The strategic exploitation of

new market opportunities

by British fashion companies
Received: 9th March, 1999

Christopher Moore
is a Reader in Marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Ruth Murphy
is a Senior Lecturer in Retail Marketing at the University of North London.

Keywords: Abstract A recent development within the UK fashion sector has been the adoption
product innovation, by younger consumers of products and brands which have been traditionally targeted
brand diffusion, market
towards older customer groups. While previous research has tended to focus upon
growth
developing an understanding of the motivations which lead young consumers to
adopt, adapt and in some cases undermine the brands and products typically associated
with other demographic groups, little attention has been given to the role that fashion
companies play in this process of market extension and development. By examining the
activities of four fashion companies which have successfully extended into the youth
market, the research identifies the varying strategic approaches that these firms
adopted as well as the alterations they were required to make in order to satisfy the
needs of this new group of customers. The research concludes by examining the long-
term implications of this type of market development.

decline and an unenthusiastic traditional

Introduction
There has been extensive coverage within
the British fashion trade press of the
successful transition of classic fashion
brands from a typical focus upon the
middle-aged, and for many a long-
established customer base, to one which
encompasses and includes a younger, more
Christopher M. Moore
fashion-aware consumer. For some of the
Department of Consumer
Studies, fashion companies involved, the emergence
Glasgow Caledonian of this younger market demand has
University provided their businesses with something of
1 Park Drive
Glasgow G3 6LP a renaissance, since their brands were near
Tel: 0141 337 4352
dormant and faced the seemingly
E-mail: c.moore@gcal.ac.uk immutable problem of chronic market share
customer. For these companies, the new
opportunities offered by the youth market
have been described as 'being highly
fortuitous, if not miraculous' (Menswear,
1997).
But this description does not apply in
equal measure to all fashion firms whose
brands now also attract a younger customer
following. Other companies have
successfully managed to retain the allure
and profitability of their brands within their
established customer segments and, at the
same time, have developed an adjacent
customer segment with a very different
demographic profile. This market

© Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000) Vol. 4, 1,15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 15
Moore and Murphy
development appears to have been achieved
without detriment to their established
customer following.
Yet, despite the fact that a number of
'classic' fashion brands, such as Burberry of
London, Kangol, Yves Saint Laurent, Hush
Puppies, Clarks, The Mulberry Company,
Lacoste, Christian Dior and Farah have been
eagerly, yet perhaps unexpectedly, adopted
by a new and much younger group of
customers, little attention has been given
within previous research to the strategies
that fashion companies typically adopt, as
well as the issues that they must face, as
they seek to exploit these new (and possibly
unexpected) market opportunities.
Within the context of this seeming
research neglect, the purpose of this paper is
to examine the key issues associated with
the market development of what have been
termed 'classic fashion brands', typically
focused upon the older, wealthy customer
(Verdict, 1997), into the younger fashion
customer segments. In particular, the
research seeks to:
— identify the impetus for such market
developments (ie are these fashion
companies proactive in the development
of these new markets or are they reactive
to an unexpected customer demand?);
— examine the implications for the fashion
firm's brand management strategies as
they seek to maximise the opportunities
afforded by newly emergent customer
markets;
— identify the key issues associated with
the future development of the brand(s)
within their traditional and newer
markets.
The preliminary research results are
based upon a series of interviews with four
fashion companies whose brands, although
traditionally targeted towards an older age
group, have become highly successful
within the younger age group.
Review of previous research
Arguably, there are two main strands of
research which have direct relevance to this
study. The first relates to those studies
16 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management © Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4,1,15-25
which have considered the strategies
available to fashion companies as they seek
to ensure the future growth and prosperity
of their brands. The second strand considers
the dynamics associated with the adoption
and assimilation of the products and brands
typically associated with one social or
demographic grouping to the fashion brand
repertoire of those of another. These two
dimensions will be considered here.
Opportunities for growth
Based upon a review of the literature
concerned with the marketing of fashion
products and brands, it would appear that
little or no attention has been given to the
issues and management processes
associated with the growth and
development of fashion brands either within
existing markets or in other non-associated
markets. Issues surrounding the creation,
development, management and
repositioning of fashion brands have been
considered (Moore, 1995; Lea-Greenwood,
1997; Lewis and Hawksley, 1990; Evans,
1989) as a response to declining consumer
demand, increased market competition
a n d / o r the desire to shift brand focus to a
new target customer group. Attention has
also been given to the repositioning of
fashion retailer brands, particularly in terms
of identifying the significance of advertising
and promotional activity, brand naming
strategies and distribution control in the
effective redevelopment of the successful
fashion brand (Moore, 1995). It has been
suggested that the success of a fashion
brand is dependent upon the extent to
which the brand competently represents
and communicates the functional and
representational requirements of the target
consumer (Doyle, 1992).
Drawing from the generic characteristics
of the successful brand, de Chernatony and
McDonald (1995) suggest that the successful
fashion brand is precisely targeted to serve
the needs of a clearly defined group of
customers, while other studies suggest that
the fashion brand is often used as a means
of denoting group conformity, status and
affiliations and aspirations to certain
 The strategic exploitation of new market opportunities by British fashion companies
lifestyles (Craik, 1994). As customers
increasingly seek to disassociate themselves
from the generalisations of the mass market,
it is predicted that in the future consumers
will be more interested in acquiring
products and brands which are precisely
tailored to satisfy their specific needs, wants
and aspirations. Consequently, an
increasing number of fashion retailers and
manufacturers are seeking to develop
brands which are perceived to serve micro-
markets. This can be achieved in a number
of ways, such as the development of
specialist brands, which often have an
association with a particular sporting or
leisure activity. Central to the positioning of
these brands is the perception that the
inherent quality of the product gives rise to
superior performance. Alternatively, fashion
companies develop a portfolio of different
brands, each targeted towards customer
groups segmented on the bases of some
demographic or economic distinction
(Fernie et al., 1997).
While these studies serve to highlight the
various dimensions of fashion brand
management, they fail to consider the
growth opportunities available to
established fashion brands, either within
existing markets or within new ones.
Instead, it is necessary to draw from the
generic marketing literature in order to
identify the strategies that facilitate the
growth of a brand and the tactics which
enable this to occur. Drawing from the
earlier work of Ansoff (1965), McDonald
(1995) identifies four brand growth options
which can be expressed as follows:
— market penetration of existing products
within existing markets;
— market development of existing
products within new markets;
— new product development for offering
new products within existing markets;
Existing markets
New products Product development
Existing products Market penetration
Fig. 1 Ansoff growth vector matrix (1965)
© Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1, 15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
— diversification of new products into new
markets.
These dimensions are illustrated in Figure 1.
In terms of the schema offered by
McDonald (1995), the success of established
fashion brands within new customer
markets would be classified as market
development. However, the successful
implementation of this brand growth option
requires that the brand similarly satisfies the
functional and representational
requirements of the newly targeted customer
group (Doyle, 1992), which may be different
from those of the original customer market
(de Chernatony and McDonald, 1995). This
may necessitate some modification to the
marketing mix underpinning the product's
positioning, particularly in relation to the
distribution strategy employed. Typically, it
is incumbent on the expanding company to
modify the brand's supporting marketing
communications strategy in order that it may
more appropriately appeal to the needs of
the new target audience (Kay, 1995; Lea-
Greenwood, 1997).
Other studies have suggested that the
adoption of a market development strategy
may be more successfully achieved if that
development were to occur within a
different geographical market (Fernie et al.,
1997). Otherwise, if new customer segments
are to be targeted within the same place as
the original target group then there is the
danger that:
— the original target market will be
disaffected by adoption of 'their' brand
by a customer group they regard as
inferior and with which they would
want no association;
— the newly targeted customer group will
refuse to adopt the brand because of
their contempt for the brand's original
customer group.
New markets
Diversification
Market development
17
Moore and Murphy
In addition, if there is a requirement that the
brand's marketing mix be adjusted in order
to accommodate the needs of the newly
targeted customer group, then there is the
danger of confusing, diluting and
undermining the brand's original
positioning.
While there has been little consideration
of these brand development strategies
within the context of fashion marketing, the
generic literature provides sufficient
direction for the development of the
research approach described later.
The adoption of fashion brands
While it is beyond the scope of this study to
consider consumer motivations and
activities in respect of the adoption of
fashion brands typically associated with a
distinct and separate customer segment, it
could be argued that it is beneficial at least
to consider the consumer dimension of this
process in order better to understand the
strategies adopted by fashion firms to attract
new groups of consumers to their products
and brands.
Various studies have considered the
significance of fashion brands within social
group settings, particularly within the
context of young consumer groups
(Calefato, 1997). The appropriation of
fashion brands and cultural images typically
associated with older customer groups and
those of higher social status has been
documented previously, and a variety of
motivations have been identified to explain
such behaviour. Among these are the desire
to be associated with the values and lifestyle
of esteemed social groups, as well as the
need to be disassociated from the values
and characteristics of the consumer's
immediate peer groups (Berward, 1995).
In contrast, the assimilation of brands
commonly associated with a higher social
order, an élite or 'the establishment' may be
motivated by the desire to subvert that
social position and standing. Studies have
suggested (Giddens, 1991) that a common
feature of contemporary youth is the desire
to undermine, devalue a n d / o r trivialise the
symbols of those groups which hold some
18 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management © Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1,15-25
form of governance and control within
society. Consequently, the adoption of the
ruling élite's symbols is regarded as the
ultimate act of defiance (Craik, 1994).
Regardless of the original motivation for
such brand adoptions, it is invariably the
case that as part of the process of acquisition
both the functional role and the
representational significance of the b r a n d/
product are modified to suit the lifestyle
features of the youth culture better
(Giddens, 1991). As such, the brand's
symbolism is reconfigured and its
associated meanings revised to reflect a new
cultural context. But what precipitates the
selection of one brand over another for this
treatment of revision and reinvention by
disaffected or aspirational consumer groups
is less clearly explained. Nor does the
literature adequately explain the role played
within this process of reconfiguration by the
brand provider (whether that be the retailer
or manufacturer). Consequently, it is
unclear whether the fashion brand provider
typically takes an active or passive role in
instigating the process of brand adoption
(and revision) undertaken by these younger
customer groups.
The review of the literature highlights
that we have only a partial understanding of
the interplay between fashion firms' brand
management strategies and the attitudes
and behaviour of consumers, particular
those who do not have an established
relationship with the brand. Within this
context, the focus of the empirical stage of
this research was thus to examine more
closely the role that fashion firms play in the
process of new market development.
Research purpose and method
In view of the lack of previous research in
the area of fashion brand growth/
development, it is impossible to provide a
theoretical framework upon which to direct
this research. As such, this study is by
necessity of a preliminary nature. This is
evidenced by the fact that the research aims
are of a exploratory/descriptive nature, and
only a small number of companies were
included in the study.
 The strategic exploitation of new market opportunities by British fashion companies
The primary focus was to examine the
role of the fashion brand provider in the
development of a new, younger market for
their brand. In particular, the study sought
to:
— identify the impetus for such market
developments (ie are these fashion
companies proactive in the development
of these new markets or are they reactive
to an unexpected customer demand?);
— examine the implications for the fashion
firms' brand management strategies as
they seek to maximise the opportunities
afforded by newly emergent customer
markets;
— identify the key issues associated with
the future development of the brand(s)
within their traditional and newer
markets.
Two reports published in Menswear (1997)
and by Verdict (1997) identified a number of
companies with fashion brands which
enjoyed a significant level of sales outside
their established, older customer markets
and within a younger customer segment.
From these reports, six companies were
selected for inclusion in the study, of which
four agreed to participate.
Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews
were conducted with company
representatives (three were marketing
directors or managers, while the fourth was
a brand manager) in March/April 1998. The
companies were Kangol, The Mulberry
Company and Clarks Shoes; the fourth
company, which as a condition of
participating in the research asked not to be
named, agreed to be described as a French
fashion design company with an
international reputation. A copy of the
interview questionnaire is provided in the
Appendix. Data were analysed manually,
using a standard content analysis approach
based upon the identification of key issues
(such as those related to reactive/proactive
strategy development, implications for
strategic brand management and the
revision of marketing communications
activity), such as was described by Webb
(1994).
© Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000) Vol. 4, 1, 15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
Research findings
Profile of respondents
Within the last three to five years all four
companies involved in the survey have seen
the emergence of a newer customer
following which is markedly different from
their traditional customer base in terms not
only of age, but also of economic
classification and fashion sensibility. As one
marketing director stated:
'It was like a strange but wonderful dream. A
whole new customer group emerged; one that
was very keen on the product, the brand. But
this was a customer that was also very
different from the ones we were used to —
they shopped differently, shopped in different
places, even wore the clothes in different
ways. We had to re-educate ourselves.. it was
like a new species of customer that had landed
on our back door. Welcoming, cash rich, but
unfathomable.'
The four participating retailers recognised
this new demand in three main ways.
Firstly, the companies recorded a
significant increase in sales (all over 15 per
cent) within their established distribution
outlets, but to younger customers.
Secondly, they noted an increase in the
number of youth-focused retailers buying
their brands through wholesaling; while
the third indicator of demand was
increased editorial coverage within the
youth media. The French fashion design
company indicated that over 60 per cent of
UK sales were attributable to this new
youth market, while Kangol estimated that
20 per cent of sales could be attributed to
this market. In order to understand fully
the possible motivations which encouraged
these new younger segments to adopt
these established fashion brands, Table 1
sets out the original target market focus,
the brand values and key product lines of
each of the four companies.
Mulberry predominantly see themselves
as offering a lifestyle brand. While their core
products are leather goods, the company
also designs and sells ready-to-wear and
home-interior goods such as throws,
19
Moore and Murphy

Table 1 Trading characteristics of participating fashion companies

Kangol Mulberry Clarks French designer

Core brand values Design, innovation, Quality, quirkiness, Quality, comfort, International,
quality eccentricity, British heritage establishment,
craftsmanship established, high
fashion
Core target Homogeneous: 35-50 years, male Children's wear plus 35+ male and
market anyone wishing to and female, adult, 50+ years female, rich,
wear a hat predominantly international
female
Core products Casual and occasion- Leather accessories: Casual shoe market Couture, ready-to-
wear hats bags, belts, wear, shirts,
organisers, wallets accessories,
etc perfumes
New customer Male, aged 15-24, Late 20s-30s Late 20s-30s Male, aged 14-25,
features social class C1, C2 social class C1, C2

bedlinen and china. Although Clarks Market developments — proactive or

currently have a third of the market share
for children's shoes they also possess a
portfolio of brands catering for specific age
groups, including Ravel, Bootleg, Red River,
Sica and Springers. Kangol solely designs
and manufactures hats. They have three
factories within the UK which are devoted
to cut-and-sew, felt-wear and occasion-wear
hats. The French fashion design company
has, like the majority of international design
houses, developed a wide product portfolio,
ranging from haute couture to cheaper
diffusion lines and perfumes. The
emergence of these new, younger markets
had significant implications for the
management of these core brand values,
target customers and core product ranges,
as is evidenced in the remarks of the
marketing director for the French design
company:
'When you are an established firm, the
emergence of a new market causes
problems. Firstly, you have to find out what
is it about you that they like, and how you
can make them continue liking you. Do you
have to change the product or just keep
things the same? Keeping things the same
may mean they will get bored with you —
and you are only a fad. But if you change
too much, you may lose your established
customer too. Then you end up losing
everything.'
reactive?
For both Clarks and Mulberry, the
emergence of a younger customer following
was the result of a planned strategy
motivated by the desire to expand their
business and thus reduce the risks
associated with an overreliance upon
narrowly defined and ageing target markets.
A concern for Clarks was that the UK
marketplace has experienced an erosion in
market share of the specialist shoe retailer
(the main distribution method of Clarks
shoes) due to the significant growth in
leisure clothing and sports shops.
Supermarkets and chain stores have also
increased their market share. Clarks' core
customers were concentrated within the 50+
age group and there was little indication
that this ageing group were likely to be
succeeded by younger customers in the
future. Therefore, the company felt that they
must, by necessity, be proactive in targeting
the younger market.
Consequently, both companies sought to
develop a coherent market development
strategy which, through a firm
understanding of the new target customer
(achieved through extensive market
research), required them to reconfigure and
adapt their original market offers and
positioning in order to attract a younger
audience.

20 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management © Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000) Vol. 4, 1,15-25
 The strategic exploitation of new market opportunities by British fashion companies
Unlike the other two companies, which
were proactive in developing a younger
market following, both Kangol and the
French design company initially found that
their respective brands were adopted by
younger consumers without any real
planning or encouragement on their part.
During the 1970s, Kangol created a new
logo, the kangaroo, which has since
become a prominent emblem within the
context of street fashion. Kangol's brand
manager identified that the brand was
originally adopted by black youth in the
UK. Noting headwear to be an important
element of black youth style, he suggested
that with Kangol's specialisation in
headwear and the fact that these hats had
an emblem with 'street credibility', it soon
became the case that Kangol was a 'must-
have' item for this youth group. In
addition, a further twist of fashion fate also
assisted the development of the Kangol
brand. During the late 1980s it became de
rigueur to wear hats back to front, hence
modifying a traditional look to suit a
modern style. Since the kangaroo logo was
placed on the back of Kangol hats, by
reversing the hats when wearing them the
Kangol brand became even more obvious
and prominent, and this appears to have
encouraged further adoption of the Kangol
brand by other youth groups.
In the case of the French fashion
company, the UK marketing director stated
that the adoption of the brand came 'totally
out of the blue'; he described the process as
follows:
'Young casuals, if you can call them that —
macho types — picked up on the brand which
they got from the better department stores.
They started to wear the classic shirts with
jeans, out to the clubs. The research we have
done says that they picked up on our brand as
a symbol of money, wealth. Some even
thought of us as English — a British Ralph
Lauren — which was quite funny. They
picked us and I think that there was some
sense of sub-culture, of nationalism. I do not
really understand it at all. Then the other
"lads" picked it up. But it came as a surprise
— we never planned it — I do not think that
we could have.'
© Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1, 15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing
Previous to the emergence of this new
customer group, the firm acknowledged
that they faced severe trading problems,
notably in terms of an ageing core customer
and a decline in market growth and overall
market share, as well as the resultant de-
listing of their ranges by wholesale account
customers. The unprompted emergence of a
younger customer segment who were
attracted to the brand thus proved highly
significant and became a catalyst for new
innovation and development within the
company to capitalise upon this much-
needed market opportunity.
Implications for brand management and
positioning
The emergence of new market opportunities
had important implications for the
respective fashion companies' approach to
the management and positioning of their
brands. Interestingly, each of the companies
felt that it was necessary to engage in some
form of adaptation of their marketing mix so
that the brand offering would better match
the needs of these younger consumers. The
rationale for this alteration is given by the
UK marketing director of the French design
firm:
'You have to realise that in this type of
situation, the customer is rarely buying into
the existing product range. It may be one
product in particular, but really it is the brand
they want. What you must do is get them to
continue liking the brand by moulding the
product range in such a way that you make it
more what they would want in style and
image terms. You have got to convert the
brand into the sorts of products they would
want. These are not likely to be the same for a
60 year old and a 23 year old.'
Table 2 provides a summation of the
adaptations to the marketing mix
undertaken by each of the companies in
response to their new market opportunities.
Revised marketing communications
The research clearly identified the
importance of marketing communications,
and Management 21
Moore and Murphy

Table 2 Revisions to the marketing mix for a new market

Kangol Mulberry Clarks French designer

Product Brand extensions via Offering 'fresher', Fresh new shoe styles New range of
licensing: belts, more youthful and making older underwear, jeans,
watches, footwear, styles, eg brightly brands more casual shirts and
sunglasses coloured leather youthful, eg outerwear
handbags Springers
Place Maintain selling in Opening Manchester Refitted UK shops to Development of a
mainstream stores store reflecting a give 'new look' to wholesale
and outfitters; turn towards the complement distribution
licensed products UK market advertising strategy offering
are targeted at campaign the brand to
outlets specifically youth retailers and
for the youth department stores
market
Price Maintain traditional Retained same price Retained some price Introduction of
pricing strategy points points high-street-level
prices
Promotion Do not formally Retained classical Refresh brand with Advertised in youth
advertise; extensive country image, but TV advertising media; greater
PR activities slowly moved campaign; modify emphasis upon PR
towards 'suity point-of-sale activities
urban' material to reflect
this

and public relations in particular, in the
process of extending the appeal of fashion
brands within younger market segments.
For Mulberry, the opening of their store in
Manchester, a city considered by them to be
urban, stylish and young, was seen as a
significant step for the company in
attracting a more youthful market. To signal
this new emphasis upon a younger market,
the company attracted local young
celebrities to their store opening; as well as
this form of peer-personality endorsement,
Mulberry for the first time used public
transport advertising in the area and
postcard drops in all the key young
entertainment venues to create awareness
and interest in their new store opening.
In addition to advertising within the
'traditional' fashion magazines, such as
Vogue, Harpers and Queen and Tatler, the
company included their campaigns within
magazines targeted towards younger
customer groups, such as Marie Claire, GQ
and Loaded. As well as altering the
placement of such advertisements,
Mulberry also altered the mood and context
of these adverts. In the past, Mulberry's
visual communication had been exclusively
focused upon country images, as epitomised
by rural locations and country pursuits. In
order to make the brand more appealing
and relevant to a younger customer base,
the decision was taken to photograph the
advertising campaigns within urban
locations, such as Hampstead in London.
The new imagery saw a shift away from
previous associations with English nostalgia
and aristocracy to one which was more
modern, urban and sharper. It was not the
intention to lose the central values of the
Mulberry brand. The aim was instead to re-
cast these values within a more modern
context which, in turn, would be more
meaningful and attractive to a younger
customer segment.
Clarks, with a strong position in the
children's and over 50s' markets, recognised
the need to attract those customers 'in the
middle'. Ironically, access to the late 20s and
30s market was not necessarily difficult for
Clarks by virtue of the fact that 28 is the
average age for a woman to have a first baby
in the UK. The company felt that when the
family entered a Clarks shop for their
toddler's first shoes, this would be a prime
opportunity to sell to the rest of the family.
In order to do this, the company recognised
the need to revise their marketing
communications strategy and therefore in
September 1997 launched the 'Act Your

22 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management © Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1,15-25
 The strategic exploitation of new market opportunities by British fashion companies
Shoe Size' television advertising campaign,
which through humour tried to reposition
Clarks as a stylish, modern and fun brand.
Along with the campaign, the company
had their retail outlets updated through
refurbishment, and devised an in-store
communications strategy which sought to
underline and reflect the television
campaigns. In terms of product
development, Clarks relaunched their desert
boot (which originally helped them to
launch their business overseas in the 1950s)
together with the Desert Trek and Wallabees
designs. Fortuitously, the company has also
experienced unprecedented press PR
coverage as these products have been
adopted by a number of successful British
bands, including Oasis and The Verve.
The emergence of a new customer
following has given Kangol the impetus to
develop a new range of branded products
through licensing agreements. From their
initial focus in the headwear market, the
Kangol brand has now been successfully
extended to include casualwear, shoes,
watches and sunglasses. The company seeks
to coordinate and control this extension of
their brand carefully and has tried to ensure
that the Kangol brand is associated with
innovative 'street' design which is well
considered and of good quality. As such, the
Kangol brand has emerged as something of
a 'street lifestyle' brand which is urban and
highly fashionable. Historically the
company has not advertised because it was
felt that in so doing the brand would
become 'pigeon-holed'. Since the brand is
attractive to a range of segments, the
company has been reluctant to prescribe an
image through advertising. Instead, Kangol
has invested heavily in PR activities, and,
like Clarks, has benefited from the adoption
by many successful music bands of their
brand. This serves to underline the
significant influence that music has upon
fashion adoption within the youth market.
Despite the fact that the French designer
company initially played no apparent role
in creating a younger market following, the
firm has subsequently sought to develop
this opportunity carefully. This has resulted
in their developing a new range of products,
© Henry Stewart Publications 1361-2026 (2000) Vol. 4, 1,15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing
including underwear, jeans, casualwear and
sportswear, under license agreements. In
addition, new marketing communication
campaigns were developed and tailored to
the needs of a younger customer group, and
new wholesale customers have been found
to ensure maximum product availability.
The frenetic activity undertaken by the firm
is expressed in the summation of their UK
marketing director:
'Really, this has been like building a new
company. It has meant new design, new
suppliers, new advertisements, new
distribution systems. It is incredible how the
emergence of a new market requires such a
fundamental change in how things are
organised.'
Key issues for the future
A major key issue for both Mulberry and
Clarks is the need to embrace their newly
emerging target markets without alienating
their traditional market. Mulberry has gone
some way to achieve this through the use of
'older' models within a new younger setting
in their advertising campaigns. For Clarks,
the strategy outlined here reflects the
continuing evolvement of the company, and
as such they continue to embrace their
children's market via loyalty schemes such
as Toddler Team, Young Explorer and
Playground Friends. The company suggests
that the development of a range for the 20s/
30s customer age group appears not to have
alienated their older customers at all.
Kangol consider that their traditional, and
therefore older, market is still their core
business, and while the company has
received immense publicity within the
youth media, it is mindful of the fact that
this segment still only accounts for one-fifth
of sales. The company feels that it has not
alienated its traditional market and claims
to have retained a clear focus on the needs
of this important market.
The French designer company stated that
the future for them means developing their
old and new markets as if these were
distinctly different businesses. The company
argues that this can be achieved through the
and Management 23
Moore and Murphy
continued development of distinctly
separate product ranges, pricing and
communication strategies and methods of
distribution. As to the future, the UK
marketing director reflected:
'We now have two different businesses.
Separate. Distinct. This whole process of the
past five years has taught us two things.
Firstly, we must be more proactive in finding
new market opportunities and we must have
the courage to take these. Secondly, we must
be more vigilant with our existing markets
and make sure that we can respond to change
as it occurs.'
Perhaps most importantly, for each of the
four companies (as well as other fashion
companies engaged in this form of market
development) the central tension resides in
their attempts to maximise market
opportunities while at the same time
ensuring that the brand is not overexposed
within the market. Each of the companies
recognised the inherent dangers of
overexposure, especially within the context
of undermining any claim of brand
exclusivity. Inextricably linked to this
dimension were issues surrounding control
over brand distribution. Respondents did
make reference to the overexposure of some
of the leading American fashion designer
brands and suggested that in the long term,
the standing of these brands would be
undermined as a result of their proliferation
into a variety of product and customer
markets. Furthermore, the marketing
director of the French design company
suggested that a lack of distribution control
produced 'perfect conditions for brand
counterfeiting'. As such, hè explained that
his company sought to monitor closely all
distribution points in the UK and other
important markets, in order that 'fake
products can quickly be identified and
driven out of the market so as to protect our
brand and our customers'.
Conclusion
While recognising that this research was
essentially exploratory in nature, the
24 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management © Henry Stewart publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1,15-25
findings do provide some invaluable
insights into the emergence of new market
opportunities for fashion companies. In
particular, it is useful to identify the
various approaches that firms may adopt in
relation to new market development (either
reactive or proactive), and the implications
that these new opportunities may have in
respect of the management of the fashion
marketing mix. On the latter point, the
research highlights the significance of
effective marketing communications and the
role of PR in the development of fashion
brands targeted towards younger customer
groups.
It is interesting to note that for each of the
four companies which participated in this
research, it was as important for them to
protect and maintain their existing customer
base as it was to develop new segments.
Thus far, it would appear that each of the
companies has successfully achieved this,
either by treating these new markets as
appendages to their main business or by
treating both markets as distinctly different
entities.
While it was beyond the scope of this
study to consider the consumer dimension
of this process of new market development,
the research does suggest a recognition by
the fashion companies that the inherent
meaning and symbolism of their brand is
reinvented and transformed whenever new
customer segments adopt them. This
process of customer reinvention and
transformation of fashion brand meaning is
worthy of further research consideration, as
are the range of responses that fashion
firms may make within this challenging
context.
References
Ansoff, I. (1965) Corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New
York.
Berward, C. (1995) The Culture of Fashion, Manchester
University Press, Manchester.
Calefato, P. (1997) 'Fashion and Worldliness: Language
and the Imagery of the Clothed Body', Fashion
Theory — TheJournal of Dress, Body and Culture, Vol.
1, No. 1, pp. 169-191.
Craik, J. (1994) TheFace of Fashion, Routledge, London.
 The strategic exploitation of new market opportunities by British fashion companies

de Chernatony, L. and McDonald, M. (1995) Creating Appendix — Interview

Powerful Brands, Butterworth Heinemann,
London.
Doyle, P. (1992) 'Managing the Marketing Mix', in M.
Baker (ed.) TheMarketing Book, Butterworth
Heinemann, London.
Evans, M. (1989) 'Consumer Behaviour Towards
Fashion', European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 23, No. brand values?
1, pp. 43-56.
Fernie, J., Moore, C., Lawrie, A. and Hallsworth, A.
(1997) 'The Internationalisation of the High Fashion
Brand: The Case of Central London', Journal of
Product and Brand Management, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp.
151-162.
Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity : Self and New market
Society in the Late Modern Age, Polity Press,
Cambridge.
Kay, S. (1995) 'Fashion Promotion in Fashion
Marketing', in M. Easey (ed.) Fashion Marketing,
Blackwell Science, London.
Lea-Greenwood, G. (1997) 'Marketing Communications
in the Internationalisation of UK Fashion Brands',
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 1,
No. 4, pp. 357-359.
Lewis, B. and Hawksley, A. (1990) 'Gaining a
Competitive Advantage in Fashion', International
Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 18,
No. 4, pp. 37-43.
McDonald, M. (1995) Marketing Plans: How to Prepare
Them: How to Use Them, Butterworth Heinemann,
London.
Menswear, (1997) 'Finding New Customers from Old',
13th March.
Moore, C. M. (1995) 'From Rags to Riches:
Creating and Benefiting from the Fashion
Own-brand', International Journal of Retailing
and Distribution Management, Vol. 23, No. 9, pp.
19-27.
Verdict (1997) 'Clothing Retailers Verdict Market
Research Reports'.
Webb, J. (1994) Understanding and Designing Marketing
Research, Dryden Press, London.
questionnaire
Traditional market
• Who are your core customers?
• What do you deliver to them in terms of
• How do you forge your relationship with
these customers (ie advertising/
marketing)?
• When did you first become aware of a
new market?
• Did you actively try to instil this market
(ie what activities have you carried out) or
alternatively has it come from another
source (eg key personalities/groups of
people wearing your product)?
• What is it about you that is attractive?
• How do you communicate with this
evolved market?
• What have been the challenges?
Now and the future
• How have you gone about sustaining this
evolved market?
• Are there separate marketing mix
decisions (eg how have you developed
your distribution, pricing policy,
advertising strategy etc)?
• How separate is the evolved market from
other parts of the business?

© Henry Stewart publications 1361-2026 (2000)Vol.4, 1,15-25 Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 25