The Black: Branding and Marketing Strategies Report for London Startup

This report analyzes the branding and marketing strategies for a fast-fashion startup, 'The Black', targeting the menswear market in London. It explores customer engagement, market positioning, and the development of low-end street fashion. The report details the company's customer-centric objectives, focusing on providing quality menswear at affordable prices to attract price-sensitive customers. It also examines the branding framework, including the company's vision, culture, and the perception of stakeholders, especially customers. The report uses a strategy canvas to assess the effectiveness of the startup's strategies against industry standards. The report highlights the importance of customer satisfaction, a diverse workforce, and the development of a positive brand image. The report discusses the company's aims to expand into international markets and prioritizes long-term goals over short-term profits.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
Introduction
The branding and marketing activities of an organization are focused towards improving
the involvement of the customers and experiencing elevated sales. According to Shi and Miles
(2019), effective branding activities of an organization permits a business in empowering the
confidence of the customers towards the offerings made by the business. The extensive range of
marketing activities allows an organization in drawing the attention of the target customers while
improving the prospects of their sales in the international markets. Therefore, the report will take
the initiative of introducing a fast fashion startup, The Black, in London and introduce different
measures for marketing and branding the propositions of the organization with the purpose of
improving the sales figures while encouraging the engagement of the customers. The purpose of
the report is to identify the different processes that might be conducted by a startup for branding
and marketing their propositions in the concerned markets.
The Black
The Black is a startup organization in the markets of London which is focused towards
developing menswear relying on the shift of preferences and likeness of the males. The
organization is focused towards producing low end street fashion propositions that are easily
affordable by the people. The uniqueness of the menswear brand will be to provide the customers
with higher quality offerings in lower prices which is focused towards the adoption of cost
leadership strategies.
The common objectives of the organization will be:
 To devise low end street fashion menswear
 To develop improved quality propositions

2ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
 To provide the customers with better service assistance
Target customer
The target group of customers of the concerned organization would be people between
the age group of 22- 35 years males and are people indulged in educational or professional
practices and a low or medium income groups. The organization would be targeting the
customers mostly from the outskirts of London with lower disposable income. It has been
observed that most of the customers in UK or London feel insecurity towards investing huge
amounts for buying their necessities due to the uncertainties of the Brexit (Roberge and
Cespedes 2016). Therefore, the concerned organization would be considering the price sensitive
population while positioning their propositions in the London markets.
Customer-centric strategy objectives
The concerned organization would be making use of the psychological and behavioral
constructs of the target population while positioning their propositions in the markets. The
behavior of the population is specifically guided towards buying quality propositions at a
cheaper cost. Therefore, the organization would making use of the following strategic objectives
while positioning their propositions:
 The organization will be positioning the propositions with a lower price
 The organization would also take the initiative of positioning the propositions as quality
low end menswear brand
 Improving the satisfaction of the customers through efficient assistance and service
offerings

3ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
The lower price of the offerings would allow the organization in drawing the attention of the
price sensitive customers in London. The low priced propositions would increase the scope of
the organization in finding prospective buyers in the London markets. According to Rajagopal
(2019), in most cases, rather than paradoxical situations, the customers are more driven towards
lower priced yet quality offerings. Again, Tardan, Shihab and Yudhoatmojo (2017) observed
that the millennial population is specifically driven towards the experience that an organization
offers through the propositions and not the cost of the propositions for showing off the elegance.
The changing mentality of the millennial customers and the growing rate of price sensitivity
among the same would allow the organization in establishing their business effectively in the
London markets. Therefore, the lower priced propositions that would be devised by the
organization would help in gaining a significant amount of share in the concerned markets.
Again, the price considerations would allow the organization in gaining a competitive edge over
the existing apparel manufacturers and high end businesses.
Moreover, the proposition of improved quality fabrics while maintaining diversity of designs
would allow the organization in attracting the attention of the target audience while retaining
their trust and loyalty towards the brand. Mumi, Obal and Yang (2017) stated that the
improvements in the quality of the propositions allows a venture in competing with the high end
propositions in the markets while empowering their cost leadership position. Therefore, the
proposition of quality offerings would allow the business in improving the capability of the same
in elevating the market position of the same. Lastly, the improvement of the service quality and
assistance to the customers would allow the organization in retaining the commitment and
loyalty of the customers towards the brand image. Key (2017) stated that the conception of the
customers towards the brand image plays a vivid role in contributing to the sustenance of the

4ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
businesses. In this connection, the different changes that might be initiated by the organization
are based on improving the experience of the customers for influencing a positive brand image.
Branding framework
The branding framework of an organization particularly illustrates the vision of the
organization, the organizational culture and the perception of the stakeholders, specifically the
customers, towards the brand. According to Fedorko (2018), the different changes in the
organizational operations are based on the effective functioning of the different systems in
accordance with the common goals of the venture. Therefore, the section would enumerate the
branding framework of the concerned organization while discussing the different ways in which
it would assist the business in improving its sustenance.
Image of the
organization
Corporate
Culture
Vision of the
organization
Branding Framework
Fig: Branding framework
(Source: Author)

5ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
Vision of the organization
The vision of the concerned organization will be to increase the market share and expand
to the international markets. The long term vision of sustenance and growth in the organization
would support in increasing the market scope and targeting prospective customers. According to
Ceaușu et al. (2017), the vision of an organization supports in outlining the systematic activities
that might be conducted by the same with the purpose of supporting the continuous growth and
expansio0on of the venture. In this connection, the long term vision of the concerned
organization will be to make an expansion in the different international markets. Therefore, the
product and service propositions of the organization must adhere to the quality safety standards
of the business. Davcik and Sharma (2016) observed that the improvement in the quality of the
services and the product offerings allows an organization in retaining the loyalty of the target
group of customers while empowering the brand image.
The proposition of quality offerings would allow The Black in developing a loyal
customer base. Oliva et al (2019) observed that the retention of the loyalty of the customers
towards a brand minimizes the chance of shifts to another brand offerings and thereby creating a
fixed source of revenue for a venture. In this connection, the retention of trust and loyalty of the
customers towards the brand would allow the organization in improving their source of revenue
while funding the different developments that are planned by the business. According to Kumar
and Singh (2020), the short term profitability related vision of an organization helps in achieving
higher rates of profit but in most cases the businesses lose the trust and commitment of the
customers. In this connection, the concerned organization will be prioritizing the long term
sustenance related goals in the markets through expansion rather than short term profitability

6ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
related goals. The long term vision of the organization would allow the same in devising
sustainable strategies for growth and expansion of the venture in the future years.
Culture of the organization
The culture of the organization judges the systematic ways in which the processes are
operated while addressing the common goals of the business. In this connection, the different
changes in the organizational operations are reliant on the corporate culture and attitude of the
people towards the activities that are planned by the business. According to Round (2017), the
organizational culture guides the overall process design and the attitude of the people towards
work. In this connection, the activities in the concerned organization will be guided through
customer centric approach which would induce the “customer first” culture in the business. The
concerned organization will be developing different services and the propositions of the
organization would be designed in adherence with the interests and needs of the customers.
According to Yusendra, Paramitasari and Rahmawati (2020), the customer centric operations of
an organization enables the same in increasing the efficiency of the business. Therefore, the
imposition of the customer centric approach in the concerned organization would guide the
process design towards fulfilling the current needs and demands of the customers.
The organization would be maintaining a diverse workforce while inducing collaboration
and coordination among different people in the workforce. The diversity inclusion, collaboration
and coordination among the employees would allow the organization in winning over the trust
and confidence of the employees and empowering their activities. Moreover, the organization
will be inducing and promoting inter-trust, integrity and honesty as the major values in the
organizational systems with the purpose of maintaining the trust and coordination among the
employees and the management.

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According to Pitt and Kietzmann (2019), the induction of values and ethics in the
organizational processes is a key takeaway that is framed by organizations with the purpose of
boosting the operational processes. The development of honesty, integrity and diversity related
aspects while focusing towards a customer centric approach would allow the organization in
improving the overall brand image of the same. The absence of deceptive service propositions
would allow the organization in gaining over the trust and confidence of the customers while
contributing to the efforts related to branding. Therefore, the improved corporate culture of the
organization will assist the business in improving their market scope while devising a positive
brand image.
Image of the organization among the stakeholders
The perception of the stakeholders towards an organization empowers the branding
activities of the same while operating as per the common goals of the venture. In this connection,
most companies take the initiative of devising their services and other propositions through a
close study of the behavior among the stakeholder groups. The most important stakeholder group
that creates a perception towards an organization base on its offerings is the customers.
According to Vaughn (2016), if an organization fails to satisfy the needs of a customers for the
first time, the customers make up a perception that the brand propose worthless commodities,
which might damage the brand value of an organization. In this connection, Gröhn (2017) also
opined that the perception of the customers are important for shaping the activities of an
organization or a brand offering. The concerned organization will be offering low end menswear
yet with improved quality. The proposition might significantly create interest among the price
sensitive customers of the business. The organization will be taking the initiative of providing
their customers with improved service offerings which would again contribute to the brand

8ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
image and perception of the target audience. Therefore, the concerned organization would be
taking the necessary steps like improving the overall assistance along with service and product
quality to improve the perception among the customers towards the brand offerings.
Strategy canvas
The strategy canvas of an organization particularly weighs the efficiency of the strategies
that are imposed by an organization against the standard strategies that are applied in the industry
or other organizations. In this connection, the strategy canvas of the concerned organization will
be developing an insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies that are planned by
the business against the other competing organizations. The startup, with lower funding capital,
might face restrictions while empowering the R&D operations and diversifying the propositions
to the customers. It might affect the capability of the organization in attracting the attention of
large number of customers. According to Roundy (2017), the diverse range of propositions and
frequent innovations in the line of offerings allows an organization in increasing the
effectiveness of the business operations. The concerned organization’s absence of abundant
capital funding might affect the capability of the business in improving their scope of innovation
and thereby would encounter reduced sales volume. However, the organization focused towards
delivering quality propositions to the customers in lower price, the increase in the operational
expenses might create hindrances to gain sustainable edge. The absence of adequate networking
and capital funding might also restrict the capability of the organization in making their
propositions available in multiple stores in different locations. The lower availability of the
propositions that would be made by the organization might result to the customers switching to
other alternatives.

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Price
Variety of proposition
Cost control
Service Portfolio
Continuous innovation
Promotions
Quality of propositions
Funding capital
Multiple distribution channels
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
The Black
The industry
Fig: Strategy Canvas
(Source: Author)
SMART marketing objectives
Marketing
strategies
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time bound
Product Developing
wider range
of low end
menswear
Increase in
the market
demand by
10%
The
organization
might
implement
automated
mechanisms
and improve
R&D measures
The
development
of wider
range of low
end
menswear
propositions
would allow
The time
frame that
might be
applied for
the
completion of
the activity
will be 3

10ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
to produce
wider range of
low end
menswear
the
organization
in widening
the scope of
the target
audience and
the sales
which would
significantly
contribute to
the revenue
earnings of
the business
months
Price The
organization
will be
keeping the
price of the
commodities
lower than
that of the
competitors
The lower
price of the
propositions
would allow
the
organization
in driving the
sales volume
by 7%
The cost
cutting
capability of
the
organization
and
minimization
of wastes from
the different
activities
The
minimized
price of the
propositions
would allow
the
organization
in attracting
the attention
of the target
The activity
would be
completed
within 1
months time

11ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
would allow
the
organization in
minimizing the
price of the
propositions
base of price
sensitive
customers
and
increasing the
overall
sales .volume
Promotion To develop
brand
awareness
among the
customers
The
organizational
promotion
based
activities
would allow
the business
in increasing
the customer
engagement
by 12%
The wider use
of social media
platforms and
the recent
developments
in the digital
platforms
would allow
the
organization in
boosting their
capability of
promoting the
propositions
effectively
The improved
rate of
promotion
among the
target
audience
would allow
the
organization
in enhancing
brand
awareness
and customer
engagement
for boosting
the sales
The complete
activity
would be
undertaken
by the
concerned
organization
within the
time frame of
2 months

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volume
Distribution The
organization
would
facilitate
multi-
channel
distribution
Improving the
availability of
the products
in the markets
by 16%
The
organization
might take the
initiative of
consulting and
communicating
with different
supermarket
chains apart
from opening
their own
physical stores
in the
convenient
locations and
basic e-
commerce
selling
The multi-
channeled
distribution
would allow
the concerned
organization
in improving
the capability
of the
business in
making their
propositions
widely
available in
the markets
for boosting
their sales
figures
The complete
activity will
be completed
by the
organization
within 1
month
Marketing strategies with tactics
Product:

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The organization will be offering low end menswear propositions in London. However,
the lack of diversity in the propositions might affect the capability of the business in improving
their market share. In this connection, the concerned organization might take the initiative of
making use of auto- tech machineries for improving their productivity. On the other hand, the
organization might empower the R&D operations with the purpose of improving the diversity of
propositions and adhering to the changing preferences of the male customers.
Price:
The concerned organization will be proposing their offerings in lower prices than that of
the existing players in the market. However, the increased operational expenses of the
organization might restrict the capability of the venture in maintaining the price leadership
strategy while implementing compet6itive pricing. Therefore, the concerned organization might
consider cost cutting and minimizing the wastes from the different processes with the purpose of
stabilizing the capability of reducing the price of the commodities. The price leadership strategy
of the organization would allow the business would thereby support the same in increasing the
sales revenue and overall sales figures annually.
Promotion and Media tactics:
The organization will be considering the utilization of wider range of social media
platforms with the purpose of improving the scope of brand awareness among the target
audience. According to Vaughn (2016) the use of wider promotional activities permits an
organization in improving the brand awareness among then target customers in relatively lower
cost. In this relation, the concerned organization will be utilizing the following tactics that would
support in improving their promotional activities.

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 Press release: The concerned organization would make a press release in the first week
of the promotional campaign while making the target audience aware of the goals and
propositions of the business.
 Advertisement: The organization would be devising a 2 minutes advertisement where a
celebrity would be casted. The storyline would revolve around the evolution of the
celerity from a loser in the classroom to a fashion quotient in the university campus
through the low end menswear that are proposed by the business. The story telling
capability of the organization would specifically judge the effect on the audience while
operating as per the common goals of the venture.
 Streaming advertisement videos in the social media: The organization would be
streaming the advertisement videos in the social media channels like Facebook, YouTube
and Instagram for drawing the attention of the target audience towards the attractive
propositions that the business offered. The wider promotions in the social media channels
would allow the business in drawing the attention of huge number of customers towards
the valued propositions.
Place
The organization will be consulting and negotiating with different supermarket chains
with the purpose of increasing the availability of the products in the physical markets apart from
e- commerce. The increased availability of the products in the markets would allow the business
in maximizing the scope of sales.
KPIs
 Increase in market demand by 10% within the next 6 months

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 Elevation in the sales volume by 7% within the next 3 months
 Improved brand awareness among the customer by 6% within the next 3 week
Time plan
Activities
Mont
h 1
Mont
h 2
Mont
h 3
Mont
h 4
Mont
h 5
Mont
h 6
Mont
h 7
Mont
h 8
Mont
h 9
Month
10
Month
11
Month
12
Needs analysis
Consultation
with
stakeholders
Developing
Plans
Budgeting
New product
development
Pricing
considerations
New product
pilot testing
New product
commercializin
g
Promotions
through press
release
Promotion
through social
media
Consultation
with
Supermarket
chains
Distribution to
supermarket
chains
Developing E-
commerce
distribution
Monitoring
sales
Devising
control
mechanisms
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above assessment it might be stated that the concerned startup
business, The Black, might face significant concerns relating to the insufficiency of capital

16ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
funds, R&D measures and increasing operational costs. However, the research developed a set of
activities and tactics that might be considered by the business for overcoming the barriers. The
report identified the nature of the business and the low end propositions that will be offered by
the organization in the markets of London. The research also developed an assessment of the
target market and the brand framework. Therefore, the overall research generated a set of
strategies that might be considered by the organization for maintaining the brand image and the
long term sustenance in the markets.

17ORGANIZATIONAL BRANDING
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