BHS Ethical Clothing Brand

Owen Ball 2.4Luke Branley 2.1Reynaldo Canlas Jr. 2.4

Client BHS (British Home Stores)

Product Ethical clothing brand

Target Audience It is for you to defi ne precisely this target audience using research.

Background Within an environment where cost-cutting retail brands have

struggled to succeed, the need to provide a distinctive offering is

ever more important.

This brief asks you to develop an ethical clothing brand for BHS to establish

distinctiveness and widen the appeal of this clothing retailer. Current trends indicate

that internet sales will provide an area of growth. Online sales of clothing were up

37% to £644m in 2004, according to the FT – a trend that has continued into 2005.

BHS provides a very basic internet site that does not contain the ability to conduct

ecommerce. This brief asks you to design a new site for BHS that has the capacity to sell

the new ethical brand online. You must design a ‘bricks and clicks’ formula for the store.

Objective To drive sales through the introduction of:

1. an ethical brand

2. a functioning ecommerce facility. That is in sympathy with

the brand values of BHS

Mandatory inclusions, Brand logo/ website address/ name ethical brand

Proposition ‘Fair & Square offers BHS consumers an ethically positive

alternative to their usual clothing purchase’

Media 2 colour full-page ads

1 Posters ad

1 radio advert (20”)

1 sample page (front page) for internet site

Timing Deadline - 22/23/24 May 2006

Brief

Ethical trading means taking a look at the environment

around your company and how you are affecting it,

beyond making money. It has become increasingly

important for companies to be more aware of their

surroundings and the affect they are having on the

environment, as public opinion of companies is starting

to drop, due to their environmental standpoint.

Ethical initiatives are often the butt of many jokes, but

beyond being positive for the environment, they can

also improve your business.

If you consider economic objectives alongside marketing

objectives, your company has the chance to grow and

become more effi cient and successful.

Introduction

Clothing Market Background

The UK clothing market reached £37 billion (€54.4 billion)

including sales tax in 2004, up 4.2% on 2003. Consumer spending

on apparel has performed quite robustly since 2000 growing by

19% compared to 18.8% for all retail sales. In several European

markets, demand for clothing has struggled to keep pace with

growth in all retail sales, and the UK has been one of the strongest

performers in this respect.(Mintel, 2005)

The top fi ve clothing retailers had 44.8% of sector sales in 2004.

This makes the UK one of the most concentrated clothing sectors

in Europe. The leading players by turnover are M&S, Next, Arcadia

Group, Matalan and Bhs. (Mintel, 2005)

BHS Market share

Figure 114: Bhs, Share of UK clothing specialists’ sales

Source: Bhs/Mintel

NB: Figures taken from BHS Ltd

Sector Market Share & Outlets

Ethical Competition Background

There is a limited number of “big players” in the ethical clothing

market currently. However, there are some big brands involved

and “Last year UK consumers spent £25bn on ethical goods and

services - a rise of 15 per cent on 2003”, while “The market for

ethical clothes rose by 30 per cent in 12 months to £43m last

year” (Hickman, M., 2005). This suggests there is a trend towards

ethically produced goods that can only increase as consumers

become more aware of environmental and ethical issues.

Competition

Research

Ethical Competition

The table opposite gives an indication of some of the ethical

brands that are available in the UK. They are generally small

independent companies with one or two shops. Many of these

companies can fl ourish due to the nature of e-commerce and

the exposure that can be achieved online, and as such, have

a signifi cant online presence including e-shops and consumer

information.

Despite the numbers of small ethical outfi ts, it is unlikely they

would pose a signifi cant immediate threat on a range brought

to market by BHS, a retailer with a huge high street presence.

More likely, other retail groups with ethical ranges pose the

greatest threat. Topshop Oxford Circus has made a deal with

People Tree to sell its line of ethical clothing. There are two

main points that can be observed from this move.

1. People Tree has gained huge exposure from being picked

up by Topshop, promoting the brand, via Topshop, to be a

signifi cant competitor.

2. Topshop has only launched the brand in their fl agship

store. This suggests Topshop is skeptical that premium priced

ethical clothes are ready for the UK market as a whole. This is a

big opportunity for another retailer to be fi rst to market.

Howies http://www.howies.co.uk/

Ecotopia http://www.ecotopia.co.uk

Ethical Threads http://www.ethicalthreads.co.uk/

Footprint http://www.footprint-clothing.co.uk/

Greenfi bres http://www.greenfi bres.com/

Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/

Traidcraft http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/

Natural Collection http://www.naturalcollection.com

Seasalt Organic http://www.seasaltorganic.co.uk/

Freedom Clothing http://freedom-clothing.co.uk

REFERENCES

Hickman, M., 12/12/2005, U.K. Market for Organic & Fair Trade Clothes & Other

Products Growing Rapidly, accessed April 2005, http://www.organicconsumers.

org/btc/market121205.cfm

Mintel, 2005, Clothes Retailing UK 2005, Accessed April 2005, http://reports.mintel.

com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/

display/id=114754

Competition

Research

According to Mintel (2005), Department store BHS appeal to

both male and female; though slightly biased towards female

consumers. However, in general men feel comfortable shopping

in department stores, a factor that BHS could perhaps exploit

further.

In the case of usage, it peaked at 55-64 year old ‘with third age

and retired groups showing a higher propensity’ to use BHS.

However, the department store also holds a strong appeal to

consumers with children aged 10-15, refl ecting its strength in

school wear.

Twelve months prior to April 2005, BHS achieved 15% of

consumers who have bought clothing for themselves. In contrast,

competitors such as M&S achieved the highest percentage of

42%. The graphs (right) illustrate a more detailed breakdown

of gender; age and socio-economic group based on a sample of

1,991 adults aged 15+.

At present, BHS is not a member of Ethical Trade Initiative, which

has members of its competitors Debenhams and M&S. According

to a survey (commissioned by M&S), 78% of consumers would

like to know more information on ‘conditions in the factory, where

clothes come from and what chemicals are used’. However, it

has been suggested by Datamonitor on Yahoo that the ‘take-up

of organic/ethical clothing is likely to be very gradual’ unless

consumers act on their conscience alone.

Another challenge that faces ethical clothing is the perception of

‘homspun’ clothes, which lack fashion attributes (Lock, 2006).

However, the trend is slowly changing as popular high-street

stores that target fashion-savvy consumers are about to release

their own ethical clothing range; Gap’s vintage tee made in

Lethoso in conjunction with Product RED – 50% goes towards

fi ghting Aids and other diseases in Africa; Oasis’ eco-friendly

range called The Future Organic; and Top Shop’s organic cotton

babywear. It could be suggested the trend will increase the

chances of successfully targeting consumers with an ethical

clothing range as they become more conscious and exposed to

ethical initiatives.

REFERENCES

Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available from URL:

http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0

&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st May 2006]

Lock, K. (2006) Natural Born Shopping (Online), Available from URL:http://web.

lexis-nexis.com/executive/form?_index=exec_en.html&_lang=en&ut=3325272301,

[Accessed 1st May 2006]

Target Audience

Research

In a company profi le of BHS that can be found on Mintel (2005), it

states that BHS has become “a nationwide byword for good value

clothing.” They offer a wide range of own brand value clothes,

ranging from Maternity and Baby wear, through to Children’s,

Women’s, and Men’s wear. They also produce a range of Men’s

and Women’s shoes, and a range of Wedding dresses.

BHS has been with us for years and is probably familiar to you

as the shop where your mum bought your underwear. A lot of

younger generation tend to avoid the store as they see the product

range as “old fashioned”, but the older, wiser generation, are

more aware of the quality of the clothes produced. Despite always

being compared to rival retailers such as Marks and Spencers,

BHS has a relatively small product line in comparison, although

prices tend to be lower than competing department stores.

Gendu, a shopper from London says, “Personally, anything that

I like which I can get in BHS, I will, since the value for money is

outstanding but a fair few times, they won’t have what I want and

thats where another store with a fuller range will serve better.”

(www.dooyoo.co.uk)

At the moment BHS do not run an ethical range of clothes, unlike

Marks and Spencer, who recently launched a “Look Behind The

Label” campaign, that is aimed towards informing shoppers of

the way their products are made and sourced. Reports show that

UK consumers are showing an increasing appetite for so-called

‘fair trade’ products.

Last year, fi gures released by the Fairtrade Foundation showed

sales of ethical products grew by more than 50% during 2004.

(www.bbc.co.uk)

There are many other companies that are beginning to sell fair

trade products, usually through online stores, as it cuts overhead

costs and can be run by independent traders. However, many of

these companies aim their product at a more ‘hardcore’ set of

consumers, and would not be a threat to the type of consumer

that would buy BHS products.

REFERENCES

Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available from URL:

http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0

&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st May 2006]

www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online), Available from URL:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-misc/bhs/427789/, [Accessed 12th May

2006]

news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online), Available from

URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.stm, [Accessed 12th May 2006]

Product

Research

According to Mintel, BHS’s core consumer age-group span from 35

years onwards; with a proportion of 55-64 years old buying a piece of

clothing for themselves within a twelve month period prior to April

2005. Such consumers fell within the A, B, C1, and D socio-economic

grouping, with a female-bias of 2:1 ratio.

It could be suggested that there is an obvious target audience for the

ethical clothing range outside of BHS’s current target audiences;

and they are consumers who only purchase ethically made products.

However, after the development of the Audience spider diagram,

fi ndings suggest that there are two distinctive, yet confl icting, types

of target audience.

Careful consideration has been made based on the aforementioned.

It could prove challenging when targeting ‘ethical campaigners’ for

BHS’s ethical clothing brand for various reasons; fi rstly, many of

BHS’s other product offering are still mass-produced in factories based

in Turkey, thus confl icting with the ethical philosophy, and secondly,

BHS is currently owned by fashion group Arcadia, another factor

frowned upon by anti-capitalists/sweatshops/corporations. Therefore

it is evident that our target audience for the campaign should be BHS’s

current consumers and not ethical campaigners.

Competition for BHS and Fair & Square is fi erce with any new range

struggling in a saturated market. It is clear from our fi ndings that the

competition will be signifi cantly biased to high street retail and non-

ethical products. This is not to suggest that ethical brands should be

disregarded, but short-term they are not a signifi cant threat. Where

some ethical brands have made gains is through developing ranges

for high street chains. For the most part these are limited to London

stores and again do not pose a signifi cant immediate threat to BHS.

Where the competetion clearly have an edge is e-commerce. Even the

smallest ethical manufacturer or retailer has a slicker online presence

than BHS currently offer. The new ethical brand will have an online

presence, however, in the future BHS should strongly consider

overhauling the entire site and integrating all their operations.

The communication objective is to create awareness surrounding the

ethical production practices of Fair&Square, and to encourage current

BHS consumers to purchase from the range in-store or online. The

campaign will consist of a two-part strategy; one theme will focus

solely on the ethical production of Fair&Square, whilst the other theme

will have a slightly stronger emphasis on the clothing range, perhaps

adopting a fashion-photography style artwork that would appeal to

female consumers of BHS. Each advertisement will be simplistic and

classic, utilising black and white images to contrast and draw attention

to the Fair & Square logo. However, they will all carry interlinking

themes for continuity purposes.

The Mintel Report also contains a company profi le of BHS that states

that the company has become “a nationwide byword for good value

clothing.” They offer a wide range of clothes, for the whole family,

no matter what stage of development they are in. They also produce a

range of Men’s and Women’s shoes, and a range of Wedding dresses.

A lot of younger generation tend to avoid the store as they see the

product range as “old fashioned”, but the older, wiser generation, are

more aware of the quality of the clothes produced. Despite always

being compared to rival retailers such as Marks and Spencer’s, BHS

has a relatively small product line in comparison, although prices

Research

Summary

tend to be lower than competing department stores.

At the moment BHS do not run an ethical range of clothes. Other main

department stores have already began ethical trading. For examples,

Marks and Spencer, who recently launched a “Look Behind The Label”

campaign, that is aimed towards informing shoppers of the way their

products are made and sourced. Reports show that UK consumers are

showing an increasing appetite for so-called ‘fair trade’ products.

Last year, fi gures released by the Fairtrade Foundation showed sales

of ethical products grew by more than 50% during 2004. (www.bbc.

co.uk)

Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online)

Available from URL:http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_

results/show&&type=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/display/

id=114754 [Accessed 1st May 2006]

www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online)

Available from URL: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-

misc/bhs/427789/, [Accessed 12th May 2006]

news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online)

Available from URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.

stm, [Accessed 12th May 2006]

Summary cont.

‘Fair & Square offers BHS consumers an ethically

positive alternative to their usual clothing

purchase’

Proposition

Competition

Target Audience

Product

Competition

Mood Board

Audience

Mood Board

Product

Mood Board

The development of the brand name consisted of brainstorming around words that are

usually associated with ethical initiatives or nature. Some of the words include: Trust,

Naked, Open, Transparent, Fair, Komakino, True, Honest and Green. However, it was

imperative that the brand name had to symbolise not just the naturalness of the product

range but also covey a strong emphasis on the ethical production of the garments.

After much deliberation, the group decided on the top three names for the ethical clothing

brand, which are Brown, Common Sense and Fair & Square. The latter was the most

favourable name out of the three because it conveys a double-meaning: (1) The word

‘Fair’ derive from ‘Fair Trade’, therefore the consumers will automatically create linkages

with the ethical clothing initiative, but the word also conveys its true defi nition; (2) The

word ‘Square’ in the context of personality can have several meanings, ‘conservative’,

‘traditional’ and so on. However, in the context of the BHS ethical clothing brand it

coveys a ‘by the book’ working philosophy (e.g. acceptable working environment and

hours etc). Furthermore, as the phrase ‘Fair and Square’ is commonly used, it can increase

the chance of consumers remembering the brand name.

The theory was tested by conducting a fi eld research amongst its target audiences: Brown

proved unpopular – it was considered ‘ambiguous’; 20% preferred Common Sense;

though a staggering 80% favouring Fair & Square as it conveyed ‘all the right attributes

and message for an ethical clothing brand’. On the basis of the fi eld research results, the

group has decided to name the range Fair & Square

Brand Name

The Logo development came from a brainstorming session

where all the connotations of the chosen name “Fair and

Square” were laid down on the table. The initial idea was

literally to have a coloured square with

‘fair and square’ written in it, however,

after some mock-up development ideas,

it became obvious that this was not far

enough removed from the ‘Orange’

mobile phone logo, and did not portray

the right sort of message, as ‘Orange’

is a huge conglomerate, that people do

not associate with ethical trading, and

therefore we did not want to be associated

with that brand in any way.

We kept on the idea of using a square

logo, to tie in with the name, but this time

not just one big block, the square had to be

broken up. We fi nalised upon the idea of making the words

form a square at the top left of the design, and having the

original square on the bottom right of the design, looking

like one big square logo.

The BHS logo was incorporated into the design after placing

the design on an advert design next to the BHS logo, and

establishing that it looked more like a partnership between

‘Fair and Square’ and ‘BHS’ rather than

being part of the same company. To

combat this, the BHS logo was kept

unaltered, but placed inside the blank

square of the ‘Fair and Square’ logo.

The colours we chose were colours that

we immediately associated with the

ethical scene, and are colours that can

be found on items throughout the ‘Fair

and Square’ range.

Logo

Holistic Picture

All of our products are produced using Ethical procedures, where

ever possible, and Organic Cotton.

Growing

Our organic cotton is grown on a farm in Turkey, that exclusively

supplies our spinning factory; Topkapi Iplik, in Israel, with organic

cotton. This family farm has been growing cotton for decades and

is located between Istanbul and Izmir. Farming organically means

that the ground and the crops are grown and harvested in a way

that is benefi cial to the environment, making it more sustainable

than other farming methods could. No chemicals are used, in

comparison to conventionally-grown cotton, which receives the

highest level of agro-chemicals of any crop worldwide. Creating

major damage to the global environment. Being a small, family

fi rm, a lot of attention is paid to workers safety, health and work

conditions. As it is important for everybody to be happy and

working well to reach maximum effi ciency levels.

. Spinning The Topkapi Iplik Factory was established 1972 in Istanbul. It now

employs around 450 people. The factory operates on a 220,000

square meter area, with a 90,000 square meter area of green-

land closed for conservation and surrounded by over 15,000

trees. They work in a way that does not harm human health or

the environment. A main benefi t of the factory is its low energy

consumption, which is better for the environment and also doesn’t

add to the affect of global warming on such a large level as other,

less energy effi cient factories.

The importance they attach to human health and environment

was awarded the OEKOTEKS certifi cate in 1999, which is

awarded to fi rms in Turkey that achieve excellence in the fi eld of

environmentally friendly working practice.

The Topkapi Iplik factory has identifi ed the main factor of long

term as human resources and, have been developing strong ties

with their employees for years.

Topkapi is an establishment that believes all the employees

should have equal rights and opportunities without taking into

consideration their gender, language, ethnicity or any other

personal attributes.

They employ nobody under the age of 18, and workers work by

their own consent and can never be forced to work. According to

the points of the contract of the TEKSIF union, wages and social

rights are implemented for employees in accordance with the

contract at the end of each month.

A normal working week is 45 hours weekly. If anyone requires

overtime, due to the intensive demands, it is carried out on

condition that the employees and labour representatives’ consent.

The employees of Topkapi have at least one day vacation weekly

and wages are paid in accordance with legal arrangements.

Four kinds of meal are provided for employees daily, in accordance

with health regulations. And an annual transportation service is

provided by outside contractors.

Topkapi Iplik is one of Istanbul’s largest spinning factories. From

there the yarn is shipped to Haifa in northern Israel, and then to

Beit Jala in Palestine. (www.topkapi-iplik.com.tr.)

Ethical Trail

Knitting the yarn into cotton

The Arja Textile Company is a family-run, medium-sized factory

founded in 1971 in Bethlehem. They employ around 60 workers

who knit, cut, sew, and fi nish the garments. They also enjoy good

working conditions and unions. The mill, is based in Beit Jala ,

and houses the latest specialized equipment needed to produce

the premium quality products . (www.arja-textile.com.)

Printing

We have negotiated with an ethical, environmentally friendly,

family-owned print shop in the UK to print T-shirts – T-Shirts

and Sons.“T Shirt and Sons produces high quality printed and

embroidered promotional clothing for a broad range of high

profi le clients. Originally founded in Bath, South West England in

the late 1980’s by brothers Jonathan and Andrew Lunt, T Shirt and

Sons is still today a family-run business offering an exceptionally

high level of customer service. The T Shirt and Sons’ factory

is now situated in Westbury, Wiltshire, and our team provide

comprehensive project management from concept, design,

artwork, proofi ng, packaging and distribution logistics, through

to garment sourcing and the manufacture of bespoke items of

workwear, uniforms and promotional clothing.

T Shirt and Sons can offer an extensive range of printing and

embroidery techniques, and for over a decade have been winning

European screenprinting awards for innovation, and especially for

the use of water based inks. These inks reduce the negative impact

of traditional print chemicals on the environment. T Shirt and

Sons can source garments in a wide range of styles and fabrics,

but are fast becoming known for organic and fair trade cottons,

and ethically sourced clothing.” (www.tshirtandsons.co.uk.)

REFERENCES

Topkapi.com (2006) Do the Best You Can (Online) Available from URL: www.topkapi-

iplik.com.tr. [Accessed 3RD May 2006]

Arja-textile.com (2006) Arja Textile Co.: The Ultimate Clothing Experience. (Online)

Available from URL: www.arja-textile.com. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]

Tshirtandsons.co.uk (2006) About T-shirt and Sons (online) Available from URL: www.

tshirtandsons.co.uk. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]

Ethical Trail

Responsible

It is becoming increasingly important to customers that companies

are able to show that they are environmentally conscious, and

are making and implementing plans that reduce environmental

damage. They also need to be reassured that companies are

using technologies such as chemical treatments and genetic

modifi cation, responsibly.

Packaging

Packaging acts as a form of protection for products when they are

in transit. It can prevent products from getting ruined and being

wasted, whilst at the same time carrying important instructions

and information on ingredients and helping the product look

attractive on the shelf, but it also leads to a lot of waste. Our

intention is to use packaging that can be re-used or recycled.

Sustainable sourcing

An important aspect of raw materials is sustainability, and this is

only possible through careful and considerate management of

the farming, mining and retrieval of the materials. Fossil based

materials have a limited supply and are quickly diminishing, so

more attention should be paid to using sustainable products over

fossil fuels. Care should be exhibited at all times when using

particularly hazardous materials that may cause harm to human

health or the environment.

Transport

Without transportation shops would not function. It is vital that

consumers are able to get to the shops in order to purchase items,

and that shops are able to transfer stock between themselves and

suppliers, or even other shops. In order to transport a lot of stock,

big vehicles must be used, but at the moment these are very bad

for the environment and have high CO2 emissions which are

adding to O-Zone gasses. We are committed to transporting stock

as effi ciently as possible, looking into methods of alternative

sustainable fuel sources, and encouraging staff to use public, or

alternative methods of transport.

Energy, water and waste

Energy use and water consumption in the offi ce/warehouse can

have a detrimental affect on the environment if not properly

managed and controlled. The same can be said about the disposal

of waste products. The chemicals and gasses used to preserve

products and foods, and in refrigerated vans, can be damaging

toward the environment. Again, our company is excited about the

prospects of alternative fuels and energy sources, and the regular

monitoring and audit of the use of Energy and Water, ensuring it

is being suffi ciently used.

Environmental

Outline

Environmental Policy – 21st May 2006

1. Suppliers

Raw materials are the many types of Fabric, metal, plastic, chemical

substances etc that are used during the manufacturing process of our

products. An important aspect of these raw materials is sustainability,

and this is only possible through careful and considerate management

of the farming, mining and retrieval of the materials. Fossil based

materials have a limited supply and are quickly diminishing, so more

attention should be paid to using sustainable products over fossil fuels.

Care should be exhibited at all times when using particularly hazardous

materials that may cause harm to human health or the environment.

1.1 Where possible, use raw materials from known sources, if there

is the possibility of lessening the environmental impact.

1.2 Support and develop innovative and alternative sustainable

sources of fuel and raw material.

1.3 Set performance standards that carefully control the use of

potentially hazardous chemicals and substances.

Manufacturing is the production of a product by the use of combining

raw materials. Such a process will use not only raw materials, but also

energy, water, and man power. This process will inevitably produce

waste by-products.

1.4 Developing environmental performance standards for our

suppliers, and basing such standards and practices on already recognised

environmental practices put in place by other companies.

1.5 We will encourage our suppliers to create an environmental

performance measurement system, in order to monitor how their

company is performing in comparison to our other suppliers regarding

environmental issues.

1.6 Suppliers are expected to make an attempt to maximise their

effi ciency levels, in order to minimise consumption of raw materials,

and energy levels.

2. Operations

Effi cient use of transport is mainly concerned with the distribution

fl eets that are used during the delivery processes between us and our

suppliers. They are also concerned with the transport patterns of our

staff and customers and the availability of public transport services.

Most methods of transport available today use valuable fossil fuels, or

cause some kind of harm to the environment.

2.1 Encourage Suppliers and distributors to select vehicles that deliver

and environmentally effi cient combination of fuel and technologies.

2.2 Create a staff incentive to encourage staff members to use more

environmentally friendly methods of transportation when travelling to

work, and in everyday life.

2.3 Provide customers with the opportunity to educate themselves on

sustainable energy sources and alternative methods of transport.

Energy use and water consumption in the offi ce/warehouse can have

a detrimental affect on the environment if not properly managed and

controlled. The same can be said about the disposal of waste products.

The chemicals and gasses used to preserve products and foods, and in

refrigerated vans, can be damaging toward the environment.

2.4 Introduce an environmental management system to track the use

of damaging products and intervene in order to minimalise the risks of

pollution. Also to ensure compliance with outstanding legislation and

any new legislation introduced.

Policy

2.5 Employ and implement a range of reusable transport packaging

systems to reduce waste, and recycle and cardboard or plastic products

that cannot be re-used.

2.6 Ensure that recycled materials are used wherever practical and

possible, other resources must be used effi ciently and potentially

hazardous substances reduced.

2.7 Regularly monitor and audit the use of Energy and Water, ensuring

it is being suffi ciently used.

2.8 By operating recycling and re-use schemes throughout offi ces

and warehouses for packaging and store equipment, waste can be

reduced.

3. Customers

Packaging is an effective way of reducing damage to products during

storage and transit and affectively reducing waste of damaged goods.

It is also used as a means for communicating important information to

the consumers.

3.1 Ensure recycled materials are used in practical and possible

circumstances and the use of other materials is minimal and effi cient.

3.2 Reduce our usage of potentially hazardous materials, and the use

of non-sustainable fuels.

3.3 Promote the use of recycling by customers by the repetition of

recycling logos and symbols.

3.4 Promote and participate in the development of recycling

networks.

Communication with customers leads to a level of trust that it is important

to uphold. Re-assurance about certain issues is also important from

time to time. Such issues may arise involving the use of sustainable

raw materials and recycling etc. Additionally, the way the product is

used, stored, cared for and disposed of can have a huge affect on the

environment, so it is important for people to be educated on the correct

way to do these things.

3.5 Provide easily understood and useful information relating to the

purchase, care of, and disposal of products.

3.6 Develop initiatives aimed towards educating customers on the

disposal of packaging and products that minimises the negative effect

on the environment.

3.7 Work with groups that represent the interests and concerns of

customers.

3.8 Refl ect our environmental goals in the way we communicate with

our customers.

Policy

Recyclable and ethical materials used in store

Recycled Card board – Point of sale promotional materials,

clothes tags etc

Recycled Paper – Till rolls, general use paper, promotional

leafl ets etc

Recycled paper bags – instead of plastic bags to put items in

after purchase, recycled paper bags can be used, printed with

the “fair and square logo”, by an ethical print company.

Hangers – Hangers made from recycled plastics can replace

conventional plastic hangers throughout the whole store.

In-store

Over the next 6 months, as we begin to roll out the initial lines

of ‘Fair and Square’ stock into the BHS stores, we intend to run

a foundation parallel to the campaign that will not only help to

raise awareness of the campaign, but also raise awareness of

the general principles behind the idea of ethical clothing, and

educate people on the matter.

This will be benefi cial to us, as an educated consumer is more

likely to understand why it is benefi cial, not only for them, but

also for the suppliers, when they purchase a piece of ethically

produced clothing.

The Foundation will gain funding from investing 5% of the Fair

and Square profi ts, and will initially have a 3 prong approach:

1. To educate the Staff of Suppliers

2. To educate the Suppliers themselves

3. To educate the Consumer

1. We intend to fund and set up literacy programs for

employees of our major suppliers, as part of educating the

workforce and giving them a better understanding of our goals

and ideology. Alongside the literacy training, the staff would gain

numeracy training if they required it, and educated about why

ethical production is important. The benefi ts of training staff are

such; it gives the staff member a feeling of worth if someone is

spending time and money educating them, which in turn increases

levels of motivation, production and effi ciency. An educated

member of staff is able to read instructions, and therefore requires

less supervision, they are able to proceed with their work at a

more consistent rate, and increase effi ciency and productivity.

The Benefi ts to our company from funding such a project will be

a decrease in the time of production of our products and a higher

level of quality, which can then be passed to the consumer.

2. By educating suppliers about legislation in their area of

the world, and how any changes may affect them, they are more

aware of their legal rights and whether or not their practices are

legal. Also, they may become aware of procedures that they

currently do not practice, but they are now allowed to, but were

just not aware of the changes in legislation. By giving suppliers a

copy of our environmental policy, they will become more aware

of our company ideals and the goals we are working towards,

and hopefully, if they do not already have one, create a policy of

their own that will go towards sustaining the environment.

3. Education of consumers is important, as a consumer that

is aware of the benefi ts of buying ethically produced products is

more likely to buy them, and also if they feel an emotional bond

with us, it will encourage them to buy. By producing a booklet

outlining our basic environmental policy, informing them of our

goals and outlining the principles behind ethical trading, and

why it is so important to today’s society, we create, not only an

awareness of ethical trading, but also of the “Fair and Square”

brand. High brand awareness will boost sales.

All booklet manufacture and printing will be carried out as

ethically as possible, using recycled materials and ethical printing

methods.

Fair & Square

Foundation

Executions

MEDIA: A couple of examples for each campaign execution.

PRESS

Fashion

Title: HelloURL: www.hellomagazine.com

Frequency: Weekly

Editorial Profi le: Renowned for photojournalism of aristocrats

and celebrities, balanced with a series of regular and practical

features. Target Readership: 61% of Readers are ABC1

Title: OK! Magazine

URL: www.ok-magazine.com

Frequency: Weekly

Editorial Profi le: Celebrity Lifestyle magazine. Celebrity led

featuring interviews, gossip, cookery, fashion, beauty, travel,

health and fi tness

Target Readership: ABC1, women aged 24-44

Ethical

Title: Daily Mail – Tabloid

URL: www.dailymailadvertising.co.uk

Frequency: Monday-Saturday

Circulation: 19,000

Readership: 5,634,543 (2.4 readers per copy)

Title: Daily Record - Tabloid (Scotland)

URL: www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Frequency: Monday-Saturday

Circulation: 450,302

Readership: All adults Total readership 1,233,567 (2.7 readers

per copy)

A list of some of the publications within the Top 10 in May 2006;

broken down into BHS’s core consumer age and socio-economic

groups.

34-44• Hello!• OK!• Sky The Magazine

• Take A Break

• What’s On TV

45-54• Good Housekeeping

• Radio Times

• Readers Digest

• Take A Break

• What’s On TV

55-64• Radio Times

• Readers Digest

• Saga• Sky The Magazine

• Take A Break

Media

65+• Radio Times

• Reader’s Digest

• Saga• Take a Break

• What’s On TV

A• Radio Times

• Saga• National Geographic

• Hello!• Private Eye

B• FHM• Good Housekeeping

• National Geographic

• Radio Times

• SagaC1• FHM• OK!• Radio Times

• Saga• Take a Break

D• FHM• OK!• What’s On TV

• Women’s Own

RADIO

Station: Heart 106.2 London

URL: www.heart1062.co.uk

Broadcast area: Greater London, Home countries

Broadcast Time: 24 hours

Broadcast frequency: 106.2Mhz

Programming profi le: Adult contemporary music, news twice per

hourTarget audience: 25-44 year olds, with a slight female bias

Station: MFM 103.4

URL: http://mfm.musicradio.com

Broadcast area: Wrexham, Chester and Deeside

Broadcast Time: 24 hours

Broadcast frequency: 103.4MHz

Programming profi le: Classic and current hits, local and national

newsPage: 1261

OUTDOOR

Core Areas:• London• North West

However, it will be a national outdoor campaign, in locations

within a 1 to 5 mile radius of a BHS store.

Source:Brad (2005) Brad: Monthly Guide to Advertising Media (May

2006), UK: Emap Information

Media

48 Sheet Poster

48 Sheet Poster

Tabl

oid

Full

Page

Mag

azin

e Fu

ll Pa

ge

Transcript

“Giving someone the right wage and a decent working

environment isn’t just ethical; it’s common sense.”

“Fair & Square is the new clothing range by BHS made

with 100% organic cotton. Visit your nearest BHS store

or buy online at bhs.co.uk”

“Fair & Square… We don’t stitch up our workforce.”

Radio 20’

Web Site

The BHS Fair & Square campaign takes an integrated marketing

communications approach. In addition to the above-the-line executions

of Press, Radio and Outdoor, it is imperative to take a holistic strategy

by considering factors outside of its communications. The latter is

exemplifi ed by considering elements within its production such as

the fabrics used, printing, working conditions in the factories, the

workforce, and environmental issues (Packaging, Sustainable sourcing,

Transportation, and Energy, Water & Waste). On the basis of the

aforementioned, we even developed an Environmental Policy for BHS

to implement throughout other parts of its organisation.

Not only did we look at the production stage, we also considered its

method of distribution, paying closer attention to the retail environment

where Fair&Square is sold in. Such attributes include utilising recycled

objects for its Point Of Sale displays, swing tags, hangers, paper bags

and so on. We have adopted a holistic approach so that the whole

Fair&Square initiative is ethical from start to fi nish.

All the advertisements together tell an integrated story. They hold the

same theme of conveying messages of Fair & Square’s ethical practices

from production to the actual clothing range. Instead of adopting a

‘shock-tactic’ strategy, our main focus is to educate the target audiences

about the Fair & Square initiative and its clothing range. The creative

artwork incorporates symbolism by using images such as the cotton

reel and scissors to signify ‘clothing production’; which is reinforced

by powerful straplines.

OUTDOORThe advantage of this medium is that it enables Fair&Square to be

communicated on a mass scale. The disadvantage is that the campaign

competes with a multitude of various outdoor messages, which could

potentially weaken the campaign. Another disadvantage is that the

viewing time is very quick (9 seconds average), which limits the amount

of copy that can be placed a 48-sheet billboard.

The concept behind the outdoor campaign came from understanding

exactly what ethical production is, and also having to differentiate us

from some of our competitors in a short message that people are able to

read and understand whilst moving past at speed. Ethical manufacture

is based around fairness in the work place and loyalty, and respect

towards staff members. With this in mind we listed many different

quick sayings that can sum this up, and decided upon “We don’t stitch

up our workers…” as it not only has relevance to treating workers

fairly, but also a double-entendre, as the use of the word ‘stitch’ has

particular relevance to the clothing manufacturing industry. We chose

the image of a cotton thread and needle, as it was simple and did

not draw attention away from the saying, but backed it up. Black and

white photography gave the image a subtly serious feeling. In contrast

to the black and white, the text was written in the colours that we had

previously associated with ethical clothing. Finally, the colour logo is

placed in the bottom right hand corner so it is the last thing a passer by

sees, and the brand stays in their mind.

PRESSIt could be suggested that out of the three mediums, Press is the most

effective platform for communicating directly with our target audience

through carefully selecting the right publications. For example, the

Fashion advertisement will be inserted in OK magazine because its target

readership of 24-44 years and editorial profi le of ‘Celebrity Lifestyle

magazine… fashion, beauty, travel, health and fi tness’ correlates with

the BHS target audience.

The creative concept for this design led on from the outdoor campaign,

but we wanted to expand more on our ethical work ideals and inform

the reader a little more about these. We used more copy on this advert

than the outdoor advert, as people will have more time to read it,

although we did not want to fl ood the page with text. We picked out

three separate benefi ts of our manufacturing process, as triptych listing

Rationale

is easier to remember than listing things in twos or fours; safe working

conditions, no child labour, and no forced labour. Again, we are trying

to be subtle, and not trying to preach to the reader. The use of a greater

amount of copy also gave us the opportunity to give the reader a little

more information about the products, and where they can purchase

them. The image of a pair of scissors is tied in with the use of the

cotton reel in the outdoor advert, as they are both objects used in the

manufacture of clothes, and it also relates to the text; “we don’t cut

corners…” With the colours and design used, there should be continuity

between the press and outdoor adverts. All in all, this is meant to leave

readers with a positive image of our brand, and encourage them to

open their minds and give our ethical range a chance.

RADIOThe objective of the 20” radio spot is to generate awareness towards

the Fair&Square ethical clothing range, as well as drive traffi c towards

the online site. The script integrates copy from the Press and Outdoor

ad campaigns in order for the listeners to create immediate linkages

between the campaigns.

The use of a softly spoken yet assertive female voice conveys the

‘sensitiveness’ of Fair & Square. Furthermore, it manages to deliver

ethical points without sounding ‘preachy’ unlike other ethical radio

spots. It is informative and straight to the point.

The Fair&Square radio spot will be executed national via regional stations

that have similar target audiences as BHS. Such stations include Heart

106.2 (Greater London, Home countries) and MFM 103.4 (Wrexham,

Chester and Deeside). This is to ensure effective targeting and reach.

WEBSITEThe Fair & Square website was designed to be practical fi rst, visually

appealing second. Consumers will not use websites that are complex

or diffi cult to use. It was decided not to use Flash or similar content for

two reasons. Compatibility is always an issue when writing content for

the web, if customers cannot access your site they will go elsewhere.

Secondly, many consumers fi nd fl ash irritating and time consuming.

Load times tend to increase dramatically for little gain in usability.

The Fair & Square site uses a simple design with one main frame along

with navigation bars on the left hand side and top of the page. These

provide access to the entire clothing range, search facilities, shopping

cart, contact details and information about Fair & Square. Content will

be stored in a SQL database and displayed in the main frame subject to

the users specifi cations.

Clearly in order for the BHS site to increase traffi c consistently the entire

site would need to be revitalised with a consistent theme. However for

the initial launch a prominent banner has been placed on the BHS

homepage directing interested parties to the Fair & Square site.

Rationale

References

Brad (2005) Brad: Monthly Guide to Advertising Media (May 2006), UK: Emap

Information

Hickman, M., 12/12/2005, U.K. Market for Organic & Fair Trade Clothes

& Other Products Growing Rapidly, accessed April 2005, http://www.

organicconsumers.org/btc/market121205.cfm

Lock, K. (2006) Natural Born Shopping (Online), Available from URL:

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/executive/form?_index=exec_en.html&_

lang=en&ut=3325272301, [Accessed 1st May 2006]

Mintel.com (2006) Clothing Retailing - UK - July 2005 (Online), Available

from URL: http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/search_results/show&&t

ype=RCItem&page=0&noaccess_page=0/display/id=114754, [Accessed 1st

May 2006] Online References

Arja-textile.com (2006) Arja Textile Co.: The Ultimate Clothing Experience.

(Online) Available from URL: www.arja-textile.com. [Accessed 3rd May

2006]

news.bbc.co.uk (2006) M&S set to launch fair trade range (Online), Available

from URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4660410.stm, [Accessed 12th

May 2006]

Topkapi.com (2006) Do the Best You Can (Online) Available from URL: www.

topkapi-iplik.com.tr. [Accessed 3RD May 2006]

Tshirtandsons.co.uk (2006) About T-shirt and Sons (online) Available from

URL: www.tshirtandsons.co.uk. [Accessed 3rd May 2006]

www.dooyoo.co.uk (2006) BHS: The ability to surprise (Online), Available

from URL: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/offl ine-shopping-misc/bhs/427789/,

[Accessed 12th May 2006]

Bibliography

BHS Limited, BHS Homepage, www.bhs.co.uk, viewed March 2006

Bureau van Dijk FAME, 2005, BHS Limited company report, http://fame.

bvdep.com/, viewed April 2006

Ecotopia, http://www.ecotopia.co.uk, viewed April 2006

Ethical Threads, http://www.ethicalthreads.co.uk/, viewed April 2006

Freedom Clothing, http://freedom-clothing.co.uk, , viewed April 2006

Footprint, http://www.footprint-clothing.co.uk/, viewed April 2006

Greenfi bres, http://www.greenfi bres.com/, viewed April 2006

Hello! Limited, 2006, Display Advertising Rates 2006, http://www.

hellomagazine.com/marketing/media2006.pdf, viewed April 2006

Howies, http://www.howies.co.uk/, viewed April 2006

Natural Collection, http://www.naturalcollection.com, viewed April 2006

News Stream Ltd 2006, Publication Sizes & Specifi cations, http://www.news-

stream.ltd.uk/sizes_pdf/Times_compact.pdf, viewed April 2006

Oxfam , http://www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/, viewed April 2006

Seasalt Organic, http://www.seasaltorganic.co.uk, viewed April 2006

Traidcraft, http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/, viewed April 2006

References