High street youth menswear

Not Fashionable Expensive Cheap

Understanding of the brand - Topman  Part of the Arcadia Group  What’s in store? Clothing and accessories ranging from formal suits to informal casualwear with a choice of on trend and retro styles.  Target market: Ages  Involvement with other brands including: Fred Perry, Material Boy, Mjolk and more.  Available internationally in 37 countries including: United States, Turkey, Spain and Russia.

USC- Understanding the Brand Entered into administration and has been owned by Sports Direct since 2012 Sports Direct also bought Republic and merged it with USC in What's in store? Branded Clothing, Accessories and footwear, with an extensive collection of independent, apparel and mainstream brands, including G star, Firetrap and Diesel. Largest UK Denim Collection Target Market Available across the UK in 92 stores

WHY is Topman our hero brand?  Clear point of view and identity  Understand their customer  Constant with their social media, live updates with new trends (twitter, YouTube, Instagram, website)  Strong advertising (lookbooks, billboards, magazines, free brochures in store)  Edgy and retro style  Cult following  Diverse and current with trends- prepared to take risks E.G. putting a product on the market, even if only a few sell- they want to create diverse clothing for their customer  Accessible to all sub cultures  Clear with target market  Collaborations- with individuals including Astrid Andersen and Agi&Sam

HOWEVER… Topman’s logo and retail environment is not what makes it successful: -The retail environment is too crowded -Logo is bold but doesn’t portray any sense of uniqueness or an edgy style- it doesn’t represent the products in store or their identity IT’S THE PRODUCTS, ADVERTISING AND SOCIAL MEDIA ASPECT THAT MAKES TOPMAN A SUCCESSFUL BRAND…

WHY is USC our zero brand?  We chose USC as our zero brand, due to it entering administration in Republic also went into administration in 2013, Sports Direct bought both, USC in 2011, and Republic in Sports direct then merged the struggling businesses together.  USC does not have a clear brand identity, its unclear on its target market.  We feel that that the brand needs to change its image and improve on how it promotes to its target market and find its USP.  Limited customer service and interaction  No individuality  Never update or create current trends- dated products  Boring/ Consistent- no edge or striking factor  Only for essential wear  Not up to date with latest trends  Poor quality and cheap looking  Shop windows- NOT visually appealing, current and doesn’t express creativity  Lack of social media and advertisement- lack of regular updates

What can USC do to improve?  Expand their Social media – website, search engines, advertising, consistent updates through Twitter/Instagram/blog  Stores – Visual merchandising, visually appealing layout, have more creative and interesting shop windows to entice more people to shop here. Have a clearer, more open shop interior, so that costumers can initially see more stock and so that the general shopping experience improves.  Different mixture of brands –Involve more current brands, and include a more diverse range of brands, to appeal to a larger range of the market.  Advertising- an increase in brochures, advertisement in magazines and lookbooks, create T.V advertisement, showcase brands through catwalk shows.  Celebrity endorsements – use collaborations to increase interest, and to create more awareness, use celebrity endorsement to increase publicity around the brand.

Visual Merchandising and Retail Environment

Artistic & Cultural references that inspire the brand  Topman has recently bought out their Summer/Spring 2015 collection. They have been inspired by music in the 70s which includes John Travolta and Rod Stewart by bringing out flared trousers and fitted jackets representing the 70’s glam rock. The runway looks for the SS15 collection presenting the traditional 70’s style with a modern day twist!

Storytelling through Topman Topman is clear with their advertising allowing their consumers to be active by connecting with the brand through personal experiences by storytelling. Here is an example of an ad campaign for their denim range presenting a visual story. It is presenting 3 boys with a laid back attitude all socialising in their different styled jeans. This relaxed vibe allows young men to relate to this type of atmosphere encouraging them to buy the products being shown.

Consumer Profile For Topman Age:18 Gender:Male Personal Characteristics:5’10 inches (average height) Size: medium Shoe size: 9 Socio-economic factors:Education: student at university Race: white Job: works part time at a shoe company Cultural differences:Ethnicity: Jewish Cultural influences:Social media: uses instagram and twitter to follow fashion, sports accounts and celebrity footballers including: Size official Undivided Kicksonfire Sneakercon Premiere league Eden Hazard (Chelsea footballer) Geographical:London but currently living in Nottingham city centre, close to the university and shopping centres. Lifestyle:Includes: socialising, shopping, football, part-time job Purchasing Habits:Every two weeks Purchasing motivation:Student discount and affordable pricing, delivery Also influenced by music, YouTube and films.

Age:19 Gender:Male Personal Characteristics:5’11 inches (average height) Size: medium Shoe size: 10 Socio-economic factors:Education: student at university Race: Brown Cultural differences:Ethnicity: Indian Cultural influences:Social media: uses instagram and facebook to follow, sports accounts, fashion brands and celebrity footballers including Cricketers H&M ZARA Sneakercon Premiere league Messi (Barcelona footballer) Geographical:India but currently living in University Halls, close to the university and shopping centres. Lifestyle:Includes: socialising, shopping, football, swimming and squash Purchasing Habits:Every two-three weeks Purchasing motivation:Student discount CONSUMER PROFILE: USC

TO CONCLUDE…  As a whole, Topman have more consumers than USC. Topman consumers shop in store on a weekly basis, however USC have limited consistent customers.  Most Topman customers find the products to be average-priced, whereas customers of USC find that the products are cheaply priced.  USC Consumers find their customer services very poor, BUT in Topman their customer service is seen as a successful part of the brand.  We found that Consumers who have shopped in Topman and USC also shop in Zara, River Island and H&M. Consumers usually buy t- shirts and shirts from USC but for Topman, they tend to buy a variety of products, ranging from clothing, accessories and footwear.