Casual Corner

Casual Corner Brand Book

Rebekkah Colclasure

November 30, 2016

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Table of Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................... 4

Goals and Objectives........................................................................................................... 5

Timeline & Projected Budget ............................................................................................... 6

Brand Mission and Values ................................................................................................... 7

Target Market.................................................................................................................... 9

Marketing Plan.................................................................................................................. 10

SWOT Analysis.................................................................................................................. 20

Bibliography...................................................................................................................... 21

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Making casual effortlessly chic

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Introduction

Casual Corner was founded in 1950 by Charles

E. Carples and Stanley W. Vogel. These two men, both

working for large department stores in Hartford,

Connecticut, put their heads together, and discovered

that women wanted a place to shop for casual clothes in

casual surroundings. Consequently, they created one of

the first specialty sportswear stores for women (“Casual

Corner Group Inc.”). Casual Corner experienced

immense success and continued to expand for over 30

years after its founding. Unfortunately, by 1988, the

company struggled against poor performance and

sluggish sales. From then on out, due to increased

competition, Casual Corner continued to lose its market share in private label sportswear. In effort to revive

itself, the company utilized several different marketing strategies throughout the 90s. Unfortunately,

performance did not improve and Casual Corner was forced to sell all 550 of its stores to Gordon Brothers

Group LLC, a Boston-based retail liquidator, in 2005 (“Retail Brand Alliance Inc.”).

Casual Corner was not successful because it strayed too far from its original brand identity. The

company lacked direction, jumping from one merchandising strategy to another, and stumbled over a jumble of

merchandise that alienated and confused its customers rather than established brand loyalty. Its styles changed

abruptly and did not follow fashion trends at the time. As a result, shoppers preferred Casual Corner’s

competitors such as The Limited or Gap Inc., both of which maintained a consistent brand image.

The new Casual Corner will focus on developing a strong, solid brand identity as well as producing on-

trend styles that will appeal to the modern woman. The demands of the young working woman today have

certainly changed since the 1950s as well. Leading busier lives, moving at faster paces, and juggling a more

demanding workload, women currently in the workforce are under pressure like never before. Therefore, it is

imperative that Casual Corner satisfy the demands of the working woman today like no other.

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Goals & Objectives

v Transform Casual Corner into a full lifestyle brand

v Develop an easy-to-use, visually dynamic e-commerce website and mobile app

v Engage new customers by utilizing modern marketing strategies (ie. social media, online interactivity, events, pop-up shops, lifestyle blog, etc.)

v Optimize social media content updates and website management

v Measure monthly traffic fluctuations to allow for meaningful historical comparisons and improve performance both in-store and online

v Maximize sales by providing great support for sales team communications v Increase monthly sales by 20% by the end of Year 1 v Improve customer satisfaction through top quality, personalized experience and service

v Attract and recruit creative, innovative thinkers v Hire personable retail associates that truly believe in the brand’s dedication to positivity and

empowerment

v Measure employee satisfaction and provide necessary support for current employees v To provide shareholders with a return on their investment within 6 months

A Whole New Look

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Timeline & Projected Budget Casual Corner will open its first store in SoHo, New York City in May 2017. Three months

later, in August, the company will open its second store in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. Depending on the success of these two locations in their first two years of operation, Casual Corner will consider opening more stores in urban areas throughout the United States.

In Year 1, Casual Corner expects to pay large expenses due to high startup costs, such as rent. However, the company still expects to make a profit of $250,000 by the end of Year 1. Other year-round expenses will include cost of materials, labor, manufacturing, rent, electricity, operations, transportation & distribution, as well as advertising, public relations, website marketing, general and administrative expenses, depreciation, and insurance. Public relations, advertising, and online marketing will be especially important to the brand in its first 5 years of operation. Please see the Marketing Plan for more information on the promotional events planned for the 2017-18 year.

As Casual Corner gradually gains brand recognition and market share, and through vigorous promotional efforts, the company plans to see revenue increase by larger percentages each year. The company also aims to decrease its expenses, and maintain a constant budget for expenses of $1,500,000 by Year 3. As a result, the company expects to receive increasingly higher profits each year.

Projected 5 Year Budget Year Revenue Expenses Profit

1 $2,250,000 $2,000,000 $250,000 2 $2,500,000 $1,750,000 $750,000 3 $2,750,000 $1,500,000 $1,250,000 4 $3,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 5 $4,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,500,000

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Brand Mission & Values Since its founding in 1950, Casual Corner had always made

customer service a top priority. Staying true to these original values, the new Casual Corner will continue to go above and beyond to achieve ultimate customer satisfaction. In fact, the brand’s main goal will be to establish a reputation for making the customer feel good both inside and outside the store.

Casual Corner will establish this reputation, first, through its product offerings. As previously mentioned, the demands on the working woman today are higher than ever; therefore, women are constantly looking for new ways to relieve stress. Wearing comfortable clothing to work can certainly provide ease for the working woman while she is on the job; however, Casual Corner understands that it is imperative that style is not sacrificed for comfort. According to Business Insider, clothing significantly influences how others perceive us and how they respond toward us, especially in the workplace. In fact, research shows that our appearance strongly influences other people’s perception of our financial success, authority, trustworthiness, intelligence, and suitability for hire or promotion (Smith). Therefore, Casual Corner is dedicated to producing comfortable clothing that is aesthetically appealing, demands respect, and will help women advance their professional careers. Studies have also shown that our clothing significantly influences how we feel about ourselves. In a survey of 100 women, 96% believed that what they wear affects how confident they feel. From these results, researchers have determined that there is a strong link between clothing and our emotional state (Weaver). Therefore, Casual corner is also devoted to providing products that will make their customer feel happy, confident, and good about themselves.

Casual Corner will also form this desired reputation by offering a highly positive shopping experience. The company will

v Providing ultimate style and comfort

v Exceptional customer service

v Offering a highly positive shopping experience

v Satisfying the increasing demands of the young, working woman today

v Making women feel cool and confident, enabling them to demand respect and flourish in any environment

v Empowering women and giving them the confidence to take on any challenge with beauty and grace

v Providing a positive community for women to share experiences and relate to one another

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pride itself on providing positivity and support for female shoppers, making Casual Corner the ultimate destination for retail therapy. Not only will the products make the customer feel better, but interacting with the company’s personable retail associates will provide an incredibly positive experience. All Casual Corner employees will be trained as members of a positive and supportive community at large. Interaction with these employees will leave customers feeling light-hearted and connected to a community of support.

The brand will continue to provide this type of support through its e-commerce site, mobile app, and social media outlets. Online, Casual Corner will act as a platform for women to share experiences and relate to one another. In everything that they post or share, Casual Corner aims to empower women and give them the confidence to take on any challenge with beauty and grace.

Tagline

Inspiring a Lifestyle of Happiness.

Mission Statement Our mission is to provide ultimate comfort and style as well as positivity and support for women. At Casual Corner, we use our business to connect, inspire, and empower women to build confidence in themselves and flourish in every environment.

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Target Market Casual Corner will target upper middle class working

women, age 18 through 35. She has most likely received both a high school and college education, and she enjoys having a very active lifestyle where she is constantly on-the-go. Some of her biggest values include comfort, style, love, family, friends, and her career. She is independent, confident, hardworking, and ambitious. Her passion, drive, and career-oriented mindset has allowed her to become very successful in her field of expertise. However, due to her busy lifestyle, she often finds herself in a state of stress, and constantly seeks out ways to relieve herself. She has limited free time, however, when she is not busy tackling on the world, she loves to spend time with family and friends. She also loves relaxing at home, either watching her favorite TV shows or reading a good book. She is very health conscious and makes an effort to maintain her physical and mental health. She enjoys some form of exercise, whether it be running, doing yoga, or simply walking her dog every morning. She tries to eat healthy but she frequents her local coffee shops. She is very active on social media. She uses Pinterest to search for style inspiration, and she likes to shop both online and in-person. She likely lives in an urban or suburban area.

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Marketing Plan Product Assortment

In its later years, Casual Corner focused solely on selling business attire for women. Rather than continue trying to offer traditional business looks, the new Casual Corner design team will create garments that have a more modern aesthetic and are comfortable and stylish enough to be worn in both casual and business settings. Clothing products will include blouses, tanks & tees, sweaters, jackets, coats, denim, pants, skirts, and dresses. As a lifestyle brand, Casual Corner will also offer lingerie, pajamas, socks, accessories, shoes, pillows, blankets, furniture, and decoration.

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Price Points

Blouses $24.95 – $44.95 Socks $7.95 - $15.95

Tees/ Tanks $14.95 - $29.95 Scarves $14.95 - $34.95

Sweaters $24.95 - $64.95

Purses $22.95 - $84.95

Jackets $49.95 - $94.95

Hats $22.95 - $34.95

Coats $64.95 - $174.95

Sunglasses $16.95 - $36.95

Denim $34.95 - $64.95

Shoes $24.95 - $84.95

Pants $34.95 – $69.95

Blankets $53.95 - $79.95

Skirts $24.95 - $64.95

Pillows $34.95 - $65.95

Dresses $24.95 - $74.95

Rugs $59.95 - $149.95

Pajamas $19.95 - $54.95

Furniture $69.95 - $249.95

Lingerie $8.50 – $49.95

Decorations $31.95 - $179.95

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Store Location

The first two Casual Corner stores will be opened in SoHo, New York City and Downtown Columbus, Ohio because both areas are fashion forward and home to a large portion of the Casual Corner target market. If Casual Corner experiences enough success in these two primary locations, the company will look to expand to other urban areas including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Austin.

It will be imperative for Casual Corner brick-and-mortar stores to embody the company’s brand image and help fulfill its mission to provide positive energy and support for its customers. Both the storefront and store layout must be clean, comfortable, and chic in order to offer the customer the most pleasant shopping experience as possible. It will be important for the store front to have large windows to allow natural sunlight to fill the store. The decoration will be minimalistic. There will be a few plants mixed in with the products to create a natural, healthy vibe. The walls will be clean and white to open up the space and not distract from the products. Racks and table displays will not be stuffed with too much product so the customer does not have a difficult time searching through the product. Casual Corner furniture will also be laid out so customers have plenty of places to sit throughout their shopping experience.

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Promotion

In the past, Casual Corner had mainly utilized newspaper advertisements and direct mail to generate sales. The new Casual Corner will certainly continue utilizing direct mail and advertising in various fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Vanity Fair, Elle Decor, and Women’s Health Magazine. However, the new Casual Corner will focus primarily on more modern methods of promotion to reach its customer base. For example, the company will create several internet advertisements that will be featured on various websites, apps, and social media sites. For example, Casual Corner will advertise on Stylebook, a mobile app that allows consumers to plan out their outfits (sometimes months) in advance.

Casual Corner Direct Mail Piece

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In effort for the brand to achieve its goal in providing online support to the customer, Casual Corner will have its own lifestyle blog. The consumer will be able to subscribe to the Casual Corner newsletter and receive weekly e-mails discussing articles and posts written in the lifestyle blog as well as promotions for the brand’s latest products. The blog will consist of articles covering a range of topics including fitness, health/ dieting, relationships, animals, travel, life’s funny moments, real-life women empowerment stories, horoscopes, and advice columns.

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Casual Corner will also create several commercials that will highlight and engage the customer with the brand’s visual aesthetic. For example, the company will release a commercial for their December Denim Sale as well as Valentine’s Day (see promotional calendar below). These commercials will appear mostly online via Snapchat, YouTube, and Spotify. Eventually, the company will aim to release these advertisements on television as well.

Snapshots from December Denim Commercial

Snapshots from Valentine’s Day Commercial

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Promotional Calendar 2017-18

Because one of Casual Corner’s largest goals is to create a positive community for the customer, the company will build a reputation for hosting a variety of fun events throughout the year.

v August: Columbus Store Opening

Join Casual Corner in celebration of their second store opening in Downtown Columbus, Ohio!

v September: Casual Corner Photobooth

Come dress up and accessorize yourself with some of your favorite Casual Corner products and take goofy pictures with your friends. While you are waiting, feel free to browse and shop all of our awesome selections.

v October: Casual Corner Trick- or - Treat

Casual Corner will be giving out candy and special discount scratch tickets this Halloween. Stop by our store and find out if you in for a trick or a really nice treat.

v November: Black Friday Sale

Get up to 75% off on Casual Corner merchandise!

v December: December Denim Sale

Get 30% off all Denim products this month!

v January: Hot Chocolate Party

Join Casual Corner for a nice cup of hot chocolate while you browse our latest winter selections!

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v February: My Secret Valentine Event

Want to tell your loved one how special they are? Come make one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day e-cards with the Casual Corner Cupid Team. Your card can feature pictures or videos to help you spread the love!

v March: Casual Corner Game Night

It’s Casual Corner Game Night! Invite your friends to join us for a night of fun and games, including bingo, charades, heads up!, and more. Winning teams will receive special Casual Corner prizes!

v April: Spring Cleaning Clothing Swap

Tired of staring at that outfit that has been sitting in your closet for the past 2 years? Clean out your closet and join Casual Corner in their first ever clothing swap! Out with the old and in with the new-- now is the perfect time to do a bit of spring cleaning and refresh your wardrobe!

v May: Casual Corner Chicago Pop-up

Look out Chicago, here we come! Shop the latest Casual Corner products at our 2 week long pop-up shop. Shoppers will have access to some of our newest and most exclusive items.

v June: Summer Sale

Get 25% off summer items!

v July: Casual Corner Movie in the Park

Join us in Bryant Park for Casual Corner movie night. Bring a blanket, snacks, loved ones, and your coziest pajamas.

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Social Media Utilization

In today’s Digital Age, it is imperative that Casual Corner remain active on all social media sites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Pinterest will provide unique opportunity to appeal to Millenials, who are currently seeking out see-it-and-buy-it platforms. Casual Corner will post pictures of both models and real people wearing Casual Corner clothing or cozying up on Casual Corner furniture and post it on Pinterest with a link to where they can actually purchase the product. Snapchat will provide great opportunity to share inside views with the customer on new product releases or special events. Twitter will be utilized to advertise special promotions. Meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram will be used for special promotions as well as interactive contests. Example contests include photo contests, video contests, caption contests, and voting polls. These types of interactive promotions are great ways to engage the customer, establish more of a relationship with the customer, and advertise Casual Corner products in a unique way.

- Photo Contest: #Inmycasualcorner o Take a picture of you in your own casual corner. Whether you’re cozying up to a loved

one by the fireplace, or cuddling on the couch with your pup, we want to know what ultimate comfort looks like to you!

o Winner earns 50% off their next Casual Corner purchase! - Video Contest:

o Break out your Triller apps, embrace your inner stardom, and show us your true colors! Whether you’re dancing in your living room while you’re home alone, or goofing around with your friends, we want to see you celebrating your wonder uniqueness and enjoying life to the fullest!

o The winner gets a free casual corner sweater! - Voting Polls: “Would you rather?”

o Would you rather sleep in bed all day or have unlimited wine access at work all week? o Casual Corner will post images featuring Casual Corner products and engage

consumers in a game of “would you rather?” - Caption Contests

o Casual Corner will post funny pictures, and the person who comments with the best caption will earn 25% off their next purchase.

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SWOT Analysis Strengths

- Style - Comfort - High Quality - Reasonable price point - Clear aesthetic, strong brand image - Positive message - Active social media sites - Engaging and easy to use e-commerce

site and mobile app - Great visuals - Appealing store layout - Engaging advertising - Unique events - International shipping

Weaknesses

- Financially limited as a startup - High startup costs - Little brand recognition - Little following on social media - Little market share - Slow customer growth - Must establish brand new relationships

with factories - Unfriendly policy to the environment

Opportunities

- Regional and International Store Expansion

- Expand upon other categories to enhance lifestyle identity (ie. books, coffee mugs, plants, etc.)

- Collaborations with other brands (ie. beauty/ spa products)

- Sponsor a charity - Create an ethical product line - Improve green production overall - Collaborations with luxury designers

Threats

- Competition - Easy to copy products - Fluctuating economic state - International economic instability

effecting supply chains - Current political state

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Bibliography

"Bekkah Colclasure (bekkahc7)." Pinterest. Pinterest, 29 Nov. 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/bekkahc7/casual-corner/. 30 Nov.

2016.

"Casual Corner Group, Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Casual

Corner Group, Inc." Reference for Business. Advameg Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

"Retail Brand Alliance Inc.: Sale of the Casual Corner Chain may Put Sites in Rival's Hand." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.:

A.6. Aug 04 2005. ProQuest. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Smith, Jacquelyn. "Here's How Your Clothing Affects Your Success."Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 19 Aug. 2014.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-clothing-impacts-your-success-2014-8. 10 Oct. 2016.

Weaver, Rheyanne. "The Link Between Clothing Choices and Emotional States." GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. GoodTherapy.org,

30 Mar. 2012. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/link-between-clothing-choices-and-emotional-states-0330124. 10 Oct. 2016.