Analyse the apparel brand Country Road in Australian market.
Country Road is a well-established and highly growing fashion brand in Australia. It was established in 1974 by Stephen Bennett as an outlet specializing in women shirts only (Country Road 2017). However, the company has grown to be one of the leading retail outlets dealing with products ranging from apparel to homeware accessories all in one single integrated outlet. Currently, it is the leading company whose accessories and clothing are sold at a high price in the Australian market (Country Road 2017)
Despite its tremendous growth to be a top trend company dealing with stylish products matching the true Australian culture and lifestyle, the company is facing stiff competition from a pool of other companies offering the same products market (Baker and Saren 2016, pp. 10). With the high competition threat posed by the flooded fashion market in Australia, the need for a strong marketing campaign for their brand cannot be underestimated. Country Road must improve the marketing strategies for their brand in order to counter competition in the market (Madsen and Walker 2015, pp. 108).
In the current Australian market, a company like Country Road has established ideal and comprehensive marketing strategies that appeal to their target audience (Proctor 2014, pp. 43). Hence, the factor of brand marketing is an indisputable element that can dictate the failure or success of Country Road as a brand due to high competition in the Australian market. Therefore, the company is supposed to look at their target audience keenly and analyze them using the consumer behaviour theories and concepts to enable it to come up with strategies that are ideal to win the loyalty of the target market segment (Blanshard 2014, pp. 160).
Country Road started as a small company that produced women clothes only. However, with time, it has seen the need to diversify their services to serve a wide range of consumers. The company saw the necessity of diversifying their products to cut across the market without being specific to gender or age (Country Road 2017).
Despite dealing with women clothing at first, in 1984, the company diversified to Menswear. Between the year 2000 and 2001, the company jumped into the production of childrenswear and eyewear. Country Road has seen the need to diversify their services to serve a wide range of target audience (Country Road 2017). By doing so, the company is keen to counter competition and maintain a competitive edge and increase the market share.
In February 2009, the company announced the plans to launch a fashion label called Trenery (Country Road 2017). At this time, the company started being keen on a specific target group and design proposition. According to the Government Information Services Department, the majority of the country’s population age group is between the age of 45 and 54 years forming approximately 18.3% of the total population (Australian Government 2017).
However, it is important to note that the target age group is dominated by women who mostly do shopping for their families. Hence, Country Road’s strategic marketing process is targeting women aged forty years and above through their brand label Trenery. In all its advertisements such as Summer Wonder, Life Through Wool and Simple Things, the company has mostly used women and children in their ads (Country Road 2017). Therefore, in its brand marketing process, the company is targeting the women aged forty years and above simply because women are the key group that makes a lot of shopping for their families (Chernev 2018, pp. 94).
As the company struggles to reach its target audience, it has embarked on several strategic marketing techniques involving heavy television, newspaper and website adverts. Before embarking on the process of producing advertisements as part of the whole process of strategic brand marketing, the company should seek to explore various models that enable a company to analyze its clients and connect with them (Foxall 2014, pp.74). Thus, once they follow the models and theories, they can be able to tap into the customer’s desires, need and wants thus influencing consumers to brand preference and purchasing power. Therefore, this section will explore various theories and models used by Country Road to influence consumer behaviour, their usability as well as benefits the company will derive from the application of such theories and concepts to steer its brand marketing campaign (Heding, Knudtzen and Bjerre 2015, pp. 52).
For a long time, Country road has strived to make its way into the market and remain the leading company in fashion clothing (Country Road 2017). The company has struggled to serve a wide range of target audience cutting across demographics starting from children to adult men and women. However, with increased competition, the company is striving to identify their specific target audience where they can put more effort with an aim of influencing their purchasing behaviour and power (Madsen and Walker 2015, pp. 106).
With new population statistics showing that majority of the country’s population is aged between 45-54 years, the company is paying attention to women within this age bracket to serve as their target audience. Hence, the company has embarked on analyzing their target customers in the market and applying various theories and concepts to influence consumers’ buying behaviour and brand loyalty (Foxall 2014, pp. 98). Such models include the consumer personality and self- concept, emotional appeals and involvement theory, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
The theory was conceived by Maslow to address the human needs and how they are motivated or demotivated by the fulfilment or non-fulfilment of their needs. The theory puts across five levels of needs whose fulfilment can motivate one to act. These needs include physiological like food, safety like family, love and belonging like family, esteem such as respect and achievement, and finally, the self-actualization level where such needs are fulfilled prompting a person to act (Nijssen and Frambach 2013, pp. 63).
Women are well known to be selective and their family value is placed high. Thus, Country Road is aiming at winning women’s loyalty and influence them to purchase the company’s products. With family and confidence topping the list of women’s needs to be fulfilled in order for them to buy the products, the company has factored in all that its brand marketing advertisements and campaign (Gunter and Furnham 2014, pp. 128).
According to the model, people have the capacity to shape and change their decisions once they feel that a certain situation is addressing their desired needs. Women will show their loyalty to the product or brand which addresses their needs and those of the family in terms of quality and value. Therefore, Country Road should improve their products and market them in order to influence and win the loyalty of the target audience (Weinstein 2013, pp. 28).
Consumer personality and self-concept deals with understanding how consumers think, feel and behave. According to the theory, marketers should understand the wants, needs and desires of their target audience (Rani 2014, pp. 56). By doing so, marketers planning and executing strategic marketing practice at Country Road should be able to understand the personalities of the consumers before undertaking the process of advertising and popularizing the brand (Nijssen and Frambach 2013, pp. 64). They need to understand what the consumers want in terms of quality and cost.
It is crucial to note that women who shop at Country Road are cautious and keen on quality by putting value on their money first. Hence, women are not ready to take risks by trying new products and thus they stick to what they know. Also, the target age group has a high level of agreeing to the information they get from the staff about a product (Solomon, Dahl, White, Zaichkowsky and Polegato 2014, pp. 104).
During marketing activities, the company should ensure that all these personalities are taken care of purposely with an aim of influencing the consumer behaviours. Once they win the loyalty of their target audience, it is hard to lose them and the sales will increase making the whole process of brand marketing a success (East, Singh, Wright and Vanhuele 2016, pp. 130).
According to involvement theory, an organization should strive to package their products in a way that it appeals to the consumer emotions (Rani 2014, pp. 54). Country Road is targeting a class of women aged forty years and above. The women who fall into this category are mostly mothers who have value for their money. The target customers at that point are striving to save more money for other family things (Foxall 2014, pp. 100).
The consumers will tend to be more attracted to the product due to the emotional appeal in terms of saving costs. For instance, the marketers can use some phrases like “SAVE $1 on every cloth you buy” prompting the customers to act. Therefore, the theory has helped the company to tap into the sensations of the target customers by arousing the emotions of the buyers and prompting them to buy the products (Foxall 2014, pp. 73).
The strategic marketing of Country Road Trenery label has been successful due to the proper selection of the consumer behaviour theories and concepts used in the marketing process. The company’s marketers have been able to apply a unique knowledge in tapping into the consumer’s needs, wants and desire to successfully execute their brand marketing (Malik et al. 2013, pp. 119). The company sought to understand it prospective clients and plan their marketing activities in such a way that they factor in all the customer needs and wants.
The theory states that people tend to act once they feel that their needs are being fulfilled. Country Road had strived to make use of the theory extensively to execute a successful and productive brand marketing process. Having been targeting women above 40 years of age who are probably mothers, the company has run several advertisements that tap into the idea of motherhood and family to prompt them to buy. The mother who watch such adverts feel that the brand is family oriented and their need to protect and commit themselves to their families is being fulfilled (Malik et al. 2013, pp. 119).
For example, to celebrate their 40 years of their operations, Country Road run an advert dubbed “Summer Wonder”. The advert was in form of a short film featuring an Australian supermodel Gemma Ward holding her baby daughter. The film ad was under the theme of “Come behind the scenes as we capture iconic summers of sun, sea and family” (Country Road 2014).
Figure 1: Photo of the Australian iconic supermodel Gemma Ward during the shorting of “Summer Wonder” advert to celebrate Country Road 40 years of operations (Country Road 2017).
Most mothers are always proud and are committed to their families. The advert catches the need of the family by capturing the emotions of a mother who feels that the brand is associated with mother’s pride for the family. Therefore, the advertisement served as a tactical way of connecting the brand to a mother and the need for better family. The ad won the heart and loyalty of many mothers who felt connected to the brand (Solomon, Dahl, White, Zaichkowsky and Polegato 2014, pp. 105).
Figure 2: A happy family photo used by Country Road to advertise the launch of their mobile application platform (Country Road n.d).
The company’s advert on their website entitled “Simple Things” focuses on the issue of a family which is basic for each and every mother. The message by the company states that “Simple Things is a story about what’s truly important. It’s about being yourself or spending time with friends and family. It’s laughter, a smile, your favourite tee or pair of jeans. It’s trust, honesty and simplicity. Simple things are what Country Road is famous for” (Country Road n.d). The message taps on simplicity and family. Most women within the age of 40 years and above seek to get simple stylish clothes. The pride of family seems to bind many women to their brand since they feel proud of their families.
Figure 3: Simple Things key used of a family wearing Button Detail Stripe T-Shirt, Rib Detail Utility Pant, Crew T-Shirt, Slim Rich Raw Jean, Broderie Applique Sweat, and Stripe Sweat Skirt (Country Road n.d)
According to this theory, Country Road has focused on the need to have the consumers’ personal desires, needs and wants at the centre of their strategic marketing process. During the brand marketing process, the company has struggled to engage the clients within the stores on daily basis by responding to queries and needs of the customers for the purpose of building brand equity. Winning the loyalty of women and mothers requires detailed and constant engagements (Payne and Frow 2013, pp. 72). They want to be assured that their needs and desires are being taken care of by the brand.
For instance, the theory has been applied through face-to-face marketing within the company’s stores. Mothers will visit the stores and ask many questions which basically need to be answered. Those mothers need to be assured that the product caters for their desires. Such questions include “Do I really need that product?” or “Is it too expensive?” Also, women need company marketers to answer these questions and socialize with them (Payne and Frow 2013, pp. 72).
Therefore, the company has employed number of staff to handle queries from those mothers who visit the stores. The staff also strive to explain to the women why the products are of high quality and why they are paying a certain price for those products (Payne and Frow 2013, pp. 72). The company has also engaged in a campaign called “Look Good Before Your Husband”. Since women have their self-esteem boosted by the campaign, they will tend to be associated with the brand. By being told that they look good before their husbands, their self-confidence goes high when dressing in clothes from Country Road.
According to involvement theory, the company here seeks to present their products in such a way that they attract their consumers by arousing their emotional feelings which will shape and change their purchasing behaviour.
For instance, the company has engaged in heavy promotional activities where the consumers get to familiarize themselves with the product and convince them to buy. Their website is also very interactive with family photos under various campaigns (Malik et al. 2013, pp. 120). Also, during campaigns, they issue their customers with brochures with very emotional and attractive messages like “SAVE $1 on Every Cloth You Buy” to prompt them to buy. Therefore, it is important to note that the theory is used to help the marketers at Country Road to design campaign messages that create a connection between the brand and the target consumers. Some of the ads like “Life Through wool” involve the tale of a woman who has a lot of love for the family and this helps women to be aroused emotionally and connect with the brand.
Figure 4: Photo of the Australian iconic supermodel Gemma Ward during the shorting of “Summer Wonder” advert to celebrate Country Road 40 years of operations (Country Road 2014).
Brand marketing is a very important aspect that dictates the success or failure of a firm. The main aim of any strategic marketing process is to boost the company’s brand equity. When brand equity is high, a company is able to improve its brand loyalty, perceived quality, consumer association and awareness (Aaker and Biel 2013, pp. 110).
When the brand has been accepted by the target customers in the market, the company can easily become the market leader enjoying a huge market share. As a result, the company will enjoy higher sales which means that they will have high revenue income. Hence, Country Road will improve their productivity and growth in the competitive market (West, Ford and Ibrahim 2015, pp. 105). Therefore, it is important to note that a company like Country Road should take the issue of strategic brand marketing seriously in order to become the market leader with higher sales and tremendous growth (Chernev 2018, pp. 94).
In many companies like Country Road, managers in marketing departments are striving to scrutinize the current and the future state of potential customers in their respective target markets. Thus, these managers are trying to study and examine the consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns. Since consumers remain at the centre of any marketing process, the company marketing managers seek to look at the market and decide on the future marketing strategies used by the company (Nijssen and Frambach 2013, pp. 66).
Marketing managers in most companies like Country Road will have to look at the 5W model to analyze the consumers and come up with various consumer behaviour models to suit the brand marketing. The 5W model stands for Who, What, Where, When and Why. It means that a company must establish who are the current and future customers and analyze them in terms of the characteristics that define the target market (Blanshard 2014, pp. 152).
Conclusion
Target consumers in a particular target market remain at the centre of any brand marketing market. Therefore, Country Road is striving to use various theories to analyze their potential clients and influence their buying behaviour. Therefore, the reports include the background information about Country Road clothing company, the consumer behaviour theories it has used to market its brand, how it has practically applied these theories and consequently the benefits it gained from applying such theories and concepts in its brand marketing process.
References
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