Chad Edward

CHAD EDWARDA fashion line

Preppy is About More Than Wealth• At its heart, being preppy is less about

living life with riches and more about living life richly.

• Yes, it’s a life of privilege, but it’s the privilege of learning about and experiencing the world on a unique level that few others can. The words cultured and connoisseur comes to mind.

• Think of a wine lover and his glass of wine. For the prep, though, his glass is filled with life. Every drop - savored. You don’t need wealth to be a connoisseur. Just passion.

Shouldn’t the clothing reflect this rich attitude?

Forgive me but I’m going to use this as a good example of how stuff should be shorter and more direct. You don’t need things like ‘The words cultured and connoisseur comes to mind.’ - just say ‘cultured and connoisseur’.

Forgive me but I’m going to use this as a good example of how stuff should be shorter and more direct. You don’t need things like ‘The words cultured and connoisseur comes to mind.’ - just say ‘cultured and connoisseur’.

Chad Edward is for the Connoisseur • While wine is tasted with the tongue, clothing is tasted with the skin. At a

superficial level, clothing is visual. At an intimate level it’s visceral. Why else would you ask yourself each morning, “What do I FEEL like wearing?”

• Because of this understanding, Chad uses the highest quality fabrics (i.e. Japanese organic cotton) and master craftsmen in Italy. (Even the tags are made from Hungarian organic velvet.)

• His designs and fabrics attract touch – an experience that can be described as succulent.

Same here you can do this just as well in three or four words. Better in fact.

Same here you can do this just as well in three or four words. Better in fact.

Who Will Care?

• He believes that the whole concept of maleness – dressing and grooming – needs a makeover as the idea of the Metrosexual floods our culture. He is a guy who wants to re-assert his “guyness.” While he loves rough outdoor sports and activities, he is also a man who can talk fine wine and pima cotton sheets. He is well dressed but never looks better than his date. He looks groomed with an air of masculinity. He searches for more intense experiences and relationships. This leads him to brands, such as Chad Edward, that communicate passion, though not necessarily sex.

• The exemplar male Natural Prep is one that evokes the classic charm of Cary Grant and Robert Redford. He has a good sense of style and appreciates clothing that is classic, understated and masculine. His desire to look good without too much effort creates a look that appears effortless. He knows how to tie a bow tie.

The Natural Prep

Interesting stuff but again, too long-winded. The best bit is ‘He is well dressed but never looks better than his date’. That seems fresh and interesting. That gives me some insight into this character, some of the rest is a little too bland/obvious.

Interesting stuff but again, too long-winded. The best bit is ‘He is well dressed but never looks better than his date’. That seems fresh and interesting. That gives me some insight into this character, some of the rest is a little too bland/obvious.

Chad Challenges the Natural Prep

• The Natural prep is intrigued by the company’s take on prep culture. The outdoorsman style allows him to evolve his look to one that is unique within, but still connected to the culture of prep.

• From a brand values aspect, he admires how the company challenges political and fashion culture with its use of organic fabrics.

Why This Makes Business Sense• True, the Natural Prep is

probably more a minority than a majority. However, it is a minority that influences the majority.

• For a young brand to compete among goliaths, the strategy must be organic – no pun intended.

• The brand must grow from an authentic base of followers. If Chad Edward claims to be A, but his customers are B, consumers will call bullshit. The Natural Prep gives Chad Edward validity.

The Advertising Challenge

What’s the Business Problem?

Sales and Distribution.

• Chad Edward has limited distribution (only boutiques) and therefore a limited geographic footprint (only NY, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island). Compounding this is that boutiques can only move small amounts of a line.

• The cash cow is larger department stores such as Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, Barney’s etc. But their buyers have only one incentive: buy what sells.

• As a young brand with only a few months under its belt, Chad Edward has a hard time proving the clothes will move off the shelves. Customers have been enthusiastic and sales are good but not yet good enough.

• There is hope though. The company will soon have an e-commerce presence through its Website. If online sales can be boosted, then Chad Edward can use that sales data to influence retail buyers.

How will ads solve this problem?

1. Drive awareness. Basically, the Natural Prep doesn’t know Chad exists. Limited distribution means limited geographic footprint which means few people in the know.

2. Drive hits to the Website.

Suggested Direction

• Chad Edward’s budget is small. But he has a great motto, “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid to be boring.” Guerrilla tactics are perfect for this scenario.

• Target cities/towns with high 18-25 year old concentrations (i.e. college towns).

• Give the Natural Prep an opportunity to speak his mind. A campaign involving co-creation would strongly appeal to the target.

• Give the target opportunities to “do.” Envelope them in experiential marketing. www.yellowarrow.com is a fascinating and cheap project that would connect with the target and allow them to discover the marketing.

• Contribute to their knowledge. These are smart people. Help them discover new perspectives on the things around them. Maybe allow an opportunity for them to share knowledge/ideas with each other.

Lots of good thinking in here and I get the impression that you understand, and like, your audience but there’s just a bit too much of it.

You need to keep it shorter, simpler, more powerful.

Lots of good thinking in here and I get the impression that you understand, and like, your audience but there’s just a bit too much of it.

You need to keep it shorter, simpler, more powerful.