Final Project: What You Want To Produce

My product is called Womack’s I make men and women’s golf apparel.  I make shirts, pants and over coats for winter time or early morning.  “We are what we buy, so for some of us fashion is a way to express identity.”  Brand Story Joseph Hancock page 3.  I want people to look at my product and have them look at it as something that is comfortable and make them feel good about themselves no matter what their handicap is and where they play at.  “Fashion branding has been defined as “The cumulative image of a product or service that consumers quickly associate with particular brand, it offers an overall experience that is unique, different, special and identifiable.” Brand Story Joseph Hancock page 4.  The first thing that people are going to know about my brand is that it is very comfortable very durable and everything that I produce is water resistant.  "But lack of space did not mean a lack of style, to create the perfect look."  Brand Story Joseph Hancock Page 146.  Just cause I am starting out small does not mean that i cant make a great product and get my logo out there.  People are going to start associating with the brand Womack’s.  People are going to start thinking that they look better and feel better about their game.  “Although many people have written about brands, few have really examined fashions brands and looked at those who sell fashion brands as storytellers.” Brand Story Joseph Hancock page 7.  This is what Womack’s need.  It needs a story.  We are not just a golf apparel brand but we are a golf apparel lifestyle.

Week Eight EOC: Exercise

Many of us have an idea for a branded fashion product that is missing in the world.  Design and brand a fashion product that you think is missing from the marketplace.  Before you start you will need to conduct research to see if it already exists.  Also, you should figure out if there is a need for the product.  Use current periodicals such as Women’s Wear Daily or WWD Accessories to help with your research.  Explain your finding to the class.  The first thing that came to my mind is golf clothing.  The reason that I thought of golf clothing is because the only real companies that make it are ex golfers or companies that make golf clubs.  I want to call it Womack’s it is my mother’s maiden name and it is a very rear name.  It is something that stands out and everyone will know what it is.  I want to make shirts and pants just the main thing that every golfer needs in his or her life.  It will be for men and women and it will be the new fabric that everyone wants and everyone will want to have. 

Week Eight EOC: Discussion Questons

1.        Why do consumers feel such a close attachment to their bags?  I think consumers today feel so close to their bags because it is an attachment.  It is something that you can spend a lot of money on and you want to enjoy it. 

2.       What is your favorite brand of bag, briefcase, or backpack, and why?  How does this brand reflect your personality?  Do you think you will ever switch to a different brand?  There are so many great brand of bags out there today it is hard to name just one.  For men it has to be LV, but for women it would have to be Dior. I think they make fun great bags that everyone can enjoy. 

3.       Now that you have read this chapter, go to www.dantebeatrix.com and explain how the company has evolved.  What is the latest news?  How do you think the line reflects current fashion?  The first thing that I can see is that it looks like it is for a lot of kids.  A lot of backpacks things that I really don’t like and things that I don’t think that I ever could enjoy. 

4.       Why do you think Dante Beatrix is so successful with the company’s ideas to pursue graphic design instead of just focusing on bag design?  Is branding the key element that drives you to purchase a bag, briefcase, or backpack?  Look at a bag you have now.  Is it designer?  What is the brand?  What features really make it special, or is it really just the name that makes it unique?  Describe your answer in detail.  I think sometimes this is just what some people want.  I think that branding is the most important thing that she can do and is one amazing thing that she needs to keep doing.  Yes I have a designer brand it is Armani and I love it not only cause I love the brand but because I love how durable it is. 

Week Eight BOC: Trend Forecasting

Right from the first question I already knew what she was talking about when it came to trend forecasting.  Someone that has worked in the industry and keeps up to date with fashion can always know some sort of fashion forecasting, especially since she has been working in the in industry since 1981.  The second question is about how important is it?  I want to know how it is not important and that is exactly pretty much what she says.  People who work in the industry know how important it is to know what is going to be popular next and how you have to be on top of what people want.  That is how you get your business going is by making and selling things that are in style.  I love how she looks for next trends.  She said that she looks all over the world what people are wearing and makes a decision on what her next trend is going to be.  I also love how she talks about other big companies like Ralph Lauren and Tommy to see what styles they are coming out with.  These are some of the biggest designers in the world and they usually always have something good.  I love when she talks about how it is all logo overkill.  It is all about consumers remembering what they are buying, and someone else seeing what they bought.  This statement is so true.  Consumers can be free advertising for your brand. That is what you want as a company, well that is what I would want as a company. 

Week 7 EOC: Exercise

You are the new designer of a product line of fashion goods.  Using Johnny Cupcakes as a model, how would you promote this product to your target market?  You have a very limited advertising budget and have to do most of the work yourself, so how would you spread the word about your product?  How long do you think it would take for your product to reach the national or international markets?  Why?  The first thing that I would do is give all of my products to my friends for free and people that I just knew.  This is a way to get your product out there for people to start seeing.  I think the only way to really get something started is by word of mouth.  If you don’t have that you really don’t have anything.  Depending on how big that I wanted to grow I think that it would take my product a long time to get that big.  The reason being is I have a small budget and would be hard for people to know what my product is outside of my city.  I am not saying that it wouldn’t be nice to have a product to go that big I just can’t see it happening too quickly.  I would have to put in a lot of hard work and have everything devoted to my business.

Week 7 EOC: Discussion Questions

1.       What is viral fashion branding?  How did this form of branding make Johnny Cupcakes a well-known product line in the youth market?  Viral fashion branding is things that you do on your own meaning no one else had to help you.  I think that this helped to sell you the youth because he knew what they wanted to buy and what they wanted to see.

2.      Why is viral fashion branding a good method for promoting product?  Can you think of other brands that are currently using this process?  This is a good reason in my mind to brand something because you don’t have to pay anyone else to do it.  You know exactly what you want to do and what you want to sell.   The only other thing that I can think of that would use this method would be another small retail place, but I don’t know of any of the top of my head.

3.      How does Jonny Cupcakes allow customers to feel like they are special?  Is the important and why? He makes them feel special by only making limited quantities of all of his shirts so it makes people feel that they are getting something great for limited time. 

4.      Do you think the Johnny Cupcakes brand relates to older customers like the baby-boomers and generation Xers?  Why or why not?  How does his use of nostalgia and popular culture influence his ability to reach different audiences?  I don’t think that his brand relates to older customers.  I think that is just mainly a younger crowed thing, but it is working out fine for him. 

5.      In your opinion, is Johnny Cupcakes a unique brand?  What other items would you include in his product line?  Yes he is a very unique brand I can’t think of any other thing out there like this.  This is what makes his product do so well in the first place. 

Week 7 BOC: Johnny Cupcakes Interview

I think that the interview was good.  I think that she asked her questions to the wrong person though.  She was asking questions like she was talking to this super famous person.  I understand that he has done well for himself and that he will continue to do well for himself, but just let the man be and let him sell his T-Shirts.  The question about personal style and brand image the one that I liked the best, because this is what he did with his brand.  He turned something from nothing into everything.  Like he said in the chapter once you have an idea stick with it and you will do just fine.  The next question she asked about fashion branding was a good question as well.  All he has is a cupcake on a shirts and people line up around the block.  He has done so well by just putting is product out there and being in the right place at the right time.  Taking things like Jaws the movie and turning it into a well selling product is just amazing.  The last question that she asked about PR I really wanted to know if he was being honest or not.  Yes, it is really hard to be in PR but I think it is a lot harder to do what he has done.   The last question do you think that you have to look a certain way and the answer would always be yes only because he is trying to sell a product and he has to look like the product that he is trying to sell.

EOC Week Six: Exercise

How do retailers convey their brand image through their retail stores?  Visit a retail store and observe its atmospherics, store marketing, fixtures, customer service, and sales associates.  Does the retailer convey a specific brand image to the customer?  What is it?  Is a story being told?  How does the store space influence your opinions about the products being sold?  The retail store that I went into is A and F the reason being cause we talked about them in this chapter.  They have a very different retail store.  The music is super loud when you walk in and you can’t even hear yourself think, and don’t even dream about answering your phone in there.  The customer service is horrible no one wants to help you what so ever.  They act like you should be privileged to shop in here and you are lucky if you can wear our clothes. The one thing that they did have going for them was that the store does look just like the brand they are trying to sell.  Everywhere you look it is the A and F lifestyle all over.  Good looking models and good looking people working there too.  I have always liked that store.  I like that they don’t make clothes for fat people.  If you can’t fit in them don’t buy them.  It’s almost like they are saying if you don’t fit in our clothes then you need to go do something about it.  I don’t mind someone that steps up to the plate and says what they think.  Good for them.

EOC Week Six: Discussion Questions

1.       Does A and F reinvent its brand strategy every year through its product assortment?  Is it successful?  Why or why not?  No I don’t think that they reinvent their brand.  They almost never do it at all.  I think that they found something that works and have tried to stick to it.  I don’t think that is has worked out for them the last couple of years.

2.      How does A and F brand its products?  Do you think its brand practices are successful?  They use other people to wear their product.  Every person that buys and A and F shirt or piece of clothing are branding their product.  It has worked very well in the past, but I don’t think that it works well any more. 

3.      How do retail store atmospherics such as music, fragrance, lighting, store props, and retail brand associates strengthen a brand message?  How do they weaken it?  I think that this can be a make it or break it for a store.  This is something that A and F has done really well in the past.  They have a store that everyone wants to go into because they know what to expect and what they are going to get. 

4.      What feelings or emotions do you experience when you enter an A and F store?  Do you think A and F tries to intimidate its customer by using extremely attractive models?  This is something that A and F has always done.  They have always had really good looking people to model their clothes.  You have to be a certain kind of person to wear their stuff as well.  This has always given A and F you have to be good looking to wear these clothes. 

BOC Week Six: Why Jeans Cost $300

Jeans are the new thing and they have been for a few years know.  I think that jeans are that things that people can afford to say that they have a designer product.  These people can’t afford to buy a runway outfit, but they can save up their money and buy a pair of Gucci jeans just to say they own something Gucci.  Jeans are a huge market.  Guys can put on a pair of True Religion jeans and a sport coat and be considered looking good when we go out.  You don’t have to put on slacks any more.  The first reason that I can see is some of the really good jeans today are made right here in the United States.  If it cost $150 to make them then you at least have to charge %50 markup I can totally see how they can go for $300 or even more than that.  This is just a classic case of cost and demand people want them so we mark them up and sell them.  “Denim has gone from a casual to dressy, highly stylized item, “Sari Sloane, head buyer for Intermix stores, tells Us. “Trendy skinny-leg styles are more expensive to produce because they require additional attention to fit.”  http://www.californiastyleonline.com/2006/08/why-jeans-are-so-expensive.html.  People all over the fashion industry are seeing what jeans are doing to people all over the world.  Everyone wants them and everyone needs to get them.  I don’t see them going anywhere to soon.  Like I said as long as the demand keeps up they will not go down in price.  

Week 5 EOC: Exercise

It is time for some self- reflection by answering the following questions:  What are your professional plans for the future?   How do you intend to make those plans happen?  What stumbling blocks do you think you will have to clear along the way?  How long do you think it will take to reach your goals?  My goals for the future are to finish school within this next year and to find a job that I really can do well at.  I have always wanted to work for Oakley and that is the company that I currently work for.    I really don’t see that as being in my near future.  I have really given this a lot of thought over the last few months and I think that I really want to work for a beer company.  I want to sell to different kinds of people and I want to be with a company that I don’t see going anywhere.  I think it is time for me to try something new and different, and I think that this is the direction that I need to choose in my life. 

Week 5 EOC: Discussion Questions

1.        In what way is Vera Wang a great example of the ever- changing career path of an individual?  I think that she is a great example of this because she has changed so much over time.  She is one of those people that can overcome anything that is put in front of her.

2.       Go to www.verawang.com.  What changes have occurred in the company since the writing of this chapter?  Has the brand expanded into other products?  When going to her website you can see how many more things that she has added.  She is totally in my mind turning into a Ralph Lauren of our time.  She makes everything you can live the Vera Wang lifestyle if you choose too.

3.       In your own words describe the Vera Wang brand.  How does this brand differ from others, such as Ralph Lauren or Dolce and Gabbana?  Like I said in the question before she is the Ralph Lauren of our time.  The thing that makes her different is that she does it in her own way.  She has been around for not that long and so many people know who she is and what she does.  These other companies have been around a lot longer, so they have had longer time for people to know who and what they do.  She is already there in half the time. 

BOC: Midterm Disney

The Walt Disney Company was founded by Roy and Walt Disney in 1923.  From 1923 to 1928 they made many silent era films in L.A. California.  During WW Two Walt and his brother wanted to make everyone around the United States happy by making fun movies. “In 1937, Disney's innovative first full length animated feature, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, was released to critical acclaim and worldwide success. In order to expand and meet the expectations of his audience, Walt saw a need to increase the size of his studio. With profits from SNOW WHITE, he made a deposit on 51 acres of land in Burbank and began designing a modern studio specifically for the purpose of making animated films http://studioservices.go.com/disneystudios/history.html. 

After Walt had a dream of making people happy through movies.  He had a dream to make people happy in a different way.   In 1953 Walt bought 160 acres outside of LA in farmland that is now Orange County.  He had an idea of water, mountains, waterfalls and much more. “When the real designing came around, Walt was met with inevitable questions. How do you make believable wild animals, that aren't real? How do you make a Mississippi paddle ship? How do you go about building a huge castle in the middle of Anaheim, California? So, Walt Disney looked to his movie studio staff for the answers. The design of Disneyland was something never done before. There would be five uniquely different lands.” http://www.justdisney.com/disneyland/history.html.  At the time there was nothing like this anywhere, but he wanted it done and he said that it could be done.  On opening day there was 6,000 invitations that were given out and 25,000 tickets were sold.  Walt was 53 on opening day.  Today there are four different parks around the world.  Disneyland, Disney World, Disney Tokyo and Disney Paris, they are the most profitable theme parks in the world. 

Disney also owns ABC.   The biggest step that ABC made was EPSN in 1984.  They are now considered the worldwide leader in sports.  In 1995 there was a up and coming movie studio that started by making movies with only computers and Disney bought them and they are Pixar.  They had their big brake through in 1995 with Toy Story.  “Nine for nine. Nine movies, nine hits. Since they created the first entirely computer animated feature film in 1995, Pixar Animation Studios have been on an unparalleled winning streak. In addition to grossing over $2 billion domestically, Pixar has won ten Academy Awards, including last month's Oscar for Best Animated Feature for "WALL-E." http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/need-to-know-pixar-history.html.  

Disney is not only one of my favorite companies in the world, but I love everything that they do.  I think they are a company that does everything the right way and they try their best at everything they do.  

Midterm BOC: Ford

Ford Motor Company was started in 1903 by Henry Ford at age 40 in Detroit Michigan.  It was one of the only companies to survive the great depression of the 1930’s.  Henry Ford is most known for being the first company to start a car assembly line.  Their first car was and still is a famous called the model A that sold for $2000.  Ford has been one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world.  They are also the biggest family ran company in the world.  In 1917, “Ford begins offering $5 per day for eight-hour work days and 15,000 job seekers clamor for 3,000 jobs at the Model T Plant in Highland Park. The previous pay rate was $2.34 per day for nine hours.” 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5168769.  This happens right after Ford passed Olds and Buick in sales and that was just unheard off at the time.  In 1922 Ford bought Lincoln it was a way for them to compete against giant Cadillac.  It was a way for Ford to sell cars not to just the working class, but the wealthy as well.   The next biggest thing that happens to Ford was in 1963 when they realized that they needed a new kind of car that was cheap and fun to drive.  At the time Ford had a car called the Falcon.  It was a four door small car that many people could afford.  Ford decided to make it smaller and get rid of two doors and call it a Mustang. “To make the Mustang affordable it needed to share much of its engineering with an existing Ford product. That product was the smallest Ford of the time, the compact Falcon. In fact, the first Mustangs were built in the same Dearborn, Mich., plant as the Falcon.” http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/history.html.  

The thing that many people don’t know is that the Falcon and the Mustang had the same exact frame and all the same parts just a different name and top body.  The Mustang blew up and has become one of America’s best selling cars since the 1960’s.  The next big move was in 1986 when Ford started to pursuer Austin Martin. 

             “Then in 1986 Ford bought 75% of the company and the future of Aston Martin started to look a bit more promising. In 1993 Ford finally bought the rest of the company from Victo Gauntlett and took over complete control of the operations. http://www.amlvantage.com/history.shtml.  

Ford sold their Tractor line to Fiat to be able to purchase British monster Austin Martin.  Ford biggest competitor in the US is Dodge and Chevy.  But they compete all over the world.  The car industry is just too big anymore to only have one competitor; you have to be able to compete all over the world.   

Midterm BOC: Nike

When people think about sports in the United States they think about football, baseball, basketball and so on, but when we think about a sports brand we think about Nike.  Nike is all around us all the time.  We grow up playing sports and think that Nike is the only thing that we can wear when we play these sports.  How did Nike get like this and where did they come from.  Blue Ribbon Sports was created by Phillip Knight and Bill Bowerman in 1964.  In 1978 the name was changed to Nike from the Greek God word victory. The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company. Phil Knight asked Caroline to design a logo that could be placed on the side of a shoe. She handed him the SWOOSH, he handed her $35.00. In spring of 1972, the first shoe with the NIKE SWOOSH was introduced.....the rest is history! http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am483_97/projects/hincker/nikhist.html.

The first things that they made were running shoes for their track team at The University of Oregon.  They wanted to make a shoe lighter and could make the runners run even faster.  Nike still has its headquarters in Oregon. “Basketball star Michael Jordan signed an endorsement deal with Nike in 1984. In 1985, his shoe, the "Air Jordan," was released, and profits from its sales exceeded a billion dollars by 1986. Nike expanded into sports apparel in 1987.” http://www.ehow.com/facts_5002826_history-nike-shoe-company.html.

This was the first time Nike expanded into sports apparel.  I think that this is the best move that Nike has ever made.  They saw this young star out of North Carolina College and I think it paid off for them.  

“The Nike slogan, "Just Do It" was created in 1988. A store called NikeTown opened in Oregon in 1990.”  http://www.ehow.com/facts_5002826_history-nike-shoe-company.html.  The saying “Just Do It” has to be one of the best sayings ever created.  Because no one knew what it meant.  Just do what?  Nike said whatever you want to do, and the saying just blew up and is still used today!  Nike is a company that people not only have to have, but they have made it so you seem like you cant live without them.  You can think of any major sport in the world and Nike has the best or the highest paid player on their payroll.  As far as competitors go you can say Adidas and Puma, but they have always been in second place because Nike is in first.  Nike has gone from running shoes in Oregon to a lifestyle all over the world, and there is much more to come. 

Week Four EOC: Exercise

In this chapter you discovered that Dolce and Gabbana are known for their unique advertising campaigns.  How well can you reads (or analyze) one of their ads or any other fashion ad?  Find a fashion ad that and share with your colleagues all the innuendos you find hidden in the ad.  How does this ad reflect culture or history?  Does the ad say anything about the particular brand?  What is subliminally suggested?  Back up your thoughts with reasons from history, culture, or contemporary ideas.  The ad that I chose to use is the one in the book where he is lying on his bed with no pillows and with his gold sheets and with high heals on.  He is waiting for someone to come and be with him.  Saying that everything is okay, all of the ads that they have done say a lot about gay and lesbian.  I think that they have changed the way that people gay and not have looked at clothes and how we all look at each other.  Just by certain ads D and G have changed so many things and I think that they will continue to do so as time goes on. 

Week Four EOC:Discussion Questons

1.        Currently, how many divisions do Dolce and Gabbana have in their company?  Has it grown since this chapter was written?  If so, how?  They have three different divisions that they still use today.  They have not introduced anymore divisions, but they have expanded on their line a lot.  They are getting bigger and bigger all over the world.

2.       Do you think Dolce and Gabbana cater to the fashionistas that the rest of the design world has rejected?  Why do you think they have dressed women like Isabella Rossellini, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Brooke Shields?  Do you think these women are risqué?  Why or why not?  I think they are fashionistas because they have changed the way that people look at them and the way that people dress.  It is a lifestyle that they offer and it is a lifestyle that people receive. I think they use famous people in their ads to wear their clothing because it shows that everyone wants to wear what they make and sell.   

3.       Do you think gay and lesbian consumers purchase different fashion brands than heterosexuals?  Do you think it was smart for Dolce and Gabbana to target this market?  Why or why not.  I think that the two groups depends on the person, but I really think that they all purchase the same type of clothing.  No I am not talking about cross dresses that are in a different field.  But they people that don’t cross dress, yes I think that they purchase the same type of clothing.  Only because I think that everyone likes nice things and likes to feel good with what they have on.