ABOUT YVES SAINT LAURENT

Yves Saint Laurent was born to parents Charles and Lucienne Andree Mathieu-Saint-Laurent
on August 1st 1936,Oran, Algeria.

Figure 1: Designer Yves Saint Laurent

Growing up was not easy for Saint Laurent, he was often teased for appearing homosexual, as
a result of this he was a very nervous child. He found comfort in fashion, designing dresses
for his mother and his two sisters.

At tender age of 17, he decided to move to Paris to pursue career in designing theatrical
costumes. He enrolled at ‘ChambreSyndicale de la Couture.’ After graduating his designs
caught a lot of people’s attention, including Michel De Brunhoff the editor for French Vogue.
Michel introduced Saint Laurent to Christian Dior. After showing some of his sketches to
Dior, he was immediately hired as his assistant. Four years later Dior passed away and Saint
Laurent became the head of House of Dior, at the young age of 21.

In 1960 he was called back to his country to fight for his independence. However due to
medical reasons he was not able to fight. Upon returning to Paris, he discovered that his job
at Dior had disappeared. He gained a large sum of compensation money, as an apology, and
with his partner Pierre Berge, he opened up his own fashion house.

Yves Saint Laurent was the first living designer to receive a solo exhibition in New York’s
Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983. Sadly on June 1st 2008, Yves Saint Laurent died in
Paris after suffering from Brain Cancer.

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 Figure 2: 'Le Smoking' Tuxedo
Yves Saint Laurent is globally known for his creativity and boldness. From bringing the sex
appeal back for women with the ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo to designing Bianca Jagger’s iconic
wedding dress. YSL broke the makeup industry by introducing the infamous ‘ToucheElcat’.
Thick heavy makeup wasn’t seen again, and women had soft, light, dewy skin. The makeup
game had been changed forever.

Saint Laurent is a brand that is continuing to amaze the fashion world, whether that is with its
clothes, cosmetic or fragrances.(YSL Brand Report, 2017)

YVES SAINT LAURENT FASHION HOUSE

Yves Saint Laurent , also known as Saint Laurent, is a French luxury fashion house founded
by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company revived its haute couture
collection in 2015 under former Creative Director HediSlimane. In April 2016, Anthony
Vaccarello was appointed as the Creative Director.Yves Saint Laurent has revenue of $1.21
Billion with headquarter in Paris, France.

Founded in 1961, it has been considered one of the world's most prominent fashion houses
and is known for its modern and iconic pieces, such as its tuxedo jackets for women. Today,
Saint Laurent markets a broad range of women's and men's ready-to-wear products, leather
goods, shoes, and jewellery. Yves Saint Laurent Beauté also has a notable presence in the
luxury beauty and fragrance market, although this is owned by L'Oréal who hold exclusive
licenses for the name.(Yves Saint Laurent (brand), 2019)

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HISTORY
The history of the House of Saint Laurent is a colourful one, defined specifically by its
founder’s Le Smoking tuxedo and HediSlimane’s brand overhaul. This is what makes the
Parisian fashion label so culturally significant.

When Yves Saint Laurent founded his namesake fashion house in 1961 he introduced a
revolutionary take on women’s clothing. Inspired by the structure of menswear and the
feeling of power that came with wearing it, his approach was a celebration of gender fluidity
that shook the fashion industry. Since then, the likes of AlberElbaz and HediSlimane have
interpreted Saint Laurent’s vision for the brand, and it’s Anthony Vaccarello who now sits at
the label’s helm.

Algerian-born Yves Saint Laurent was discovered by influential French writer and illustrator
Michel de Brunhoff, who published his sketches and introduced him to Christian Dior. His
first job was as Dior’s design assistant and he took over as creative director when the founder
died suddenly in 1957.

In 1961, with an archive of Dior haute couture and ready-to-wear collections behind him and
a wealth of opinions about how the modern women should dress, Saint Laurent launched his
first couture collection, which opened with a peacoat and wide-leg trouser combination. The
ready-to-wear line, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, came later in 1966.

What set Saint Laurent aside from his peers was his fearless approach to blurring the lines
between men’s and women’s fashion and his celebration of female sexuality. Pioneering the
power suit and transforming the safari jacket from functional to fashion-focussed, he took
traditionally masculine items and made them work for a new kind of womenswear – one
designed to empower its wearer. It was a time of change in the fashion industry.

Figure 3: Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche fall 1972 ready to wear collection. YSL Rive
Gauche Fall 1972 RTW, Paris

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Figure 4: Model Modelling YVES SAINT LAURENT on catwalk YVES ST LAURENT
SUMMER FASHION
Le Smoking, the sharply tailored, all-black tuxedo, remains the signature style that defines
Saint Laurent’s impact on fashion. A revolutionary addition to his 1966 haute couture
collection, it hit the runway in Paris to mixed reviews. Fashion buyers didn’t include it in
their stores, but celebrity trendsetters like Bianca Jagger, Catherine Deneuve and Nan
Kempner were among the first to wear it. In 1975, fashion photographer Helmut Newton shot
the look for French Vogue on a dimly lit cobbled street in Paris and secured its now-iconic
status.

Saint Laurent continued to build upon his stellar design portfolio, but in 1998 he handed the
ready-to-wear line over to AlberElbaz to focus solely on the couture line. Backstage at his
debut show, Elbaz famously said: “I don’t want to do AlberElbaz for Yves Saint Laurent. I
want to do Saint Laurent by AlberElbaz.” Perhaps this attitude is why his stint was somewhat
short-lived. After just three seasons he was dismissed from the label and joined Lanvin where
he remained until 2015. The House of Yves Saint Laurent was bought by the Gucci Group
and Elbaz was soon replaced by Tom Ford, who was also heading up Italian label Gucci at
the time.

Ford signified a new mood for the label. His debut collection was designed to make an
impact, and it presented monochromatic looks completely void of the accessories that Saint
Laurent had worked so hard to perfect. The relationship between the two creatives was tense,
with Ford claiming that Saint Laurent didn’t approve of his vision for the brand, despite
critical acclaim and sky-rocketing sales.

In 2002, Saint Laurent retired to Marrakech after battling with health and drug issues, and the
bow that he took at his final show – one that presented a nostalgic look back at 40 years of
work – was openly emotional. The couture side of the fashion house was officially closed and
the focus was placed solely on ready-to-wear under the banner Yves Saint Laurent Rive
Gauche.

Between 1999 and 2004, Ford worked relentlessly to perfect 16 hotly anticipated collections
a year for both Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, so it came as little surprise when he combined
his efforts and launched his own namesake label. It was former MiuMiu designer Stefano
Pilati who took over as creative director. His first collection in spring/summer 2005 presented
a feminine silhouette that felt new (and somewhat off-track) for Saint Laurent, with wide
waist belts and voluminous skirts replacing the sharp tailoring and minimal details that it had
become known for. In 2012, he was replaced by HediSlimane.

While each of Saint Laurent’s successors had undoubtedly made their mark on the fashion
house, none transformed it quite like Slimane. His dramatic four-year rebranding of the label,
which stripped ‘Yves’ from the nomenclature, certainly divided opinion. Saint Laurent Paris
was on the receiving end of a media backlash, which is perhaps why Slimane chose a life in
LA and famously avoided press exposure in favour of his singular vision.

It is this vision that embodies what we know to be the Saint Laurent ‘look’ today, and it’s
consistent across both the men’s and women’s collections. Luxurious, beautifully crafted
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 leather biker jackets and rock-inspired boots have become the house forte as well as metallic
party dresses that reference the edgy glamour of the 1970s and 1980s. Slimane took a unique
and controversial approach to runway shows, casting models reminiscent of the Kate Moss

‘heroin chic’ era, playing music recorded especially for the event and fusing men’s and
women’s collections in a bid to emphasise the gender-fluid message. It is now a label that
embodies youth culture, taking its classic pieces and elevating them to premium status in a
way that feels rebellious and cool.

In 2015, Slimane announced the relaunch of the couture line – a project that he had been
perfecting since his appointment three years prior. With such significant change underway
and a hugely profitable few years for the fashion house, it came as a shock when Slimane’s
contract was not renewed. On 1 April 2016 it was announced that he would be leaving Saint
Laurent. Lawsuits ensued and were only settled when Slimane won his case in April 2018.
His successor, Anthony Vaccarello, remains at Saint Laurent to this day and he brings yet
another fresh outlook on how the label should be driven forward.(The History of House of
Yves Saint Laurent, 2018)

BRAND EQUITY:
Brand equity is a marketing term that describes a brand’s value. That value is determined by
consumer perception and experiences with the brand. If people think highly of a brand, it has
positive brand equity. When a brand consistently under-delivers and disappoints to the point
where people recommend that others avoid it, it has negative brand equity.

Positive brand equity has value:

 Companies can charge more for a product with a great deal of brand equity.
 That equity can be transferred to line extensions – products related to the brand that include
the brand name – so a business can make more money from the brand.
 It can help boost a company’s stock price.

How Brand Equity Develops:

Brand equity develops and grows as a result of a customer’s experiences with the brand. The
process typically involves that customer or consumer’s natural relationship with the brand
that unfolds following a predictable model:

 Awareness – The brand is introduced to its target audience – often with advertising – in a
way that gets it noticed.
 Recognition – Customers become familiar with the brand and recognize it in the exclusive
stores in case of luxury goods.
 Trial – Now that they recognize the brand and know what it is or stand for, they try it.
 Preference – When the consumer has a good experience with the brand, it becomes the
preferred choice.

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 Loyalty – After a series of good brand experiences, users not only recommend it to others,
it becomes the only one they will buy and use in that category. They think so highly of it
that any product associated with the brand benefits from its positive glow. (brand equity,
2019)

The reflection of value of the brand name is known as measuring brand equity, it is defined in
terms of “marketing effects uniquely attribute to the brand”. Meaning that the certain
outcome of marketing a product or service would not happen if that product or service does
not hold that name for which it is known. In other word, brand equity is the value that brand
name gives to a product or service. Brand with high brand equity provides their owners with
competitive and financial benefits. In terms of behavioral viewpoint, brand equity is essential
to make point of differentiation which leads to competitive advantages based on non-price
competition. (brand equity and luxury brands, 2018)

Hence the concept of brand equity can be explained with two perspectives as qualitative and
quantitative. The first describes the prestige the brand has, association and perception of the
customers towards the brand and the second perspective describes the market share and profit
margin the brand generates which shows its stability and financial strength.

Brand equity and visual identity of YSL

Yves Saint Laurent started his label in the 1960s just as when the women were starting to go
through the phase of transformation to elegant clothing. (isacusickknight, 2018). In 1966 was
the first Haute Couture firm developing a new concept: luxury women’s prêt-à-porter.
(Isabelcanos, 2015)

Yves Saint Laurent and models in 1966 with stripped dresses for Rive Gauche line

YSL wanted to create clothes that all women could afford, whilst still having the luxury feel
and look to them, and since that time Saint Laurent as a brand has continued to create lavish
clothes and accessories for both Men and Women.

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YSL as a brand has created its unique identity of being a fashion label which is bold and
dramatic and the clothes which are very sharp, elegant and timeless. Core classic products of
the brand for which it is famous for includes –classic ‘Le Smoking’ Tuxedo that liberated
women, classic Saint Laurent Monogramme Cross body bag, YSL heels and the classic
Mandriaan dress, Yves Saint Laurent 1965.

The brand has created its value in terms of its presence, the clothing line of the brand can
only be bought from 104 exclusive boutique stores of YSL present in nearly 39 countries, it is
also present online on websites such as ‘Net-a-Porter’, ‘Selfridges’ and ‘Harrods’. As the
brand is not sold in high street shops, the brand name becomes exclusive and associated with
wealthy people who have appreciation for fashion.

YSL also has a very high status in the makeup and cosmetic industry. The most iconic
makeup product has to be the ‘Touche Eclat’, which was the original face highlighter; also
the packaging of the makeup products is primarily gold which give customers a luxury feel.

At present the brand is owned by the ‘Kering’ group, with other brands under its roof such as
Gucci, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. According to reports as on Feb. 2017, the brand
marked total revenue of 1.22 billion Euros and became the second largest in the kering
group’s luxury portfolio after Gucci.

Saint Laurent is a sophisticated brand that originally reached out and appealed to wealthy
middle age consumers, with the passage of time and the brand has taken interest to young,
trendy and fashion conscious adults who are interested in luxury fashion and couture. At
present it is selling its product being highly active on e-commerce platforms and has gained
immense popularity online.

The brand has created its value in terms of its classic products, the luxury clothing line,
exclusivity of the products, brand image inspired bold and highly fashion inspired shoots and
campaigns and even with the gold and black classy packaging of the products.

BRAND IDENTITY PRISM

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In his so-called Brand Identity Prism, Jean-Noël Kapferer identifies six aspectsof brand
identity: (1) physique, (2) personality, (3) culture, (4) relationship, (5)reflection and (6) self-
image

These six aspects are divided over two dimensions:

a. The constructed source vs. the constructed receiver : a well-presented brand has to
be able to be seen as a person (constructed source : physique and personality) and also
as the stereotypical user (constructed receiver : reflection and self-image).

b. Externalisation vs. internalisation: a brand has social aspects that define its
external expression (externalisation: physique, relationship and reflection) and aspects
that are incorporated into the brand itself (internalisation: personality, culture and self-
image).
Kapferer states that these aspects can only come to life when the brand communicates with
the consumer. Strong brands are, according to Kapferer, capable of weaving all aspects into
an effective whole, as a way of coming to a concise, clear and appealing brand identity. We
will go into the six aspects in detail below.

 Physique: this is the set of the brand’s physical features, which are evoked in
people’s minds when the brand name is mentioned. Kapferer states that this aspect has
to be considered the basis of the brand. Key questions regarding this aspect are: what
does the brand look like? What can a consumer do with it in terms of functionality?
And how can it be recognized? It is al-so important to have a clear flagship product
representing the brand’s over-all qualities
 Personality: the brand’s character. By communicating with consumers in a certain
way, these can be given the feeling that all brand-related communication actually
constitutes a person with specific character traits speaking to them. This can be
realized by using a specific style of writing, using specific design features, and using
specific colours schemes
 Culture: the system of values and basic principles on which a brand has to base its
behaviour (products and communication). Culture is the direct link between brand and
organisation. Many associations in this area are linked to the country of origin. Brand
managers should have the brand's culture resonate in as many customer contacts as
possible.
 Relationship: a brand can symbolise a certain relationship between people (between
mother and child, for example, in the case of Blue Band margarine). This aspect
requires a brand manager to express the relationship his/her brand stands for. Lexus
clearly differentiates itself from BMW, for ex-ample, by almost literally giving its
customers the red carpet treatment. The relationship aspect is perhaps even more
important for service brands than for product brands, as a service is, by definition, a
relationship.
 Reflection (of the consumer): this aspect makes reference to the stereotype user of
the brand, and is the source for identification. Kapferer states that there is no need for
brand managers to make a realistic reflection of the actual target group in their
(image) campaigns, but rather present a group/person that will appeal to the members
of the target group.

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  Self-image: the mirror the target group holds up to itself. A Porsche driver, for
example, who thinks others will think he is rich because he can afford such a flash
car. When developing a brand identity, brand managers should take this dimension
into account. Insight into the underlying intrinsic drivers of consumers can give a
brand a real boost. If these insights are present, advertising can draw on them.
Another example is provided by the brand Lacoste. Research has shown that Lacoste
users see themselves as members of a sporty club; even if they do not actively play
any sports. Without this knowledge, Lacoste would never have been able to create its
current image on the basis of its brand identity.
The Brand Identity Prism enables brand managers to assess the strengths and
weaknesses of their brand using the six aspects of this prism.

BRAND IDENTITY PRISM OF SYL BRAND IDENTITY PRISM OF

SYL

PHYSIQUE PERSONALLITY
 A historical & sophisticated
luxury brand with French chic  successful
aesthetic and fashion-forward  aristocratic
design concept  powerful
 YSL logo
 Black eco friendly packaging
 Innovative store design concept

RELATIONSHIP CULTURE
RELATIONSHIP CULTURE
 Represent fashion  High end fashion
aware upper  Luxury with a youth test
classwealthy young  Quality leather goods
individuals delicate
to creativity and
agility

REFLECTION SELF IMAGE

REFLECTION SELF-IMAGE
 Youth centric design  stylish
 Luxury  unique
 independent
 fashion trend creator

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COMMUNICATION MIX
The communications mix in marketing comprises of the various ways that a company can
communicate with its customers. Because marketing communications is of utmost
importance in today’s day and age, the communications mix and the marketing vehicles used
within it are also important to marketing.

As can be seen from the concepts of marketing there were initially various different concepts
which were used when manufacturing first started. They were the production concept, the
sales concept etc. However, slowly but surely we moved on to implement the marketing
concept and today we generally use the customer concept in the market.

The key principle behind the marketing concept is that we should add value to
our products so that the customer will automatically buy our products above that of
competition. However, how will the customer know that we have value added products? This
is the job of the Marcomm department and hence the communications mix is needed.

Generally when a company makes a marketing communications plan, it combines multiple

forms of communication channels into the mix. This is done to ensure that the message of the
company reaches the end consumer. It is also done to ensure repetition so that the customer
recalls the brand because of the brand message being repeated in multiple channels at once

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SALES PROMOTION

Sales promotion relates to an activity that acts as incentive for consumers to purchase a
product; a strategy in which sales can be enhanced .Saint Laurent doesn’t operates in regards
to sales operations. Instead there is a wide price variance within their products .The brand
offers diversity within its products; pursuing a culture collection, ready to wear collection in
addition to their beauty products. “Consumers are now broadening their retail scope, and
mixing top-end designer pieces with mid – market and value garments” Presenting a broad
range of products means the brand is more accessible to a larger consumer base.

Personal selling is a process of persuading a customer to purchase a product or service. Saint

Laurent Paris invests heavily in its retail network. The brand has grasped the understanding
of being a high end brand.

ADVERTISING

Advertising is a form of nono-personal communication that is paid for. It is regularly used by

organizations to promote their products and services to a target market.

During the re brand heavily invested in advertising to inform consumers of the new brand
aesthetics. In which several black and white images of indie rock stars and models were
released in reaction to this. The 2012 figures released by business of fashion explains how
Saint Laurent Paris spent the most on advertising in comparison to their rivals and 7% of its
sales revenue were dedicated to this.

DIRECT MARKETING

Direct marketing is a way in which the organization can communicate first hand with
customers. It avoids depending on marketing channels intermediaries but focuses on
marketing communication instead there is no evidence that Saint Laurent uses this method of
marketing. Although from being a small luxury brand it would be an opportunity to foresee.
It may not be cost effective, but it can improve the value of the brand to the customers.

The term social media relates to website and applications that allow users to participate in
social networking .Saint Laurent Paris doesn’t focus in using a particular platform to engage
with its customers. Instagram and Pinterest are the two main platforms which they uses to
display their campaigns and new collection online.

PUBLIC RELATION

Public relation plays an important role within the promotional mix. This is because it is
planned and established the relationship between organization and its target consumers.

Celebrity endorsement is a form of marketing that involves using people in the public eye to
promote the brand virally. Designers often lend products to celebrities to wear at high profile
events ,for example the Grammys over the years the red carpets has showcased many of Yves
Saint Laurent garments. Recent examples include : Kate Moss, Cara Delevinge and Alexa

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Chung. Dressing celebrities at high profile events creates free use of media coverage, which
can counteract as an advantage for the brand .

MARKETING MIX

PRODUCT

Yves Saint Laurent offers a range of products that are luxury and timeless for both males and
females.

The brand sells products such as

 Jackets
 Jumpers
 Skirts
 T-shirts
 Shoes
Accessories (Handbags and Jewellery)

Ready- to-wear collection

their size guide is measured by “YSL (size)’. They have a conversion table available to
ensure that to ensure that customer selects the right size.

PRICE

Premium pricing strategy’ is implemented for Saint Laurent to create desirability for the
products thus the cost coheres with the brand image. However, Saint Laurent use ‘price
architecture’ by offering ‘lower price products’ for a mass market, such as perfume.
The buyers of YSL understand it as a luxury brand. Therefore, they expect to pay a high price
for the product. Luxury price points for apparel, shoes, and handbags tend to start around the
$1000 mark. YSL is in line with their competitors as their average dress is around $1,900 and
their average woman’s high heel around $1000 with flats at a little under $500. YSL
fragrances and cosmetics come with a smaller price tag with a small bottle of Opium Perfume
costing only $57. YSL’s cosmetic line is slightly cheaper While ready-to-wear customers are
likely to also purchase YSL fragrances and cosmetics, there are also more price sensitive
customers who purchase these items to get a bit of the YSL brand in their home.

PLACE

Before the Internet, YSL customers would have to trek to metropolitan areas with either an
YSL boutique or a luxury department store. While these stores are still crucial to the success
of the brand, the Internet has allowed YSL to open to a worldwide audience who can
purchase YSL products at home. In turn, this has helped YSL become increasingly popular as
a global brand and the company has seen great growth in Asia and the Middle East with 35%
of PPR’s Luxury Group’s revenues in 2010 coming from emerging markets which is a 20.3%
growth since 2009. Because of this marked growth, YSL should continue opening more retail
stores in these regions with emerging markets.
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Saint Laurent sell their products through ‘bricks and mortar’ in 104 operated boutiques
worldwide, as well as online through www.ysl.com and wwwyslbeauty.co.uk. They are
situated in key cities such as New York, Paris and Hong Kong to reach their global consumer.
Their e-commerce strategy makes them more accessible for the tech-savvy consumer whilst
an in-store experience is widely available across 39 emerging countries.

PROMOTION

As the target market for a luxury brand like YSL is relatively small, it is in the brand’s best
interest to focus promotion efforts in medias that the luxury group is attune to. Of course, this
includes full page advertisements in fashion publications such as Vogue,Harper Bazaar,
W,and Elle. These magazines are targeted at a certain consumer group who are wealthy and
they also have disposable income, so they are able to buy things for their personal
entertainment such as magazines. Other traditional media such as television or radio
commercials are not as effective with this type of brand. Billboards in large metropolitan
areas like New York or London can be effective. However, the rise of the Internet and social
media is an excellent promotion tool for luxury brands. YSL promote itself both through its
own website, Facebook, and Twitter pages as well as through good word of mouth spread by
bloggers and other social media users. Style.com’s galleries of ready-to-wear collections
available immediately after the shows are one of YSL’s greatest means to promote the brand
without any additional expense to the PPR Corporation. Social media plays a massive part in
our day to day lives, and people usually keep up to date by being online . YSL have an
Instagram account with 7.3 Million followers. On these accounts the brand shares campaign
photographs and updates about their latest collections.

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SAINT LAURENT’S ASSOCIATION TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Saint Laurent released the music project campaign (April 2013) with names such as Marilyn
Manson, Courtney Love and Daft Punk to reference their lasting relationship with rock icons
(Mick Jagger 1971), rooting the company’s old brand image. Advertising was the form of
“communication strategy” they used to correspond the brand message. The rock ‘n’ roll
personality of Saint Laurent is reflected through their choice of celebrity endorsement in
order to reinforce the brand image. This campaign was launched through their digital media
channels, the website and social media such as Facebook and Twitter to gain “word-of-mouth
and press coverage”.

Havaianas x YSL.

Saint Laurent has announced a new

collaboration with iconic Brazilian footwear
label, Havaianas.

Vaccarello recently showed the brand’s

Spring Summer 20 men’s collection in
Malibu, and it seems he's been inspired by
the beach. The monochrome, zebra print
which is part of the SS20 collection’s
exclusive accessories range has given the

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summer flip flop a high-end transformation featuring the French fashion house’s logo.

The footwear is available in men’s and women’s sizes, exclusively to purchase online and in
Saint Laurent boutiques in Paris and Malibu. Retailing at $72, the collab is currently offered
for pre-sale online at YSL.com.

YSL POP UP YOU LIPS POP UP STORE

Rarely it’s seen that a cosmetic brand has the guts to put an 80-year-old celebrity at the center
of its marketing plans, but the outcome is stunning.
In a push to promote its spring lip gloss collection “Pop Water”, YSL Beauty has partnered
up with All Rights Reserved for the first time on a promotional campaign “Pop Up Your
Lips”, leading with an exhibition that will house a group of 19 celebrity portraits taken from
the hands of renown photographer Leslie Kee. From 1 May to 3 May, the three days
exhibition was run with a pop-up store at Sound will Plaza II – Midtown at Causeway Bay,
where participants took pictures in a photo booth wearing the new YSL lipstick.

Each day, the first 200 participants received a tailor-made YSL lip stamp via a laser-cutting
process based on the photographs taken.

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BRAND STRETCHING

Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a

product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product
category.
In the 1990s, 81 percent of new products used brand extension to introduce new brands and
to create sales.Launching a new product is not only time-consuming but also needs a big
budget to create brand awareness and to promote a product's benefits. Brand extension is one
of the new product development strategies which can reduce financial risk by using the parent
brand name to enhance consumers' perception due to the core brand equity. A brand's
"extendibility" depends on how strong consumer's associations are to the brand's values and
goals.Product extensions are versions of the same parent product that serve a segment of the
target market and increase the variety of an offering.
While there can be significant benefits in brand extension strategies, there can also be
significant risks, resulting in a diluted or severely damaged brand image. Poor choices for
brand extension may dilute and deteriorate the core brand and damage the brand equity.

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ANALYSE SOME OF THE BRAND EXTENSION STRATEGIES

Traditionally brand managers used simple business strategies to target the customers.
However, nowadays brand managers faced lots of complexities and contingencies such as the
revolute of business environment, channel dynamics, market fragmentation and change of
global contexts. This sets of provoke has created four basic models for brand architecture
strategies that includes house of brands, branded house, endorsed brand and sub-brands. The
use of brand architecture strategies can provide consumers clarity and coherent of that brands
because it can indicator brand roles, organizing the structure of brand portfolio and identify
relationships between brands.

1. HOUSE OF BRAND

House of brand is an independent set of standalone brands that maximizing the impact on a
market. The advantage of using house of brand can provide the direct value proposition to
dominate the niche customers. Moreover, the visibly positioning allows firms to have explicit
functional benefits to leverage brand into different segments of the business. Besides
targeting the niche group house of brand also have other functionalities that includes:
avoiding channel conflict, provide new offering that will not dilute the existing brand,
avoiding brand association that would mismatch and reflect key attributes by using
extraordinary and influential name.

2. BRANDED HOUSE

Branded house is all products that marketed in one brand name which is often under the
corporate name, which the master brand is also called the umbrella brand and under the
umbrella brand there are multiple offerings. Branded house is a metaphor of putting all their
eggs into one basket that all the company operations are under the same name. However, the
disadvantages of this model are sometime it is difficult to maintain all of the business
operations into a positive image and it may perhaps difficult to target particular groups of
customers. Conversely, the benefits of branded house can maximize clarity and synergy that
one positive association of particular product/service that can transfer it into other context of
operations.

3. ENDORSED BRAND

Endorsed brand is an independent brand but usually guaranteed by the corporate brand.
Endorsed brand usually plays a minor role by providing reliability to the offering. So, for
endorsed brand to work, the firm must need to understand the distinctiveness of the
organizational brand and the product brand. Also, the endorsing brand should provide some
credibility and helpful association into the sights of the consumers.

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4. SUB-BRANDS

Sub-brands have close relationship with the parent/master brand, which parent/master brand
is the primary frame of reference of sub-brands. The parent/master usually stretched the sub-
brands by adding new values or associations into it. The linkages between the parent brand
and the sub-brands have closer relationship than the endorsers and endorsed brands; thus,
parent brand has a more drive role.

TWO MODELS FOR BRAND STRETCHING THE VERTICAL

EXTENSION AND HORIZONTAL EXTENSION

Globalization has shape luxury to become very specific good to draw the attention of small
market into a big market. Upholding a narrowed product and targeting the niche group can be
a safest strategy for luxury brands. However, if the luxury brand cannot sell sufficient number
of its products, they must need to stretch it brand in order to boost up their sales. In the
following, I will explain the two models in more details.

PYRAMID MODEL (VERTICAL EXTENSION)

Vertical extension as know as the pyramid model, it provides varieties of accessibility price
range and allows them to create numerous of sub-brands to target different segments. There
are varies of strata in the pyramid model. This model is commonly used in the fashion
industry because the haute couture usually starts at the top with small series exclusivity at the
middle and large series of licensing at the bottom. The benefit of this model is that even
upper tier is losing money the lower tier can provide significant support in capital. However,
the downside of this model is that the firm may shift its focus on the most earning line in the
lower tier rather than focus on the upper tier. Moreover, if the quality is bad in the lower tier
it will damages the reputation at the top as well.

GALAXY MODEL (HORIZONTAL EXTENSION)

Horizontal extension, also called the galaxy model, provides more products to increase its
customer base by building around from the brand. In this model, brand does not downgrade
itself to target the lower strata of the markets, which all sub-brands basically strand alone
with each other in an equal manner. In other words, all the sub-brands have equal value and
the center of the galaxy is the inventor. For example, Ralph Laurent’s sub-brands Polo Ralph
Lauren, Purple Label and Black Laruen they all strand in the same manner by represent Ralph
Laurent’s lifestyle.(liu, 2014)

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USING GALAXY MODEL FOR PRODUCT EXTENSION
A survey was done and found that 14% people think that the brand was aimed at 18-25 year
old, 25% said that the brand was aimed at everyone and 40% said that the brand was aimed at
26-35 year old people, which is quite relevant also because the person need to be stable in
order to afford the products.

I am using galaxy model for a product extension and the extension is customization in
products.

PROCESS:

 A guidebook is provided to the customers from where they can learn about the
process
 They should have an account where the customer has to fill the credentials
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  By logging in they will able to select the customization option
 In customization section they will be able to choose among various colours, size,
design and style and can order the same.
 A dummy preview will show to the customer to get an idea of their product.
 They can place the order and get it delivered within the given time frame.

Following the process, a high-end customer can get the customized product as they desire.
The one who been a YSL customer will not a price sensitive customer. The customer must
have a great loyalty towards the brand and they use these products to maintain the social
status. With this section, it is clear that the customer does not want their dress to be get
copied by someone and in regard to maslow hierarchy theory (esteem need) it gives a sense
of accomplishment and status they desire. People will use this segment who has a passion for
brand, who likes to have a good quality of product, who is fashion savvy, who want a
distinctive look and who love to wear what they exactly want to in their own way.

ANTI-LAWS OF MARKETING IN CUSTOMISATION SEGMENT

• By Customising only 50 products in a year we are making the availability of products
to difficult to buy. Only 50 customers throughout the year will get a chance to
customised their product. Problem in availability of the products will increase the
demand of the product and show its exclusivity.

• Keep raising the price is also an anti-law of marketing. The psychological factor in
human beings works on this. Keep raising the price will make the buyer think about
its exclusivity. The more late the customer will be the more valuable it become.

• Customisation process and ingredients will set the price. As luxury set the price not
the price set the luxury. A luxury is something what we dream of. The efforts which
will be needed to make the product and time taken in it will set the price.

• Do not increase the no. to customised products in order to fulfil the demand. Luxury
market do not respond to the increase demand. They do not bother about the sales,
rather they focus on the exclusivity and uniqueness. It does not happen in luxury
market to meet the supply and demand. Sales s never the focus of the luxury brands,
they work to maintain that people dream.

• Offer is only for the loyal, fashion savvy and customer who want to fulfil their esteem
needs. Though you have money yet you may not be allowed to buy this product. This
is only for the loyal customers of YSL. If everyone will get a chance to get it
customised as per their choice then how will the brand protect its clients from non-
clients. A brand never wants to mix its clients because a luxury brand is always
known for its value which is present at the customer mind. Mixing of clients means
the mixing of values.

THE IMPLICATION OF BRAND STRETCHING

In the following I have streamline some of the advantages and disadvantages of brand
extension.
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Advantages Disadvantages
 Increase brand equity and market share  Can dilute brand meaning
 Bring new customers into brand franchise and  Can cannibalize sales of parent brand
increase market coverage  Can be a burden for the company to develop
 Enhance the parent brand image new branding
 Permit consumers to seek variety  Can tarnish the parent brand if things not goes
 Improve brand image well
 Reduce risk perceived by customers

REBRANDING OF YVES
SAINT LAURENT
When HediSlimane was appointed
creative director of Yves Saint Laurent,
YSL’s parent company, gave the
designer “total creative responsibility for
the brand image and all its collections.”
Only a few months into the job,

Slimane has started with a bang, Figure 5 Rebranding of Yves Saint Laurent
dropping the first name of the company’s
iconic founder in a significant rebranding — from “Yves Saint Laurent” to “Saint Laurent
Paris” — sending shockwaves across the industry only four years after the death of Yves
Saint Laurent himself.

In the face of increasing competition from “affordable luxury” brands like Kors and Kate
Spade to new Asian luxury brands, Saint Laurent has doubled its sales revenue since Slimane
took over, helping Kering, its parent company, to strengthen its position in the luxury
industry. Before Slimane, YSL was mostly selling shoes and handbags. Since he joined, its
ready-to-wear line has been flying off the shelves.

Saint Laurent’s renewed success can first be attributed to an elegant rebranding strategy
which saw its name change to Saint Laurent Paris, shortly after Slimane took over. The new
name represents a tribute to the original – when its eponymous founder launched his ready-
to-wear line in 1966 it was under the name Saint Laurent Rive Gauche – and uses the same
font and nomenclature. It also capitalises on its city of origin, which is especially important
outside of traditional European markets.

Another important aspect of the rebranding strategy is the fact that the brand puts forward the
name of its creative director – items are presented in fashion magazines as “Saint Laurent by
HediSlimane”. This shows the importance of contemporary designers and suggests that their
names can matter as much as the name of the traditional luxury labels that carry their

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collections. This has also been the case at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld’s influence as creative
director and Raf Simons at Dior.

The transition of the brand from a “loud” branding strategy, featuring conspicuous and highly
recognizable logos, to a more “quiet” one has also been an important aspect behind Saint
Laurent’s success. Now it relies on more subtle tailoring details which have become
associated with the brand: its signature stitching patterns, use of semi-sheer fabric and zip
details.

The move to a less conspicuous but still subtly branded strategy shows an understanding of
current luxury industry trends. Consumers are increasingly turning away from loud or heavily
branded luxury products and favour more discreet goods. This can be explained by a desire
not to appear too extravagant in the current financial crisis climate, as well as by a maturing
of preferences – favouring products that have the cachet of appealing to connoisseurs.

It’s a rebranding success story. At least, as far as retail goes, Sales are buoyant: Barney’s
New York reported a 60 per cent sell-through on Slimane’s first spring collection. “The
leather bikers, bombers and accessories sell out within days of landing online,” comments
Damien Paul, MatchesFashion.com’s menswear buyer. Barely two weeks into the spring
season, he says: “The bikers from the show have already sold out and we have a waiting list
for the boots from the runway.” The overall retail increase is reported to be 40 per cent.

In the stores, Slimane’s Saint Laurent has undeniable hanger appeal. Those leathers are
luxurious, cuts skinny and simple. There’s a “permanent” collection that focuses on classic
pieces such as slender coats, the signature Le Smoking tuxedo and more youthful pieces such
as calfskin Chelsea boots or leopard-print shirts. The rebranded label – Saint Laurent spelled
out in Helvetica inspired by the original 1966 Rive Gauche typeface – looks sharp, as do
Slimane’s redesigned Saint Laurent retail spaces, all marble and chrome.(BOF, 2012)

Idea of HediSlimane behind Rebranding of Saint Laurent

HediSlimane wanted to reintroduce couture to the house. Back in the days, Yves Saint
Laurent stopped producing Couture because, according to Pierre Bergé, true haute couture no
longer existed because of grand social occasions. This was true at that particular moment, but
not anymore. Hedi had many conversations about this with Pierre. Eventually, Hedi came to
the conclusion that there are different ways in which you can approach Couture. For Yves
Saint Laurent, it’s the sense of privacy that prevails. This, because privacy seems to be the
only true luxury left today.

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 Figure 6 RTW of Saint Laurent

In Hedi his opinion, building new couture salons was the most significant and first symbol
that had to be completed. After the opening of the new couture house, everything else in his
project could fall holistically into place. Hedi finds it extremely important to preserve the
tradition whilst addressing the time we are living in. This is something that was done by Yves
and Pierre as well. Even though many people think that ‘dropping’ Yves out of the brand’s
name is getting rid of the tradition, the contrary is true. Many do not know that Yves Saint
Laurent had the idea to name the Ready-To-Wear collection ‘Saint Laurent Rive Gauche’. He
wanted a clear distinction between couture and RTW. Hedi just simply executed this idea,
and made the RTW collection into Saint Laurent. YSL now focuses on Couture and the RTW
collection is referred to as Saint Laurent. Both lines still feature the monogram logo, designed
by the artist Cassandre.(Designer-Vintage, 2018)

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CONCLUSION

Saint Laurent is a globally established luxury fashion and beauty brand that has
been on a journey of innovation beginning with YVES Saint Laurent career,all
the way through to the rebrand.

Despite the array of changes, it was important that the brand maintained its
identity. Otherwise the risk would be that they would disconnect from their
consumers. They achieved this by keeping the typography YSL logo, which has
been associated with the brand since the beginning. In addition to this heavily
investing in advertising, was needed to achieve communicating with the new
market they are now operating.

Although Saint Laurent doesn’t focus on using a particular social media

platform to connect with its customers.

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