Case Study of 5 Fashion Companies

I researched 5 Fashion Companies and how they market themselves.

The first company I researched was Zara. The Zara website is easy to navigate and has great visuals of their clothing. They have stores in the United States but not in Minnesota. Their clothes are fashionable and trendy and very reasonably priced. They have a great reputation from word of mouth. I have seen a lot of Zara's clothing in the press and media. Recently Kate Middleton wore a dress from Zara and I am sure that helped drive sales for the brand. I have heard of the brand on the E! network and the Style Network. The brand is talked about in blogs and business articles such as Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_36/b3999063.htm

The looks have also been seen in Elle. http://www.pressbook.com/Marc-Kayne/book/24136/fashion_summer_2011/12

The company uses social networking such as Facebook,http://www.facebook.com/Zara

Twitter,http://twitter.rs/ZARA_US

and YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/zara

With Zara being a leader in the fashion industry in Europe, They now are available in the United States and I know that the brand will only drive large numbers in sales over time. If you want quality fast fashion, Zara is the place to shop! I think they are missing opportunities by not having at least one store in all states, but I am sure the company will continue to grow in time.

The second company I researched was Forever 21. This fast fashion retailer has a lot of variety with a cheap price tag. The clothing is kind of cheap I think, and doesn't last long. I still shop there if I need something for a few uses. Their website has flash visuals and easy to navigate. You can purchase online or in stores. They have stores all around the world including here in Minnesota. Their stores can be too cluttered and busy at times. Some things are not always organized. It always takes me a while to shop through the store. If they were more organized I think more people would like to take the time to shop there. They do market themselves on social networking sites as well such as Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/Forever21, Twitter,http://twitter.com/forever21 and Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/Forever21Inc.

They have also been featured in Business Week, http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_05/b4213090559511.htm.

They are featured on many fashion blogs and have been in a lot of fashion magazines. They are well known around the world for their clothing and accessories at very affordable prices.

Forever 21 did come out with a plus-sized line to add, and there was an article I read that was not the best marketing and Kim Kardashian responded! http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/2009/04/16/dear_us_weekly_i_love_forever/

Also part of the Kardashian clan, the two youngest daughters Kendall and kylie, modeled for the brand and even promoted. This is good marketing for the company since they were just named the most fashionable young stars.http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/kendall-kylie-short-shorts-20111811

I think Forever 21 has great brand awareness and they do market themselves pretty well.

The third company I researched was H&M. This is also a fast fashion retailer that has a reasonable price tag. They have a website but do not allow you to shop and purchase which I think has a negative affect on the company. http://www.hm.com/entrance.ahtml?orguri=/ I would purchase a lot more from them if I could online shop because they don't offer everything on the website, in the stores here in Minnesota. They also have stores all over the world. They do have better quality and are more organized in the stores. H&M is worn on a lot of celebrities and I hear about them in media and on television a lot. They are also featured in fashion magazines for their great fashion pieces for less!

They market on social networks as well, such as Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hm, Twitter http://twitter.com/HM and Youtube http://www.youtube.com/hm. They also started having commercials on television but are not that eye catching.

H&M also collaborates with big name designers in the fashion world. This is great publicity and marketing for the brand and shows they are a leader in the fashion industry. They have collaborated with Versace, Lanvin, Roberto Cavalli, and Karl Lagerfeld, to name a few. These are designs for the company at a reasonable price.

I think that H&M has a great reputation and have good quality merchandise. I think that they should provide customers to purchase online as well as in stores.

The fourth company I researched was Express. Express has great trendy fashions but can be priced higher than the previous brands. They have good quality clothing and they are known for their great denim and sexy trendy items http://www.express.com/home.jsp. Their website is visually appealing and you are able to purchase on line from the website. They also offer a charge card and send out catalogs in the mail with great coupons to use. This is something the other companies do not offer and I think that it is good for the customer to have these options. Express is located all over and they have a lot of stores in Minnesota. I found that they have a Facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/express?sk=app_6009294086 but I did not find them to have a twitter page. I think they are missing an opportunity here to update the brand to followers. They do have a Youtube channel as well http://www.youtube.com/user/express.

They also market by having commercials on Television. Their commercials are always high fashion and fun to watch. I think this is great for the brand. Express has great brand awareness but think they could market more in the media and entertainment industry.

The last company I researched was Arden B. I frequent this store as well and the quality is good for the price. They are priced a little higher as well. They have a website that is informative and easy to navigate and shop and purchase as well. http://www.ardenb.com/home.jsp

They use social networking site just like the previous companies. They are on Twitter http://twitter.com/ardenb, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ardenb and Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ardenB.

They do not offer catalogs or commercials. I also do not see much of their brand in media or fashion magazines. I like the store set up and they are organized and fit for their amount of merchandise. They have a few locations in ?Minnesota as well as other states. They are not international. I think if they offered stores around the world and advertised more, they would get more brand awareness.

These stores all offer fast fashion, trendy affordable merchandise. Some are cheaper than others in cost and quality.

Web Analytic Companies

The first company that I researched was Coremetrics. I searched for the best analytic companies and this company came up on multiple sites. Coremetrics is known for their customer service. They maintain a relationship even after you buy the program. They customize and modify your data to meet your needs. They over hundreds of tools and features to improve the quality of data from your site. They offer industry benchmarking so you know where you stand with your competitors. They also offer impression monitoring which counts how many times a visitor saw an ad before clicking on it. Unlike Omniture, which I will speak of next, they offer a seventh generation paid search optimization instead of second generation.

The second company I researched was Omniture Site Catalyst 14. They track visitors using mobile browsers,video monitoring capabilities and monitor social networks for mention of your products. They have clients such as CBS, Pepsi, CNN, and GM which have given great positive feedback about the company. Since social networking sites are so popular and continue to rise, it is important to track activity. They track apps on them and what people are talking about your product. Video tracking is also important, which they do as well.

The third company I researched was WebTrends 9. Clients are McAfee Security,ShopNBC.com, and Virgin Atlantic. They are known to look at what competitors are missing and act on it so they offer it before their competitors. Recently they added social media analytics. They offer such things as social measurement and visitor intelligence. They offer report stat intervals so you know exactly when and what exactly your visitors were doing. They offer free educational guides and referrals. They do not offer free versions of their products.

After researching the companies, They were the three most popular I searched. All having great client lists, and offerings, they do differ. If you are big on social media and social networking and videos, I would recommend Omniture. Coremetrics seems to me like the top dog. With their high level of customer service and the higher level of search optimization, I would go to them first.

5 OF MY FAVORITE COSMETIC COMPANIES

I did a case study on 5 cosmetic companies. I did this to get an understanding of how they market themselves.

The first company I chose was Makeup Forever. Dany Sanz created the line of makeup for makeup artists and their needs. This is a prestige line and is available to purchase at Sephora retailers or on their website http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=402 .

They have a website

http://www.makeupforever.com/brand/dany-sanz.html,9,4,0,0,0

as well as a Twitter page at

http://twitter.com/#!/makeupforeverus

They are on Tumblr at

http://makeupforeverusa.tumblr.com/

They also have a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/makeupforeverofficial

Makeup Forever does not advertise in magazines or on television. Sephora however does send out an email with featured products from time to time that are available in their store or online. I think they could have more independent locations and advertise more to get more brand awareness.

The next company I researched was Loreal. This beauty line offers everything from hair care to cosmetics. They are sold at drugstores such as Walgreens, CVS and retailers such as Walmart and Target. They are featured in numerous magazines such as Seventeen, InStyle, US Weekly, and Cosmopolitan. They are also hitting customers on television with commercials featuring celebrities. They have a great informative website,http://www.loreal.com/dispatch.aspx? as well as a facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/lorealparis and twitter page http://twitter.com/#!/LOrealParisUSA. The company also sponsored a YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/destinationbeauty that gives viewers tutorials and suggestions/tips. This is a great way to reach customers. I think Loreal is the most recognizable brand over all the ones I studied. Whether someone is flipping through a magazine, watching television or at the drugstore, they are sure to see some sort of advertisement from the company.

The third company I studied was NARS. Nars was created by Francois' Nars. He created a professional artistry line. NARS is sold at department stores such as Macy's, Bloomingdales and Barneys. They have cosmetic counters in the stores with talented beauty advisors. The line is also sold at beauty retailer Sephora. The products are mentioned in beauty magazines when editors write about featured products they like or when a celebrity makeup artist uses the products on a shoot. Here is an example of NARS being featured in InStyle Magazine http://www.instyle.com/instyle/best-beauty-buys/product/0,,20358459,00.html. The brand does not advertise on television or does not have advertising in magazines. They have a facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/narscosmetics and you can shop and get information on the brand on Sephora's website athttp://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=3976&om_mmc=esv103264-GG&om_kwpur=332163729&ppc_crid=7483473737&sbanner=us_search&esvcid=S1320780517_ADOGOB_AGI3733660_CRE7483473737_TID332163729_RFDd3d3Lmdvb2dsZS5jb20%3d

You can also follow the brand on Twitter and receive updates, tips, and product info at http://twitter.com/#!/NARSissist. They could have more brand awareness I think. They do however get a lot of plugs from celebrity makeup artists and celebrities that use the products on television shows and blogs.

The fourth company I chose was MAC cosmetics. This line consists of professional makeup artist quality cosmetics. This is a high quality line that has the most brand awareness. They have a great website,http://www.maccosmetics.com/index.tmpl that gives you information, pricing, and new featured products. MAC is always coming out with limited edition products and themes. They have independent stores all over the world. They also sell in department stores such as Macy's, Bloomingdales, and Nordstroms. They get celebrities involved in their campaigns such as Lady Gaga and have these advertisements in fashion and beauty magazines. One recent advertisement is in New York Magazine for their featured product, http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/10/miss_piggy_for_mac.html. This popular line also gets featured in many blogs and by plugs from entertainment networks on television. I think they could open up more independent stores in certain areas such as Minnesota where they only have a couple. They do have a great YouTube channel that showcases professional artist work, tutorials, and tips. You can view their channel here,http://www.youtube.com/user/MACcosmetics. I think people that shop the brand know that they are getting high quality at a good price and also feel they are purchasing prestige products.

The last company I chose was Laura Mercier. This line is a prestige line sold at Department stores such as Barney's, and Neiman Marcus Bloomingdales. This line is also sold at beauty retailer Sephora. I think this is the least recognizable line that I studied. There is a great website that shows products, techniques and new looks at http://www.lauramercier.com/store/home.jsp?cm_mmc=Google-_-LM%20-%20Brand-_-Exact-_-laura%20mercier&gclid=CJnlu7Hnp6wCFcp65QodgTO62A. You can also shop the brand online at http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=5809&om_mmc=esv104035-GG&om_kwpur=105950777&ppc_crid=6140109497&sbanner=us_search. Laura was featured on Oprah's website giving tips at http://www.oprah.com/style/Bobbi-Brown-Laura-Mercier-and-Imans-Beauty-Secrets/2. We all know if you are mentioned on Oprah's show, website or magazine that it is good advertising! This line could use more marketing in magazines and on more beauty websites. They are great products and some are my personal favorite.

The signage used for all these companies in store are similar. They may have a few pictures but mostly have a few signs just saying the brand name.

All these cosmetic lines are great quality and serve different purposes. Some more expensive and some more available. But all in all there name is out there and people are buying them. If you are a beauty junkie like me, you will try all of them!!