Ch. 10 - Product Concepts

The starting point in creating a marketing mix.

Doc Martens are a consumer product that is unlike a business product, solely bought to satisfy an individual's personal wants. It is not a product used to manufacture other goods or services.  It is a specialty product that customers do search extensively for and very reluctant to accept substitutes. Doc Martens also do have unsought products that their customers do not have knowledge about until it is advertised and brought into the media's attention. It is a product line that has one purpose, to make boots that have the Doc Marten brand and is of quality. In it's 50 year of business, Doc Marten has never had a product modification in their product per say. Though they had a few adjustments with their brand name and trademarks. Today, the Doc Martens brand name and it's registered trademark are internationally known. It has become a Global Brand and it generates brand loyalty as well. Since it has become a global product, there is a brand equity for Doc Martens. I think that Dr. Martens are more of a persuasive labeling instead of an informational labeling because they do have a labeling that focuses more on a promotional theme or logo where as in the past it was an Information Labeling where the brand designed to help consumers make proper product selections. Doc Martens do have a warranty for their shoes that says it can be used for up to 10 years without needing a replacement. It is also an implied warranty since the products have a history of serving working men in the past and their shoe quality is durable by word of mouth.

Ch. 18 - Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Sales Promotion offers an incentive to buy. Dr. Marten's sales promotion is a Consumer Sales Promotion, where they mainly target the direct consumer market. Sales Promotion occurs through usage of the internet or direct marketing methods that are cheaper than advertising campaigns. Doc Martens achieve this by having Facebook pages, having their shoes worn by celebrities and having other social networking sites. This is an easier and less pricey method to win over your competitor's customers, encourage brand switchers to invest in your products and when you have sales, you can simply announce that on your social networking site and attract Price Buyers.

Dr. Martens has a facebook Like page where they have over 100,000 likers or fans. Their customers and admirers comment on the page, like the pictures that Dr. Martens post about their latest project and new customers can look into whether they like this store without even visiting the retail store. Dr. Martens also has a Twitter that has over 3,000 followers and Dr. Martens has people like me, loyal customers, giving them more promotion by making a blog solely about their brand and company.


This is a very controversial photo when it came out, depicting the deceased Sid Vicious in heavens wearing Doc Martens.



Random

One of Doc Marten's early and loyal fans were the Sex Pistols.

Ch. 17 - Advertising and Public Relations

Dr. Marten is product advertising since they are always advertising their latest collection of shoes and boots. Their advertisements are to maintain their brand awareness and market share. They advertise their shoes by letting fashionable celebrities wear them thus deeming the shoe brand cool and hip. They portray their products as unique and simple, wearable and yet stylish. To reach their target market, they make sure to put their shoes on the latest young It Girl and the celebrities that young teenagers are most fascinated by. They use this method to stay on the cool scene and keep their existing customers while recruiting new consumers. They also hold the title of "one for the 'most popular men's footwear in latest fashion' and the other for 'best counter-cultural footwear of the decade'" and their  14-Hole black leather boot won two fashion awards at the 2010 Fashion Show in New York City. They also try to appeal to a higher maintenance level of girls now by having Doc Martens heels.

Ch. 15 - Retailing

According to their Code of Conduct, Dr. Martens does not work with suppliers who do not treat their workers fairly and without discrimation. They keep a tight check on who they associate with for the sale of their goods and the location for where their goods will be sold at.
Dr. Martens is an international brand and has distributors all over the world. They make sure that their stores are in the cities and near the hot-spots. For example, the retail store for Dr. Martens in NYC is located in Soho. Soho is a fashionable neighborhood consisting of major competiting brands and it is a famous destination for shopping. It is also a favorable spot to hang out since many deem it very stylish and artistic. By Dr. Martens having a store in this area, it is appealing to their young existing customers and also being opened up to new target customers. Doc Martens are a specialty store since they specialize in making their boots a certain way.

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

Consumer Decision Making has 5 steps involved.

1. Need Recognition. In the need recognition step, there is an internal stimuli and an external stimuli. The internal stimuli in this case would be when you see a design of a Dr. Marten shoe that you like. And then you realize you would like to own it. External Stimuli is when an external force recommends this item, such as your friend agreeing with you that this shoe will look great on you and or your favorite idol wearing this brand. Then with your own desire of the product and the recommendation aligns, you feel the need to balance your actual and desired states by acquiring this product. Dr. Martens does this by having seasonal collections of the shoes and boots and by having influential public figures to wear them at events. They also release advertisements and treat itself like a part of an inner circle.
2. Information search is when consumers try to find information to satisfy their desire. In this lies the internal information search where consumers can recall whether anyone they've known had any negative or positive experience with Dr. Martens and the External information search is when you go outside of your memory to further help consumers decide whether they would like to really aquire this product. With Dr. Martens, their marketing controlled information source will then have advertisements around the city in different forms of media such as the television, magazine advertising, newspaper, etc and influence the possible consumer even more.
3. Evaluation of Alternatives and Purchase, when the consumer dictattes whether the price they will have to pay for the product is reasonable enough for the feeling they get from the product. With Dr. Martens it is no problem as Dr. Martens is known for their durability and their standing influence in fashion. Also, Dr. Martens is targed towards the middle class so their shoes are reasonably priced and therefore mostly affordable.
4. The customer purchases the item.
5. So when the consumer is finally purchasing her desired shoes, she will have a postpurchase behavior. She will certain expectations from this brand rather than the other shoe brands and expects the shoe she bought to fulfill her desire. If this is not met positively and say Dr. Marten's shoe is not durable or the shoe's styling becomes muddled fast, she may be displeased and could generate an anti-fan of the brand.

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision

Dr. Martens has just recently started using Global marketing. Although it's popularity was widespread from the get-go with help from entertainers like Madonna (who is popular in all parts of the world), Dr. Martens remained a mainly internalized brand in Britain. Recently they opened up a few stores in America and other countries such as Japan and Korea. Dr. Martens' income mainly came from Britain before but since their new opening in other countries, their biggest market right now is in America. Their market in other countries are also blooming but their biggest project is increasing revenue in their own country so as to establish a stable foundation.

Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

According to Dr. Martens website, they believe that choosing a supplier based on their fair treatment of employees is just as important as choosing it for their performance on cost, delivery and quality. They encourage an honest dialogue with their suppliers and expect any critical issues to be remedied immediately. They don't work with suppliers who do not commit to their approach.

Their Code of Conduct are as follows:

1. Employment is freely chosen
2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are
respected
3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
4. Child labour shall not be used
5. Living wages are paid
6. Working hours are not excessive
7. No discrimination is practised
8. Regular employment is provided
9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Dr.Martens' competitive advantage comes from it's reputation and long standing admiration by celebrities and fashion majors. Therefore I wouldn't say that it has a definite competitor since no other shoe/boot brand is as versatile and reputable as Dr. Martens. Dr. Martens is just a unique blend of shoes with quality and style and also history that no other shoe/boot brand in the current market can compete with. Dr. Marten's most current news or activity is that there has been a new Drift pop up store for it. Drift is their new collection for spring/summer 2011. A pop up store is in a temporary space and it is usually very anticipated by customers since the store won't be there for long. It just opened near the Post Museum.

This is a picture of Maddona's daughter, Lourdes, wearing Doc Martens. Madonna herself is a big Dr. Martens fan and used to wear it frequently during the height of her career.

My Company

A company that has generated my interest is Dr. Martens. Dr. Martens is a fashion forward shoe/boot company that originated from Britain and it's original intent of the company was to create shoes with which you could work comfortably in by incorporating two basic qualities, durability and preservation. The shoe was originally designed and made for working class and targeted towards middle aged family men. Most of Dr.Marten's customers were very loyal and worked in the manufacturing areas. Today Dr.Martens no longer is just a shoe company but rather a shoe company directed towards teenagers and the fashion conscious. It creates durable, long lasting shoes that also look good and screams quality. It is an icon conceived from of innovation and self expression. It now appeals to the masses. People from different background, different minds and most important of all, different styles all at least have one thing in common and that is Dr. Martens.

In the years before the boot's birthday, 1st April, 1960, kids just looked like tribute acts to their parents, younger but the same. Rebellion was only just on the agenda for some - for most kids of the day, starved of music, fashion, art and choice, it was not even an option.-Martin Roach