What can I say.....I could keep uploading images of adverts I find brilliant but there would be a lot! The world of advertising, marketing and branding just fascinates me, the creativity and the amazing ideas that goes into the advertisements is incredible and this is why I'm studying this area within Fashion....this is what I LOVE!!!!

This advert had me laughing for ages....

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration...

Another site I came across while doing researh............
http://www.webdesigndev.com/inspiration/30-creative-adverts-for-your-inspiration

Overall...

I am very happy with the work I produced and feel I have learnt a lot during this unit. I think the involvement of visits from Jenny and completing a group project along side this was actually an effective task and helped to get things clearer in my head while gaining amazing information. If I was to complete this unit again, I would ensure I started it with a clear positive mind set to give me a good start, I would also involve my lectures more and use them and their knowledge to help me along with this project and I would have went to them when I first knew I was struggling. Apart from that, overall a very inspiring, thought provoking unit.

Writing the Business Plan...

At first I struggled with writing the business plan quit a bit. I couldnt get myy head around the fact the business I was creating was in a hypothertical context and I kept complicating things. The basis of my idea has always been the same but the facts and figures have changed slightly. I feel I now have a strong business plan which includes all the details needed and a good estimated financial plan.

Rosie-Lee Group Presentation

Rosie lee

View more presentations from SammiGale

This is the presentation that the group put together to present to Jenny and Sarah for our group project. Jody Hendy and I worked on the Marketing and E-tail/Blogger part of the project. Overall, a fun project but we could have gone into more detail if we had more time and less work from other units but Jenny was very impressed with our Marketing part so I was very happy :)

I have now built a good understanding of what is to go into a business plan and got it clear in my head what business i want and where it stands in the Fashion industry :)

Inspiration....

While doing research I came across some great advertisments so I have to include the link on here, the ads make you look twice....I LOVE anything like this!!! Brilliant ads.........
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2008/05/27/14-creative-advertisements/

Visits from Jenny

Jenny has been visiting Uni giving lectures on her own business Fashion-Enter! The information received during these lessons has been brilliant! She has highlighted the highs as well as the lows of setting up your own business and has opened up on a personal level in order to really give us a true insight into being an entrepreneur. I have managed to have a chat with her about the marketing side of a business and she actually gave a detailed lecture on it one day. Again, this is stuff I couldn't have found in a text book and was amazing to be able to ask someone any question that popped into our head. She outlined some of the areas of marketing I would have to look into for me. We completed a group project as part of her visits and for this; I was assigned the title of head of marketing. This gave me yet another chance to explore this area and practise promoting a company, our clothing company for 0-4 year old girls, Rosie-Lee! This was another great project to do as it gave a realistic example of being an entrepreneur within a business this time, working as part of a team and all having to communicate with one another to get the work done.

I had another tutorial with Tony today and the outcome wasn't great! However, I didn't have most of my work with me to show him as i forgot what we had planned, but still the tutorial made me panic and know i had to change my work. Its time to get my idea clear in my head and do the work i need to to make it clear what business I am presenting!

Competition for my business

I decided I needed to know my competition if I am to start a branding business. To do this I started the search for individuals in the branding business and I found a woman called Kate Elgood and her application on linkedin.com. This outlined some of the skills needed and the fact there are people out there doing the job I want to do in the future. Then I moved onto the companies. I found heavenly.co.uk and i-am associates and beyond a branding company based in London. From looking at these companies I learnt what services they offer and their strategies. It highlighted to me what they didn't do and where I could be better than them. I looked at websites that caught my eye because I plan to have a website for my business and as I can't visit a shop to see what the branding world is like, like you could a clothing store, websites are the next big thing. I have highlighted what elements of the website make them original and funky in my eyes and I have picked up several tips for my site and also where I could improve.

Comparative model...

To find out more about the marketing industry, I conducted an interview with the marketing executive of Mercedes Benz. This gave me an insight into what the marketing is like in a big company such as this one. It taught me more about marketing itself and also about the thoughts and feeling the person doing the job has about it. It also outlined to me some of the services that could be provided from my company. This was well worth competing and I gained some great information from it which I can use in the future.

Marketing Research Model....done :)
Now just to do the competitive model and finish BUSINESS PLAN!!!

Business Plan....

So.....the writing of the Business Plan is NOT going well! It feels like I have been banging my head against a brick wall for days with it now...just.not.getting.anywhere!!! argghhhh

Change of direction...

WAS- Creating a service where I am a Brand Specialist/Brand Manager and I would go into companies with failed brands, strip the existing brand bare and rebuild a new brand- which in turn will create brand identity and rebuild the target market. I could also work with smaller businesses to help them build a brand from scratch.


NOW- Branding pop-up shop that travels around Universities helping graduates brand themselves and get their work recognised and remembered. Also offering sessions about branding and marketing so the students can learn about the subject in a creative and appealing way. Building the students clients base and working with a marketing team to create their image to enable them to enter the industry with a strong start.


I changed this because I realised there was a gap in the market to help students and to be based on their University campus so that it is convenient. Students will be starting a new venture and I will be helping them to establish a start in their career, this will also be very rewarding.

My Progress....

For the past 2 weeks, I have been working away on compiling market research ready for a session on how to write a business plan.

Within this time I have been confused, clear, up and down! As my business is going to be based on branding, it is important that my market research is coherent as it is a huge part of what I want to be doing in the business for other people.

I was confused as to where to start with my research and didn't fully understand the task in hand, however, after reading the hand outs that were provided and doing some research of my own, things started to become clearer.

I have also been working on an additional feature to this area of work. This is branding of a fashion design student. This is to give an example of what the business would do and also practise some of the skills I know I will need to establish this business. It is going well at the moment. I have compiled a name, logo, packaging ideas, letterheads and business cards, website and blog and I will be focusing on marketing events soon.

Throughout all of this I have also been contributing to the group project that we have been set as part of this unit. I am also practising marketing within this as the head of the marketing team. We are creating a children's clothing company called 'Rosie-Lee' and it is my job to devise a plan for marketing and promoting this company.

So much to do....so little time!

My New Purchase!

Suggested to me in a Sarah James tutorial about my dissertation, that I buy this book. It is also going to be relevant to this unit as it will help me understand what goes on in the mind of consumers more and how to conduct affective advertisements but ensuring I don't manipulate consumers in any way. I am very excited to get reading this book and learning about the psychological side to branding as I find it fascinating!!!

7 Main Points of Market Research...

To try and get my head around the task of Market Research as it is such a diverse area of marketing, I decided to make some notes on the 7 most important outcomes you wish to classify from market research from my understanding:

Who:
Customer- Design students who have graduated from a Fashion degree.

What:
Getting the students name out there, getting them recognised and remembered. Start developing a brand around them and marketing their products to potential customers.

How:
Promotion pack, blogs, twitter, facebook, adverts, leaflets, business cards, logo

Where:
On campus. Pop-up shop?

Competition:
Branding and advertising companies in Poole/Bournemouth. Websites. I-am London- branding company.

Gaps in the market:
Working with students and developing workshops for them to learn about marketing in a creative way.

Market Testing:
Create a questionnaire on whether or not students would want to use me as a company, would it be popular idea?

Aldi Mayonnaise

I have to add this advert to this blog because it came up in today's tutorial because advertisements such as this amaze me....I LOVE them! They are so simple, yet quite funny. This is the sort of idea I would like to come up with as part of my branding service! I would be formulating ideas to get the product to the audience through research and funny, unique ways.

Today I had a tutorial with Tony. We spoke about the idea I presented last time being too broad and I have to pin it down to what I really want to do. This is where I struggled! However, since then, I have had a conversation with a friend to try and un-muddle my head and Ive realised I have been worried about the time and ability I have to do what I want to do, to help brand a company. But then I realised...it is only a hypothetical situation at this point, I don't actually have to do it...so I can pin down the idea to whatever I want to do...something that interests me.

From a students prospective, I am actually quite surprised that as a group of young, innovative people that are split into Designers and Promoters, no students have collaborated for one of their projects or practised something that they would actually do in the industry, because in reality, we aren't actually going to make a look book by ourselves when we graduate. I would actually like to work with a designers and use them as a focus point.

It was suggested to me today to pick a fashion item to re brand in order to get my point across as to what I wish to do. However, I am going to choose a designer instead as my example and build my research around their proposed company. I will use Tiffany Atwill for this experience and her bridal company. This is not only because we work well together, but because she is focused and has a solid idea...I have also been in all her tutorials about the company so I have a heads up on the idea.

I have also decided to narrow down my target market to students. I will work with up and coming designers to promote them.

Video about Ralph Lauren Branding...

If you watch this interview with David Lauren from 1 minute onwards it explains Ralph Lauren's Branding strategies and why I find it so fascinating!

Summing up my tutorial...

I would be a Brand Specialist/Brand Management and I would go into companies with failed brands, strip the existing brand bare and rebuild a new brand- which in turn will create brand identity and rebuild the target market.

I would do extensive market research into what customers already but into the brand and who doesn't. I would then devise a plan of how to get the ones who don't yet buy into the brand do so. I would work with a graphic designer to create the logo and graphics for the company.

In the future I would like this to progress into Marketing Management in bigger companies that are well known which covers more areas with a diverse role! This role encapsulates all my areas of interest from working on photo shoots to help advertise a company and then marketing their company and creating their brand.

Inspiration...

Currently I am writing my dissertation which is also on Branding. I have found this so exciting to study and I am continuously fascinated by my findings. I decided to compare two companies branding strategies and they have been the most inspirational companies to my studies...I love the way they both work. These are Hollister Co and Ralph Lauren.

They are similar companies with such different branding strategies but they both work so well!

Hollister Co depend on their customers to promote their company by using walking advertising whereas Ralph Lauren create a lifestyle around their company that the customers can aspire to, they get caught up in this lifestyle and become dependant on a brand.

Recommended book...

I will look into getting this book for myself because it has a really good branding section and it would be handy to have it anyways as it will cover the area I am looking to go into! It will also help with my dissertation!

Tutorial with Sarah Charles...

Eureka.... I've got it!!
I am a very happy bunny...I have just had a tutorial with Sarah and I have established my future service/company. I felt that it would be a good ides to meet with Sarah to discuss options as to what to present for Friday's presentation 'Yourself and your business' and I was right! Because Sarah knows us individually and understands our unique working style, she is great at helping me put an idea onto paper that is in my head.

I am now actually quite EXCITED about the prospect that I have finally established an idea of where I want to head in the future.

I am going to become a Branding Specialist....being aware from the start, I am not going to go into industry and produce something like a look book by myself so this is time to get specific and really research into the area I want to be work in. I really have to get under the skin of what BRANDING actually i, I need to strip the concept bare and build my knowledge. This is mainly going to be done by market research. I need to research into Branding and establish what it means to me, its main purposes and everything important that surrounds the subject.

I aspire to have a diverse career for a well known company but for now, in reality, this is a brilliant thing to be aiming for! I will use my strengths to build brand identity...which is what formulates the money. Some personal characteristics that Sarah found in a book we were looking at 'Marketing Fashion' by Harriet Posner, got us both quite excited because everything that was listed was the characteristics that I have, which really reinforced the idea that that is what I should aim to do. These characteristics were; highly analytical, organised, having attention to detail, good negotiation skills and knowledge of apparel manufacture.

I will work on summing up this tutorial to ignite an idea of what I will present on Friday.

Visit from Industry...

Today we had a visit from Jenny Holloway who has a company called Fashion Capital. It was a really good session as it gave us a chance to talk to someone that had real experience being an entrepreneur. Jenny gave us a real insight into the highs and lows of the Fashion industry but she never stopped telling us to be positive and keep going when things go wrong, which is a big thing i have to personally work on.

I appreciated how honest Jenny was with us and how she let us into her personal life to give us real examples of the things that could go wrong in business and how to resolve the problems if this was to happen. We gained a lot of information through talking to Jenny and it really helped to clear up confusion in my mind about what the unit is all about. I explained to her the areas of the Fashion industry I am interested in and she pointed me in the direction of Creative Director. So this is something I am definitely going to look into more.

I am slightly taken back by the assignment that has been given to us as a group by Jenny but we have arranged to meet of Friday afternoon to discuss it further, which is good, so hopefully again this will clear things up!

After having the first session on the Entrepreneurship unit on Friday, I felt quite confused and worried about how I was going to get on in this unit, so I decided to sit down with the unit handbook that was given to us and go through it all in the hope it would make things clearer.

And I think it helped. I have noted down specific words from the handout such as innovation, changes in society and customer needs to make sure I always have them in my mind as they are going to help me form my outcome. I have gone through every single task that has been outlined for us and enhanced my knowledge of what each one consists of and I have matched these with the time plan provided so I now have it clear in my mind when we will be learning what and how long we have to complete each task.

At first glance of the time plan, I was shocked because it had a lot of work crammed into sessions, however, I can see the benefits of the structure and it is very clear and straight to the point and helpful to our studies. Being briefed on one task and then having to have to read to present for the following week is sensible because it will keep the task clear in my mind and I will get what I need to done to complete the task. Also this means while I'm focusing on the little tasks I am creating the bigger picture without really realising it.....so its less daunting...i LOVE this!

I am a little more hopeful towards the unit now and happy that I know the structure and aims of each week. However, I am sure more elements of work will be pointed out to me on the way through this unit but I will tackle them when it comes to it.

I'm still not 100% about the presentation next week 'Yourself and your business' but I will be making an appointment with Sarah Charles to utilise her experience and talk the unit through, hopefully this will help!

The Start....

Today I started the Entrepreneurship unit, it was eye-opening! Having a brief introduction into the subject helped me understand more about what was going to be expected of me as a student studying this subject. Outlined, was the different tasks we were going to have to complete to pass this unit, which was daunting.

Following this, we gave a presentation to the group which introduced ourselves and outlined our personal styles, skills we have developed and our future aims. I think this was a brilliant idea because it made me aware of everyone else's aims, which means I can help them out if I see anything relevant to their project. Also, it is nice to know that we can have group discussions and get valuable feedback from everyone to make my company or service better. I was anxious about the presentation but soon realised we were all in the same boat and by the end of this unit we are all going to be pros at them :)

Having had the first session on this unit I am anxious and nervous about the work and having to know what service we wish to create because I know what category I fit into but don't yet know the specifics of my future aims. However, I feel that this unit will help me to decide this and develop the knowledge I need to be successful. I am going to try my best and hopefully things will become clearer.....

Onwards and upwards....