The Brief
Your client is a big clothing store wanting to introduce chain stores in Mamelodi, Umlazi, Thembisa, Khayelitsha and Alexandra. The campaign will run over three months with a budget of R4-million.
A workable budget of R4-million has been allocated by a big clothing store to launch chain stores in five townships. Each of these townships are located in metropolitan areas e.g. Mamelodi, Alexandra and Thembisa in Gauteng; Umlazi in Kwazulu-Natal and Khayelitsha in the Western Cape.
To identify the target audience was difficult, as the industry’s data does not cover individual townships other than Soweto. A township cluster plus analysis against the three provinces was done on TGI to identify an estimated township profile, which was then married to that of current branded clothing stores. According to the information we have, we propose talking to middle income females in LSM 4-6 as a primary target and females LSM 7 and 8 as the secondary target audience.
The objective is simple: to successfully launch the chain store in the various townships and drive feet through the door and ultimately sales.
A commonality in each of the selected townships is that there is a large unregulated economic sector whose disposable income is limited to essentials such as food, rent, transport, clothing, schooling and paying off accounts. Oral culture and interpersonal communication is a way of life and information in townships is disseminated by word-of-mouth.
Taking all these factors into account we will avoid using mass national media and get consumer attention through unconventional methods primarily through activation. These tactics will generate word-of-mouth buzz among consumers and increase the effectiveness of the campaign by extending reach and driving feet through the door. Local conventional media will be used mainly as a reminder and for brand recognition.
Our plan is to begin building excitement a week prior to the store opening, reaching the pinnacle of the hype at the store opening and maintaining interest throughout the three-month launch campaign.
The target market is mobile and spends at least an hour queuing and travelling in taxis each day. They are a captive audience and highly receptive to messages particularly if it is face-to-face. Branded promoters in taxis (only on routes in identified townships) and queues will discuss the store opening and its merchandise and hand out fashion leaflets, which will contain a scratch card discount element to be redeemed at the store opening. This can be extended to ladies groups at churches and community halls, clinics and stokvels. To reinforce the promoter’s announcement messages, visibility and brand recognition will be delivered on billboards and posters.
Township dwellers respond well to events in their townships particularly if there is loud music. It is proposed to create a huge event around the store opening. A fashion show modeling the clothes sold in the store on an interactive sound and branded stage trailer, will be placed in front of the store. Loud music and local celebrities will accompany this.
Community involvement and local media will be used to maintain interest and excitement after the store opening. The visibility and impact of billboards will create top of mind awareness as will interior taxi retail advertising on relevant routes. In addition, promotional give aways and advice features are planned for broadcast on community radio stations in the relevant townships. Regular themed fashion shows and competitions at schools and ladies groups, fashion co-coordinators in store and leaflet distribution of specials will be employed.
The majority of the target market is in the informal sector and the methods we have recommended are not measurable in the conventional way other than by sales. An integrated activation campaign consisting of powerful elements; word-of-mouth, highly visual interactive mobile channels, promoters, prize incentives community radio and local outdoor will extend reach and create meaningful impact.