Reflective Writing

When I was first set this assignment I was nervous, excited and anxious to get started. I was worried about the amount of work the project encompassed and if I would be able to achieve it in the time scale. Furthermore, one of the main aspects of the project was to create and direct a 30 second advert, when we were first told about this I thought I would really struggle as the majority of my work is academic based with creativity behind the writing.

I found this unit very challenging, but it allowed me to gain new skills and knowledge and put into practice skills I haven’t utilised before, including directing and creating an advert, sales forecasting, excel skills and creating a blog. These are key skills I will be able to bring into a future career and continuously build upon.

The Business Plan I decided to launch was Mulberry Make-Up, a capsule collection of cosmetic products for a designer brand. Through completing primary research, the idea seemed viable and consisted of many interesting aspects I could explore. 

Additionally, Mulberry is constantly growing as a brand and has recently opened a new flagship store on New Bond Street with all product categories available; this also corresponds with their online store where all product ranges are available. Therefore, the next step for Mulberry would be to launch a capsule makeup range in aid of their 40^th Anniversary as they cover all over product types.

Therefore, once I had established my research and was able to justify why I would create this plan I set about planning my Marketing and Promotional strategies, which is the part I enjoy. I was able to put into practice all the skills and knowledge I have gained from the previous 2 years and my work experience at a leading PR company, and created a plan suitable for a capsule makeup range.

Mulberry was a great brand to choose as they publish all their figures including profit and sales revenue, this allowed me to establish a viable budget and sales forecast in correlation with my objectives. Furthermore, Mulberry are constantly growing, with sales and profit increasing year on year, this therefore gave me room to fulfil all the ideas I had.

In conclusion looking back the aspects I would improve and take on board for next time would be my time keeping, and making sure I spend the same amount of time on all stages of the project. This would allow me to work in a strategic fashion.

However, I am extremely pleased with my work and feel I have put into practice all the skills and knowledge taught over the past two years. This project has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and prove to myself I am capable of creating an advert, which I am very proud of.  I would like to thank my Tutors for encouraging me and guiding me to create a successful project. 

Sales Forecast

Completing my advert felt like a weight had been lifted as it was a huge part of the assignment and my marketing and promotions plan/strategy could not be completed until the advert was. Therefore I have now been able to finalize my budget, complete my gantt chart and establish the media i will be targeting.

Therefore, the last part of my assignment that needed to be completed was my Sales Forecast. I established the amount of sales Mulberry would need to make by finding 4% of their sales revenue (£72 million) as my objective is for Mulberry Makeup to see a growth in sales of 4%. This meant in a year Mulberry Makeup would have to make £2,884,000, i was then able to forecast the sales of each month depending on seasonal change and promotional activity and the amount of units that would need to be sold.

This then allowed me to establish my controls and evaluation, make recommendations and conclude.

My Finished Advert

When we were first set this assignment creating the advert was the one part I was dreading, as I am not usually very creative, my work is more academic. However, when I had came up with my idea and saw it beginning to come to life I was extremely excited about the prospect of it turning out much better than I had previously thought.

I cast my two friends Siobhan and Amy as the models in my advert and filmed the advert outside in a garden to emphasis nature, flowers and to gain better light. I am extremely pleased with my advert and feel the message I was trying to portray has clearly been display with a running theme of natural beauty and nature.

This is my finished advert for Mulberry Makeup -

Something Extra

This is the Magazine Advert I created which will be featured in core fashion magazines.

Story Board

This is my Mulberry Make-Up Story Board and the form my advert will be taking. I have already decided on my music it is by Emma's Imagination and is called This Day.

Mulberry Make-up Story Board references

Conquer Maps (2011). Image available from: < http://conquermaps.tumblr.com/page/2> (Image accessed 20^th May 2011)

Daily Mail (2010). Image available from: <

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1296774/Animal-alcohol-free-make-launched-UK-meet-demand-halal-cosmetics.html> (Image accessed 20^th May 2011)

Jamie Nelson (2011). Image available from: < http://www.jamienelson.com/beauty/3/8.htm> (Image accessed 20^th May 2011)

Tallulahdoll (2011). Image available from: < http://tallulahdoll.com/model-lindsay-wixson/mlbry_ss11_campain-jpg-sp-indd/ > (Image accessed 20^th May 2011)

123rf (2011). Image available from: < http://www.123rf.com/photo_8656269_attractive-woman-putting-on-lip-gloss-indoors.html > (Image accessed 20th May 2011)

123rf (2011). Image available from: < http://www.123rf.com/photo_4639612_two-girls-lying-on-grass-with-flowers-in-their-hair.html > (Image accessed 20th May 2011)

Moodboard

This is my Moodboard and portrays my inspiration for Mulberry Makeup and the advert I will be creating.

It portrays nature, flowers, natural beauty, bright colours and soft makeup all key themes I want to capture in my advert.

Inspiration

I am really happy with my brand idea and it has allowed me to be extremely creative in my planning for my advert. This is because Mulberry are innovative, slightly quirky (in their campaigns), have a strong brand identity and step outside the box. Furthermore, when creating my advert i want it to follow the same themes as Mulberry have previously used, so it continues to portray the brand.

Additionally, Mulberrys logo is the Mulberry Tree and the brand is based in Somerset emphasizing nature and natural materials. Therefore, I want my advert to follow these guidelines and the main theme to be outdoors and flowers, and as Makeup is the new product I believe 'natural beauty' is a strong theme.

Marketing and Promotion

This week I completed my ideas for my advertising campaign including where Mulberry Makeup will be advertised - at key tube stations within central London, where there are many businesses and offices, also near the New Bond Street Flagship store, in core fashion magazines and the 30 second advert will be featured online as Mulberry do not advertise on TV and the website is a key marketing tool in my plan.

Positioning

Mulberry is a designer, luxury brand however there price points are lower than brands including Chanel and Dior, therefore Mulberry Make-up will be positioned just under them portraying high quality at an affordable price. Its main competitors will be Estee Lauder, MAC and Clinique.

Making Progress

This week has been a great success! I have established my USP, Positioning and Propositioning which has enabled me to start planning my Marketing Strategy including events, my advert and budget etc.
I have been feeling slightly worried and anxious as I didn't know if I should of had more work done by now but I feel as if I am progressing at a good pace and making steady progress.
This week a few problems that have occurred include the structure of the report and making sure I am covering all aspects and including all the vital components, its seems every time I complete one task another one appears!

My next task is to construct my moodboard and storyboard so that I can then begin to create my advert!

Mulberry Blog

Mulberry have a very successful Blog which is regularly updated and features great information about the brand. This form of New Media will be a key factor in my Marketing Plan for Mulberry Makeup.

http://blog.mulberry.com/

Starting to be creative

Last week I created my structure and determined the essential parts I need to include in my Business Plan.

My report is finally beginning to form and I have completed the two first sections of my report, establishing what I want Mulberry Makeup to be and who the new target customer is. This has allowed me to complete my Corporate Strategy and begin to work on my Marketing Plan - the fun creative aspects.

My future career goal is to work in PR event planning, and therefore creating Promotional Activities for the brand is what I enjoy and I already have some great ideas. Also I have been researching images to give me inspiration for my advert. These are some photos by two amazing photographers Adam Rowell and Jamie Nelson that have really inspired me. The images are available from - http://www.jamienelson.com and http://www.adamrowell.com

Jamie Nelson http://www.jamienelson.com/beauty/1/7.htm -

Jamie Nelson http://www.jamienelson.com/beauty/3/8.htm -

Beginning Mulberry Makeup Business Plan

This week I began to structure my business plan by inserting headings and creating an order that I will work in which has helped me to establish what I need to include. This helps me to make sure I cover every aspect of the project.

Through research I have decide Mulberry Makeup will be a capsule collection in aid of Mulberry's 40th Anniversary, and if the range is a success it can be turned into a long term direction for the brand.

So far I have completed my Introduction to Mulberry, Current Situation and Current Customer Profile, which has established vital background information so I can begin my Business Plan for Mulberry Makeup.

My next step is to decided my Business Proposition Statement, USP and Positioning Statement which will portray what Mulberry Makeup is.

Research

Also over the easter break I conducted a questionnaire asking 30 women questions regarding makeup brands they use, if they are willing to spend more on luxury products, do they stay loyal to one brand, they type of media they read and key products in their makeup bags.

This has allowed me to establish price, products and what forms of media and new media I will use to promote Mulberry Makeup.

I also used Mintel to research the cosmetic industry and gain key facts to justify my idea. Also I have researched Mulberry's figures, sales and profit etc to help me create my Sales Forecast. 

Easter Break

Over the Easter Break I continued to carry out essential research and reading to establish key ideas, and began structuring my project.
Through research I have established the growth and success of Mulberry over the past 3 years and that choosing the brand to work with was an excellent choice. This is because they are still evolving and yet clear leaders in the Luxury Market, however there is still room to grow with a strong customer base.

This is a link to their amazing website where all their products are available to buy, there is behind the scenes footage from their fashion show, campaigns and a essential Blog with great information about the brand.

http://www.mulberry.com/?gclid=CNa0kILb2qgCFUtC4QodqEeY-w#

Week Two - Business Plan Proposal, Mulberry Make - Up

This is this first draft of my Business Plan Proposal and a rough outline of what I want to do. Mulberry is the brand I want to create a Business Plan for by introducing a new range of make up products, however I need to continue research to make sure the proposal is of a high standard so I can begin my project. 

Business Plan Proposal

Brand name: Mulberry

Concept of Business:

• Mulberry are to create a new product range of make - up.

Main competition:

• Chanel
• YSL
• MAC
• Bobbie Brown
• Estee Lauder

What is your USP?

• Natural make – up (Mulberry tree, nature, bags are made from soft leathers and fabrics)

 Target market:

• A,B,C1
• Professionals, Students
• People who like to treat themselves and who look after their appearance
• People who like to have good quality, luxury items and are willing to pay a bit extra

Customer Profile:

• ABC1 ACORN category
• Professional
• 21-35
• Likes to socialise with friends at restaurants and bars
• Hobbies include gym, keeping up to date with fashion and trends, reads fashion magazines
• Takes care of appearance and regularly indulges in beauty products

 Brief outline of products/brands:

• Make up in various colour spectrums to suit all skin types.
• Lipsticks, foundations, eye shadows, blusher, bronzer, lip gloss, mascara etc all essential make up products.

Visual inspiration ideas for the business:

First Week - Project Brief

Tuesday 22nd March - the briefing for the Individual Major Project. The Final Major Project sounds exciting and innovative, yet I am nervous about the challenge facing me as many skills are needed that I haven't yet used on this course. For example creating my own advert, filming it and editing it is a scary prospect when I haven't even chosen a brand for the Business Plan yet.
However, after meeting my course tutor for this project I feel confident and encouraged that this project can be a success once I have completed Business Plan Proposal and can begin research.

A helpful form of inspiration and idea building was watching the famous Chanel No5 perfume commercial with Nicole Kidman. The advert is picturesque and creates a beautiful scene that reinforces the brand identity and appeals to their target customer.

This is the link for the Chanel No 5 commercial -
Chanel No 5