How to launch a brand?

Hello Everyone!

After a lot of thinking my partner and I have decided to start a business - Women’s Footwear. We are planning to target American retailers.

We would greatly appreciate if any of you gurus could provide some tips and advice on how to launch a successful brand for spring-summer 2007.

Currently we have over 30 unique shoe designs which will soon be manufactured. We would like to know how to proceed with brand marketing.

I know we have to take baby steps but we simply don’t know where to begin.

Our concerns are:

How do we approach the buyers / retailers?

Do we need to advertise our brand in Magazines?

Do we need to organize a fashion show?

How do we get the publicity necessary to launch our label?

Is there a list of buyers with names and contact info (leads) that we can purchase?


Any Help/Advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

congratulations ella…i wish you all the best in the challenges you face…assuming you need to do this on the cheap, i would start local in your brand campaign…get your enterprise featured in your local newspaper business sections…place some product in local shops which fit your demo graphic…place some product with local tv personalities…get your product featured in blogs…i currently have access to a data base which may list the names of buyers and company execs you want to contact…if you send me a pm with the company names and locations (if known), i will see what i can find out for you.

For the big picture, I recommend Marc Gobe’s book “Emotional Branding”, also the best overview Branding book I have ever come across, “Brand Warfare” by David Del’Asandro.

Mark

Thank you all for your tips. We appreciate your support.

If you come across some other info that might be useful for brand marketing, please post it here or send me a pm.

Thanks!

to get some exposure go to trade shows like MAGIC, ASR (Action Sports Retailer) and OR (Outdoor Retailer) (depending on the product niche). ASR and OR are very user/activity specific, MAGIC is very broad with the buyers that attend. There are many other regional shows all around the US and all over the world, for that manner.

I am in the apparel business and we have had many companies/buyers approach us just in passing which we have built into long lasing customers.

If you get into a show check out with the company that runs the show, many times they have daily newsletters (I know OR does for sure) that will sometimes highlight products. Talk to them to find out how to get into thier publications, also ad placements in the trade show guides and booth directories.

It’s not an actual book on branding, but “The Tipping Point” has a great story about how Hush Puppies got hip again without spending a dime on branding.

Good luck with your venture!!

…“the tipping point”?? where can I read this?

thanks!

You can find it at any major book store. Try Borders, Amazon, etc.

It’s been on the best sellers list for quite a while…