MCM 255- Principles of Advertising
Fall 2010
Final Creative IMC Project
Ray Ban Analysis
Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine
Asma Akram
Bedoor Khalil
Lina Rassam
Mirna Azmy
Reem AlRedha
Brief Contents
Ray Ban Analysis (Final Creative IMC Project)
About the authors………………………7
Special thanks…………………………9
Attraction……...………………………10
Ray Ban Timeline………………..……...12
Situation Analysis …………………...….24
The problem……………………...…….29
The target audience…………………….....31
Consumer insights………………………..33
Brand imperatives………………………35
Communication objectives…………………37
The proposition/ selling idea………………42
Support……………………….………45
Creative direction…………………….…..50
Media imperatives………………………52
Contents
About the authors………………………7
Asma Akram, Bedoor Khalil, Lina Rassam, Mirna Azmy, Reem Al-Redha
Special thanks…………………………9
Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine
Attraction……………………………10
The word that represents Ray Ban
Ray Ban Timeline……………………12
1936, 1937, 1938
1939-1940
1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's
1999, 2003, 2004, 2005
2006, 2007, 2008
Situation Analysis ……………………24
SWOT Analysis
The problem…………………………29
Key advertising problem to be solved
The target audience……………………....31
Our target customers
Intended market and its relevancy
Starting with customers
Consumer insights………………………..33
What motivates our target audience?
Brand imperatives………………………35
Important features and competitive advantage
Brand essence, personality and image
Communication objectives…………………37
Customer's response to our message
Communication methods
The proposition/ selling idea………………42
Single thought that the communication will bring to life
Consistency of the message
Support………………………………45
Reason to believe the proposition
Enhancing brand equity
Brand positioning statement
Brand's central idea
Brand image associations
Consumer's brand dimension
Positioning via brand benefits
Three types of benefits
Creative direction……………………...…50
Stimulating desired response
How can we best say it?
Media imperatives………………………52
Time and place of saying the message
Key strategic campaign decisions
Target audience
Brand position
Campaign strategy
Media strategy
Media objectives
Media selection
Media planning and buying
Vehicle selection
Selling premise
Big idea
Asma Akram is a 20 year old Emirati Student at American University of Sharjah, college of Arts and Sciences, Mass communication, Advertising Major.
Bedoor Khalil is a 20 year old Iraqi Student at American University of Sharjah, college of Arts and Sciences, Mass communication, Public Relations Major.
Lina Rassam is a 20 year old Iraqi student at the American University of Sharjah, college of Arts and Sciences, Mass communication, Advertising and Public Relations Major. She is at her junior year.
Reem AlRedha is a 20 year old Emirati Student at American University of Sharjah, college of Arts and Sciences, Mass communication, Advertising Major.
Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine, Assistant Professor at the American University of Sharjah
PhD in International Political Communication
University of Hamburg, Germany, 2006
PhD in International Political Communication
University of Hamburg, Germany, 2006
Special thanks to Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine for supporting us throughout the semester. Also, for helping us understand and achieve a critical understanding of Advertising. Not forgetting to mention his help in completing this project.
Attraction
We chose the word "attraction" to represent Ray Ban, because when someone wears Ray Ban they pull people towards them because of their attractiveness. That is, they grab people's attention. Ray Ban acts as an attention-grabbing magnet. Again, it is attractive because of its stylish designs, polarized lenses and the logo attached on the top right of the lenses. Since no other brand succeeded in doing these fashionable styles like Ray Ban, all these features grab people’s attention unconsciously.
So if you want to grab people's attention and look attractive, wear Ray Ban and colorize your life!
Ray Ban
TimeLine
Not many sunglasses are considered to be very important or famous in any culture as Ray-ban was and still until today. For example, we can see many famous movie stars, artists, fashion designers, and runaway models wearing any kind of ray-ban sunglasses. Since Ray-ban now can be owned by Hollywood actors an important people, the brand itself was not for everyone when it started. The beginning of Ray-ban was gentle, they started step by step.
1936 Birth of Ray-Ban Eyewear
For aviation, both military and civil, the 1920s was a decade of remarkable advances. Air traffic grew as a result. With the development of new aero planes that could fly higher and higher came altitude-related problems. Pilots were suffering from headaches and nausea because of glare and the great distances that they had to traverse. In 1929, General MacCready asked Ray-Ban for a new type of air force eyewear that would protect pilots from glare at high altitudes while at the same time ensuring a clear field of vision. The company took up the challenge and succeeded in developing a new pair of glasses with lenses that could block out a high proportion of visible light. This marked the birth of Ray-Ban’s first, green-lens ANTI GLARE eyewear. The first model to go on sale to the public - in 1936 - featured a plastic frame with the classic Aviator shape.
1937 Ray-Ban Trademark Registered
The name ANTI GLARE was too generic. It did not distinguish the new eyewear clearly from rival products. In 1937, the Ray-Ban trademark was registered and marketed, gracing a new model with a metal frame. The name Ray-Ban was chosen for the new product to emphasize that the eyewear could block out glare and protect the user’s eyes from the sun’s rays. The Large Metal model immediately leapt to fame with the name Ray-Ban Aviator.
1938 Early Ray-Ban Models
During the early years, Ray-Ban’s marketing strove to foreground the functional aspect of the new eyewear, targeting sports enthusiasts and lovers of the outdoor life. In 1938, the first Shooters were launched. These were available in two types of lens, Ray-Ban Green and Kalichrome, a pale yellow lens for use in misty or foggy conditions. Shortly afterwards, a third, ground-breaking, metal-frame model hit the market. This was Outdoorsman, originally called “Skeet Glass” and designed for specific user groups such as hunting, shooting and fishing enthusiasts.
1939-1940
Ray-Ban eyewear became increasingly popular among pilots, police officers, hunters, anglers and all those involved in outdoor activities. Hollywood was just beginning to have an impact on the world of fashion.
1940s
Ray-Ban went to war. American air force pilots used Ray-Bans on their missions because of the brand’s outstanding lenses. In the 1940s, a new kind of lens was developed for commercial use, despite the huge commitment to research and development for military purposes. This was the gradient mirror lens. It featured a special coating on the upper part of the lens for enhanced protection, and no coating lower down for a clear view of instrumentation and other objects.
1950s
In a certain sense, the 1950s was a decade of profound change, or at least of development, because fashion was becoming increasingly important. Consumers were beginning to perceive eyewear as a fashion accessory, probably under the influence of the film industry. Glasses were no longer just objects to be worn for practical reasons.
1960s
The 1960s witnessed an authentic boom in sunglasses. Ray-Ban became world leader by concentrating on product quality and durability, then communicating these concepts to the end user. In this period, Ray-Ban also had a wider range of products than its competitors. From the roughly 30 models on sale at the beginning of the decade, the catalogue expanded to the 50 models of 1969, featuring eyewear for men, women and children. Ray-Ban offered an equally extensive range of prices.
1970s
The 1970s signaled the emergence of a more sophisticated eyewear market than in previous decades. The sector developed in two distinct directions: fashion glasses and sports eyewear. Ray-Ban tracked the trends of the new decade, developing more products and striking out in several new directions. In the sports sector, the company concentrated on ski eyewear, launching a Ski & Sports Collection. There were two models, Vagabond and Stateside, with two types of lens, the G-31 mirror lenses and standard G-15 lenses. These glasses were sold with a special holder to enhance the image of quality projected by the product. Another new type of eyewear launched during the 1970s was mountaineering glasses, designed for climbers who require good protection from sunlight and wind. These had mirror lenses to protect the wearer’s eye from reflected snow glare, and also featured leather side shields, again to provide protection from sunlight. Stability was guaranteed by curved nylon temples that hugged the shape of the ear. There was also a special retainer cord to make sure the glasses were not lost accidentally. The same lenses were also used in combination with the standard frames already on sale. In the 1970s, Ray-Ban began to produce optical eyewear, but maintaining the eye shapes of the sunglass models in the range. This signalled the launch of Ray-Ban Large Metal optical eyewear, offered in five different colors. Fashion also influenced the retail catalogues for consumers, which were printed with more color and featured typically American faces and more sophisticated images. Advertising was boosted with campaigns in popular publications of the period, including The Saturday Evening Post, Glamour and Mademoiselle. Ray-Ban continued to produce new display units to support sales in optical outlets.
1970
A new color joined the classic Arista tonality widely used for metal eyewear. Specially treated chrome could yield an intense black that became known as Black Chrome. A small collection of golf eyewear was also introduced. It comprised four Ray-Ban models that were endorsed by Arnold Palmer, the most famous golfer of the day.
1980s
The success of Ray-Ban keeps on growing, thanks to the enlargement of the line and to the attention received from the press and the cinema. These are the years of Blues Brother’s, Risky Business and later Top Gun. These years are also signed by the launch of the Wings Collection, the first shields in sunglasses history.
1999
Luxottica Group acquired Bausch & Lomb frames business, including brands like Ray-Ban, Arnette, Killer-Loop
Eyewear and REVO.
Eyewear and REVO.
2003
Luxottica Group launched two new Ray-Ban collections: Ray-Ban Optical and Ray-Ban Junior. The Ray-Ban Optical Collection has enjoyed since the launch in 2003 an extremely positive reaction from eyewear users, quickly achieving enormous commercial success all over the world. All models in the Ray-Ban collection are the product of meticulous, original styling that succeeds in translating the best of the latest trends into a contemporary eyewear range that reflects the unique Ray-Ban lifestyle: a style seen on the faces of millions of people around the world. Also in 2003, Luxottica Group introduced the first sun collection dedicated exclusively to kids aged from 8 to 12 years. The Ray-Ban Junior models are designed to meet the needs of younger eyewear users, ensuring functionality, comfort and fit, as well as maximum eye protection. Innovative contemporary design characterizes the materials and colors used and the styling of the frames themselves. A legendary world leader, the Ray-Ban label is synonymous with a unique style that stands out for its design, quality, performance and dependability. Luxottica has now instilled those distinguishing features into the Ray-Ban Junior Collection.
2004
Ray-Ban enters Formula One as Team Partner of Lucky Strike B A R Honda.
2005
Following the huge success of Ray-Ban Junior sun launched in 2003, Ray-Ban has expanded its catalogue as of January 2005. It now includes the Ray-Ban Junior optical, thus rounding out the Ray-Ban line of products. The Ray-Ban Junior models are designed to meet the needs of younger eyewear users, ensuring functionality, comfort and fit, as well as maximum eye protection. Innovative contemporary design characterizes the materials and colors used and the styling of the frames themselves. The Junior optical collection is made entirely in titanium, a hypoallergenic, rustproof and extremely lightweight yet sturdy metal. All Ray-Ban models in the Junior collection carry the hallmark Ray-Ban signature, silkscreen-printed, engraved or pressure-applied.
2006
For the new SPR/SUM 2007 collection, Ray-Ban designed and crafted the original Ray-Ban Wayfarer version from every point of view: the materials and attention to style details, the dimension of the profile, the structure of the circle, the proportions of the arms and hinges, the geometry of the lenses and the distinctive Ray-Ban signature in metal on the arms and silkscreen printed on the lenses. The sophistication of the aesthetic detail and very high quality materials make the new Wayfarer – an authentic reproduction of the original, down to the tiniest detail – a tribute to the model that became the icon of the anti-conformist rock spirit from its launch in 1952.
2007
Ray-Ban presents the new strategy and the worldwide communication plan: NEVER HIDE. Aiming at refreshing and making the brand more compelling, especially towards the younger target, Ray-Ban presents a very strong communication plan and an extremely innovative media plan. NEVER HIDE is the claim of the new campaign which effectively represents the Ray-ban core, sunglasses that place you at the centre of attention beyond trends, transcending time and strongly customizing whoever wears them.
2008
Ray-Ban presents RAY-BAN REMASTERS: a communication program to consolidate Ray-Ban’s strong bond with music and its positioning as a global iconic brand. In concrete Ray-Ban Remasters consists of a partnership with eight international music artists who recorded a song of their choice from the fifties and sixties remastered exclusively for Ray-Ban and performed live in a series of three events in North America, China and Europe. The Ray-Ban style associated to this program is the Club master which was officially introduced in 1986 and it is one of the most popular icons from the Ray-Ban collection inspired by the fifties and sixties’ looks.
Situation Analysis
SWOT analysis:
Strengths:
Ray ban is considered to be the leading sunglasses brand in the world.
· The brand specializes in producing sunglasses which makes the customers interested in what ray ban offers them.
· Ray ban targets different types of audiences. For example, Ray ban presents medical glasses, with polarized lenses.
· Ray ban has products that satisfy all types of customers.
· Ray ban produces various kinds of sunglasses that come with different shapes and colors.
· The wayfarers and aviators are two types of sunglasses that made Ray ban a leading sunglasses brand in the market which helped creating a massive positive response from the audience that formed a brand loyalty.
· Both genders can wear same types of sunglasses. For example, the aviators.
· Advanced technologies.
Weaknesses:
· Ray ban sells their products in sunglasses stores in the UAE; they do not own their own stores in UAE that might create confusion in the customer's mind because he/she will be exposed to other sunglasses brands in the store.
· Some customers might consider Ray ban expensive which will lead them to switch to other cheaper sunglasses. For instance, lower class families won't be able to afford it.
· Ray Ban has very less commercials about their products.
· Most Ray Ban sunglasses are targeted towards youth, less styles are for elder people
Opportunities:
· Since Ray Ban is famous among youngsters they should take the opportunity to create more commercials because when people observe the advertisement they will think about it and think of buying the product.
· Ray ban should take the opportunity of their brand loyalty among customers and consider other designs that will target them.
· An opportunity that will help increase the awareness of Ray ban's products is using a famous spokesperson to talk about the brand, because many people follow what celebrities do.
· Conduct a market survey that will facilitate in developing the brand in the future.
Threats:
As any other brand, Ray ban has some threats that will affect its development.
· There are many markets that specialize in producing fake products; such markets are a threat to Ray ban because people will tend not to differentiate between the real market and the fake one since they produce sunglasses with the same exact design with a cheap quality.
· Moreover, the competition Ray ban has with other brands might influence the growth of it.
· People might not become aware of the products, because the lack of advertising.
The Problem
One problem that communication can solve regarding Ray Ban is lack of advertising in the UAE. We can see that the majority of Ray Ban advertisements are produced in Western countries and targeted at different age groups. The result of promoting Ray Ban in the west by advertising it in different mediums is always positive, as people tend to move gradually towards the top in the hierarchy of Marcom Effects model and most of them reach consumer loyalty. Proper and adequate communication can solve lack of advertisements in the UAE by raising awareness about the brand and creating local advertisements of Ray Ban in the UAE. As a result the result, awareness and brand liking would increase; also the brand would be recognized by a wider range of people.
Target audience
Ray Ban target audiences are youth and college students. We want to speak to college students, who are heavy users. However, we should not ignore other types of users. Like, infrequent and competition's users. The intended market is fashion and style, since they target youngsters (relevancy). Ray Ban are targeting and starting with customers, who are the youth as mentioned before, as well as prospects.
Consumer insights
Consumer insights and motivation are about consumer's wants and needs. Customers and prospects need the sunglasses to protect their eyes from harmful sun rays. Also, they want a unique, known, stylish brand to purchase it from. The "major truths" about the product category to the brand is that people prefer it and like it.
The brand imperatives
The important features and competitive advantage of the brand are the fashionable, stylish designs aiming at young people at affordable prices. Also, the aviator sunglasses' style is a unique feature about Ray Ban.
The brand essences are that Ray Ban is famous and unique at the same time. The brand personality is about human characteristics. Ray Ban is lovable because of its stylish designs. It is sophisticated and trustworthy because it is made of hard material that is unbreakable, this made people trust it.
Brand image is about the associations consumer put when they see the brand. When a college students view the brand, they receive the image of style and fashion in their minds.
Communication objectives
Our objectives for Ray Ban includes increasing consumer awareness of the brand to its core demographic (males & females above 25) and to reinforce Ray Ban’s position as a classic, desirable style that is a must-have accessory for confident consumers. That is, college students.
· Specific:
· promote new editions and styles of Ray Ban
One objective is to meet customer’s expectation about the brand and satisfy their wants. Customers of RAY BAN look for individuality and uniqueness
· Measurable:
· being able to measure the amount of purchases by consumers
Ray Ban makes it easy to measure ROMI
· Achievable:
· people like the brand and can afford it
The brand’s main objective is to achieve brand equity, which is the brand’s ability to accomplish the promises it had given to consumers. If the brand was able to achieve equity, positive outcomes would take place, such as higher market share, increased brand loyalty, and premium pricing.
· Realistic:
· Objectives can be easily established. That is people will buy the product.
Ray Ban is a famous brand that has a unique brand image and personality, this makes the objectives realistic.
· Timed:
· promotional time/campaign time(10-15 days)
Ray Ban can have campaigns in universities about the new styles of sunglasses for a specific period of time.
| Consumer's response | Our objective |
| Perceive | Create brand identity |
| Feel | Cue brand personality |
| Think | Cue brand position |
| Associate | Cue brand image |
| Believe | Create brand promise and brand preference |
| Action/do | Inspire brand loyalty |
How are we reaching our audience?
All brands need advertising campaigns and advertisements to promote their products and reach many people. Different channels of communication can be used like television, radio, internet, banners, and others. The channel of communication we intend to use in our campaign is television, because youth spend most their times on television. Also, we will communicate through print advertisements (posters) that can be attached in universities and social communities where most college students are there. Third, we will use brochures that can be distributed among college students, to make sure that they are all aware of the brand's offers and benefits.
The proposition or selling idea
The selling idea we decided to use in our campaign is summarized in the thought of viewing the world from a unique perspective that only customers of Ray Ban can see. After suggesting different slogans and designing surveys including several slogans and targeting people of different ages, we concluded that the slogan “colorize your life" had the greatest impact on people, and captured their attention. The idea we are trying to deliver to our audience stresses that customers of Ray Ban see a world from a different angle and point of view, that is, the world is fun and colorful. By having stylish and classical models suitable for all ages, young people and adults can express themselves and feel unique by the privileges that Ray Ban offers such as; exclusiveness, superiority, and sophistication. The slogan develops interest in the product, and invites more people to explore the product and reach the stage of adoption.
The single thought that the communication will bring to life in a proactive way is that life is colorful and fun. The message is consistent with young adult; that is, our target audience because usually youngsters want to feel the "happy" side of life. Also, this makes them feel "cool".
Support
What is the reason for consumers to believe the proposition?
Consumers will believe the proposition because they are trendy and fashionable and they want to look unique and stylish. "Colorize yourself" will make people think of the shades as colorful ad sort of "cool". Youngsters like the concepts that illustrates and speak about fun.
Enhancing brand equity:
Ray Ban has the ability and willingness to deliver on our brand promises since customers are already familiar with our brand's name and quality.
Brand positing statement:
The central idea that encapsulates the brand's meaning and distinctiveness vis-à-vis competitive brands is that consumers won't only look fashionable and stylish, but will receive benefits that other competitors don’t offer. That is, the advanced technology Ray Ban is unique with.
Brand image associations:
Ray Ban is linked in the consumer's mind with unique thought and feeling associations , that Ray Ban is trendy, fun, "I'll look cool if I wear it" and stylish at the same time. Some brand associations are:
· Favorability: most college student favor Ray Ban on other sunglasses, since they are stylish.
· Strength: Ray Ban sunglasses are strong and can fit to college student's needs. It is almost unbreakable.
· Uniqueness: Ray Ban offer unique sunglasses styles that other competitors don’t have.
Ray Ban fits into three types of consumer brands dimension. They are:
· Sincerity: it's down to Earth, cheerful, honest, and wholesome. Also, its sincere because it doesn’t deceive its customers and users, it fits their needs and wants
· Excitement: it's daring, spirited, imaginative and up to date. As the slogan suggests, the shades will bring excitement to its users because of its unique style.
· Competence: Ray Ban is reliable, intelligent and a successful brand.
Ray Ban's Benefits:
Ray Ban's aim is to satisfy customer's needs and wants. It offers its consumers with a unique sunglasses style that is technologically based. Also, it has polarized lenses that helps protect youngsters' eyes. It gives its customers a unique advanced technology that other competitors don’t offer.
Categories of consumer needs
| Functional needs | We are capable of solving consumer's consumption related problems. |
| Symbolic needs | We attempt to associate Ray Ban with a desired group, role, or self-image. |
| Experiential needs | Our positioning promotes brand's extraordinary sensory value or rich potential for cognitive stimulation. |
Creative Direction
We can stimulate the desired response by making a creative idea which should be relevant to the consumer, original and an unexpected - fresh idea. The advertisement or the message of it should have an impact and leave an impression on the consumers.
We can best say it in the different types of advertisements we are using.
Media imperatives
We say the message or the creative idea in consumer aperture, which means when people are most likely to listen and learn about an idea.
Key strategic campaign decisions:
· Objectives of the campaign:
· To increase the number of purchases of Ray Ban sunglasses and to attract new customers.
· Target audience:
· college students who are looking for something stylish and easy to carry.
· Brand position:
· The product in the campaign will be Ray Ban Aviator and its features are having polarized glasses, stylish and light. Thus, these unique features will be the competitive advantage of the brand.
· Campaign Strategy:
· To make youth aware of the campaign and the product by viewing posters on the walls and boards. Also, by distributing brochures and pamphlets about the new edition of Ray Ban polarized suns glasses and make customers aware of other styles. So, by doing this we will make customers learn about the product. Third, Brand liking and preference will let customers' emotions active by showing how other people wearing the glasses. Finally, action by doing all of these strategies that will reach the goal that is people purchasing the product.
· Media Strategy:
· Reach, which is about the percentage of the media audience that at least exposed once to the advertisement. Hence, to make sure that the targeted audience watches the advertisement at least once. And use the frequency strategy to let customers watch the advertisement more than one.
· Media objectives:
· The objectives of media are distributing the advertisements on posters, in many places where the target audience seek. Also, grab people’s attention and make them purchase the product.
· Media Selection:
· The campaign selection of media is TV with two advertisements of 30 and 60 seconds to attract more college students. Also, magazines and print media.
· Media planning and buying:
· Doing media research to know more about the advertising agencies and so on.
· Vehicle selection:
· Using television as the primary source of communication.
· Selling premise:
· Making the product SMART.
·
· Big idea:
· The big idea of Ray Ban is to let people feel confident when wearing their sunglasses. This way we will keep our promises and build a strong relationship with the consumers and the company itself will get benefits and revenue.
· Message design and execution:
· The design of the message will be simple it’s about colorizing yourself with Ray Ban sunglasses. We are going to execute it by demonstrating young people wearing the glasses and wearing colored clothes to attract others. Plus, using colored stands and Television advertisements.
