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BRAND POSITIONING: KREYANN'

Today I will be looking at the concept of brand positioning in the marketing of the Kreyann’ fashion label founded 10 years ago by the Cameroonian Anna Ngann Yonn an ex Esmod Paris student.

Positioning is, “The act of designing the company's offering and image so that they occupy a meaningful and distinct competitive position in the target customers’ minds” (Kotler 1997).

Positioning is not about the product but actually what the customer thinks about the product or organisation. Therefore it is about visibility and recognition of what a product represents to a buyer.

TARGET MARKET:

·         Females

·         Open minded

·         Understands world cultures

·         Understands fashion and trends

·         Well travelled

·         Professional

TARGET AGES:

·         20-65

BRAND POSITION:

·         Kreyann’ positions itself as an exclusive high end womenswear brand in Cameroon and beyond for its high end price tag and exclusive branding techniques although it does not follow advertising rules to emphasise this.

 POSITIVE:

·         Exclusive

·         Luxurious

·         Attention to detail

·         One off pieces

·         Ready to wear and made to measure

·         Quality fabrics

·         Well decorated studio positioned in the affluent business quarters of Douala.

  

NEGATIVE:

·         Limited stockists

·         Not well known outside of Cameroon and in the Anglophone fashion world either.

 

SOME BRAND POSITION SUGGESTIONS:

·         An online store would be an asset. It would enable those outside of Cameroon to be able to purchase pieces easily.

·         Increase the number of stockists to also ensure visibility in new territories/markets.

·         Increase their advertising and communication strategies to ensure that the brand has some visibility.

·         Increase their partnerships and associations with the Anglophone media to ensure wide coverage and visibility for the brand.

·         Create an illusion of youth culture by maybe introducing a more fresh and poppy look targeting the younger segments of their target market.

 Some images from Kreyann' 10 year show K-Walk in Douala November 2001

Kreyann’ reseller:

La Boutique Extraordinaire
67, rue Charlot
75003 Paris

All images by SDR

www.kreyann.com

Until the next post!

Follow me on Twitter: @Brownschuga

WHAT DOES YOUR WEBSITE SAY ABOUT YOU?

Hello peeps! Today I will be starting a series which will analyse the various websites of some of established and emerging African fashion brands out there.

And today, I have decided to kick start this process with a brand that needs no introduction. By this I mean it is a fashion brand that is known by most Africans and non Africans alike that are into fashion. If you say you are into African fashion especially, you must definitely be in the know/have heard of this power house.

This brand has built up a hard reputation as a brand to be reckoned with. It’s branding speaks elegance, exclusivity and elite-ness (does this word exist even?! It does now!) as seen in their product pricing (how about spending £1,696 on a dress?), their product quality, the attitude of the designer/brand (you don’t see them everywhere and they don’t just feature in any type of event/publication!) and also their point of sale. Their flagship store in Ajose Adeogun Street in Victoria Island, Lagos is a very airy and light clutter free contemporary space.

So let’s check out their website and see what it says and if it fits with the overall branding of exclusivity, elegance and elite-ness.

I go online and type their name into Google and 2 websites pop up! So here goes my analysis of the first site (.net site) based on these aspects:

·         Look

·         Relevancy

·         Usability

·         Currency

Look: On first impression, I expected a more exclusive, elegant and new image to welcome me rather than the outdated image that is presently on here.  After entering the site, I was then not sure about where to click next as I was bombarded with different mish-mashed images representing different aspects of the website. Where is the exclusive brand continuity I begin to ask myself? Surely this is misleading to their clientele. (See images below)

Relevancy: Does the site have what its customers are looking for? What would a Deola Sagoe customer be looking for? Information on new collection (look book), designer bio, progress report on what the brand is doing behind the scenes/a way to keep your brand constant in the minds of your audience (blog), point of sale address (plus any stockists addresses) plus contact details for the store and the team at Deola Sagoe. What is presented? A badly presented lookbook/collection section which is clearly not easy at all to locate, too many pictures of the designer with no clear relevancy on the bio page, the address of the store which is very difficult to view (is it my browser?) because it overlaps with the images presented of the store and to top it up, no contact information for the Deaola Sagoe team! The blog is outdated with a post on “Clan” (Deola Sagoe’s daughters’ new label) written in October 4^th. Does Deola Sagoe now want to be hip and hop or exclusive and elite? I was confused why they would feature "Clan" on their blog albeit I understand the label is founded by her daughters. Anyway, moving on! So how would a would be customer get in touch? Is this information left out because they are trying to be exclusive? Plus is nothing going on at house of Deola Sagoe worth reporting to us about? Too many confusing messages sent out to customers!!

Usability: Will their customers be able to find what they need to know quickly? No! With the above in mind, I would rate the usability of this site as FAIL. All the information is presented like a maze and a business website should definitely be easy to manoeuvre and surf.

Currency: Is the information on this site up to date? The website has been stuffed with so much information that I am not sure what is new and what is old. This lack of clarity and the mixed brand messages sent out is definitely not good for the branding of Deola Sagoe. Looking at this website, one would definitely not associate the words “elegance”, “exclusivity” and “elite-ness” with this top fashion brand that commands £1,696 for a dress!

My advice to the Deola Sagoe team is to:

·    Rebrand the website to ensure that it is the ONLY website representing their brand and it is easy to use and the info is easily accessible. Also ensure it is inkeeping with the overall branding/stratgey of the brand.

·    Ensure that all the info provided is relevant, clear and concise.

·    Ensure that the images displayed tell a story and are consistent with the overall branding of the company.

·    Ensure your contact info is clearly displayed and correct to ensure that you are receiving and dealing with your customers’ queries.

First impressions are paramount on the web than in person. You know what your company offers.  You know that you are a solid business with an outstanding track record.  But, does your homepage communicate this to the rest of the world? 

It only takes 3-7 seconds for a potential client to scan the site and get a first impression of your business. If your website is unable to impress and inform the potential client of what they need within that time frame, chances of them ever coming back are very unlikely. Your website should be parallel with the personality of your brand, displaying your top qualities.

Take a few seconds and evaluate your own web site.



The other website http://www.deolasagoedesign.com/ could not be accessed. I am wondering why there are 2 sites for this exclusive design brand?

All images from www.deolasagoe.net

Follow me on Twitter: @Brownschuga
Email me at: brownschuga@yahoo.com

Stay tuned!

WHAT ROLE DOES YOUR LOGO PLAY IN YOUR BRANDING STRATEGY?

Good morning blogsville. Today I would like to bring to you a little (but very important) topic I have been reading on.

The post on today will focus on the importance of an appropriate logo in your branding strategy.

Your business logo is only one piece of your branding strategy. It is a symbol that can provide consumers with instant and powerful brand recognition of your business and the services or products that you offer.

Before you begin creating your logo make sure that you have developed your brand strategy. Why you ask? Your logo is like an unspoken advert for your company, it precedes your business and overall it represents what you are about.

Without a strategy behind it, a logo can put across the wrong message and in return limit your company’s growing opportunity. You want to keep your brand message consistent to help increase consumer recognition and keep the sales alive!

TIPS ON CREATING A LOGO

• The mission of your logo is to portray the values and goals of your company. Make sure that these are clearly established before venturing out to find a logo designer or doing it yourself.
• Be clear about the message that you want your brand to convey so that your logo can clearly reflect that message. You must have a strong association between your brand and your logo. Remember it is only one piece of your branding strategy but a very important one, so get it right!
• Your logo should reflect professionalism and growth no matter how small your company is. It should be a strong balanced image with no little extras that clutter its look. 
• If you are designing your logo in-house to save money be sure to test your efforts with your friends, family or inner circle first before going live with the design.
• Make sure that the logo you select is not dated but can be used effectively year after year. It should be distinctive and bold, making it easy to see at a glance. Keep in mind it is how consumers will recognise your company!

Confident branding and a strong branding strategy uses design to communicate a message that attracts the target audience that you want to attract - a message that creates confidence in your brand while differentiating between you and your competitors.

Does your logo fulfill this mission? What does your logo say about you?

Watch out for my next post where I will be analysing some logos in the African fashion industry.
Get in touch me at brownschuga@yahoo.com or follow my ramblings on Twitter @Brownschuga.

Stay fashionable!
Research and image source: online