Shenshi Content Marketing Strategy 6c4od

Presented by B Edwards Northwestern University Content Strategy MOOC

SHENSHI BRAND SUMMARY

Shenshi practices “fast fashion,” which was pioneered by international chains such as Zara and H&M. Shenshi designers observe the latest fashion trends and create their own versions of those designs. Shenshi realizes that it is necessary to increase its customer base. At present, 64.3 percent of Shenshi customers are between the ages of 25 and 40, and on average purchase 2.19 products per year. Shemshi expects that percentage of young middle-class consumers and number of annual purchases to rise. Given the size of the enormous, emerging middle class in China, Shenshi’s rapid growth should continue. Shenshi will open 500 additional stores in the next two years, targeting growing middle-class cohorts in North America and Western Europe where there are large groups of consumers who are struggling to remain in the middle class. Shenshi wants to link Shenshi clothing to middle-class success. BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT “For younger men who dream of a brighter future, the Shenshi brand of trendy but affordable fashion makes men feel and appear more successful to others than they are.”

SHENSHI CASE STUDY PROJECT

Shenshi is a popular Chinese men’s clothing retailer with over 300 stores (117 owned and operated stores and 194 franchised stores) located in eastern China, with headquarters in Fujian Province. The word “Shenshi” translates to “gentleman.” While Shenshi has flagship stores in some of the major, “tier 1” cities where the competition is intense and the fashion culture is strong, the majority of stores are located in smaller “tier 3” and “tier 4” cities.

SITUATION ANALYSIS •

Shenshi is opening 500 new stores in North America and Western Europe

•

Shenshi is focused on Men

•

Shenshi is focused on Values of Making it in the Middle Class

•

Core Strategy is focus on Content Marketing Strategy to supplement Loyalty Club Consumer Acquisitions

•

Increase following in target markets Eastern Europe, United States and China by 20,000 individuals

•

Increase Shenshi Man newsletter subscriptions in target markets

•

Fast-Fashion and Manufacturing - rapid turnover of styles creates a cuttingedge feel for the brand and compels customers to urgency to buy immediately.

•

Engage with 1,000 response videos to Shenshi Man Challenge in each target market.

•

Shenshi Consumers will increase their annual product purchases.

SHENSHI MARKETING AND TARGET Shenshi offers affordable luxury clothing for men. Shenshi clothing is for men who desire to excel in their industries and move up the ladder. The Shenshi brand wants to become synonymous to success and achievement by engaging with its customers and communicating with them how to dress and become successful. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: 20-40 year old men in North America and Western Europe

PSYCHOGRAPHIC PROFILE: Shenshi’s segmentation has been hardest hit by world- economic recession. The target consumers are men who do not enjoy shopping in large unisex clothing shops where their personal interests are over-shadowed by women’s fashion market. Men who do not know how to combine styles and create a successful, polished look. Men who are are frustrated with lack of career advancement opportunities. WANTS AND NEEDS: Shenshi Customer Survey Statements: “I like clothes that make me appear successful” “I want to be considered fashionable by others” “I pay a lot of attention to how people think of my dress style” Shenshi’s customers want luxury style for a fraction of the price. Shenshi provides:  Affordable – Pricing structure will provide quality clothing in a competitive market  Identification – Shenshi is a clothing brand solely for men and speaks to the sensibilities of its customer target.  Selection – Shenshi provides a wide choice of formal and business causal clothing that is chic, hip and entrend.

SHENSHI CAMPAIGN SUMMARY GOAL: Engage with Consumers inviting an exchange of their personal career stories, career tips and success strategies. INSPIRATION EXPERIENCE: The inspirational experience is key to the success of the marketing strategy. The first phase of the campaign with a video. Which will launch the content campaign. The video will not at link to the Shenshi brand at first. It purpose is to go viral, to create questions and inquiries by the target audience: similar to Cadbury Chocolate hidden ad in the Proposal Gone Bad Video. UTILITAIAN EXPERIENCE: Clothing advice that points to quirky success idioms and career advice. IDENTITY EXPERIENCE: The website will have monthly video contests for the target audience to create "I quit videos" to post on the website. The best “I Quit” video will win a months worth of Shenshi clothing for the man whose "future is for the taking.” An interactive website that will launch with a call-to-action online video taking a cues from success of brands like experiential-identification of Dove Beauty campaign videos and Poo Pourri video that is funny and almost unbelievable. Shenshi's campaign addresses the needs of underemployed and combines the tactics of experiential-identification and humor. Why is this appropriate example? Takeshi is tired of being undervalued and not living the life he worked hard. This content provides an outlet for him to vent and actually quit his job while giving him tips to find success. Shenshi will have a new dedicated blog that will provide opportunities for men to vent via video of how they can take control of their lives and have the future they have worked hard to have but not grasped. All content for Shenshi will create the desired experience for its target consumers.

SHENSHI CASE STUDY PROJECT

THE SHENSHI MAN: YOUR FUTURE IS FOR THE TAKING

CONTENT POSITIONING STRATEGY SHENSHI

COMPETITORS

H&M Zara 1. 2.

3.

Sensible and economic alternative to high end clothing stores Shenshi competitive advantage as a men’s clothing store addressing the needs of men. Clothing lines are directly correlated with achievement and success stories of Middle-class men.

1.

2. 3.

Similar price points as Shenshi and FastFashion/Manufacturing approach H&M, Zara are not soley focused on the fashion needs of men. H&M provides a fashion magazine and style tips but does not address our target audience needs.

BRAND RELEVANCY THEME: Shenshi creates the change you need to find your successful future. BRAND RELEVANCE: Shenshi brand has targeted the burgeoning Middle-Class Chinese audience that has spending habits that reflect the desire to look successful. This Middle-Class target audience wants to buy luxury at a lower price, they are tech savvy and desire resources and competitive comparisons immediately. While the other countries do not have as much expendable cash as the rising Middle-Class Chinese. Their spending habits are similar. They want to have luxury and professional looking clothing at a fraction of the cost. Shenshi wants to lead the menswear market as a inexpensive alternative to fashion house clothing. The worldwide desire of Shenshi’s segmentation are men who want to feel and look successful in the professional world. The website and brand will give insights to men so they no longer feel they are at a dead end in their life and will empower can take control of it.

References: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90778/8272768.html http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1118350/how-chinese-middle-classes-arebecoming-foodies-and-c...

MEET THE SHENSHI MAN Takeshi Age: 26 Career Industry: Finance Country: United States Market: North American - New York City Meet a Shenshi Man: Takeshi is a 26 year old man living in New York City. He comes from a middle-class family in the Midwest. He graduated with top honors from a small liberal arts college. He moved to New York in hopes of finding a successful career in finance and marketing. Unfortunately, Takeshi has been impacted by the great recession and cannot find suitable work or pay within his field and does not have expendable money for extra purchases. He has been underemployed for a long time and makes a living with small freelance jobs and tutoring, as he describes, “rich” High School students SAT Math lessons. Takeshi, like many disenfranchised GenXers, feels his American Dream has been robbed. He feels weak and not in control of many things in his life. He feels he has paid his dues and works hard. He wants to find success and be respected professional in the Finance industry. His talents are undervalued and under-utilized. He does not like to appear poor and he tries to maintain a New York City standard of professional dress. He looks down upon the Williamsburg hipster whom he generalizes as trust fund artists who get success in everything which they did not earn.

Explanation of Persona: Takeshi is an example of the target audience in countries such as the United States, South America and Eastern Europe that has been greatly impacted by the world's recession. Shenshi wants to expand to this market and will target the disgruntled educated and dissatisfied man in his 20's-30's that wants to find success and dress the part. This target audience feels they have paid their dues and should have success. “For younger men who dream of a brighter future, the Shenshi brand of trendy but affordable fashion makes men feel and appear more successful to others than they are.”

PLATFORMS

•

Traditional Social Media Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, BuzzFeed

•

Content Distribution types: Video, Blog posts, Infographics, Newsletter, Loyalty Program subscriptions, Shenshi Website

PLATFORM CONTENT SAMPLES

PLATFORM CONTENT SAMPLE Interactive Images for Newsletters and Posts Shenshi Men scroll over dynamic Shenshi Clothing line to view videos, information tags, calls-to-action and images. Sample Utilitatrian Experience Content for Shenshi  What if you could have it all?  Content exemplifies achievements and success strategies of Sun Tzu Art of War and JFK tying these prolific men to Shenshi’s style sensibilites. https://www.thinglink.com/scene 491564730620575744

INTERACTIVE CONTENT SAMPLE

thinglink.com/scene/491564730620575744

TONE AND VOICE Inspirational tone that also has the edge of the dissatisfied and disenchanted male by using humor to point to the things he does not like about his life. This edge is snarky, quirky and humorous. The purpose of that this tone is more effective when looking at the dead-end life alternative of not embracing the possibilities that wearing Shenshi can provide. The voice of the website is relevant to today's audience experience needs to make public decorations of their dissatisfied and disenfranchised experiences in the job market. I Quit videos are a creative outlet to feel successful in having the last word. Examples of the individual public quitting via video phenomenon include Marina Shiftin’s SuperBowl Ad 2014 and Michael Peggs’ I Quit Google video.

BLOG POST CONTENT SAMPLE

DISTRIBUTION PLAN The website will be driven with s that can be synched to social networks. The experience is accessible via mobile or website and they can view feeds of the website via their synched Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, etc. All content posted by Shenshi will appear in the s feed on the website and on their synched social network. s can follow each other and like Shenshi official content the can view on their synched social networks. The purpose is not require s to always visit the website to consume content rather the content comes to them on their preferred social network and they have the option to view on the website if they choose. The website will have three large components: clothing style options aligned with advice page, video posts and audience created blog feeds that are short no longer than 200 words and looks similar to a SMS text or SnapChat or Twitter feed ( name and response). The website clothing page will play on the old catalog style look similar to 1980's Jenny (because the target Middle-Class audience loves retro) but using an interactive image or infographic will provide information for the audience to find success tips. The website will have a heavy video component for community interaction. Blog posts series that audiences can contribute in by filling in the blank. Such as, horrible work experiences: "And you thought your dead-end life of was bad.... ", "If I told my boss to shove it, I would prove my life would be better than his by....." which will allow audiences to share and rate each others short answers. The large draw to the website will be the "I quit" video posts.

ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGY Keyword: Shenshi, Men’s Clothing, High Fashion Low Costs, list our Competitors, Shenshi Man, Iquit

Paid online Advertising Strategy Promoted Posts Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

CASE STUDY Peer : Peer 1 → This project is very in tune with the Zeitgeist. Peer 2 → The platform showcased excellent integration. Peer 3 → The intuitive representation of your "Shenshi character": the disillusioned, underemployed Gen-Xer, wanting more. It ties perfectly with your subsequent explanation on how the Shenshi brand position "synchs" with this target audience. I could clearly identify with Takeshi. Also love the Sun Tzu concept; positively brilliant how you've captured the bitterness, the disillusionment your target audience might feel, infused edgy, quirky, popculture cool that tempers this desperation and then, there's the inspirational/utilitarian aspect providing nuggets of self-help advice so your audience doesn't wallaw in self-pity for too long. This balance you've achieved is no small feat; it's the perfect storm for going viral! Peer 4 → I am blown away by the thoroughness and creativity that went into thinking up this content strategy. Overall, each piece fits in perfectly to advance the Shenshi positioning statement. It is strategic, detailed and well conceived. You articulate not only the "what"...but the "why" and "how". The client (Shenshi execs.) would derive much enthusiasm from this effort if it were an actual presentation...particularly how you've interspersed examples of what the content would look like. Bravo; simply well done! This Case Study Assignment was presented by B Edwards for Northwestern University Content Strategy for Professionals Engaging Audience for the Organization MOOC