Flagship Brand Store
Introduction
The symbols that arise with flagship has become well-defined aspect of commercial and cultural life, acquiring with extensive associations with prominent and iconic places. Flagships fill people’s day to day life, taking the form of stores, as well as hotels, cultural centers as well as the whole cities that bring about consumption of goods, experience and processes. This paper will attempt to focus on the symbolic features that are in the flagship brand stores and try to analyze them (Dolbec, and Chebat, 2013). This analysis will focus on varied symbols as well as aim to offer support using examples from the US and UK. The paper will go ahead and display if these symbols have been effective in the areas they have been used. From this their impact of the retail fashion industry will have been discussed.
Flagship Brand Store, Symbolism and Analysis
Flagship developments are applied as change agents that envisage regeneration or growth and take up an iconic status where people get into a different world. They can be unique areas, a flagship store or hotel that is described by its location and position in the market place. Though, not long ago some flagships have been conceived and modelled as famous destinations; these are supermarkets and shopping area that are integrated in our society (Christopher et al, 2010). These places are normally huge and have an imposing factor, though they can be small, meeting the needs of a small section of people in the market. In all of their locations, flagship brand stores has the effect of spreading to other places in the retail chain. They are quite appealing and adapt to forming new identities.
The concept of project-based flagship growth has its origin in Baltimore in the 70s where it was applied to regenerate the city’s urban growth. Due to its growth of varied centers, the city has produced a number of development among them marina, hotels and leisure facilities. In the United States, the reuse of old structures, mills and retail facilities were a common thing. A good example is the Boston’s Quincy Market that offered a vital base for the regeneration of Boston downtown taking into consideration its geographical base which was at the city center. Additionally, the redevelopment of London’s Covent Garden arose due to this operation in the UK.
The flagship projects have acquired the symbolist meaning of ‘major, high profile developments’ which are vital and play a catalytic role in urban growth (Schiffman, and Kanuk, 1999). This can be justified if they appeal to investors; they are attributed to elements; they are developments by themselves that may not stand by themselves; it’s a base for investment for the city and the main objective of flagship is to result to development above its own right. Generally, these projects integrate certain regenerational roles and symbolic values.
The concept has gone ahead to accept an extensive array of areas and industries. Theme parks are attributed to as flagships in the aspect of tourism growth. While whole cities are flagships for a country’s or culture’s projects. The government in a country use cultural flagship of change in areas with industries setup, a good example is Guggenheim Museum located in Bilbao (Hines, and Bruce, 2007). Additionally, cities of culture located in European nations are to some extend describe through the branding methods applied using commercial and ‘star’ models. Airport structures go on to be seen by airlines as areas well for positioning and branding and the unique architecture of company’s headquarters that symbolize their companies.
Taking into consideration economic factors, they are vital in most of these programs, we shift our focus to retailing and growth of flagship stores from a marketing point of view. In a strategic basis, there is a positioning connection between store and location. In regards to fashion designer-based stores location, inner design and windows as well as market communications integrate in the retailer’s market positioning. The location has been a vital aspect of the marketing mix since it started and more so in the retail industry which is a vital element of the retail program (Shop Works, 2012). There are streets like Bond, situated in London that have acquired a number of designer fashion stores to go with the fashion brands in regards to beautiful presentation.
The fashion stores have in the past used several flagships as their most vital sites, noted by size and product mix. They can be attributed as supporting the brand’s status. Noticing flagships as a part of marketing communications for the company shows the extensive investments allocated to the creation and management as a way of creating awareness (Christopher et al, 2010). Marketing communications is common in brand location and fashion brand retailing in the UK shows several lifestyle images by brand promotion. In the fashion stores, branding the experience of shopping is described by the desire for fashion retailers to make sure that their brands meet the shopping experience.
The flagship stores and their location form memorable and appealing brand experiences. To offer an operational account of these experiences, four models of consumption experience were described using the customer involvement and connection to the experience. Psychologically, intensity and quality of experiences were contrasted using the level of challenge and skill needed to result to the most appealing experiences. Additionally, the fashion store as a brand came to connect appearance and identity to the main brand values as client experiences showed the advancement of retail branding and their connection with emotions and physical contact (Dolbec, and Chebat, 2013). These retail stores have been a creative element in the getting new settings where cost, space and dynamic aspect are met to the effective communication of the retailer’s brand values. As a consequence, creativity has been vital for competence. The stores work in two levels, to create design and facilitate client creativity. For instance, clients are able to create varied identities through communicating fashion.
Flagships bran stores are used for the brand, and themed entertainment which results to themed flagship brand stores. One symbol that arises, is the constant use of flagship stores to show an integrate element of marketing mix. These elements are well managed in the stores. They are first of all well placed to communicate company and brand values to clients and staff, rival stores and the society. They are seen to comprise forms of advertising and promotion (Robert, et al, 2002). To the greater extent, they offer chances for two-way communication and coproduction with the clients. Hence the role of flagship is noted in the marketing communication model, the relevance that arises from the store. It offers the brand coverage to varied audiences, and shows courage and appeal.
Another symbol that is close to this one is the one on ‘ideal’. The flagship brand stores in the smallest of elements, is the most notable example of the retail brand and can be known as the ‘purest expression of brand’ to the shareholders. Goods and services as well as the setting integrate to offer leadership and best practice (Kent, and Brown, 2009). The stores are places where clients see the range of products and they are differentiated from the others in terms of quality of service provided and staff. Though, ‘ideal’ has varied meanings to varied retail outlets. In the clothing area, the flagship is described from the role to display their best profile so as to be appealing and cost-compliant.
Clothing retailers’ flagships are described by style and interactivity with the good and people, where inner design plays a major role in the experience. Flagship stores in London, like Top Shops’ Oxford Circus has a design that does away with structure and aims to form an impression of the fashion industry’s regular change, a setting that uses colour, product design and display (Christopher et al, 2010). The zones integrate with each other showing the labels, fashion themes and fashion displays.
On the other hand, flagship stores in the food area are described by best practices in the technologies, setting and model of the stores. These areas have experiences premised on ‘food fashion’ displayed by presentations and demonstrations (Kent, and Brown, 2009). Though the fashion calls for understanding of the industry where there is competition and timescales for development of the goods. Additionally, these aspirations are different from the long-term impacts of building maintaining company brand identity. In regards to the grocery retailers, the stores equate to power; they show size and importance of the company. A good example is Tesco that uses its Hoover structure to create workable sales from where it is situated as well as acquire identity.
In a retail setting, they are attributed by consistency and similarity of the retailers, they offer varied choice of goods and services. The Flagship stores offer a chance to experience these in varied areas. It is an ideal store for the most recent display of brand, meeting the general approach to display unique experiences. They may vary by sector; the food sector recent practices describe flagship stores as the latest stores that be substituted by another huge development in a short period of time. The clothing sector stores shows a complicated mix of goods and service experiences, improved through investments to a great store setting to last for a long period of time.
The third symbol is ‘Designed space’. Flagship stores like the food retailers are bound to be determined through access to space. For instance, Camden store shows planning barriers that may hinder them to unfamiliar urban areas. To other retailers, the location is described by the flagship stores. For instance, Birmingham, based in London, have Selfridges that are useful in defining Oxford Street (Hines, and Bruce, 2007). They create a distinctive symbolic presence that describes the start of a shopping experiences. Additionally, they are defined by the street, in that it cannot be like other regions like Knightsbridge. It takes up more of the integrated world.
Market research and opportunity for strategic marketing is the fourth symbols and is distinctive from the marketing communication. The flagship brand stores offer response from the clients and employees regarding the ‘ideal’ retail brand and this is part of the client relationship strategy. They are described by the relationship to other stores, to pass new ideas as part of an inner communication process. Marketers identify the stores function in placing standards to the employees, goods and model (Hines, and Bruce, 2007). The marketers note the stores’ role in placing standards of service. The flagship stores show the most recent developments and are overtaken by rate of change in technology; basically, ideas and thoughts may progress and be used in other stores. Additionally, they offer the ability to be creative, and creating hybrid stores.
Conclusion
This paper has been able to sow the manner through which flagship symbols have grown to be a major part of the language of branding and promotion. Flagship stores can become a major influence to the visibility of the UK retail brands and are useful as displays of goods and practices as modes of communication to stakeholders. They offer opportunities to show leadership with emerging models, goods and experiences. Interactivity and transformation, they desire to offer new experiences, and vital experiences for sensitive clients are attributes of most successful settings.
The flagships offer important aspects to the US and UK retail industries and progress our thinking on the relevance of the symbols. The paper has been able to display the variation in branding that does not display the desired marketing objectives. This shows the experiential and development form of the flagship. The paper has gone further to analyze the varied symbols. Additionally, the paper has demonstrated that the symbols have been quite effective is displaying progress. A good example of the cities that have benefited from this are London and other major cities in US. The future seems bright, in connection with other factors like technological development, with the continued use of flagship stores.
References
Christopher M. Moore, Anne Marie Doherty, Stephen A. Doyle, (2010). “Flagship stores as a market entry method: the perspective of luxury fashion retailing”. European Journal of Marketing, 44(1/2), pp.139 – 161.
Dolbec, P. and Chebat, J. (2013). The Impact of a Flagship vs. a Brand Store on Brand Attitude, Brand Attachment and Brand Equity. Journal of Retailing 89(4), pp. 460–466.
Hines, T. and Bruce, M. (2007). Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues. New York: Routledge.
Kent, T. and Brown, R. (2009). Flagship Marketing: Concepts and Places. New York: Routledge.
Schiffman, L.G. and L.L. Kanuk (1999). Consumer Behavior. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey.
Shop Works (2012). Flagship stores: a strategic approach to brand management. Retrieved on 19th March 2014 from: http://www.shopworks.co.uk/file/5687ff20d857d678a27ced153ef628a9/flagship-stores-a- strategic-approach-to-brand-management.html
- Robert, et al. (2002). Themed flagship brand stores in the new millennium: theory, practice, prospects. Journal of Retailing 78, 17-29.
