Brand Marketing Strategy
Guess Inc. successfully markets its products under the brand name of “Guess?” (question mark). The novel high-end brand Marciano had been dissociated from Guess? not to downgrade Guess? for the customers.
From the official website http://www.guessinc.com one learns that the marketing strategy for Guess? employs sex symbols of the modern world in order to establish the proper image for Guess? clothes and related products. Guess Inc. does not utilize any other key words besides fashion, comfort, style and sexuality in its marketing strategy following the concept of “sex sells”.
Marciano brand besides sexuality focuses on top notch ‘elite’ clothes intended for rich and successful individuals, notably females. Unlike Guess? which starts to concentrate more and more on teenagers and people in their 20s-30s, Marciano focuses on ‘elite’ females in their late 30s and over who had succeeded in their lives already and need to position themselves differently from teens with respect to clothing.
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Customer analysis:
Guess Inc. has the following groups as the major customers for Guess? brand:
Males. The males customers are energetic, success-oriented and purposeful. Guess Inc. stresses sexuality in all commercials and product lines and focuses on masculinity and power.
Females. Guess Inc. products for females just like product lines for males are intended to show the feminine part of women focusing on elegance, free choice, emancipation and urbanism (Geus, 120.
Kids. Guess Inc. in its Kid collection strives to build loyal adult customers. The kid products feature style and comfort yet leads them to feel important through style and expensive apparel.
For the marciano Brand Guess Inc. focuses on affluent and successful customers who want to spend a lot of money on fashionable apparel and show everybody their difference. As Marciano brand currently directly competes with the Pierre Cardin, Kelvin Klein, and Armani brands, Guess Inc. believes that the new Marciano brand will not cannibalize Guess? brand due to differences in demographics. As American customers become richer every day, more and more people in their teens can afford Guess? products. On one hand it provides Guess Inc. with more young and new clients, yet on the other hand it removes older clients of Guess? brand who do not want to wear the same clothes that teenagers and people in their 20s wear. Marciano was created for the very purpose of retaining the Guess? clients who progress through their careers and age yet still want to enjoy sexy apparel with more image and prestige.
Communucation and Promotional Programs
Guess Inc. in its promotion programs expresses sexuality and comfort for both males and females. The only line of products that does not boast sexual flavor is Guess Kids. There the main focus is placed on comfort and fashion.
The Brand Personality of Guess Inc. products is energy, success and triumph. Guess Inc. believes that its customers are people who had succeeded in life and need to show the world their success and personality through Guess Inc. products.
Analysis of Brand Strength and Future
Potential of Guess Inc. products
Guess Inc. products appear to posses great potential and it has already been spotted by the stock market and high prices for Guess Inc. stock. In the late 1990s, Guess Inc. was involved in the turmoil brought about the company using sweatshops in East Asian countries which allowed the company to drastically cut costs in production and manufacturing. In the year 2000 the problem was resolved as Guess Inc. raised wages and draw the market attention to Guess’s active participation in the daily activities of its personnel and customers. The business nature already provides great potential for Guess Inc. Unlike in some highly focused high-tech industry where companies cannot extend brands past technology sector, Guess Inc. has a potential to produce and market just about any fashion related product (Berry, 50). It already markets besides clothes, various belts, bags, eyewear, perfumes, hats and watches. It can successfully market jewelry, cosmetics, eye lenses and other fashion related products that one can think of. It will nto have to prove something to the market as the amrekt arelady realizes that Guess Inc. is in the fashion industry for long.
Building and Extending your brand Value. As noted earlier Guess Inc. was quick to spot and develop new products demanded by the market for all three market segments: females, males and kids. For instance, besides clothes as represented by pants and shirts, Guess Inc. introduced eyeglasses/shades, headwear, and handbags. Guess Inc. also extended the brand to wallets and purses as well as different accessories and jewelry. Guess Inc. understood that by extending the brand to all products that people like to wear and sugarcoat it in sexual message, the sales of Guess Inc. will increase.
Corporate Branding Strategies
The novel corporate branding strategies of Guess Inc. promoted a different look and sense of style. Historically it appeared that the sexier Guess ads and clothes became the more sales Guess Inc. Started to make. For teenagers Guess Inc. had developed a novel approach to point out Guess’s history and original intention. The new series of commercials featuring the fashion princess Paris Hilton had been responsible for the surge in Guess Inc. Sales among teenagers. After success with Paris Hilton was spotted Guess Inc. started to promote a new line from Paris Hilton including Paris Hilton Guess handbag, and Paris Hilton Guess eyewear.
Guess Inc. is consumer manufacturing and apparel company that engages in design, marketing, distribution and licensing of casual apparel and related accessories for males, females and children. The current product lines comprise the denim and cotton clothing, as represented by jeans, pants, overalls, skirts, dresses, shorts, shirts, jackets and knitwear. Guess Inc. also sells licenses to produce eyewear, watches, footwear, leather apparel, fragrance, jewelry and other accessories.
Guess Inc. sells its products through Guess Inc. outlet stores, network of contracted wholesale accounts as well as through the Internet. In 2005, Guess Inc. owned 320 outlet stores in the USA and Canada. Guess Inc. has 192 full-price retail stores, 100 factory outlets and 25 concept stores. One should remember that Guess Inc. penetrates foreign markets and already owns 19 stores in the European Union.
In 2004, Guess Inc. celebrated the XX anniversary of watch collection represented by Guess Inc. watches. The accessories department expanded to cover just about anything that a customer might desire and sells it through the US Guess Inc. stores. The novel store GuessFactory presents new marketing concepts by allowing more customized products to be consumed by the market.
The first brand extension, called upscale female line of clothing Marciano presents expensive, runway inspired feminine styles which are sold directly through Guess Inc. stores only across the USA.
In late 2004, Guess Inc. started to manufacture and market several lines of fragrance. The most famous products are Guess for Women, introduced in spring of 2005. Guess Inc. works on the aggressive fragrance for males and will manufacture fragrances for teenagers. Guess kids clothing line which started in early 2000s successfully is marketed across the country at present.
Bibliography:
Berry, Kate, Changes at Guess bring the company back into fashion, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2005. vol.34-2.
Geus, Arie, The Living Company, McGraw Hill, 2005.
Guess Inc. Official website, www.guessinc.com/ Accessed: May 6th, 2006.
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