Wk 1. 100 Words On The Exciting Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise.
Pint sized celebrity once married to Nicole Kidman.
Seems to have hit the jackpot with his young wife Katie Holmes.
Who continues to excel herself with more aging hairstyles.
Tom's interest in Scientology is argued by some as unhealthy,
Not to mention spooky.
He quotes believers are "the authorities of the mind".
Tom's daughter is named Suri, the Hebrew for 'Princess'.
He shocked the nation with his sofa aerobics on Oprah.
And even more when he planned to eat baby placenta.
Starred in films like Mission Impossible...
Overly nice on camera, smiley.
Not much else to say really...

Wk 1. The Luxury Designer Market; Luella

http://www.luella.com/

What Is The Brand Personality?

'English cool meets English heritage’-Luella Bartley

The images (above) from the press cuttings page, emphasise Luella's personality as being eccentric and fun. Although at first glance the clothing seems youthful, it is also being worn by an elderly woman (right) - insisting that the brand is fun and not to be taken too seriously. There is an element of 'dressing up' and a theatrical theme to the brand.

What Is The Brand Saying?

- Luella Bartley said she designed 'the kind of clothes you can get drunk and fall over in.

- Her eternal muse is the rebel Brit “It” girl.

- The Look is basically: Squeaky-clean badass and pretty punks.

- Adepts include: It girls and hip kids such as Alexa Chung, Lily Allen or Agyness Deyn

How Does Luella Add Value?

Luella had been seen on the likes of; Kelly Osborne, Camilla Belle, Alexa Chung, Lily Allen, Kate Bosworth and Jessica Alba. Celebrity endorsement adds value to the brand. Luella has appeared in Vogue, Harpers and Bazaar magazine which also adds value to the brand as the target demographic for these magazines are women who are interested in high end fashion (and usually have a high income). In store, the music is very calm, which gives you a psychological feeling that one is separated from the fast moving world and can indulge themselves into pure luxury commodities. This adds value to the brand and makes the shopping experience pleasurable. The colour scheme is contrasted between bright and funky and pastel, soft colours.

Distinctions From Competitors?

In-store vibrancy
Whilst other luxury brand’s such as Miu Miu have stores which have a quiet, mausoleum feel to them, Luella is bright, energetic and lively, a customer isn’t scared to touch things. Leather goods are casually displayed as opposed to being locked away in glass boxes. This sets Luella apart from the competition- the customer base is not intimidated despite the high pricing and bond street location. The brand gives the impression that everyone is welcome at Luella.

Product design
Luella’s collection is based around classical English designs, the prom dress, t-shirts and knitwear, but has a bright acid floral fabric used throughout. This design continuation is a visual feast, which is rarely seen in luxury fashion. The use of cartoon like graphics and bright colour is used throughout the website which creates an almost Warhol style tone. Combined with the girlish colours and prints used Luella is projected a thoroughly modern brand.

Use of celebrities
The website has a section devoted to showing celebrities wearing Luella product (i.e. Lilly Allen & Jaime Winstone), often in the form of cuttings from magazines varying from Tatler to Now. This is distinctive to the Luella brand. It is rare that a high end brand uses down market magazine journalism on their own website. Ordinarily a high end brand such as Miu Miu or Chanel would have a sleek website using only in house photography. Promoting the designs with the use of cheaper mediums making the brand seem accessible to a wider target market. Once more this gives Luella a more down to earth feel, creating a distinctly modern mood for the brand.

Source: Megan Hart, Sarah Katchis, Emete Yarici, Delphine Mirrolo, Reanna Philippou

Raunchy Calvin Klein Ad Banned

The latest Calvin Klein Jeans advert has been branded so rude it was banned from late night cable TV in America.

It is the first advert for the designers's jeans line since the 1980s and they are certainly back with a bang. The campaign, shot by Steve Meisel, features topless male and female models romping on an old sofa wearing little more than their jeans. It has a real home video feel as though you have stumbled across something you shouldn't be seeing.

The label is working on an edited version of the advert to appear on cable TV but the original version will be shown in some European countries including Italy, France, Spain and Germany.

Still images of the campaign will soon be distracting drivers as they appear on billboards as well as in magazines.

It isn't the first time a Calvin Klein campaign has attracted such attention though. Last year the advert for it's perfume, Obsession, featuring Eva Mendes, was banned for its nudity after a peek of Eva's nipple is shown.

(Taken from www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/stylenews/Raunchy+Calvin+Klein+Ad+Banned-7086.html)

My Comments:

When designing the advert and target customer segment for my brand, I will have to approach the ad with caution so as not to offend or further narrow the market. The near nudity in the Calvin Klein ad mentiond above, although may be acceptable in European cultures such as Italy, has been banned in America. I do not have the intention to shock, however my ad must draw on fresh ideas and use of a memorable concept to create a buzz and instant recognition.

It seems from my research that the ads most talked about in the media are generally the most controversial (see Dolce & Gabbana ad from 2007 which was critisized for glorify gang rape) or have drawn upon new approaches.

In the first half of 1999 French Connection's profits boomed (up 15.4%) after the publicity of its controverisial FCUK advertising campaign, suggesting that adverts provoking attention not only raise publicity, but if read by masses can actually become desirable by those who like to rebel against societies 'norms' and accepted dress codes. If we reffer this to the AIDA model, we can see how attention is gained from the suggestive slogan, then interest encouraged through the media coverage and perserverance from French Connection to market the derogatory slogan. Next consumer desire forms for FCUK clothing, as it has become synonomous with rebellion and being tongue-in-cheek. Evidently the rise in profits suggests how many took action in purchasing an FCUK item of clothing.

The brands discussed above have each used sexual references to entice the audience. I would not consider advertsing in this manner for a new brand as it may establish it as tacky and in poor taste, however, for large well known brands this tactic has proved powerful. I hope to incorporate a fresh new concept into my brand's advert to not only create a buzz, but more importantly a desire for the clothing. However I think I will steer clear of nudity (after all the idea is to promote the clothing - not discard it!) and sexual inuendos (FCUK has had its day).

(Taken from: http://www.brandrepublic.com)

What Is Branding???

A brand is a name or symbol that is commonly known to identify a company or it’s products and separate them from the competition.

A well-known brand is generally regarded as one that people will recognise, often even if they do not know about the company or its products/services.

The overall ‘branding’ of a company or product can also stretch to a logo, symbol, or even design features that identify the company or its products/services (e.g. Regularly used colours or layouts, such as red and white for Coca Cola or the Nike tick).

(Taken from bizhelp24.com/marketing/what-is-branding)