homegoods imc approach
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Integrated Marketing Communications
Christianne Witten
March 22, 2012
Presentation of Integrated Marketing Communications Approach and Assessment
HomeGoods
Images taken from HomeGoods’ official Facebook page
Mission & Values
Mission: “To bring you home fashions you’ll love, at prices you’ll
LOVE even more! That’s what we call HomeGoods Happy. ”
Values: Inspiration-Feed your inner decorator Value- Up to 20-60% off department/specialty store prices Fresh and diverse inventory- Supports individuality Fashion forward- Trend tracking Quality- Top Brands
Situation OverviewHome Fashions Retailer since 1992 TJX parent company ( TJ Maxx, Marshalls) 374 national stores (standalone and superstores)
Business objectives: Grow chain to 750 stores nationally (long-term) Upgrade stores to attract/retain customers
Marketing objectives: Increase brand awareness of HomeGoods as a place for fashion
and value seekers Increase store traffic and sales
Target Market: Primarily female, 25-54, middle-upper income shopper, suburban Fashion/Value conscious, savvy shopper
Company Differentiation
Top marketing strategies on how it goes to or is in the marketplace: Price: Providing unbeatable values (up to 60% off)
on top names in home fashions Product: Providing “freshness” of inventory for
every style and part of your home “under one roof” Place/Promotion: Using its online/social media
presence to drive store traffic vs serve as e-commerce site
Company Communications Strategies
Top communications strategies: Leverage website as an inspiration board /blog with fresh ideas using
current inventory to drive traffic into store Foster customer engagement through content sharing to spread
brand awareness via idea blog/FB page Keep in-store, online and tv messaging fresh and relative to time of
year to spark inspiration and keep customer coming back Reinforce value and “HomeGoods Happy” theme through digital,
print, tv, and in-store signage/displays: Price tags showing retail comparison, “Don’t Miss Out” “Amazing Value for Every Room,” “Fab Finds, Fab Price” “Top Brands. Just your-style savings!” “Love the Luxury, Savor
the Savings” “Spread HomeGoods Happiness” with gift cards
Competitor Comparison
Life Cycle (Intro-build-mature-decline)
Build, player for 20 yrs, 336 stores
Mature, player for 40 yrs, 1,000 stores
Mature, player for 50 yrs, 258 stores
Positioning Off-price, value based, fresh inventory
Focuses on:
the deal, fashion/trends
“Up to 60% off dept/specialty store prices”
“Largest specialty retailer of imported home goods/furnishings”
Focuses on:
“Unique and original finds”
from around the world, global artisan feel, hippie roots
“Unique, authentic, affordable” “Bringing beauty and excitement of global baazar with great finds at great prices” “from more than 50 countries, individual, regional artisans”
-including wine and beer selection
Media Used Website/blogs, mobile marketing, social media, Email newsletter ,tv ads and PR, print mag
Catalogs,
Social media, website with idea room and Pier 1 2Go virtual basket for in-store pick- up,
Email newsletter, tv ads
eCatalogs, website for e-commerce, featuring weekly circular ad to browse, “As seen In” print magazine references and décor ideas, Email newsletter, social media (FB, Twitter, Pinterest)
Integrated Communications Approach (add dup slide if need, fill in to best of your ability,
media shown are for example only, add what is really used by company)
Types of Media Used
Target
Audience
Message/s Other Comments
Web site Females 25-50
Focusing on “customer finds”
and inspiration to drive you to their store
Clever use to drive brand engagement and sales through idea sharing vs traditional e-commerce
TV Young, stylish professionals,
Moms,
Holiday shoppers
Find value/great deals, even during lunch break, to fit your style, better way to shop for gifts
Not much spent on tv ads, focus on placement on news and HGTV segments, very successful Share-A-Carol integrated campaign
Integrated Communications Approach
Types of Media Used
Target
Audience
Message/s Other Comments
Print Females 35-50, moms
Stylish finds, great value, Mom caves, inspire your inner decorator
Mailed circular, articles in print mag alongside professional advice (Family Circle, Woman’s Day,Traditional Home, Country Living)
Blogs Females 30-50 Inspiration everywhere, budget-friendly ideas
Using professional interior designers for content
Integrated Communications Approach
Media Used Target Message/s CommentsMobile
Marketing
25-35 tech savvy shoppers
Value, Locating nearest store, convenience, holiday cheer
Share-A-Carol
Email Discount seekers Focus on fresh inventory and savings
Fuels repeat purchases, retains customers
Social Media:
YouTube
20-40 tech savvy aspiring decorators
Spreading good deal happiness, inspiration, style,excitement with fresh inventory, store openings
Very engaged FB
(197,648 fans, 3,812 talking) Twitter (16,665 followers), not YouTube (701,235 views, 572 subscribers)
EvaluationAssess: Is the company delivering it’s mission and living its values based
on your review? Are the company’s messages tied to it’s mission? Is the company’s positioning/key message consistently deployed
across media? Is the company’s message and product/service delivery linked up
and aligned? Is the company spending it’s marketing dollars wisely? Do you think they have an ROI for their marketing investment? Based on where the company is in it’s life cycle, how does that
affect it’s choices for IMC right now? Does the marketing approach make sense, or would you adjust it
and how? Are customers happy?
EvaluationWhat’s working well? Strong, competitive positioning with off-price concept Value/off-price messaging- universal appeal during
current economic times and beyond Customer engagement through social media to spread
brand awareness and build customer in-store traffic
What’s not working? Need fresher, more integrated content on YouTube
channel Oct. 2011 was last posting Not in sync with current Spring themed messaging and
media buzz spots
Recommendations
Continue use of integrated social media to boost brand awareness, customer loyalty and engagement Freshen up YouTube content
Continue seeking opportunities for corporate partnerships/sweepstakes/publicity in fashion circles to further brand awareness Guiliana and Bill shopping in HomeGoods HGTV mentions and other media buzz is buried on
website and not integrated into social media channels
Appendix:
http://www.tjx.com/investor_annualreports.asp
http://www.tjx.com/files/pdf/TJX-BoAML-Handout-3-8-12.pdf
http://www.homegoods.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/behomegoodshappy
http://www.facebook.com/Homegoods
http://twitter.com/#!/homegoods
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/11534.html
http://www.worldmarket.com/home/index.jsp
http://www.pier1.com/