THE CAMAKA PROJECT

Amy Boon, Ariel Nemtean, Calli Waisglass, Celeste Cancelliere, Dustin

Stern
Humber College
FMPC 500 Marketing Fundamentals
Professor: Anne Cramer
December 4th 2014

Table of Contents

BRAND MARKETING MIX STRATEGY.................................................3

PRODUCT STRATEGY.......................................................................................... 3
PRICE/MARKET LEVEL STRATEGY..........................................................................4
PLACE/DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY...........................................................................4
PAST MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES...........................5
DESCRIPTION OF THE FASHION BRAND............................................6
PROMOTIONAL OBJECTIVE AND THEME............................................7
TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE PROMOTION...........................................8
PROMOTIONS MIX..........................................................................8
TOOL #1........................................................................................................ 8
TOOL #2...................................................................................................... 10
BUDGET.......................................................................................11
SUMMARY/ CONCLUSION..............................................................12
WORKS CITED..............................................................................13
APPENDIX....................................................................................14

Brand Marketing Mix Strategy

Product Strategy

Laura Siegels product strategy is making clothing that is comfortable

and easy-to-wear, using quality material, and ethical processes
(Toronto Fashion Incubator ). Her core benefit is her craftsmanship, as
all her products are handmade by skilled artisans. She is selling
clothing that women can feel good wearing both because of its
external properties and inherent values. Buying a piece from her
collection means supporting artisans in rural villages in India and
Bolivia, ensuring fair wages, a safe work environment, and positive
production procedures (Laura Siegel). The artisans she employs use
hand-block printing methods, handmade knitting techniques, handembroidery, and natural dyeing to produce elements in her collection.
Laura Siegels basic products:
-

Coats
- Jackets
- Shorts
Shirts
- Button Ups
- Sarees
Skirts
- Necklaces
- Tanks
Dress Tops
- Clutches
- Cover Ups
Sweaters
- Vests
Leather
- Dress
Jackets
- Scarves
The types of materials she uses include Silk, Leather, Quilts,
Suede, Knit, Cotton, and are all of 100% composition (Laura
Siegel). Her color palette is neutral and earthy with one pop of
color per collection.
Laura Siegels Return Policy offers 30 days for refund or
exchange. Sale items may not be refunded. Buyer is responsible
for shipping costs. If you have a late or missing refund you may
contact shop@laurasiegelcollection.com (Laura Siegel).
Laura Siegel would like to take her product to the next level by
collaborating with different communities and artists around the
world (Notable). In the future Laura Siegel may want to expand
her color strategy and designs to reach more consumers. Also
offering a better return policy where consumers dont incur costs
of shipping could enhance consumer relationships with the
brand.
Price/Market Level Strategy
Laura Siegel represents a Niche market of buyers who are
ethically responsible and eco-friendly. She caters to a consumer
who is mindful of how and where their clothing is made. They are
willing to spend more money on clothing based on the
environmental and social responsibility of the brand.

Laura Siegel uses a price-quality approach setting high prices to

match the quality and craftsmanship of her work. In Image 1 of
the Appendix you can see the variation in price ranges of her
collection and respective sale prices. These items are priced on
her website and range from over $200.00 to $1,200.00. Laura
sells her collection in other retail stores and online websites. To
compare some of the prices refer to Appendix 1 Image 3,4,5 to
see how her brand retails. Based on line sheets the suggested
retail markup for her collection is 56% (Line Sheet).
Her weakness in pricing is that the markup is high which puts off
buyers. However these are the prices that need to be met in
order for her to sustain eco-friendly and ethical practices.
Place/Distribution Strategy
Laura Siegel has 11 retailers in the USA, 4 in Canada, 1 in
Europe, and 2 Online as displayed in Image 2 of the Appendix
(Laura Siegel). Lists of all locations that carry her brand are as
follows:
USA
Oak
Brooklyn /
Manhattan /
Los Angeles
Of Us
Brooklyn
Kaight
Brooklyn
Personnel
of New York

Manhattan
Isobel &
Cleo
Nantucket
Lux Couture
Newton
Heights
Leap
Houston
Spartan
Austin /
Portland

American
Rag
Los Angeles /
Newport
Beach
Acrimony
San Francisco
Library LA
Los Angeles

CANADA
Holt Renfrew
Toronto / Calgary /
Vancouver
Primitive Culture
Calgary

Room 2046
Toronto
Deluxe
Toronto

EUROPE
Aftur
Iceland

ONLINE
Shop L-atitude

Shop Ethica

Her inventory in each store varies. The graph Units Per Store,
Image 6 in Appendix, shows the amount of inventory in 8 of her
retail channels.
Laura Siegel needs to further increase awareness of her brand in
the US, Canada, and Europe and increase inventory in all
locations. By having more online shopping destinations is a good
way to meet international consumers.
Past Marketing Communications and Promotional
Activities
Personal Selling
Trade Shows: Laura Siegel represented her collection at a trade
show in New York City that created a lot of buzz and growth for
the brand (Notable).
Sales Promotion
Corporate Social
Responsibility: Laura Siegel
and her team have created a
CSR program called Project
Eleven27. They have created
1127 limited edition
handcrafted scarves using a
silk-cotton blend and pieces
of recycled sarees collected
from women in rural villages. A portion of the proceeds goes
directly to families of the affected areas in Bangladesh after the
factory collapse in 2013, with the help of the Streepur Village
Organization (Laura Siegel).
Strategic Alliance with Gilt.com: Gilt.com a new and popular luxe
online shopping destination featured a limited amount of Laura
Siegel pieces to be sold on their website (Baccari).
Public Relations/Publicity
Media Coverage: Laura Siegel is featured in a variety of websites
and fashion magazines. These include Plaid, Papercut. Vogue
Italia, Elle, Refinery 29, The Fashion Informer, Fashion, Flare, The
Canadian Press, Hello Canada, and the Toronto Star among many
others. These outlets have helped her gain media coverage and
generate favorable images of the brand (Press Kit).
CFDA Lexus Eco Fashion Challenge: Laura Siegel is a finalist in an
award competition that celebrates designers who encourage

sustainable fashion. Her brand will receive a lot of media

coverage through the CFDA, a reputable American non-profit
organization whose board of directors consist of Diane von
Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Marcus Wainwright, and Vera Wang,
among many other major names in fashion (CFDA).
-

Traceable Movie Documentary: Laura Siegel is being featured in a

movie documentary that will be broadcasted in Canada on MTV
in April 2015, and is set to air in the US some time in 2015.
Fashion Shows: Laura Siegel introduced her collection on the
runway at the Toronto MasterCard Fashion Week, Canadas most
influential fashion event.

- Description of the Fashion Brand

-

Laura Siegel is an award-winning Canadian fashion designer

based out of New York and Toronto. From India to Peru, Laura has
travelled the world in search of craft and skill. She works with
artisans and craftsman in rural villages around the globe to
create ethically handcrafted, ready-to-wear designs. Laura Siegel
was founded in New York in 2009 and recently moved to Toronto,
where it currently resides at the Fashion Incubator of Toronto.
After growing up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Laura pursued her
dreams of becoming a fashion designer by attending school at
the prestigious Parsons New School of Design in New York City. In
addition, she furthered her education in summer programs at
Central Saint Martins School in London, England, where she
continued to build a foundation of worldly industry knowledge.
During a year off, Laura traveled the world, divulging in new
cultures and traditions, exposing and engaging herself in any
type of craftwork she could. Through this, Laura expanded her
skills in knitting, natural dyeing, embroidery, silver-smithing and
accessory design. Many techniques used in producing her
designs feature age-old skills passed down through generations
of families and are rarities in the industry today.
The Laura Siegel brand is built on Siegels belief in the ethical
production of goods. She believes that all individuals should have
fair access to just wages, in a safe and communal workspace
that enables the practice of a skill that has been perfected over
centuries of work and dedication. In exploring Laura Siegel brand
elements, it is more than apparent that the brand identity is
heavily associated with ethical production and sustainable

production processes. Siegel has built her brand utilizing the

talents and skills of artisans, whom are a defining function of the
brand. Siegel maintains strong relations with the families of
artisans who help realize her dreams and often visits India to
ensure the integrity of the artisans is continuous and authentic.
On Twitter and Instagram, the brand posts images and utilizes
hashtags showcasing the processes that her line undergoes. For
example, #blockprinting, #handcarved, #handpainted,
#process, #ethicalfashion, #bethechange, #tradition,
#handdyed, #handspun, #handembroidered, #meetthemaker
and #sustainability. These hashtags highlight inherent attributes
of the brand that Laura Siegel embodies and continues to work
toward.
-

The brand is rapidly expanding. In April 2013, Siegel announced

the launch of her special endeavour Project Eleven27. Siegel
developed this initiative to honour lives lost in the Bangladesh
garment factory tragedy earlier that year by developing and
selling 1,127 hand-woven saree scarves. With this project, Siegel
is not only bringing awareness to the cause, but also providing
sustainable work to artisans. Siegel was nominated for 2014
Emerging Talent Award at the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards
(CAFA) alongside Canadian designers such as Sid Neigum and
Beaufille. In Fall 2014, she debuted her 2015 Spring/Summer line
as part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Start-Up.
The Laura Siegel brand is easily recognizable by its unique pieces
that display talented craftsmanship and skill that is a rarity in a
world that has become so heavily dependent on mass
production. The work of the artisans is not easily imitated, and
therefore holds a heavy identity association for the brand.
Examples of this include block printing, embroidery and knitwear.
It is apparent that customers who are able, will pay higher
premiums for Laura Siegel pieces, as they are knowledgeable of
the exclusivity the pieces hold in regards to design, process and
production. With increasing brand awareness, there is room for
steady growth and the potential for a prominent position in the
ethical fashion world.

- Promotional Objectives and Themes

-

Our objective in promoting Laura Siegels brand is to penetrate

our current market and build a loyal following of consumers. We
are doing this by means of increasing our social media following
and creating advertisements for our product. Laura Siegel lacks

exposure through her social media outlets. She currently has 640
followers on twitter, 1140 followers on Facebook, and 1213
follows on Instagram. In todays age media outlets such as
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are huge influencers in the
realm of fashion. Bloggers are able to influence millions of
consumers on a daily basis to make purchasing decisions. The
Coveteur is a Canadian based blog that has become an over
night success. They have 578.000 Instagram followers who keep
up with them daily. We will have The Coveteur do a feature on
the Laura Siegel collection in their blog. We hope by positioning
ourselves with The Coveteur we can increase our media following
by 200%. We believe that we can build brand equity and
generate more sales with more social media coverage. In
addition, Laura Siegel does not use paid advertising to promote
her brand. We are going for an informative advertising approach
to showcase the brand and the new Laura Siegel Camaka Clutch.
We would like to increase Laura Siegel retailers in Canada by at
least double the amount we have right now. ELLE Canada is an
influential Canadian fashion magazine with 1,577,000 readers
who are 89% women between the ages of 35-49 (ELLE Canada
Media Kit). By teaming up with ELLE we can reach a wider
audience of female Canadians who are unaware of our brand.
Our ELLE advertisement will showcase the Camaka clutch that is
sold all over Canada and the US. In addition we will host an
exclusive shopping event at Saks Fifth Avenue advertised
through ELLE Canada to shop the clutch and the rest of the
collection. By having media and press cover this shopping
experience will create a huge buzz around our brand that will
ultimately increase sales. We hope to do a 100% increase in
sales in Canada and Online and 50% increase in the US with our
promotional plans by the end of year.

- Target Audience of the Promotion

-

Laura Siegel describes her target customer as Women who

values comfort, ethical fashion, quality material and easy-towear clothing (Notable). She has a niche market of followers
who appreciate fashion, conscious of where and how their
clothing is made, and are willing to spend the money. Women of
any age and geographic location can wear her clothing. The
target audience we are attempting to reach is the 20-40 year old
female, or Generation Y. These consumers have grown up on the
web and are savvy at navigating online, downloading music, and
connecting with friends through social media (Cunningham and
Keller). They have been pampered by boomer parents, and are

socially conscious and concerned with environmental issues

(Cunningham and Keller). Laura Siegels brand is set at a high
price point and Generation Y consumers are willing to spend
money on more expensive brands. She also caters to these
consumers because of her position on ethical fashion. The
Generation Y cohort represents 7 million Canadians, which is a
big majority of the population. These consumers are immune
from marketing so we want to target them through social media.
The Coveteur can reach the Generation Y consumer through their
blog and social media accounts. 70% of users are between the
ages of 18 and 35 and are geographically located all over the
world especially in Canada and the US.
-

On the other side, we want to target women in Generation X who

represent 9.5 million Canadians, and who are successful and
sophisticated. They are also very brand loyal. This group of
individuals respond to direct appeals. We felt that since
subscribers to ELLE Canada are within the ages of 35-49 this is
the perfect channel to advertise to the Generation X consumer.
This generation consumer is more likely to be able to afford
Laura Siegels clothing. They also like to know everything about a
product before they buy it, and will be encouraged to purchase
the collection knowing its impressive background.

- Promotions Mix
-

Tool #1
The marketing objective for the promotional mix is informative
advertising. This type of advertising creates awareness and
knowledge of new brands and products or existing ones that do
not get a lot of attention. The current marketing situation at
Laura Siegel is that the brand is not widely available or known.
With only four locations carrying the brand in Canada, Laura
Siegel products are exclusive and the brand does not possess
majority of the marketing share. In order to strengthen brand
equity, awareness is the ultimate goal.
The advertising campaign will convey the message strategy of
creating awareness about Laura Siegels new special edition
clutch. The creative strategy will be executed through print ads.
This is an effective method of communicating Laura Siegels
message as readers consume the information at their own pace,
providing detailed product information. Magazines have a high
geographic and demographic selectivity, credibility, and prestige.

They also have high-quality reproduction and good pass-along

readership. The main focus of the advertisement is the picture,
with the headline reinforcing the picture and leading the reader
to take in the copy.
-

The chosen magazine for the new Laura Siegel campaign is ELLE
Canada. The company is a multi-platform brand and will provide
exposure on multiple facets such as their website, tablet, mobile
app, social media account, and of course, the print magazine
itself. ELLE Canada is Canadas #1 fashion and beauty authority.
The magazine has a readership of 1,577,000 with 11.6 readers
per copy. Of the entire population of Canada, women make up
51% and of all ELLE Canada readers, 89% are women. The
majority of ELLE Canada readers are single and between the
ages of 35 and 49 with the average age at 36 years old. 61% of
ELLE Canada readers are employed and have an average income
of $85,192 (ELLE Canada).
ELLE Canada women like to keep up with the latest fashion
trends. 62% are able to pay for higher-quality brands and 71%
buy clothes and accessories that reflect their style (ELLE
Canada). Because Laura Siegel is a brand aimed at women
looking for quality and one-of-a-king designs and ELLE Canada is
a brand aimed at women who rely on them to be their stylish
guide to a fashionable and cultured life, this magazine is the best
match to carry Laura Siegels new advertising campaign.
Laura Siegels advertising campaign in ELLE Canada is a sales
promotion for a new clutch that is hand woven, knit, and dyed in
India. With Saks coming to Canada in early 2016, this is a
mutually beneficial opportunity to create buzz for both Saks and
Laura Siegel. Saks is not one of Laura Siegels current stockists,
so this will add another medium for consumers to access the
brands products. The advertisement consists of a model dressed
in Laura Siegel designs holding the new Laura Siegel Camaka
clutch. Camaka means glow in Hindi to coincide with the
advertisement. The whole photo in the advertisement is
posterized except for the clutch, which is glowing. The main copy
reads, There are hundreds of bags. But only one that makes you
glow. When Saks initially launches in Canada, this will also be
the first introduction for Laura Siegels new Camaka clutch.
Example of the ad can be seen in Appendix Image 7.
The new Camaka clutch and Laura Siegels entire collection will
be available at all Saks locations. However, Elle Canada is
teaming up with Saks and Laura Siegel to invite the media,

bloggers, and enthusiastic shoppers to shop the collection the

night before its official launch. Here, attendants will be the first
to get their hands on Laura Siegels new Camaka clutch and can
spread the word about Laura Siegel using the hashtag
#lauraforsaks. A mock up invitation for the event can be seen in
Image 8 of the Appendix.
-

Tool #2
Another marketing objective for the promotional mix is Public
Relations. This form of communication denotes authenticity,
credibility, the opportunity to reach hard-to-find-buyers, and
dramatization. Considering Laura Siegels target market, a
collaboration with the respected, innovative, and high-end blog,
the Coveteur, seemed a logical choice.
The Coveteur began as a blog that sought out the worlds most
gorgeous homes and fashionable closets belonging to the fashion
industrys best. Today, it has evolved into showcasing their
lifestyles, fashion, and culture. It features only stylish influencers,
promoting only the most expensive and high-quality brands with
a feature on the site to directly purchase them (The Coveteur).
Followers are indirectly recommended certain clothes, cosmetics,
restaurants, destinations, and more. However, they feel more
comfortable since they are not paid advertisements.
With 200 000 unique visitors per month, the site experiences
much traffic. 10% of users are Canadian and 50% are American,
which means a large chunk of users have access to Laura Siegel,
the Canadian product that is sold in Canada and in America (The
Coveteur).
The Coveteur will dedicate a page to feature Laura Siegels
workspace, clothing, and sources of inspiration. The Coveteurs
users are between age 15 and 60, and 70% of them are between
18 and 35. This ensures Laura Siegels target market will be
reached. It will lead into a sneak peak of her latest promotion,
the Camaka clutch, recommending readers to take a look at what
it is all about. The ultimate goal is brand awareness as this is not
a paid advertisement. The collaboration will be a mutually
beneficial relationship for The Coveteur and Laura Siegel, driving
more traffic to the website and promoting the fashion brand.
The webpage will begin with an image of Laura Siegel herself, as
well as an exclusive interview accompanied by quotes. There will
also be images of her clothing line, cultures that inspire her, and

what her design studio and office look like. This will be done in a
tasteful and aesthetically appealing manner that is typical of The
Coveteur. There will be accompanying music and a link where
users have the option to shop the story. This is important
because beyond creating awareness for the brand, users will be
able to immediately click on their favourite item and buy it,
giving The Coveteur a commission on the sale. Refer to the
Appendix Image 9 for an example.
-

The Coveteur is also active on social media with 577, 711

Instagram followers and 121,005 Twitter Followers
(thecoveteur.com). Each article blogged about on the website is
automatically tweeted and the images are instagrammed. This
ensures an even larger receptive audience.

Budget
For our first promotional strategy, Laura Siegel will need to pay
for the advertisement space in the Elle Canada Magazine.
According to Elle Canada, this will cost Laura Siegel
approximately $12,310 for of a page, with visibility of 1-4
times (ELLE Canada). The ad will be shot in Laura Siegels studio,
so there will be no rental space expenses. Laura Siegel herself
will be styling the shoot. Hair is being done by students of Aveda
Academy Salon, which will cost approximately $30 (Aveda
Institute). Students of GLOW Academy in Toronto will do the
makeup without charge; this will be beneficial to makeup
students for promotional reasons. The model will be a low profile
model sourced from a local modeling agency for use for 4 hours
which will cost approximately $150-$200 an hour, so
conservatively, $800 (Photosecrets). The photographer for the
shoot will be Miguel Jacob. Laura Siegel has developed a
professional relationship with this photographer and he will
therefore shoot it as a favour. The cost of the entire shoot will be
approximately $13,140. As a result of the high costs, Laura
Siegel will need to source sponsorship for half of the fees.

For our second promotional strategy, the coverage

apparent through The Coveteur is public relations, therefore
there will be limited costs associated with this. The Coveteur
hosts its own photographer and stylists who are present to shoot
and style the blog post. The Coveteur chooses this in order to be
able to present the Laura Siegel brand in a manner that is
aesthetically on brand for their viewers. The ultimate reason for
there being no cost is that a partnership of this kind is considered

to be beneficial to both parties, therefore there is no requirement

of Laura Siegel to pay anything for this feature. The shoot and
interview will take place in the Laura Siegel studio; therefore
there will be no space rental fees.

- Summary/ Conclusion
-

- Works Cited
-

Aveda Institute .
<(http://www.avedainstitute.ca/services/TorontoMenu). >.
Baccari, Ava. Happy Toronto Fashion Week Spring 2015! Shop
Canadian Designers on Sale at Gilt. 20 October 2014. 30
November 2014
<http://www.ellecanada.com/blog/2014/10/20/happy-torontofashion-week-spring-2015-shop-canadian-designers-sale-gilt/>.
Barnard, Linda. Toronto Fashion Week: Clothing with a
conscience. 14 March 2014. 30 November 2014
<http://www.thestar.com/life/fashion_style/2014/03/14/toronto_fa
shion_week_clothing_with_a_conscience.html>.
CFDA. 2014 CFDA Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge. 30 October
2014. 30 November 2014 <http://cfda.com/blog/2014-cfda-lexuseco-fashion-challenge>.
ELLE Canada . ELLE Canada Media Kit .
<http://www.ellecanada.com/media/pdf/ELLECANADA_MediaKit_2
014.pdfv>.
Keller, Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane. Marketing Management . 14.
Toronto: Pearson, 2013.
Laura Siegel . "Press Kit ." Press Kit . 2014.
Laura Siegel. Laura Siegel. 30 November 2014. 30 November
2014 <http://www.laurasiegelcollection.com>.
. "Laura Siegel ." Press Kit . 2014.
Notable. Laura Siegel: Today's Notable Young Entrepreneur. 10
June 2014. 30 November 2014
<http://notable.ca/nationwide/entrepreneurs/Laura-SiegelTodays-Notable-Young-Entrepreneur/>.
Photosecrets. <http://photosecrets.com/how-much-to-paymodels >.

the Coveteur. the Coveteur. 30 November 2014

<www.thecoveteur.com>.
Toronto Fashion Incubator . Laura Siegel Collection . 30
November 2014
<http://www.fashionincubator.com/our_members/resident_profile
s/laura-siegel-collection.shtml >.
World MasterCard Fashion Week . Laura Siegel . 30 November
2014 <http://worldmastercardfashionweek.com/designer/laurasiegel/#.VHvyyYcycZZ>.

Laura Siegel Website

$1,400.00
$1,200.00
$1,000.00
$800.00

Price
Sale Price

$600.00
$400.00
$200.00

$-

Image 1 Prices on Laura Siegel Website

Image 2 Prices at Oak NYC in New York

Appendix

Oak NYC
$500.00
$400.00
$300.00
$200.00
$100.00
$0.00

Price
Sale Price

12345678

Image 3 Prices at Room 2046 in Toronto

Room 2046 Toronto
$600.00
Price

$400.00
$200.00
$0.00

Image 4 - Prices at Shop Ethica Online

Shop Ethica
$400.00
$300.00

Price
Sale Price

$200.00
$100.00

$0.00

Image 5 Retail locations that sell Laura Siegel collection per

country

Stores Per Country

15
10
5
0

Stores

Image 6- Amount of Inventory per store

Units Per Store
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Units

Image 8- Advertisement in Elle Magazine

Image 9- Invitation to shop Laura Siegel at Saks

10- The Coveteur Laura Siegel feature

Im
ag
e