MARKETECH APAC’s Post

Love this article bc there is an applicable snippet that applies to global brands considering growth in the US. https://lnkd.in/eaETxQU6 This Part: You have to be more American to be successful in America. Gulden said; “There is a clear, clear, clear plan for how to be more American in America and our product pipeline and our marketing activities are lined up to do that … We have tough competition in the U.S. from American brands, and we have to be better than what we have been before to be successful.” .... Eurocentric positioning has previously been one of the criticisms analysts have leveled at the [athletics] retailer. I have seen this gap from Euro-style to American-repeatability in fashion as well. I've actually seen it with West Coast brands and their relatability to East Coast Aesthetic. At EU Retail Partners; its always our pleasure to help brands navigate these issues. It's not to say that Americans want more and more of the same but the experimentation they are willing to take is usually less than expected.

Levi Strauss Eyes Dockers Sale: A Bold Move Towards D2C Transformation Levi Strauss & Co. is evaluating the possible sale of its Dockers brand amid its transformation to a direct-to-consumer (D2C)-first retailer. Dockers incurred a 15% decline this past Q3. Divesting Dockers could allow Levi Strauss & Co. Strauss to concentrate on its strengths and invest in innovation that aligns more closely with current consumer trends. #retail #BigBrands #ecommerce #D2C #transformation

The mix of business, product, and brand creates and maintains sales momentum, profit, and growth. Just like a stool cannot stand without all three legs, a company cannot succeed if one or two of the strategies are dysfunctional, underperforming, or nonexistent. It is extraordinarily naive to think that a brand revamp alone can transform the fate of a retailer. It is like putting a lipstick on a pig. Changing the brand expression without changing the underlying business and operational practices never yields results. As Zara examples shows, though the years-long series of strategic business, product, operational and brand decisions, the company successfully grew into the world’s top retailer with elevated brand positioning, desirable and relevant product offering, consistent business growth, and enviable operational excellence. There’s a lesson here for all retailers. https://lnkd.in/e46mSjcT

"Changing the brand expression without changing the underlying business and operational practices never yields results." As a creative, I also like to be part of the business strategy, company practices and work as one in order to achieve a good result. It's really important to understand the brand's strategy, align the creative part to it and work towards the same vision. With many years of experience working in the fashion industry, nothing beats a cohesive brand strategy aligned with product and practices. Your product should be a mirror of your brand's values, strategy and vision.

NRF Big Show: Levi’s Incoming CEO Offers Lessons in Brand Building Speaking Sunday at #NRF2024: Retail’s Big Show, Michelle Gass, Levi Strauss & Co.’s incoming CEO, highlighted five key learnings over her 33-year retail career ranging from the power of brands to the culture that’s prepared her to guide the iconic denim brand’s next stage of growth. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gSTNP4a7 Lisa Goller, MBA "Those are solid principles. It’s also important to monitor rivals’ moves to spot shifts in consumer needs and see if players try to overlap your positioning." Mark Ryski "This is a solid five points, and I’d have only one to add: Execution. And while it may seem like a statement of the obvious, it’s worth noting. You can do everything right, but if you don’t effectively execute whatever good work you do to build a brand will be compromised. "

Hermes significantly outperforms LVMH again. Faster revenue and profitability growth without a hyped new creative director, huge brand partnerships, super star brand ambassadors or exaggerated events. Hermes group revenue €13.43 Billion in 2023, up 21% compared to 2022. Net profit reached €4.31 Billion, up 28%. In Q4 2023, sales reached €3.36 Billion, up 18% despite high comparison base in America and Asia. LVMH group revenue €86.2 billion in 2023, up 9% compared to 2022. Net profit reached €15.2 billion, up 8%. In Q4 2023, sales reached €22.7 Billion up 10% despite a weaker comparison base. Lululemon continues to significantly outperform Adidas for similar reasons. Are other fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands listening? 2024 will be difficult especially if your brand does not have a consistent realistic focus and disciplined marketing spending.

I was reading through Hanesbrands Inc.'s 2022 Annual Report earlier... Hanesbrands Inc.'s 2022 Annual Report (and other years) has a subtle reminder of a key business lesson in it... Intellectual Property (IP) is often crucial to good business strategy, enabling companies to create more value for customers. While IP may not be top of mind when thinking about clothing or underwear, it's a vital element for many companies. In today's landscape, where value and ownership lines are often blurred, having ownership of the means of production is essential to fully profit from the value provided. This may include machines, vehicles, processes, systems, or ideas. Even if creating or owning IP isn't a priority for your business, leveraging others' IP can still enhance your customer service. While the value of physical assets is clear, consider acquiring IP from others to improve your business's offerings and better serve your customers. #business #IP #intellectualproperty #markets #propertyrights

📣 Is Levi's Winning at Denim's Expense? 👖 Levi Strauss & Co. is booming! Their CEO, Michelle Gass, is calling it their strongest performance ever, citing brand power, innovation, and a growing direct-to-consumer business. But is Levi's success the whole story of the denim industry? Levi's dominance might be great for them, but is it stifling competition and variety for consumers? Here's the thing: strong brand recognition is fantastic and staying true to iconic heritage while constantly innovating could be why Levi is doing good. But, should it come at the expense of smaller, innovative denim brands? This isn’t a lucky streak! Levi's has the resources to constantly develop new technologies and fits, but what about the independents with fresh ideas? Is Levi's a denim giant we can all be proud of, or are they squeezing the life out of a once diverse market? Let's discuss! #DenimDiversity #SupportSmallBusiness #CompetitionBreedsInnovation P.S. What are your favorite hidden gem denim brands? Share them in the comments and let's spread the love!

Touch of Whit Portfolio Item: Helping a global jewelry brand enter the US market by assessing their current and aspirational consumers and conducting a semiotic analysis on the demi-luxury category to identify emergent messaging themes to break through the noise. #disruption #positioning #retail #demiluxury

Nike, the global sportswear giant, is set for a significant leadership change. Elliott Hill, a Nike veteran with over three decades of experience, will become the company's new President and Chief Executive Officer on October 14, 2024. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥? - 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧: Hill began his journey at Nike in 1988 as an intern in Apparel Sales. - 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: He held numerous roles, including Vice President of EMEA Sales and Retail, Vice President and General Manager of North America, and ultimately President of Consumer and Marketplace. - 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧: Hill retired in 2020 but is now returning to lead the company as CEO. Hill's appointment comes at a crucial time for Nike. The company has faced challenges in recent years, including: - 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: The company has experienced slowing revenue growth, with sales forecasts for fiscal 2025 expected to drop to $48.84 billion. - 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Emerging brands like On and Hoka have gained market share, posing significant competition to Nike. - 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Nike's focus on direct-to-consumer sales has led to strained relationships with wholesale partners and has not fully compensated for lost sales through traditional channels. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 1. 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: With over three decades at Nike, Hill is well-acquainted with the company's ethos and operations. 2. 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞: His leadership roles across Europe and North America provide him with a comprehensive view of Nike's global market dynamics. 3. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝: Under Hill's leadership, Nike's business grew significantly, demonstrating his capability to drive growth and innovation. 4. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Hill's extensive experience positions him well to navigate current market challenges and identify new opportunities. 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 - 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: Renewing efforts in product innovation to regain competitive edge. - 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Balancing direct sales with wholesale partnerships to optimize market reach. - 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Strengthening presence in emerging markets. - 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Emphasizing core brand values to reconnect with consumers. Nike's choice of Hill signals a return to its core values and a recommitment to the principles that have made it a global leader in sportswear. His leadership is anticipated to help Nike navigate its challenges and reinvigorate its growth trajectory. #Nike #ElliottHill #LeadershipChange #SportswearIndustry