Visual Strategy Guide
Leila San Jose | GR604: Nature of Identity
Visual Standards Guide
Soul & Mission
Objective
Keywords
Target Audience
Current Grid
Future Grid
Current Adjacent
Future
Brand Attributes
26–31 VISUALIZATION
32–41 COMPETITORS 10–25 FUTURE
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Gymboree is a company founded by Joan Barnes in Marin County, California. They try to find fun and safe areas places for parents and the children to play together. They are best known for their stores that sell kids’ clothing from newborn to size ten.
Gymboree Play & Music is for children from age newborn to five years old. There are 700 locations in over 40 countries in the world. They are considered as the global leader in early childhood development programs. Their programs are designed by experts in both education and play.
They help with cognitive, physician and social skills and are recognized for their unique parent involvement.
OUR HISTORY
Gymboree is a company founded in Marin County, California in 1976. They opened a chain of clothing stores in 1986. In January 2019, they operated 380 stores, 154 outlets, 147 Janie & Jack stores, 253 Crazy 8 stores and 11 Crazy 8 Stores in the US and Canada.
In 2016, the Gymboree corporation sold the Gymboree Play & Music business to a private company and is now completely separate from the Gymboree Corporation.
Joan Barnes opens the first commercial children’s work out center 1976
125 Gymboree franchises operating in 20 states in the US 1984
Don Cho serves as chairman and chief executive 1989
32 retail stores, 350 Gymboree franchises
Nancy Pedot: Chairman & Chief Executive 1993 –
There are about 350 centers and 15 retail stores through the United States and foreign countries 1986–1987
Retail sales increase to $6.9 million 1991–1992
8 INTRODUCTION | TIMELINE
1994
TIMELINE
Filed for bankruptcy in June, November. and January 2017–2019
New Gymboree will help children mentally and physically grow through multi sesnsory experiences.
Gymboree Play & Music operates in over 40 countries and is in 733 centers world wide
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 9
2010
Bain Capital of US $1.8 billion
Today
2023
1995–1998
2016
Development of educational toys and products
Corporation sold Gymboree Play & Music to Zeavion Holding
OUR FUTURE
As a celebrated brand, we will continue maintaining our passion for providing high–quality and well–evaluated products.
Our aim is to expand on collaborative experiences which are all–inclusive to kinesthetic learning, for children up to the age of 16 years old.
We inspire and motivate multi sensory experiences for all children to support the holistic development of nurturing physical and mental growth so they can be active in growing independently and their communities.
Discover happiness through learning and experiences to help children grow.
BRIGHT
Creating happy moments.
EAGER
Providing activities where children can learn from and grow.
CURIOUS
Helping children to discover and explore the world.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Determining and addressing Gymboree’s audience individuals is essential. From the likes, dislikes and demographics of each individual.
A) DISCOVER NEW SKILLS
They will discover new skills to advance in learning during child development.
B) LEARN HIDDEN TALENTS
Children will learn their strengths and what they’re passion about
C) MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES
Meaningful experiences help benefit and inspire children to love and care about their surroundings as they grow. It helps them to make sense out of things for themselves.
BENNY MILLER
4 years old | Preschool | Loves the jungle gym
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Benny loves to stack building blocks because he can learn how to concentrate on tasks.
A) Benny always interrupts his Mom when she is on the phone because he can’t wait to play with his new cars.
B) Benny loves climbing fast to the top of new high places because he has excessive physical movement.
B) Benny loves racing with his Mom because he is so fast using up a lot of energy he has stored.
C) Benny goes to summer camp yearly because they have programs designed to support children like him diagnosed with ADHD.
C) Benny loves going to the beach because he loves building sand castles that take up all his energy.
18 FUTURE | TARGET AUDIENCE
JENNIFER HUGO
16 years old | Baby sitter | Loves baking cookies
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Jennifer always has a new activity for the children she baby sits for because its important that they can learn something new from her.
A) Jennifer loves reading books to children before bed because it helps stimulate their imagination.
B) Jennifer takes baking classes because she wants to better her skills of baking the best cookies.
B) Jennifer only colors and draws with the kids because they are the only ones who can appreciate her work of art.
C) Jennifer enjoys taking the kids to the park so that they can enjoy playing in the playground during the day.
C) Jennifer goes hiking once a month because it help her to admire the beautiful nature views.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 19
BRIAN JIMENEZ
22 years old | Elementary Teacher | 0 Children
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Brian creates challenging activities for his students to do because he loves to challenge their problem solution thinking skills in class.
A) Brian finds inspiration from Pinterest to create an arts and crafts day because he wants his students to be able to express themselves.
B) Brian spends quality time with his grandmother because he is proud of crocheting beautiful colored scarves.
B) Brian enjoys managing the tutoring program because he has a gift of finding the right tutor for the right kid.
C) Brian loves camping with his family in the woods far away from the city because he loves the deep conversations at night underneath the stars.
C) Brian sign up with an adventure group because he wants hands on learning experience of the world.
20 FUTURE | TARGET AUDIENCE
LENORA SMITH
28 years old | Stay at Home Mom | 1 Baby
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Lenora brings her children to Mommy & Me club because she new to being a mother.
A) Lenora just started Yoga from the Alo app because she wants to be more flexible and active.
B) Lenora can change diapers in five minutes because the quicker she can get it done, she has more time to do other things.
B) Lenora’s lullaby comforts her baby to sleep because she has a calming and soothing voice.
C) Lenora loves going to a park weekly because she loves the sound of her baby’s laughter as she pushes her on the swings.
C) Lenora wakes up extra early to have a cup of coffee and sit in silence because all of her attention will be on her baby when she wakes.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 21
JAMES TRINH
7 years old | Elementary Student | Loves to dance
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) James enjoys sign language class because it can help him communicate with people an another way.
A) James watches music videos because he loves learning new dance moves.
B) James loves paper folding cranes with his mom because he makes the most beautiful cranes.
B) James is a better dancer now that he has a hearing aid because when he was younger he could only feel the vibration of the beat.
C) James enjoys going to the zoo because he loves making funny animal noises with his dad.
C) James’ mother takes him to the ice cream shop and to the park because he has a rough time with the other kids at school.
22 FUTURE | TARGET AUDIENCE
TESS RODRIGUEZ
62 years old | Senior Citizen | 5 Children
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Tess signed up for swimming because she wants to learn how to swim with her grand kids in the summer.
A) Tess completes a word puzzle in the newspaper each week because it helps with her memory.
B) Tess loves cooking for her family because she always gets praised of being the best cook.
B) Tess crochets a baby blanket really fast because her new grand baby is coming soon in the week.
C) Tess loves going to the symphony because she use to go with her parents her favorite memory as a little girl.
C) Tess enjoys going to the farmer’s market because she loves finding the best vegetables for cooking.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 23
DEANNA ROBINSON
22 years old | Tech Support | 2 Children
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Deanna signs up with an online program called Codeacademy because she wants to learn how to code websites.
A) Deanna loves tech conventions because she can learn how to improve her skills from the professionals in her field.
B) Deanna loves fixing broken computers because she has a gift of finding solutions.
B) Deanna loves teaching her kids about computers because she is great with expressing logic with words they can understand today.
C) Deanna enjoys her time coffee at a coffee shop by herself with a large window because she can focus and read without being disturbed.
C) Deanna enjoys bringing her children to the tech museum because its the only thing she can relate with her kids.
24 FUTURE | TARGET AUDIENCE
AMIR KHATRI
30 years old | Construction Worker | Loves building things
A) Discover new activities
B) Learn hidden talents
C) Meaningful experiences
A) Amir loves helping the community with new projects because he loves learning new things to keep him on his toes.
A) After work, Amir loves going axe throwing because he wants to blow off steam from stress at work.
B) Amir finds joy in presenting his work to his boss because he can project his voice easily despite background noise.
B) Amir loves collecting complicated melodies because he can easily decipher them and play them with his guitar.
C) Amir helped out his brother with remodeling an old house because it is been 5 years since they have seen each other.
C) Amir loves to drive by buildings he has worked on with his nephew because his nephew wants to be like him.
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VISUALIZATION
PAST GRID
When Gymboree was founded it was primarily focused on babies to the age of five years old. These images provide what the past Gymboree was, softer, gentler a younger scope.
28 ROUND 1 | CAMP 2 | ROUGH SKETCHES
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 29
30 VISUALIZATION | FUTURE GRID
FUTURE GRID
Expansion of the scope of age was to include young teens for more involvement for our new Gymboree. The images below represent the new Gymboree. A more versatile in hands on activities, textures to help children grow in confidence and be all inclusive to children who are different.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 31
COMPETITORS
It is important for Gymboree to know who competition is. It helps to understand how the company sets apart distinctly from the rest.
By seeing what other companies have to offer in the market, there is opportunity to include what they lack, that Gymboree can benefit from. The following are the types of competitors that will be evaluated for Gymboree.
•CURRENT COMPETITORS
•ADJACENT COMPETITORS
•ASPIRATIONAL COMPETITORS
CURRENT COMPETITORS
Gymboree’s current active competitors consist of companies who both have children’s attire and programs to help them learn and grow.
CARTER’S is an American designer of children’s clothing. Similar to Gymboree, they target young children and their parents.
PBS KIDS is a brand that is aired by the Public Broadcasting Services. Similar to Gymboree, they have programs for children ages between 2 and 8 to learn.
OLD NAVY is an American clothing and accessories retailer. Just like Gymboree, they sell children’s apparel.
KINDERCARE is a company that provides safe nurturing care for children of modern working parents. Similar to Gymboree, they care for families and children.
THE CHILDREN’S PLACE is an American clothing and accessories retailer. Similar to Gymboree, they focus on kids clothes and baby clothes.
LOVEVERY is an American company that produces play-kit subscription boxes for children. Just like Gymboree, they provide activities that children can do.
34 COMPETITORS | CURRENT COMPETITORS
YMCA is world wide youth organization to help young people better themselves and be better in the world. Just like Gymboree, they provide programs/ activities.
THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE A place where children learn, grow and have fun. They have learning programs like Gymboree.
KINDERDANCE is program that of three levels for dance, motor development, and more. Similar to Gymboree, they target parents and their children to excel.
MOTHERLY is a well being brand to send expert ideas and mom inspiration to women. Just like Gymboree, they have created a community to help children grow.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 35
ADJACENT COMPETITORS
Gymboree’s adjacent competitors include companies that create products such as toys, games, and books and also companies that provide a fun experience for children and adults.
STEP 2 is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys. They can provide products for Gymboree that can bring joy and build memories.
BARNES&NOBLES is the largest bookseller where both children and adults can go to and buy books. Just like Gymboree, they have the same target audience.
FISHER – PRICE is an American company that produces educational toys. Both share similarity in audience of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
HIGHLIGHTS is an American children’s magazine. There are puzzles, riddles, experiments and crafts that help children learn similar to Gymboree.
LEAP FROG is an educational entertainment and electronics company based in California. They provide tablets to help children learn like Gymboree.
LEGO is the world’s leading manufacturer company of play materials. All ages are welcome to learn and play by using blocks like Gymboree.
36 COMPETITORS | ADJACENT COMPETITORS
MELISSA & DOUG specializes in affordable priced wooden toys for preschoolers. They target parents who buy them for their children like Gymboree.
WALT DISNEY is the leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. Gymboree’s audience also may participate in any Disney.
CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY MUSEUM is place for children to explore through activities of discovery. Parents and children from Gymboree can visit.
KIDS BOOKS is a company that makes books more accessible to everyone. They focus on reading as a way of learning similar to Gymboree.
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FUTURE COMPETITORS
The future competitors of Gymboree include companies that go beyond the target audience age threshold to age 16 years old, kinesthetic learning and more multisensory experiences to help grow.
BABY EINSTEIN has multimedia products, home video programs, CD’s, books, flash cards, toys and baby gear. Gymboree can collab and include them in activities.
BABY SIGNS word’s leading sign language program for hearing babies. Gymboree can collaborate and include in curriculum.
SLUMBER KINS created to bring effective early emotional learning tools. Gymboree can expand to empower children and their emotions.
AUTISM SPEAKS working to achieve a world where all people with autism, across the spectrum can reach full potential. Great opportunity to expand audience.
LITTLE PASSPORTS a direct-to children’s brand developing original stories and activities focused on geography, culture, science and art as inspiration.
GIRL SCOUTS youth organization of girls who do fun activities that show they can do anything they dream. Motivation for Gymboree to be more active in community.
38 COMPETITORS | FUTURE COMPETITORS
BABY JACK designs educational sensory toys and blankets for all ages. They can be a great company to partner with and use as a resource for parents.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS national organization of local chapters who provide voluntary after school program. Collaboration for volunteers at Gymboree.
SCIENCE EXPLORERS hands on science company for children ages 4–11 to be engaged in the wonders of science. Inspirational to expand activities.
VIRTUAL BABYSITTERS CLUB connects children’s parents with professional performers who keep kids actively engaged. Inspirational to expand Gymboree online.
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 39
BRAND ATTRIBUTES
RELEVANT | POSITIVE | GOOD
Joyful
Colorful
Immersive
Inclusive
Adaptable
Kind
NEUTRAL WORDS
Capable
Persistent
Consistent
Willing Independent Disinterested Indifferent Skeptical Serious Shy Engaging Imaginative Trustworthy Progressive
40 COMPETITORS | BRAND ATTRIBUTES
BANKRUPT | STALE | NEGATIVE WORDS
Young Lazy
Resentful
Careless Passive Controlled
Eager Kind Insightful Creative Supportive Disappointment Spoiled Obnoxious Repulsive
WORDS OUR BRAND HOPES TO OWN
VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE | GYMBOREE 41
Bright
Diverse Inclusive Curious Unique Brilliant
42 THE PAST | TARGET AUDIENCE