Case Study: Blue jeans market

1. Identify the major competitors in the blue jeans market. Who has the leading market share, whose shares have declined? What segmentation is (has) occurring/occurred in the blue jeans market and why? Did demographic changes affect the market (from baby boomers to Gen X or Gen Y)? What competitive signs, symbols, events, or occurrences did Levi-Strauss miss? What current shifts in competition and channel power is occurring and what can Levi-Strauss do to minimize the impact from these changes?

There are many competitors in the blue jeans market. For instance, the popular brands of blue jeans include Diesel, Levis Strauss, Levis, Eagle, Signature and other brands. Among all of these brands of blue jeans, Levi Strauss & Co. is considered as one of the largest brand name in the world’s apparel market that has sales in more than 110 countries. The company has specifically targeted those customers who fall in the category of upper middle class and upper class. However, the company tends to focus more on people falling in the age group of 13-24 years which are mostly youngsters. But the company has also its product range for those individuals who are above 30 years of age.

On the other hand, the demographic shifts also tend to affect the market. Pertaining to demographic trends, they are related to the shifts in the gender, age, marital status, employment status, geographical location, race, health, and religion of the population. With the help of evaluating the demographic trends of customers as well as prospects, decision makers in business could effectively identify the changing needs in the market while adjusting to those needs. Hence, demographics could be used to increase the effectiveness o marketing with the help of assisting businesses by focusing new segments of customers with the right message at right time.

In the marketplace, there exists a rising novel company with new quality product while offering new style jeans. The company has been distributing its products with low price and with the high number of sellers so as to capture the market at first. In this case, the customer of Levis might attract to those jeans and might be the company would lose its customer as well as market share. Hence, the company has to continually update its product based on the current style and fashion. Also, the company has to maintain the brand personality in the market place in a manner that would enable people to feel that it is up to date and more ever they have to learn the customer behavior. On the other hand, the company has to continually update its technology while understanding the strengths and weaknesses of its competitors. Also, they require improving the channel of distribution. Finally, the company has to develop jeans wear for all by targeting a market segment. Hence product line must be increased.

2. The “form versus function” debate applies in many arenas, including marketing. Some marketers believe that product performance is the end all and be all. Other marketers maintain that the looks, feel, and other design elements of products are what really make the difference.

Take a position: Product functionality is the key to brand success versus product design is the key to brand success.

The “form versus function” debate about applies in numerous coliseums, including advertising. A few advertisers trust that item execution is the end all and be all. Different advertisers keep up that the looks, feel, and other outline components of items are what truly have the effect.

There can be both perspectives for and against this thought.

Outline is critical: Product plan components, for example, logos and bundling can be pretty much as essential to brand acknowledgment as the name. For instance, Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s are connected with a particular script, and the logos of BMW and BP might be in any event as capable as the names themselves.

Products have one of a kind qualities and particular brand recognizable pieces of proof that address purchasers’ issue that are not identified with functionability. Such needs as status, self-realization, and style speak to a wide gathering of people. For instance, most cars will perform the assignment of taking a man from point A to point B. Be that as it may, it is the configuration of the vehicles (particular make/sort: i.e. sports auto, extravagance auto) that speaks to the purchaser. For some customers style assumes a more vital part, for a few, the main part in their purchasing choice. An all-around planned item can likewise be a state of-distinction in the commercial center supporting buyer acknowledgment through its convenience, toughness, unwavering quality, or bundling. A very much outlined item can be an upper hand for smaller firms (Brunner, Ullrich, Jungen & Esch, 2016).

The best organizations on the planet comprehend that brand and business development don’t come about because of the sort of feeling that is made in a commercial. Rather, these organizations channel the greater part of their vitality into making glorious items that increase the value of, individuals’ lives. These brands have made unprecedented progress by satisfying an essential useful need. Buyers purchase items to fulfill a need. A purchaser utilizes items and chooses an item based upon their own particular utilization framework—the way the item is by the customer (getting the item, utilizing the item, and discarding the item). Moreover, the client esteem pecking order (center advantage, fundamental item, expected item, enlarged item, and potential item) goes into the basic leadership process for a purchaser. In this manner, an item should perform to an adequate level as indicated by the buyer’s impression of advantages in their client esteem chain of importance. A low value, low capacity item, similar to a dispensable razor must in any event perform the undertaking to which it was made. A more costly item, an electric razor, must meet the capacity to which it was made, despite the fact that these capacities are at a more elevated amount than the dispensable razor (Jindal, Sarangee, Echambadi & Lee, 2016). On the off chance that either item does not perform to the shopper’s fundamental item definition then the item will be disposed of and not re-bought.

Consider that Sony and Samsung improve designed cell phones and an entire scope of them as well—be that as it may, it is Apple’s iPhone that offers much better, despite the fact that one needs to take in an alternate working framework and the “Apple” method for doing things. Whether an item’s capacity or its appearance is the offering component has been a long standing verbal confrontation. At last, in the more extended run, a fruitful item needs to have both a decent appearance and striking performance.

References

Brunner, C. B., Ullrich, S., Jungen, P., & Esch, F. R. (2016). Impact of symbolic product design on brand evaluations. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 25(3).

Jindal, R. P., Sarangee, K. R., Echambadi, R., & Lee, S. (2016). Designed to Succeed: Dimensions of Product Design and Their Impact on Market Share.Journal of Marketing.