Brand Comparison: Hanes Underwear

Hanes are the number one preferred underwear. We offer a careful balance of basic and fashion apparel items has earned Hanes a reputation that crosses age boundaries. We hit your price point and bring you guaranteed quality time and time again. Our apparel is more stylish, colorful and comfortable than you might expect just look who’s wearing it!


note: Hanes brand position took somewhat of a dive when they they abandoned their initial tagline tagline “Wait’ll we get our Hanes on you.” In a moment of insight the tried to bring it back with a twist changing it to “Look who we’ve got our Hanes on now.” This tagline has yet to be as effect as their original because I detracts from addresses the consumer (you) and the double entendre of referencing their old tagline makes it all too complicated, especially for those consumers who aren’t familiar enough with the brand.

Brand Comparison: Calvin Klein Underwear

Since its inception, Calvin Klein Underwear for Men and Women has led the market by offering consumers cutting-edge design, innovative fabrics, and exceptional fit and quality. Known for its iconic advertising campaigns featuring top models, celebrities, and newly discovered talent, Calvin Klein Underwear continues to evolve its reputation as the brand of choice for consumers who want sexy, fashionable, and comfortable underwear.


Bonus: Although these ads, made in the 90s attempted to bring awareness to the seedy underbelly fashion, viewers just couldn't get over how well they were executed and found them extremely creepy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZVk21Pco-c)

Brand Comparison: American Apparel Underwear

American Apparel is the unbrand. We understand that you are sick of being bombarded with brand names and you want to be unshackled from them. You’re not a corporate billboard. American Apparel believes in classic and versatile styles and we don’t change our apparel according to seasons. Our logo-free, sweat shop free clothing is made in Downtown LA of 100% cotton in bright solid colors with no imprints. If a something fits, and you like it, you can always come back to our stores and find it, time after time.

Brand Position Take 2

SPUD is an eco-ganic home consultancy that represents a new era in how you can choose to live and eat. It celebrates the power we have to work from the inside out, to make simple yet effective lifestyle changes that are easily incorporated into a busy modern life. We help you, the conscientious consumer to make educated and valuable changes to lighten your chemical load through local sustainable organic food delivery, eco home consultations and community outreach. SPUD aims to improve the quality of your health and environment and we will come to you.

MOOD 3

MOOD 2

Check-out green

Brand Positioning

The best tasting food is also the purest. That means no chemicals in your food, in your air or in your the earth. It’s an easy ethical choice and an economic one that helps sustain local economies and businesses. SPUDS organics is an advocate for changing the way we consume and nurturing your free time. Seems hard to believe you could get so much from a potato.

a Recap on Opportunities / a New DIrection

HOUSEHOLD CONSULTANCY
A complementary consultancy for any spuds customer and a face-to-face opportunity. For new customers, the Spuds! consultant would orient them thru the online ordering system and answer any questions on organics. For the dedicated customer, spuds would respond to a pre determined goal to make the individuals household more sustainable. (ie composting for an apartment, hydro)

YOUTH EDUCATION and OUTREACH
Schools and 2.0
Inner school meals

WORKSHOPS / EVENTS
Spuds could create a community here people who want to become active can do it with some expert leadership. Topics would be similar to the education and could include SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM to more immediate opportunities as HEALTH AND NUTRITION, HOUSEHOLD GARDENING AND COMPOSTING, COOKING.


TAKE OUT DELIVERY and PREPARED MEALS
a de-emphasis on carbon emissions and a little more wiggle room. Organic Deli-style foods delivered to you after a long hard work day.

MORE AGGRESSIVE PROMOTIONS AND MARKETING
Gorilla marketing strategies for example – “THE APPLE CAMPAIGN” – a perfect opportunity to reach out to the Vancouver community would be to run a gorilla marketing project. Creating a presence in main transit arteries, Spuds! re-introduces itself, its rebranding with organic consultants and a free apple. (apples being one of the top produce items (as always, keeping waste and materials to a minimum)

CONCLUSION

– The competitive market is growing but so is the demand. Organic food sales are expected to continue at 20-24 percent into the next decade. It is not unrealistic to assume that that this trend will and would eventually overtake conventional food production techniques and become the norm.

The competition for Spud! is not within other delivery services but the big grocery chains that are expanding their organic offerings as well as the farmers markets which are becoming more common. Both competitors leverage unique selling points. The Grocery chains offer the one-stop experience where produce and products can be held and scrutinized. In this setting customers are more likely to impulse buy or stock up on surprise sale items. For the Organic Grocery stores, like Whole Foods, they also offer in-store expert advice, a chance to really know your food and a bondable customer experience. The farmers markets, create an alternative setting which is half event and half grocery shopping. Often farmers mix with artisans, musicians and the experience is festive.

What both competitors do well is create unique settings that suggest and create AN ORGANIC LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE.


SHIFTING FOCUS

Spuds needs to reposition themselves as the pre-eminent source for LOCAL (westcoast) organic production and the Organic Lifestyle as a whole. Spuds needs to create opportunities that allow for face-to-face interaction and experience. Still quite unknown, they need to expand on marketing efforts beyond the referral system. As 10 year organic veterans, they can capitalize on their expertise by actively educating customers and prospects.

These suggestions would involve building from Spuds delivery division and including an educational and outreach consultancy.

Who Buys?

THE CONSUMER

Consumers prefer organically produced food because of their concerns regarding health, the environment, and animal welfare, and are willing to pay the price premiums established in the marketplace. The top seller by far is produce with vegetables winning over fruit. Most popular items are strawberries, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, apples, grapes, bananas, potatoes. Organic Dairy products are rapidly gaining popularity.

One third of the us population is currently buying organics with heavy buyers accounting for 3%

Reasons for buying organic.
66% health and nutrition and a new understanding of allergies
38% taste
26% environmental concerns
16% availability

12% of the shoppers said the word ”organic” was a primary factor in their purchasing decision

Deciding factors are : Appearance (fewer defects), price, size and packaging, whether the item is on sale, organic.

The Person: female, small household with higher income, a household knowledge of organic agriculture, children under 18.

New Threats!

A BAD SEASON/POOR CROPS – experienced by any farmers within the 800 mile radius may cause extended shortages on major supplies.

PRODUCE/DELIVERY RADIUS – seasonal produce is only in store during it’s harvest time.

I.T. PROBLEMS – if experienced even once, can tarnish a consumers experience, and they won’t even know it.

BAD ECONOMY & THE CHEAPER PRICE OF CONVENTIONAL PRODUCTS – may have many customers cutting back on Organic products for cheaper non-organics in order to save.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN – the art of shopping can be a day long event that is both entertainment and celebration of all things culinary. Competitors like Whole Foods have create an atmospheric shopping experience.

MOST CONVENTIONAL FIRMS ARE NOW HANDLING ORGANICS
this will only increase.

Currently they are sold in 46% sales natural foods stores

47% sales conventional grocery stores, direct-to-consumer markets, and club stores. (this shift occurred in 2000, at spuds’ infancy)

7% farmers' markets, foodservice, and marketing channels other than retail stores.
With farmers markets ever expanding.

Spuds should make themselves spresent at farmers markets

ORGANIC FARMERS could at some point be unable to meet the high demands and this would reflect poorly on Spud! Ability to deliver.

New Opportunities!

ORGANIC IS FASHIONABLE -
Organic farming and livestock is the fastest growing sector in agriculture since 2002 it has double in production twice. There is a new desire to return to the ‘basics’ in food production and preparation. The conventional food chain has lost its integrity.

THE ART OF COOKING
AT HOME – the rising trend in frugality is to return to cooking and hosting at home.

JOINT VENTURES / STRATEGIC ALLIANCES - Spuds has begun to venture into strategic alliance with several Vancouver restaurants, including Vancouver favourite "Vj's" which culled a huge response for the Valentine's contest. Any and all organic or ethically responsible business via online linking and promotional piggy backing.


EDUCATION - Educational components either online thru new networking technologies or as a chance to create face to face experience with spuds reps.

LOCAL SCHOOLS OUTREACH – informing kids as part of a health outreach component

LIFESTYLE
SERVICES -



STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIPS TO PRODUCERS
to overcome tight supply and to increase availability of more produce.

COMMUNITY AWARENESS – SPUD site as HUBB - building on the referral system, the spuds well-equipped online shop could support a community hub and resource for groups interested in expanding on a sustainable lifestyle.

Furthermore, developing community awareness thru sustainable print design could expand the Spuds brand to a wider audience not familiar with local trends hile keeping up with the spuds code of ethics.


EXPANSION OF PRODUCTS – the popularity of organics means more and more interesting products are becoming available. Right now the Organic Desserts brands are on the rise.

New Weaknesses!

WEEKLY DELIVERIES IS LIMITING. Spud should consider moving away from the carbon emissions campaign and adding a secondary delivery day.

LACK OF MARKETING is by word-of-mouth only.

LACK OF LOCATION - of the business, though secondary to the business itself, could have more of a visual presence and could perhaps host events or opportunities with a face-to-face interaction.

DISPLACEMENT -
the customer never has a tactile shopping experience and at times buying you food via a keyboard can feel distinctly odd.

STILL NOT ONE-STOP -DELIVERIES - are currently only available once a week. This system relies on the customer negotiating their needs for this period of time which often results in them also having to shop elsewhere. Customer retention becomes unreliable.

WAREHOUSE LIMITATIONS - The amount of products are still limited as compared to a store setting.

SHELF LIFE - Organic produce ‘appears’ to rot faster than those grown with pesticides

HOW DO YOU PROVE COMPETITIVE PRICES or ENCOURAGE customers to try new products?

New Strengths!

EXPERTISE – Ten years in the business has created a well-organized well-oiled system that is highly reliable and highly responsible to the customer.

100% GUARANTEE – You can return anything.

NO PACKAGING!

ONE STOP - HASSLE FREE – Customers avoid the parking lot, the lineups and multiple purchase destinations for your groceries and health products.

CUSTOMIZE – The ordering system can be customized so that each time you spend less time shopping and more valuable time for yourself and your family. In addition, you can postpone your order at short notice if you like, or make last minute changes.

COMPETITIVE PRICES
- an extensive sales section and now printouts with your bin orders on the following week’s sale items.

ORGANIC – Organic is good your health. It is a proven and much debated topic (66% of consumers believe it is more healthful than the conventional ) counterpart yet still yields the same truth, less chemicals, hormones or antibiotics is better. And will

LOCAL ECONOMY/RENEWABLE RESOURCES - Support eco-friendly farming practices and Fair Trade cooperatives.

TWO-FOLD ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM – The produce is grown with a conscience for the environment and without pesticides. – The delivery goal to keep all produce acquired and delivered within an 800 mile radius greatly reduces carbon emissions while delivering to multiples homes within one neighbourhood omit would-be omissions from those households.

EDUCATION - Learn about all this with our "Fresh News".

SPONSORSHIP – with room for development, Spud! Sponsors non-profit organizations by donation.

The Beginnings of a Moodboard

Organic Brand Design and the Leaf

From thedieline.com blog links, I'm noticing a wholotta of leaf which is funny because i just read in the design trends for 2009 logos that leafs are hitting their stride.(http://www.logoorange.com/logo-design-09.php)

At Brand Engine (http://www.brandengine.com) they've used it in all three examples of organic designs. Other similar visual effects are swirling letterforms with the 'o' often moving into another letterform.

Crave (http://www.cravebrands.com) also dabbles in the leaf, but not necessarily for organics only. They have managed to escape the colour green a bit and curiously enough I'm noticing purple.... Lines in their designs are often mottled or sheared I guess implying a choice of granny's favourites or branding. harhar. ....Enjoyable positioning statements.

Sterling Brands (http://www.sterlingbrands.com) I love Debbie Millman. I just had to get that out. Their consumer/brand predictions for 09 are interesting, if not a little scary. Especially when they acknowledge the entire population is going thru a midlife crisis. http://www.sterlingbrands.com/strategy/thought.php?thought_id=43

MESSAGING

SPUDS has grown from a small company with only 9 deliveries in 1998
to the LARGEST ORGANIC DELIVERY SERVICE IN NORTH AMERICA!

Quite an accomplishment and a potential point of pride for Vancouver. If only more people knew that SPUDS supports and promotes sustainable and organic production throughout BC and that this in turn protects our environment and our collective health.

Furthermore, the threat of more businesses wanting to capitalize on the organic craze means SPUDS needs to get sharper with how they position themselves. With most major grocery chains now housing an ever expanding organic section, (albeit without a local mandate) and with more grocery stores chains specializing in the organic experience as a whole, SPUDS runs the risk of losing out on their target markets.

To capitalize on the growing desire for organic groceries, SPUDS need to reposition themselves within the market, as the pre-eminent source for LOCAL BC/WASHINGTON products and produce. They should emphasize their business longevity and acumen which allows for COMPETITIVE PRICES and multiple weekly SALES. And by way of Door-to-Door delivery, all groceries and produce especially, is as FRESH as possible, GUARANTEED.

PICK WHAT YOU LIKE. TRUST SPUDS TO DELIVER IT.

1. SPUDS is the largest organic grocery delivery service in North America. We've been in the business for over 10 years and have built lasting relationships with local farmers. We guarantee the best organic produce and products and we bring them to your front door. With the click of your mouse, you choose exactly what you want, avoid the parking lots and lineups. Do more important things with your life.

THREATS

A BAD SEASON/POOR CROPS – experienced by any farmers within the 800 mile radius may cause extended shortages on major supplies.

PRODUCE/DELIVERY RADIUS – seasonal produce is only in store during it’s harvest time.

I.T. PROBLEMS – if experienced even once, can tarnish a consumers experience, and the clien won’t even know it.

BAD ECONOMY – may have many customers cutting back on Organic products for cheaper non-organics in order to save.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN – the art of shopping can be a day long event that is both entertainment and celebration of all things culinary. Competitors like Whole Foods have create an atmospheric shopping experience.

OPPORTUNITIES

ORGANIC IS FASHIONABLE - and according to cbc, organic sales have been on the rise by 20%. Spuds continues to expand towards eastern Canada and Northernly, into the United States.Ways to capitalize on this could include:

JOINT VENTURES / STRATEGIC ALLIANCES - Spuds has begun to venture into strategic alliance with several Vancouver restaurants, including Vancouver favourite "Vj's" which culled a huge response for the Valentine's contest. Any and all organic or ethically responsible business via online linking and promotional piggy backing.

COMMUNITY AWARENESS - building on the the referral system, the spuds well-equipped online shop could support a community hub and resource for groups interested in expanding on a sustainable lifestyle. Educational components either online or as a chance to create face to face experience with spuds reps.
Furthermore, developing community awareness thru sustainable print design could expand the Spuds brand to a wider audience not familiar with local trends hile keeping up with the spuds code of ethics.

NO OMMISSIONS. NO PLASTIC BAGS.