2. PAGE 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary P. 3
Marketing Objectives P. 4
Steps to a Paying Customer
Marketing Strategy P. 6
Customer Profile
Product Perception
Marketing Mix
Product/Service
Price
Place
Production
Marketing Budget and Financials P.10
Marketing Budget
About the Founder P.11
Works Cited P.12
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We have a problem, as a matter of fact, a pretty big one. This problem is effecting nearly
fifty percent of our world’s population, one citizen at a time. While it may not effect certain
individuals as much as others, this problem comes in many different shapes, sizes and colors.
Worst of all, this problem comes in pairs. Thousands of women across the globe struggle with
asymmetrical breasts. Breasts are like snowflakes; no two are the same. As the current
generation of comedians would say, “the struggle is real”.
According to our research and conducted interviews, some of the struggles that
accompany asymmetrical breasts include a lack of affordable bras available, in addition to a
scarce amount of bras offered with excess padding in one cup. While most men may assume
this revolutionary product does not apply to them, it is crucial to remember the importance of
the women in their life. As famous comedian, Paul Orfalea stated, “happy wife, happy life”
(good reads). One may ask, how do we solve this problem?
Introducing: The Switch Clip Bra. This product features a versatile bra with a clip in both
the front and back- allowing the customer to easily remove one cup and replace it with one that
is their true bra size. Not only does The Switch Clip Bra feel comfortable, it provides proper
support for women and their breasts in a sleek fashion. For most women, a bra is a necessity. A
study conducted by Swiss lingerie company, Triumph, surveyed 10,000 women and proved that
nearly 64% of women are wearing ill-fitting bras (Huffington post).
There is a growing importance as to why women need to make the transition to a more
supportive bra. Women health and lifestyle specialist, Dr. Gayane names some of the effects of
wearing an ill fitting bra as the following:
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH AN ILL FITTING BRA
Sagging Breasts
Blockage of the Lymph Nodes
Skin Abrasions
Back Pain
While this contraption may seem simple, for centuries there has been controversy over
whether or not they have been doing their job. Women love them or women hate them- yet
they continue to settle for something uncomfortable, expensive and lastly, ill fitting. The target
market of The Switch Clip Bra includes women all across the world. Being that not every single
female in the world wears a bra or can afford our product, this creates a more narrowed
market with a target age range of 16 – mid 50’s. Women in this age range can utilize The Switch
Clip Bra to support, life and shape their breasts.
Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Portland, Oregon states that nearly
90% of women have two different sized breasts (real self). Current lingerie stores such as
Victoria’s Secret currently dominate the market; however, there is one key component they are
missing. Bra’s just like breasts, change over time. Prior to our decision to partner with the well
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established bra-retailer Victoria’s Secret, we realized that these existing markets only provide
women with one option: to re-purchase and invest in bras that can cost anywhere from forty
dollars to one hundred dollars. Our customer discovery found that our customer are willing to
pay for a properly fitting bra within this price range, however, one hundred dollars is
completely unreasonable. Below demonstrates the average price and responses identified
through our potential customers.
NAME AMT CURRENTLY SPENT AMT WILLING TO SPEND
Jennifer H. $30 - $40 $50 - $60
Taylor R. $40 $50 - $60
Margaret M. $45 - $50 Up to $60
Michaela H. $30 - $40 $60
Mary Beth C. $50 $75
Placing The Switch Clip Bra within a store such as Victoria’s Secret gains instant access to a large
majority of the market, being that women continually return to the same retailers for their
lingerie needs, as demonstrated through our potential customer research and discovery. The
Switch Clip Bra will be sold as two separate cups, with a price set at $24.25 per cup ($48.50
total). The front portion of the bra will feature a durable plastic clip allowing the users to place
the bra within the washing machine for repeated usage.
Women already have enough to worry about. The Switch Clip Bra values the multitude
of responsibilities that women have and work towards creating the most comfortable
undergarment experience possible. While this concept may be a simple solution to a large
problem, we believe women will choose our product over others due to our continual
dedication to improve our product and satisfy as many women as possible. Future plans include
expanding the amount of products offered, including accessories for the Switch Clip Bra such as
invisible straps, replacement clips, extender straps, multiple colors and more.
The Switch Clip Bra is a dual clip bra with interchangeable clips designed for frustrated middle
class women who suffer from two different sized breasts and do not wish to over spend on a
custom made bra.
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MARKETING OBJECTIVES
Receiving our first paying customer at The Switch Clip Bra will be a fairly complex and lengthy
process. The following is a list of action items that will need to take place leading up to our first
paying customer.
Steps to A Paying Customer
5. PAGE 5
- Continue Customer Discovery
o Take my current design and allow customers to try it on and give feedback. This
is a critical step to take prior to placing my product for sale. I want to ensure that
my bra accurately lines up with the values of my company. In addition, I want to
ensure that my bra will provide proper support and durability, as promised.
o A second portion of my customer discovery will include ensuring that my
customers are willing to pay the final price I have set for The Switch Clip Bra. If
so, then I am ready to move on to the next step. If not, I would re-do A/B Pricing
Testing to ensure that I land upon the perfect price range for my bra.
I plan to complete customer discovery by June 1st, 2016.
- Produce Physical Product
o Once I receive my final information from customer discovery, I plan to work with
a seamstress to produce a physical example of my product. This product will
allow me to analyze how well my design works, double check my pricing and
make alterations on the materials used to create my product. Depending on the
availability and cost to produce this physical product, I would like to produce
numerous different styles of my product to allow my potential customers to
experience different iterations of The Switch Clip Bra. I plan to produce 200 of
my physical product.
I plan to produce a physical product by August 1st, 2016.
- Test My Physical Product with Potential Customers
o Once the seamstress completes a couple iterations of my product, I plan to
distribute them to numerous potential customers so I can receive feedback on
the functionality of my product. I will give my customers a month to test out this
my product and will provide feedback sheets for them to fill out. There will be 10
total women who will receive a physical product to test, each with different age
ranges. Each of these women will receive a $20 Visa Gift Card for participating in
this research. This totals in a $200 investment in the functionality of my physical
product.
I plan to complete testing my physical product with potential customers
by September 1st, 2016.
- Sell to Potential Customers
o Once I test my physical product with potential customers, I plan on selling my
bra to friends, family and those of the Winter Park and Rollins College
community. I plan to sell the bra at half price, allowing my customers to know
that they are receiving this premium product at an awesome discount, hopefully
sparking more interest and creating more desire for the bra. I plan to sell the
remaining 190 bras over the course of two months.
I plan to finish selling to potential customers by November 1st, 2016.
- Gather/Analyze Feedback, Record Success of Product, Create Report
o After selling 190 Switch Clip Bra’s to potential customers, I will reach out and
gather feedback on the durability of the bra, how often they wear it, how this
bra compares to other bras they have worn, etc. I will record my results and
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determine whether or not my product was liked by my consumers and develop a
report of my results. Assuming the results are positive, this report will later be
presented during partnership negotiation meetings.
I plan to gather feedback, record my success and summarize my results
by December 1st, 2016.
- Begin Negotiations with Victoria’s Secret
o I will begin negotiations with Victoria’s Secret through contacting people
through local stores, hopefully placing me in contact with higher up people who
work in product development and partnerships. I am willing to sell my product
and idea to this company, as I believe they would be able to find more success
with it than I would alone.
I plan to begin negotiations with Victoria’s Secret by January 1st, 2016. I
suspect this process will take at least a year.
- Redesign Product According to Negotiation and Deal Made
o Assuming a deal is signed with Victoria’s Secret, I would work with their product
developers and designers to create a Switch Clip Bra that uses their materials
and products. I do not suspect that a lot of changes will be made in the structure
of the bra, more so the colors and fabrics used.
I plan to redesign my product according to my negotiations with
Victoria’s Secret by January 1st, 2018.
- Produce Final Product Agreed Upon During Partnership Negotiation
o After designing the new product on paper, we will begin mass producing this
product in factories designated by Victoria’s Secret.
I plan to produce the final sellable product agreed upon during
negotiations by March 1st, 2018.
- Begin to Sell Product in Brick and Mortar
o Once the product is produced, we will ship the products to stores and they will
be released with the summer collection.
I plan to begin selling my product in brick and mortar Victoria’s Secret
stores by April 1st, 2018 during the summer collection launch.
It will take a little less than two years for my product to reach stores; therefore, I will not
receive my first paying customer until the launch of the product on April 1st, 2018.
MARKETING STRATEGY
As previously mentioned, my target market is huge. The following displays the breakdown of
my target audience for my product.
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1. Any human with breasts
a. Women
i. Women that wear a bra
1. Women that wear a bra who struggle with asymmetrical breasts
a. Women that wear a bra who struggle with asymmetrical
breasts who can afford a price range of $40-$50
According to my customer discovery, most women consider a bra a necessity, therefore
allowing my company and Victoria’s Secret to focus on educating women on the importance of
properly supporting their breasts. The age range of women that I will be targeting ranges from
16-mid 50’s, the same target age ranges that Victoria’s Secret focuses on. This market segment
is unique due to the fact that it covers a large majority of the population. The smaller segment
of women listed in the final bullet point are primarily middle class women who shop in
shopping malls or online for their bra needs. These women have a variety of daily activities and
jobs, ranging from students, business professionals to stay at home moms.
Customer Profile
My customer is likely to purchase or invest in a new product.
My customer most commonly hears about a new product through social media
platforms.
My customer receives the most information about new products through social media
platforms.
My customer checks their e-mail more than once a day.
My customer checks their social media platforms more than once a day.
My customer does not watch television with advertisements very often, if so they do
about once a week.
The influences that impact my target customer to purchase a new product include television
advertisements, social media campaigns and email advertisements with coupons attached. I will
reach my customers through these three channels and the already existing Victoria’s Secret
platforms.
Product Perception
Here at The Switch Clip Bra, we recognize the numerous tasks and responsibilities incurred
during the day to day life of our potential customer. That being said, through our partnership
with Victoria’s Secret, the most shopped at store for lingerie needs according to our customers,
women will not feel as though they have to take a risk buying a bra from a new company.
The features deemed important through our potential customers included durability, proper
support/padding and numerous colors. Most bra selling companies include these basic
features, however, they are missing the component of two different sized cups for women to
choose from.
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The chart below demonstrates the numerous features of The Switch Clip Bra, in addition to the
customer benefits.
FEATURE BENEFIT
Per Cup Sizing Tailors to the Brest Size of Customer
Clip in Front Easy Application or Removal
Low/Average Price Minimal Loss If Dislike Product
Sold in Victoria’s Secret Does Not Have to Relocate for Needs
Offered in Numerous Colors Perfect Color for Every Skin Tone
Removable Straps Two-In One Use
Marketing Mix
Product
The Switch Clip Bra is a dual clip bra with interchangeable clips designed for frustrated middle
class women who suffer from two different sized breasts and do not wish to over spend on a
custom made bra.
The photographs below demonstrate the clip in both the front and the back.
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Price
Pricing of the Switch Clip Bra
NAME OF BRA PRICE AT V.S.
Push Up $64.50
Full Coverage $52.50
Demi $48.50
Unlined $39.50
Strapless $49.50
Racer back $39.95
Multi-Way $32.95
Lace $49.95
Sports $32.50
Bralette $32.95
Average Cost of Bra at Victoria’s Secret: $44.28
- $20 per cup
- Fixed Costs: wire ($2), clips ($0.50), material ($3-5), padding ($1-2) = $6.50 – $9.50
- Variable Costs: extra embellishments, materials, etc. ($0)- not starting until after
released
- Average Profit: $30.50 (min) - $33.50 (max) per bra (2 cups)
- My Cost: $40.00
- V.S. Average Cost: $44.28
o Conclusion: My cost is below the average.
It is easier to go above the average than to lower the cost.
The buyers benefit is large- this is something women consider a
necessity. It is easier to raise the prices due to popular demand.
Adjusted Switch Clip Bra Pricing
- Minimum Price: $40 ($20/cup)
- Maximum Price: $54 ($27/cup)
o FINAL PRICE OF BRA LAUNCHING SUMMER OF 2017: $48.50
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Place
The customers will be able to receive my product through one of the hundreds of Victoria’s
Secret brick and mortar stores located in shopping malls and outlets around the United States,
Canada and London. The Switch Clip Bra will not be launched until a year of experience in store,
therefore it will launch on www.victoriassecret.com in summer of 2019.
Production
We plan to reach our customers through three campaigns. Those campaigns include e-mail
blasts, social media platforms and Pandora Radio advertisements. The breakdown of costs and
further information about these campaigns can be found in the section titled: Marketing
Budget and Financials.
MARKETING BUDGETAND FINANCIALS
Through customer discovery, we were able to determine that the target customers of The
Switch Clip bra rely on the following platforms for the majority of their information on new
products. We assume that each of the following platforms will produce an equal amount of
interest in the product.
Marketing Budget
The following is a breakdown of the costs associated with marketing for The Switch Clip Bra.
The three main platforms we will be using for advertising include Social Media Campaigns, E-
Mail blasts and Pandora Radio Advertisements.
Programs Actions Cost
Social MediaCampaign(5
postsper week)
Photographer/EditorPay($30/hr.- 2 hrs./day)
, Social MediaTeam Pay($10/hr.- 1 hr./day),
Pay to BoostPosts($15 on Facebook- once
perweekcost) $365/week
Email Advertisement
(twoemailsperweek)
Web/Email Designer($20/hr.- 2hrs/day),
SubscriptiontoMail Chimp(FREE) $200/week
PandoraRadio
Advertisement(one
recording/advertisement)
RecordingStudioFee ($300/hr.)- 3 hours,
VocalistforAdvertisement($20/hr.- 3 hours),
Editorof Advertisement($30/hr.- 3 hours),
Fee PerAdvertisementtoPlay($1000/week)
$2,070
total
Total $2,635
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The costs associated with Social Media Campaigns are fairly low. Being that Victoria’s Secret
already has its own social media platforms, we will not have to hire anyone or spend time
creating or building those platforms. Instead we will allocate costs towards paying a
photographer to photograph The Switch Clip Bra and edit the photos. In addition, the members
of the social media team will be paid per time they spend posting which should total around
one hour per day. The social media campaigns associated with Victoria’s Secret include twitter,
Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
E-Mail advertisements are the simplest yet effective way to reach our customers. Being that
using the company Mail Chimp is completely free, the only costs associated with the e-mail
advertisements is the salary of the web/email designer who will focus on creating appropriate
formatting that will appeal to our potential customers.
The Pandora Radio Advertisement, while it is more informational than the other
advertisements, has the greatest amount of costs associated with it. The costs associated
include a recording studio, a voice for the advertisement, an editor for the advertisement and
the fee introduced by Pandora Radio for playing our advertisement on their station.
Using data analysis websites and excel spreadsheets, we will be able to track the success of our
marketing campaigns, allowing us to make adjustments accordingly.
ABOUTTHE FOUNDER
A current student studying Business Management and Communications, our founder, Reagan
Campbell is an ambitious 19-year-old who plans to graduate in May of 2017. She stumbled
upon the idea of The Switch Clip Bra in a casual conversation with her mother, leading to a
number of ideas, eventually landing upon the final product discussed in this marketing plan.
Reagan aspires to apply her education as a Fashion Rep in Los Angeles, eventually working
towards opening her own retail store. She has worked numerous jobs which allow her to grow
The Switch Clip Bra business, including being a manager and social media team member at
Orlando’s #1 Women’s Clothing Store- Sophie & Trey. Last summer, Reagan spent time working
with a nationwide roofing company, helping to develop and grow their social media presence.
Lastly, Reagan has her certification in Human Centered Design Thinking from the Florida
Hospital Innovation Lab- allowing her to apply her knowledge on sustainable business growth to
the Switch Clip Bra company.
As her company grows, Reagan plans to add more ambitious, ready to work members to her
team. The positions she plans to fill include the following:
- Social Media Coordinator/Team
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- Marketing Chair
- Full Time Seamstress
- Production Head
- Bra Designer
- Data Analysis Specialist
Reagan expects her product to reach her first paying customer by summer of 2017. She hopes to
continue growing her team before then, ensuring that she is prepared for rapid growth
associated with the launch of her product.
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WORKS REFERENCED
http://www.vault.com/company-profiles/retail/victorias-secret-stores,-llc/company-
overview.aspx
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/152247-happy-wife-happy-life
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/27/wrong-bras-fitting-help_n_4673417.html
http://www.healthywomen.org/content/ask-expert/1293/uneven-breasts
https://www.realself.com/question/common-breast-asymmetry-women
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/07/4-signs-youre-wearing-the-wrong-bra-size/
