Since my last blog entry, I have received my letter headed paper, business cards and T-shirt and pen through the post, this was very exciting – I have analysed these and displayed them in my sketchbook.
What else have I achieved?
I have since received dimensions of the whole ship from Nigel Coates, but not the specific room I require to work with, I may therefore have to find dimensions of rooms in standards ships and work with these.
I have been further looking at my list of twenty journalists to contact, I have sent out over 100 emails to different contacts at different magazines, and have had responses, mainly negative, from some of these mags.
Iona from Esquire magazine was very helpful, and as Diesel is someone who advertises with them very often, she was also able to guide me with my press release, which I sent over to her.
She was also able to tell me four journalists from her publication alone, that I should theoretically invite.
I have since had my photoshoot for the pack shots with Dave. This went successfully, and I managed to get a handful of decent shots for my press pack.
I have been experimenting with Photoshop, using the burn tool to bring out the grain in the wood, and using the pain bucket to make the text stand out more. I will continue editing these in order to decide which photos to ultimately save to disk.
I have further been experimenting with writing my invite. I have conducted research into pirate language, as I thought this would be a fitting way to invite the press, and something completely different from other invites they would be receiving.
I have since purchased a red glass bottle, as I am interested to see what this looks like with the white paper inside.
I have since been to HobbyCraft and purchased little trinkets, such as miniature parcels (to represent press gifts), wine bottles, star fish, shells, and sand, along with miniature cutlery and tea sets – so that the message in a bottle acts as a summary of what the event will entail.
I experimented with burning the paper, and staining it with coffee to make it look more authentic.
I printed to acetate, and attempted to format a little booklet, thinking of creative ways I could produce my press release. Because of the space it had to fit into in the pack, it was essential that it was narrow, and preferably on A3 scale paper, so that more information could be included.
I feel I have successfully completed the event budget.
What next?
I must get a move on with creating the floor plan – this is my next big task.
I must also regularly check my emails to see if I have responses from any other publications with regards to my query. I must produce my list of top 20 journalists.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Considering the PowerPoint
Yesterday I presented my proposal to the workshop group; I feel that it was well received. I was given a sheet will ‘PowerPoint slide guide’ topics to be included.
Today’s blog will therefore encapsulate these requirements, I will provide a sentence for each, explaining how I intend to fulfil these objectives. Please see below:
PowerPoint Slide Guide.
- Product.
Is there a market for your product/service.
So far research has taught me that, due to the recession, people are looking to buy quality footwear, and not cheaper items – as they are aware that they will not get as much wear out of these.
With a Wellington boot, this is very different, as a Wellington is a practical item anyway – there is always a need for it, it is not a fashion statement. However, I have put a twist on this that should intensity the sales of this ‘necessary’ item, by making it a boot specifically for festival occasion. Festivals take place year on year; therefore I have a constant market.
Obviously Wellington boots are already in the market, yet my specific boot is a new addition. Not much explanation will be needed; its name is pretty much self explanatory ‘Signature Boot’.
With regards to promotion, the endorsement of Glastonbury festival will increase the hype surrounding the event.
The product is prevailing over its competitors. When teens are shopping for wellies, it is for the festival they are attending. The Glastonbury Signature Boots are the only wellies on the market that offer the wearer the opportunity to personalise them, acting as a mini chronicle of the festival attended.
The product is a pair of wellington boots, made from reclaimed plastic, and produced specifically for festival occasions. The boots have a clip-on pen attached, to encourage the wearer to get ‘festival friends’ to sign them with quirky messages, Facebook details, and mobile contact numbers etc. The Wellington would have a coloured tread in correlation to the colour of the festival wristband that year, with a serrated number representing the year of the festival, for example: 09, 10, 11. A transparent pouch on the side of the boot will provide a safe place for the festivalgoer to slot in their ticket.
2. Price
The price will be £24.99, this is the same price as other Wellingtons that River Island sell – no matter how elaborate or complex the design is.
This price is slightly higher than other High street retailers, for example Topshop and Newlook, yet it is the brand recognition that the customers are paying for.
Topshop wellies range from £15.00 - £60.00. The £60.00 is a Hunter concession in the store.
At present Newlook are not selling any Wellington boots to compare the price with.
The product isn’t limited edition, yet it is ‘special’ edition, in the respect that it is made specifically for festival occasions, and endorsed by Glastonbury.
There will be no external factors influencing the price of my product.
3. Place
People will buy the product from River Island stores. The would also be a stall at Glastonbury for people to buy them one they are there.
It will also be available online from both the River Island website and the Glastonbury festival website.
It can be delivered to you through mail order if brought from the website.
4. Promotion
A website should be used, alongside Facebook and social networking circles – e.g. twitter, to allow promotion.
Advertising would be placed in specialist press – to be confirmed.
My communication objectives are to establish credibility and to intensify sales.
5. People
River Island staff would be involved in the launch of the product. The sales assistant in the Greeting Zone of the River Island Store would welcome customers – inviting them to sign her Wellingtons. As the rota rotates a different person (with unsigned wellies) would be in this zone, encouraging new customers to sign his/her boots and so on and so forth.
With festival fever around, the excitement to get the latest gear would be immeasurable. The staff would dress in stereotypical ‘hippy’ gear, wearing outlandish headbands, ditsy dresses and leggings to complement the boots.
6. Persuasion
This is about creating an image, and giving the customers a snapshot of what the product looks like in situ. By creating interaction between customers/product/people/ the likelihood of sales would be intensified.
A further trading ploy is to offer the customers a service whereby if they were to trade last year’s Wellingtons in for recycling, they would receive a 20% discount off this year’s Wellington. This would guarantee sales, year on year.
My product would be predominantly focussed on penetrating the teenage demographic, who fall into socio economic group E. This is those who are reliant on the state, however, my primary customer would be students with subsidy from Student Loan Company (SLC) and Education Maintence Allowance (EMA), therefore my customer has disposable income to spend on Glastonbury, and consequently the Glastonbury Signature Boots.
7. Format
I must then consider the format of this, to include an introduction to market context, the main body of information, a basic SWOT analysis, conclusion to include a summary and reference to future development, include visuals, where appropriate to enhance the overall effect.
I must also try to include references to support my claims.
What next?
I will update the blog entry as I start to piece together my PowerPoint.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Achievements over the last few days:
I have had a few days inbetween my last blog entry. I have spent these experimenting with creating web pages. I have also written my proposal for this brief. Below I have listed my achievements:
Achievements:
Since I last updated this blog entry, I have been further experimenting with creating web pages.
This has seen me trial out three different kinds of web links, inserting pictures, changing the background, adding tables, and altering the column widths.
All of this successfully aids my learning and development skills with regards to the internet.
I have also written my proposal. The proposal deadline is tomorrow, Wednesday 14th of October.
I followed a basic guideline for the proposal. This came under the following heading:
Product
Brand
The USP/ESP
People
Market Level.
The proposal was restricted to a maximum of A4 sized paper, therefore I had to ensure that I condensed all of my information – only providing the most relevant.
To elaborate, my product is the Glastonbury Festival Boot, which is being sold through high street retailer River Island, and being endorsed by Glastonbury Festival – increasing the hype surrounding the event.
The USP of my product is that it is a memento of the festival attended. This is also a USP as the customer will feel a sentimental attachment to the boot.
People – part of the 6 P’s of marketing, will be involved in my product post-launch.
This involves sales assistants wearing hippy-style clothing to get in with the festival vibes – this will also ensure they are on the customer’s wave length.
The market level was targeted at socio economic group e – those with the lowest form of subsidy, and are reliant on the state – yet my customers get money through the SLC and EMA, consequently they can afford to attend the festivals and therefore should feel the need to own these boots.
What next?
I will update this blog again when I have made further progress with the web design, and starting considering the PR side of this brief.
Achievements:
Since I last updated this blog entry, I have been further experimenting with creating web pages.
This has seen me trial out three different kinds of web links, inserting pictures, changing the background, adding tables, and altering the column widths.
All of this successfully aids my learning and development skills with regards to the internet.
I have also written my proposal. The proposal deadline is tomorrow, Wednesday 14th of October.
I followed a basic guideline for the proposal. This came under the following heading:
Product
Brand
The USP/ESP
People
Market Level.
The proposal was restricted to a maximum of A4 sized paper, therefore I had to ensure that I condensed all of my information – only providing the most relevant.
To elaborate, my product is the Glastonbury Festival Boot, which is being sold through high street retailer River Island, and being endorsed by Glastonbury Festival – increasing the hype surrounding the event.
The USP of my product is that it is a memento of the festival attended. This is also a USP as the customer will feel a sentimental attachment to the boot.
People – part of the 6 P’s of marketing, will be involved in my product post-launch.
This involves sales assistants wearing hippy-style clothing to get in with the festival vibes – this will also ensure they are on the customer’s wave length.
The market level was targeted at socio economic group e – those with the lowest form of subsidy, and are reliant on the state – yet my customers get money through the SLC and EMA, consequently they can afford to attend the festivals and therefore should feel the need to own these boots.
What next?
I will update this blog again when I have made further progress with the web design, and starting considering the PR side of this brief.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Achievements over the last few days:
I have managed to develop an idea since my last blog entry. I was set the task of thinking of ideas of ways in which my product could be seen as ‘environmentally friendly’ – this is almost a fundamental of all products on sale these days. Below I have listed my decisions and revisions with regards to this.
Achievements:
I located books from the library and also web pages which provided me with inspiration. Here I have documented what I have learnt, along with ways in which it has inspired me:
One point that particular caught my attentions was that I should not be creating a product, but instead a lifecycle. This taught me that not only should the product be environmentally sound, yet also that it should have some sort of service – to make it renewable in some respects.
I also learnt that natural materials are not always better – it must be taken into consideration the amount of material used, for example one sheet of plastic would not be seen as too environmentally devastating, in comparison to the wood off of two trees.
I can increase how environmentally friendly my product is by increasing the products life time. This means making it from high quality materials, yet also by making it recyclable.
Another way I could do this was by making it so that the owner did not want to give the product away, for example creating some sentimental attachment to it. It should be durable or upgradeable, or be a sort of memento – with regards to Wellington boots this ultimately means less plastic in land fill sites.
I was directed to the o2 website, which is a global network for sustainable design – I am still conducting research into this site.
My product:
The concept for my product came to me at about half 3 in the morning, when I was struggling to sleep, so I quickly got up and jotted it down.
I thought of the festival scenario and about making friends and wanting to keep in contact with them after the festival – nobodies thinks to bring a notepad, and phone batteries often die – and messages cannot be left on these.
I therefore developed the concept of a Wellington that could be signed with messages, contacts and details.
This would be in a simple colour or transparent plastic, and have a pen attached.
The seminar discussion helped me to develop my idea so that the tread colour was in correlation to the colour of the festival band that year, and the tread would have the number of the festival on it, for example: 08, 09, or 10.
It would have a transparent pouch for the festival ticket to be inserted.
What next?
The next stage is for me to create my written proposal. I will update the blog when this is done.
Achievements:
I located books from the library and also web pages which provided me with inspiration. Here I have documented what I have learnt, along with ways in which it has inspired me:
One point that particular caught my attentions was that I should not be creating a product, but instead a lifecycle. This taught me that not only should the product be environmentally sound, yet also that it should have some sort of service – to make it renewable in some respects.
I also learnt that natural materials are not always better – it must be taken into consideration the amount of material used, for example one sheet of plastic would not be seen as too environmentally devastating, in comparison to the wood off of two trees.
I can increase how environmentally friendly my product is by increasing the products life time. This means making it from high quality materials, yet also by making it recyclable.
Another way I could do this was by making it so that the owner did not want to give the product away, for example creating some sentimental attachment to it. It should be durable or upgradeable, or be a sort of memento – with regards to Wellington boots this ultimately means less plastic in land fill sites.
I was directed to the o2 website, which is a global network for sustainable design – I am still conducting research into this site.
My product:
The concept for my product came to me at about half 3 in the morning, when I was struggling to sleep, so I quickly got up and jotted it down.
I thought of the festival scenario and about making friends and wanting to keep in contact with them after the festival – nobodies thinks to bring a notepad, and phone batteries often die – and messages cannot be left on these.
I therefore developed the concept of a Wellington that could be signed with messages, contacts and details.
This would be in a simple colour or transparent plastic, and have a pen attached.
The seminar discussion helped me to develop my idea so that the tread colour was in correlation to the colour of the festival band that year, and the tread would have the number of the festival on it, for example: 08, 09, or 10.
It would have a transparent pouch for the festival ticket to be inserted.
What next?
The next stage is for me to create my written proposal. I will update the blog when this is done.
Achievements over the last few days:
Since I last updated my blog entry, I have made significant progress in this project. My achievements are listed below:
Achievements:
One major aim from last time was to have created a document with the details of 20 key journalists which I would invite to my event.
This was a lot more difficult that I anticipated – due to the product that I was promoting.
I was promoting a fashion brand, but a non fashion product.
I therefore looked for wine magazines, and fashion magazines that diverted from wholly fashion content.
So far I have come up with these magazines:
Decanter
Harpers wine and spirit trade review
Maxim Magazine UK
One Nation Magazine – a trading style of The Gay Nation ltd
At Home – food and drink, Anthony Worrall Thompson
The World of Fine Wine – fine wine mag
New wine magazine
Wine Spectator
Drapers
Grazia
Look
Marie Claire
Nuts
Vogue
Cosmopolitan
Glamour
FHM
FLIRT Magazine
Loaded
Men’s portal (online)
Shortlist
I have made efforts to contact journalists at each of these publications, as recorded in my sketchbook. I will wait a few days for any responses before compiling my final list of magazines and relevant journalists.
I have also started a Word document on the budget of my event. I have set this up in a tabular format, with sections on the: item, specifics, cost, and the source of that cost.
I must continue to communicate with Nigel at city cruises in order to formulate a very precise cost list.
I understand so far the charter costs, and that there will be a charge for corkage. This is, however, unavoidable with my event as the item that I am promoting is wine, so it would be catastrophic to promote anyone else’s.
I have also been to hobby craft to find little dolls house-like furniture to help me demonstrate things more visually on my floor plan.
I have had to rethink the floor plan because, after a workshop lesson, I learnt to consider things with regards to scale. I have also been swayed to experiment with Illustrator to complete this, which I am more than willing to do. I will, however, have to wait for details from Nigel with regards to dimensions of the space I have available to work with.
My Diesel wine bottle and the wine stopper have arrived in the post and I am delighted with them. I have arranged a photo shoot session for the bottle with Dave on Monday at 10:00am. I have therefore been considering different quirky elements to make my product look suitable for production in magazines.
This has involved buying a block red ring and red nail varnish for one shot where I envisage someone’s hand reaching out to hold the product.
The next shoot I can imaging is someone with red lipstick on, holding the bottle against their lips.
The ultimate shot is of the wine bottle next to someone’s red shoes. These different scenarios aim to make the product look more like a fashion accessory – I am hoping that this will make the story more appealing for the fashion journalists.
What next?
I must now consider ways in which I can package the press invite.
I will update my blog after going shopping for different colours of tissue paper, and see if anything catches my eye with regards to the press pack.
Achievements:
One major aim from last time was to have created a document with the details of 20 key journalists which I would invite to my event.
This was a lot more difficult that I anticipated – due to the product that I was promoting.
I was promoting a fashion brand, but a non fashion product.
I therefore looked for wine magazines, and fashion magazines that diverted from wholly fashion content.
So far I have come up with these magazines:
Decanter
Harpers wine and spirit trade review
Maxim Magazine UK
One Nation Magazine – a trading style of The Gay Nation ltd
At Home – food and drink, Anthony Worrall Thompson
The World of Fine Wine – fine wine mag
New wine magazine
Wine Spectator
Drapers
Grazia
Look
Marie Claire
Nuts
Vogue
Cosmopolitan
Glamour
FHM
FLIRT Magazine
Loaded
Men’s portal (online)
Shortlist
I have made efforts to contact journalists at each of these publications, as recorded in my sketchbook. I will wait a few days for any responses before compiling my final list of magazines and relevant journalists.
I have also started a Word document on the budget of my event. I have set this up in a tabular format, with sections on the: item, specifics, cost, and the source of that cost.
I must continue to communicate with Nigel at city cruises in order to formulate a very precise cost list.
I understand so far the charter costs, and that there will be a charge for corkage. This is, however, unavoidable with my event as the item that I am promoting is wine, so it would be catastrophic to promote anyone else’s.
I have also been to hobby craft to find little dolls house-like furniture to help me demonstrate things more visually on my floor plan.
I have had to rethink the floor plan because, after a workshop lesson, I learnt to consider things with regards to scale. I have also been swayed to experiment with Illustrator to complete this, which I am more than willing to do. I will, however, have to wait for details from Nigel with regards to dimensions of the space I have available to work with.
My Diesel wine bottle and the wine stopper have arrived in the post and I am delighted with them. I have arranged a photo shoot session for the bottle with Dave on Monday at 10:00am. I have therefore been considering different quirky elements to make my product look suitable for production in magazines.
This has involved buying a block red ring and red nail varnish for one shot where I envisage someone’s hand reaching out to hold the product.
The next shoot I can imaging is someone with red lipstick on, holding the bottle against their lips.
The ultimate shot is of the wine bottle next to someone’s red shoes. These different scenarios aim to make the product look more like a fashion accessory – I am hoping that this will make the story more appealing for the fashion journalists.
What next?
I must now consider ways in which I can package the press invite.
I will update my blog after going shopping for different colours of tissue paper, and see if anything catches my eye with regards to the press pack.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Reflection on achievements.
I have recently been focusing more on developing my ideas and have been researching as I have been going along; I have found this is a much more effective way to spend my time. Below are my achievements since my last post:
Achievements:
I have created a sample book of different fabrics, images and wallpapers which gave me inspiration for the interior of my cruise boat.
I then went to hobby craft to purchase furniture and furnishing which I hope will add to the visual impact of my floor plans.
I had some troubles getting the 3D version of my floor plan to print to the desired size. I think I will use the 2D version (which is still smaller than desired) I will attempt to mount this, and then frame it if possible, to add to the professionalism.
Since I last updated the blog, I have looked into the idea of using a letter headed paper and also personalised envelopes, including text and a security tint to add to the professionalism and also the brand recognition. This included research into existing examples.
I am yet to decide which means of sending the invite I will use, yet I will wait until all of my orders are here. I have created a further set of business cards based on the fact that they perfectly coordinate with the letter head and thus continuity is created through the campaign.
I have also sent out a questionnaire to aid my decision making process. This will help me to decide which line of thought is most suitable without getting my preferences in the way.
I am waiting for all the respondents to get back to me before I can collate my information of Microsoft Excel. I sent the questionnaire around to my whole of my Block at my student accommodation. This is 6 flats with 5 people per flat – potentially 30 questionnaires back.
I went to the Common Room to hand out more questionnaire’s personally ensuring that they respondents were pressurised to return them as I was present.
I have made amendments to the floor plan – adding extra fixtures and adding character’s to create realism.
What next?
I must wait for the results before I can make further progress. I am also waiting for a lot of work through the post which must be analysed before I make any more decisions.
Achievements:
I have created a sample book of different fabrics, images and wallpapers which gave me inspiration for the interior of my cruise boat.
I then went to hobby craft to purchase furniture and furnishing which I hope will add to the visual impact of my floor plans.
I had some troubles getting the 3D version of my floor plan to print to the desired size. I think I will use the 2D version (which is still smaller than desired) I will attempt to mount this, and then frame it if possible, to add to the professionalism.
Since I last updated the blog, I have looked into the idea of using a letter headed paper and also personalised envelopes, including text and a security tint to add to the professionalism and also the brand recognition. This included research into existing examples.
I am yet to decide which means of sending the invite I will use, yet I will wait until all of my orders are here. I have created a further set of business cards based on the fact that they perfectly coordinate with the letter head and thus continuity is created through the campaign.
I have also sent out a questionnaire to aid my decision making process. This will help me to decide which line of thought is most suitable without getting my preferences in the way.
I am waiting for all the respondents to get back to me before I can collate my information of Microsoft Excel. I sent the questionnaire around to my whole of my Block at my student accommodation. This is 6 flats with 5 people per flat – potentially 30 questionnaires back.
I went to the Common Room to hand out more questionnaire’s personally ensuring that they respondents were pressurised to return them as I was present.
I have made amendments to the floor plan – adding extra fixtures and adding character’s to create realism.
What next?
I must wait for the results before I can make further progress. I am also waiting for a lot of work through the post which must be analysed before I make any more decisions.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Thinking Green
Achievements:
I had gone passed the initial brainstorming stage of this project, however after class discussion it was revealed that a product has to do more than just be profitable, it has to have some effect on the environment – and a positive one at that!
Thinking green ideas:
I therefore started to think along the lines of how I could link something environmentally friendly to my specific product.
The rainfall Wellington that already exists would have been perfect and perhaps something which I could consider launching this again. Because of the feature of measuring rainfall I could argue that it is making us consider the current state of climate change, and hence making us more aware of environmental issues.
I came up with the further options below:
I could make the product light weight, so that they create less of a literal environmental footprint, this could be part of the campaign, yet also linked in some way to what the product direction is – and perhaps a competition of some kind.
The obvious would be to have a green pair of wellies, and green is an environmentally friendly colour, however – as it goes- most Wellingtons are green as it is, therefore this does not leave much for the imagination.
A further idea I had is that I could include a measuring kit with the pack, so that wearers could check the PH of the soil that gets trapped in the wellies, however I could not see how any of these would really appeal to my target audience of festival goers.
I could however see them appealing to gardeners and perhaps an older generation in general. I will think more on this point over the next couple of days and update the blog when I have a solution.
I had gone passed the initial brainstorming stage of this project, however after class discussion it was revealed that a product has to do more than just be profitable, it has to have some effect on the environment – and a positive one at that!
Thinking green ideas:
I therefore started to think along the lines of how I could link something environmentally friendly to my specific product.
The rainfall Wellington that already exists would have been perfect and perhaps something which I could consider launching this again. Because of the feature of measuring rainfall I could argue that it is making us consider the current state of climate change, and hence making us more aware of environmental issues.
I came up with the further options below:
I could make the product light weight, so that they create less of a literal environmental footprint, this could be part of the campaign, yet also linked in some way to what the product direction is – and perhaps a competition of some kind.
The obvious would be to have a green pair of wellies, and green is an environmentally friendly colour, however – as it goes- most Wellingtons are green as it is, therefore this does not leave much for the imagination.
A further idea I had is that I could include a measuring kit with the pack, so that wearers could check the PH of the soil that gets trapped in the wellies, however I could not see how any of these would really appeal to my target audience of festival goers.
I could however see them appealing to gardeners and perhaps an older generation in general. I will think more on this point over the next couple of days and update the blog when I have a solution.
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