Overview of the Firm
Stylenanda is a Korean fashion company that was founded in 2004. This clothing company focused on women, although it also produced a selection of clothes for men. The firm invested heavily in innovation and advanced technology-supported production systems in its early years of market entry. The quality of its products and the timely market delivery within the Korean market saw it achieve massive success in its second and third year of operation. The Korean market associated it with quality. One unique factor that enhanced success for this firm was the fact that it avoided overproduction of one fashion of clothing.
This was after a research which revealed that women always avoid buying products that are already flooded in the market. For this reason, the firm has been keen to avoid flooding one line of clothing in a particular market. Its superior products and marketing strategies made it easy to expand to China. The entry into the Chinese market was another massive success because the management maintained quality production and superior marketing strategies.
This firm has been keen on online marketing, especially the social media marketing. The marketing team has considered it necessary to expand its market coverage to the United States. In order to achieve success in the United States, the marketing unit of this firm will need to develop effective strategies that will allow it to penetrate the new market. The researcher will look at campaign and media strategy that Stylenanda can use to penetrate the American market.
Campaign Strategy: Key Strategic Approaches
IMC Message Strategy and Theme
In order to develop an effective campaign strategy, the marketing unit of Stylenanda will need to have an effective message strategy. According to Salonen, Narven, and Saarijarvi (91), for one to develop an appropriate message, it is always important to understand the key consumer insights.
Before one can tell a customer that he is selling a nutritious meal, he should first determine if the customer has interests in such a product. For Stylenanda, it will important to understand the values and beliefs of the targeted consumers in the American market before developing an appropriate campaign strategy. The message given to the consumers should be in line with their social and cultural beliefs. Using strategies that were successful in Korea and China may not yield the same results when used in the American markets.
The marketing unit will need to have an appropriate theme to use in the market. Based on the nature of the target group in the American market, the main themes that should be used are quality and fashion. This should be reflected in the brand of the firm through all the brand attributes. The logo should depict the target group that this firm wishes to capitalize on within this market. Using a model in one of the firm’s dresses will be necessary. The slogan should be simple and memorable. Something like ‘Brings out the best in you’ may be an appropriate slogan for this firm. The color for the brand should vary.
However, the red color should be dominant followed by blue because they are very popular among the youths who make the main target market. Finally, the graphics may help communicate the message to the target audience. For this reason, having clear images of the models wearing different types of clothes may be necessary. However, these graphics should be changed regularly based on the changing trends, tastes and fashion.
Selling Premise
Every other clothing firm in the United States currently offer a wide range of clothes that may suit teenage girls for various occasions. However, Stylenanda offers a unique product that other existing brands are yet to think about in their line of production.
Stylenanda offers identity in the most unique approach. People who use the products of this firm will not only be seen to be fashionable, but also authentic in their dress code. The authenticity in the dress code is offered by allowing the customer to identify a style that suits her shape and the most appropriate material. Instead of trying different styles of dresses that are a costly affair, such a customer will be getting the style which suits her shape but in different variations and in different colors. The customer will have all her clothing fitting her perfectly well.
Ladies are always emotional, especially the youth who make most of their purchases through impulse buying. Being rational is good, but Keillor (94) says that in most of the cases, youths always ignore rationality when making their purchases. They are rebellious in nature, and are easy to manipulate when presented with emotional messages.
The message should reflect on how the product will make them acceptable among the peers and other members of the society. It should also assure them of respect and admiration because these are the two issues that youths always take very seriously. This message strategy is expected to influence on brand personality and positioning.
Creating and Advertisement: Means-End Chain Chart
The management of Stylenanda will need an effective campaign approach that will enable it counter the stiff competition in the American market. According to Stone (73), the fashion industry is one of the most competitive and very sensitive industries not only in the United States, but also in other developed economies around the world. The following chart shows some of the possible approaches that Stylenanda can use to penetrate the American market immediately after its entry.
When choosing the appropriate marketing strategy, it is critical to ensure that the product attributes are clearly brought out. The styles, color, and any unique attribute of the product should be used at this stage. The message should pay attention to the consumer’s benefits. The consumers should know that they will benefit in various ways when they use these products. As Lambert (25) says, it will be necessary to try to link personal values with the product offering. Through this, it is possible to appeal to the emotions of the targeted consumers.
The appeal can also be created through the brand attributes, especially the use of relevant graphics. Stylenanda has taken time to understand the American market, and this makes it easy to develop campaigns which are in line with the values and beliefs of the female youths in this country. Use of spokesperson will be the most preferred mode of advertising among the target market. According to Stone (5), youths always try to dress in the same way as some of their admired superstars. Using spokesperson like Shakira, Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, Mitchell Obama or Hillary Clinton may be an appropriate strategy.
IMC Media Strategy: Advertising and Direct Marketing
According to Fernandez (85), the current competitive global market requires effective marketing strategies. When designing a marketing strategy, focus should not just be put on developing an appropriate message to the targeted audience. It should start by understanding the audience based on what they want before coming up with a message that is in line with their desire.
Advertising and direct marketing are two main ways through which Stylenanda will be able to reach out to the targeted audience. The following are some of the possible ways through which this firm can maintain regular communication with the targeted youths in the American market.
E-mail marketing piece
E-marketing has gained popularity in the current American society. Stylenanda stands to benefit a lot from e-mail marketing because many of the American youths spend most of their time in the internet. It will be necessary to develop an appropriate e-marketing piece that can be used to attract customers in the market. The following piece will be appropriate for the Stylenanda Fashions.
It is important to note that this e-mail marketing piece will specifically focus on passing the message about the existence of this brand of fashion clothes within the American market. It will rely on other alternative advertisements to direct clients to the specific stores where these products can be purchased.
Outdoor advertisement
Outdoor advertising such as billboards are also very effective, especially when targeting the densely populated areas such as major cities. These billboards should be strategically located in places where people can easily read them. The following picture shows a possible outdoor advertisement that can be used to reach out to the targeted customers.
In this billboard, the message is not only about the products offered by this brand, but also the outlets where customers can get the products. The banner shows a ray of products that the target customer can get from this brand.
Online banner display
Another very appropriate alternative would be to use online banner displays. Sites such as Facebook and Tweeter can offer platforms through which this firm can reach the online audience. Online banners should be brief but very clear because the readers always do not have much time to go through the detailed descriptions of the products. It should basically rely on the graphics. The following picture may be appropriate for an online banner that Stylenanda can use to target the Facebook and Tweeter users.
The Proposed New Media Strategy
The current media strategies that have been discussed above may help Stylenanda to make an entry into the American market. However, Harrison (113) warns that the American fashion industry is highly competitive. In order to manage this competition, Stylenanda will need a unique marketing strategy.
It will need a strategy that will allow it to interact with the targeted customers more often. This is specifically so because youths are easily influenced by the people they interact with and the changing trends in the market. The proposed new media strategy is regular model competitions organized on a regular basis and aired in popular television channels.
The models competing will wear different designs from Stylenanda. The strategy will expose the clients to different products offered by this brand. It will also help the firm to know the products which are popular in the market.
Works Cited
Fernandez, Prasana. “Impact of branding on Gen Y’s choice clothing.” The Journal of the South East Asia Research Centre 1.1 (2009): 79-95. Print.
Harrison, Martin. Entering the US retail market: Best practices for European retailers. New York: Cengage, 2012. Print.
Keillor, Bruce. Marketing in the 21st Century. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2007. Print.
Lambert, Dicken. “Customer relationship management as a business process.” The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing 25.1 (2010): 4-28. Print.
Salonen, Susanna, Elina Narven, and Hannu Saarijarvi. “How do consumers consume fashion online? A practice-theoretical inquiry.” International Journal of Marketing Studies 6.3 (2014): 87-97. Print.
Stone, Daniel. “A Rose by Any Other.” Harvard Business Review 303.10 (2015): 1-6. Print.