Retro Is 'In' With a Passion, For Better or for Worse!

As flagged up by our Tier Two male consumer, ‘Retro is in with a passion, and the 1980’s and 1990’s are back.’ (Associated Content 2011: Online). Spring/Summer 2011 is seeing a return to the 80’s and 90’s retro trend for sneakers, and from bloggers images it is clear that the bolder the better. Hightops have been predicted to be hot this season, with Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin reintroducing this style on their Spring/Summer Fashion Week catwalks, and with the likes of Agyness Dean and Rihanna already endorsing thse. 

Natalie Hartley, senior editor at InStyle says that ‘with so much street style influences around, high tops give a nod to that [nineties grunge era] without feeling too try hard.’ (Telegraph.co.uk 2011: Online) Shoeblogger’s ‘Shorty Loves Shoes’ predicts that ‘sneakers in Spring are celebrating colourful funky 80’s and 90’s fashion- for better or for worse.’ (Shoeblogger 2011: Online)

‘Tier Two’ consumers are also beginning to recognize this as an appealing trend; ‘I get my inspiration from films. I have recently seen ‘The Firm’ which is set in the eighties. It reminded me how cool the chunky eighties look is.’ (Si Mason, Focus Group participant: 2011) This initial awareness of the trend marks the beginning of the ‘Trickle Down Theory’ from the ‘Tier One’ early adopter to the ‘Tier Two’ high street shopper.

When talking to Si our Opinion Former and his flat mates about their purchasing decisions, 19 year old Tobias came up with a very interesting answer. Tobias is our BIG Adidas fan. He said that he did not read magazines and did not feel that TV adverts made him go and buy something, although he would remember a cool advert for years.

Tobias said Adidas have started to focus more on their Trimm Trab style, and he currently loves the 80's chunky, colourful trainer vibe. Below are images of Adidas' Trimm Trabs, the soles are thicker, the colours more old school than fluroescent and have a definite nostalgia of when we were young.

"I love them because they are retro without being predictably retro. They are old but not old enough that everyone is wearing them as 'retro' is in. I don't like to be the same as everyone else with my shoes, I like to stand out. I get bored of things when everyone starts to get them, and I think that 80's retro is something that could really hit off."

WGSN reports that 1990’s sportswear inspired labeling is a key aspect of this trend. This involves block fonts, capitalized typography and ‘go faster’ stripes. (Farrar, C and Rutherford, K. in WGSN 2011: Online). 

For high impact designs a monotone colour palette is required, which can be seen in Adidas’ recent 2011 eighties inspired trainer. (Nike Tick 2011: Online) 

Researched by Caroline

Adidas Stop Motion Viral Video

I love this video from Adidas! The stop motion is really effective, the jumpyness of the pictures makes it seem young, light hearted and fun. I think that it is really clever how they have created shapes such as the clouds and the rain using the trainers. It includes activites such as surfing that the consumer will be interested in, and the whole video is very cheery, upbeat and definitely aimed at the Tier 2 fashion conscious consumer.

New Media Age: 3 in 5 think that adverts are not relevant

Millions of pounds are invested into advertising for every company; if there is no advertising the consumer will not know about the brand or product for sale, simple. Well, we have found an article that seems to prove all this money is wasted, revealing that 3 in 5 Britons think that adverts are not relevant. Could this be because we live in such an over crowded world of advertising, where messages are hard to actually impact upon the consumer? If this is the case, perhaps New Balance needs to step back from the advertising scene and invest it's money on improved Visual Merchandising that will generate Word Of Mouth promotion and PR . It is a fact that people are more likely to purchase a product if it has been recommended to them by a friend or trusted source.

For this brief we really need to home in on what the Tier 2 consumer wants and needs to ensure that our campaign does not fall under the irrelevant criteria. 

3 in 5 think ads are not relevant

Source: New Media Age 12-10-2010

Three in five Britons believe online advertising is neither relevant nor well-targeted, according to a YouGov survey.

Only 25% found targeted ads relevant to them in any way, while more than half of the respondents (57%) said they would choose targeted ads over a blanket approach if it meant there were fewer of them.

Steven Filler, UK managing director of ad network Collective, who commissioned the research, said: “We currently see two extremes being used to target consumers: re-targeting users who have visited a site before, often at high frequency, or generic brand messaging targeted at sites rather than audiences. If brands are to make a strong connection with consumers, they’ll need to use genuine audience insight to target the right user with tailored ad formats in good quality environments.”

Research Video with Tier 2 Consumers

In order to understand what makes a Tier 2 consumer make purchasing decisions involving their trainers, we hit the streets of Nottingham and asked ten Tier 2 consumers... 'In a shop, what makes you buy a pair of trainers?' And their answers are shown below:

From these answers, it can be seen that the Tier 2 consumer values individuality within their chosen products, with mentions of unique soles, vintage designs, limited editions and the Nike I-D trainer. The Eighties was again flagged up as a trainer trend along with the idea of retro designs, classic shapes and colours. This research video solidified trends that were flagged up by other Tier 2 consumers in our focus group, and should be used within our marketing campaign.

Adidas Birmingham Limited Edition

Our focus group with the Tier 2 consumer revealed that the boys (all friends) had found this particular limited edition exciting. Only 200 pairs of the trainer were made and each pair sold for £250. They are real collectables that any sneaker freak would love to get their hands on. Although none of the boys managed to get a pair, they were all aware of this edition, and it did make them go onto the Adidas website as a result, so brand awareness was also heightened as the consumer was reminded about the brand through this media buzz. The boys all agreed that if a limited edition is appealing enough, and in short enough supply, then it will generate word of mouth promotion and great PR. Something that New Balance could really do with...

Brand Mapping

We asked Si to record the brands he interacts with on a daily basis, and the results were very useful. The brand board created shows that despite being a student and not having a lot of money, Si relies on strong, established, quality brands for most things, with the occasional value purchase. 

He likes to spend money on good services and products, so he is likely to think through his purchasing decision rather than make a rash decision on the day. This means that products need to be marketed to him in a way that make them seem good quality, he needs to be exposed to some word of mouth marketing so that he knows of other people who like the brand and product and he needs to be convinced that the product is right for him and his lifestyle.

He spends time everyday online, on social networking sites such as Facebook, as well video sites You Tube, Vimeo, music sites (Spotify)  and TV catch up sites. This is useful to know. When we come to create our marketing campaign we should consider placing an aspect of our campaign online, on a site such as YouTube, as this is where the Tier 2 consumer can be found every day in their spare time.

Focus Group SCRIPT

Below are some key quotes that I have picked out from this focus group that I think are important to consider when planning the marketing strategy and campaign, as they reveal what the consumer wants and how they behave.

New Balance Diary Quotes

The diary that we gave to Si has returned to the team! Here I have highlighted some of the answers and comments that were most useful and relevant to this project.

Si Summary

We got Si to write a bit about himself so that we could understand him as a consumer. It reveals that Si likes to think of himself as an individual. He doesn't like to wear things lots of people have too. He finds TV adverts most influential but does also flick through magazines (mainly for work research). In order to reach Si, we would have to place our campaign ideally on TV, but otherwise as a viral video on websites would be the next best thing, and in magazines, but remembering that these places still need to remain understated locations for the brand to place itself within. Here is Si's post...

"ME IN A LITTLE POST...

MUSIC

For music my favourite would have to be dance music, I love it...always have, always will. I also like a bit of Dub-step and house music...anything really that I can dance to on a night out is good for me.

Oh and the girls said that I have to put Adele up here as I was playing her album when they came round...come she's every mans guilty pleasure.

FILMS

My favourite film of all time is City of God, it's a Portugese film and just slightly different so I like it. Otherwise it's just the usual films like Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Outlaw and good series like Family Guy and the Simpsons.

ADVERTS

In terms of adverts I usually just see them on the TV but I'm sometimes influenced by the stuff I find in my housemate's shoe magazines...sometimes the stuff in there is pretty cool. Normally I try not to be too influenced by advertising though, unless it's quite innovative, because I like to buy stuff that I know no one else has got...for example if I go into All Saints I'll buy something that other people don't have. I'm a snob with clothes basically.

I also think I like to stand out with clothes because I have always stood out because of my ginger hair...so i just try to embrace that with the clothes I choose to wear.

MAGAZINES

I prefer photographical magazines like i-D and stuff like that...Dazed and Confused as well, that's a good one; I really like the photography they have.

I also have the book that was put together by the editor of Dazed and Confused, 'Young Sleek and Full of Hell: Ten Years of New York's Alleged Gallery' which is really good! I've been through that quite a few times because I really like the photography and it helps with finding inspiration for my architecture work.

I also read architectural journals and anything else that will help me with my course and inspiration.

Oh yeah and I also read the Sun every morning, but only for the sports section really.

I also really wanted to mention The Urban Gentleman because I think it might be interesting for the girls to have a look at, and I use it all the time to look at the trends forecasted for each season. The site, http://www.theurbangent.com/, generally looks at trends for each season for men to help us out. As well as the trends it also uses street style to show how the trends are already worn. I also really like it because it's also got articles on cars and electronics and also design and culture (this bit is always really interesting)

So yeah that's me in a little post!

SI"

Trainer Soles: A Design Feature or a Practicality?

We found this fold out poster in a Sneaker Freaker magazine, collected from a trainer store in
Berlin. We thought that it was interesting to look at the soles of the trainer as a design 
feature- the colours and patterns and grip of all these soles are beautiful, and definitely 
add to the overall look of the shoe. It is important to remember that all aspects of
a trainer can be exciting and creative!

This made us think about the soles on New Balance trainers. We looked at our opinion
formers and other people we know who own New Balance, and were disappointed with
the result after seeing this poster. As you can see from the images below, the
sole has been used as a performance feature rather than aesthetic. There is not any 
clear brand identity or visual that can be detected on the sole, which is fine for a 
running shoe, but perhaps not exciting enough for a lifestyle trainer that should be more 
light hearted and fun in design.

Compared to competitor soles shown in the poster image above New Balance cannot 
be distinguished and could take inspiration from the interesting and bright soles. These 
competitor soles have the potential to print logos wherever they walk; something that New 
Balance could take into account for distinguishing themselves and also as a way of some 
free advertising...

We noticed that Nike, a main lifestyle competitor, is particularly good at branding 
the soles of their lifestyle trainers. The three images below all show how the 
soles clearly present the Nike swoosh or Nike name and have used a variety of 
colours, patterns and prints onto the sole which makes it so much more of a feature. 
For sneaker fans it is often the small details that can make a purchasing decision, 
we spoke to Tobi Cieslik, our opinion former's flatmate "I went and got these Trimm 
Trabs, my favourite part is the thicker sole with Adidas written on the side. It's just
little details like that that can really make a pair of trainers stand out to me" (See Focus group)

New Balance Client Sheet

NEW BALANCE CLIENT SHEET

We have put together this client sheet of questions and answers to help us nail the brand, what its about and what we have to achieve with the brief given to us...

CLIENT

New Balance


CUSTOMER SOLUTION AND PROBLEM IN A NUTSHELL

Problem: I want a credible lifestyle trainer brand that isn't over exposed.

Solution: New Balance are established yet low profile with a retro feel.


WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?

- Domestic Manufacture,

- Heritage,

- Innovators,

- Retro,

- NB Logo,

- Endorsed by No-one

- Hand-made,

- British/American

- 1906 - 100 Years of Running,

- Real People,

- Caring for Shoes,

"Not to be the Biggest, But to be the Best!"


WHAT IS THE PRODUCT/SERVICE YOU ARE SELLING?

New Balance Lifestyle Trainers,

Excellence in Footwear,

The Perfect Fit.


WHAT IS THE COMPETITION DOING?

TV, Magazine Adverts, Viral Videos, Video Games, Films, e.g. PUMA 'After Hours Athlete' - already an established lifestyle brand.


HOW DO WE CURRENTLY ADVERTISE?

- Magazines,

- Word of Mouth,

Make Excellent happen!


WHAT IS THE BRAND IDEA?

"Make Excellent Happen"

"Not to be the Biggest but to be the Best"

"Classic Then, Classic Now"


WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?

Tier 1 and 2 Consumers - Unisex with a Male Focus.


WHAT DO WE WANT PEOPLE TO THINK AND FEEL AFTER SEEING THE COMMUNICATION?

- Raise awareness of the brand and allow consumer to invest in it,

- To generate word of mouth


WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO DO AFTER RECEIVING THE COMMUNICATION?

- Include New Balance in their decision making process when buying trainers, alongside their other favorite brands,

- To Understand the New Balance brand better,

- To start talking about New balance with others.


TONE OF VOICE

Friendly, Inspiring, Natural Tone-Same Level as Consumer, Humorous, Light-hearted, Confident in What They are Saying.


WHAT ARE THE CREATIVE REQUIREMENTS?

- No TV Ads,

- No Paid Endorsements,

- Element of Running if Possible,

- Viral,

- Generate Press/PR

- Communicate at Consumer Level.


WHAT DO WE WANT TO DRAW MOST ATTENTION TO IN THE BRIEF?

The New Balance brand as a lifestyle trainer!