Analysis of the Marketing Communications : American Eagle

Résumé du document

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., a Pennsylvania based company, is a leading retailer that designs, markets and sells its own brand of laidback, current clothing targeting 15 to 25 year-olds, providing high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. The first American Eagle Outfitters store opened in the United States in 1977 and expanded the brand into Canada in 2001. The retailer distribute merchandise via its e-commerce operation, ae.com, which offers additional sizes, colors and styles of favorite AE merchandise which ships around the world.

Its original collection includes standards like jeans and graphic T-shirts, as well as essentials that include:
accessories, outerwear, footwear, basics and swimwear under American Eagle Outfitters, American Eagle and AE brand names. The Company plans to open MARTIN + OSA, a new sportswear concept targeting 25 to 40 year-old women and men, by the end of 2006. Additionally, the Company plans to introduce Aerie by American Eagle, its new intimates sub-brand, in the fall of 2006. Currently, American Eagle Outfitters operates 869 AE stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 71 AE stores in Canada. AE also operates a Website, ae.com, which offers additional sizes and styles of favorite AE merchandise.

Extraits

[...] He goes by the name Paul Rodriguez, without the "Jr." and is also referred to by the nickname Rod" which was given to him by his cousin George Rodriguez (G-Rod). Why we chose P-Rod? In 2002, he was named as the Transworld Skateboarding Magazine's Rookie of the Year. He won a skateboarding competition in the Men's category at the X-Games in 2004 and 2005. He has participated in two of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games: Tony Hawk's Underground & Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. [...]

[...] Products range from women's and men's apparel, accessories and footwear to items for the apartment, gifts and novelties. The company's current annual sales for 2006, is $ million. There has been a substantial increase in annual sales from $828 million in 2005. The medium that Urban Outfitters employs are: print ads, catalog (direct mail) and online (website). Urban Outfitters-SWOT Analysis The other competitor of American Eagle is Abercrombie & Fitch. The company was founded in 1892. They are a specialty brand that focuses on four brands: Abercrombie Kids (age Hollister CO. [...]

[...] iTunes partnership (Highly Recommended for 2007) American Eagle Outfitters' customers are stylish and they know what is trendy. Our recommendation is to have a strategic music partnership with iTunes to increase sales and drive in more traffic to the existing store locations. We recommend the store locations to have specific articles of clothing be on promotion for each customer who purchases special apparel such as: music theme t-shirts or denim jeans. These customers would get an iTunes gift card that would offer up to three free songs downloads in iTunes according to how much the customer spends. [...]

[...] He will also be featured in the upcoming Tony Hawk's Project 8 video game. He is fashionable & appears in a variety of media which include print ads for skate magazines. Results: Have P-Rod wear AE clothes and have him be an icon symbol for the retail store chain. Our goal is to have P-Rod wearing skateboarder clothes with the AE symbol, which also includes stickers on his helmet, skateboard and the rest of his gear. It will be proposed that American Eagle pay Rod $5,000 a month, for 12 months to have him wear the clothes and be a national symbol for the company. [...]

[...] Both companies, American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch, have created picture logos to brand several of their products; American Eagle Outfitters being a landing eagle and Aeropostale's a standing bulldog for guys and a butterfly for girls. Abercrombie & Fitch's logo is a standing moose, and Hollister's is a flying seagull. The use of animals for logos shows replication of previously established companies such as Polo Ralph Lauren, which is a polo horse, and Lacoste which is a snapping crocodile. Additionally, American Eagle emphasizes on the date of its establishment in its marketing and design and branding the majority of its products with the date. [...]