In the typical department store or large specialty store, you work on advertising and sales events with the sales promotion manager, a fashion copywriter and fashion artist, the fashion coordinator, a display expert, and sometimes also a publicity specialist. All of these people serve many departments, and some serve the entire store.
When this unit of experts works with you for your department, yours is the key role. It is up to you to supply the spark, to initiate the fashion excitement, and to follow through to the actual selling.
Kinds of Promotion
Fashion departments can select from a wide variety of promotional approaches those that best suit their clientele.
For some departments, a hammer-and-tongs effort to sell specific styles at modest prices may be right. Even in the fashion field, there are bargain hunters.
For other departments, emphasis must be all on trends, prestige, and anything but price.
For some departments, merchandise advertising is the only effective promotional tool. For others, fashion shows, clinics, opportunities to meet famous designers, may be the dominant approach.
Most stores and departments, however, need a varied diet. In deciding upon the right mix for your department, consider:
- the previous year's mix, in the light of how successful it was
- store policy and store image — the framework within which you operate
- your target customer, and everything you know about how she evaluates newness, price, designer or brand names, or other factors
- departmental objectives — sharp sales gains, higher profits, improved fashion image, trading up, or whatever they may be
- the competitive situation: those areas in which you must fight for your share of the business; those in which you can move from strength.
When you plan promotions and advertising for your department, draw your inspiration as much as possible from your customers and your merchandise. These are your most important guides.
True, you have to look back at past experience for indications of the advantages and pitfalls of each type of promotion that has already been tried in your department. But don't let the past force you into a rut.
If you have a "different" idea, present it. Your own ideas may be better and fresher and more completely in tune with today than anything that has been done before in your department. Or they may not. You won't know if you don't try.
If you have an idea that seems workable, it will be welcomed. Remember that your store's sales promotion director and fashion coordinator cannot give as much creative thought to any one department as the buyer for that department can. They expect you to contribute - to spark the idea.
These experienced professionals with whom you deal can recognize a good idea or put their fingers on a weak spot promptly and accurately. Whether they accept or reject your suggestions, you will learn from their evaluation what you should watch for, the next time around.
Checking and Reporting Results
Your store probably has a form on which you are required to report results of advertising - what was sold, and how much, and any special circumstances that may have affected results.
If not, make your own notes on each ad or promotional event and share them with the fashion coordinator and the sales promotion staff. By assessing each individual success or failure, you and those who work with you on promotion learn what works best for your department.
On your personal copy of the report, add post-mortem notes for yourself - things you did right, things that could have been better, mistakes that shouldn't be allowed to happen again.
For example, your request for signs may have been put through too late for you to get what you needed on time. Your notation will remind you to leave more leeway for delay. Or you may have introduced a humorous note in your memo to salespeople and really hit home with it. Remind yourself to do more of the same on the next big effort.
What's most important, keep all the memos you sent, and what changes you now would make, so that a repeat next year can be handled in more routine and thorough style.
Reaping the Benefits
In the promotion of your department, you provide the spark, but many others in the store bring their expertise to bear upon your problems and opportunities. A sound understanding of advance planning helps you secure the promotion you need.
A careful analysis of what was done and how it worked and what else could have been done and what not to do again, will yield a clear answer to that awesome question buyers ask themselves: "How will I ever top these sales figures next year?"
