Competitive Analysis

TOMS Shoes

• Simple Message, Simple Understanding:
- Buy a shoe, Give a shoe.
- Not difficult to understand.
- Easy to ‘get’

• Cause Related Marketing
- Continuous and ongoing activity
- Creating purpose into everything they do
- The Cause IS the business plan, not an add-on
- Don’t have to think up new social business while expanding
- If TOMS decides to make coats, they can stand behind their strong ‘like for like’ concept
- However, for anything you buy-they give a pair of shoes

• Community Experience
- Consumer is in control
- Consumer feels like the ‘winner’ and like they’re helping a child instantaneously
- ‘Friends of Toms’ is an NGO built into the experience. They coordinate experiences around “Toms Shoe-Drops” and you can organize one right online.
- “Campus Club” is a great organization that brings TOMS to college campuses and lets students take control of shoes. Making profit and giving customization.
- Creates a ‘Story’ so consumers can share their experiences (blogs/twitter/facebook) and eventually creates more publicity
- People can relate to the story and to the founder. There’s authenticity in Blake Mycoskie: his message and his passion.
- Customization/Collaboration: Digg Shoe/Campus Club

• Online-Experience
- The most integral part of TOMS success is their online experience
- Interactive-Marketing is very active in online social networks
- Blog is very very active, website is constantly updated
- Tied into various other networks, blogs, etc
- Average Traffic Hits p/week: 30,000

• Advertising
uplifting and simple
emotional
info-graphic

Ethiopia
- “One for One”
- Marketing Community Suggestions/Truth
- Digital Campaign – Longer – Feel Good so you keep watching
- Used to explain TOMS mission + Get others involved
- Not regular ‘buy-sell’ or make themselves look good. Instead, inspiring others to DO good
- Narrated by a child, person who it effects
- Emotional Appeal, celebration and hope
- TOMS spends less money on advertising by story-telling/sharing through their consumers as opposed to competitors

• Top reasons why TOMS is successful:
- Simple Message
- Authenticity
- Community Experience
- Feel-Good
- Truth


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FRUIT OF THE LOOM

Produce men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, activewear, and underwear that are sold and made world-wide.

Brand Statement:
One of the world’s most trusted and revered brands of apparel for the entire family.

Strengths:
Ensure quality and longevity and an unconditional guarantee:

“You can buy Fruit of the Loom products with confidence ... we stand behind every product we sell. That’s why we offer our unconditional guarantee:

If you are not satisfied with any Fruit of the Loom product, return it to Fruit of the Loom. You will receive a new one, if available, or your money back.”

Fruit of the Loom is unique in offering an unconditional guarantee on all the products it sells. The brand has significant market share for basic apparel. The familiar logo with the apple, purple grapes, green grapes, currants and leaves is ranked one of the most recognizable trademarks worldwide.

Weaknesses:
In 2001 the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation issued a press release stating that a Fruit of the Loom factory in a Moroccan factory that has 1200 workers was not allowing workers to meet to form unions. Then, beginning in January 2009, Fruit of the Loom and its subsidiary, Russell Corporation, faced a major boycott over worker rights violations at its factories in Honduras, where it is the largest private employer. The controversy has caused nearly 100 universities to terminate deals with Russell, leading to significant losses for Fruit of the Loom.

Advertising:
The familiar Fruit Of the Loom Guys consist of an apple, green grapes, purple grapes, and leaves that tend to change color often. They perform several songs and appear in all Fruit of the Loom commercials.

Cause Related Marketing:
None

Online Presence:
fruit guys
A website that focuses on the brand’s icons, “The Fruit Guys”. Many interactive links such as original MP3s and Music Video’s. Little focus on product.


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JOCKEY

Brand Statement:
To satisfy the human need for comfort.

Strengths:
“As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to diversity in the workplace. For more than 130 years, our employees have enjoyed the camaraderie and close-knit work environment which Jockey International, Inc. affords as a privately held company. We encourage growth and achievement at our company because we know that our employees are our company. Employee initiative, enthusiasm and teamwork have built our international reputation for service and product excellence.”

Weaknesses
Little emphasis on CSR on main website.

Advertising:
stop squirming

StopSquirming campaign. Humorous and clever, showcases the outrageous ways that men and women try to alleviate discomfort caused by ill-fitting underwear that shifts, bunches or rides up, while highlighting Jockey® undergarments as a solution that will put an end to squirming once and for all.

Cause Related Marketing:
Jockey Being Family is Jockey International’s community relations initiative focused on supporting families after they’ve adopted a child. Through this initiative, Jockey strives to increase awareness of and accessibility to post adoption services nationwide for adoptive families.

Online Presence:
jockey.com
Geared towards athletic apparel and underwear. Flash-based, sleek, easy to use. Not necessarily focused on underwear, but apparel all around.

jockey being family
Explains the corporate citizenship initiative. “Building forever families”; adoptioan initiative.
“Buy a bear”; allows for the purchase of a teddy bear. With each bear sold, $3 goes to charity.

jockey person to person
An extension of the main site geared towards “living in the moment and enjoying life’s little gifts and voctories.” Unclear.


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HANES

Brand Statement:
Hanes. An American Original. Clothing, Socks & Underwear for Men, Women & Kids.

Strengths:
Quality, affordability, trusted brand. Website caters to the general consumer. Ability to order directly from website.

Weaknesses
Very little information available on supposed “green” work and support for outsourced labor.

Advertising:
During the 1970s and 1980s, their women’s hosiery tagline was “Gentlemen Prefer Hanes”. In the early nineties, the slogan was turned around as “The lady prefers Hanes”. During the late 1990s, the brand’s main slogan was “Just wait’ll we get our Hanes on you.” In the 2000s, an ad campaign began for their Hanes “Go Tagless” T-shirt, featuring various celebrities including Michael Jordan, Jackie Chan and Brian Regan. In 2005, an ad campaign was run with the slogan “Look who we’ve got our Hanes on now”, featuring various celebrities including Michael Jordan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Marisa Tomei, Damon Wayans, Matthew Perry, and on Spanish-language advertising, Aracely Arambula, and Pablo Montero.

Cause Related Marketing:
HanesBrands has been recognized for work that it has done for the environment, including “green” buildings. The company also has been recognized for the work it has done in communities such as the support of schools in Honduras and its hurricane relief efforts in the Dominican Republic.

Online Presence:
hanes.com
Sales, clearances, discounts. Ability to create your own account and wish list. Easy to navigate.