Using Consumer Insights to Chart a New Course

Using Consumer Insights to Chart a New Course

February 3, 2016

When Nautica's Fall 2016 Collection makes its runway debut this week at New York Fashion Week: Men's, it signals the latest VF Corporation brand to relaunch using the company's strategic consumer insights approach.

VF's Strategy and Consumer Insights practice works together with the company's brands to inject the consumer's view into every aspect of the business to drive growth and consumer loyalty, putting a particular emphasis on digital.

VF previously took the same approach with Vans, Timberland and The North Face. Now, the company is using the same insights-based process with Nautica, a brand founded in 1983 and acquired by VF in 2003.

'At VF, we take a disciplined approach to obtaining consumer insights that are central to our ability to build winning brand strategies,' said Steve Rendle, President and Chief Operating Officer. 'Our team at Nautica has completed an extensive process where they have taken the knowledge learned from their consumer ethnography study and applied it to an evolved set of strategic choices and prioritized actions. We are incredibly excited to begin introducing Nautica's new brand strategy in 2016, a year that will mark an exciting rebirth for the brand.'

For its part, Nautica's new approach to design and marketing celebrates its strong nautical heritage and its roots in New York City, where it was founded and is still headquartered. The new brand direction is the result of a two-year global research effort to gain consumer insights about their style needs.

The Nautica team interviewed more than 15,000 people, went into their closets, shopped with them and held focus groups to better understand the target consumer. A new brand message - 'Inspired by the sea, designed in the city' was unveiled at the fashion show and will come to life in Nautica's Spring 2016 advertising campaign.

'By concentrating on our target consumer and having a clearly articulated brand positioning, Nautica is truly being reimagined for a more modern, sophisticated take on nautical style,' says Karen Murray, President of Nautica. 'Unwavering focus on our consumer's desires has helped us refocus the brand's design and messaging to meet their needs in regards to style and sophistication. The brand is a reimagined Nautica - inspired by the sea, designed in the city.'

An expanded range of nautical-inspired looks will be available to help consumers build their wardrobes starting with the Nautica Spring 2016 Collection.

The elevated brand will manifest itself in new stores slated to open in New York and Miami later this year. Advertising in all media channels, along with social media campaigns, traditional marketing and in-store events will support the new brand positioning in U.S. stores and key cities around the world.

For more information about Nautica, visit www.nautica.com.

VF Corporation issued this content on 03 February 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 03 February 2016 18:50:27 UTC

Original Document: http://www.vfc.com/news/company-news/detail/15907/using-consumer-insights-to-chart-a-new-course