Jack Wills Market Communication plan i7676097 and i7678983-2 PDF

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Group work involving comparing marketing communication plan between two companies....

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FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT Assignment title: Identify and evaluate a market or audience related issue(s) and prepare an appropriate integrated communication action plan, for an organisation or business of your choice.

Courses: Event Management and Tourism Management Unit: Marketing and Corporate Communications Names: Amber Ball and Zoe Newman I numbers: I7676097 and i7678983 Student number: 4590379 and 4585572 Word Count:

Communication Action Plan

Contents Sections Title’s

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Page number Autho r

Introduction Background of Jack Wills External Research

1 2 3 3.1

88 315 940

Amber Amber

 Analyse market trends around the company and the retail industry  Competitors  Corporate social responsibility

Internal Research  Strategic situation and analysis  Target audience  SWOT

Past Market communications of Jack wills Market communication strategy plan  Why are we doing a communications plan  Our Communications Plan: (Marketing Mix) (is it Advert, campaign, experimental event, social media) (what and why for each)  Budget for communication plan

Summary

Amber

3.2 3.3 4

Amber Zoe 593

4.1 4.2 4.3 5 6 6.1 6.2

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Zoe Zoe Zoe 358 Amber Zoe

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1. Introduction The purpose of this report will be to create a successful, sustainable and unique market communication plan for the company Jack Will’s Ltd. It will be devised from a collaboration of secondary research, of which will be conducted by analysing the internal and external factors affecting Jack Will’s business performance. It will also be discussing the key market trends of the retail industry in which Jack Wills resides. This report will then be reviewing the past market communication plans of Jack Wills, and evaluating what particular strategies have been successful and what requires improvement. A ‘SWOT’ analysis will be created in order to present opportunities for Jack Wills to improve their marketing communications. This done by identifying weaknesses and strengths which will be devised from the internal analysis, with the opportunities and threats devised from the external analysis. From this, a creative marketing plan will be implemented and explained in detail, with a main focus on the ‘4 P’s’ framework. All of these factors discussed around the Jack Wills company will help in creating a new market communication plan for this company, which will improve their brand awareness and competitive stance in the fashion retail industry.

Section 2: Background of Jack Wills – 315 Jack Wills is a clothing company within the retail industry, it was founded in 1999 in the UK. They started with one store in Salcombe and eventually expanded to London and around the UK, they also moved their headquarters to west London in 2005. According to an article by Becky Waller-Davies from retail week, 21 March 2016, Jack Wills currently has “65 UK branches and 19 international stores with a presence in the US and Asia”. Waller-Davies also states that Jack Wills also has three franchised outlets; in Dubai, Beirut and Kuwait. Since then Jack Wills has expanded and now has approximately 75 Stores within the UK. It has also expanded into the US. Jack Wills although only being open for 18 years, has expanded fast and become a very well-recognised brand. “Jack Wills, for more than 18 years, has brought British heritage-inspired wares of the highest quality to the wardrobes of a spirited and inspired youth, epitomising what it is to be British, irreverent and carefree” This statement demonstrates a lot of the traits that Jack Wills aims for. For instance, it states that they sell high quality British clothes that are targeted at more youthful generations. Also the high-quality is reflected in their pricing, for example a classic Hudson Jack wills hoodie is priced at approximately £60, showing that Jack Wills’ targets at teens who can afford to buy their preppy products. Jack Wills is a company that prides itself on being British and adhering to the preppy British culture, they also have a strong brand presence of the pink and navy colours, making a lot of their products and all their marketing have this strict colour scheme. For example:

Over all Jack Wills is a good company but has not been open for very long. When creating a marketing communications plan for them this action plan will make sure to remember the company’s values and themes.

Section 3: External research (AMBER) 750 3.1 Market trends of the retail industry The market trends in the retail industry show that in 2017 due to the rise in inflation and other factors it is changing how consumers are spending their deposable income. In an article about the retail trends in 2017, it states that’s cost pressures are building within the retail industry and they are being driven by the following factors: “Increases in business rates   Rising staff costs  Depreciation of sterling Rising fuel and commodity prices   Increases in pension cost” (Deloitte, 2017) According to Vends retail trends and predictions for the coming year 2018, from their research by analysing leading companies and professionals in the industry they state the following 12 trends. 1. “Chore” shopping will become easier, but the demand for “cherish” retail will be stronger than ever 2. Retailers that enable shoppers to build and customize products will prosper 3. Retailers will increasingly rely on robots 4. Retailers that step up their social media strategies will thrive

5. More than ever, data will (and should) drive retail decisions 6. Augmented reality technology will get even more sophisticated 7. Brick-and-mortar stores will continue to flourish 8. Healthy and environment-friendly lifestyles will be a focus for many consumers 9. In-home services, delivery, and consultations will pervade the market 10. QR codes will make a comeback 11. Retailers that curate assortments will win 12. Retail store formats will be much more diverse All these points give an indicator of the industry development and how the consumers are buying. This shows that consumers when purchasing products will be doing so in an easier and more exciting ways. For example with the use of apps and making shops more diverse and exciting to enter. These trends also give an insight into how people will be buying but also what they will be using and looking for when buying. Companies such as Jack Wills should take these trends into consideration when creating a marketing campaign, as the financial trends of industry could cause a threat to companies. Also because of these trends it could mean that consumers will not be spending as much of their disposable incomes. As such Jack Wills should think about the consumer decision process theory. With the five stages a company should consider this process when making their marketing communications plan. Making sure to try and market their products well and make sure that they are satisfying the customer. 3.2 Competitors 124 Jack Wills operates in the retail industry and so has many competitors. The main competitors that Jack Wills have are similar to that of Jack Wills. The biggest competitors are Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Tommy Hilfiger and Superdry which also sell the preppy easy going designer fashion, at similar prices of that to Jack Wills “However, Jack Wills refers to its style as ‘fabulously British’ instead”( Gemma Goldfingle, 2011), although the fashion is very similar of that of their competitors, it can be argued that this way of branding is very good, as this shows that Jack Wills differs from its competitors by making the consumer very aware that it is British. Below are some examples of the similar fashion designs to these competitors:

3.3 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 419

McWilliams (2001) states that it aims to ‘further some social good’ to the whole society in which the entity operates. It is becoming increasingly important for retailers to become more actively involved in contributing to society, particularly with fashion companies, with one article stating ‘consumers are demanding brands, products and companies to have better CSR practices.’ (Zaczkiewicz, 2016).

Many retailers in the fashion industry realise the significance of implementing CSR practises. Jack Wills aims to demonstrate CSR by embedding ethical trading into their business and supporting charities. As they source clothes from various parts of the world, they believe in the importance of ensuring their suppliers share their ethos- ‘to make great clothes in a fair, equitable and environmentally conscious manner’. They actively demonstrate this motive with their membership of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which is an alliance of companies and trade unions to promote respect workers’ rights globally. This means that suppliers have to comply with the internally recognised code of conduct, such as no inhuman treatment, working hours are no excessive and so forth. Jack Wills provide social benefits through their use of charity involvement, their biggest success was their involvement with the ‘Malaria No More Uk’ where they sold bracelets and raised over £220,000 in 2014 for the cause, which goes towards mosquito nets and treatments to help save lives (Jack Wills, 2017).

One ethical issue with Jack Wills is that they market their brand on their website as ‘Made in Britain’, however they mainly manufacture abroad, therefore it can abuse the consumers trust. In response to this confusion, Jack Wills launches a campaign named ‘The Fabric of Jack’ to assure consumers of its’ supply chain standards. This campaign on their website demonstrates through text and pictures clearly how and where each product is made, and even how it distributes its’ products. (Jack Wills, 2017). Jack Wills are in good stead when it comes to being viewed as ethical. This is because it seems evident that unethical behaviour grabs people’s attention far more than positive stories, with one report stating, ‘People are willing to punish companies for bad behaviour’. (Duckett, 2015). An example of this was when there was speculation in the media about Abercrombie saying that they would rather burn clothes than give them to poor people. The

manager expressed that, ‘Only people of a certain stature are able to purchase and wear the company name’. This negativity affected consumer perception as shown below. (Bradford, 2013).

Abercrombie and Hollister are a major competitor therefore this kind of negativity can push the consumer to choose Jack Wills instead.

Section 4: Internal Research (ZOE) 593 4.1 Strategic situation (157) Jack Wills has grown from operating just a single shop in Devon in 1999 to 90 stores worldwide. Recently, Jack Wills suffered a substantial loss in profits in 2016, with a drop of 41% according to Retail Gazette (2016). Due to this, Jack Wills acquired a new parent company after the fall in profits forced them to be sold. Since then, the chief executive Peter Williams puts forward in the media that the company’s finance is back on track, ‘This momentum of profit improvement is continuing through the current financial year’ (Williams, 2017). The main strategy Jack Wills implemented was to cut their sales and sell their products at full price. Jack Wills also introduced an affiliate programme, which is a way to form partnerships with different influencers who wants to promote their products. This aims to drive sales and overall revenue. An article explains how affiliate marketing helps brands to go global (Marketing week, Edwards 2017).

4.2 Target audience (197) Jack Will’s main target market audience are young University students, aged 18 to 24 years although the consumers can be below or above the age and the brand can be

adjusted to many demographics. The Co-founder Mr Williams stated that these students are ‘up-market, premium and niche’. This means that these students will likely have a lot of money to spend and they may have a part-time job whilst studying. These students also could be from a relatively wealthy family background. (Weisman, 2010). Jack Wills’ audience are therefore likely to be living in university towns and campuses, to keep the brand relevant they require promotions to be located in these areas. The consumers are thought to be university students that are fun, outgoing, stylish, polite, classy and creative and the clothing should reflect their personality, with the bright bold colours which are comfortable yet stylish. The target market are those that aspire to a luxury lifestyle, therefore they are study-focused and sensible. The consumer’s lifestyle wearing Jack Wills will be socially connected and busy, with a goal driven mind-set. Their hobbies include fashion, music (festival-goers) and sports. They will stay socially connected by the use of social media platforms.

4.3 SWOT (239) Strengths  Good use of television advertising compared with competitors- for example Hollister do not use seasonal television advertising.  Well established and unique brand name and logo. Weaknesses  Not a great awareness of the brand outside of the UK and U.S- people are generally aware of the name but not what they sell.  Slow in responding to the latest trends in the market, for example Superdry and Abercrombie offering active wear much sooner than Jack Wills. The problem is keeping existing consumers interested, ‘Jack Wills must encourage existing, loyal customers buy into its active wear offer for the first time’. (Insider Retail).  Even though JW claim to be unique in the sense that they are ‘fabulously British’ they manufacture in many parts of the world therefore where is their USP? (unique selling point).  JW’s main consumer are students however their products are deemed very expensive therefore not all students can afford them. Opportunities  Advertise on university campuses more often with free merchandise such as keyrings that say ‘10% student discount’ to generate more awareness, especially to international students may not have heard of them before.  Expand store locations as some student towns (like Reading and Buckinghamshire) are missing a Jack Wills store. Threats  The British Heritage theme clothing brand has worked well in the US expansion but may not be so accepted in other culture affecting its’ plans to expand more globally.  High competition with cheaper online alternatives that also target university students- Missguided/prettylittlething.

Section 5: Past Market communications of Jack wills (ZOE) 358 5.1 Past market communications of Jack Wills Jack Wills’ main marketing communication strategies have incorporated mainly television advertisements, implemented prior to the main seasons of Summer and Winter, to advertise their new season collections. Each television advert has had a main theme, for example their most recent from 2017 was their Christmas advert featuring ‘The Party’, of which uses a party vibe throughout. Advertising is a key strategy in marketing as it incorporates many functions, as put forward by Chitty et al (2011, p. 109): ‘informing, persuading, reminding, adding value and assisting the company’s other marketing efforts’. It is clear Jack Wills focuses on a combination of these factors, with special emphasis on reminding consumers of their presence. This is because one of their biggest competitors Ralph Lauren have similar advertising campaigns, therefore they want the consumer to be persuaded into choosing to purchase Jack Wills clothing.

Jack Wills used social media platforms to promote their products. Social media platform users are growing, with around 100 million more Instagram users in 2016. (Sprout Social, 2016). Their strategy was successful as they have a growing audience, with 264,000 followers on Instagram, 152,000 on twitter and so on. In addition, Jack Wills cut costs and time effectively in doing promotions this way as photoshoots can be ‘time consuming and budget draining’. (Econsultancy, 2017).

They also had a recent communication strategy whereby Jack Wills wanted to target a wider audience, to change its’ current image and prove that they are ‘more than hoodies for 15year-old girls’. (Marketing Week, 2016). In response to this, Jack wills decided to slowly change their consumer base, “It has typically been thought of as a brand for affluent teenagers or young millennials in the past” (E-consultancy, 2017). Therefore, Jack Wills launched a ‘#DearJack’ campaign which targets the demographic of living away from home and celebrating Christmas with friends. Jack Wills have made subtle changes to their Logo and website design, reflecting its’ more mature image. In addition, their home webpage uses language to portray this using words like ‘Ladies’ and ‘Gents’. To illustrate this against its’ competitor Hollister (as shown below) emphasises the fact that Jack Wills’ target audience are more diverse now.

Section 6: Market communication strategy plan (BOTH) 1200 6.1 Rational of communications plan (AMBER) 300 The aim of this campaign is to obtain new student customers, create a better student market and to increase revenue and awareness of brand. Within this campaign there is four main objectives these are:    

To promote jack wills and create more awareness of business to students To raise awareness of company to international students To create better access to company by creating and promoting an app To create loyalties with customers and increase repeat purchase with students

From the research above Jack Wills should take their next campaign back to the company’s originality, of targeting students in university towns. For this campaign it will be following the 5 P’s, promotion, product, place, price and people.

6.2 Marketing Mix (ZOE) 941 Promotion The campaign itself will involve Jack Wills representatives to set up their own stalls at the university campuses, selling personalised t-shirts and hoodies but they will also provide students with the opportunity to purchase the t-shirts and hoodies without personalisation. The personalisation aspect is in the form of the customers initials. According to research consumers find personalisation extremely important, and according to a study, “56% of

consumers are more likely to shop at a retailer that recognizes them by name” (Accenture study, 2017). Nike use this idea in a literal sense with their popular personalised trainers, therefore Jack Wills can utilise this idea with their own twist, making it more unique to their brand. It is suitable to sell hoodies as the university freshers week occurs around September so the students will be looking to purchase warm clothing for the winter season. The items of clothing themselves will use the new Jack Wills logo’s which have been adapted over the last few years to a seemingly more mature look (See below). Their new design on the front clearly states what makes Jack Wills unique with its Fabulously British’ slogan printed.

It is important that Jack Wills can re-emphasise the fact that their products have changed over time, in the way it is more smart-casual but still practical. Therefore, they have thought out their consumer’s needs and wants well. This campaign will make students aware of the changes and values Jack Wills have implemented. The t-shirts and hoodies will be available to purchase in four different colours which are the recognisable colours of Jack Wills. The traditional colours of Jack Wills mixed in with the newer style logo will create a new product that will cater for both teenagers and mature adults. In addition, there are colour options which are gender neutral therefore they should be able to increase interest from male students.

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Navy

Pink

Grey

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on their loyalty card balance. These

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