Bus wrapping

Since I started living in London a year ago, I have always been aware of the occasional fashion brand wrapping a bus. It is a form of a above-the-line advertising, and is essentially where the whole bus is covered with an advert instead of just a billboard on the side, usually supporting a current marketing campaign, and creating widespread awareness. Particularly if timing and placement is well planned, for example on buses during rush hour, and on the busiest routes in the capital city, the impact can be massive. 

The number of brands using bus wraps has rapidly increased since then, and on one journey alone I counted 7 different bus wraps including Miss Guided and Tommy Hilfiger, proving that it is a successful technique for a whole variety of brands including online, physical brands, highstreet, and luxury. 

There is little information available on bus wraps when searched on the internet, including on Arriva's (the bus company) website, however it goes without saying that this would be very costly and would only be accessible to brands with big marketing budgets. Because bus wraps are usually used in conjunction with other techniques to build momentum for a campaign, the return on investment would be hard to calculate, however you could use indicators such as how many times the hashtag on the bus (if any) is used. 

Miss Guided used these bus wraps (see picture below) during the lead up to the opening of their first brick and mortar store (and also their flagship) in November 2016 in London, Westfield Stratford City, so this was part of their countdown campaign. This was a good example of integrated, seamless communications, as they used hashtags on their buses which encouraged the audience to post on social media using these, creating a buzz around the launch. 

The bus also mimicked the packaging of their products ordered online (see picture below), merging offline and online, whilst displaying their fun, feminine and bold brand values. 

Their store pulls the whole campaign together, and their tone of voice is clearly directed at millennials (see picture below). I think they are following in the footsteps of Burberry, pioneer of digital marketing, by seamlessly merging the worlds of digital and physical, and I think their expansion into brick and mortar stores will be hugely successful. 

First pair of Louboutins!

Yes, I gave in. I could partly say that 'Instagram made me buy them'. 

I paid £625 for the nude patent 'Lady Peep' heels, 150mm. Being ALL over the media, I definitely didn't buy them to be unique or different. Working for House of CB, a brand that is so hot in the media with every kind of celebrity has also had impact because I am so much more aware of how i present myself, associations etc. Granted, this is a lot of money for a student to spend on a pair of shoes, but I was working full time hours over the christmas period and having no great dependancies or outgoings other than christmas presents, I thought I'd treat myself to something that I've wanted for ages.

Recently in one of my 'Fashion Psychology and Behaviour' lectures, lecturer Sharon Hughes said that to get to the real motivation and reasoning behind a purchase, ask why 100 times. Not literally but you know what I mean. So, here goes... 

Why did I buy a pair of Louboutins?

Because they make an outfit look more expensive compared to highstreet shoes, are glorified on social media by influencers, and are associated with having 'good' taste*. 

Why do I want to be perceived as having a good, expensive taste?

To be liked, aspired to, and accepted. This is the conclusion to a recent dissertation I wrote, all my friends and followers are millennials, millennials being the most materialistic generation. Everything we do it for acceptance and we are in competition to own the most expensive and fashionable clothes. 

Overall, do the Louboutins I bought reflect my economic position? No. Do they reflect my taste and where I see myself in the future? Yes.

After experiencing the whole process of purchasing luxury goods, from the warm welcome  of the security guard opening the door, to the french shop assistant putting the shoe on your foot, to the personalised wrapping your box I can understand how someone can get caught up in the world of luxury. It temporarily fulfils needs of achievement, importance, power, that the highstreet can't offer (even carrying the bags home I noticed people look at you differently!) I am already planning my next purchases.. a YSL clutch, Louis Vuitton silk shawl, Chanel espadrilles... all timeless pieces. 

*Good taste is defined by Bourdieu as an arbitrary construction of those from a privileged background i.e. luxury goods. 

Luxury goods are also closely linked to the term conspicuous consumption, coined by Veblen. We buy these conspicuous goods with distinct designs and logos that people know are expensive, again for acceptance and to be admired. 

Comfort blankets

Recently I have started to remove some of the things that I 'hide' behind in my day-to-day life, starting with my body image/ confidence which I have previously written about. For example, my waist trainer. I am a size 10- 12 so not overweight, an hourglass build, and I regularly go to the gym so my body is firm. Yet social media and influencers have made girls think that we need to alter and enhance our body shapes, drumming on the beauty ideal of big boobs, bum, but an out-of-proportionately small waist. To look 'cute', for acceptance. Waist trainers are the closest thing to real life photoshop, a comfort blanket. I have stopped wearing mine in circumstances where its just unnecessary, e.g. day-to-day sitting down at uni, at the gym, and it is liberating. People can see the real you. Don't get me wrong I still love a bandage dress on a night out which eventuates my body shape, but overall I am so much more confident... in approaching people, communicating, in myself and my own achievements etc. 

I have channeled this motivation into reading personal development books. To get me started, I have bought 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People', by Stephen R. Covey, 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill (recommended by Conna Walker, one of my key role models and CEO/ founder of House of CB), and 'How To Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age' by Dale Carnegie, all of which I will review when completed. 

One of my 2017 resolutions was 'balance'. I need to learn to compromise as I spend too long on little tasks in search of perfection, when really I will never be satisfied as everything can always be improved. For example, writing blogs... as I'm jotting down my thoughts, there is a 99% chance that I will save it as a draft, put it on a to-do list, and come back to it  later. There is also an element of procrastination. From now on I will aim to complete a task there and then, in search of efficiency. 

I have received my grades back from year 2, term 1... I achieved quite well considering the amount I had on my plate (B+). I was finding my feet trying to juggle uni and a part time job, but this term, term 2, I'm going to focus on my studies more because I know I am capable of achieving a lot higher, carry on with my healthy lifestyle and habits, and eliminate unnecessary distractions (but i'm not going to forget the motto work hard play hard... I'm an extrovert at the end of the day!). 

I also want to start saving a small amount of money every month so I can go on a couple of holidays/ weekend breaks this year. As much as I love clothes, I am starting to get envious of all the stories people tell from when they visited different corners of the globe... I feel this is going to be imperative in the next stage of my personal development and live experience (as well as acting as some form of motivation/ having something to look forward to!) 

I have also started building my professional network and social media accounts, in particular Linked In, this blog, and Pinterest. I'm a visual learner and creative thinker, so I am so inspired by a collection of images. One of my favourite fitness bloggers, Hollie Philippa (@HolliePhilippa on Instagram), always talks about 'inspiration boards' and having a visual goal to motivate you, which have proved to be hugely successful. I have made all of these accounts public and linked them on my CV and on each other so potential employees/ connections can see my visions and my personal brand. Particularly in a creative industry there will be lots of likeminded people who will value seeing my creative thoughts and direction. 

Motivations and inspirations

A little update... A week into my job search and I  landed my first choice job, a sales associate for House of CB's concession in Topshop's global flagship store, Oxford Street.

When I wrote a list of the brands I wanted to work for, House of CB was the first, followed by Victoria Secret, Sweaty Betty, Ted Baker etc... I knew that I was punching above my weight by applying to brands considered as 'affordable luxury' bearing in mind that I had next to no experience in the retail industry, let alone living in London where it is 10 x's more competitive with over 100 people applying for every role. I thought I would be forced to work at the lower end of fast-fashion in an un-inspiring, repetitive job such as Primark.

Nevertheless, I already knew my career goal was to be a marketing executive in the luxury fashion market in 20 years, so there was no harm in applying and trying to get my foot in the door. And I am so glad I did!! House of CB's brand couldn't represent me more... it is glamorous, feminine, creative and daring, so it is safe to say I will fit straight in. My passion and personality came across in my interview, I had done my research (even though I already knew a lot about the brand just from following them on social media) and I clicked with the interviewer (now my manager!) straight away because we had the same interests and genuine love for the brand.

Since sending out all my job applications, I have had interview offers from pretty much all of of the brands who I sent them to. I definitely underestimated myself! As hard as it was to reject them, obviously I'd love to work for all of them if I had the time, I had already just got my first choice and was extremely chuffed with myself. People have always said it is hard to get a job if you have no experience, however I now disagree. If you are truly the right person for the brand and your passion is genuine, brands are willing to give you the experience because you'll be hungry to learn the skills, fast.

I have also learnt that House of CB is an excellent case study for business expansion and digital innovation, an area I am extremely interested in and where I hope to pursue my career, therefore the brand will probably be mentioned a lot in my blog posts!

My two role models currently are Angela Ahrends (former CEO of Burberry) and Conna Walker (Founder, CEO and creative director of House of CB). Both strong, independent women who I feel I can relate to because we all have the same innovative, creative personalities. They inspire me to build a name for myself in the marketing world, to become a pioneer in digital communication, and maybe one day be a role model myself.

--- It is now about a month since my first shift with House of CB, and I had good intentions of writing weekly blog posts but I just haven't found the time. It has taken me this long to find my feet and get into a routine, having no days off being in uni 4 days a week and working the other 3 has not been easy, I admitted got a bit behind on uni work, but I am now catching up.

I have always said I'd rather be busy than bored. A few people have started to say to me 'you work too hard'!, including my friends when I say 'sorry I've got too much to do, I can't come out tonight!'. I just look at it as planning for the rest of my life. It was imperative that I got a job in retail and started gaining experience, and I am actually enjoying the responsibilities of adult life, learning about the retail environment, customers and other knowledge that will eventually be valuable in enhancing my career and working ability. Not forgetting the money I can now spend on even more clothes... believe it or not all the shopping I am now doing doubles up as market research... I am so much more aware of what marketing communications fashion brands are using at the minute!!