The “gap” on technology is decreasing, which allows more brands to adopt digital strategies and make it more accessible for wider audiences -> this gives access to promotions and ads via different channels and apps.

•

• Atomisation

is a trend in the technological world which allows more jobs to be done by artificial intelligence meaning less workforce is needed. This can impact the fashion industry in both positive and negative ways, however gives an opportunity for brands to invest into production technology. This is especially useful for larger corporations like H&M that own their production facilities and take control of the whole distribution channel (vertical integration).

• The development of new technologies in the online sphere can also help brands to develop “smarter” websites and find new ways to make them more interactive and more easily accessible, which will complement the brick stores instead of only being used as a browsing or delivery method. This method can be supported through using “online exclusive” offers or items, which can provoke sales thought this channel.

• Marketing 5.0 is moving from Digital (marketing 4.0) to Artificial Intelligence. It is applications that do the work of a human operator, it uses algorithms to learn from past data and it covers other techniques such as voice and image recognition [Mathew, 2018].

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& Other Stories

MARKET OVERVIEW -women’s sportswear As for 2017, the women’s sportswear mar-

in sports of society overall is increasing due

ket was valued over 100 billion euros, and is

to the growing interest in health and person-

expected to grow at a rate up to 10% annu-

al development in other areas of life as well.

ally from 2018 to 2026 [Research and Markets,

Thus, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle,

2019]. This is caused by various factors, such

women too are getting increasingly involved

as a more serious participation of women

in physical activities lead by jogging and yoga

in professional sports and being further en-

amongst others.

couraged to do so by sports brands. Additionally, the increasing media coverage for women sports is one of the most important factors supporting this growth [Yau, 2019].

From this increase on the female segment in sports, the brands also are catching up in targeting women directly through their campaigns and advertising. The leaders of the in-

The increasing internet penetration togeth-

dustry such as Nike and Puma are examples

er with the increasing popularity of online

of brands that have recently released strong

shopping is forecasted to make the online

women-empowerment campaigns [Russel,

channels the fastest growing segment dur-

2015]. As a result, Nike’s sales in the women’s

ing the future years. As an example, there

segment are growing faster than the brand

are new entrants into the for women’s mar-

overall, and Nike has even opened various

ket such as BooHoo and Missguided [Correa,

womenswear specific stores worldwide to

2018], both of which have recently entered the

follow up with the success.

fast-fashion sportswear field, whist Net-APorter has become a competitor for sports-

Overall, the main marketing factors in the

wear in the luxury segment, introducing it’s

sphere currently include: upgrading the spore

“Net-A-Sporter” landing page last season,

experience, merging fashion with technical

marketing designer sportswear for women,

sportswear, and focusing more exclusively in

Furthermore, the general growing interest

the female segment [Chitrakorn, 2017].

“Marketing to women doesn’t mean excluding men, but it does mean excluding stereotypes.”

- quote by the CEO of Taylor Company, Bridget Brennan (a marketing and PR company working with brands who want to target women in their communication)

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& Other Stories

CONSUMER ANALYSIS As the initial part of consumer analysis,

were women between 19 and 41 years old,

qualitative research has been conducted

from Spain, Russia, Ukraine and Germa-

in the form of interviews. They have been

ny. Their answers to some questions have

done on the current consumers of & Oth-

varied thus providing useful insight for the

er Stories as well as those in the market

research that will help to propose a suita-

for sportswear who buy it elsewhere. The

ble collection of sportswear that takes into

purpose was to figure out the preferences

account what the real buyer actually wants.

of each type of customer and thus propose

From the interviews have also been found

strategies to reach them and offer the right

the two main consumer profiles, that are

type of product they are demanding for.

discussed further in the “Proposal” segment of the paper,

The current and potential consumers have been interviewed on a variety of topics, in-

As for the structure of the collection, a con-

cluding their personal style and relation-

clusion can be made from the interviews

ship with fashion, buying behaviour, their

that having a variety of colour options of

opinions and relationship with & Other

each style is a beneficial idea, however

Stories as a brand, their sportswear pref-

having a too wise range of products may

erences, as well as being asked to pick

make it difficult for the consumer to make

a preferred style and colour of various

decisions. Additionally, the idea of coming

sportswear items out of the given options.

out with accessories alongside sportswear garments for & Other Stories has been

This exercise showed a variety of opinions

supported by the majority of the interview-

on the proposed collection from different

ees, as they said that they prefer when “the

potential buyer’s perspectives. Overall 13

whole look matches. Even the bag and the

people have been interviewed, 9 of which

sneakers go together with the rest of the

are current & Other Stories’ customers

uniform”, thus, some accessories will be

and 4 are frequent sportswear buyers from

launched alongside the garments base of

other brands. Amongst the interviewees

the collection.

*For the full interview outline reference to Figure 3 in the Annex

Aleksandra Pavlova

32

& Other Stories

KEY FINDINGS: • Most & Other Stories consumers shop there because the brand’s style fits their personal and they can often find things they like • Most customers are comfortable with the price range and would pay similar prices for sportswear items • Most buyer of sportswear make sportswear related purchases 3 to 5 times a year • When they shop for sportswear style plays a large role, as well as comfort and durability of the products over the technicality and the price point • 10 out of 13 interviewees picked the “athleasure” moodboard as one they like the most style-wise out of the given options (2 other picked “trendy” and 1 technical”.

• Most interviewees prefer fashionable sportswear that is not brightly coloured but in not all-black either.

Some of interviewees mentioned their sporting outfit depends on their mood • The most commonly mentioned brands where & Other Stories’ customers currently shop for sportswear are Nike, ASOS, and Puma

Majority of the interviewees said that they enjoy shopping for sportswear as much as they enjoy shopping for every day wear, thus the brand and the experience they receive matters to their decision to purchase

*Above are the key findings of the conduscted interviews, which are used as a base for the structural proposal of the sportswear collection for & Other Stories

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& Other Stories

COMPETITORS ANALYSIS - CURRENT COMPETITORS Down below the current direct competitors of & Other Stories are reviewed. The competitors are derived from secondary research as well at the interview insights described previously.

ZAR

PRODUCT

A

Market proposition is delivering the latest trends for a wide audience (mostly 15-40 age gap); The brand launches 10,000 new designs every year.

PRICING Differentiation on affordability; Country specific pricing depending on the market potential; up to 70% sales twice a year; Price range between 10 - 120 euros.

DISTRIBUTION 80 + countries, 6000+ stores; 60% of sales coming from Europe; The brand owns their own distribution chain due to belonging to a strong parent company Inditex. [MBAskool, n/d]

PRODUCT

PRICING

AS

OS

Leading e-commerce retailer in a wide range of fashion of own brand and 300+ other brands; Own ASOS Magazine and ASOS Marketplace (a re-seller platform for vintage fashion).

Affordable pricing strategy, although product range covers the whole spectrum of prices since the marketplace sells a mix of fast fashion to high end brands; Mid-season and end-season Sales up to 90%;

DISTRIBUTION Online distribution worldwide, no physical stores; Based in the UK; Free + payed delivery depending on the country [MBAskool, n/d].

PRODUCT

The brand only has physical stores in America (6 different states), thus most of it’s distribution and sales come from the online site. The dilivery price depends on the country.

ON

DISTRIBUTION

A

TI

Sustainable “modern bohemian” clothing and accessories for women in their 20s and 30s; Produts focused on design and fit; Many limited edition items since a part of the stock is always made up of upcycled / vintage items.

REFOR M

PRICING Most products range between 50 and 400 euros; There are many “one-off” exclusive items so prices may vary; Re-selling is common.

[Mysource Ltd, 2018]

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& Other Stories

This review will lead to an evaluation of the current position of the brand in the market and the construction of a positioning map that will later be evaluated as the proposition strategy is being discussed.

Higher than average mass-market prices; overall mid-range premium oricing stratgey but differs from country to country alike Zara; Average prices between 20-135 euros.

PRODUCT The product range of mango is very wide - products for womne, men, chilrder and babies; Although the main target is middle-age women of above 25 and older.

MA

N

G

PRICE RANGE

O

DISTRIBUTION International presence - delivery worldwide and over 2200 physical stores in over 100 countries + company-owned outlets and concession stores.

AN

PRODUCT

O

G LO

The company is made up of their own brand as well as over 300+ other brands, alike ASOS. Thus, there is a wide product portfolio, all based around the feminine and bohemian styles.

T H R OP

IE

DISTRIBUTION

The product range of Urban Outfitters is wide but of similar styling of fashion x streetstyle; The brand is a marketplace for other brands and does not have products of it’s own label; The target demographic is millennials.

N

OU

T FI T T E

R

S

PRODUCT

UR BA

Antropology is a part of the URBN Group, to which Urban Outfitters also belongs to. The distribution takes place predoninantly through the online site, however the brand also has physical locations in America and Europe.

PRICE RANGE The price range of Anthropology is variant since the brand is a marketplace consisting of many sellers.

Overall, the pricing is set at a high mid-market range, with some items being prices more competitively than others.

PRICE RANGE The price range is higher than average mass market of 20 - 200 euros on average; Most customers of the target demogtaphic consider the brand to be “overpriced” for the quality of products they get.

DISTRIBUTION Urban Outfitters is the largest brand that belongs to the URBN Group. The brand it present across worldwide through the “direct to customer” program which allows for a more efficient distribution for online orders.

[UK Essays, n/d]

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& Other Stories

POSITIONING MAP The spidergram down below illustrates

the width of the brand’s product ranges, lev-

the current position of & Other Stories in

els of customer service, product quality, and

relation to other brands from its primary

distribution (in terms of worldwide availa-

competitors list established earlier. The

bility, delivery charges, and post-purchase

brands are evaluated on various factors,

services. As it can be seen, each brand has

including the average price, worldwide

it’s own weak and storng sides, however on

market presence, the brand’s communi-

a large scale, & Other Stories could improve

cation of different media channels and the

in the area of product diversity and gaining

“quality of that communication, as well as

market presence.

AFFORDABILITY

MARKET PRESENCE

DISTRIBUTION

PRODUCT PERFORMANCE

BRAND COMMUNICATION

CUSTOMER SERVICE

PRODUCT DIVERSITY

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& Other Stories

DIRECT COMPETIOTOR’S SPORTSWEAR COLLECTIONS

Below is a review of the past and existing collections of the current direct competitors of & Other stories:

ZARA

Launched in early 2018 is the ASOS’ own sportswear line, focused on affordable fashionable activewear in a mix of prints, textures and bright colours. The aim of the collection was for it to be “wearable anywhere” with the result in an experiment in silhouettes, and a trend-led play on traditional athleasure.

ASOS

Zara’s 2016 activewear collection (lasted for half a year), divided up into four thematic categories: lightweight basics (mix-and-match concept), swimwear (+ accessories), monochrome sportswear basics (yoga and running staples), and loungewear. The colour scheme was made up of shades of black and grey with a pop of neon yellow, and technical materials were used to ensure high performance in body temperature regulation and comfortability.

[Hendriksz, 2016]

MANGO

Mango’s 2015 sportswear collection with a focus on essentials for yoga and running, in a covetable, muted colour palette with majority of black and shades of grey items.

The collection was also focused on technicality of the items, with mesh panels on the leggings, for improving stretch, and cut-outs on coverups for ease of movement.

[Ohnemus, 2016]

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& Other Stories

- SPORTSWEAR COMPETITORS Having reviewed the current competitors of the brand, down below are displayed the future brands which will be directly competing with the & Other Stories’ sportswear line.

PRODUCT All active wear related products, some more style oriented, some more sport-specific; Footwear is the most sold category overall. [Gregory, 2018]

KE NI DISTRIBUTION Own retail stores, online, company owned retail outlets and other multi-brand stores; Some stores only for men, some only for women, most mixed.

PRICE RANGE Value-based pricing strategy, the cusatomers feel like their spending is justified since they are recieving higher than average service through the brand image and emotional connection with the brand; Most prices between 30-220 euros.

PU M

A

PRODUCT Product focus on trendy sportswear; A lot of collaborations with higher end designers; Puma uses national brand ambassadors to promote its products; Product diversification strategies include a nutrinion line as well as fitness consultancy and gym equipment.

PRICE RANGE Puma uses premium pricing strategy for majority of the product line, however the prices are more affordable in comparison to higher segment competitors like Reebok and Nike; Average pricing is between 20 - 120 euros excluding collaboration.

DISTRIBUTION

Affordable prices alike the basic ASOS brand; Average prices range between 15-90 euros, maximum prices for skiwear up to 200 euros.

AS O S

05

PRICE RANGE

Puma has worldwide precence in physisal terms, as well as wordwide distribution through online channels + distribution through multibrand storefronts; Agressive expansion strategy [Bhasin, 2018].

45

The brand is owned by ASOS platform, thus distribution is merged and is the same. The online distribution is worldwide + payed delivery depending on the country; no physical stores;.

DISTRIBUTION

PRODUCT

By ASOS brand; Over 100 different styles of sportswear for women and men with wide size range; Offers bold colors and patterns as well as monochrome, fit for a wide audience’s preferences [Dodson, 2018].

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& Other Stories

These brands come form the interview analysis of the current buyers of sportswear as well as secondary research on the current mid-segment sportswear market.

PRODUCT

PRICE RANGE

K

Common pricing policy with penetrating / skimming pricing policies at the launch of new products / lines; Average prices between 20- 170 euros, but exclusive items go as high as 300.

RE EB

O

A wide range of products related to sports and fitness for each segment including children; Women and men tagrets of a younger segment; Inventor of pantented technologies for athletic fabrics [Bhasin, 2018].

DISTRIBUTION Field of distribution infrastructure is one of largest investments for the brand; The brand has exclusive own stores, outlets and dealer outlets worldwide.

OYS H

PRODUCT Wide range of products including apparell, underwear, swimwear, and recently a large focus on sportswear. Younger audience due to communication strategues.

O PRICE RANGE Competitive pricing strategy; Mid pricing of the high-end mass market segment; Average brand prices between 7-60 euros, sports range between 15-85 euros.

DISTRIBUTION

PRICE RANGE

ADI

DA

Part of the Inditex Group, thus receiving infrastructural advantages and subsidies; Physical stores focused in European region; Online delivery worldwide [Arcila, 2016].

Skimming prices strategy used for new products, as well as competitive pricing used for marketing against direct competitors (Nike, Puma, Reebok) [Bhasin, 2018].

S

PRODUCT The best selling range of Adidas is footwear, alike Nike; The overall product range is very wide for all segments, however most buyers are teenage to middle ages; Target customer for Adidas is the upper middle class .

DISTRIBUTION Own retail outlets worldwide are the main sales channels; Multi-brand stores, showrooms + re-sellers are secondary sales channels; Online distribution worldwide.

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& Other Stories

BENCHMARK

NAGNATA

LNDR

- “Our purpose is to create well made, genuinely premium activewear for people who embrace the chaos and live at the forefront”. LNDR is a brand that gives inspiration in terms of combining technical-wear with style and attention to detail for a fashion-oriented customer

OUTDOOR VOICES

- “Technical apparel for recreation brand” Outdoor Voices makes clothing suitable for any activity, with the goal of comfort and suiting for every active person’s needs for everyday wear. The inspiration comes from the brand’s ability to make simple yet attractive looking garments that can suit a wide audience

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& Other Stories

INSPIRATION - “A premium designer fashion and lifestyle brand designed for modern movement and studio-to-street style: yoga, pilates, dance and low impact exercise”. Nagnata is a source of inspiration for the aesthetic of the proposed sportswear for & Other Stories

CARBON 38

- “A luxury active apparel company only for women.”Carbon 38 is an inspiration for the collection’s communication and advertising language

VARLEY

- “The refined wardrobe for the discerning, active woman who aspires to be her best self”. Vaara is a brand with strong brand values that is similar to & Other Stories in selling a lifestyle” rather than a product.

VAARA

- “Varley is a performance-first lifestyle brand committed to creating technically innovative, fashion forward apparel for the modern woman”.

The brand is inspirational from the product perspective. The brand image is similar to & Other Stories in the way the cuts are colours are used.

[Claire, 2018], [Grosso, 2019], [Cantarini, 2018]

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& Other Stories

SWOT ANALYSIS ONLINE COMMUNICATION STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNTIES

• Strong brand image and consistent with online presence - the concept of using the digital new wave is original and unique for a highstreet brand

• & Other Stories doesn’t have it’s own brand app. Although heavily based around the official website and being digitally orientated but, the brand only really focuses on two of their channels for and only one of them enabling for UGC (Instagram)

• & Other stories needs to further push it’s presence in the online world, focusing on channels other than only Instagram for interacting with consumers

• The Instagram account of the brand is very developed (1 million followers) and helps in PR and promotions; The website also appeals to social media lovers as it mimics a Tumblr format of blogposts

• Potential involvement with local bloggers / social media influencers rather than majorly celebrity endorsement, can bring the brand opportunities for future collaborations

• Emotional branding is a very prominent feature of & Other Stories’ communication strategies, thus providing the brand with loyal and involved audience and a constant support from the audience’s side

PRODUCT AND PRICE STRENGTHS

• The price selection and product selection are both large, making the brand more appealing for a wider range of audience • Trend influenced products still keeping the brand’s signature style, however the brand includes a wide range of breadth and depth of product categories to create a whole ‘look’ from cosmetics to lingerie to outerwear with a wide range of styles to accommodate for varied consumer styles and tastes • In-store recycling program which offers 10% discount supporting it’s conscious initiatives

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNTIES

• The online orders cost is higher than average in the market, which is a weakens from the customer’s perspective

• Since the brand currently only focuses on womenswear, the potential could be to start a menswear collection specialised in male fashion and skincare, a combination of which is not common in highstreet -> Product mix extensions e.g. sportswear for women, bridal wear, menswear, children’s clothing (aimed at an older market they may have children)

• The store format of mix-and-match may not be suitable for all customers, especially for the groups that require more “guidance” with fashion

THREATS • Having many social media channels to maintain may appear a difficult task for a brand in term of managing content and not being repetitive in terms of what is being posted.

• Not using many of the social media channels commonly used by most brands nowadays (including Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat), which & Other Stories does not have, may become a threat since some competitors may have a more all-rounded 360 digital reach to the customer than & Other Stories’ potential reach

THREATS • Not having some of the possible product lines (e.g. menswear, sportswear, etc.) that the competitor’s brands do have may be a threat in terms of differentiation and competitiveness in the market overall

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& Other Stories

THE MARKET AND COMPETITORS STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• & Other Stories has a strong connection in the fashion industry due to constantly collaborating with other brands and designers

• Target market demographic may be too wide, not specific enough for the brand to develop coherent future proposals and in terms of brand offerings (pos• The brand is grow- sible missing product ing at a fast pace and categories that may be expanding rapidly to potentially successful) new markets due to belonging to a larger • The brand awaregroup (H&M Group) the ness is limited even in brand can afford to in- the countries that have vest highly in personal more stores than Spain. development and ac- The brand promotion tualising costly ideas = needs to be enhanced economies of scale in order to provide extra brand presence, especially within Europe that is the main market.

SALES CHANNELS STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Avoiding use of large, scale advertising, promotions and POS within stores allows a more high-end feel and does not create distraction from shopping experience

• The brand aims to communicate it’s relation to social media and digital inspiration, which is clear their online platforms, however not that present in physical stores -> digital aesthetics need to be implemented in stores in order to keep up the brand image and compete with other brands who follow the same route

• The brand is liked widely for it’s aesthetic with attention to detail both in regards to products but also sales channels including the website and own stores.

• The fact & Other Stories only sells through own stores allows the brand for a constant communication and freedom in merchandising

OPPORTUNTIES

THREATS

• The growth across different markets illustrates the current success of the brand, which means that the growth spree could be used to expand the brand to some areas where it is not yet present, especially outside of Europe

• A lot of the competitors brand have a higher band presence and brand awareness, meaning that the may have a greater reach for the target than & Other Stories at the current time

• Opening more stores to increase awareness could be a possibility attempting to break into the Middle East, Asia, North African markets

OPPORTUNTIES

THREATS

• Advertise in-store re- • Business flexibility cycling program more is challenging to most intensely high street retailers, thus maintaining con• Create differences sistent consumer exbetween some of the periences across all physical stores by differentiating the store deco- platforms may appear rations and visuals (still an issue, which is vimaintaining the brand tal to maintain across image) to make visiting sales channels for the the different stores a cusotmers to feel like more interesting expe- they are recieving a rience for the shoppers constantly pleasant experience •Provide an easier way for the customers to shop cross-channel (if certain item is not available in certain store provide a shortcut for online purchase - e.g. digital screen in-store for placing an online order, thus also avoiding the help of staff

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& Other Stories

KEY OBJECTIVES *Setting the key objectives for the proposed collection will ensure that all of the operations including the communication and marketing proposals, as well as the product range itself, are established coherently and are working towards the set goal.

PROPOSAL

The key objectives of the proposal are:

•

Launch a capsule activewear collection for & Other Stories that will remain coherent with the current brand image and values

•

Make the collection “shoppable” by a wide range of customers by constructing a flexible product range that would be appealing to both the current & Other Stories customers and those who may become leads from other brands

•

Use the collection to expand the brand’s current customer base and position the brand in the activewear and sportswear market segments

•

Increase brand awareness and engagement by launching a successful complementary campaign with high KPI rates of online presence and wide spreadability

•

Increase the market share and equity of & Other Stories through the lifetime of the collection

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& Other Stories

THE TARGET As discussed earlier on in the consumer analysis segment of the paper, two main groups of potential target have been researched - the current frequent consumer of & Other Stories and the potential target of the sportswear line specifically, being the consumer of other brands who buys activewear on frequent basis. Down below the two segments are reviewed, which is done in order to understand each target’s drivers and other factors that will help to form and market the collection towards their needs. These two targets are the primary targets of the sportswear line, however other “occasional” buyers will also be present.

& OTHER STORIES FREQUENT CONSUMER

(who would buy the sportswear line)

FREQUENT ACTIVEWEAR CONSUMER

(currently buying sportswear at e.g. “Nike”)

- DEMOGRAPHICS: 22-36 year old women , mostly European

- DEMOGRAPHICS: 18-45 year old women, mostly European/Asian/North American

- LIFESTYLE: company worker of freelancer, has a lot of hobbies, likes travelling, fashion and self-care. She likes to put a self-reflects a lot, likes to read and is concerned about ecology and the current issues of the world, including politics and economics.

- LIFESTYLE: student and/or worker. She has an active lifestyle and is an extravert. She likes to work out on a regular basis since it helps her to clear her mind and gives her energy. She is concerned about her health and her future and likes to follow a conscious lifestyle.

- MOTIVATIONS: This consumer would buy the sportswear as she likes the style of athleasure and incorporates it frequently into her everyday looks. She would also spend the same amount for the sportswear she uses occasionally if she bought it at other mid-segment brands, however buying it in & Other Stories gives her greater fulfilment since it is a brand that she likes and trusts, as well as the collection being more fashion and trend oriented than the majority of other options of sportswear available for the same price on the current marketplace.

- MOTIVATIONS: She is concerned for the quality to price ratio that she receives from the brands she shops at. She doesn’t like to spend a lot on sportswear but she needs the materials and design to be high performance and high quality since she uses sportswear on the daily basis.

Thus, the & Other Stories’ collection would provide this consumer with a good balance of the price to quality as well as giving her more freedom in picking her outfits since the collection is created around the mix-and-match concept, therefore, she could cross match products from the line more easily (e.g she buys 5 items over time that would give her 3 sets of outfits)

- SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR: likes to spend a little more than she can afford to “treat herself”.

Prefers to buy in mid-segment rather then in fast-fashion to pursue her personal style rather than current micro-trends. Would rather buy less things of higher quality than shop more often but low quality items.

- SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR: She doesn’t enjoy shopping very much and she prefers to buy the clothes that last, rather than going for the most fashionable option, however she appreciates when she can find something that fullfills both of those areas.

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POSITIONING PROPOSAL In regards to the positioning, the below map

the variables fixed for better clarity of the areas

represents the proposed placement of the

of improvement. Thus, it is shown that & other

brand in the market once the collection has

Stories will improve its product diversity, as well

been released for a substantial amount of time

at market presence and brand communication

(6 months to a year). The competitors for the

with the release of the new product line. It can

proposed sportswear line of & Other Stories are

also be said that the aim of the brand in this case

the brands discussed earlier, and are derived

is not to overlay the sportswear industry giants

form both the consumer interviews as well as

(like Nike, Adidas), but to perform better in those

secondary market analysis. The factors upon

areas where it is possible and compete against

which the brands are judged remain the same

brands that are in the same position of extend-

from the primary segmentation in order to keep

ing their product ranges (such as ASOS, Oysho).

AFFORDABILITY

MARKET PRESENCE

DISTRIBUTION

PRODUCT PERFORMANCE

BRAND COMMUNICATION

CUSTOMER SERVICE

PRODUCT DIVERCITY

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& Other Stories

MARKETING STRATEGIES - COMPETITIVE STRATEGY The competitive strategy of the brand with the launch of the activewear collection remains to be differentiation. However now, the strategy is also enhanced by the addition of the new product line, that makes the brand more marketable against it’s direct competitors that do not offer sportswear. This competitive advantage will allow the brand to gain a new customer base and increase market share in the long-run perspective if the final execution of the collection is successful. Product-based differentiation in this case will be devoted from two main paths: through performance of the garments (by using technical materials and allowing for higher than average costs of production), as well as through the product design and features (by making a varied collection with a unique design advantage for a mid to mass-market brand).

- PRICING STRATEGY The pricing positioning of the collection is competitive pricing, since the prices of the direct competitors as well the cross-market averages are considered when setting the prices for the collection. This is done in order to remain the share of consumers and potential leads amongst those customers who are price-conscious, and may only consider to try & Other Stories’ activewear if they spend same amount or less per a similar item as when shopping a brand they shop at on a regular basis.

- COLLECTION GROWTH STRATEGY Finally, the strategy for the release is to develop a new trial capsule collection that will be launched in & Other Stories’ key locations across Europe for a duration of a year with demand-driven adjustments along the given period. The collection plan will be based on the review of the current activewear market and it’s trends, as well as taking into consideration the current consumer demands and preferences together with keeping the image of the brand consistent throughout the collection.

The following section of the paper is dedicated to showcasing the inspiration behind the collection and the look of the proposed product range.

FREE MOVEMENT

SECOND SKIN

INSPIRATION

47

HIGH PERFORMANCE

SOFT COLOURS

COLLECTION Aleksandra Pavlova & Other Stories

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THE COLLECTION BOOK Initially, the inspiration behind the collection comes from the base of

FLUID FORMS

what is important to have in sportswear - every item on the collection is aspired to feel like second skin, be comfortable on the body and not constrain the wearer. At the same time, the fabrics and fits designed for the female body will be based around the technologies of professional sportswear in some aspects, but all for the purpose of making being active comfortable for the women.

ONE WITH NATURE

A major part of the inspiration behind the whole collection is nature, with it’s organic colours, textures and symmetries, which will be translated through the final designs. The colour scheme of the collection will be made up of soft pastels and muted colours, how-

COMFORTABLE SPORTSWEAR

ever not using black and white to avoid harshness and make the colours more organically complementary to each other, in other to keep the core concept of the collection based around mix-andmatch, where every consumer would be able to find the colour combinations they like.

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COLLECTION COLOUR PROFILE In regards to the colour choice used for this collection, the core idea is based around mix-and-match as mentioned earlier. Thus, the colours used are complementary to each other allowing the buyers to chose the items of their favourite tone without worrying about it not going with each other. The colour groups below are divided as the garments in the collection will be (e.g. for every top will be a matching bottom is various colour-ways and so on), The selected colours also fit the brand image and complement the feminine and gentle, yet fun and energetic nature of & Other Stories. Additionally, due to still providing the “base” of the collection in monochrome colours, as well as having bring yellow and blue items on the other side of the spectrum, any customer can find something they like depending on their preference and personal style.

Overall, the base of the collection will consist of pastels and muted tones, with more vibrant pops of colour throughout.

The technique of colour-blocking will be used for the majority of the garments.

“PASTELS”

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& Other Stories

“MONOCHROME”

“ROSE GARDEN”

“EARTH”

“LAGUNE”

COLLECTION DESIGN

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This spread shows the design aspect of the proposed collection.

From the design perspective, the silhouettes of the garments are simple, yet are made to be functional. Each one is thought out to be the perfect fit and performance for both the consumer who is looking for quality apparel for intense exercise, as well as those who like to wear activewear in their dayto-day. This also complements the trend of athleisure as a part of a fashion-forward consumer’s style, and since the designs are still fashion focused, some piece from the collection have higher chances of getting into more different types of customer’s wardrobes.

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MARKETING MIX PRODUCT The table on the right shows the technical

BRAS

chart for the collection, displaying the products by category and showcasing each of the chosen styles, and the materials and colour ranges that will be used in manufacturing

TOPS & ONE-PIECES

each of those items.

The number of items per category has been chosen according to the analysis of the current internal brand organisation, where there has been proven to be more tops that bottoms and average per collection number

OUTERWEAR

out outerwear pieces. Additionally, the item names and sizes have been chosen coherently with the current ways of naming and sizing & Other stories, with the sizes for most items ranging from XS to XL, however

BOTTOMS

some items being sold only in 2 sizes (S-M and L-XL). for the collection, it had been chosen to make the range from XS to XL in all items apart from the ones made to be lose-fitted and be worn oversize.

LEGGINGS

As for the materials for production, the two most used ones within the collection are organic cotton and polyester, segmented dependent on the needed performance of each garment, with addition of lycra and nylon for the items that need to be more stretchy or keep a tight shape (e.g. yoga leggings).

ACCESSORIES

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PRICE Down below is a chart that represents the budget needed for production of each peice of the collection and the price formation of the collection. As discussed in the “strategies� segment of the proposal, the competitve pricing strategy is chosen, meaning the prices of the competitors are taken into account in price-formation, as well as the current pricing technique of & Other Stories (e.g. all prices of the brand end on 9 or 5 -> psychological pricing). The margins of the products are set at 3 different levels of 45-65% depending on the style and material, and the

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& Other Stories

*The chart below represents the annual forecast of sales described in the previuos chart

*The total amounts of the units sold per year and the sales equivalent in euros are represented here

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DISTRIBUTION The distribution process for the collection is showcased in the chart below. The collection will be sold across Europe, in the 4 flagships present on across Europe in London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Paris. Apart from the flagships, the capsule will be sold in some other stores, the selection of which is based on the key locations and the number of stores that are in each of the countries where & Other Stories currently has physical shops. Additionally, the collection will be sold online and distributed worldwide a month after the initial launch. This is done in order to make the collection more exclusive and for the brand to evaluate it’s success over the initial period. The stock for the online store will be made up of the items that are unsold in the end of the month in order avoid ending stock.

The number of items that will be delivered to every of the chosen stores is shown in the chart above.

The numbers vary month to month considering the seasonal changes in sportswear demand as well as time of the year weatherwise. Thus, the highest stock will be delivered in December for the customers doing Christmas shopping, and in January for the buyers who purchase sportswear themselves to persure their fitness goals in the new year. Additionally, the stocks will be higher in the summer months as more people spend acvtive time outdoors that may invove physical activity. *On the following page is the Allocation Chart that explains in detail the stocks, deviding the averages displayed in the previous chart and summing the totals for the initial stocks needed of each item across all stores where the collection will be sold.

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COMMUNICATION PROPOSAL - CELEBRITY ENDORCEMENT One of the main ways of promotion of the

figure who’s relation to sport is taking up a

collection is the release of a video cam-

huge part of her life and being her lifetime

paign featuring three celebrity influences.

career. As a tennis player, she has been an

In the video they will be telling their real

advocate for “girl-power” and representing

stories about the way sport has impact-

the strength of women in a predominantly

ed their lives in different ways, including

male dominant career (which also supports

mental and physical health, self esteem,

the “female empowerment” key brand code

and their internal growth. The women are

discussed in the internal analysis). Lastly,

chosen to be powerful women who are

Stefanie Giesinger is a german actress and

known for their achievements in different

model, who has expressed the way running

areas, however all having their core values

and fitness has changes her life and gave

in common, that also fit the image of & Oth-

her self esteem.

er Stories.

Overall, a short film (10 minutes) will be made resentation of a busy woman in business,

version of which will be uploaded to YouTube,

who frequently talks about how yoga has

whilst the shortcuts (less than 1 minute) will

changed her life in a positive and medita-

be posted across-channels, including Insta-

tive way. Secondly, Serena Williams is a

gram and Facebook as separate posts.

N G 35 years old UK based writer, model, actress, designer and business owner. Has been a part of & Other Stories campaign in 2018.

A

WH

IL LIA

M

S

37 years old American based professional tennis player, business woman, winner of 24 international tournaments

G

IE

SIN G ER

S T E FA N

EXA CH U

SER

AL

IE

on the stories of the three women, the full

EN

Firstly, Alexa Chung is chosen as a rep-

22 year old half russian half german model, winner of Germany’s Next Top Model, actress and writer

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- INFLUENCER DRIVEN ADVERTISING Apart from celebrity endorsement, several macro-influencers will also be used to promote the new line. They are chosen according to their personal styles and type of blog, as well as popularity and their own target demographics. All of the bloggers are Europe-based, and are influencers in fashion, lifestyle, acting, self-care, or art oriented segments.

SA

O

ANTHA

@samanthamariaofficia

849K followers (Brighton)

567K followers (Paris)

TA N YA

K

D

M

IA

R OSE

@inthefrow

B

EN

M A GR

AR

LO N DE 723K followers (London)

IA

M

LA

@esteelalonde

R

TH A

E VIC T

ESTE

IC

K I YA N G

AR

UR R

@ardenrose

BL

A

152K followers (Stockholm)

190K followers (Berlin)

JO

S E FI N

E

MIRO

@juliadang

@kickiyangz

J

CA

JU

G

3M followers (London)

H

N

@tanyaburr

N

LIA D A

890K followers (London)

@blancamiro 274K followers (Barcelona)

@josefinehj 727K followers (Copenhagen)

The strategy used with the online media influencers will be them posting 1 picture and a complementary “story” each wearing a chosen set of the collection and talking about their relationship with sport and fitness whichever it may be. This will be used as a part of the emotional marketing of the campaign since real stories will be told and a discussion can be started that way, as well as a positive way of involving the brand without “harsh” advertising.

This way of promotion is expected to help the brand as a whole reach a new niche of sportswear consumers that could become potential leads and thus generate an increase in sales.

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& Other Stories

- SPONSORED CONTENT MOCK-UPS On this spread are shown some examples of the chosen influencers, with the last post on their accounts being a mockup example of the campaign-promoting sponsored post. The type and style of the photo they post will not be controlled strictly, since the relevance and authenticity of the post in relation to other usual content put out by each creator needs to match in order to be perceived as trustworthy by their followers. Thus, the bloggers will be given creative freedom in the content they put out.

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& Other Stories

As it can be seen on the examples below, the pretended images for each profile match the overall aesthetic of the page, with some posts being more fashion and others more activity-oriented, and the personal style of each of the influencers is being taken into consideration. Due to this, the garments each one of them will be wearing in the these posts will be chosen directly by them rather than by the brand in the first place.

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- OWN MEDIA ADVERTISING The focus of the campaign on & Other Stories’ own social media will be on Instagram and Youtube as the two main platforms. The hashtag promoted for the UGC part of the campaign

Product images and campaign promotion

related posts will be

#AndOtherSports the meaning behind which is that any sport activity can be done

wearing

The main campaign video and product promotion videos

the

clothes. Below are the mockups of what the

social

media

communication

Product images and campaign promotion

will

look like when the campaign launches.

INSTAGRAM INSTAGRAM

*Example of a promotional post

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Being Active & Other Stories

Full length campaign video posted on YouTube.

#AndOtherSports

YOUTUBE YOUTUBE

#AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports #AndOtherSports

PART 1 - Being Active & Other Stories | #AndOtherSports

*The full campaign video on YouTube

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The launching event of the collection being held in the selected flagship locations with the celebrities featured in the campaign doing an open talk

Start of sales in selected physical locations

WEEK 2 WEEK 3

Introduction of the collection tashtag for UGC and a preshow of the collection on the brand’s own platforms

WEEK 4

The launch of the camapign video on Youtube (full version) and Instagram (celebrity endorcement shortcuts)

WEEK 1

LAUNCH PLAN

The chosen influencers posting their camapign looks

The newsletters being sent out to the current customers letting them know of the collection release and the date of the launch events

The launch events in the rest of the selected locations with drinks and presenting the collection

Start of online sales

Throughout the described process of launching the collection and continuously after the launch, the following KPIs will be measured in order to review it’s performance, Down below is a summary of all the metrics used in relation to the various channels and objectives: SOCIAL MEDIA

YouTube and Instagram): Reach, Follower growth, Social Traffic and Conversions, Social Shares and Likes, New Followers demographics.’

MARKETING

First visit and return metric, RoI, Web traffic and total visits, Click through Rate, Average time on page, CPA, Cost per Lead, Repeat visits.

LEADS

Cost per Lead, Traffic source breakdown.

PAID MEDIA & PR

Cost per click (CPC), Click-thru-rate (CTR), Profits per customer, Brand mentions.

*After each week, the data results will be reviewed by the team to ensure that the marketing objectives are met, if needed, changes will be made to the communication tactics. The budget for all the activities describes is broken down in the “Estimated Costs” section further on.

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LAUNCH EVENT The launch events for the collection will take place in the 4 flagship stores where the collection will be selling - London, Copenhagen, Paris, and Stockholm, and will be organised for both the press and the general public. To attend, the visitors will apply online or through the newsletter prior to the date and will receive an entry ticket. The event will consist of the presentation of the collection, and an “open panel� format talk with the celebrities featured in the main campaign video shoot. The open talk will involve a discussion of the collection inspiration and a q&a between the celebrities and the audience. After this, the guests will be welcome to stay and try on /shop the collection prior to the official start of sales, after which an after party will be held for the VIP guests when the store closes. The aim of the event is to attract many people to attend to the stores and post about it on social media to increase awareness. For the same cause, the whole event will also be broadcasted by a brand representative via Instagram live.

& Other Stories

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ESTIMATED COSTS Down below is a table showcasing the costs of the production and launch of the online content part of the launch, including the content creation, post-production, payed advertising and sponsored content segments, as well as the post-analysis and formative review of the campaign through using the established KPIs:

In addition, the table on the below represents the costs of the launching events that will take place across the chosen sales locations:

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CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it can be said that launching an activewear collection can be a successful strategy for & Other Stories. Many of the factors discussed throughout the paper must be taken into consideration, however if the formation and promotion of the capsule is managed correctly, the extension of the product range would be a very beneficial proposal for the the brand to move into a new segment and increase it’s further potential in developing within the activewear market in the long-run, as well as making it a more rounded “lifestyle” brand for which it ihas always been loved by it’s customers.

& Other Stories

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& Other Stories

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ANNEX Figure 1 - THE BUSINESS STRUCTURE

CORPORATE LEVEL

H&M Group

Board of Directors

Joined Group Functions

BUSINESS LEVEL

& Other Stories

FUNCTION LEVEL

Design / Buying; PR / Marketing; International Relations / Ecommerce; Sales / Finance

Expansion; HR; Legal Controls; IT; Logistics; Production; Security; Accounting; Communications;

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Figure 2 - THE STORE PLANOGRAM

SPORTSWEAR SECTION WILL BE PLACED HERE

SYMBOLS: - clothing rack - display - shelf - column - buyer’s journey

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Figure 3 -INTERVIEWS OUTLINE 1. The current & Other Stories consumer INTRODUCTION - Please introduce yourself (name, age, country of living) - How can you describe your personal style?

- How frequently do you shop in & Other Stories? When was the last time you shopped?

- How would you describe the brand in a few adjectives?

- What product categories / styles do you shop for the most? What is your favourite item you own?

- Do you usually shop online or visit the physical stores? Why? - What other brands do you frequently buy at?

SPORTSWEAR - Are you interested in buying sportswear?

- Do you buy sportswear mostly for doing sports or due to the liking of the style?

- What brands to you usually shop at for sportswear? What do you buy most often?

- What is your favourite sportswear brand? Why? - What are looking for when choosing sportswear? (affordability, comfort, durability, style, technicality, etc) - How much do you usually spend on sportswear (annually if possible)?

- Do you prefer to buy sportswear at more luxury and more budget friendly brands? Why?

& OTHER STORIES

- Do you think you would buy sportswear from & Other Stories if the brand had a sportswear range?

- What aspects you think are important for the & Other Stories sportswear line to have?

(Specific fits, the brand’s signature “style”, sportswear accessories, etc) - Would you like to see the brand offer sport footwear and accessories, as well as clothes?

- Describe how you imagine the style of the sportswear by & Other Stories - Pick a preferred style of sportswear (SHOW VISUALS: technical / athleisure / style-oriented)?

- Do you rather buy colourful (bright, with prints) or not colourful sportswear (black/white/grey)?

1.

2.

3.

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2. Frequent buyer of sportswear BUYER’S PREFERENCES - Describe why “Nike” is your favourite sports brand? Which qualities are the most important for you?

- What in your opinion makes “Nike” stand out amongst other sportswear brands?

- How frequently do you buy a new item? What’s stopping you from buying more?

- Do you tend to buy the items you like the most at “Nike” or go in with a certain budget in mind?

- What is more important to you when buying sportswear (pick one):

- High qualtiy fabrics and product perfomance and longevity - The style that fits your personal and is aesthetically fullfilling?

- The optimum price of the product in terms of price to quality ratio (not necessarily the cheapest)

- Is buying sportswear a pleasurable experience for you? Or do you do it out of necessity?

BRAND IMAGE

- Do you follow “Nike” on instagram or other social media? Why? - Is the brand image important to you when buying sportswear? Or do you buy simply based on the product?

- Is the service you receive on your buying journey important to you? Would you pay extra to get a higher level experience?

PRODUCT SELECTION

- Which items / product categories you buy the most at “Nike”? (leggings, tracksuits, accessories, sneakers).

Why? - Is having large variety of options important to you when buying sportswear? Or is “too much variety” a bad thing?

- Would you pay extra to get your sportswear customised?

- Which of the following categories would you for sure want to see sold by a brand introducing a sportswear line (like & Other Stories)? if you could only pick 5: - spercialised sport clothing (e.g. ballet, yoga,

- sport bras

- sleeveless workout tops - long sleeve workpout tops - sport jackets & hoodies - sport leggings

- tracksuit bottoms

boxing, running). If selected, which sport?

- sport footwear - sport related accessories (water bottles, sport bags, sport socks, etc) - sport co-ords (matching sets of top + bottom)

- PICK & CHOOSE -> SHOW VISUALS - pick one item of each row (not thinking of the whole outfit, just each item itself):

1.

2.

3.

4.

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D

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G

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