Why Sportsgirl kept the same marketing strategy for 70 years
Despite targeting a new generation of females, fashion label Sportsgirl has maintained its branding and marketing approach for decades, with the retailer revealing the strategy helps it stand out from global brands seeking Australian customers.
Stevens said: “by clearly and simply defining our brand personality and understanding exactly what we represent to our customer and sticking to it.”
Speaking at yesterday’s Mumbrella Retail Marketing Summit Anna Stevens, group strategic brand manager at Sussan and Sportsgirl said instead of shifting strategies to keep up with new market players, Sportsgirl differentiated its brand “by clearly and simply defining our brand personality and understanding exactly what we represent to our customer and sticking to it”.
“Our marketing strategy really hasn’t changed in 70 years. At Sportsgirl we believe it’s vitally important to remain true to our core brand values and absolutely consistently stick to our brand personality – that’s so we are clearly differentiated from all the global brands now coming to Australia.”
Stevens also highlighted the iconic Sportsgirl bag with coloured stripes, noting it forms a key part of the brand and its advertisements, appearing in every campaign since the brand launched.
“We are not solely driven by product or price, we are a brand and personality-driven company and always have been – ever since the company was started, that’s what Sportsgirl has always been about,” Stevens said of the consistency.
Belinda Waller, general manager of marketing at Jeanswest, also highlighted a strong heritage and brand consistency as keys to success in the retail environment, but noted her brand is fighting the fast-fashion frenzy by telling the story behind the clothes’ production.
Waller said: “Consumers and customers are demanding more and more to know where products are made.”
“Consumers and customers are demanding more and more to know where products are made, how they are made and just make sure what brand they are buying into they can be proud to wear it and really confident its been done in the right way,” Waller said.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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