Peter England- Honest Success

Dr Amit Rangnekar

2007-08

Case Objectives

•Can a product be sold without any marketing gimmicks, or film actors, or the hype

• Can you sell a product honestly?

• Peter England did that successfully and captured the Indian middle class mind, honestly Brand Heritage

• 1885- Started in in Londonderry, Ireland, became a leading military dress supplier to the British Army

• 1997- Brand came to India through Madura Garments

• 2000- Madura Garments acquired by Indian Rayon, Aditya Birla Nuvo Group

• Madura Garments also markets Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Byford, SF and Elements through exclusive & Planet Fashion outlets, & multi-brand outlets

• Madura Garments- prefered manufacturer for Marks & Spencers, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren (Polo), and exclusive marketer for Esprit in India

Market scenario

• March- 1997

• Indian shirt market size 60 million pieces (est)

• Premium Segment Rs. 500+ @15 %

• Mid price Rs. 250-500 @35 %

• Economy below Rs. 250 @50 %

• The mid-price segment had good growth rates

• Enormous potential for developing a new brand

• Peter England created to tap into that segment

Background

• The mid-price market- Plethora of store brands

• Shirts sold mostly on retail push

• Regional / Local brand strengths

• No national brand

• Store brands had weak customer relationships

• Relationship was primarily product oriented

• No distinct brands image or emotional connect

Peter England Strategy

• Build a national image

• Carve out a national foot-print

• Gain share from store promoted/ local/ regional labels

Peter England’s competitive edge

• Extensive range of office & casual wear

• Good quality label and branding

• Contemporary designs, colours & fabric

• Wide distribution, easy availability

• Well-orchestrated merchandising

• High market visibility

Objectives

• Marketing- Build Peter England into the largest selling shirt brand in India.

• Advertising

• Establish Peter England as an international

• quality shirt at an affordable price.

• Short term

• Launch phase communication designed to create quick and universal awareness of the brand’s

• USP of quality & price

• Long term

• Build strong brand preference

• Sustain brand loyalty through attractive imagery & constantly reiterating the product benefits

Consumer Insights- The mid-price buyer

• Lack of benchmark brands

• No standardisation of quality, high variation

• Pre- and post-purchase uncertainty & anxiety over fit, quality, shrinkage, durability etc.

• Lack of a Value-for-money proposition

• Belief- Premium shirt brands were overpriced

• Good looking shirt always out of price reach

• Embarrassing feeling to publicly reveal their budget to the shopkeeper

• Seeks a mix of rational, sensory & emotional pay-offs

• Peter England incorporated these in its ads

Peter England simplified the buying process

Is happy, Comes back to PE

Start hunt all over

Buy PE

Buy a shirt with a label

Select 1 from PE

Select 1 from many

Know price band

Ask price

Check colour/design, decide on

overall look

Check for merchandise, colour / design,

fabric / stitching, overall look, brand /

label

Ask for PE as their first choice

Search for a good shirt across counters

To

Consumer Insight: Things seem to happen only to people who wear

good looking (read expensive) shirts

Launch Ads

Creative strategy

• Communication needed to link brand’s position ‘ good quality

product at a great price ’ and the consumer’s need for ‘ product plus brand imagery ’

• Research insight ‘ most consumers thought premium shirt brands were overpriced ’ provided the link

• ‘ Just honest-to-goodness quality available at an honest-to- goodness price ’ emerged

• Thus the brand line ‘ Peter England - The honest shirt ’

• Creative- ‘ Alter-ego format with an element of simplicity ’

Effectively used ‘ Element of fantasy that a consumer segment would indulge in, to push the honesty of quality and price across’

• Key driver- ‘Level of empathy the character generated amongst consumers’

• Concept visualised in vernacular also

• Outdoor media, the colour identity of Red used with significant impact.

advt

Media Strategy & Objectives

• Print- Press ads: 150/100 cc colour

• Outdoor- Hoardings in Metros/ mini metros

• Launch

• South India, Delhi & UP in Mar-Apr 1997

• Maharashtra in Jan-98 and ROI by May-98

• Post Launch TVC - two creative units- 30 sec

• Objective- Ensure high & quick awareness among target group

• Media plan- Adequate weightage to reach, frequency and campaign continuity

• Media choice- To build a clear identity for the brand Innovative approaches

• 1st time in India, a readymade shirt brand went outdoors extensively to deliver a high quality launch

• Extensive TV usage as main medium for readymade shirts and garments, earlier only print

• Bold use of vernacular media, unlike the big brands

• Taking over Dadar Railway Station sites

• Sponsor male oriented programmes- News, Sports (cricket) & crime thrillers

Phase 2 Ads

Ads on CT 2003 AND MAY 2004

Brand Building

• Once brand was established, quickly building volumes became critical

• The category demanded fresh fashion cues every season

• The second phase attempted to give a seasonal flavour to the brand

• 1999- Casual range introduced as sub-brand ‘Elements’

• The brand theme campaign supported by :

• The Anti-wrinkle Collection

• The Solids Collection

• The Festival Collection

• The English Cottons Collection

• The Summer Mints Collection

• 2000- Trousers launched to cover the complete wardrobe

Brand Building

• Once brand was established, quickly building volumes became critical

• The category demanded fresh fashion cues every season

• The second phase attempted to give a seasonal flavour to the brand

• 1999- Casual range introduced as sub-brand ‘Elements’

• The brand theme campaign supported by :

• The Anti-wrinkle Collection

• The Solids Collection

• The Festival Collection

• The English Cottons Collection

• The Summer Mints Collection

• 2000- Trousers launched to cover the complete wardrobe

Extensions

• Trousers

• T-Shirts

• Denims

• Socks

• Suits

• Ties

• Wallets

• Launched Peter England Elite

Peter England Today

• Prefered brand

• Loyal customer base, overall brand satisfaction

• High brand and advertising awareness

• Brand value- High

• Future purchase intention-High

• Intention to recommend- High

• Largest selling shirt brand in the country

• Robust growth rate

• Many Peter England clones in the market