LP Stragegic ProposalMegan Airey

N0504495

Contents

1. Introduction2. Awareness3. Launch Event4. Celebrity/PR5. Launch Event Leverage6. After The Launch7. Selfridges Case Study8. Selfridges Pop-up9. Conclusion

IntroductionLP as a brand aim to offer a bespoke personal experience, bringing music and fragrance together to create a stronger sensory experience for the consumer. Our concept is based

on scientific research, known as Crossmodal Perception that changes the way we think about smell, According to psychiatric researcher, Daniel Wesson. He and [Donald]

Wilson repeatedly sent a mix of both odours and tones into tubercle cells and saw that responses become 29 percent more enhanced.1 Our concept involves 4 different pieces of music being played to the consumer, the consumer then chooses his

favourite piece and in return receives the corresponding scent suited to that music.

Whilst in London and Nottingham we took street style photographs of our target consumer, as well as in our home towns of Leeds and Manchester. We asked

each person we photographed their favourite artist and decade for music to aid the progression of our idea, we also did this at a gig we went to as we found survey monkey wouldnt target our consumer specifically. Out of the 60 people we asked, the

overriding majority said that 90s music was their preferred decade, therefore we chose to theme our

advertising and promotion around 90s music culture. Our concept fits with the current 90s zeitgeist, Ben Perdue from WGSN states The ongoing 90s styling trend has been fuelled by a revival of the UKs influential Madchester music scene that first emerged in the late

80s in Manchester.2

AwarenessTo raise brand awareness, as a new brand, we needed to do

something that would catch the publics attention. We would begin small and create momentum. In the cities that feature a Selfridges, we will place posters around the city centre

in places where gig posters would be found I.e. poster drums and poster walls also around music event venues in order to reach our target market. Next we will place pop-up vintage

style photo booths in the indie shopping districts of each of the cities: The Northern Quarter - Manchester, Gibb Street

- Birmingham, and Camden and Shoreditch - London. These will be where the public can try the LP experience and find their scent. We will also do a pop-up band in the style of flash

mobs in each city. Where a band will form from within the busy shopping crowd and play a well-known 90s song. These

stunts will draw attention from social media. They will also be filmed for a promotional YouTube video which will

hopefully be shared.

Figure 1: Brixton 02 Academy

Launch Event

For our launch event we decided to hold a nostalgic 90s gig that would be held in Londons Brixton 02 academy, A venue associated with live music events, winning NMEs best venue award multiple times. To stay true to our concept, we decided to display 90s bands but also to

appeal to the younger generation, we will also feature new upcoming bands.

To promote the fragrance we would have the promotional images placed where they usually post gig and upcoming event posters

inside the venue. We would also place photo booths inside around the building. Here the guests will be able to go

inside, listen to the pieces of music, choose their favourite and in turn receive a sample bottle of the corresponding

LP scent, along with a gig style ticket, directing them to Selfridges where they will be able to purchase the bottle.

We chose to use a sample bottle as at an event such as this, a sample on a paper is easily discarded and forgotten about,

whereas a bottle will be put in the consumers pocket and they will be reminded the next day of the scent. By doing a music event, Not only are we creating brand conversion

by entertaining and engaging the consumer, but LP are also launching into an additional market as well as the fragrance one. In BBC documentary, Something Old, Something New, New York Times perfume columnist, Chandler Burr states there

was 1200 fragrance launches in 20103 So as a challenger brand, an underdog in the fragrance world, we have to take a different approach by targeting our consumer through an

alternative market.

Music bloggers like Pitchfork and journalists from magazines such as NME, GQ and DAZED & CONFUSED as well as fashion and fragrance bloggers will be invited to create publicity not only through the fragrance market but also to generate buzz in the music community and therefore increasing the brands

reach. To the launch event, we would invite 90s music icons such as Liam Gallagher, Damon Albarn and Ian Brown, using their influence to promote the fragrance. We would ask them to try the fragrance experience and then share

the scent they acquired via twitter using the event hashtag #shareyourscent. GQ editor, Dylan Jones states men are

concerned about status4 therefore using iconic artists from the consumers youth, the consumer form[s] an attachment to [the] celebrities, regarding them asreliable arbiters of

taste5 . Not only will this create a fanfare surrounding the product causing media attention, it will also create a sense

of nostalgia for the consumer.

Celebrity/PR

We will assign Modus Publicity as the main PR company to help LPs launch. With previous clients such as LOccitane and Lee jeans, we felt that they had both experience within the fragrance market whilst having the eye for a more indie,

nostalgic brand image by working with Lee Jeans. Notably, they have also worked with Selfridges on many occasions. The

one that stands out for LP, as a brand heavily influenced by music, is the 2013 G-STAR RAW X SERGIO PIZZORNO limited edition collection, in which Sergio, of Kasabian performed in store. Modus where also behind the Twenty8Twelve circus

themed pop up store to mark the in-store arrival of the Spring/Summer 11 collection.

Figure 1; Oasis, 1995. Photographed by Will CamdenFigure 2: Sergio Pizzorno G-Star

With the #shareyourscent running throughout the launch event, inviting the bloggers, journalists, artists and public who attend one of the LP Live gigs, to post what

scent they got along with their chosen song on Twitter. This will entice people who didnt attend one of the shows to try

out the bespoke experience whilst the bloggers and online press will also create a word of mouth buzz online about the

event.

Launch Event Leverage

After the main launch event, the promotional video will be launched on to the LP Instagram page, alongside photographs taken from the launch events, again engaging the consumer,

allowing them to share the images they are in and add their own using the hashtag creating brand advocacy, also the celebrity guests at the launch event will share their own photos of the night, attracting an audience that may not be as in touch with the fragrance market, but will

take inspiration from their idols. Taking inspiration from Burberry Acoustic LP Live will be streamed to the LP

YouTube channel so the public can watch the event live, again they will be invited to share this event and discuss it

across social media using the hashtag #LPLIVE.

LP Live 2014 - Catfish and the Bottlemen LP fragrance

As the product launch was a press event for bloggers, journalists and celebrities, we decided to host a range of smaller gigs around the country. We have researched

venues around the country and came to the conclusion that these would be held in various places such as The East

Village Arts Club Liverpool, The Cockpit Leeds, Rock City Nottingham, The Ritz Manchester The Institute

Birmingham and The Electric Ballroom London, due to their size, locations and heritage with indie music culture.

Compared to the main launch event, these will be smaller in scale with two iconic 90s headliner and three or four

upcoming acts supporting them. Like the launch event, these will all be streamed live onto the YouTube channel and will each feature the photo booth experience. By holding smaller

scale events around the country, we are interacting with a wider audience than just the cities with a Selfridges, therefore not limiting our reach. These events, including

the main event and the awareness campaign will be done over the time period of one month, keeping the consumer engaged

with publicity stunts and live streams.

After The Launch

Fragrance Lab Selfridges Case StudyOn the 1st May 2014, Selfridges launched The Beauty

Project. The concept will last ten weeks, celebrating all definitions of beauty6 There is an installation known as

the Fragrance Lab that similar to our concept, offers a bespoke experience for the consumer. The Fragrance Lab

matches the customers with their own character, distilled into scent7 . Mark Tungate explains that There is a

growing market for made to measure fragrances8 . The Beauty Project, Created by The Future Laboratory and Campaign

with experts from Givaudin charge 65 for this experience, including a 50ml bottle of your fragrance. LP offers a

similar experience at the cheaper price of 65 for 100ml, however we have the USP of uniting music and memories. In the Selfridges Fragrance Lab, the visitors fill in a

questionnaire about their personality and then experience a personalised consultation. In comparison to LP, the process of receiving your personal scent feels more pharmaceutical whereas LP takes a more laid back approach. LP also allows

the customer to purchase any of the four scents individually if the scent you are given is not to your taste, unlike the Fragrance Lab where you pay for the experience despite the

fact you might not like the final scent.We chose to sell our fragrance in Selfridges due to our

Mid- Range price of 65 for a 100ml bottle. Having only four stores in London, Birmingham, Manchester city center and

Manchester Trafford center it shows how unique and limited we are. Selfridges fits our brands concept as it continues its commitment to providing customers with extraordinary retail

experiences. LP will host a pop-up shop for 2 months, it will be a step back to the 90s which will be innovating and interactive. The pop-up will include a 90s nostalgia video game station, 90s vinyls for sale and a record player for the public to select the music thats played. There will be classic 90s TV showings in a room and it will also feature the fragrance experience photo booths. As a brand we have

chosen to only sell in the United Kingdom, as a brand strongly associated with 1990s British music culture, the message

of music and memories would not translate as well over seas. Being a British brand and only selling in the United Kingdom

will strengthen the brand essence.

The First Twelve MonthsMonths 4-7: As the initial buzz dies down and the pop-up store closes, to keep the LP Brand in peoples minds we

will look to our relationship with music. Around the festival months in summer, LP will have a strong presence in at many of the festivals around the United Kingdom. At events such as Leeds and Reading Festival, Bestival, Glastonbury and V Festival, LP will set up our 90s pop-up shop that featured in Selfridges, allowing a relaxed area that festival goers can escape to during the day. They will also get the chance to try the fragrance photo booth during the day offering the music fans a chance to freshen up during the day. At night the pop up shop will turn into a mini open DJ tent in which the LP DJ will play iconic 90s songs. The brands presence at music festivals will maintain LPs links with British Music, whilst keeping the relationship with the consumer

strong. From the brands festival experience, we will create a promotional YouTube video that will build on the brands

music and memories brand message. This will also enable the consumer to spot themselves in the video which will therefore

make it more likely that they will share this content with their friends still building the brand - consumer

relationship.

Months 8-10: The next few months will be used to promote the fragrances. We will regularly update the YouTube Chanel with what were listening to at LP, maintaining the links with music, both new and old, using twitter to promote this. We will host small gigs in cities across the United Kingdom, using the fragrance photo booths to introduce more people to the fragrance. Continuing the #LPLIVE to allow the public to

share content across social media.

Months 11-12: In the final months of the first year, we will collate all the video footage and images, both brand

created and user generated content, to create a one year in video. This will allow the people that have been a part of LPs journey to reminisce about, a festival, a gig or even

seeing a pop-up band form in front of them. This is not only emphasising the brands message and essence, but it provides

an emotional attachment for the consumer that makes them feel part of the brands story. As our product is based on the

current 90s zeitgeist, the current concept may not translate through future trends. Therefore we will begin to look at our consumer, asking them for feedback to give us inspiration for

our next idea, keeping our consumer key to the process.

ConclusionLP as a brand aim to offer a bespoke personal experience, bringing music and fragrance together to create a stronger

sensory experience for the consumer. The brand image is strongly centred around 1990s 2000s British music culture, in particular the rock n roll and Britpop genres. By focussing on music and memories in our

promotional attributes and twelve month plan we are able to create memories both for and with our consumer. The music events we help to create will not only be true to

LP as a brand and help to increase our manifestation and presence as a brand, but using it as a promotional tool will be entertained and therefore more likely to

engage with the brand, Consumers are an audience to be entertained by commodities, where selling is mingled with

amusement9 .

Strenghts

Opourtunities

Weaknesses

Threats

-Our strategy emphasises consumer engagement and is based around building brand trust from the consumer.

-The people involved in our launch process will be entertained, therefore associate the brand with good memories

and want to buy into the brand.-The promotion concept Increases brands links with music for

the future-Involvement of high profile celebrities from our consumers

youth emphasises the brands nostalgic image and tone.

-Our promotional tools arent specifically associated with the fragrance market and product, they are more based on promoting

the idea and essence of the brand-Although the 90s trend is very prevalent now, we are

aware it wont last forever therefore we have decided this particular product will not be a long running product.

-There are opportunities for future music collaborations ie. Sponsor festival tent

-We can use the LP YouTube channel to promote unsigned acts, we could run a social media competition in which unsigned

bands can send in videos of them and the public can vote on the best to play at a festival.

-The consumer engagement builds a strong relationship with the customer allowing them to provide us with feedback and ideas

for future products.

-Our high profile celebrities and music event may overshadow the product at the launch, there will have to be a large

amount of promotional material around the venue -As our strategy is highly associated around social media, we have to be aware that the content we create may not be shared-There is also the threat that the current 90s zeitgeist is

going to fade. This means the product may have a shorter shelf life than intended.

Bibliographyhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/oct/22/sound-and-smell-create-harmony

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/making-scents-of-sounds-n/

http://www.moduspublicity.com/clients_modus/

http://www.wgsn.com

http://www.o2academybrixton.co.uk/Info/About

http://pitchfork.com/

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2014/05/21/britpop-playlist/gallery/1169424

Mark Tungate (2008). Fashion Brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page ltd.

http://www.moduspublicity.com/twenty8twelve-pop-up-store-at-selfridges/

Something Old, Something New. (2011). Documentary. Directed by Ian Deyner. London: BBC.

http://www.creativetourist.com/articles/shopping/manchester/shopping-in-manchester-best-shops-in-the-city/

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/05/birmingham-cool-insiders-guide

http://birminghampromoters.com/venues/

Rosalind H. Williams (1982). Dream Worlds: Mass Consumption in Late Nineteenth-century France. California: The Regents Of The University Of Califonia.

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References1. Cassie Barton. (2012). How sound and smell can create perfect harmony. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/oct/22/sound-and-smell-create-harmony.

2. Ben Perdue. (2013). Madchester: emerging menswear trend. http://www.wgsn.com.ezproxy.ntu.ac.uk/content/report/Trend_Analysis/Menswear/2013/August/madchester_emergingmensweartrend.html.

3. Something Old, Something New. (2011). Documentary. Di-rected by Ian Deyner. London: BBC

4. Mark Tungate (2008). Fashion Brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page ltd. 174.

5. Mark Tungate (2008). Fashion Brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page ltd. 122

6.Laura Saunter. (2014). Selfridges Launches Fragrance Lab. Available: http://wgsn-hbl.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/selfridges-launches-fragrance-lab.html.

7.Laura Saunter. (2014). Selfridges Launches Fragrance Lab. Available: http://wgsn-hbl.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/selfridges-launches-fragrance-lab.html.

8.Mark Tungate (2008). Fashion Brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page ltd. 161

9. Rosalind H. Williams (1982). Dream Worlds: Mass Con-sumption in Late Nineteenth-century France. California: The Regents Of The University Of Califonia. 67.