KUSTOMYZE. Be YOUniqueMarketing Plan Brief

April 30th, 2014MAR 250 – Section 20407

Submitted by: Jonelle Banaszak, Julian

Maawad, Claire Munguia, Saima Safa,

Liliana Raun

Principles of MarketingProfessor Chiagouris

Table of ContentsI. Executive Summary.................................................................1II. Situation Analysis..............................................................2-21

A) Mission StatementB) Company DescriptionC) Profile of the MarketD) Product CategoryE) Consumer ResearchF) Competitive ResearchG) SWOT AnalysisH) Problem analysisI) Market AnalysisJ) Competitive Analysis

III. Marketing Objectives.............................................................22IV. Positioning............................................................................23V. Competitive Advantage24VI. Creative Strategy Brief27VII. Targeting28VIII. Marketing Mix Strategies &Tactics 30IX. Evaluation – Control and Update44

Executive SummaryThe major points of our marketing plan include many tactics that we

have come up with the overall goal of bettering Kustomyze and helping it

become a profitable company. Our strategies will help Kustomyze gain

nationwide recognition and awareness. Some of our tactics include

promoting in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We

intend to fully utilize these three platforms of social media to spread the

news about Kustomyze and what goods it has to offer in, not only a primary

sense where we are making the advertisements, but in a secondary sense as

people spread the word themselves. As important as social media is, we also

hope to have Kustomyze spread out into physical, on-site settings as well;

doing this would include setting up tents at concerts, races, raves, and street

fair. Doing this will help us spread the word about Kustomyze while also

getting the name spoken about and seen throughout many different

consumer targets.

Our big idea for Kustomyze is to utilize the ever growing internet

browser network found on Google Chrome. This browser is quickly becoming

the largest of its kind as more people begin steering away from Fire Fox and

Internet Explorer. A unique aspect of this browser is the fact that it also has

what is referred to as the Chrome Web Store, which has millions of users in

traffic each day; this online store is extremely similar to the App store that

can be found on any Apple device in that it offers its users many different,

user-friendly options in a variety of fields. The Chrome Web Store supplies

people with the opportunity to download applications, extensions, and

themes; the subcategory that Kustomyze will take part in is the Productivity

section of the Chrome Extensions. Once downloaded, this extension will

allow people to choose any photo on the internet that they come across and

turn it into a cellphone or tablet case within minutes.

Situation AnalysisA) Mission Statement

Kutomyze’s mission is to provide the means for individuals and

businesses to express their feelings through art for their smartphone or

tablet case. Kustomyze provides its customers only high-quality products

that are made in New York, and it also provides best customer service

coming from the same owner of the company.

B) Company Description

Kustomyze is a dye sublimation company that creates customized

products for its customers. The company is a sole proprietorship owned by

Jon Hand. Kustomyze is capable of customizing a wide variety of products

such as t-shirts, flip-flops, dog tags, mugs, & license plates. However, the

best product line are

smartphone cases and tablet

cases.

Through Kustomyze, you can

be certain that any product you

buy will be long lasting. Thus,

the image will not fade within

months or years, since an attentive Customization Specialist customizes

every single unit in the USA. Through Kustomyze, businesses can be certain

than they will get their

products on time, every

time. Individual consumers

can expect their product to

be shipped within 24 hours,

and business customers to

receive their large order with

7-10 business days. They can

also be certain that the

owner will take care of them in some way with a “quantity discount” with any

large order they purchase, so they can pay less for more; and there is no

minimum order quantity for your order to go through.

C)Profile of the Market

Smartphone penetration in the U.S is now at over 61% with more and

more consumers purchasing iPhones, Samsung’s, iPads, and other devices

daily1. According to ComScore in 2013, 123.4 million people in the U.S owned

a smartphone in which 37.8% own an iPhone. According to a study by the

NPD Group, a leading market research company concluded that revenues

from mobile phones accessories in the U.S increased 32% during the first

1 Robinson, Ryan. "5 Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Custom Phone Case Business." Case Escape. N.p., n.d. Web.

half of 2012. Mobile phone cases are the most popular accessories category,

growing 69% over the prior year, followed by headphones, which grew 67%.2

Moreover, the NPD conducted a study of “Mobile Phone Accessories

Attach Rate Study,” which based on surveys of more than 2,000 members.

The sample consisted of adults’ age 18 and older, where it found that recent

mobile buyers cited maximum protection and durability (86%) as the top

purchase influence, followed by quality materials (73%). One can argue that

people are willing to pay a higher price for a protective case for their

smartphone and tables, since these devices are valued up to $600 or more,

and in case of any damage it can be very costly to repair it. One could also

argue that the longer a consumer holds on to these cases, the more likely

they will come up with the wish to getting their case customized, like

clothing it gives them a sense of expression about their style.

Kustomyze’s main competitors are privately held companies such as

Case-Mate and Casetagram. Vistaprint is also a competitor in the industry,

but this company is known more as a printing business for promotional

materials, rather than having a unique profile, such as Kustomyze which

exclusively deals with customizing accessories such as cellphone and tablets

cases.

D) Product Category

The market of customizing smartphone case and tablets is a relatively

new industry where companies such as mycustomcase.com and

2 Graham, Lee. "The NPD Group: Mobile Phone Cases Lead 32 Percent Increase in Mobile Phone Accessories Sales." NPD Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

casetagram.com actively market the unique idea of customizing your own

case. This new industry has grown so fast, that a consumer can find up to

ten or more different sites that can provide this same service at different

price ranges and quality. Starting a small business in this industry has a low

startup cost of approximately $30,000 leading to a high margin of more than

100%3.

Kustomyze price and markup analysis for smartphone cases and tablet

are reported below. Later within the brief, this information will be compared

to its main competitors.

1. Smartphone Cases:

Available for: iPhone 4/4s, 5/5s/5c & Samsung Galaxy S3/S4.

Jazz: this is the best-selling product in the product line, known for

being basic and a minimalist smartphone case. It is a single-piece

clip-on case, made 100% of plastic.

Production cost: $4.00

Retail price: 14.99

Markup based on cost %:

Jubilee: this case has a silicone inner shell and a hard plastic outer

shell, the Jubilee offers more protection that the jazz.

Production cost: $4.00

Retail price: $19.99

Markup based on cost %:3 Robinson, Ryan. "5 Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Custom Phone Case Business." Case Escape. N.p., n.d. Web.

Brookley: made of thick rubber honeycomb inner shell, which Is

encased in a hard plastic outer shell. This is Kustomyze’s tough

case.

Production cost: $4.00

Retail price: $24.99

Markup based on cost %:

Malaga: this is a wallet case made of canvas, faux suede, and faux

leather. The Malaga features a bi-fold cover that protects the

phone and its screen, and provided pockets for storage of

MetroCards, cash, credit cards, etc.

Production cost: $7.00

Retail price: $29.99

Markup based on cost %:

2. Tablet Cases:

Available for: iPad, iPad Mini, Kindle, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Google

Nexus, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab 2.

Jazz: this tablet case has a simple design comprise of hard plastic,

similar to the smartphone case. This table case is a minimalist clip-

on cases, designed to be easily interchangeable for the customer

who want to accessorize.

Small Cases (iPad mini) Large Cases (iPad)

Production Cost$12.

00 Production Cost$12.

00

Retail Price$34.

99 Retail price$44.

99Markup% Markup %

Malaga: this tablet case is similar to the Malaga smartphone case,

only that instead of functioning as a wallet, it functions more as a

notebook.

Small Cases (iPad mini) Large Cases (iPad)

Production Cost$16.

00 Production Cost$18.

00

Retail Price$39.

99 Retail price$49.

99Markup% Markup %

E) Consumer Research

We first started through Simmons OneView where we wanted to know

who our targeted demographic is. Simmons allowed us to get a quick

demographic overview of a certain group of people based off a lifestyle

phrase. We narrowed down phrases that we thought people who have

customizable phone and tablet cases might use or identify themselves with.

We started very generally and asked the question of what kind of people

would buy customizable things? Creativity was the first trait that came to

mind. So we looked up the demographics for people who identified with the

statement “I consider myself to be a creative person”4

We found out that about 60.7% of all adults think they’re creative. Out of those 60.7%, about 54% were female, 46% male and the age group demographic is so close between ages 25-34 (18%), 35-44 (18%), and 45-54 (19%).

_______________________Simmons One View. “I consider myself to be a creative person” Simmons One View. <http://oneview.experian.com/main/#> © Experian 2012. (Accessed April 3, 2014). Web Image.

We decided to specify our search, so we cross referenced this phrase with a group of people who identified with having cell phones for personal use only.5

The data is about the same, but zeros in on a more specific group. The 35-44 and 45-54 age groups both make up 19% of the age demographic, followed by the 25-34 year olds with 18%. They are primarily female (57.1%) white (77.4%) individuals who at least graduated high school (31%) or attended some college (31%).

_______________________Simmons One View. “My cell phone is for personal use only” Simmons One View. <http://oneview.experian.com/main/#> © Experian 2012. (Accessed April 3, 2014). Web Image.

We then used another demographic statement directly relating to the individuality and creativity a customizable case would provide. We used the statement, “I like to stand out in a crowd”. 6

This information tells us that only 21.8% of all adults like to stand out in a crowd. Substantially less than the 60.7% of all adults that considers themselves a creative person. Among these adults, the gender aspect is fairly close, with females at 50.4% and males at 49.6%. 18-25 year olds (21%) and 25-34 year olds (21%) make up majority of the age demographic. Aside from the race (white 69.5%) and education (some college 31%) demographic aspect, this information is radically different than the first statement we analyzed. Based off of this new information, we decided to investigate more demographic statements like these to see if we have a different target market than what we first discovered.

We chose statements such as “My cell phone is an expression of who I am”, “My cell phone connects me to my social world”, “My friendships would not be as close if it weren’t for my cell phone”, and “The extra features on my phone are more important than the phone itself”. We focused our view on someone who would use their cell phone a lot and someone who thinks their cell phone is very important to them. If they place value in their cell phones, then they are willing to invest in a good quality, unique, phone case.

_______________________Simmons One View. “I like to stand out in a crowd” Simmons One View. <http://oneview.experian.com/main/#> © Experian 2012. (Accessed April 3, 2014). Web Image.

Since the demographics are very similar, we took averages of the age, gender, race, income and education. The average age groups are 18-24 (23.25%), 25-34 (21%) and 35-44 (19.5%). The gender is female (52.725%) and male (47.3%). The race is primarily white (69.775%), then African American (14.45%). The average income is $100,000 or more (30%), then $50,000-$74,000 (18.5%). While the education of the average person who identified with those lifestyle statements is less than high school (37.75%) and then some college (31.5%).

The education demographic surprised us, since the average 18-25 year old is not in a grade less than high school. This brought to our attention that maybe a targetable group of people would not be in the Simmons database- the high school group. In our primary research, we decided to survey both college and high school people.

From these statistics, we can derive the types of consumers that are in the market. Based off of these new numbers, we can identify our target audience as the 13-25 year old white female.

We then decided to use MRI+ to find out more about the targeted demographic. We wanted to know how often they bought a phone, because whenever you buy a new phone you also buy a case for it. MRI+ told us that, on average, 45.3% of 18-25 year olds, and 41.3% of people who attended college bought a new phone in the last 12 months.

We identified our target as young adults, still in college or high school. They are at a point in their lives where expressing themselves and

individuality is important to them. And, since most don’t have a full time job at this age, they spend their time mostly on themselves. They individualize themselves through their clothes, music, the way they style their hair, the friends they have, the weekend jobs they work, and many more aspects. They also don’t have to worry about fitting into how the “cookie cutter mold” of society looks like (i.e. business suites, professional haircuts) that most adults have to. The targeted consumers also have the time and resources to go out to activities. The most popular events that young adults go to are concerts, races, and street fairs. The consumer group that we are targeting will be those who fully practice individuality, creativity and truly making something your own. Their psychological attributes will be what drive them to want to customize their smartphones to begin with.

F) Competitive Research

Kustomyze’s key competitors are Gelaskins, Vistaprint, Skin-it, and Casetagram. After we surveryed our targeted demographic, we found these results .

High School students are most familiar with (in order) Vistaprint, Skinit, Gelaskins and Casetagram, then Kustomyze.

G)H) College students are most familiar with (in order) Vistaprint, Skinit,

Gelaskins, Casetagram, then Kustomyze.

I) J) Unfortunately, we cannot find any information reguarding these

company’s financial records or their key demographics. What we can deduce from these surverys is the order in which Kustomyze stands compared to the competition. There is no advertising done to promote these items, but our targeted consumer seems to know about them through word-of-mouth communication, which is evident in a google search for “customizable phone cases” as these are the four websites that came up first and google displays the order of websites by popularity.

G) SWOT Analysis

1. Strengths The products of this company are made in the US and that is important

because this factor can attract more customers who dislike products because

they are made in other countries.

Kustomyze also provides free delivery and this can encourage people to

buy more products without having to pay for shipping. This can increase

sales because without a shipping cost customers have a higher budget to

buy products.

A great strength of this company is that it can produce and deliver

products within a short period of time. This can encourage businesses that

need cases customized for events in a short amount of time.

Kustomyze can produce 12 cases per minute.

2. Weaknesses

The weakness of this company is that the prices of the products are quite

high compared to other similar businesses. This can discourage customers

because they know they can find the same thing for a cheaper price.

Another weakness would be that it’s a sole proprietorship. With only one

person working for the company it makes it harder for the business to grow

and expand.

3. Opportunities

There are a few opportunities that are open for this company. The

machinery used to customize the cases is mobile and this can create

opportunities of going to large events and customizing cases in front of the

customer or event attenders.

The Etsy website also produces opportunities of being promoted through

the website and increasing individual sales.

4. Threats

There are many other companies that do the same thing as Kustomyze

and are those companies are better known and more established.

The fact that Kustomyze’s products are made in the US is not enough of

an incentive to gain more customers.

G) Problem analysis

The problem that this company faces is the lack of people who

recognize the company and the products that it offers. More often than

not, a company will get consumer traffic on its website if said website

has advertisements online and if the name has been heard of through

the grapevine. People prefer ordering from companies they trust; if the

company has yet to show consumers its strengths, the company will

have a harder time making sales in comparison to its competitors.

Kustomyze also needs to offer more than simply free delivery and US

made products in order to gain customers because a majority of the

time, these things just simply aren’t enough.

H) Market Analysis

The targeted market are young adults, age 18-25 because they

view their phone cases as a fashion accessory and a way to express

themselves.

Businesses are also markets that we are targeting. We hope to get

businesses that have events in which they need customized products

to give out to employees or their customers.

I) Competitive Analysis

There are many advantages that Kustomyze has. One of them being

that its products is made in the US, which is why the quality of the

Kustomyze’s products is much higher than similar companies in its

industry. However, Kustomyze has a lot of competitors in its industry.

Below we will discuss some of Kustomyze’s main competitors and what

differentiated them from Kustomyze.

1. Vistaprint:

Vista print is an online vendor that supplies customized material.

Vistaprint strongest marketing mix strategy is Promotion, where good

deals and promo codes are offered on their homepage such as 250

business cards that were originally $20 are on sale for $10. Vistaprint

also has a strong online presence with social media in networks such as

twitter (with 42,900 followers), Facebook (with 921,129 likes), and

google+ (with 25,000 followers) and Pinterest (with 2,209 followers).

Product: the phone cases that Vistaprint offers are light weight but

effective to keep your phone safe.

Price: the prices at Vistaprint are a little higher than Kustomyze,

which will help Kustomyze. It cost $20 at Vistaprint and $14.99 at

Kustomyze.

2. Skinit:

Skinit is a company that customizes devices for your electronic devices.

Skinit strongest marketing mix strategy is Promotion, where it offers

seasonal collections such as the new spring collection for this spring. The

new designs will appeal to the customers, which will make them want to

get a new customized phone case. They offer free shipping for purchases

over $40. Skinit also has a strong online presence with social media in

networks such as: Twitter (6594 followers), Google+ (241 followers),

Facebook (401,197 likes), and YouTube (141 subscribers).

Products: Skinit offers many types of cases and skins for phones.

Skinit’s advantage is that they offer covers for almost all

kinds of phones and devices whereas Kustomyze only offers

for a couple of phones and devices.

Price: The prices of Skinit cases are more than Kustomyze. The price

of a regular case from Skinit is $24.99, which is $10 more than

Kustomyze’s price. This gives Kustomyze an advantage and this

will allow Kustomyze the ability to enter the market and grow

as a business.

3. Gelaskins:

Gelaskins is a company that manufactures removable art prints for

electronic devices (IPhone, IPod etc.). Gelaskins’ strongest marketing

strategy is its product, where it offers its customers the ability to

customize a variety of covers for electronic products ranging from

laptops to IPads and IPhones. The website is extremely easy to navigate

and also provides products that have images/writing already on them. It

also gives a person the option to customize his or her own electronic

device case with an image/writing of their choice. The unique part of

Gelaskin is how convenient it is to customize a phone sticker and the

short amount of time it takes to do so. Gelaskins also has a strong online

presence with social media in networks. Gelaskin is prominent online in:

Twitter (13,300 followers), Facebook (407,739 likes), and YouTube (1,731

followers).

What is especially impressive in regards to their social media is their

Facebook page. They offer a unique technique in which they show

some incredibly well done artist drawings/paintings/pictures that, once

clicked, has a link in which it will give you options to have that image

placed on a variety of different electronic devices. This is a great idea

because it allows the creation process to be more convenient and will

give its customers a reason to follow/like Gelaskins page, especially if

they feel an image may appear in the future that they may like.

For its Instagram page, even though it can’t offer links like it can on

Facebook, it does say the name and the artist of all the images shown.

This allows a person to find the artist online if he or she wants to use

one of their artworks to customize his or her phone, laptop, or any

other miscellaneous item.

Gelaskin also has a YouTube channel in which they show consumers

how to attach their product onto the consumer’s device as well as

simply to promote Gelaskins as a whole. This is a great tactic because

it makes the process a little more personal.

Gelaskin tries to accommodate a wide variety of different styles

and images for its consumers. They do not have a particular season in

which sales increase, however, they could improve their sales by

promoting at concerts or events that happen throughout America-

especially if these events run seasonally. Regardless, they already do

an excellent job of advertising online. They do not offer any

promotional offers like buy one get another 5% off, but they do have

gift cards, which one can purchase for family members and friends.

• Price: Gelaskins’ basic case is around the market average as far as

price is concerned. However, compared to Kustomyze, there is a

huge price difference. Gelaskins retail price for its basic case is

$35.00 while Kustomyze’s retail price for its basic case stands at

$14.99. This could work in advantage for Kustomyze if they were

to get to the same level in popularity as Gelaskins and its

competitors. Kustomyze’s costs are much less and more appealing

to consumers.

4. Casetagram:

Castagram is a very unique customization company because it

makes it extremely convenient for an individual to choose photos

from his or her Facebook or Instagram in order to create a

customized phone case. . Casteagram’s strongest marketing strategy

is its promotion where, similar to its competitors, Casetagram has a

very strong internet presence. They show all their unique

customization products as well as discounts that they are promoting

through a number of online sites.

Something we found extremely unique in regards to Casetagram’s

Facebook page was that they offered distinctive ways to cook

scrambled eggs or other cool facts/tools. This had absolutely nothing to

do with their company and what they sell, but it made their Facebook

page more interesting to look through. With this idea, they hope that

while a person is scrolling down through their feed, he or she will also

be attracted to the products-phone customizations- that the company

offers while curiously sorting through all the other “fun-to-do” topics.

Casetagram also offers wonderful promotions such as “$10

Casetagram Monday” to give their consumers a unique way to

purchase their products.

In addition, on its Instagram page, it shows a lot of phenomenal final

products that they have made and unique photos to make is Instagram

interesting and exciting to look through.

Product: Casetagram offers a very unique product customization. Not

only does it allow you to get phone cases for your phone but it also

allows you to customize that case with photos from your Facebook and

Instagram or you can just upload photos from your computer. What is

unique about this customization process is that it puts your images in

squares and allows you to choose where you want that specific picture

to be placed. The layout of the images that you want to have on your

phone covers is what makes Casetagram different from its

competitors.

Price: Casetagram prices, like its competitors, are around the same

price. With a basic case for Casetagram being $39.94 while a basic

case for Kustomyze is $14.99. This dramatic difference in prices is an

advantage that can work in Kustomyze’s favor once it gains popularity

in the industry, since its prices are more appealing to the consumers.

Marketing Objectives

A) Increase sales

Take our first fiscal year sales and attempt to increase them by 10%.

Utilize the purchase of the Google Chrome extension, which we would

like to get up to 500 downloaders in order to get people to use

Kustomyze in a wider variety of ways and purchase giving us the

opportunity to grow to 400 sales per fiscal year.

After people purchase their iPhone or Android cases, there will be a

checkable box (already checked, that people can uncheck if they so

choose) that will give Kustomyze the opportunity to send them

promotional emails. We would like to increase the amount of people on

this list by roughly 30%-40%.

Keychain card for members will increase loyal customers who will

return to use their code on the website by 5%-10% and will get a larger

amount of the population to see the Kustomyze name in every day

activities.

B) Increase Market Shares

Increase brand market shares by roughly 5% after the first fiscal year

and 10% after the next two to five years.

Increase the number of Kustomyze Instagram followers by at least 20-

30 every month and #Kustomyze tags by roughly 15-35, resulting in

an overall greater awareness of the product and the services it

provides.

Have a minimum of 300-500 likes on Facebook after the first fiscal

year.

To get Kustomyze to become the family and trusted name for

customization services due to its efficiency and convenience,

especially through the Google Chrome Extension.

C)Return on Investment

To achieve a return of investment of approximately $23,000.79 (not

including fixed cost), which is %, at the end of at least two fiscal years.

Positioning

A) Brand nameWe represent the CCMG Marketing Corporation. We are

promoting a product that represents uniqueness, individuality, and

freedom delivered by Kustomyze.

Kustomyze allows its consumers to express their ideas through a

creative, yet elegant method. Kustomyze uses only the best methods

and materials to make personalized designs or images a reality

through state of the art technology Kustomyze

B) Brand Problem

Kustomyze solves the problem in the accessorizing industry of

your electronic products by creating high-end quality customization at

great valued prices all produced in the United States. Kustomyze

focuses on entering the market by providing what its competitors are

not focusing on, which is high quality produced products. Kustomyze is

trying to target the individual or business that does not want cheap,

low quality merchandise but merchandise that will last a long time and

will attract the attention of other individuals.

C)Positioning Statement

For people who range from roughly the ages of 18-25,

Kustomyze is a company that focuses on supplying quality, sturdy, and

attractive device cases.

D)Tag Line

Kustomyze: Be YOUnique

The Kustomyze tag line associates itself with positioning on the basis

that Kustomyze wants nothing more than to supply its consumers with

merchandise that they can be proud of. Having an organization that

understands that no two individuals are the same is essential when trying to

sell them unique cases. Kustomyze understands that each person has their

own story to tell the world and would like to help them share these.

Competitive Advantage

The market for customization of electronic cases in the industry has

exploded in recent years. With more and more companies, big and small,

beginning to supply phone cases to consumers- especially online- it is getting

nearly impossible to keep track of all of the competition. Regardless of the

opposition, the market is relatively easy to break into. Kustomyze achieves

this by producing all of its own materials to make it’s customized accessory

covers, as well as manufacturing them all in the States. This allows

Kustomyze to separate itself from its competitors who may manufacture

their products in the United States, but receive their materials from countries

like China or Malaysia due to the fact that they or a lot cheaper. This allows

their profit margin to greater, but in the long run, consumers may feel

pressured to order in their own nation to “keep the money circulating,” in a

sense.

1. Determinant Attributes:

High quality – Made in the US

Low Price:

All these companies have different prices for the same basic iPhone case

which Kustomyze refers to as the “Jazz case.” We could assume that their

quality is as high as Kustomyze since all the materials are made in USA.

However, it not worth for the consumer to pay up to 50% to 167% for about

the same quality customization you can get from Kustomyze at a cheaper

cost.

Kustomyze v. Competitors

Price for customized basic IPhone case 5/5s (most popular)

Competitors Basic caseKustomyze Jazz

Case

NameRetail Price Retail Price

% Difference

Vistaprint.com 22.49 14.99 50%Skinit.com 29.99 14.99 100%gelaskins.com 35.00 14.99 133%Casetagram.com 39.95 14.99 167%zazzle.com 39.95 14.99 167%Mycustomcase.com 39.96 14.99 167%custom.case-mate.com 40.00 14.99 167%

2. Design/Style

Due to its quickness in creation and the availability to be

produced at multiple locations, we have the opportunity to produce

customize cases at locations/events in which people may want to

capture. This is especially true for the age group we are targeting,

females from 16 to 30 years old- who would more than likely want to

show them off to their friends, family, and colleagues.

The events we are looking to target are concerts (electronic, hip

hop etc.), marathons, and even political events (rallies). Since our

product only takes a matter of minutes to create, this will be appealing

to our customers who do not want to waste their time waiting for this

type of product to be created/customize in a few weeks’ time. In

addition, by customizing on-site at events, we believe that people are

more likely to purchase a product, which could be priced just slightly

more than its competitors.

Creative Strategy BriefA)Target Description

Our basic target market is younger females roughly from the ages of 14-25.

Although the female gender market is barely higher than the male, it still exists.

This target description does not mean that this is our sole sales market, only that

this is the best range of ages to market to for the highest projected amount of

sales and income.

B)Key Competition

The number of competitors for this specific consumer market is growing more and

more rapidly. Between companies that specialize in selling this product, companies

that do this in addition to their main sales, and individual sellers- especially those

available through Etsy- a person really has a wide variety of companies to choose

from. The specific brands we have chosen as our main competitors include

Castegram and Gelaskins.

C)Brand Advantages

Kustomyze has a number of advangtages over its competitors, a few of which

include being made in the USA, having free shipping available to its customers,

having the ability to manufacture and ship items, and having the cheapest

available cases across the spectrum.

D) Positioning Statement

For people who range from roughly the ages of 18-25, Kustomyze is a company

that focuses on supplying quality, sturdy, and attractive device cases.

E)Brand Personality

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The personality we are aiming to achieve is along the lines of a very warm and

welcoming company. The personality of our brand should follow very closely with

the tone that is listed as follows.

F)Tone

CCMG has come to the conclusion that Kustomyze needs to have a very welcoming

and friendly tone. Although it is important to convey the vibe that any order put in

will be done as efficiently as possible, we believe it is more important to have a

sense of customer relatablity. People love to feel important, so if we treat each

person like they are our most important customer, we are guaranteed returning

consumers.

G) Special Media Considerations

As a company, we have decided the most important media for Kustomyze to utilize

would be the internet, more specifically, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Being

as these are the largest social media websites, it would make sense for us to utilize

these resources to the best of our abilities. Other media we would like to consider

would be newspaper inserts, although this would come secondary to internet

media.

H) Regulatory Issues

We, as a whole, have come to the conclusion that there are no regulatory issues to

be discussed as we take the journey to make Kustomyze a widely recognized

name.

TargetingEverybody has a smartphone, and with that, everyone needs a smartphone case. Kustomyze not only provides a high quality case, but it also gives you the option to create a unique, functional, and portable work of art that’s totally your own.

1) Age

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According to surveys conducted by CCMG to a sample of 125 females from Bishop Kearney High School, we found that our first target market is High School students from 13-17 years of age. According to surveys conducted by CCMG to a sample of 100 females and male from Pace University, we found that our second target market is college students from 18-23 years of age.

2) Gender/ EthnicityKustomyze belongs to the customization industry, which is gender neutral. Kustomyze will target all backgrounds and ethnicities. Anyone that finds a need to protect their cellphones or tablets, they will think about the buying a case. During the purchase decision process, they will think about the design and Kustomyze can offer then a quality customized case that at the same time expresses their art…

3) LifestyleWe identified our target as young adults, still in college or high school. They are at

a point in their lives where expressing themselves and individuality is important to them. And, since most don’t have a full time job at this age, they spend their time mostly on themselves. They individualize themselves through their clothes, music, the way they style their hair, the friends they have, the weekend jobs they work, and many more aspects. They also don’t have to worry about fitting into how the “cookie cutter mold” of society looks like (i.e. business suites, professional haircuts) that most adults have to. The targeted consumers also have the time and resources to go out to activities. The most popular events that young adults go to are concerts, races, and street fairs. The consumer group that we are targeting will be those who fully practice individuality, creativity and truly making something your own. Their psychological attributes will be what drive them to want to customize their smartphones to begin with.

4) Behavioral Segmentation:For our first target market 14-17 years of age, we found that:

The average high school student owns 4 cases for their cellphone. This works in advantage of Kustomyze, because it shows that it is likely to have returning customers.

75.2% of this sample own an iPhone, followed by 12.8% own a Samsung Galaxy. In addition, 40.8% of this sample owns an iPad, followed by 32.8% that do not know own any. This is an advantage because Kustomyze mainly caters to these types of cellphones and tablets.

From 1 (least important) to 4 (most important): protection is (4), quality (3), appearance (2), price (1). Protection and quality are rated as the most important qualities, and 43.2% preferred a case made in the U.S. followed by 10.40% made in China. This is an advantage because Kustomyze’s cases are made in the U.S, which translates to better protection and quality in the mindset of most consumers in comparison to a case made in China.

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From our sample: 48% knows Vistaprint, 30.4% knows Skinit, 8% knows Casetagram and Gelaskins, followed by 3.2% that know Kustomyze. Therefore, our most important competitors are Categram and Gelaskins because their sales margin are the closest to Kustomyze.

We plan to promote our brand on concerts, race, and street fairs, which according to our surveys it will be a good idea since 55.2% of high school students attend 1 concert per year, 80% of high school attend 1 race per year, and 42.4% attend between 2 to 3 street fairs per year. These are good social events for Kustomyze to increase brand awareness, and at the same time produce cases to increase sales.

Chrome is the most used browser by high school students, which works in advantage of our Big Idea of creating a chrome web extension about KZ. Be YOUnique.

For our first target market 14-17 years of age, we found that:

The average college student owns 3 cases for their cellphone. This works in advantage of Kustomyze, because it shows that it is likely to have returning customers.

77% of this sample own an iPhone, followed by 11% own a Samsung Galaxy. In addition, 51% of this sample owns an iPad, followed by 24% that own a nook. This is an advantage because Kustomyze mainly caters to these types of cellphones and tablets.

From 1 (least important) to 4 (most important): quality (4), appearance (3), protection (2), and price (1). Quality and appearance are rated as the most important qualities, and 64% preferred a case made in the U.S. followed by 4% made in China. This is an advantage because Kustomyze’s cases are made in the U.S, which translates to better protection and quality in the mindset of most consumers in comparison to a case made in China. In addition, appearance is up to the choice of the consumer which Kustomyze offers.

From our sample: 55% knows Vistaprint, 33% knows Skinit, 15% knows Casetagram, 18% knows Gelaskins, and 7% know Kustomyze. Therefore, our most important competitors are Categram and Gelaskins because their sales margin are the closest to Kustomyze.

We plan to promote our brand on concerts, race, and street fairs, which according to our surveys it will be a good idea since 49% of college students attend at least 1 concert per year, 81% of college students attend at least 1 race per year, and 44% attends at least 2 to 3 street fairs per year. These are good social events for Kustomyze to increase brand awareness, and at the same time produce cases to increase sales.

Chrome is the most used browser by high school students, which works in advantage of our Big Idea of creating a web chrome extension for KZ. Be YOUnique.

Marketing Mix Strategies & Tactics – Implementations

A) For the $10,000 budget

$10,000 BUDGETONLINE BRICK AND MORTAR

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Target Tactic Cost Tactic Cost

Individual

1. Advertising online: Facebook, twitter/google ads and better social media.

$500.00

3. Going to events (concerts, races, street fairs, & flea markets)

$ 500.00

2.  Redesign Etsy profile

$500.00

4. Key tag discounts $ 275.00

Businesses 5.  Thank you email +  Sample packages (box design) $

1,000.00For Both 6.  Improve website $

7,000.00

1. Social Media

Facebook:

a. Promotion: As of October 3, 2013 around 500 million people have Facebook

accounts. Weekly business pages on Facebook get 645 million views as well as 13 million

comments. In 2013 there were one million active advertisements on Facebook. This

information alone shows the mass audience we could reach at an extremely low price.

Facebook also has a marketing team that will place your advertisements in strategic

positions where they believe people with similar interests will be interested.4

b. Price: Facebook is very helpful when it comes to advertisement on its site.

Since advertising revenue is one of its main sources of income they have managed to

keep the process easy and convenient to use. This is extremely helpful for small

business like Kustomyze because it allows an opportunity to reach a large target

audience without paying a huge price for it. The price usually depends on what your

competitors in the market are willing to pay, but in general the prices are extremely low

i.e. $1.20 to $2.00. In addition, another appealing aspect of Facebook is that you can set

a maximum limit on how much you want to spend a day. We believe to start this

process we would like to see an investment of $100 if the general cost of advertising is

around $1.50 to give us the total cost of $150. From there we will see how this 4 "Ad Set Cost & Budgeting." Facebook. Facebook.com, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

31

advertisement is working and how we can better tackle using Facebook’s advertising

tools.

c. Penetration: As you can see below Facebook has a wide variety of different

types of advertising options.

Cost per mille (CPM): This bid type is best for getting people to view your ad

Cost per click (CPC): This bid type is best for getting people to click your ad

Optimized cost per mille (oCPM): This bid type is best for showing your ad

to the people who are most likely to take action on your ad. For example, liking

your Page or clicking a link

Cost per action (CPA): When available, this bid type is best for getting

people to take action on your ad. For example, liking your Page or clicking a

link.

However, we decide to go with the best option that will help Kustomyze would be

one that optimized cost per mile (oCPM). oCPM. This will be extremely beneficial when it

comes to our advertisement on Facebook because Facebook optimizes your ads by

showing it to individuals who will most likely perform the desired action that you want to

perform. 5

Twitter:

a. Promotion: When advertising with Twitter they offer three types of advertising

opportunities: Promoted Tweets, Promoted Accounts, and Promoted Trends. However, for

our budget we will only perform Promoted Tweets. The key is to know how these Twitter

adverts will work. For Promoted Tweets they are tweets that you have already tweeted

and are tweets that you want to promote, which will appear on people’s timelines and

5 "Start Creating, Sharing & Exploring Great Visuals Today!" How Many People Use Facebook 2013 (Update- 3 October 2013). N.p., 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

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search results. In addition, you can target your ads towards people with similar interests,

gender etc.6

b. Price: What is great about this advertising technique is that you only pay when

users click, reply, retweet, or favorite your tweet (advertisement). Promoted Tweets

usually cost between $.50-$4.00 per engagement.7 To tackle this advertising tactic we

will invest around $140 worth monthly if the price to advertise is around $2.50 to gives

us a total of $350 of final cost for this type of advertisement.

c. Penetration: Twitter, like its counterpart, Facebook is another great way to

distribute your company, Kustomyze, to a broad audience for a low price. Twitter in 2014

has 240 million active users. This number is still growing today with 135,000 users

signing up everyday. From these numbers alone you can see the potential Twitter has to

offer. In addition in 2013 Twitter’s annual advertising revenue is $405,500,000; which is

a huge number especially for small businesses like Kustomyze.8

Instagram:

a. Promotion: the way we are going too tackle advertising on Instagram will end

up costing us nothing. Our idea is to create a Kustomyze account on Instagram and

promote Kustomyze final products or cool/unique pictures that could be customized into

a phone case. With 100 million people on Instagram it is a great way to get into the

market and advertise our product and company to the world.9

b. Price: They way we will be advertising using the hashtag will cost us nothing at

all, which is perfect due to our company’s small budget.

c. Penetration: By creating a hashtag trend it will allow for Kustomyze to become

a commonly known name and eventually a trending one on Instagram. This will be

6  "Analytics." Twitter for Business. Twitter.com, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.7 Alleger, Jason. "Blog Entries." Penna Powers Brian Haynes. Penna Powers Brian Haynes, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.8 "Twitter Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.9 Systrom, Kevin. "Instagram." Blog. Instagram.com, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

33

beneficial because it will allow people to know what Kustomyze is and maybe even

recommend it to friends who are looking to get a case customized in the future.

2. Redesigning Etsy Profile

This information is repetitive and does not need to be repeated on every available

phone case. The fact that the cases are made in America and have free shipping

can be displayed at the top of the page solely.

Having an image representative of the case would inform the consumer what

exactly they are interested in buying. If the case changed view as a mouse scrolled

over it, consumers would have a better idea of the product. This is much better

than having a 2D photo as the main marketing tactic.

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Kustomyze was located relatively close to the bottom of the search feed when

looking up “customizable phone case” on Etsy. Although the photo can be

somewhat difficult to make out, it is basically supporting the idea that the

Kustomyze photo representation is not nearly as appealing as the other etsy profile

competitors.

3. Going to Events

We know that a majority of us will agree on the importance of social media but a

unique idea among phone case customization companies is to attend events such as

concerts, races and such other events for on-site customization. Events will help

Kustomyze become more popular because if enough people see Kustomyze at events,

the company will get recognized when consumers see ads for Kustomyze on their

social media. This will help people remember Kustomyze next time they need a

customized phone or tablet case. For these events, Kustomyze would bring the heat

press machine with them and customize device cases right in front of customers. This

will make customers more interested in Kustomyze because they will be able to see

the action in a more personal setting.

The cost that goes into this varies from event to event, but we have rounded it out

to a range of about $200-$500, depending on fixed and variable costs.

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4. Key Tag discounts: a marketing tactic we think can help business is key tag

discounts. Any customer who gets key tags from Kustomyze can get a discount on

their future orders.

Key tags are $275 for 500 so this would be perfect for our $10,000 budget

5. Thank you email + Sample packages (box design)

6. Improve website

For Kustomyze.com

Promotion:

A well designed website makes your company look

more professional. Today, people expect to be

able to find what they are looking for quickly and

easily, if they can’t they will just go to another

site. Kustomyze must develop an elegant online

presence in order to attract customers and make

them stay longer in the site. According a Nelson Global Consumer Report in June 2010,

66% have purchased an online product of 81% of internet users who research products

online.10 One could argue that these statistics are higher today since shopping online has

10 "Global Trends in Online Shopping A Nelson Global Consumer Report June 2010." Gravitate Online. Orange Collar Media, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

36

become a trend with 56% of American adults

that are now smartphone owners11 and 4 out of

5 consumers that use smartphones to shop12.

For a well-designed website, Kustomyze should

follow these recommendations:

1) If you are trying to appeal to individuals

and businesses. You should give a choice to

the customer to tell you who they are at your

home page. There is certain information in

your website that individuals are not interested in as much as a businesses. For instance,

individuals that have a definite idea about what they are buying, are looking for a

website that is simple and easy to follow to make their purchase decision. Corporate

events should be a tab for the businesses page, and private events should be tab for the

individual’s page.

2) The Individuals page should consist of a 3 step process:

(i) Select your device and case

(ii) Design your case

(iii) Preview & purchase your case

Currently, Kustomyze’s website does not provide this service, but instead after clicking

“Place Order” in the right hand tab, the individual is informed that he/she has to place an

order directly over the phone. What if I cannot explain with my own words how I want my

case?

This format should be implemented not only in the website desktop presence but also

the mobile website. In fact as of 2012, 64% of smartphone owners were using their 11 Smith, Aaron. "Smartphone Ownership 2013." Pew Research Internet Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. 12 Rao, Leena. "ComScore: 4 Out Of 5 Smartphone Owners Use Device To Shop; Amazon Is The Most Popular Mobile Retailer." Tech Crunch. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

37

mobile devices to shop online13 (and the number keeps going up every year), and 57% of

consumers will not recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. Similarly,

40% of consumers will go to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.14

3) In a transaction with businesses, they tend to be more careful than individuals in

selecting their supplier or distributor. They want to choose a brand that provides quality

and good appearance products. Therefore, in the business page you would try to

introduce as much information about the products you deliver. This page should consist

of:

(i) Why us? Here you introduce your company and provide information about the

products you deliver. For instance, since some of characteristics that Kustomyze

want to use to differentiate itself in the market is “Made in the U.S.A” and “low

prices”. Therefore, you might want to highlight something like:

“KZ. Be YOUnique has yours needs covered. We offer only the highest quality

products made in the USA for your customer and the rock bottom lowest prices for

you”15.

(ii) Corporate events: this is page where you can give more information to businesses

about the services your company can offer. However, this should be more like an

informational page and not having a “view pricing” and “place order” tab under every

picture.

13 "M-Commerce Quadruples in Two Years." The Retail Bulletin. N.p., 24 May 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.14 Johnson, Lauren. "Google Exec: Mobile Changes a Brand’s Value Proposition."Mobile Marketer. N.p., 12 June 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.15 "Reiko Wireless Wholesale Cell Phone Accessories." Reiko Wireless Wholesale Cell Phone Accessories. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

38

(iii) The 3 step shopping process should have the

same appearance as the individuals’ one. In

addition to information about wholesale prices

and quantity discounts after reaching a number

of units or dollar sales.

(iv) This website should also have a “get a

sample now” tab only for businesses. This

concept is more visible and shows

businesses the confidence that this

company has about their products. As

result, this reinforces their judgment about

Kustomyze.

Price:

Redesigning the website with the extra features above should have an estimated

amount of $4,850:

(1).E-commerce shopping carts, catalogs, payment processing, an estimated amount of

$1,000.

(2). A Blog that shows testimonials and recommendations from previous customers, an

estimate amount of a $650.

(1) Social media: Create and manage social media network profile such as

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn etc. This has an

estimated amount of $500.

(2) New landing pages. An estimated about of $450 per page with a

total of $2,700.

- (3) Three step shopping process

- (1) Sign up or login39

- (1) Get a sample now

- (1) Why us?

This estimated amount is a quote from Executionists, Inc. This is an innovative

creative agency specializing in design, development, marketing, and client services.

B)For the $50,000 budget (in addition to the $10,000 budget)

50,000 BUDGET - (In addition to the $10,000 budget)ONLINE BRICK AND MORTAR

Target Tactic Cost Tactic CostIndividual 7. Big Idea  15,00

0BusinessesFor Both 8. Newspaper inserts $200-

$500

7. Big Idea

As previously touched on earlier on in the brief, our big idea is centered on the

idea that as time progresses forward, more and more people are beginning to

adopt Google Chrome as their web browser of choice. This being said, there is a

huge opportunity that, if taken advantage of, can be a golden token in the pocket

of Kustomyze. Google Chrome offers something known as the Chrome Web Store

which is essentially the equivalent of the App store for Apple products.16 We have

opted to create an extension which would be present for the downloader at any

time during their internet experience. The “KZ” icon, which is representative of the

Kustomyze brand, would be present at the top of the page in the toolbar and as

the downloader scrolls over any single picture on the internet, a small button will

appear in the top left hand corner. Upon clicking this button, the downloader will

be see a new window pop open containing that picture on the Kustomyze website

16 Chrome. “Chrome Web Store.” https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions. April 16, 2014. Web.

40

at which point he or she will have the opportunity to then complete their

customized order.

Price:

Creating an extension, based on the research I could find, costs the simple fee of $5, and

that is simply for the sake of having a start-up fee. However, this is IF you have the

knowledge to use things such as HTML and manifest.json very well. If you cannot, there

are a few websites who, for a price, can create the extension for you.

If you opt to create the extension yourself, the steps to complete it are listed on the

link: Lifehacker.com/5857721/how-to-build-a-chrome-extension/all17

You can also try to follow along for yourself through the tutorial Google provides:

https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/getstarted18

Product:

Extensions will add a new way for consumers to interact with Kustomyze by allowing

them to find any picture on the web and simply click the little “KZ” icon that will

appear in one of the top corners of said photo. By doing this they can easily, from any

site, design and order their customized phone case.

The Kustomyze extension will be located within the productivity section of the

Chrome Web Store, alongside websites that use similar tactics, such as Pinterest.

Promotion:

When a person has installed the Kustomyze extension, they will get bonus information

about a page.

After downloading the extension, an excellent bookmark becomes readily available to

the consumer. Once installed, it will always remind a user that your site exists and

17 Pash, Adam. “How to Build a Chrome Extension.” 11-09-11, 8:00AM. http://lifehacker.com/5857721/how-to-build-a-chrome-extension. April 16, 2014. Web. 18 Chrome. “Getting Started: Building a Chrome Extension.” https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/getstarted. April 16, 2014. Web.

41

that they can visit or utilize it. For instance in this case, any time a person runs their

mouse over a photo the “KZ” icon will pop up in one of the top orders creating

efficiency as well as a constant reminder that he or she can get a customized phone

case any time they choose.

Place/ Distribution:

The concept of our marketing team’s big idea is found within the Chrome Web Store

on Google Chrome. Much like the App store for iPhones, the Chrome Web Store allows

individuals to download an app, extension, or theme; of these we chose to adopt the

extension. Being as more and more people are beginning to opt for the Google

Chrome browser, we estimate that this investment will ultimately reach more

consumers and aid Kustomyze’s company in the long run.

Once an extension is downloaded, it will become permanently located at the top of

the page on the toolbar, directly by the URL of websites, easily reachable no matter

the page a person is on.

Millions of people search for extension in the Chrome Web Store every day, which is

exactly where these extensions will be located for purchase.19

Items supported by Google Wallet can be purchased by buyers in these regions:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong,

Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. 20

8. Newspaper inserts

Newspaper inserts would be a useful marketing tactic because this would spread

the word about the company. Newspaper inserts vary in pricing because it depends on

19 Chrome Extension Creator. “Creating a Chrome Extension.” http://chromeextensioncreator.com/. April 16, 2014. Web. 20 Google, Chrome Web Store. “About Google Wallet.” https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/1053354?hl=en. April 16, 2014. Web.

42

what kind of a newspaper it is and what size the ad itself is. A lot goes into determining

the price for a newspaper ad but an estimate would be around the price of $500 for a

local newspaper.

For the $100,000 budget (in addition to the $50,000 budget)

100,000 BUDGET - (In addition to the $10,000 and $50,000 budget)ONLINE BRICK AND MORTAR

Target Tactic Cost Tactic Cost

Individual

9. App for iPhone10. App for Samsung Galaxy11. App for Andriod12. App for Blackberry

9. Creating an App

The price of creating a well-designed layout app has rocketed. Now a

days phone apps are an easier way for consumers to purchase or get

something done without that task being extremely inconvenient.

However, there are some ways that you can get an App created for a low

cost; but that is not what we want to do. We want to create an App that

exemplifies that Kustomyze is all about perfection, which is key.

Spending money on a low cost web designer who is not going to be able

to deliver on the quality that we expect for our App is simply not worth it.

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By talking to some App developer companies, we know that the type of

App we want to get created can be done. However, the price is going to

change throughout the process depending on what we want the App to

do, what it will include, and how it will grow. There is, however, ballpark

figures, which can give us an idea of, how much we are talking about.

From research we estimate that our cost for the creation of our App will

roughly be between $50,000 to $150,000. This may seem like a lot of

money at first but we will only implement creating an App when we know

that Kustomyze has established and is generating the right amount of

income to not only to afford this but also to use this App to help

dominate the market.

Evaluation – Control and Update

We plan to sell of unit in one year: 250 for cellphone cases, and 150 for tablets. Total sales in one year will be $8995, after the production cost is subtracted the total profit will be $6495.

Increase brand market shares by roughly 10% after the first fiscal year and another 15% after the next two to five years.

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KUSTOMYZE. BE YOUNIQUE - MAY 2014 45