Parsons The New School for Design Fashion Marketing AAS

Global Fashion Marketing

Instructor:
Jeanine Polizzi

Spring 2017 - Final Term Project

Objective: To examine and analyze the theories and concepts that explain the behavior of
international consumers and how Fashion Companies can be successful in marketing to these
consumers. This will be a team project.

Marketing Issue:
You will take on the role of a Marketing Team for a fashion company of your choice. Your team
has decided that they would like to venture into an international market. In order to do so, your
Marketing Team must perform the necessary research to be sure this venture will be successful.
Once all research is complete, your Marketing Team will present your idea and your
negative/positive findings to the CEO of your fashion company.

Important Dates: Proposal February 14, 2017

New Market Cultural Analysis March 7, 2017
Marketing Plan May 2, 2017
Marketing Plan Presentation May 2, 2017

**All teams must adhere to the above dates. Lateness will have a negative impact on your
grade**

Project Topics:

Your Team can choose a fashion company of your choice.

Your Team can choose a market to enter.

Project Phases:

(1) Proposal: 2/14/17

The Proposal should be a short presentation on the current status of your fashion company of
choice and why you believe it is a good fit for your assigned country. The Proposal should
include:
- List of team members
- Analysis the company’s current marketing strategy and existing target market.
o Who are they talking to?
o What do they tell them?
o What marketing strategy does your company use to appeal to this target market?
o What are its strengths and weaknesses?
o Who are its major competitors?
 What makes them different?
o How are sales?
 Is your fashion company successful?
- WHAT Market have you chosen to enter and WHY?
(2) New Market Cultural Analysis: 3/7/17
The New Market Cultural Analysis should be a presentation that includes information to help
the marketer make market-planning decisions. However, its application extends beyond
product and market analysis to being an important source of information for someone
interested in understanding business customs and other important cultural features of the
country.

The information in this analysis must be MORE than a collection of facts. In preparing this
material, you should attempt to interpret the meaning of cultural information with regard to
your proposed company/brand. This should NOT be a regurgitation of your findings but more
of WHY they are important to your brand for your market entry strategy. The sections below
are just guidelines and may not all apply to your brand.

 Geographical setting
o Location, climate, topography
 Social institutions
o Family Structure
o Education
 The role of education in society
 Literacy rates
o Political System
 Political structure
 Political Parties
 Stability of government
o Business customs and practices
 Religion and aesthetics
o Religion and other belief systems
o Aesthetics
 Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public arts, colors etc.)
 Music
 Drama, ballet, and other performing arts
 Folklore and relevant symbols
 Living conditions
o Diet and nutrition
o Housing
 Types of housing available
 Do most people own or rent?
 Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?
o Clothing
 National dress
 Types of clothing worn at work
o Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities
 Types available and in demand
 Percentage of income spent on such activities
o Social security
o Health Care
 Language
o Official language(s)
o Spoken versus written language(s)
o Dialects
 Population
o Total
 Growth rates
 Number of live births
 Birth rates
o Distribution of population
 Age
 Sex
 Geographic areas (urban suburban, and rural density and concentration)
 Migration rates and patterns
 Ethnic groups
 Economic statistics and activity
o Gross national product (GNP or GDP)
 Total
 Rate of growth (Real GNP or GDP)
 Personal income per capita
 Average family income
o Distribution of wealth
 Income classes
 Proportion of the population in each class
 Is the distribution distorted?
o Surface transportation
 Mode
 Availability
 Usage rates
o Communication systems
 Types
 Availability
o Working conditions
o Principal industries
 What proportion of the GNP does each industry contribute?
 Ratio of private to publicly owned industries
o International trade statistics
 Major exports
 Dollar value
 Trends
 Major imports
 Dollar value
 Trends
 Exchange rates
o Labor force
 Size
 Unemployment rates
o Inflation rates
Media
 This section reports data on all media available within the country or market. IT will be
used to help you select specific media as part of the promotional mix and strategy for
your marketing plan.
o Availability of media
 Television
 Radio
 Print
 Other media (cinema, outdoor etc.)
o Coverage of various media
 o Percentage of population reached by each of the media

(3) Marketing Plan: 5/2/17

During this phase, you will develop a Marketing Plan for the CEO of your proposed company.
After completing all of your research, the Marketing Plan should serve as a description of how
you are going to accomplish your assignment as well as a summary of all of the research you
have conducted.

Please follow the below format:

I. Executive Summary
 After completing all of the other sections, prepare a two-page (maximum
length) Executive Summary of the major points and place it at the front of the
report. The purpose of an executive summary is to give the reader a brief glance
at the critical points of your report. Based on your analysis of the the Market
what aspects of the culture a reader should know to do business in the country
but would not be expected to know or would find different based on his or her
home country should be included in this summary. Based on your analysis of the
market, what are the major problems and opportunities requiring attention in your
marketing mix?
II. The Product
 This section comes from your proposal:
 Analysis the company’s current marketing strategy and existing target
market.
 Who are they talking to?
 What do they tell them? What marketing strategy does your
company use to appeal to this target market?
 What are its strengths and weaknesses?
 Who are its major competitors?
 What makes them different?
 How are sales?
 Is your fashion company successful?
 Would tapping into this market be profitable or could it possibly
hurt the reputation your company has gained with its original
target market?
 Evaluate the product as an innovation as it is perceived by the
intended market.
1. Relative advantage
2. Compatibility
3. Complexity
4. Trialability
5. Observability
 Major problems and resistance to product acceptance based on
the preceding evaluation
III. The Market
 This section builds upon your cultural analysis
o Brief History
o Economics: Report any major economic statistics such as population,
personal income, purchasing power, cost of living, major import and export
products. These facts can be used to determine your target market and to
 see if this target market exists in the international country. This would be
your analysis of the buying power of your newly assigned target market.
o Major issues : Summarize the country’s major issues that new media are
reporting.

o Fashion Profile: What are the fashions for the people of this country? What
are the most popular brands, styles, etc?
o Other Competition: What companies would be considered your competition
in the international market?
o Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold
 Geographical region(s)
 Forms of transportation and communication available in that (those)
region(s)
o Report unique cultural characteristics (e.g. national values, culture, religions)
of the country influencing their consumer behaviors.
o Report consumer buying behaviors that are unique to the country’s’
consumers.
IV. Marketing Implications
o Suggest marketing strategies that would succeed in the country
 Product
 Adapt or Standardize
 Pricing Strategy
 What is your pricing strategy compared to the US?
 Place/Distribution of the product
 typical retail outlets
 internet
 Promotion
 Advertising media usually used to reach your target
market(s)
o Adapt or Standardize
 Sales promotions customarily used (sampling, coupons, etc.)
 Types of discounts available
o Compare and contrast your product and the competition’s product(s).
 Competitor’s product(s)
 Brand name

 Features
 Package
 Competitor’s prices
 Competitor’s promotion and advertising methods
 Competitor’s distribution channels

(4) Power Point Presentation: 5/2/17

Your presentation should be done on Power Point, KeyNote, Prezi or PDF slides. There are no
exceptions.
Your team will assume the role of the Marketing Team for your fashion company and put
together a presentation to the CEO of your company. You will be trying to convince the CEO to
enter or not to enter the international market based on your research findings. The presentation
will not be a place for you to restate your findings (this was already done in your Marketing Plan)
but more as an outline of your findings, concentrating on your final conclusion on whether or not
your company should or should not enter the international market and HOW you plan to enter the
market.