Designer
Case Study - Prada
Prada
is an Italian fashion house, which was founded in 1913. The company offers
luxury leather goods, handbags, clothing, eyewear, various accessories and
fragrances, all of which are very stylish and belong to the luxury designer
products. The company’s principles, Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, laid
the grounds for the successful operation of the company back in 1970s. Miuccia
Prada was the one with a creative and unordinary approach who helped attract
the world’s attention to the company. The company is also strongly associated
with culture, architecture and art. This definitely sets it apart from its
competitors. Prada Company belongs to a Group with three other brand names on
board: Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe. The Group’s operation extends across 70
countries and features multi-channel marketing.
Prada’s
multi-channel marketing includes various intermediaries worldwide. They are
retailers, which are represented by single brand stores (specialty stores
called “Prada Epicenters”), and the independent multi-brand stores (department
stores and franchises). For example, intermediaries such as Macy’s or Saks
Fifth Avenue help Prada customers to obtain the products they really want like
sunglasses, fragrance, leather goods or clothing where and when they want them.
I believe Prada has effective and more importantly efficient channels that
enable the company to be present at most select points of sale at multiple
levels of distribution and target multiple markets. For example, their up-to-date
inventory is featured in Prada’s own specialty stores or franchises, while what
is not trendy any longer is sent to outlet malls for further resale at a more
affordable price. There is a direct marketing channel, an e-store for leather
goods and accessories, which could be purchased directly from Prada without
middlemen. With the differentiated marketing channels there is a definite
cooperation among all members because they all try to achieve the same common
goal of making long-term profit and providing 100% customer satisfaction. This
is why everyone who is involved in the process has to ensure continuous stream
of Prada products to consumers in a timely manner. For this reason Prada utilizes
an effective supply chain, which is supported by a centralized system that
combines retail, logistics and other important factors, which help find answers
to financial questions and provide access to current information about distribution
and sales of Prada products. The up-to-date information about stock both at
warehouse and all the stores helps the company to constantly work towards
customer service improvement. This is done by logistics department and the
centralized system, which help address the fluctuations in supply and demand as
soon as possible. This effective system also helps decrease the total inventory
and variable costs. Since Prada manufactures their products outside their
headquarters, this effective system is very important in order to make sure
everything is done on time for the new trends to be sold. Prada manufactures a
lot of its products in countries where costs of labor are much lower than in
Italy. For example, Turkey, Vietnam, Romania and China (most likely there are
other exterior manufacturers). This is no surprise, as many designers want to
cut down on various costs. Plus, the laws that let a company put “Made in
Italy” labels are not very strict, so Prada can price their outsourced products
the same as they do the ones made in Italy. In addition to that Prada established
12 in house production facilities, 11 of which are located in Italy and one in
United Kingdom. The in-house production although not as cheap provides an
opportunity to have more control over quality of the products and various
costs, as well as constant improvement of the production techniques.
So who is Prada’s
end consumer? Miuccia once said this in one of her interviews, “I choose a
wider audience. I also think when I’m doing the shows I try to be more obvious,
more loud, more clear.” Judging by this statement it is possible to segment the
target market by following demographic characteristics: Age – 25-40, Gender
- Male and female, Income - $100,000 and up, Education – minimum a college
degree, Social Class – belong to the higher class, Ethnic group/Race – various
ethnic backgrounds. However, demographics alone do not fully describe the
target market of the company. The company has a unique style and sells various
products both for men and women. The company offers exclusivity. Therefore, it
is important to further differentiate the market through psychographic
segmentation. Business women under 45 could be definitely seen wearing Prada
products because the brand provides a sense of self-fulfillment. It also
represents class and sophistication. Their suits are all strict, made in
business appropriate colors and very elegant. People, who have high interest in
fashion world might be also segmented. These are mostly women and men who work
in the fashion industry and have to stay up to date with the latest trends. For
example, fashion magazine editors and fashion show organizers.
To sum up the
description of the target market, the target consumer is the one with an active
life style and strong position in society, fashion conscious, wealthy and
willing to spend more for quality and exclusivity. This target market does not
want to age (especially women) and want to have interesting lives. Prada’s products
provide a great opportunity for their target customers to look great, and help
them feel self-confident. Prada is the symbol of chic, class, sophistication
and taste. Keeping these descriptions in mind, there are several advertising
medias that are a great fit for the company’s advertising campaign. I would
definitely suggest the company to keep advertising in print publications like
fashion magazines (Vogue, InStyle and more). Product placement is another
option. Celebrities and other influential figures are great live promoters of
the new trends. So providing a beautiful gown for a red-carpet event might be a
great option as well as featuring the product in a movie or a music video.
Since Prada has an online store for accessories, I would also emphasize the
importance of the Internet advertising through side ads, search engine
optimization, and direct links to the stores on various supported websites.
Advertising
campaign has to be backed up with an overall carefully designed marketing plan
in order to attract the target market. This is done through marketing mix,
which consists of the four basic elements: product, price, place, and
promotion. Let me first introduce in more detail which products the company is
selling under Prada brand name. A wide selection of apparel for men and women,
luxury leather goods such as handbags, wallets, shoes and other small leather
accessories, designer eyewear, fragrances and other products (LG Prada
cellphone). These products were all designed to satisfy their customers’ needs
and wants.
Pricing strategy
is very important for Prada because it reflects the main concept and image
behind the company. The average price for a best-selling handbag is around $3000.
The price reflects the status and places Prada side by side with its main
competitors Chanel, Gucci or Louise Vuitton. Their customers are willing to pay
this much because they value the brand’s quality, details and design. Prada’s
overall pricing strategy is well formed by the smart management and the whole
Prada team that make the brand so desirable. Luxury goods like that are selling
at premium prices. The carefully selected target market will definitely pay
more to have products by their favorite designer.
Prada products
are sold in more than 70 countries, both through directly operated stores,
department stores, multi-brand stores and online. The products are available
when and where the potential customers want them. As I have already mentioned
above, the marketing channel includes both single-brand and multi-brand stores.
This ensures the convenient way for the customers to purchase the products.
Another point worth mentioning is the e-store that Prada has. The
appropriateness of the online store may not be the best for clothing but for
accessories it is a faster way for the end consumers to obtain what they want.
Prada prefers to sell apparel in stores because of the personal touch they want
their customers to feel when they are inside the stores. Prada is an exclusive
brand, and therefore their stores are mostly located in big cities where their
target market values the fashion and designers. In addition, Prada features
state of the art stores, which were specifically designed for the company. This
visual appeal helps Prada differentiate its concept from other competitors.
Promotion as the last element of the
marketing mix is very important for the company. It helps the target market to
get acquainted with the latest projects, designs and products the company is
involved in. Marketers communicate this information through advertising,
personal selling, sales promotions, fashion shows, blogs, and more. Prada
selected various means of promotion so that their target market stays connected
to the company and its offerings. Fashion show is one of the best examples that
Prada uses for promotion. Introducing the new collection each season ensures
various fashion magazines, blogs, and TV channels (like Fashion TV) talk about
the brand. In addition, Prada does not only appreciate the fast changing
fashion world but also art, cinema, architecture and other cultural events.
This is why the company established Prada Foundation in 1993 to promote
"the most radical of intellectual challenges in art and contemporary
culture". The foundation is worldwide known. This foundation definitely
adds the value to the brand. The company also sponsored various sports teams
like Luna Rossa (2000, 2003, 2007 and 2013) at America's Cup campaigns. All of
these promotional activities add publicity to the company and make it more
recognizable not only among the fashion world but in other spheres of life.
So what makes
Prada such haute designer today? I believe it’s the brand equity. It is the
marketing and financial value associated with the brand’s strengths in the
market. Prada has strong brand equity and this is why its products are
recognized worldwide and accepted. This also means that consumers who know
about the brand equity will be willing to pay much more for such products.
Prada’s brand equity is managed through constant reinforcement of the new and
innovative collections. The company has to make sure all the products have a
sense of boldness and innovation in addition to distinction from other
competitors. The brand’s name is its equity. If Prada licensed the use of its
name to any other product, that product would immediately be priced higher than
the similar ones just because of the association with Prada name. The
association would also imply high standards and quality, which would attract
potential customers. Another way how strong brand equity could be supported is
by how profitable the company is. Although the economic times are tough, the
brand is still somewhat successful.
To sum it up,
Prada is doing a great job with its business model because all the components
are carefully analyzed and working seamlessly together to achieve some of the
common goals across the marketing channels, which are making a profit, customer
satisfaction and unique competitive design of the products. The company’s smart
management and talented designer set the company apart from its rivals by
utilizing the marketing mix elements that work together to establish brand
equity. In addition, strong customer base worldwide appreciates the designer
brand so much, that they will support it as long as the company will produce
the state-of-the-art and stylish products.
Please Note! All of the work posted in my blog is my personal insight into problem solving and answering questions. It is subjective opinions based on scholarly readings. The information may have some errors. I am not a professor.
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