Tactics & Budget.
Following Smith’s SOSTAC (Smith, 1990), tactics provide a broken-down detailed strategy, relevant to the objectives. These include communication tools, addressing how these tactics will communicate the objectives goals and the resources allocated.
Tactics are vital in promoting the new art direction, the communications mix suggested by Fill and Turnbull (2019) links to the consumer engagement engine (Spiegel Medill, 2021), using a range of offline, online, and interactive media, develops a two-way conversation between customer and brand, a suggested recommendation to aid repositioning, and helps achieve the RACE framework (2022).
The inclusion of online stems from situational research suggesting the target demographic responds well to digital marketing (Vogue, 2021), with Generation Z being influenced by social media advertising, influencers (Forbes, 2021) and word-of-mouth more than other generations (Baer, 2019), all tactics suggested.
As for the recommendation of offline marketing, this refers to Balenciaga’s Millennial audience, the third most active group on socials, focusing on omnichannel experinces, they are most likely to purchase after offline advertising (Parry, 2019). With consumers now using 6 touchpoints per purchase (Hemsley, 2014), omnichannel campaigns see an 18.96% rise in engagement, (Omnisend, 2022). This correlation comes from 90% of consumers expecting seamless interactions across all channels (Businesswire.com, 2014), aiding them through the sales funnel.
Objective 1:
Improve Balenciaga’s tone of voice in 5% of their communication by year end 2023 to sizzle.
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This objective revolves around improving tone of voice through communications. Firstly, email marketing, an owned media strategy which helps build awareness and interest (Lewis, 1998) in the AIDA model. For Balenciaga, email marketing will build the awareness of their new tone of voice, as it can be entirely adaptable, whether promotional, providing information or re-engagement, this tactic is a push strategy (Chaffey, 2021), forcing the brand Infront of their customer. It can be tailored to specific customers and has high traffic, with the average person checking their emails 15 times a day, (Murphy, 2016). It also engages the marketing mix (McCarthy, 1960), price, promotion and process, referring to promotion is the suggestion of email discount codes, explained further in Actions; according to Google insights, consumers are seeking discounts, by searching “promo code for existing user.” This style of search has grown 100% since last year(Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 2022).
Tactic 2 is new product imagery, the reasoning why this owned media tactic, is relevant is visuals communicate information 60,000 times faster than text, (Visual Comms Agency, 2015). The pull strategy entices people to engage but doesn’t force it Infront of them. The Imagery will help depict the brand morals and essentially their ideal consumer, if Balenciaga promote softer and approachable imagery featuring their new collection, this will restore faith in consumer minds, homing in on motivation on the Fogg Behaviour Model (behaviormodel, 2023), where consumers are motivated to purchase from wanting to feel how the model in the imagery is feeling, resulting in purchase; this also links to desire from the AIDA model, promotion and product (McCarthy, 1960).
Imagery helps capture attention on what Balenciaga wants to project, for example their new tone and art direction, using specific fonts and colours across all branding increases recognition by 80%, (Chinery, 2019), a giant audience Balenciaga need to reassure they have changed.
Tactic 3 is website chatbots, an owned methods that pulls consumers in to make the purchase, implementing process from McCarthy’s marketing mix (1960), aiding the purchase decision (Lewis, 1998). The bot can ensure there is a clear tone of voice communicated to the consumer, Balenciaga can use this to create a relationship and reinforce their repositioned values, this alongside the chatbot could improve sales by 67% (Chadha, 2021). Chatbots have other benefits besides achieving the objective, they provide tracking and insight on their consumers, their journey to site, purchasing patterns or activity.
The suggested chatbots are keyword recognition or machine learning. Based off this objective, using keyword recogniser, helps achieve the friendly and helpful warmer tone. These chatbots utilise customisable keywords and delivers an appropriate answer to the customer (Nimblework, 2022). This works best regarding the specifics the Balenciaga bot would cater for. Balenciaga could employ a machine learning bot however, this would achieve the improved tone of voice but also gain insight into the consumer, catering for their needs and forming stronger relationships, a key aspect of repositioning. The bot stores data from each conversation and learns consumer preferences (Chi, 2023), this results in brand and consumer connection.
Objective 2:
Increase consumer engagement and traffic on social media sites by 10% by spring/Summer 2023, this will serve and speak.
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The second objective refers to consumer engagement on social media, the tactic to achieve this is social media content marketing. This tactic aligns with all three media types, paid, owned, and earned, based off the content posted on their social media sites, explained in actions. Social media marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional marketing (Demandmetric.com, 2023). It's important Balenciaga project themselves on socials as this is where their target is active (GWI, 2023).
Especially post-scandal as they lost followers, posting familiar content frequently, with a softer focus and more relatable content will re-reach the audience and gives Balenciaga the opportunity to demonstrate they repositioned, helping consumers feel more at ease, forwarding traffic to their website. The visuals should go across all touchpoints, 68% of businesses say consistency across messaging contributed to 10% growth in revenue (Marq.com, 2022). This helps generate earned media, 49% of internet users say they are likely to purchase from brands they see advertised on social media (SociallyBuzz, 2021). This tactic relates to generating awareness, interest and dedicated for a pull audience with promotion.
Objective 3:
Improve Balenciaga’s niche designs to be more wearable to fulfil 2000 e-commerce sales from this collection by year end 2023 to sizzle.
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An offline recommendation, aiming to achieve e-commerce sales from the new collection. Out-Of-Home advertising acts as a driver of engagement, pushing consumers to recognise branding, (brand recall), consumers are more likely to click on online adverts if they have been exposed to OOH advertising previously from the same brand (Rootsmarketing, 2022), resulting in objective success.
OOH is customisable, Balenciaga should disassociate from previous advertising but remain relevant to the target audience preference of streetwear. Balenciaga need to create a message that speaks about their new art direction and differentiate from competition in urban locations where the customer segmentation found their target market. Some suggested locations could be tube or train stations, with the average Londoner spending roughly 30 minutes everyday (264 hours yearly) in the underground (McRobbie, 2018) this provides an opportunity for brand exposure, location will be explored further in actions.
Another way of capitalising on OOH is creating charity appeal, specifically Comic Relief, a good way to prove the humanisation of the brand and good PR, proving they are acting on the new tone. Why comic relief, is down to their mission ‘to end child poverty by funding programs that keep children safe, healthy, educated and empowered’ (Save the Children, 2023). This tactic relates to generating awareness, interest and dedicated for a push audience with physical evidence.
Search engine optimisation is the second tactic for objective 3. This promotion and process strategy (McCarthy, 1960) works in favour of awareness and interest (Lewis, 1998) for a pull audience. Pay-per-click, is a way to generate sales, however, can be a merged area between paid and owned. Choosing affiliation means Balenciaga can associate their name with relevant searches. The benefit of SEO is consumers are pre-engaged in what Balenciaga are offering, meaning there is an established interest, using SEO puts Balenciaga Infront of the consumer - primed to purchase, 44% of people now use Google search to start their online shopping spree (Lunka, 2015).
Whilst pushing the brand forward it also reassures Balenciaga consumers, as the brand is recognised with Google, providing consumers with trust as Google monitor customer brand interaction, ranked on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Objective 4:
Increase revenue of new essential design collection from brick and mortar sales by 15% by Summer 2023 to sell.
The final tactic to achieve repositioning is by increasing revenue in physical spaces. Starting with an offline recommendation of pop-up stores, this is built off Balenciaga’s SWOT weakness having little physical space. Focusing on awareness and action this pull strategy is owned media. Pop-ups offer a multichannel approach, shoppers who engage with brands on four-plus channels spend around 9% more than less-engaged customers (Harvard, 2017). This is beneficial for Balenciaga as they already employ multichannel approaches but require expansion with constant touch points to push their consumers to spend that extra 9%.
Expanding into the physical space with a more omnichannel feel and seamless purchasing process is a reinventing strategy (Deloitte, 2013) something that will help Balenciaga achieve sales. This gives Balenciaga a chance to get physical insight and opinions from their audience on the new approach. It also can help project the collection, imagery and emphasise their new tone with the sales assistant and consumer contact. Linking to people, place and process.
Pop-up stores are enticing, they can often bring in 20-30% more revenue than a traditional brick-and-mortar store (Singh, 2018). This is vital for Balenciaga to achieve objective 4 after creating awareness in previous objectives, the popup will provide a new approach to their marketing and will generate the revenue they need to grow.
The final tactic is celebrity/influencer endorsement. This offline/online tactic supports interest and desire, people, and promotion due to celebrities being the face and promotion encouraging sales. The paid/earned aspect comes from paying the celebrities but results in customers talking and promoting the brand.
Influencers can sway consumer minds, with Gen Z following as many influencers as they do brands (GWI, 2021), they pay attention to influencer opinions, explaining why Balenciaga should align themselves with new less controversial influencers/celebrities, to fully reposition themselves in consumer minds, as WARC stresses influencers should fit the brand values (WARC, 2022). Attaching a brand to an idolised person brings credibility and trust, when consumers see influencers use or be an advocate of a product or brand it reassures consumers on quality and morals of the brand, 24% of consumers prefer influencer branded content to other forms of advertising (Petio, 2021).
