RURAL UTOPIA

Trend customized to suit Marni’s identity and target consumer profile; it includes a series of colors, textiles, prints and specific silhouettes which relate to the rural life, nature and the countryside -earth colors and warm tones combined with cool tones, baked yellows and moss greens, organic volumes, bright and contrasting prints.

This concept for the new Marni SS19 collection aims to create a certain connection with the consumer and emphasize the vivid colors and peacefulness of thecountryside in contrast to the noisy, hectic urban lifestyle, through various promotional images, the store concept/shopping experience, art installation and through visual content on the different social media channels.

The message 2019

COMMON GROUND 2019 MACRO TREND

CONTEXT: The current political landscape will have lasting effects on globalisation well beyond 2019. In a time of deglobalisation, many consumers and countries will turn away from the world of economy and focus on domestic grown. At the same time, many people will seek to connect both locally in real life and globally through social media

The Vision:

Re-establishing local communities by building on existing connections

Building local economies and communities

Village life will be a growing focus in 2019

People will be drawn to rural lifestyles that combine real life relationships with internet connectivity

Traditional techniques and materials will be used and showcased in new ways, as creatives adapt the making process to add meaning and value to products

COLOR PALETTE: Common Ground celebrates traditionally feminine hues, with emphasis on sweetness across a range of cool and warm tones. The palette includes tones of Lilac, baked yellows, sunset hues (oranges, coral, etc) and cool greens. These warm and cool tones will be included into Marni’s new collection and will be combined in a fun, playful way, attracting young and mature audiences.

LOEWE, as Marni, is very engaged and invested in the world of arts and crafts: Loewe organised a Craft Price competition and exhibition of the selected works in London. This targeted a specific audience, in the creative world and mainly a mature audience. The brand also created various publications and magazines about Loewe’s history and heritage, and organised many events and projects that involved collaborations with artists from around the world (for example in the recent project Loewe Blankets, conceived by the current creative director Jonathan Anderson). These are other ways of creative marketing

Brands in the luxury sector are increasingly turning to younger potential consumers -mainly to Millennials, who have an important say in the fashion industry now and a growing spending power. Examples would be collaborations between luxury and streetwear brands , like Louis Vuitton x Supreme, as well as creative social media campaigns (such as the #TFGucci meme campaign this year), which encourage the involvement of the audience and create hype. However, strategist Ana Andjelic explained in an interview with WGSN, that in this process the brand’s established customer base (older consumers) are not taken into much consideration. Thus a strategic cross-generational approach in marketing and promotion should be implemented.

To inform myself on the target consumer, I looked at various analysis and forecasts on WGSN, which were useful when deciding the correct type of campaign and marketing strategy for Marni that would cater to both young and mature audiences. Relevant points taken from the analysis:

-Brands should turn their direction to Facebook in order to successfully approach and attract Gen Xers (81% of this group are active users)

-Develop communication strategies that engage, entertain and build a new, loyal customer base

-Shift to a cross-generational marketing approach which speaks to different age groups

-Deliver product and messaging that resonates with a wider audience, leveraging the power of social media marketing

-Use of online platforms to drive a hype around in-store events and instore experience, using the correct language that corresponds to the target groups

Thus, I had to take those aspects into consideration, so that the campaign would make sense

 

The Italian brand targets both men and women, with high income and spending power. However in this project I will focus on womenswear. The buying customers are cosmopolitan women from an age group of 25 to 48 years old, with an active lifestyle, independent, confident and willing to wear something bold and unique, colorful and usually oversized, while staying feminine. They have good financial stability and are highly intellectual, curious about the world. However, younger audiences -mostly Millennials in their late 20s and 30s- are also attracted by the brand because of itsexclusive and creative pieces, and engage with it through social media and by attending events such as catwalk shows. This group is important to consider, as nowadays many luxury brands are increasingly targetting younger audiences, through campaigns, events and creative collaborations, and are adapting their chore values and identity to the interests of younger consumers with growing spending power. Marni’s target customers are Gen Xers, ‘Xennials’ and, to some extent, Millennials.

The Marni woman is conscious of what she buys –she knows how to appreciate a garment for its quality and craftsmanship, and gives importance to a product’s manufacturing; she expresses her individuality through her clothing and purchase decisions, and has a passion for art and culture. Women in this target group ‘‘gravitates towards premium and often luxurious brands and experiences to affirm their identity’’ (Marketing Executive Digest), as a way to feel unique

FLAGSHIP STORE VISIT (MADRID, Calle Juan)

During my Easter holidays in Madrid I had the opportunity to visit Marni’s flagship store, which was opened in 2014, and took some pictures that I would use as reference to then illustrate the concept and installation idea for the brand’s new SS19 collection. What really appealed to me was the elegance and minimalism characteristic of the boutique, its creative and futuristic display of the different products, the fluid lines and curved clothing rails, which clearly relate to art and architecture. This subtle ’surrealism’, originality and explosion of color is what makes Marni so unique as a brand.

S/S 18 Campaign, by Jamie Hawkesworth