Haven’t posted in a long while. I have been so busy with Uni work. I have a deadline every week until I leave so it has been pretty hectic. Which my diet and exercise routine have dwindled but I do aim to get back on it once I have completed the year. On Tuesday I received some REALLY good news…I have a place on a Ralph Lauren Showroom Internship this Summer. The placement starts in July for six weeks and I will be working with the company’s golf range. SO EXCITED.
So I recently completed my ‘Fashion Mix’ unit at Uni. This moduele included a PR pitch, PR press release and an essay on a recent fashion collection- I choose Rihanna for River Island.
Here is the unit completed. However the images used in the essay haven’t been transported and the revised images of the sketches have been deleted. The format is also a little off.
Drew Craythorne
The Fashion Mix
Pitch.
Pitch
DREW CRAYTHORNE DESIGNS
From; Rebecca Craythorne < Rebecca@DCD-PR.com>
Date; 1st June 2013 14:12:03 GMT
To; Jo.Elvins@Glamour.co.uk
Subject; MEDIA INVITE – Spice Girls release limited edition shoe range to mark their ‘Viva Forever’ Musical.
Dear Jo,
The Spice Girls have teamed up with designer of the moment Drew Craythorne to release a limited edition collection of heels to coincide with Viva Forever – the musical based on the Spice’s hits.
I am delighted to invite you to an exclusive press launch of the 5 piece collection-each featuring a decorative sole representing each girl.
On 28th July 2013 at 12pm we welcome you to Piccadilly Theatre for an intimate Matinee performance of the musical; followed by a lunch of cocktails and British inspired canapés. Afterwards there will be Press Conference held with the Spice’s and Drew Craythorne. You will also receive a jam packed goody bag including a pair of FREE heels of your choice. All before the shoes go on sale to the general public at Selfridges London on 26th August 2013. You will not want to miss this thrilling event.
You are invited to bring up to 2 guests (photographers and media crews welcomed). To confirm your attendance and gain a ticket; which we ask you to provide on entry please RSVP to Andrew Jeffs at Andrew@DCD-events.com
We look forward to seeing you at this fabulous event.
DREW CRAYTHORNE DESIGNS.
PRESENTS
THE
VIVA SPICE
COLLECTION
PRESS PACK.
Issue Date; 1st June 2013
Spice Girls collaborate with Drew Craythorne Designs to revive the 90’s with a range of limited edition high heels.
Celebrated designer Drew Craythorne has collaborated with the Spice Girls on five limited edition patent leather high heels to coincide with the opening of the new Spice musical Viva Forever.
Each shoe represents a Spice;
Emma Bunton has created the ‘Baby’ – a pink soled heel.
Mel B has designed the ‘Scary’- a leopard print soled heel.
Victoria Beckham has produced the ‘Posh’ – a glossy black soled heel.
Mel C has developed the ‘Sporty’- a red & white striped soled heel.
and Geri Halliwell has created the ‘Ginger’ – a Union Jack patterned sole.
The Viva Spice range will be available exclusively at Selfridge’s London from 26th August 2013 (the day of the musical’s official opening) – 31st December 2013 with a RRP £149.99
The shoes are set to be a huge success as the 90’s revival trend is becoming increasingly popular this summer. These heels are a perfect way to flaunt the fun of Girl Power with an air of sophistication. Both a leader in fashion and a Spice herself Victoria Beckham says ‘It is about time for a Spice shoe. This is a great way to reignite Girl Power!’
Images
All shoes from the collection are
priced at £149.99 and will be available exclusively at
Selfridge’s London from 26th August 2013- 31st December 2013.
Rough Copy of Sketches.
Company Biography.
Drew Craythorne was born in Birmingham on November 18th 1969. In 1989 Drew began the study of Fashion Design at the prestigious Southampton Solent University. In 1991 Drew landed an internship as a Visual Merchandiser at Mulberry.
Shortly after this Drew moved to Milan to study for an MA in Fashion Design; Women’s wear. Drew moved to New York after graduating. Here she worked as Deputy Designer for Ralph Lauren. She then went on to design for Dianne Von Furtsenburg for 7 years.
In 2006 Drew decided to move back to her home town of Birmingham to develop her own accessories company. Drew re-emerged just a year later with her self-titled design company based in London. Six years on Drew is enjoying immense success and has gone on to open flagship stores in London, Milan, New York and LA.
Drew has collaborated successfully with a variety of stars including Justin Timberlake and Kate Moss. Most recently she introduced a range of luxury sports bags with David Beckham. Drew counts Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Adele as celebrity fans.
Drew is currently expanding her brand even further with a new flagship store opening in Paris in 2014.
-ENDS-
Editors Notes
The Spice Girls are formed of Emma Bunton, Melanie Chilsom, Melanie Brown, Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell. The girls burst into the charts with ‘Wannabe’ in 1996 which catapulted them in to world-wide success. They are still the biggest selling girl group of all time. As a five piece the girls went on to release two smash hit albums- ‘Spice’ and ‘Spice World’. Hits from those albums include monumental classics such as; ‘Spice up your life’ and ‘Viva Forever’
In ‘98 Geri announced her departure from the band to concentrate on her solo career. However the remaining four worked on their final original album ‘Forever’ released in 2000. After this the Spice Girls went hiatus to concentrate on other projects. Emma on her solo career, Mel B on her entertainment career, Mel C on her solo and theatrical career and Victoria Beckham on her fashion career.
Due to popular demand all five members announced that they would be embarking on a reunion tour in 2007. Their most recent performance was at the London Olympics opening ceremony during the summer of 2012. In the December of the same year it was announced ‘Viva Forever’ would be opening the following August.
‘Viva Forever’ is a musical written by Jennifer Saunders set to the music of the Spice Girls. The girls have also had much impact on the production of the musical. It is certainly set to be a success.
For further information on The Viva Spice Collection;
Drew Craythorne Designs
Website WWW.DCD.com/VIVA
Press Officer; Rebecca Craythorne
Email; Rebecca@DCD-PR.com
Contact Number; 07587402544
Drew Craythorne
The Fashion Mix
1,500 word essay analysing the promotion of a current fashion collection.
This essay will analyse the sectors that work in unison to create a fashion campaign. It is essential for a company to generate interest in its collections and many factors are involved in this process. A company’s goal is to generate sales and succeed over competitors. A variety of factors work alongside each other to build a campaign that meets the needs of the consumer. This essay will analyse these factors in regards to Rihanna’s collection for high street store River Island.
A popular theory used by many marketing teams is the ‘Marketing Mix’. Rihanna’s collection for River Island may have been formulated using this method. The foundations of this strategy are 4 P’’s – product, place, price and promotion. “The “product” component determines the name, design and packaging of the good. “price” involves the cost of the good and if volume or seasonal discounts will be offered. “place” decisions outline where the product will be sold and how it will be delivered to the market. “promotion” involves advertising, public relations and promotional strategy.” Investopedia, (2013).
River Island is the store producing the line. A wealth of research is undertaken when deciding who a company should work with. River Island is popular with teen girls and young women so it is logical to join with a celebrity whose fan base are of a similar age range with similar interests to its consumers – encouraging sales. Also, Rihanna fans are likely to buy into a collection as they feel they are gaining a closeness with their idol.
Pricing products is an important part of marketing. A variety of factors are considered to create a reasonable price. As the clothing is primarily aimed towards teens and young women it is likely to be sold at accessible prices. Teenagers tend to have less disposable incomes than older women. However, as there is celebrity involvement the price will be slightly increased as it is likely to sell well. For example two tee-shirts of similar design and colour are on sale at River Island- one from the Rihanna collection priced at £15.00 and the other priced at £10.00 from their ordinary range.
Finally, promotion is crucial in order to create positive brand awareness. Rihanna’s campaign has involved a wealth advertisements and events. The most widely used mode of River Island’s promotion is social media. This is likely to appeal to the target market.
Public Relations “is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour.” River Island’s PR company will contact a variety of media, providing information on the collection therefore the range’s media coverage will be highly influenced by PR activity.
PR is vital for the maintenance of reputation. It is especially important when working with a celebrity. Rihanna is representing the River Island company. If she were caught taking part in illegal or controversial activity, it may project badly on the company. For example when Kate Moss was discovered to be taking drugs. She was ultimately dropped from a variety of the labels she was then representing such as; H&M and Chanel. A company such as River Island is therefore likely to have a crisis management plan in the event that Rihanna was to become involved in a scandal as many people do not condone such behaviour and therefore would not buy into her merchandise.
Advertising is space paid for by a company in order to promote its product. There are a variety of ways to advertise a fashion campaign like Rihanna for River Island. It is crucial for a company to choose the right mediums to reach the desired target market.
River Island has invested largely into promoting this campaign. It can be argued that this collection has seen more promotion than many of its previous ranges. Ads featuring Rihanna’s collection have featured in a variety of fashion magazines. This may be because their demographic has changed slightly due to such hugely popular celebrity collaborating on the product. For example a high-end magazine such as Elle would not often promote River Island. However as Rihanna is now associated with the brand more attention is being gained for the store and their ads are featuring in high end monthlies. In addition River Island has maintained its usual advertisers such as; Company and Glamour. Magazine advertisements are of incredible importance to the fashion industry.
“A study showed that readers treat advertisements as an integral part of their magazine, and that the reader can trust in the magazine is extended to the advertisements in it” Costerdine, Guy, (2005), pg 41 .
One of River Island’s biggest competitors is Topshop. Topshop’s similarly themed ‘Urban Education’ campaign is using much brighter and bolder colours. This could be a tactic to compete with the much more understated theme of River Island’s adverts.
The design element of an advert holds incredible importance. A variety of colours, lighting, subjects and themes are used to ensure the items are well presented.
Rihanna’s adverts are simple. This is in contrast to River Island’s signature lifestyle advertising. The move away from their usual advertisements may be a way to promote the collection being unique.
The ads feature models posing provocatively- which is a reflection of Rihanna’s public persona. The ad takes place in dimly lit studio. The colours used are rich and classic. Colours such as purple, navy and black. “Purple is a regal colour, which combines the hot tones of red with the cool tones of blue. It is an authoritative colour that denotes royalty” Ambrose and Harris, (2005), pg 122.
The royal connotations of the colour purple may have been used to portray Rihanna as being celebrity or fashion royalty. The colours work in unison with the simple concept of the shoot. This may suggest that little grandeur is needed due to the involvement of Rihanna speaking for itself.
“Events play an important role in public relations campaigns. Whether launching a product, rewarding your best customers, conducting an internal incentive program, or participating in a trade show, events are a direct reflection on your organization’s brand.’ CRC Public Relations, (2013). Events are useful in order to develop product awareness. Press are often invited to these events in order to gain maximum publicity.
As Rihanna is a public figure the press are likely to have a large interest in her fashion collection. Rihanna attended the line’s launch and there was plentiful press coverage of the event. This boosts collection sales as it draws attention from newspapers, television and magazines therefore promoting the clothes. River Island held the event at its biggest UK store on London’s Oxford Street. This is the place most likely to gather crowds. Events like these are important to campaigns as it is a chance to not only publicise the brand but gives the opportunity to promote a product in a way that suits the brand.
Companies have become increasingly reliant on social media in recent years. In this modern age online sources have become more and more accessible to the high street fashion’s target audience. Rihanna’s range was heavily promoted using media sites such as; Facebook, Twitter and particularly Instagram. Instagram’s demographic is largely female with 28% of users between the ages 18-29 Brenner and Duggan, (accessed 2013). The main demographic for both River Island customers and Rihanna fans is similar to Instagram. Therefore, it is advantageous to appeal to potential consumers using this form of social media. Rihanna uses Instagram regularly to up-date her fan base on her recent activities and River Island do the same. ” It’s a way to give prospective customers to gain better insight into the company. Of course, photos are tagged with keywords that are searchable by Google and other engines, so these sites become a source of traffic to your Web site and provide real SEO value.” Chaney, (2009), pg 181
Visual Merchandising is the method of visually captivating consumers in order to persuade them to buy items. This works in numerous ways with store displays, mannequins, carrier bags and other forms of presentation. The result of this make for a more pleasant shopping experience for consumers. Mannequins give an idea of how an outfit will look on the body and also can give consumer’s inspiration to team their item of interest with another available piece. There are various other ways to visual merchandise.
River Island have used the Rihanna brand to successfully visually merchandise the product. All of the carrier bags River Island provide currently have Rihanna’s ‘R’ logo on the front and back. The ‘R’ is synonymous with Rihanna and her brand. This is a way to make the customer feel they are being paid special attention. They are gaining a stylish memento from shopping with River Island featuring the logo of the celebrity they admire. This also gives a store the opportunity to advertisement.
In conclusion River Island’s promotional campaign has been structured thoughtfully. River Island have made slight modifications to its usual campaign style in order to appeal to Rihanna fans and a wider demographic than it may ordinarily aim for. Although it has maintained the essence of River Island. River Island have considered the key points of ‘The Marketing Mix’. It effectively selected a current celebrity whose persona fits their current demographic. As the brand has been designed by such a high profile celebrity the price of the collection compared to others at River Island has slightly increased. However the prices range £10 – £140 which makes it more affordable for the majority of the target market. The collection has been largely publicised online and in fashion magazines, which are the most ideal mediums to reach the people likely to invest in the line.
The advertisements and designs used are simple and reflect Rihanna’s brand by featuring provocative imagery. It is advantageous for the collection to be promoted via social media sites because a large part of River Island’s consumers are using them. Instagram is a great free way to promote the product as it helps to break down a barrier between the celebrity and the fans. Consumers are able to feel a part of the process from the beginning when images from the collection are being posted. The visual merchandising in regards to the collection is very much surrounded by Rihanna’s brand; including carrier bags and artwork featuring the ‘R’ logo.
The collection’s official launch helped to promote the line as many media and press were there due to the public interest in Rihanna. This ensures more and more people are going to hear about the campaign- increasing sales.
Overall, Rihanna’s River Island campaign has been well considered and has been thoughtful in regards to her fans and River Island fans too. The use of social media has played a huge role in the success of the campaign, along with the more traditional print media.
Bibliography
Ambrose, Gavin and Harris, Paul (2005) Colour, Lausanne, AVA Publishing.
Brenner, and Duggan, (2013), A Demographic Portrait of Users of Various Social Media Services, US, www. pewinternet.org
Chaney, Paul, (2009), The Digital Handshake, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons.
CIPR, (2013), What is Public Relations, London, www.cipr.co.uk
CRC Public Relations, (2013), Event Management, Virginia, CRC Public Relations.
Costerdine, Guy, (2005), How Magazine Advertising Works, London, PPA Marketing
Investopedia, accessed (2013), Definition of ‘Four P’s’, US, www.investopedia.com
Image
(River Island – £10) (image online) Image Available at; http://www.riverisland.co.uk
(Rihanna – River Island £15) (image online) Image Available at; www.riverisland.co.uk
(River Island Rihanna Ad) (image online) Image Available at; http://www.riverisland.co.uk
(River Island Ad) (image online) Image Available at; www.visit4ads.com
(Rihanna for River Island ) (image online) Image Available at; http://www.riverisland.co.uk
1613 words excluding quotes and bibliography
BABBADEMZ 