Week 12

So I had the hardest time trying to find any useful information searching through blogs dealing with Buckle. Most of the information I found seemed to deal mostly with people's opinions on the product, but did not specify anything that dealt with the actual store.

The problem is that the product offered at Buckle is often the product you can get on Ebay or discount stores like T.J. Maxx or Ross. A lot of people like the fit of the clothing, but are not willing to pay the price, so they look to where they can get what they want without spending the same amount of money. I was over-all pretty frustrated when it came to searching blogs with any helpful commentary, but I understood the purpose of doing this. I mean after all, the opinion of your publics is the most important aspect of launching a campaign to begin with. You do want to give everyone what they want and what better way to tdo so then listening to their direct comments.

Week 11

So there was a pretty cool sweepstakes going on at Buckle that ended on March 28. The BKE rev up your style sweepstakes consisted of an online and in store type of deal where you could win various prizes for just trying on the BKE brand of clothing. Just in case you guys were wondering, BKE is the house brand for Buckle.

I can understand that this could be a little hard to have the guys do, but I know the ladies love to try on clothes before they buy them. At least I do, and I know for a fact that a pregnant woman is not going to trust herself to just take a look at something and buy it without trying it on first. Where I'm getting at is that this sweepstakes is a great idea for not only product that has been out for a while, but could work really well with new product. If you try on a pair of Buckle maternity wear denim, shorts, shirts or skirts you could receive a scratch off card or official card in order to see if you are eligible for a 10 to 20 percent discount off of your purchase that day. You could even win a money or product prize. Sound like a good way to have people try on some clothes? I think so, I would at least because discounts are never out of style.

Week 10

I was at work on Saturday and noticed a few ladies come in, nothing unusual. What I hadn't noticed until I approached the group was that one of them was 5 months pregnant. I thought, well, here's my window of opportunity, I'll ask her some questions. Jennifer (very nice lady) was very responsive when I told her about my campaign idea to launch a maternity wear line in the Buckle stores and suggested that I pitch it to my manager. Honestly, not quite at that comfort level with Justin, but it was a nice suggestion
So, after that little encounter, I came up with what I would consider a pretty fun thing to do. Communication is key, and for most people face-to-face conversations are much more informative and convincing than a simple advertisement or event. I thought Buckle employees could have a training session built especially for the new line which would consist of approaching pregnant women and asking for their opinions on the launch. Kind of like the Dove Real Beauty campaign, I would focus on real pregnant women and what they really want from a maternity wear line of clothing. The sound bites and video footage of these women and their opinions could be of great help to the Web site and also for possible radio advertisements.

Good or no good?

Week 9

Numbers can be boring and that's what I find the most when I browse the Internet for any recent news about Buckle. Well, to my surprise I came upon a real article that didn't contain numbers, but a good chunk of fun information for all to enjoy! OK, it's more of a profile of Lori Cody, Buckle's director of advertising and it's a few years old, but it has some decent information.

So Buckle aims to please "guests" between the ages of 12 and 24, train "teammates" so that they are prepared to know every fit and style of denim available and is showing progress while doing so. It's like a little secret that isn't so secret anymore and for it to incorporate the new clothing line would make it even more widely known.

The article states that as a Kearney-based apparel retailer, it made $375 million in 2000 which ahs jumped to $530.1 million in 2007 selling clothing to Generation Y. Other retail stores may have all the name recognition, but Buckle is getting all the business. How you say without a very large marketing campaign? Word of mouth. One girl goes and drops $300 on three pairs of denim and tells her friend that instead of spending top dollar for Seven and True Religion Jeans, you can go to Buckle and get the same quality for less and still look hot. Same goes for the guys, you can walk out of there looking sharp and still have some cash left.

People starting a new family are all about saving, but that doesn't mean you have to stop looking good right?

Week 8

So I was a little stuck this week as far as content for my blog because my idea is so new to the company, I found it hard to find information pertinent to my campaign. Then came a little ray of light, thanks Marion ;)

So last week I thought a fashion show would be a great way to bring out the maternity wear line and let the future mommies participate, and guess what? Why not add some celebrity juiciness to the mix! I found this great blog about celebrity moms and their involvement in daily life with their lil' dudes and dudets. We all know that when you bring in a celebrity it can increase awareness of a product by 1000 percent so this would be a great move for Buckle.

Britt Koth along with Kelly and Sabrina (twins) from 8th and Ocean, a reality series on MTV, are currently the faces of Buckle. This is the target public guys and gals, the young, hip cute crowd and even if you haven't heard of Buckle, familiar faces will lead you their way.

Week 7

How about a Buckle maternity wear fashion show? Well, there are plenty going on for everyday clothing, why not for this as well right?

So B Scene, a part of the Buckle Web site, lets customers watch fashion shows online in order to increase their awareness of the latest trends the store is carrying during the season. I can't ever remember having seen a maternity wear fashion show, but after watching the videos of the Roxy and Fall 2006 style runway shows and seeing that most of the models where not rail thin and showed a little more personality in their step, I thought that the usual Buckle shopper would be open to an event like this. This would definitely allow the mom-to-be to visualize an outfit, feel as if they are being considered as actual fashionable women and even participate in the presentation of outfits they are and will be wearing for a decent amount of time. Open auditions could be held in malls around the 340 national stores making it a great marketing tool to put the new idea up in the air for the typical consumer to catch and hold on to the idea.

Week 6

So I was browsing the Internet and saw a ton of different maternity wear sites, but not just the boring kind, the actual "I would wear that if I were pregnant" kind. I started to think, wow, OK, so we can all shop online right? Well the difference I want to make is allow mother's to actually touch the clothes they will be wearing during these nine months of their lives. Incorporating the maternity line into the actual Buckle store locations would make it easier to try on and make sure the clothing fits correctly. There's nothing like the commodity of shopping online, but when you're body is changing in such a dramatic way, it's sometimes hard to calculate your jean size. Men, I don't expect you to understand, but ladies, you know what I'm talking about right?

Plus, there's a huge amount of maternity wear designers that don't get their product out in the open unless it is online or print, and what better way to increase customer awareness than sign up with a nationally known clothing company and increase your buying potential.

Week 5

As I began searching for a possible client, I honestly didn't know what route to take and wasn't sure if by the end of the time given to us I was going to choose the right one for me. I came to the conclusion that the easiest way to find out was to start of with the corporation I work for, Buckle Inc. Since this company already has large name recognition within the United States, I felt that in addition to the merchandise that it already carries, I would add in one more line of clothing, one that focuses on the future mothers of America.

This is a corporation that focuses on mostly a younger public, I would say between the ages of 15 to 35 or so, depending on personal taste. I thought since most young mothers-to-be are left shopping at stores that carry mostly drab fashion, I would allow them the option to go for something a little more modern and up-to-date. Since Buckle Inc. has its own brand of jeans, BKE, and it carries various other designer jeans such as Guess, Lucky Brand, Big Star and Silver along with accessories, tops, and men's wear, I believe adding maternity wear would be a great marketing tool to attract and hold on to a public that not only consists of an individual male or female, but a family.