Chapter 7: Business Marketing

Every business must have some type of starting point. Retailers in particular always have somewhere they must purchase their materials from in order for them to be able to create let alone sell the products they are offering. G-Star forms its clothing from strictly raw materials that are recycled for environment purposes. Although G-Star does not reveal where they receive their products from (which is a wise business tactic) they make sure that the consumers are aware of the fact that they do not constantly purchase a brand new set of materials all the time instead they use materials like recycled cotton. Or even in the case where its not recycled it would be something such as organic cotton. Although it hasn't been much I have somewhat seen a bit of re-intermediation when it comes to the G-Star brand. Retail department stores such as Century 21 have carried G-Star merchandise whether or not it may have been a scarce amount is not really the concern. The simple fact that consumers are able to get the product somewhere other than the store is a good start. Being that the G-Star Raw brand has been around since 1989 I am more than sure that after decades later trust is not even a worth a debate as far as the relationship between G-Star and its material providers goes. I'm sure that the creation and modification of G-Star's products may take much effort which will constantly demand the need for new supplies. Therefore it is safe to say being that G-Star knows what works best in the development of their products the most they will do is a modified re-buy when it comes to the purchase of a needed supply. 

Chapter 8: Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Market segmentation is a huge part of the marketing industry. Alongside such an important topic is the idea of which markets one will be targeting which goes hand in hand with the idea of segmentation. G-Star has a market segment which is still growing for the simple fact that many are attracted to the brand due to its style of clothing and production methods. Within G-Star's market segment there are those who are into the fashionable yet edgy look and then the many others who take an interest in recycling and are automatically drawn to ecologically friendly products. Although G-Star does have some stores outside of the United  States it is not big on the concept of geographic segmentation, instead they are more in the depths of demographic and  psycho-graphic segmentation. The demographics of their current targets come to usually be middle - upper class consumers who usually range from their late teenage years to their early thirties. There is no specified gender for the simple fact that G-Star produces products for both male and females. Also ethnicity does not come into play because there are G-Star raw stores in many places of diverse ethnicity. As far as the psychologically aspect of segmentation goes G-Star is ideal for those who enjoy having an edgy yet fashionable look. Also for those who are very concerned about the environment and refuse to purchase from a majority of brands, G-Star not only recycles but tends to use man organic raw materials in the creation of their products. G-Star is well acknowledge in apparel position for all of its consumers. 

Chapter 11: Developing and Managing Products

Just to start off the discussion of product management and development G-Star always stands by their catch phrase "just the product". The meaning behind this phrase is that the goal for majority of G-Star products is to not be to extra on the detail but to fit the appeal of those who are heavy on style. For example, you could possibly find a shirt from G-Star with an abnormal font but not something so crazy as to there being a giant design on the front and back of the shirt. G-Star is not too big on the release of new products but they are always performing some form of innovations to even their smallest of products. One example of an innovation is the constant alteration of the raw materials they use for the creations of their products. One day while shopping at G-Star I remember buying two shirts of similar design but the material of each made so much of a difference I felt as though I had to leave with both. One was an organic cotton material that was very breathable and actually pretty loose. The other was more a closely fitted shirt although I do not remember the proper name for the material I am sure it is not organic cotton. Along with the differentiation in the materials of the shirts they both have a different look on me when I wear them. One looks much more relaxed while the other appears to be more of a fashion based look. When it comes product strategy two main things that G-Star must focus on are; "what makes the product different from its predecessor" and "is it eco-friendly"? 

Upon generating the idea of what the product looks like developers must always keep the concept of "just the product" in mind solely because that is a code in which G-Star develops everything it sells. During screening products must be checked for comfort, material strength and usage time frame. By usage time frame I mean how long the product itself will last before it begins to decline. G-Star is still in its growth process of the product life cycle. They are constantly modifying their products and in addition to such are always attracting new loyal customers at an increasing rate. G-Star does not really promote test marketing where they have a trial run of a product but what I have noticed is that they often make larger amounts of the merchandise that sells faster just as any other retailer would do. 

Chapter 16: Promotional Planning For a Competitive Advantage

Promotion is a huge part of any retail industries customer attraction. Although every retailer may promote in different ways the objective of all forms of promotion in the long run is to bring about some form of profit. When it comes to G-Star Raw and their methods of promotion they use some elements of their competitive advantage by comparing their usage of raw materials to that of other companies. Some products that G-Star uses in the development of their products include organic cotton alongside other recycled materials. As far as communication is concerned there are certain aspects in which G-Star can improve the way they reach out to those who are not as familiar with the brand. One way would be to have more eye catching posters because the ones they have are usually in plain color sets such as "black and white" or "navy and grey". Those color schemes don't really pop as much so a person wouldn't really notice and also being that the style is very edgy as opposed to a loud fashion look a person wouldn't catch on that its a clothing brand poster. Some of their posters look like those that are for movies which is why most people would walk past them. But for those who actually do notice the promotional methods of the G-Star brand they always have good feedback upon entering the store or even looking at the website. 

G-Star actually appears to be better at interpersonal communication in my opinion solely based off of the fact that the sales representatives in the store give you better explanations of products and what they can do for you than the website or a poster can provide. With the external forms of promotion you enter the store with a pure curiosity but once you leave the store whether you make a purchase are not its more than likely your familiar with many aspects of the brand . One of G-Star's stronger promotional aspects are their newspaper ads. From the very beginning it is a good start just because many people read the newspaper. Also newspapers are a great source of publicity for anyone because people are always interested in current events. As for G-Star's display of the "AIDA" concept there are some things that could definitely be improved but every brand has their faults. When it comes to personal selling I can admit that G-Star does amazingly well as a brand on that aspect. When you walk into the store just by having a conversation with the employees pertaining to the brand and any of its products you feel as though you want to purchase something before you leave just for the "RAW" experience. 

Chapter 10: Product Concepts

 When it comes to production G-Star is a very strong brand when that aspect comes into play. Many retailers offer clothing and accessories in their product mix just like G-Star does which is why their stock is completely classified as shopping products. Their products come to be more expensive than many other stores but for the simple fact that people love not only the design but the feel of G-Star Raw and its clothing they are willing to give up extra money to attain such a product. One thing that constantly puts G-Star ahead as far as their products are concerned is their product modification. Some of their denim may come to be hard denim with a strong material while others appear not as heavy with a lighter color scheme to it. Also they have t-shirts made of organic cotton, polyester and both leather and cotton winter coats. As I am sure you have noticed by now the name of this brand is "G-Star Raw" and as noticed on the images of many products the single letter "G" with its unique shape is the mark used by the brand. Unlike certain brands the only place in which you would probably be able to buy G-Star brand clothing besides their stores would have to be amazon or e-bay for the most part. 

The fact that there are many consumers who take time to go the G-Star Raw store locations to purchase their specific products shows a great deal of brand loyalty. G-Star uses family branding in the way that they offer man things such as belts, hats, jackets, t-shirts and underwear alongside many other products all with the G-Star brand name. Usually G-Star clothing does not use a specified packaging except for the bags you receive at the point of purchase which are actually ecologically friendly and re-usable. All labels of the G-Star brand have the oddly shaped "G" somewhere to dignify its authenticity. When warranties come into play the warranty offered by G-Star upon all of its purchases are is actually a 6 month return policy. Although the item must be unworn and include all original tags the amount of leeway given for a consumer to return their product without he common situation of not being able to return it in time is a great asset to the policy. 

Chapter 18: Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

G-Star Raw is a brand that doesn't usually do many out of store sales promotion. What I mean by that is basically if you are not in the store there is a high chance that you will be unaware as to weather they have items that are on sale or not. This works in a negative way for them because it actually may defeat a chance of them bringing in a potential customer. G-Star sometimes has prices on items that are so high that people actually may be sitting and waiting for a sales promotion so they could immediately enter the store but if they are not informed of when they will never be around to actually make such a purchase. As for the signs that do appear out of store they tend to actually be dull and are not eye catchers. They instead put the more noticeable signs in the windows of the stores such as the one in the top left of this blog. They do demonstrate consumer sales promotion in the way that a large percentage of the deals are worth while. G-Star offers deals such as buy two shirts and second one you would get 20% off or even just an entire sale rack of worthwhile merchandise. The loyalty marketing program is implemented by G-Star where they offer customers to receive constant emails as to what is going on within the branch concerning sales, new stock and other things of that nature. G-Star is a brand that I can definitely say heavily relies on personal selling. I say this because you don't really see or hear many advertisements for the brand but once you walk into the store the representatives can make you feel as though you need to leave with something. They provide you with as much information as possible from the material of the shirt to the season it was created. My only negative reaction to their sales associate is that I feel as though they only want you to make a purchase but don't fully find it in their personal interests to make the customer satisfied they just go for the sale. Also I find that they only attempt to build a relationship with you when you appear to be a regular customer as opposed to developing a relationship which could possibly result in such an ordeal. 

Chapter 17: Advertising and Public Relations

G-Star has various elements to its advertising which help build towards the indefinite progression of the brand. Also G-Star is actually way past the point of building sales/share they have been at the maintenance point for quite a while now. Institutional advertising is a method in which G-Star commonly uses. They promote the fashionable yet edgy look for those who find that method of dressing appealing as opposed to promoting their denim which is actually their strongest product. Although from time to time you may see a bit of product advertising in the winter or spring with G-Star's denim at bus stops or in Fashion Magazines. During product advertisement G-Star uses advertising appeal where they make a quick statement which distinguishes the quality of their denim from other hard denim brands. The fact that their actual positions which specialize in the marketing aspect of G-Star Raw is what also helps to broaden its promotion. Things such as "creative planner" and "fashion coordinator" help to develop an appealing image to the public. The manikins which reside in the store windows are an excellent source of upfront advertisement so long as the manikin is indefinitely presentable and fashionably uplifting. Generation Y is a group who will actually often be attracted by these various forms of advertising, simply for the fact that this generation has the most diverse sense of fashion. Also they have a constant trial and error behavior where they are always trying out new things. Although G-Star already has a specified target market their forms of advertisement could possible sway or influence an alternate customer into trying the product. Things like that can result in a wonderful consumer relationship.