Introduction
The main objectives of J Barbour and Sons are to build long-term and sustainable products for the customer. J Barbour and Sons’ company targets increasing its sustainability and promoting excellent relations with its customers. Incorporating customer valuation in its operations maintains loyalty and urges customers to attract others by positioning the brand well through recommendations (Bilgin, 2018). The company objects to promoting a reliable brand by focusing on family and British heritage and values. It attracts more customers by increasing awareness and promoting its cultural importance. J Barbour aims to provide world-class products and quality customer care services that attract more buyers and encourage its expansion in the market. The objectives are a driving force that gives the business a sense of direction on the way forwards and how to manage its growth. Hence the company utilizes them to create awareness among its employees and enhance service delivery to maintain customers and promote its expansion.
Additionally, J Barbour and Sons focus on being the number one distributor of clothing materials globally. The company intends to expand its operations into other countries like China. Other than maintaining attention on Britain alone, the company plans to have other countries acknowledge its products, thus improving the current brand name and the number of sales (Brammer, 2020). Expanding into other countries will initiate international relations that promote sales and product positioning. Globalization of the J Barbour and Sons company will attract more investment options and exchange of culture and will enhance cost management. The business may use globalization to increase its outlets and distribute labor among different societies to increase its competitive advantage (Fairlie and Fossen, 2022). J Barbour and Sons business has a solid plan to join the Chinese market since it has many youths. The company targets to increase awareness among the young population to grow their sales.
Financial Reports Analysis
The 2021 financial reports for J Barbour and Sons company registered a reduction in its GBP. The decline in revenue resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit all the countries. The pandemic decreased the number of consumer purchases because many of them were under lockdown policies implemented by their governments. The lockdown impacted many businesses by reducing the number of customers (Schulz et al., 2021). For clothing companies like J Barbour and Sons, the demand for clothing for outdoor activities significantly reduced during the pandemic since many people remained indoors. Furthermore, the company experienced a reduction in the number of employees available hence minimizing production. However, despite the deadly impact of the COVID-19 virus on many enterprises, the company emerged among the best performing in the clothing industry, attracting a broad customer base in Britain (Mohammed and Rashid, 2018). J Barbour and Sons’ company thrived through the pandemic and maintained its competitive power after resuming normal operations in many economies, thus running an effective recuperating program.
SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis of the company indicates the strengths and weaknesses of the company and the essential opportunities that the business has, and what threats it has to work on to become efficient by meeting its objectives. J Barbour and Sons is a business that has a well-grounded reputation for its long-time existence in the market. The company was founded in 1894 by John Barbour to major in the designing, manufacturing, and marketing of waxed material clothing (Jiskani et al., 2020). Through its continued operations in the market for many years, the business has identified key strongholds for improving its sales. These methods include increasing the quality of their products and maintaining proper customer handling. The industry has evolved over the years, accommodated new ideas, and created opportunities for its customers to explore various things by increasing the variety and range of products. J Barbour and Sons company has experience in the clothing industry, which has boosted the number of customers (Pham, Valette‐Florence and Vigneron, 2018). Consumers believe that the business has sustained itself over the years due to providing high-quality products to them. The long history convinces many buyers who need similar products to purchase from the firm.
Another strength is that the business enjoys exceptionally professional and personalized services that have increased the number of customers willing to consume the products. The potential buyers rely on the company’s professionalism to access all sorts of information they need to make financial decisions (West, Clifford and Atkinson, 2018). The business has trained the customer care desk to ensure that it meets all the demands the customers have (Kumar and Panda, 2019). An educated and trained labor force creates intense compliance with the company’s directives and makes sure that the buyers get satisfied with the products they receive. Professionalism is crucial for many firms since it helps all the stakeholders to identify with their responsibilities to create prosperity in the business operations and increase the level of satisfaction for all stakeholders (Krizanova et al., 2019). Moreover, professionalism in operations builds respect for the authorities and maintains a thriving connection between all the people involved. J Barbour and Sons uses its professionalism to promote ethical behavior in day-to-day activities. Professionalism eliminates inappropriate gestures in performance and helps the stakeholders stick to their duties, limiting conflicts.
The lack of corporate social responsibilities in J Barbour and Sons has inflicted many challenges. Corporate Social Responsibilities are activities that companies do to influence the communities positively. CSR is important for companies since they promote a sustainable environment for the business to operate in and increases sales (Plumeyer et al., 2019). Companies encounter friendly communities when they engage in productive actions that encourage the progress of all groups in society. Some corporate social responsibilities that businesses may engage in include environmental conservation and waste management, improving labor policies, and engaging in charity work (Papic, Garabinović and Blagojević, 2018). These corporate social responsibilities promote the brand image and encourage the local customers to purchase locally to help eliminate hazardous impacts on the environment by the manufacturing sectors. Waste management controls trash disposal, hence reducing pollution and land degradation.
Branding Frameworks and Models
There are different branding frameworks and models that exist in the business world. First is the line extension model that focuses on extending the current existing brand in the market. The line extension model widens the variety of products that a business produces and works continuously to ensure that it extends its range of products to meet the different consumer preferences (Boisvert and Ashill, 2018). Line extension encourages creativity within the production line and accommodates the other ideas from the employees to enhance uniqueness. J Barbour and Sons apprehend the use of this product enlargement method to increase its market size and brand image. For example, product differentiation is one of the strategies that the business uses through line extension. Product differentiation involves packaging through bulk breaking, pricing, emotional response, and innovation. J Barbour and Sons company uses a product line extension model to attract and serve more customers preferring unique items.
Summary of the Key Issues
J Barbour and Son is a company that uses different strategies to ensure that its market remains intact and by avoiding the loss of customers dues to other demands and preferences. Thus, it uses different modes and frameworks to brand itself and promote the consumption of its products. Due to its diverse and unique customer maintenance policies, the business enjoys a massive following. The guidelines include the use of line extension strategies such as product differentiation. The firm, in addition, uses other models like brand extension, new brand strategy, and flanker or fight brand strategy to grow its borders and serve more customers (Munsch, 2021). The approach plays a critical role in convincing customers to remain loyal to the brand even when their preferences change. There is always an alternative to cover their transition in the change of choice. The business creates sustainability for the customers to transit their preferences and promotes the accommodation of new ideas in product formation. Hence, the business grows extremely into being the best in the market, overcoming competition from other rivaling companies.
The business has been in operation for a long time and clearly understands the need in its drive. Thus, the effectiveness of consumer satisfaction depends on J Barbour and Sons’ management’s ability to acknowledge the change in the market and determine the course of action (Boisvert and Ashill, 2018). The managers’ decisions imply the type of business that the firm conducts and uses different people to obtain the information relevant to the decision-making process. Proper communication between the management and employees promotes effective information retrieval and helps the business choose wisely the best option for its customers (Jiskani et al., 2020). The SWOT analysis is another tool that the company uses in making impactful decisions. The analysis helps the business identify its strengths, opportunities, and threats and allows it to take affirmative action to transform its culture and structure to meet the growing demand from the stakeholders.
Branding Strategy Recommendations
J Barbour and Sons should pay attention to increasing sales by using the following recommendations to entice customers. First, the company should use the stretch to identify critical aspects that form its objectives. Stretch comprises company goals such as increasing the number of sales and maintaining positive relationships with customers. Conversely, the business may use leverage to identify its course of action. It includes activities that will grow their sales, like reaching out to the millennials and Generation Z as their new prey. The company, in addition, should hike its social media marketing strategies to reach out to the enormous potential customer base. Using fit ensures that customers are satisfied by the company’s quality and prices, promoting the business by sharing information with their friends. The stretch, leverage, and fit marketing strategies help the business meet its objectives and increase consumer satisfaction.
Targeting Millennials and Generation Z
J Barbour and Sons’ primary branding strategy focuses on meeting the demands of older people of forty years and above. The business uses its resources to maintain the more senior people because they demand the most quality and warm items. Providing the products to this generation hence generates more profits for the firm. However, despite focusing on forty and above-year-old adults, the firms should consider embracing the changing society in the millennials (Dimock, 2018). The millennials form the world’s largest population, accommodating a business idea that attracts them and guarantees excessive profits. The business utilizes its current resources to create products that meet older adults’ preferences, leaving young people children out of the audience they serve (Sharma, 2019). An overwhelming population of the youth demand long-lasting products; hence lie in the best consumer target of J Barbour company.
Millennials form the largest group of population distribution in the world. The group comprises people born between 1981 and 1996 and includes a vast population that surpasses other generations (Dimock, 2018). When combined with generation z, the breed contributes significantly to the current market opportunity. The firm must embrace the resolution to adopt the consideration of people in these age gaps in their production to widen the existing market base and expand sales. Increasing the target audience improves the brand image and positioning since most parents over 40 years will recommend it to their children for its known qualities (Iyer, Davari and Paswan, 2018). An extensive customer base will boost the creativity levels in the company to accommodate the group that is enthralled with fashion and designs. An increase in creativity and innovation in the line of production spreads the line extension model of the company. It embraces the different levels of uniqueness hence building the brand name.
Social Media Marketing
Branding is essential for all businesses since it determines the level of product positioning in the market, affecting other crucial factors like profitability pricing. The brand image is necessary for its development as it attracts stakeholders such as customers, employees, investors, suppliers, and many more and affects their decision-making processes (Papic, Garabinović and Blagojević, 2018). Attracting millennials and the younger generation, in general, will demand the use of proper communication channels to ensure that the brand name cuts across all ages and genders hence a comprehensive reaction from the buyers (Dimock, 2019). J Barbour and Sons should consider engaging in social media marketing and other media platforms to reach the new target audience. The business’s social media platforms to consider practicing its branding include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The avenues have the highest number of the target audience; hence easy to reach them.
Businesses utilize social media marketing to determine their course of action and sense of direction. First, there is increased brand awareness since the company communicates to a large audience. Millions of people have subscribed to these communication channels, building a vast space to obtain information. The implementation of social media marketing by J Barbour and Sons will increase recognition of their products by the many people viewing their online advertisements (Pham, Valette‐Florence and Vigneron, 2018). This form of advertising is effective for many businesses since it attracts many people and is easily accessible (Aksoy and Ozsonmez, 2019). The company ensures that all the information it uploads on the online media is reliable and does not mislead customers.
The marketing process via social media platforms is encouraging since it does not cost much. The communications director only needs to understand their role in the business and identify the information they are supposed to transfer to their audience. Information is power; hence business owners must evaluate the most sensible means of passing information to the millennials and Generation Z (Dimock, 2019). The communication process should be brief and precise, and thus the J Barbour and Sons company must create appealing information to attract the viewer’s attention and create awareness. The online media communication platforms are easy to manage and hence do not cause any danger to the company’s image (Krizanoya et al., 2019). The brand name relies on how the business expresses itself. Therefore, it must know how to relate to the target audience to ensure the effective transfer of intended information. The communication process should be practical and reach the audience correctly (Latapi Agudelo, Jóhannsdóttir and Davídsdóttir, 2019). Online media is an instant method of communicating quickly with the target young people since many spend the better part of their day online.
J Barbour and Sons company may employ a strong communications desk that ensures that all the relevant information reaches the audience. Information planning is essential for businesses since it promotes the accuracy and clears any doubt that may arise (Krizanoya et al., 2019). A considerable communication team elaborates how the company may strategically communicate its agendas, thus maintaining a reputable brand image that protects all the information users. The company may also enjoy a fast flow of information since teamwork and unity propagates creativity and innovation.
Conclusion
J Barbour and Sons is a clothing designing and manufacturing company that markets its products locally and beyond the borders of Britain. The company has been in operation for over a century and has consistently ensured that it increases its sales and expands globally. The business uses a line expansion strategy to improve its brand image. The model involves creating a new range of products that customers adore differently. Consumer preference and choice are the main reasons the business targets strategies that promote the brand separation into different qualities and quantities. Product differentiation and price discrimination are the main strategies of line extension that the business implements in its operations to control the brand’s image growth.
Moreover, by using line extensions to create a brand image, the company may also improve its target audience by creating products that attract millennials and Generation Z globally. Expanding the target audience makes a product positioning in the market that ensures that all customers keep the brand in their thoughts. Proper product positioning in the market through customer retention and expansion improves the product image through recommendations from one loyal customer to another potential customer. An improved brand image gives the owning company a competitive advantage over rivals.
Reference List
Aksoy, H. and Ozsonmez, C., 2019. How millennials’ knowledge, trust, and product involvement affect the willingness to pay a premium price for fairtrade products. Asian Journal of Business Research, 9(2), pp.95-112.
Bilgin, Y., 2018. The effect of social media marketing activities on brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty. Business & management studies: an international journal, 6(1), pp.128-148.
Boisvert, J. and Ashill, N.J. (2018) ‘The impact of branding strategies on horizontal and downward line extension of luxury brands: A cross-national study’, International Marketing Review.
Brammer, S. and Clark, T., 2020. COVID‐19 and management education: Reflections on challenges, opportunities, and potential futures. British journal of management, 31(3), p.453.
Dimock, M. (2019) ‘Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins’, Pew Research Center, 17(1), pp.1-7. Web.
Dimock, M. (2018) ‘Defining generations: Where Millennials end and post-Millennials begin’, Pew Research Center, 1. Web.
Fairlie, R. and Fossen, F.M., 2022. The early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business sales. Small Business Economics, 58(4), pp.1853-1864.
Iyer, P., Davari, A. and Paswan, A., 2018. Determinants of brand performance: The role of internal branding. Journal of brand Management, 25(3), pp.202-216.
Jiskani, I.M., Shah, S.A.A., Qingxiang, C., Zhou, W. and Lu, X. (2020) ‘A multi-criteria based SWOT analysis of sustainable planning for mining and mineral industry in Pakistan’, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 13(21), pp.1-16.
Krizanova, A., Lăzăroiu, G., Gajanova, L., Kliestikova, J., Nadanyiova, M. and Moravcikova, D. (2019) ‘The effectiveness of marketing communication and importance of its evaluation in an online environment’, sustainability, 11(24), p.7016.
Kumar, N. and Panda, R.K. (2019) ‘Place branding and place marketing: A contemporary analysis of the literature and usage of terminology’, International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 16(2), pp.255-292.
Latapí Agudelo, M.A., Jóhannsdóttir, L. and Davídsdóttir, B., 2019. A literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 4(1), pp.1-23.
Mohammed, A. and Rashid, B., 2018. A conceptual model of corporate social responsibility dimensions, brand image, and customer satisfaction in Malaysian hotel industry. Kasetsart Journal of social sciences, 39(2), pp.358-364.
Munsch, A. (2021) ‘Millennial and generation Z digital marketing communication and advertising effectiveness: A qualitative exploration’, Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 31(1), pp.10-29.
Papic M., Garabinović, D. and Blagojević, M. (2018) ‘An overview of online marketing promotion activities in the event tourism of the Moravica district’, Hotel and Tourism Management, 6(1), pp.41-51. Web.
Pham, M., Valette‐Florence, P. and Vigneron, F. (2018) ‘Luxury brand desirability and fashion equity: The joint moderating effect on consumers’ commitment toward luxury brands’, Psychology & Marketing, 35(12), pp.902-912.
Plumeyer, A., Kottemann, P., Böger, D. and Decker, R., 2019. Measuring brand image: a systematic review, practical guidance, and future research directions. Review of Managerial Science, 13(2), pp.227-265.
Schulz, I., Kruse, N., Gera, R.G., Kremer, T., Cedarbaum, J., Barbour, R., Zago, W., Schade, S., Otte, B., Bartl, M. and Hutten, S. J. (2021) ‘Systematic assessment of 10 biomarker candidates focusing on α‐synuclein‐related disorders’, Movement Disorders, 36(12), pp. 2874-2887.
Sharma, E., 2019. A review of corporate social responsibility in developed and developing nations. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(4), pp.712-720.
West, A., Clifford, J. and Atkinson, D., 2018. “Alexa, build me a brand” An Investigation into the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Branding. The Business & Management Review, 9(3), pp.321-330. Web.