UnMe Jeans Branding in Web 2.0
10/4/2012
Marketing Communication Strategy
UnMe Jeans: Branding Web 2.0
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
UnMe Jeans: Branding Web 2.0
UnMe, a Brand, for Teenage girls. The product is an in vogue jeans available in upscale retail outlets, at premium price. The Target audience is girls of 12-24 yrs of age, highly taste oriented; the brand produces jeans of limited stock and style . Objective of the brand is positioning, through a suitable Media plan for the Media Target, which involves the Web 2.0 platform, the new Media communication pedestal, therefore it needs, To identify the type of Media outlet for UnMe jeans and to analyze the benefits and risks associated with the social media plans. To formulate a combination of traditional and New Media for apposite investment. To design a media metric format to measure the outcome of the new plan To scrutinize the advantages and disadvantages of the brand association with the WEB 2.0 world To link the effectiveness of the New social media plans with the rapidly changing media.
1.1 THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN & REQUIREMENT- Advantages and Disadvantages Social Media plan to be incorporated would be Facebook with You Tube. (CREATIVE IDEA) Videos about brand rationale ( “Design your personality?”)Created by the consumers and posted on Facebook as YouTube Links for a contest, the best video would be awarded with vouchers from UnME When a user clicks on the YouTube video links for their video or for reference, then other links referring to the UnMe adverts would appear, creating increased Brand Awareness. On Facebook games like Farmville already exist which are virtual character Creatives, as on Zwinktopia UnMe could, create a similar game with virtual characters on Facebook. Its beneficial as it is easy to handle single platform for promotion online and would tap all the Target Audience singularly. To fit as a valuable social plan it needs to fulfill the criteria of the four main characteristics of the WEB 2.0 platform. (BRAND AWARENESS AND BRAND PREFERENCE TACTICS) 1. CONSUMER CO-CREATION: Creating a brand profile page for promotion , allows the brand to publish infinite content. UnMe could promote and sponsor events which relate to the identity of the brand . 2. SOCIAL AFFILIATION: Facebook has the highest number of Target Audience . Creating Widgets and providing daily updates on new feeds on the profile pages of the users, YouTube contest, Virtual UnME World, Sasha, would keep the consumers updated with new styles, generating Brand Recall .Users of can share the content with their friends leading to expansion of consumer base for the brand. 3. DIGITAL SELF EXPRESSION: Facebook involves numerous events, application and communication methods which make it easy for the consumers to identify and associate themselves with the ones they assume are related to their personalities, association with the same would provide UnME to understand Consumers Brand Preference and design a Brand Strategy to position, as per consumers preference. 4. SHARING: Facebook provides a Two way communication of the consumers with the brand and vice versa. Also sharing of information , Updates and personalized perceptions by the users in the main motive of FACEBOOK as a brand itself . Hence this would be an advantage for UnME or any brand in the market.
MEDIA PLAN
ADVANTAGES
YOU TUBE
Large demographics available. Easy Two way communication, in the form of videos made by the consumers, comments on brand advertisements, social affiliation. Entertaining way of creating brand awareness and Brand recognition by using the video platform virtual advertisements. High frequency of views per person Provides separate brand channel for promotion activities. Cost effective in long term basis.
DISADVANTAGES
ZWINKTOPIA
Virtual characters, best way of self expression and individuality relating to the rationale of the brand. Availability of almost exact Demographics i.e Teenage girls, with the right website as it is more focused on fashion and the youth activities and brands. A specialized platform for brand marketing in the virtual world. As per the Exhibit 10 apparels are the highest selling product on Slexchange
Lack of control over the post advert effects. Needs regular involvement, upgrades, updates, time for Creatives to be easily visible. Involves increased level of misinterpretation of information e.g Two brands of nearly similar name. Language and location restrictions at times. High risk Investment. Lack of measurement tools. Increased competition as already existing brands are dominating the media over 200000 , hence investment might not yield results Uncomfortable for consumers, high level of knowledge, learning required in creating a virtual character, hurdled reach for the consumers. Lack of linear, two way communication is complex hence consumer feedback is not easily obtained. Time consuming for the consumer hence increased probability of disinterest.
UnMe Jeans: Branding Web 2.0
1.2 INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA (ATTENTION TACTICS) MEDIA TYPE &
STAGES
BUDGET (In 000’s)
SUB-STAGES
TELEVISION $ 7000
Creative development Media Scheduling Result Measurement
PRINT MEDIA $1000
Creative Development Distribution Segmentation
SOCIAL MEDIA $1500
Creative Development Software Development Search and Evaluation Purchase Intention Feedback Analysis
OUT OF HOME ADVERTISEMENT $4000
Creative Development Geographic Segmentation Execution
LIVE EVENTS (B2B,B2C) $3000
Event Plan Creatives Cost Analysis Event Design and PR Event Execution Feedback analysis
Includes Brief presentation, analyzing the Key Benefit Claim which is personalized fashion. Dramatizing of the Key benefit to a Creative Idea (UnME advertisement on TV) Scheduling of the Media , advertisement appears frequently on TV ,to spread Brand Awareness and Recognition. To Position the brand in the Market. UnME can also sponsor Reality TV shows such as You think You can dance, or American idol etc which involves Target Audience. The impact of the advertisement is measured in terms of Favorable conversions at the retail store after the release Creative for Newspaper showing the deals at UnME retail outlet and a Link for the website. Advertising in selective newspaper and page in the Newspaper (e.g the page with , fashion news or horoscopes) probably read by the Target Audience. For Magazines, Creative should be published in fashion magazines such as Femina, Seventeen, Cosmopolitans etc which are the Brands Preferred by the Target Audience The software’s regarding virtual characters, applications, widgets, are developed and placed in the Right Media for Positioning of the Brand, which as suggested is Facebook and YouTube. Withdrawing of money from other media accounts is preferred for the Purchase of the social media platform. Creatives are launched at the same time of other media launches. This would expand the Reach of the brand and would tap consumers at every end. At the same time the YouTube Video and the Facebook design your style contest is launched with its links on Facebook and online Brand apparel selling channels are opened for easy access for the users. Creatives are designed for Banners and Screen display in popular market places. Distribution of brochures for retail outlets and online contest in areas of high schools, colleges, market area, malls for mass Brand Awareness. Employment of an agency or people for installation and distribution purposes. A Fashion Show is planned displaying Unme Apparels, company design, contest winners designs by users which are producible. The cost sheet with elements of the event is worked out and the PR of the firms informs the Retail outlet owners and Press to provide an external coverage to the event. Event is executed at a decided Date and post effects are measured. Also UnME can sponsor Live events and Artist Music Concerts where excessive teenagers are present creating increase Brand Recall and awareness.
PARAMETERS FOR MEASUREMENT 1. CONVERSION RATIO: Refers to the effectiveness of the company to create brand awareness amongst the consumer to make a purchase decision after perceiving advertising on social media . It helps in calculating the strength of the product in the market by observing the Brand Recognition by Brand Loyals, Favorable brand Switchers or Multiple brand Loyals . Also for measuring the position of the brand by calculating the Brand Awareness across the WEB 2.0. 2. RETENTION RATIO: Refers to proportion of consumers who participated on Facebook or any social media and intend to have a purchase intention at a non virtual (retail outlet) distribution channel . This method would help in measuring the Brand Recall Value and Change in consumers brand preference regarding the UnME apparels. Also this method is quite useful for measuring sales increment and market share . 3. ROI (Return on investment) MEASUREMENT: Measured by its ability to develop improved customer relationships and by measuring feedback (bookmarking, tagging, commenting, linking, blogging) , Clicks per minute, Number of Page viewed etc 4. BEHAVIOUR STUDY DATABASE: By studying the behavior of various consumers (for example how often are they participating? What other websites are they visiting apart from yours? Who are the
UnMe Jeans: Branding Web 2.0
influencers and their impact?) Statistical data is collected and studied for positioning. This would help in measuring the overall volume, reach, exposure and amplification of the brand. 1.5 RIGHT MEDIA – RIGHT BRAND The four cultural values and the attributes of the product (UnME jeans) result in an appropriate match hence the New Media environment is perfectly in co-relation with the Trendy Junior Denim brand. WEB 2.0 DIMENSION
CONSUMER CO-CREATION Direct contribution of the consumer Allows consumer to be the information and the cultural, Personalized approach
SOCIAL AFFILIATION connecting consumers to others, virtual community More exposure and opportunities
DIGITAL SELF EXPRESSION Create their own virtual identities Help revealing consumer attitudes
BRAND ATTRIBUTES ( Entry Ticket Benefits)
Motivates and encourages Speak against peer pressure and conformity, Provides the opportunity to speak your fashion. Good feedback mechanism from consumers.
The Brand name UnME (“You and Me”)
SHARING To collectively create and share information Consumers – Marketer two way communication
Association with Generation Y, Target Market 12-24 yr, Target audience-Teenagers Similar trend followers on one platform Motivation for individualism Appreciation for different opinions and taste Creating unique identities (KEY BENEFIT CLAIM) To promote the best style designed through self expression for production and sale in the market. (B2C Sharing) Retail stores all across USA (B2B Sharing)
BRAND ASSOCOIATION WITH WEB 2.0 – ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES
Associates marketing of UnME to generation Y relating to the excess usage by the target audience. Cost effective, WEB 2.0 cheaper than traditional media, long term benefits. Brand maximizes to huge target market with increased brand awareness as compared to traditional media with a limited reach UnME will follow the trend of social communication being at the same platform as other competitors in the market. Two way communication – direct consumer feedback Less cluttered environment, more options to advertise on eg. Banner, classified, search etc, Quick and easy to update . The approach is voluntarily persuasive by the consumer itself.
DISADVANTAGES
Lack of Control on the placement of the brand, as it is mainly consumer controlled.
Extensive initial investment with high risk association . Measurement of the post effects of adverts is approximate and time consuming. Requires extensive time and regularity to maintain the change in media as per consumer perceptions and usage. Social media is deficient in pertinent support content. Due to changing perception the platform can be a FAD Limitations in brand creative design, which will have to appear in smaller formats in comparison to Traditional media
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW MEDIA PLAN The social media plays a major role in the changing marketing environment and consumer perceptions . It is a time efficient and long term promising marketing dais . With the change from Gen X- Gen Y, Social Media has kept marketers directly updated with the consumer likes and Dislikes ; it provides the anywhere, anytime access to the consumers as well as to the marketers . It is a never dying platform with New Virtual Inventions suiting the Fast pace media environment and providing more space for the brands to display. For keeping itself in the b est Media platform race it effectiveness needs to be monitored regularly by; Keeping it updated with the changing perceptions and trends in consumer lifestyle and the industry and associating it regularly with real time events in the market. Linking all the advertisements and Creatives to one another to benefit the brand by expanding its reach and to provide comfort to the consumers. Also generating new interesting ideas to communicate with the consumers following the Attention Tactics. Co- designing software and networks packages with other media to provide the benefit of anywhere anytime access Creating important applications of the brand which incorporate into the mundane activities of the consumer making it a customary for them to follow.
CONCLUSION: The strategies mentioned above for the product promotion and brand awareness will maintain a long term relation with its consumer ,However to maintain the viability of the Media Plan the budgets for the plan have to be expanded and judiciously used to expand the reach and incorporate a useful social media plan.
