BHS Ethical Brand
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Transcript of BHS Ethical Brand
BHS Ethical Clothing Brand
Owen Ball 2.4Luke Branley 2.1Reynaldo Canlas Jr. 2.4
Client BHS (British Home Stores)
Product Ethical clothing brand
Target Audience It is for you to defi ne precisely this target audience using research.
Background Within an environment where cost-cutting retail brands have
struggled to succeed, the need to provide a distinctive offering is
ever more important.
This brief asks you to develop an ethical clothing brand for BHS to establish
distinctiveness and widen the appeal of this clothing retailer. Current trends indicate
that internet sales will provide an area of growth. Online sales of clothing were up
37% to £644m in 2004, according to the FT – a trend that has continued into 2005.
BHS provides a very basic internet site that does not contain the ability to conduct
ecommerce. This brief asks you to design a new site for BHS that has the capacity to sell
the new ethical brand online. You must design a ‘bricks and clicks’ formula for the store.
Objective To drive sales through the introduction of:
1. an ethical brand
2. a functioning ecommerce facility. That is in sympathy with
the brand values of BHS
Mandatory inclusions, Brand logo/ website address/ name ethical brand
Proposition ‘Fair & Square offers BHS consumers an ethically positive
alternative to their usual clothing purchase’
Media 2 colour full-page ads
1 Posters ad
1 radio advert (20”)
1 sample page (front page) for internet site
Timing Deadline - 22/23/24 May 2006
Brief
Ethical trading means taking a look at the environment
around your company and how you are affecting it,
beyond making money. It has become increasingly
important for companies to be more aware of their
surroundings and the affect they are having on the
environment, as public opinion of companies is starting
to drop, due to their environmental standpoint.
Ethical initiatives are often the butt of many jokes, but
beyond being positive for the environment, they can
also improve your business.
If you consider economic objectives alongside marketing
objectives, your company has the chance to grow and
become more effi cient and successful.
Introduction
Clothing Market Background
The UK clothing market reached £37 billion (€54.4 billion)
including sales tax in 2004, up 4.2% on 2003. Consumer spending
on apparel has performed quite robustly since 2000 growing by
19% compared to 18.8% for all retail sales. In several European
markets, demand for clothing has struggled to keep pace with
growth in all retail sales, and the UK has been one of the strongest
performers in this respect.(Mintel, 2005)
The top fi ve clothing retailers had 44.8% of sector sales in 2004.
This makes the UK one of the most concentrated clothing sectors
in Europe. The leading players by turnover are M&S, Next, Arcadia
Group, Matalan and Bhs. (Mintel, 2005)
BHS Market share
Figure 114: Bhs, Share of UK clothing specialists’ sales
Source: Bhs/Mintel
NB: Figures taken from BHS Ltd
Sector Market Share & Outlets
Ethical Competition Background
There is a limited number of “big players” in the ethical clothing
market currently. However, there are some big brands involved
and “Last year UK consumers spent £25bn on ethical goods and
services - a rise of 15 per cent on 2003”, while “The market for
ethical clothes rose by 30 per cent in 12 months to £43m last
year” (Hickman, M., 2005). This suggests there is a trend towards
ethically produced goods that can only increase as consumers
become more aware of environmental and ethical issues.
Competition
Research
Ethical Competition
The table opposite gives an indication of some of the ethical
brands that are available in the UK. They are generally small
independent companies with one or two shops. Many of these
companies can fl ourish due to the nature of e-commerce and
the exposure that can be achieved online, and as such, have
a signifi cant online presence including e-shops and consumer
information.
Despite the numbers of small ethical outfi ts, it is unlikely they
would pose a signifi cant immediate threat on a range brought
to market by BHS, a retailer with a huge high street presence.
More likely, other retail groups with ethical ranges pose the
greatest threat. Topshop Oxford Circus has made a deal with
People Tree to sell its line of ethical clothing. There are two
main points that can be observed from this move.
1. People Tree has gained huge exposure from being picked
up by Topshop, promoting the brand, via Topshop, to be a
signifi cant competitor.
2. Topshop has only launched the brand in their fl agship
store. This suggests Topshop is skeptical that premium priced
ethical clothes are ready for the UK market as a whole. This is a
big opportunity for another retailer to be fi rst to market.
Howies http://www.howies.co.uk/
Ecotopia http://www.ecotopia.co.uk
Ethical Threads http://www.ethicalthreads.co.uk/
Footprint http://www.footprint-clothing.co.uk/
Greenfi bres http://www.greenfi bres.com/
Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/
Traidcraft http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/
Natural Collection http://www.naturalcollection.com
Seasalt Organic http://www.seasaltorganic.co.uk/
Freedom Clothing http://freedom-clothing.co.uk
REFERENCES
Hickman, M., 12/12/2005, U.K. Market for Organic & Fair Trade Clothes & Other
Products Growing Rapidly, accessed April 2005, http://www.organicconsumers.
org/btc/market121205.cfm
Mintel, 2005, Clothes Retailing UK 2005, Accessed April 2005, http://reports.mintel.
com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/
display/id=114754
Competition
Research
According to Mintel (2005), Department store BHS appeal to
both male and female; though slightly biased towards female
consumers. However, in general men feel comfortable shopping
in department stores, a factor that BHS could perhaps exploit
further.
In the case of usage, it peaked at 55-64 year old ‘with third age
and retired groups showing a higher propensity’ to use BHS.
However, the department store also holds a strong appeal to
consumers with children aged 10-15, refl ecting its strength in
school wear.
Twelve months prior to April 2005, BHS achieved 15% of
consumers who have bought clothing for themselves. In contrast,
competitors such as M&S achieved the highest percentage of
42%. The graphs (right) illustrate a more detailed breakdown
of gender; age and socio-economic group based on a sample of
1,991 adults aged 15+.
At present, BHS is not a member of Ethical Trade Initiative, which
has members of its competitors Debenhams and M&S. According
to a survey (commissioned by M&S), 78% of consumers would
like to know more information on ‘conditions in the factory, where
clothes come from and what chemicals are used’. However, it
has been suggested by Datamonitor on Yahoo that the ‘take-up
of organic/ethical clothing is likely to be very gradual’ unless
consumers act on their conscience alone.
Another challenge that faces ethical clothing is the perception of
‘homspun’ clothes, which lack fashion attributes (Lock, 2006).
However, the trend is slowly changing as popular high-street
stores that target fashion-savvy consumers are about to release
their own ethical clothing range; Gap’s vintage tee made in
Lethoso in conjunction with Product RED – 50% goes towards
fi ghting Aids and other diseases in Africa; Oasis’ eco-friendly
range called The Future Organic; and Top Shop’s organic cotton
babywear. It could be suggested the trend will increase the
chances of successfully targeting consumers with an ethical
clothing range as they become more conscious and exposed to
ethical initiatives.
REFERENCES
Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available from URL:
http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0
&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st May 2006]
Lock, K. (2006) Natural Born Shopping (Online), Available from URL:http://web.
lexis-nexis.com/executive/form?_index=exec_en.html&_lang=en&ut=3325272301,
[Accessed 1st May 2006]
Target Audience
Research
In a company profi le of BHS that can be found on Mintel (2005), it
states that BHS has become “a nationwide byword for good value
clothing.” They offer a wide range of own brand value clothes,
ranging from Maternity and Baby wear, through to Children’s,
Women’s, and Men’s wear. They also produce a range of Men’s
and Women’s shoes, and a range of Wedding dresses.
BHS has been with us for years and is probably familiar to you
as the shop where your mum bought your underwear. A lot of
younger generation tend to avoid the store as they see the product
range as “old fashioned”, but the older, wiser generation, are
more aware of the quality of the clothes produced. Despite always
being compared to rival retailers such as Marks and Spencers,
BHS has a relatively small product line in comparison, although
prices tend to be lower than competing department stores.
Gendu, a shopper from London says, “Personally, anything that
I like which I can get in BHS, I will, since the value for money is
outstanding but a fair few times, they won’t have what I want and
thats where another store with a fuller range will serve better.”
(www.dooyoo.co.uk)
At the moment BHS do not run an ethical range of clothes, unlike
Marks and Spencer, who recently launched a “Look Behind The
Label” campaign, that is aimed towards informing shoppers of
the way their products are made and sourced. Reports show that
UK consumers are showing an increasing appetite for so-called
‘fair trade’ products.
Last year, fi gures released by the Fairtrade Foundation showed
sales of ethical products grew by more than 50% during 2004.
(www.bbc.co.uk)
There are many other companies that are beginning to sell fair
trade products, usually through online stores, as it cuts overhead
costs and can be run by independent traders. However, many of
these companies aim their product at a more ‘hardcore’ set of
consumers, and would not be a threat to the type of consumer
that would buy BHS products.
REFERENCES
Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available from URL:
http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0
&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st May 2006]
www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online), Available from URL:
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-misc/bhs/427789/, [Accessed 12th May
2006]
news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online), Available from
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.stm, [Accessed 12th May 2006]
Product
Research
According to Mintel, BHS’s core consumer age-group span from 35
years onwards; with a proportion of 55-64 years old buying a piece of
clothing for themselves within a twelve month period prior to April
2005. Such consumers fell within the A, B, C1, and D socio-economic
grouping, with a female-bias of 2:1 ratio.
It could be suggested that there is an obvious target audience for the
ethical clothing range outside of BHS’s current target audiences;
and they are consumers who only purchase ethically made products.
However, after the development of the Audience spider diagram,
fi ndings suggest that there are two distinctive, yet confl icting, types
of target audience.
Careful consideration has been made based on the aforementioned.
It could prove challenging when targeting ‘ethical campaigners’ for
BHS’s ethical clothing brand for various reasons; fi rstly, many of
BHS’s other product offering are still mass-produced in factories based
in Turkey, thus confl icting with the ethical philosophy, and secondly,
BHS is currently owned by fashion group Arcadia, another factor
frowned upon by anti-capitalists/sweatshops/corporations. Therefore
it is evident that our target audience for the campaign should be BHS’s
current consumers and not ethical campaigners.
Competition for BHS and Fair & Square is fi erce with any new range
struggling in a saturated market. It is clear from our fi ndings that the
competition will be signifi cantly biased to high street retail and non-
ethical products. This is not to suggest that ethical brands should be
disregarded, but short-term they are not a signifi cant threat. Where
some ethical brands have made gains is through developing ranges
for high street chains. For the most part these are limited to London
stores and again do not pose a signifi cant immediate threat to BHS.
Where the competetion clearly have an edge is e-commerce. Even the
smallest ethical manufacturer or retailer has a slicker online presence
than BHS currently offer. The new ethical brand will have an online
presence, however, in the future BHS should strongly consider
overhauling the entire site and integrating all their operations.
The communication objective is to create awareness surrounding the
ethical production practices of Fair&Square, and to encourage current
BHS consumers to purchase from the range in-store or online. The
campaign will consist of a two-part strategy; one theme will focus
solely on the ethical production of Fair&Square, whilst the other theme
will have a slightly stronger emphasis on the clothing range, perhaps
adopting a fashion-photography style artwork that would appeal to
female consumers of BHS. Each advertisement will be simplistic and
classic, utilising black and white images to contrast and draw attention
to the Fair & Square logo. However, they will all carry interlinking
themes for continuity purposes.
The Mintel Report also contains a company profi le of BHS that states
that the company has become “a nationwide byword for good value
clothing.” They offer a wide range of clothes, for the whole family,
no matter what stage of development they are in. They also produce a
range of Men’s and Women’s shoes, and a range of Wedding dresses.
A lot of younger generation tend to avoid the store as they see the
product range as “old fashioned”, but the older, wiser generation, are
more aware of the quality of the clothes produced. Despite always
being compared to rival retailers such as Marks and Spencer’s, BHS
has a relatively small product line in comparison, although prices
Research
Summary
tend to be lower than competing department stores.
At the moment BHS do not run an ethical range of clothes. Other main
department stores have already began ethical trading. For examples,
Marks and Spencer, who recently launched a “Look Behind The Label”
campaign, that is aimed towards informing shoppers of the way their
products are made and sourced. Reports show that UK consumers are
showing an increasing appetite for so-called ‘fair trade’ products.
Last year, fi gures released by the Fairtrade Foundation showed sales
of ethical products grew by more than 50% during 2004. (www.bbc.
co.uk)
Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online)
Available from URL:http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_
results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/display/
id=114754 [Accessed 1st May 2006]
www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online)
Available from URL: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-
misc/bhs/427789/, [Accessed 12th May 2006]
news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online)
Available from URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.
stm, [Accessed 12th May 2006]
Summary cont.
‘Fair & Square offers BHS consumers an ethically
positive alternative to their usual clothing
purchase’
Proposition
Competition
Target Audience
Product
Competition
Mood Board
Audience
Mood Board
Product
Mood Board
The development of the brand name consisted of brainstorming around words that are
usually associated with ethical initiatives or nature. Some of the words include: Trust,
Naked, Open, Transparent, Fair, Komakino, True, Honest and Green. However, it was
imperative that the brand name had to symbolise not just the naturalness of the product
range but also covey a strong emphasis on the ethical production of the garments.
After much deliberation, the group decided on the top three names for the ethical clothing
brand, which are Brown, Common Sense and Fair & Square. The latter was the most
favourable name out of the three because it conveys a double-meaning: (1) The word
‘Fair’ derive from ‘Fair Trade’, therefore the consumers will automatically create linkages
with the ethical clothing initiative, but the word also conveys its true defi nition; (2) The
word ‘Square’ in the context of personality can have several meanings, ‘conservative’,
‘traditional’ and so on. However, in the context of the BHS ethical clothing brand it
coveys a ‘by the book’ working philosophy (e.g. acceptable working environment and
hours etc). Furthermore, as the phrase ‘Fair and Square’ is commonly used, it can increase
the chance of consumers remembering the brand name.
The theory was tested by conducting a fi eld research amongst its target audiences: Brown
proved unpopular – it was considered ‘ambiguous’; 20% preferred Common Sense;
though a staggering 80% favouring Fair & Square as it conveyed ‘all the right attributes
and message for an ethical clothing brand’. On the basis of the fi eld research results, the
group has decided to name the range Fair & Square
Brand Name
The Logo development came from a brainstorming session
where all the connotations of the chosen name “Fair and
Square” were laid down on the table. The initial idea was
literally to have a coloured square with
‘fair and square’ written in it, however,
after some mock-up development ideas,
it became obvious that this was not far
enough removed from the ‘Orange’
mobile phone logo, and did not portray
the right sort of message, as ‘Orange’
is a huge conglomerate, that people do
not associate with ethical trading, and
therefore we did not want to be associated
with that brand in any way.
We kept on the idea of using a square
logo, to tie in with the name, but this time
not just one big block, the square had to be
broken up. We fi nalised upon the idea of making the words
form a square at the top left of the design, and having the
original square on the bottom right of the design, looking
like one big square logo.
The BHS logo was incorporated into the design after placing
the design on an advert design next to the BHS logo, and
establishing that it looked more like a partnership between
‘Fair and Square’ and ‘BHS’ rather than
being part of the same company. To
combat this, the BHS logo was kept
unaltered, but placed inside the blank
square of the ‘Fair and Square’ logo.
The colours we chose were colours that
we immediately associated with the
ethical scene, and are colours that can
be found on items throughout the ‘Fair
and Square’ range.
Logo
Holistic Picture
All of our products are produced using Ethical procedures, where
ever possible, and Organic Cotton.
Growing
Our organic cotton is grown on a farm in Turkey, that exclusively
supplies our spinning factory; Topkapi Iplik, in Israel, with organic
cotton. This family farm has been growing cotton for decades and
is located between Istanbul and Izmir. Farming organically means
that the ground and the crops are grown and harvested in a way
that is benefi cial to the environment, making it more sustainable
than other farming methods could. No chemicals are used, in
comparison to conventionally-grown cotton, which receives the
highest level of agro-chemicals of any crop worldwide. Creating
major damage to the global environment. Being a small, family
fi rm, a lot of attention is paid to workers safety, health and work
conditions. As it is important for everybody to be happy and
working well to reach maximum effi ciency levels.
. Spinning The Topkapi Iplik Factory was established 1972 in Istanbul. It now
employs around 450 people. The factory operates on a 220,000
square meter area, with a 90,000 square meter area of green-
land closed for conservation and surrounded by over 15,000
trees. They work in a way that does not harm human health or
the environment. A main benefi t of the factory is its low energy
consumption, which is better for the environment and also doesn’t
add to the affect of global warming on such a large level as other,
less energy effi cient factories.
The importance they attach to human health and environment
was awarded the OEKOTEKS certifi cate in 1999, which is
awarded to fi rms in Turkey that achieve excellence in the fi eld of
environmentally friendly working practice.
The Topkapi Iplik factory has identifi ed the main factor of long
term as human resources and, have been developing strong ties
with their employees for years.
Topkapi is an establishment that believes all the employees
should have equal rights and opportunities without taking into
consideration their gender, language, ethnicity or any other
personal attributes.
They employ nobody under the age of 18, and workers work by
their own consent and can never be forced to work. According to
the points of the contract of the TEKSIF union, wages and social
rights are implemented for employees in accordance with the
contract at the end of each month.
A normal working week is 45 hours weekly. If anyone requires
overtime, due to the intensive demands, it is carried out on
condition that the employees and labour representatives’ consent.
The employees of Topkapi have at least one day vacation weekly
and wages are paid in accordance with legal arrangements.
Four kinds of meal are provided for employees daily, in accordance
with health regulations. And an annual transportation service is
provided by outside contractors.
Topkapi Iplik is one of Istanbul’s largest spinning factories. From
there the yarn is shipped to Haifa in northern Israel, and then to
Beit Jala in Palestine. (www.topkapi-iplik.com.tr.)
Ethical Trail
Knitting the yarn into cotton
The Arja Textile Company is a family-run, medium-sized factory
founded in 1971 in Bethlehem. They employ around 60 workers
who knit, cut, sew, and fi nish the garments. They also enjoy good
working conditions and unions. The mill, is based in Beit Jala ,
and houses the latest specialized equipment needed to produce
the premium quality products . (www.arja-textile.com.)
Printing
We have negotiated with an ethical, environmentally friendly,
family-owned print shop in the UK to print T-shirts – T-Shirts
and Sons.“T Shirt and Sons produces high quality printed and
embroidered promotional clothing for a broad range of high
profi le clients. Originally founded in Bath, South West England in
the late 1980’s by brothers Jonathan and Andrew Lunt, T Shirt and
Sons is still today a family-run business offering an exceptionally
high level of customer service. The T Shirt and Sons’ factory
is now situated in Westbury, Wiltshire, and our team provide
comprehensive project management from concept, design,
artwork, proofi ng, packaging and distribution logistics, through
to garment sourcing and the manufacture of bespoke items of
workwear, uniforms and promotional clothing.
T Shirt and Sons can offer an extensive range of printing and
embroidery techniques, and for over a decade have been winning
European screenprinting awards for innovation, and especially for
the use of water based inks. These inks reduce the negative impact
of traditional print chemicals on the environment. T Shirt and
Sons can source garments in a wide range of styles and fabrics,
but are fast becoming known for organic and fair trade cottons,
and ethically sourced clothing.” (www.tshirtandsons.co.uk.)
REFERENCES
Topkapi.com (2006) Do the Best You Can (Online) Available from URL: www.topkapi-
iplik.com.tr. [Accessed 3RD May 2006]
Arja-textile.com (2006) Arja Textile Co.: The Ultimate Clothing Experience. (Online)
Available from URL: www.arja-textile.com. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]
Tshirtandsons.co.uk (2006) About T-shirt and Sons (online) Available from URL: www.
tshirtandsons.co.uk. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]
Ethical Trail
Responsible
It is becoming increasingly important to customers that companies
are able to show that they are environmentally conscious, and
are making and implementing plans that reduce environmental
damage. They also need to be reassured that companies are
using technologies such as chemical treatments and genetic
modifi cation, responsibly.
Packaging
Packaging acts as a form of protection for products when they are
in transit. It can prevent products from getting ruined and being
wasted, whilst at the same time carrying important instructions
and information on ingredients and helping the product look
attractive on the shelf, but it also leads to a lot of waste. Our
intention is to use packaging that can be re-used or recycled.
Sustainable sourcing
An important aspect of raw materials is sustainability, and this is
only possible through careful and considerate management of
the farming, mining and retrieval of the materials. Fossil based
materials have a limited supply and are quickly diminishing, so
more attention should be paid to using sustainable products over
fossil fuels. Care should be exhibited at all times when using
particularly hazardous materials that may cause harm to human
health or the environment.
Transport
Without transportation shops would not function. It is vital that
consumers are able to get to the shops in order to purchase items,
and that shops are able to transfer stock between themselves and
suppliers, or even other shops. In order to transport a lot of stock,
big vehicles must be used, but at the moment these are very bad
for the environment and have high CO2 emissions which are
adding to O-Zone gasses. We are committed to transporting stock
as effi ciently as possible, looking into methods of alternative
sustainable fuel sources, and encouraging staff to use public, or
alternative methods of transport.
Energy, water and waste
Energy use and water consumption in the offi ce/warehouse can
have a detrimental affect on the environment if not properly
managed and controlled. The same can be said about the disposal
of waste products. The chemicals and gasses used to preserve
products and foods, and in refrigerated vans, can be damaging
toward the environment. Again, our company is excited about the
prospects of alternative fuels and energy sources, and the regular
monitoring and audit of the use of Energy and Water, ensuring it
is being suffi ciently used.
Environmental
Outline
Environmental Policy – 21st May 2006
1. Suppliers
Raw materials are the many types of Fabric, metal, plastic, chemical
substances etc that are used during the manufacturing process of our
products. An important aspect of these raw materials is sustainability,
and this is only possible through careful and considerate management
of the farming, mining and retrieval of the materials. Fossil based
materials have a limited supply and are quickly diminishing, so more
attention should be paid to using sustainable products over fossil fuels.
Care should be exhibited at all times when using particularly hazardous
materials that may cause harm to human health or the environment.
1.1 Where possible, use raw materials from known sources, if there
is the possibility of lessening the environmental impact.
1.2 Support and develop innovative and alternative sustainable
sources of fuel and raw material.
1.3 Set performance standards that carefully control the use of
potentially hazardous chemicals and substances.
Manufacturing is the production of a product by the use of combining
raw materials. Such a process will use not only raw materials, but also
energy, water, and man power. This process will inevitably produce
waste by-products.
1.4 Developing environmental performance standards for our
suppliers, and basing such standards and practices on already recognised
environmental practices put in place by other companies.
1.5 We will encourage our suppliers to create an environmental
performance measurement system, in order to monitor how their
company is performing in comparison to our other suppliers regarding
environmental issues.
1.6 Suppliers are expected to make an attempt to maximise their
effi ciency levels, in order to minimise consumption of raw materials,
and energy levels.
2. Operations
Effi cient use of transport is mainly concerned with the distribution
fl eets that are used during the delivery processes between us and our
suppliers. They are also concerned with the transport patterns of our
staff and customers and the availability of public transport services.
Most methods of transport available today use valuable fossil fuels, or
cause some kind of harm to the environment.
2.1 Encourage Suppliers and distributors to select vehicles that deliver
and environmentally effi cient combination of fuel and technologies.
2.2 Create a staff incentive to encourage staff members to use more
environmentally friendly methods of transportation when travelling to
work, and in everyday life.
2.3 Provide customers with the opportunity to educate themselves on
sustainable energy sources and alternative methods of transport.
Energy use and water consumption in the offi ce/warehouse can have
a detrimental affect on the environment if not properly managed and
controlled. The same can be said about the disposal of waste products.
The chemicals and gasses used to preserve products and foods, and in
refrigerated vans, can be damaging toward the environment.
2.4 Introduce an environmental management system to track the use
of damaging products and intervene in order to minimalise the risks of
pollution. Also to ensure compliance with outstanding legislation and
any new legislation introduced.
Policy
2.5 Employ and implement a range of reusable transport packaging
systems to reduce waste, and recycle and cardboard or plastic products
that cannot be re-used.
2.6 Ensure that recycled materials are used wherever practical and
possible, other resources must be used effi ciently and potentially
hazardous substances reduced.
2.7 Regularly monitor and audit the use of Energy and Water, ensuring
it is being suffi ciently used.
2.8 By operating recycling and re-use schemes throughout offi ces
and warehouses for packaging and store equipment, waste can be
reduced.
3. Customers
Packaging is an effective way of reducing damage to products during
storage and transit and affectively reducing waste of damaged goods.
It is also used as a means for communicating important information to
the consumers.
3.1 Ensure recycled materials are used in practical and possible
circumstances and the use of other materials is minimal and effi cient.
3.2 Reduce our usage of potentially hazardous materials, and the use
of non-sustainable fuels.
3.3 Promote the use of recycling by customers by the repetition of
recycling logos and symbols.
3.4 Promote and participate in the development of recycling
networks.
Communication with customers leads to a level of trust that it is important
to uphold. Re-assurance about certain issues is also important from
time to time. Such issues may arise involving the use of sustainable
raw materials and recycling etc. Additionally, the way the product is
used, stored, cared for and disposed of can have a huge affect on the
environment, so it is important for people to be educated on the correct
way to do these things.
3.5 Provide easily understood and useful information relating to the
purchase, care of, and disposal of products.
3.6 Develop initiatives aimed towards educating customers on the
disposal of packaging and products that minimises the negative effect
on the environment.
3.7 Work with groups that represent the interests and concerns of
customers.
3.8 Refl ect our environmental goals in the way we communicate with
our customers.
Policy
Recyclable and ethical materials used in store
Recycled Card board – Point of sale promotional materials,
clothes tags etc
Recycled Paper – Till rolls, general use paper, promotional
leafl ets etc
Recycled paper bags – instead of plastic bags to put items in
after purchase, recycled paper bags can be used, printed with
the “fair and square logo”, by an ethical print company.
Hangers – Hangers made from recycled plastics can replace
conventional plastic hangers throughout the whole store.
In-store
Over the next 6 months, as we begin to roll out the initial lines
of ‘Fair and Square’ stock into the BHS stores, we intend to run
a foundation parallel to the campaign that will not only help to
raise awareness of the campaign, but also raise awareness of
the general principles behind the idea of ethical clothing, and
educate people on the matter.
This will be benefi cial to us, as an educated consumer is more
likely to understand why it is benefi cial, not only for them, but
also for the suppliers, when they purchase a piece of ethically
produced clothing.
The Foundation will gain funding from investing 5% of the Fair
and Square profi ts, and will initially have a 3 prong approach:
1. To educate the Staff of Suppliers
2. To educate the Suppliers themselves
3. To educate the Consumer
1. We intend to fund and set up literacy programs for
employees of our major suppliers, as part of educating the
workforce and giving them a better understanding of our goals
and ideology. Alongside the literacy training, the staff would gain
numeracy training if they required it, and educated about why
ethical production is important. The benefi ts of training staff are
such; it gives the staff member a feeling of worth if someone is
spending time and money educating them, which in turn increases
levels of motivation, production and effi ciency. An educated
member of staff is able to read instructions, and therefore requires
less supervision, they are able to proceed with their work at a
more consistent rate, and increase effi ciency and productivity.
The Benefi ts to our company from funding such a project will be
a decrease in the time of production of our products and a higher
level of quality, which can then be passed to the consumer.
2. By educating suppliers about legislation in their area of
the world, and how any changes may affect them, they are more
aware of their legal rights and whether or not their practices are
legal. Also, they may become aware of procedures that they
currently do not practice, but they are now allowed to, but were
just not aware of the changes in legislation. By giving suppliers a
copy of our environmental policy, they will become more aware
of our company ideals and the goals we are working towards,
and hopefully, if they do not already have one, create a policy of
their own that will go towards sustaining the environment.
3. Education of consumers is important, as a consumer that
is aware of the benefi ts of buying ethically produced products is
more likely to buy them, and also if they feel an emotional bond
with us, it will encourage them to buy. By producing a booklet
outlining our basic environmental policy, informing them of our
goals and outlining the principles behind ethical trading, and
why it is so important to today’s society, we create, not only an
awareness of ethical trading, but also of the “Fair and Square”
brand. High brand awareness will boost sales.
All booklet manufacture and printing will be carried out as
ethically as possible, using recycled materials and ethical printing
methods.
Fair & Square
Foundation
Executions
MEDIA: A couple of examples for each campaign execution.
PRESS
Fashion
Title: HelloURL: www.hellomagazine.com
Frequency: Weekly
Editorial Profi le: Renowned for photojournalism of aristocrats
and celebrities, balanced with a series of regular and practical
features. Target Readership: 61% of Readers are ABC1
Title: OK! Magazine
URL: www.ok-magazine.com
Frequency: Weekly
Editorial Profi le: Celebrity Lifestyle magazine. Celebrity led
featuring interviews, gossip, cookery, fashion, beauty, travel,
health and fi tness
Target Readership: ABC1, women aged 24-44
Ethical
Title: Daily Mail – Tabloid
URL: www.dailymailadvertising.co.uk
Frequency: Monday-Saturday
Circulation: 19,000
Readership: 5,634,543 (2.4 readers per copy)
Title: Daily Record - Tabloid (Scotland)
URL: www.dailyrecord.co.uk
Frequency: Monday-Saturday
Circulation: 450,302
Readership: All adults Total readership 1,233,567 (2.7 readers
per copy)
A list of some of the publications within the Top 10 in May 2006;
broken down into BHS’s core consumer age and socio-economic
groups.
34-44• Hello!• OK!• Sky The Magazine
• Take A Break
• What’s On TV
45-54• Good Housekeeping
• Radio Times
• Readers Digest
• Take A Break
• What’s On TV
55-64• Radio Times
• Readers Digest
• Saga• Sky The Magazine
• Take A Break
Media
65+• Radio Times
• Reader’s Digest
• Saga• Take a Break
• What’s On TV
A• Radio Times
• Saga• National Geographic
• Hello!• Private Eye
B• FHM• Good Housekeeping
• National Geographic
• Radio Times
• SagaC1• FHM• OK!• Radio Times
• Saga• Take a Break
D• FHM• OK!• What’s On TV
• Women’s Own
RADIO
Station: Heart 106.2 London
URL: www.heart1062.co.uk
Broadcast area: Greater London, Home countries
Broadcast Time: 24 hours
Broadcast frequency: 106.2Mhz
Programming profi le: Adult contemporary music, news twice per
hourTarget audience: 25-44 year olds, with a slight female bias
Station: MFM 103.4
URL: http://mfm.musicradio.com
Broadcast area: Wrexham, Chester and Deeside
Broadcast Time: 24 hours
Broadcast frequency: 103.4MHz
Programming profi le: Classic and current hits, local and national
newsPage: 1261
OUTDOOR
Core Areas:• London• North West
However, it will be a national outdoor campaign, in locations
within a 1 to 5 mile radius of a BHS store.
Source:Brad (2005) Brad: Monthly Guide to Advertising Media (May
2006), UK: Emap Information
Media
48 Sheet Poster
48 Sheet Poster
Tabl
oid
Full
Page
Mag
azin
e Fu
ll Pa
ge
Transcript
“Giving someone the right wage and a decent working
environment isn’t just ethical; it’s common sense.”
“Fair & Square is the new clothing range by BHS made
with 100% organic cotton. Visit your nearest BHS store
or buy online at bhs.co.uk”
“Fair & Square… We don’t stitch up our workforce.”
Radio 20’
Web Site
The BHS Fair & Square campaign takes an integrated marketing
communications approach. In addition to the above-the-line executions
of Press, Radio and Outdoor, it is imperative to take a holistic strategy
by considering factors outside of its communications. The latter is
exemplifi ed by considering elements within its production such as
the fabrics used, printing, working conditions in the factories, the
workforce, and environmental issues (Packaging, Sustainable sourcing,
Transportation, and Energy, Water & Waste). On the basis of the
aforementioned, we even developed an Environmental Policy for BHS
to implement throughout other parts of its organisation.
Not only did we look at the production stage, we also considered its
method of distribution, paying closer attention to the retail environment
where Fair&Square is sold in. Such attributes include utilising recycled
objects for its Point Of Sale displays, swing tags, hangers, paper bags
and so on. We have adopted a holistic approach so that the whole
Fair&Square initiative is ethical from start to fi nish.
All the advertisements together tell an integrated story. They hold the
same theme of conveying messages of Fair & Square’s ethical practices
from production to the actual clothing range. Instead of adopting a
‘shock-tactic’ strategy, our main focus is to educate the target audiences
about the Fair & Square initiative and its clothing range. The creative
artwork incorporates symbolism by using images such as the cotton
reel and scissors to signify ‘clothing production’; which is reinforced
by powerful straplines.
OUTDOORThe advantage of this medium is that it enables Fair&Square to be
communicated on a mass scale. The disadvantage is that the campaign
competes with a multitude of various outdoor messages, which could
potentially weaken the campaign. Another disadvantage is that the
viewing time is very quick (9 seconds average), which limits the amount
of copy that can be placed a 48-sheet billboard.
The concept behind the outdoor campaign came from understanding
exactly what ethical production is, and also having to differentiate us
from some of our competitors in a short message that people are able to
read and understand whilst moving past at speed. Ethical manufacture
is based around fairness in the work place and loyalty, and respect
towards staff members. With this in mind we listed many different
quick sayings that can sum this up, and decided upon “We don’t stitch
up our workers…” as it not only has relevance to treating workers
fairly, but also a double-entendre, as the use of the word ‘stitch’ has
particular relevance to the clothing manufacturing industry. We chose
the image of a cotton thread and needle, as it was simple and did
not draw attention away from the saying, but backed it up. Black and
white photography gave the image a subtly serious feeling. In contrast
to the black and white, the text was written in the colours that we had
previously associated with ethical clothing. Finally, the colour logo is
placed in the bottom right hand corner so it is the last thing a passer by
sees, and the brand stays in their mind.
PRESSIt could be suggested that out of the three mediums, Press is the most
effective platform for communicating directly with our target audience
through carefully selecting the right publications. For example, the
Fashion advertisement will be inserted in OK magazine because its target
readership of 24-44 years and editorial profi le of ‘Celebrity Lifestyle
magazine… fashion, beauty, travel, health and fi tness’ correlates with
the BHS target audience.
The creative concept for this design led on from the outdoor campaign,
but we wanted to expand more on our ethical work ideals and inform
the reader a little more about these. We used more copy on this advert
than the outdoor advert, as people will have more time to read it,
although we did not want to fl ood the page with text. We picked out
three separate benefi ts of our manufacturing process, as triptych listing
Rationale
is easier to remember than listing things in twos or fours; safe working
conditions, no child labour, and no forced labour. Again, we are trying
to be subtle, and not trying to preach to the reader. The use of a greater
amount of copy also gave us the opportunity to give the reader a little
more information about the products, and where they can purchase
them. The image of a pair of scissors is tied in with the use of the
cotton reel in the outdoor advert, as they are both objects used in the
manufacture of clothes, and it also relates to the text; “we don’t cut
corners…” With the colours and design used, there should be continuity
between the press and outdoor adverts. All in all, this is meant to leave
readers with a positive image of our brand, and encourage them to
open their minds and give our ethical range a chance.
RADIOThe objective of the 20” radio spot is to generate awareness towards
the Fair&Square ethical clothing range, as well as drive traffi c towards
the online site. The script integrates copy from the Press and Outdoor
ad campaigns in order for the listeners to create immediate linkages
between the campaigns.
The use of a softly spoken yet assertive female voice conveys the
‘sensitiveness’ of Fair & Square. Furthermore, it manages to deliver
ethical points without sounding ‘preachy’ unlike other ethical radio
spots. It is informative and straight to the point.
The Fair&Square radio spot will be executed national via regional stations
that have similar target audiences as BHS. Such stations include Heart
106.2 (Greater London, Home countries) and MFM 103.4 (Wrexham,
Chester and Deeside). This is to ensure effective targeting and reach.
WEBSITEThe Fair & Square website was designed to be practical fi rst, visually
appealing second. Consumers will not use websites that are complex
or diffi cult to use. It was decided not to use Flash or similar content for
two reasons. Compatibility is always an issue when writing content for
the web, if customers cannot access your site they will go elsewhere.
Secondly, many consumers fi nd fl ash irritating and time consuming.
Load times tend to increase dramatically for little gain in usability.
The Fair & Square site uses a simple design with one main frame along
with navigation bars on the left hand side and top of the page. These
provide access to the entire clothing range, search facilities, shopping
cart, contact details and information about Fair & Square. Content will
be stored in a SQL database and displayed in the main frame subject to
the users specifi cations.
Clearly in order for the BHS site to increase traffi c consistently the entire
site would need to be revitalised with a consistent theme. However for
the initial launch a prominent banner has been placed on the BHS
homepage directing interested parties to the Fair & Square site.
Rationale
References
Brad (2005) Brad: Monthly Guide to Advertising Media (May 2006), UK: Emap
Information
Hickman, M., 12/12/2005, U.K. Market for Organic & Fair Trade Clothes
& Other Products Growing Rapidly, accessed April 2005, http://www.
organicconsumers.org/btc/market121205.cfm
Lock, K. (2006) Natural Born Shopping (Online), Available from URL:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/executive/form?_index=exec_en.html&_
lang=en&ut=3325272301, [Accessed 1st May 2006]
Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available
from URL: http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&t
ype=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st
May 2006] Online References
Arja-textile.com (2006) Arja Textile Co.: The Ultimate Clothing Experience.
(Online) Available from URL: www.arja-textile.com. [Accessed 3rd May
2006]
news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online), Available
from URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.stm, [Accessed 12th
May 2006]
Topkapi.com (2006) Do the Best You Can (Online) Available from URL: www.
topkapi-iplik.com.tr. [Accessed 3RD May 2006]
Tshirtandsons.co.uk (2006) About T-shirt and Sons (online) Available from
URL: www.tshirtandsons.co.uk. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]
www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online), Available
from URL: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-misc/bhs/427789/,
[Accessed 12th May 2006]
Bibliography
BHS Limited, BHS Homepage, www.bhs.co.uk, viewed March 2006
Bureau van Dijk FAME, 2005, BHS Limited company report, http://fame.
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Ecotopia, http://www.ecotopia.co.uk, viewed April 2006
Ethical Threads, http://www.ethicalthreads.co.uk/, viewed April 2006
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Greenfi bres, http://www.greenfi bres.com/, viewed April 2006
Hello! Limited, 2006, Display Advertising Rates 2006, http://www.
hellomagazine.com/marketing/media2006.pdf, viewed April 2006
Howies, http://www.howies.co.uk/, viewed April 2006
Natural Collection, http://www.naturalcollection.com, viewed April 2006
News Stream Ltd 2006, Publication Sizes & Specifi cations, http://www.news-
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References