After settling on a competition brief, I had many questions that needed answering so I took a trip into Manchester for (what I kept telling myself) research purposes and visited some shoe stops and the UGG store in particular

Thankfully I came home with a few answers, and luckily did not end up buying any new shoes but did come away and some new clothes 

Trying to stay focused on the task, I made a mental list of what I wanted to know:

• Which retailers stock men’s Ugg boots?
• How the boots displayed?
• Which are the most popular styles?
• How many pairs are sold?
• Who buys them?
• Who are the competition?

With this in mind, I headed to Office, Schuh and the Uggs store with my detective hat on.

Office didn’t stock a single pair in store – though they had a large selection of women’s styles and stocked 4 & 16 styles respectively online. Is this simply because they aren’t as popular as other brands?

I had a little chuckle to myself  when I asking in Office if they stocked Men’s Ugg boots, the sales assistant referred to them as “Muggs,” and when asking her colleagues for assistance, they didn’t understand what she was on about and had to say “Men’s Uggs” anyway.

I moved onto Schuh, where I could see a MASSIVE selection of Uggs through the window – obviously geared up for the Christmas shoppers, and was sure they’d stock some. They did, but they weren’t displayed with the women’s collection, instead they were displayed amongst other brands such as Dr Martins, and Timberlands – Manly. I had a lovely chat with one of the sales assistants who told me that they sell 2-3 pairs on average a week and that they stocked more styles online (12 to be precise.)

My last stop, the Ugg store s really helpful, I chatted to the manager and showed her the brief, which she seemed quite interested in. She explained to me that the average male customer was between 30 and 50 years old, and that they sold around 10 pairs on men’s boots per week. She also pointed out the most popular styles, slippers (so popular that they had sold out, an interesting notion – Men are happy to wear fluffy, cuddly shoes in their own home but not in public…) and the a style named “Butte” which can act as a hard-wearing work boot.

The Bestseller – “Butte”

Interesting. Very Interesting.

My little trip helped me to identify the existing consumer base, the current way the boots are being displayed and the competitors that Men’s Ugg boots are up against. With this in mind I had little look at how their competitors have marketed their products.

They all focus on different aspects, Dr Martens – heritage and nostalgia, Timberland – a little sarcasm, comedy and focus on the quality of the product, and Cat – slight humour in an artistic direction, again showing how sturdy their boots can be. These could be possible routes for me to look at when it comes to marketing the Uggs.

What is the problem?

Men are afraid of the perceptions of wearing Uggs 

What is it asking you to do about it?

Make uggs desirable and give men permission to war them

What is it trying to achieve? 

Trying to bring new customers to there product

What are the 10 most important words on the brief?

• feels 
• extensive range
• permission
• attention
• innovative ideas
• broad brief
• alienate
• confuse
• relevant
• surprised

What is the message?

• The products are is not just a women’s brand
• They carry a large range for men, from boots to slippers
• The product is modern and fashionable
• An expression of individuality
• Ideal for those on the move
• the product is long lasting
• How conferrable they are

Who is the audience?

• Everyone,but the target market for this brief is: (remember not to alianonate and confuse other markets.
• Students
• Young professionals
• Young adults 

What is the context?

• At Home
• On the bus
• On the train
• University

What products are associated with it?

• Other, shoe companies such as Dr. martens and timberland

Why have I chosen this brief?

I interested me, as I first thought, men do not wear uggs, it is not so much about branding a new product, but rebranding the exciting one.

What do you want to make/do?

• Shoe packaging
• Viral marketing ad, 30 sec
• Posters
• Website

Why do you want to enter?

• To win
• To have a chance at working with the company
• To develop work for my portfolio
• Recognition / getting myself out there and my work known

What do you have to do?

• Research
• Mind Map
• IDEAS, IDEAS IDEAS
• Design
• Packaging
• Website
• Posters
• Viral marketing ad, 30 sec

What hasn’t been done before?

Packaging, can use pre existing net designs and adapt

What could you do?

What could I do….

What do you already know?

They have a large exciting female client base, but the company is trying to expand into the male market. Uggs were original worm by men and adopted by surfers. Its not so much about designing for a new market, but re branding the exciting on. The company whats to appeal to the every man and not just the hipster that does not mind getting strange looks for wearing, what is persevered to be a women’s shoe

What do you need to find out?

• What the brand done already?
• Who is in direct competition with the brand?
• What already exists with the space? and what isn’t being done in the sector?
• What materials are often used to package these products? What new materials could be brought to the space?
• Comfort is the companies big selling point, ‘How do they feel?”

Background

In 1978, Brian Smith landed in Southern California with a bag of sheepskin boots.

The beaches of Southern California had long been an epicenter of a relaxed, casual lifestyle, a lifestyle that Brian felt was a perfect fit for his brand. So he founded the UGG brand, began selling his sheepskin boots and they were an immediate sensation.

By the mid 1980’s, the UGG brand became a symbol of relaxed southern California culture, gaining momentum through surf shops and other shops up and down the coast of California, from San Diego to Santa Cruz. UGG boots reached beyond the beach, popping up in big cities and small towns all over, and in every level of society.

The UGG brand began to symbolise those who embraced sport and a relaxed, active lifestyle. By 2000, a love that began on the beaches had become an icon of casual style.

Our Style

“It feels like nothing else” is our internal mission statement. It expresses the uniqueness of the products we create, and the importance of craft and distinctive materials in our processes.

Our Range

We are well known for our UGG boots, particularly popular with female customers. 

What many consumers don’t know is that we have a brilliant and extensive menswear range – taking in everything from boots and shoes to trainers and flip-flops.

The Creative Challenge

The challenge is to develop creative ideas that will increase awareness among men of our product range. We need to give men permission to buy into UGG and to wear our products. How do we grab the attention of guys, and leave them in no doubt that UGG is a relevant and desirable brand for them?

Creative Requirements

We’re keen to hear innovative ideas for campaigns and other communication that will grab the attention of guys, and put our collections firmly onto their radar.

This is a deliberately broad brief as we are very open-minded to the right messages and media that will combine to meet our objectives. You might have digital ideas, experiential ideas, in-store ideas, advertising ideas – or any other kind of ideas for that matter!

You are free to demonstrate your thinking in any medium or combination of media that you see fit. We’re keen to understand the environments and moments that you think our target market will be most responsive to your message. How will your ideas come to life, and where?

The Target Audience

We have a shoe for all male consumers – from the coolest young influencer to his Granddad too.

We’d like for your creative ideas to engage with an audience of younger men in their 20’s and early 30’s. We believe there is a rich opportunity to engage, and change perceptions among younger guys.

You may decide to focus on a specific age group within this range if you wish; but importantly any communication you produce must not alienate or confuse our older consumers.

Creative Considerations

Think globally: we have UGG stores in many countries so your ideas need to feel relevant if encountered in different regions.

As you will see from your research; our collections provide something for every season and every type of weather, terrain and adventure – be it urban or on the beach. We are absolutely not just about boots.

Materials are hugely important to us, going all the way back to our first boots and the magical material of sheepskin. We’ve often said to guys that our shoes are ‘UGG on the inside and man on the outside’.

Many are often surprised by the extent of our range. How might you communicate the true breadth of our offering?

(Source: ycn.org)