Analysis of Project in the Real World

  

       With so many different types of shoes out there, its hard to create a brand that really stands out. Even the text says, "Very few products, services, or groups are unique; most are parity products, that is, they offer qualities and functions similar or identical to those of their competitors. (Linda 50)  But one thing that differentiates Christian Louboutins to other brands is obviously the red soles that you see in their shoes. "Branding and advertising differentiates these parity products, services, and groups in a crowded marketplace," (Linda 50) the branding of Christian Louboutin really took some though on how the color would do. Nowadays, you can obviously tell that when you see a woman in Louboutins you can tell that she is confident, proud, and very classy. So many men and women are so in love with these Italian shoes that so many of them are collectors. 
     Going further with the advertising of the ad, I think the picture speaks for itself and is already a great ad. According to the text, "The creation of an ad can happen in any number of ways. Some people think in words," (Linda 96) but in my case I thought of the picture first before I thought of the slogan. And the book says that "It really does not matter which comes first, as long as both line and visual work synergistically and are based on a solid idea" (Linda 96). 
     I think this product will do extremely well as it already has. I know this because I am not using a spin off product but an actual brand of shoes that make billions of dollars each year. Branding of this group was probably the most important part like it says on the text, " Branding is the creation of a comprehensive, strategic, and unique program for a brand or group, with an eye toward building a relationship with people based on how they experience—interact and use—the brand or group," (Linda 50) The way people react to the red soles is a complete experience. From the purchase of the product to the strut on the red carpet, Christian Louboutin is truly an amazing company. 

Creative Content

     Since my ad will be posted on a magazine, there won't be much of a script but there will be multiple scenes for the photo shoot. One thing about shoots is that you do have to be creative and according to the book, " Creative thinking is the ability to stretch beyond the ordinary, to be original, innovative, and flexible. People who think creatively recognize commonalities, visualize metaphorically, modify and elaborate imaginatively, and envision the unlikely." (Linda 33). In order to create a visually appealing advertisement, creativity must be at its peak. One way to really help with planning out things like a commercial or a photo shoot is diagraming the different kinds of scenes you want to do. It helps to draw things out before you start because it it will give you direction and so that you won't get lost in the process of your project. 

     A huge part of promoting the product itself will be the actual ad. The picture of the three Christian Louboutins will be displayed on billboards, flyers, and of course the magazines. When creating a visual for a consumer its important to have a focal point. Like what the book says, "The viewer seeks a point of entry into a composition. The entry can be the focal point, the key component established through visual hierarchy, or a dominant image," (Linda 172) when the viewer looks for the focal point, they usually look in the middle of the picture, with this particular ad there will be multiple focal points which are of course the different shoes. 

     Each promotional event will be a small task. It will consist of handing out flyers and posting on social networds like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. The flyers will be posted on these and will be shared on many walls. The promoting team will also ask their colleagues to do the same. This way, there is a lot of advertising going on just for the pre launch party. And the more people come to the party, the more revenue Christian will bring in. 

     The main focus of the launch party will be to showcase the newest Christian Louboutins. With the extravagant stages and the raised go go dancers, this will be no problem. Customers will be able to look at all the shoes and they will be able to decide which ones they want! A great way to get extra revenue is to have people buy straight from the party. There will be sign up sheets for all the shoes, the prices, and if you want to pre order them!

Promotion

Your red lipstick won't be the only thing he'll remember.

The way a product gets promoted is just as important as the product itself. Without great promotion there really is no use of having the product or having a party for it. And just like the book says, "Implicit in each construct must be the following markers, which are indicators for effective promotion and potential growth." (Linda 52) potential grown only happens with great promotion. A big part of promoting the launch party would be promoting the ad in social networks suck as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Even if the picture ad will be on a magazine it is also a good idea to share the picture around the web. This will cause a buzz about the product.  And statistics show, "Facebook users alone have uploaded 15 billion photos. Rather than static Web sites that we view or read, the Internet has become the global information technology infrastructure that underpins a rich, interactive, and fully featured way to mash up video, text, and audio to communicate and connect." (Linda 247). More and more information is posted on the web than anywhere else nowadays that is is close to impossible not to get some buzz from a single tweet or a single share of a photo on Facebook. 

Another great way to start promoting the product and the party would be to find a celebrity spokesperson that will vouch for the red-soled shoes. Having a big name like Lucy Hale or Rihanna, someone that really embodies the sexy and glamourous vibe that Christian Louboutin always strives for, can really help with promotion. Consumers maybe not be drawn to the shoe at first, but if they see their favorite celebrity wearing a pair they might think "Oh, I must have a pair of Louboutins!" 

In my case, I thought of the brand strategy of how I'm going to promote my ad and according to the book, "Whether brand strategy is determined before an advertising agency comes on board or developed with agency collaboration, the following must be identified for the brand, group, or individual" (Linda 50) , basically when you have the strategy it could also be a great a idea to do collaborations with other agencies. In my case collaborating with a venue to have the party in. Collaborations can really ad to what you're trying to do and in many cases will give you more press because not only are you doing some promotion but also the other company will start promoting on their own as well. 

The Big Idea

     In the start of this campaign the main focus is to get the launch started of the actual shoe line. And after the newest additions of the new line, the launch party will start to be planned by a team of planners. One big thing that will set this campaign from the rest is the bold color red. According to the book, an effective ad "... is driven by the underlying concept. An advertising idea— or concept—is the creative reasoning behind a solution." (Linda 68),  basically an ad is a good ad because of how it became to be that ad. With the strong bold color of red as the basis of the ad, it is already an attractive color that will draw customers to the ad. The brand itself is already an icon so there's not much more to do as far as making people know what they are. 

     So the main picture of this ad will be three different pairs of Louboutins that will be pictured from the back so the fiery red of the shoes will be facing towards the consumer. This idea came to me because why advertise only one shoe in an ad when you can do three? According to the book, "Finding a relevant insight into how people think, what they need or desire, and how they act, termed a consumer insight, is paramount for idea generation," (Linda 68),  the idea of doing the three shoes will cater to consumer insight because women in general really want to wear heels and a lot of women want to get a pair of Christian Louboutins. Understanding what a consumer wants is what a company should truly understand if they want to make revenue. And one way to get people buying products is by evoking emotions and inspring them to buy and according to Sigmund Freud, " all people have an unconscious mind in which potent sexual and aggressive drives, and defenses against them, struggle for supremacy," (Linda 69). Not only do people have an unconscious mind about sexual and aggressive drives, but they also have drives to purchase items. So the big idea that I'm going to get across to the consumers is that Christian Louboutins are sexy and if you wear them, you will get noticed and you will get men. 

When Christian Louboutin first came out, the red soles was taken very well. The book states, "Before advertising comes a core branding idea—the idea that imbues a brand or group with character that differentiates it and builds a relationship with the audience." (Linda 50) when a brand first starts it starts as nothing and it can only get recognition as it goes through its different product life cycles. 

Competitive Analyses

In the world of designer shoes, there will always be competition with all kinds of different designers. But one particular face off is the YSL vs. Christian Louboutin Lawsuit. Louboutin wanted to sue YSL for releasing a red soled shoe. In the fashion world we all know that Christian copyrighted the rights in the US to be the only brand to have red soles in their shoes. When designing anything, the book states, "idea generation is the most challenging stage in the process," (Linda 20) but when YSL was making their red soled shoe they should have anticipated a lawsuit from Christian. The case was put on hold because the judge thought that color shouldn't be copyright protected because color is a big asset to not only shoes but also clothes in the fashion world. Later on the case was looked at again and Christian Louboutin won the case over YSL. The judge concluded that designers can only put a red sole on a shoe if the shoe itself is red, otherwise, Christian Louboutin is the only brand allowed to put a red sole on ever other colored shoe.

So what has YSL done recently to advertise their brand and their shoes that Christian has never done? Creative director Hedi Slimane changes the fashion house name from Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent Paris. This genius marketing strategy took an iconic name for the brand and turns it around. This will ultimately create buzz for the brand, both good and bad. "Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity," (Linda 49) this quote directly from the book basically states that when you brand yourself, this is how people are going to see you. But what Hedi Slimane did by re-branding YSL to SLP is a huge deal for their consumers. They are either happy or upset but either way he has created a buzz that will draw consumers to his products.

Christian Louboutin: Your red lipstick won't be the only red he'll remember.

The slogan "Your red lipstick won't be the only thing he will remember" is what I'm going to be using for my project. We all know women look sexy with a red lip. What is even sexier if she pairs that red lip with some red-soled Christian Louboutins. Red is a very striking color and it makes women feel sexy. Whether it be a sexy red dress or red trousers. Men will also notice that a woman is more confident in the color red. This slogan really works because not only will he remember how sexy she looks with the red lip stick on, but when he sees her walking and he sees the red soles flashing at him, he'll remember that exact moment and tie that in with the color red. It is funny how colors can evoke certain emotions or memories and I think Christian Louboutin is a genius for his red-soled shoes. What a perfect color that exudes sexiness and femininity in his heels. Every time I see that vibrant colored red, I think of the brand. And I think that is how a lot of people are. When they see certain symbols, colors, or brands they get reminded of a moment in their lives that ties in with that characteristic. Great marketers, or in this case designer, will use this to their advantage and create something that will make people really want to get their product. In the book, Advertising By Design by Robin Landa, the purpose of advertising is important because, "...effective advertising could persuade you that a particular brand is better or more appealing than the competition," (Landa 3) which in this case would be true because a lot of consumers think a pair of Louboutins is certainly better than a pair of Steve Madden's.

This slogan idea came about because my mom is a huge fan of Louboutins and has become a collector of these Italian shoes and its funny because according to the book,"For many students and novices, idea generation is the most challenging stage in the process. Creative advertising requires the communication of a meaningful message to an audience through an idea, expressed through the visual design and copy. " (Linda 20) which would make sense because a lot of idea may sound a little absurd. But when you connect something in your life I think idea generation becomes a lot quicker. And when getting started with a project like this the book advises, "Thumbnail sketches are preliminary, small, quick, unrefined drawings of your ideas in black and white or color," (Linda 20) because thumbnail sketches are so quick and easy, you can really map out your ideas. The book also goes further about sketching ,"When you sketch, the process of sketching allows you to think visually, to explore and make discoveries, and to stay open to possibilities during the art-making process." (Linda 20) So not only are you able to map out your direction but once you start sketching it benefits you even more because of the endless possibilities that you can come up with.  

EOC Week 7: The Pitch

 

What do women love more than men? Heels. For my ad I am choosing to promote Christian Louboutin heels. The famous red-soled shoes are seen on the red carpet and even on the streets.  These shoes are definitely not for everyone for they are very expensive. But from celebrities to bloggers, everyone wants a pair of Louboutins. The vibrant color of the shoes really give a play on any look that you throw on. It can be mixed, matched, and styled in so many different ways.

In this ad I will be taking a picture of  a woman walking away from the camera showing off the soles of her shoes. Also pictured will be a guy with a red lipstick stain. The slogan will be “Your red lipstick won’t be the only red he’ll remember” and it plays off the fact that he thinks the woman is really sexy in her Louboutins. And even if there is a red lipstick stain on him he saw the soles of her shoes and was in awe. The shoes aren’t only for women but they are also to attract men, of course. Because what’s sexier than a girl in heels? Nothing. 

This ad will set me apart from all the others because it is going to target young and fashionable women the same way Axe targets men. The ad's hidden message will basically be saying that if you're wearing Christian Louboutins, all the guys will be after you and all the guys will remember you when you leave a room because they will see the red soles of your shoes.  So it will really take a play on the Axe commercials but targeted for women on a magazine ad.