Brand Analysis of the Body Shop - Assignment Help Site..... 8 Reflection ..... 9 ... Body shop are...
Transcript of Brand Analysis of the Body Shop - Assignment Help Site..... 8 Reflection ..... 9 ... Body shop are...
Brand Analysis of the Body Shop The Body Shop
Executive Summary
This is a report about the brand analysis of The Body Shop. First in introduction we have tried to
learn about The Body Shop as a corporate. We then looked at the brand positioning of The
Body Shop as a Brand and associated values. Then, we specified the brand characteristics of The
Body Shop. Then we found the customer benefits associated with The Body Shop. Then, we
dwelled for the factors which are the base for Brand Equity for The Body Shop as a brand. Then,
we derived the conclusion for the brand analysis for The Body Shop as a brand and penned
down the reflection after competing this assignment.
Contents
Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Brand positioning and values ........................................................................................................................ 3
Brand Characteristics .................................................................................................................................... 5
Customer benefits ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Brand Equity .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Reflection ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Referencing ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Introduction The First outlet of The Body Shop was opened in Brighton in 1976 selling only 25 home made
and hand mixed beauty products which have been natural and working to maintain health and
beauty. This was just the start of an ecstatic journey of The Body Shop in which they have now
expanded to 6000 outlets across the world outlets (Laroche et al., 2001). The Body shop
concept was based on the point that customers are willing to pay higher for environmentally
friendlier products which have made The Body Shop as a very power international retail brand.
They have been listed as 28th in Global brands by Interbrand and as the second most trusted
brand by customers (Superbrands, 2005). The Body Shop success can be attributed to the core
principles and brand values of Environmental friendliness, community development as well as
fair trade practices which have been essential for so high vision, commitment for its corporate
values forming its core as a Trusted Brand called as The Body Shop. Major Competitors for The
Body shop are other cosmetic brands like Revlon; Lakme Etc. brands (Nicholls 2002, pp. 6-17).
This report tries to dwell deep into the brand and various characteristics of The Body shop. We
have tried to find out the reasons for inception of The Body shop as a trusted brand and how
they have used their corporate values of environmental friendliness, Fair Practices as well as
Community development to help the brand get trust of its customers as well as make them
loyal (Carbone 1999).
Brand positioning and values
The Body Shop has always been the brand which creates a difference. Various Marketers
consider The Body Shop as a marketing icon. The Body Shop has generated a brand image
without conventional branding. The Body Shop is different from other usual cosmetic brands as
the brand values are different for The Body Shop which are with The Body Shop. The Body Shop
has created a brand image using its unique association created with those values. The Body
Shop is very famous for its association with ethical brand practices. The Body Shop is also very
much nature friendly and wants to propagate the idea world over with the same. The Body
Shop products adhere to these values by using only natural ingredients and never test these
products on animals (Craven 2003, pp. 36-38). The Body Shop also packages and merchandises
its products to showcase these brand values to its customers. The Body Shop uses refillable
packs as well as those which can be recycled. The Body Shop also benefits from the same as
these keep the prices very low but these brand elements help in better reinforcing brand
positioning for The Body Shop. The Body Shop also is very much careful in messages which are
being displayed in the The Body Shop and other pop up brand merchandise. The Body Shop
makes sure that these brand messages are very enthusiastic as well as informative. Hence, all
these brand elements make The Body Shop a very different cosmetic brand from conventional
cosmetic brands (Nicholls 2002, pp. 6-17).
The Body Shop has been the personality extension of the founder Anita Roddick himself. Anita
Roddick has been a very enthusiastic environmentalist as well as advocate of human rights. The
Body Shop has been the mirror image of those efforts. She has her views being supported by
the activities which she did with the body shop. All these associations have helped Anita
Roddick to create highly positive brand reinforcement for The Body Shop. The Body Shop has
been established as a brand which works in saving environment while other brands just gives
hope to them. Also, The Body Shop is successful in communicating with customers as a very
high level which is above beauty and fairness values which are only being talked about by other
cosmetic brands (Frampton 2006, p. 65). The Body Shop always shows honesty within itself as
a brand value associated with it. The Body Shop retail outlets also try to reinforce these brand
attributes. All of The Body Shop retail outlets work in creating an impression of honest, fun and
excitement within itself. The Body Shop owner Anita Roddick personally takes interviews with
all of the body shop franchisee holders so that she can ensure that those franchises will also
work in the same direction which is being enlisted in brand values of The Body Shop and will
share the same passion about the body shop and its principles (Blackhurst 2006, p. 27).
The success of The Body Shop as a brand has always been given to the unique business model
of The Body Shop. The Body Shop as a brand always was focused on Public Relations as well as
Word of Mouth as a means to make sales rather than advertising. The Body Shop always goes
away from conventional marketing wisdom. The Body Shop products are very simple and all
new ideas for products of The Body Shop have been derived by feedback from customers. For
example, when Anita Roddick was travelling to Sri Lanka, she saw traditional women using fresh
pineapple flakes for cleaning their faces (Craven 2003, pp. 36-38). This gave The Body Shop
their highly successful product, the pineapple face wash. Many products of The Body Shop has
been the result of these conventional product sin multiple parts of world which are not being
adapted by other cosmetic brands but have given immense new product advantage to The
Body Shop. Hence, The Body Shop is said to be Niche Brand in itself. Niche can be termed as the
level of awareness that it propagates about being environmental friendly and also being ethical
as a product and brand. This is a kind of novel brand value in cosmetic brands. Normally
environmental friendliness is usually associated with being unprofitable but The Body Shop
differs from the same. The Body Shop works on the principle which is garnering profits with
principles (Andersen 1998).
Brand Characteristics
The Brand Shop as a brand has different brand characteristics attached to itself. The Brand
Personality of Body Shop as a traditional brand which doesn’t promote itself as modern brand.
They only utilise PR and Word of Mouth Publicity for promoting themselves. This leads to
conservatism as a trait for the brand. The Body shop is closely associated with organisations
which are working for Greener earth as well as developing communities across the globe
according to its Profit with Principles Core values (Smith 1996).
The Brand Symbols are usually not that prevalent and promote The Body shop as an umbrella
brand rather than its 8 sub brands which reduces confusion in its customers. The Brand has
cultural relationships with its customers as it had tried to build a base by promoting health and
beauty as a concept rather than cosmetic culture. They have tried and worked to give products
which are totally natural to help it customers (Craven 2003, pp. 36-38). The customers are
hence willing to pay higher for an environmental conscious brand. The Users imagine the higher
price points as the payment to use products which are at high price points. The Body Shop is a
British brand but now it has become a true global brand by having more than 6000 retail outlets
worldwide (Carbone 1999).
Customer benefits
Any Brand Community members try and seel marketers now as owners of any brand but as
people who temporarily work towards steering the brand. These people are now taken as more
and more accountable and more so in a direct way. Members of the community see them as
interested in the brand more than the people who market the brand as they now how in real
the product is being used and marketed. Marketers are more so accountable now a day as
consumers work in social circles but not as individual units which have no say in the brand
(Andersen 1998).
Regarding, The Body Shop brand communities they applaud Anita Roddick who is the founder
member of The Body Shop as she is voracious speaker in environmental as well as human rights
front. She has the clear insights as well as guts to speak truth in front of many people. Brand
communities may or may not like the changing strategies of the brands with which they are
associated brands (Nicholls 2002, pp. 6-17). People who are associated with The Body Shop
brand community see The Body Shop as a brand which promotes the values it is built with. With
the rise of The Body Shop as a brand and its community associated with it, the social collective
of being environmental accountability has gained popularity in the corporate circle and multiple
brand have taken the The Body Shop way of doing things into their working. This not only has
benefited environment as a whole but had increased the stature of The Body Shop as a brand
(Carbone 1999).
Brand Equity
The Brand Equity of The Body Shop has been built on multiple aspects like the products of The
Body Shop, the packaging of the products, the distribution channels that they use, the ways of
promotion that thy use and the price at which they sell their products (Craven 2003, pp. 36-38).
Product - The Body Shop has over 400 natural products which are for body care and over 500
sundry care items. The Body Shop also has customized products for its customers. All of
products of The Body Shop are made up of natural ingredients mainly of fruits, vegetables,
herbs and flowers. In every The Body Shop store, they give perfume bars which can be used in
oils and lotions at no cost, they also have gift baskets make up staff which is fully trained in all
activities with foot and hand massages given in the retail outlet of The Body Shop Only (Smith,
1996).
Packaging- in Packaging, The Body Shop doesn’t try and give excessive packaging to their
products. They only want to keep all of their products and their respective packaging very
simple. For all these activities, The Body Shop has made refilling as well as recycling of bottles
as a very much associated part of their overall environmental program of The Body Shop. These
things are changing in recent times as multiple new product offerings have been becoming
more sophisticated as well as proliferated across. Multiple new product labels have also been
introduced. The Body Shop has eight products under “The Body Shop” brand. These sub brands
add newer dimensions as well as complexities to recognition of The Body Shop as a brand. The
Body Shop also uses a new packing strategy by having testers to the products to their
customers so that they can compare their various lotions as well as fragrances before they buy
the actual product from The Body Shop (Andersen 1998).
Distribution Channel- Regarding Distribution channels, The Body Shop main outlet is also their
own retail store and no other channel is used to sell their products except their own retail
outlets. They also distribute their products using mail order catalogs. Using these product
catalogs , customers can order and buy any of The Body Shop product offering but they include
shipping and handling with the products which makes them expensive than normal products
brands (Nicholls 2002, pp. 6-17).
Promotions - The Body Shop uses traditional ways to promote their products to their
customers. They don’t make any unfulfilling promises to The Body Shop customers but they
present their products as those which can make them skin caring, hair and face helping
products. The Body Shop heavily relies of in store promotion, world of mouth publicity as well
as good public relations with third party reporting of their products and critic reviews
(Frampton 2006, p. 65).
Price - The Body Shop products are at a price point which signal high quality but are not
extreme. They normally give five sizes in every product which The Body Shop offers which also
helps them to promote different price points for their products to different setoff buyers with
different budgets. The Body Shop prices their products at different price points but keeps them
at 10 percentage points less than other cosmetic brands. Still, these are at high prices when
compared with other departmental store brands (Andersen 1998).
Profits with Principles - The Body Shop always have maintained that they maintain an extra P in
their marketing mix which is about garnering profits with principles. The main area of focus for
always have maintained that they maintain an extra P has been Stewarts for environment, fair
trade practices and developing community near to them. When we talk about environmental
stewardship, they have always maintained that The Body Shop is an environmental friendly
company who always maintain its efforts towards the same. They have tried to become energy
self-sufficient. Regarding Fair Trade practices, The Body Shop has ensured that all its trading
shall incorporate the ethical practices of The Body Shop principles. The Body Shop also supports
more than 500 communities and their developments. It tries to propagate social development
activities across the globe (Carbone 1999).
Conclusion
The Body Shop as a brand has stood different to traditional models to create brand equities.
They have updated their brands and have gained increased customer recognition with
garnering appreciation for environmental as well as ethical issues. They have been pioneer in
the usage of natural resources as well as promoting health and lifestyles as an alternative to
beauty industry. The personality, soul and core of the company, its brand identity as well as
brand image has been shown using the tiredness design which has made The Body Shop as a
long brand with loads of core values as well as having multiple brand strategies. The Body Shop
believes that only those brands will survive which have stakeholder collaboration to generate
brand equity for them. The Body Shop tries and uses the essential self-belief for right and
stemming the fundamental self-belief in the company values. These values will be well used by
the purpose with which The Body Shop exists which is using the social and competitive values
which try and consciously contribute to The Body Shop competitive advantage. The Body Shop
has evolved to reflect the changing brand design tastes and commercial imperatives needed for
any brand evolution.
Reflection
After writing this report regarding “Brand Analysis of The Body Shop”, it has made me realise
the different aspects of a brand. I have also come to acknowledge that a brand doesn’t
necessarily need over and over advertisement for its growth but can rely on Word to Mouth
Publicity to become a trusted brand. The Body Shop example shows that people are willing to
trust and buy the product if it so works in an environmental friendly way. The Body Shop as a
brand works more with its brand community. The Brand community concept has also made me
realise that Marketing Mix isn’t the only thing that needs to be optimised but also efforts
should be made to create a loyal Brand Community which is helpful in increasing the Trust for
any Organisation or Brand.
Referencing
Blackhurst, C. 2006, “There’s a word for all this, Anita . . . and it’s hypocrisy”, The
Evening Standard, May 15, p. 27.
Carbone, L.P. 1999, “Leveraging customer experience in the twenty-first century”,
Arthur
Andersen 1998, “Retailing Issues Letter”, Texas A&M University, Vol. 11, No. 3.
Collins, J.C. and Porras, J. 1998, “Built to Last”, Random House, London.
Conran, T. 1996, “Conran on Retail Design”, Conran Octopus, London.
Craven, A. 2003, “Gazing into the CSR crystal ball:what’s on the horizon for social
responsibility?”, Strategic Direction, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 36-38.
Dennis, B., Neck, C.P. and Goldsby, M. 1998, “Body Shop International: an exploration of
corporate social responsibility”, Management Decision, Vol. 36 No. 10, pp. 649-53.
Fitch, R. and Knobel, L. 1990, “Fitch on Retail Design”, Phaidon, London.
Frampton, K. 2006, “The work of architecture in the age of commodification”, Harvard
Design Review, Regeneration, No. 23, Fall 2005/Winter 2006, p. 65.
Gobe´, M. 2001, “Emotional Branding and the New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to
People”, Allworth Press, London.
Handy, C. 1998, “The Hungry Spirit, Beyond Capitalism – A Quest for Purpose in the
Modern World”, Arrow, London.
Hawkins, J. 2001, “The Creative Economy – How People Will Make Money from Ideas”,
Allen Lane, London.
Ind, N. 1997, “The Corporate Brand”, Macmillan Business, London.
Johri, L.M. and Sahasakmontri, K. 1998, “Green marketing of cosmetics and toiletries in
Thailand”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 265-81.
Kapferer, J-N. 1997, “Strategic Brand Management”, Kogan Page, London.
Mintel 2004, “Health and Beauty Retailing UK”, Mintel International Group Limited,
London.
Mitchell, G. 1986, “Design in the High Street”, The Architectural Press, London.
Nicholls, A.J. 2002, “Strategic options in fair trade retailing”, International Journal of
Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 6-17.
Offenhartz, H. 1968, “Point of Purchase Design”, Reinhold, London.
Schlosser, E. 2002, “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”,
Perennial/Harper Collins, New York, NY.
Sinclair, A. and Agyeman, B. 2005, “Building global leadership: strategies for success”,
Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 5-8.
Smith, N. 1996, “The production of nature”, in Robertson, G. (Ed.), Futurenatural:
Nature, Science, Culture, Routledge, London.
Superbrands 2005, “Body Shop case study”, Superbrands