American Eagle has a clearly defined set of "corporate values" which guides the actions of employees at all levels of the AE organization:
PEOPLE
The vitality of our company resides in our people. We collaborate, we engage, we achieve.
INTEGRITY
We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards. In the face of difficulties and challenges, we don't compromise.
PASSION
Our passion infuses our actions and purpose. It transforms stores into places of energy and customer delight
INNOVATION
We operate in a dynamic and competitive industry. We continually refine the unique processes that drive our business, and we use insightful research and analysis to balance our instinct and to guide our decisions. Our associates embody entrepreneurial spirit, develop creative solutions, and initiate change.
TEAMWORK
We work together - listening to one another, reaching consensus and supporting group decisions. We celebrate achievements. Because we respect and trust one another and commit ourselves to our company goals, our teamwork succeeds.
Additionally American Eagle has a service goal that guides employees in their everyday retailing tasks:
"We respond to the needs of our customer and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done."
Sited from :http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/American-Eagle-Mission-Values.htm
2. Target Market
For my compnay, Amercian Eagle Outfitters, we offer a variety of products from shirts to jeans to accessories. But what they all have in common is that the target market is usually tweens, teens, and young adults. But realisticly, older adults are seen shopping for themselves in such stores such as my company which makes the target market range vary even more. For exampel I would walk into the A.E. store at Queens Center Mall and observe not only tweens and teens buying the latest shirts and jeans, but also watch adults usually the parents of customers also buy the brand to show that they too can be young and "hip". I mean most teenagers like to purchase accessories such as belts and hand ties with the AE. eagle on it, but most adults would rather purchase the shirts and jeans because it is what they are mostly interested in. Even though few young adults do find the accessories interesting the target market for the accessories als orange from tweens to adults. A.E concept is to simply sell the latest design in clothing usually season coordinated and earn revenue from kids all the way to adults.
3. SWOT Analysis
American Eagle Outfitter is a great company all around. Their internal strengths are based upon their powerful production of their products, their eye-catching advertisements, their logo that is known around the globe, their friendly sales associates that makes every shopping experience a memorable one, and their online success which speaks for itself. Since American Eagle is the cheaper brand of their two competitor's Aereopostale and A&F, their production cost is where it should be competitively speaking. AEO has incredible marketing skills and strategies such as emailing customers daily whether informing them about discounts or informing them on the trend and what new products they have. Also billboards in the city, commericals on TV, and definitely on their website. Their brand image is worldwide due to the fact that its an eagle and as soon as you see it everyone knows its the American Eagle logo which is embedded on the chest of people wearing it proudly. Employees helps customers out to the fullest extent whether you need help with something minor to giving you expert advise on a complete outfit. Weaknesses i say that AEO has is that they run too little commericals on TV. Every kid watches TV and some do at a certain time when your prospective target market watch the same shows. All they have to do is find out what tweens and teenagers like and run advertisements on channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV, Disney, CW11, etc. They should also on their commericals add the addresses of locations that are convenient for their prospective buyers. As for their external opportunities, they have many opportnuities that will be successful next year and before the year is over. For exaple, they will have AEO stores open in Cairo Eygpt by the end of this year. Next year they will focus on getting stores open in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shagnhai, Beijing, an Kuwait. The only threats that oppose AEO is Aereopostale and A&F due to the fact tha they have the same target market and offer the same thign but they do have their differences.
Realistic: American Eagle should have winter stock in Septemeber and sell is for 30% off retail price.
Measurable: American Eagle shoudl sell jeans and shirts for 2 for the price of a shirt and $10 for example 2 for $30 or 2 for $40
Time Specific: All winter clothes should be sold by Ending of February or Early March.
Benchmark: Sales should increase by 10% by the end of each month.
Product design: Flannels with the AE touch are in this winter.
4. AE Retailing Activities
American Eagle retailing activities are as similar to those of their competition, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Aereopostale. Those three are the most popular brand among American teenagers. Even though A&F are the most expensive of the three brands, AE comes off as the most affordable brand making teenagers fiend for it. Even though A&F has 18.6% more international revenue than AE and Aereopostale, American Eagle is the cheapest among US retailers that sell clothes to teenagers. Basically, AE is second place only to its rival A&F, but seems to be doing well in terms of domestically speaking. Matter of fact, American Eagle has the most retail stores compared to A&F and Aereopostale. Therefore most target markets have a better chance to buy something of the AE brand rather than standing in long unforgiving lines at A&F and Aereopostale. AE is known for being the cheapest brand so therefore teenagers and their parents look to buy their since A&F refuses to markdown their price resulting in losing their loyal A&F customers because of the recession.
5. American Eagle Magazine Ad
American Eagle Outfitters is considerable one of America's most trendy fashions that has sweep the nation for the last decade or so. Extremely popular for tweens and teens the ever popular American Eagle is the fashion as of late. Whether you dress up to go to a party or you dress down for an off day, American Eagle has it all. From shirts, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, sweat pants, hoodies. outerwear, and underwear, we sell everything. AEO also sells accessories to go with your outfit such as colorful hand ties, beads, clips, anything that might catch your eye can be found in the accessory section of AEO. Teenagers nowadays can be seen wearing it most as they display the eagle embedded on their chest or on their pants, it represents free spirit which most teenagers can relate to as clothes is a form of expression when words fail to grasp what they are trying to say about themselves. Even though AEO targets the teenagers and tweens of this generation, some can say that their parents also share their liking of the brand by too buying clothes from AEO. AEO targets the parents since the people that are buying the clothes for their kids buy clothes for themselves as AEO is the most bargainable brand in the USA. AEO is also popular outside the USA, being worn by teenagers in Canada, Kuwait, Riyadh, Dubai, and Puerto Rico. AEO is also working on opening stores in Israel this month as we speak. They are working on opening up AEO stores in Shanghai China, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Beijing. American Eagle is what celebrities like Selena Gomez wears and Leighton Meester wear and is what influences what the female tweens and teenagers wear since they are role models to a lot of them. Dressing up as your most favorite celeb is what has been done for generations from Elvis Presley, to Micheal Jackson, to Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber. American Eagle is what is taking the nation by storm and you can be apart of it too.
6. Sales Promotion
For my sales promotion I have chosen to design an advertisement flyer for American Eagle to market their winter wear. I chose to because it is almost November and winter time is almost here as we all know the season and weather is changing. Buyers will now begin to stock up on winter necessities and for them to do that they need a brand that is cheap, great quality and is very trendy. That is when I come in and inform them about the winter collection of American Eagle. As a buyer, you always look for either a deal, or a bargain. Consumers always want something for nothing. American Eagle is the most bargainable brand in the USA, and worldwide. I used my flyer as a way to get loyal consumers, competitor consumers, brand switchers, and price buyers because they are AE’s target market. The flyer below indicates that the consumer will receive a discount on all winter items which is valid online and in store, and get a head start and save a lot of money when time runs out and it’s the middle of winter and you’ve just paid way too much for your hats, gloves, sweaters, etc. Meanwhile there is a sale before winter starts and it’s a deal of a lifetime. I chose this type of promotion because it is the most effective because now a days everything is electronic and consumers need something that will catch their eyes because basic information processing can lead buyers to purchase on impulse. Flyers let consumers know what is going on currently and let them have all the time in the world to decide when could they take times out of their busy lives and go and purchase what they need. Also with a TV ad, they only have 30 seconds or so and they are so discreet because they have limited time to for everything they need to say and consumers might miss key information that makes a difference.
Save on our new winter hats, gloves, sweaters, hoodies, jackets, and more Come now and save a bundle! Offer ends 11/9 November |
Save 30-50% off of our New Winter Collection |
7. IMC
My IMC assignment follows the contact points of advertisement, sales promotion, personal selling and public relations. In the first picture you see a man and a woman sitting on a bus and the guy is reading a newspaper. On the newspaper I wrote what looks like to be a newspaper ad to inform the reader that flannels are on sale at AE but also to visit AE. My message throughout the assignment was to get people to visit their local AE store. My second element I used was sales promotion which I made a cartoon of two people holding up money as a way to say “Save money when you visit AE stores.” The sales promotion informs the consumers that they can save 30% or more from all of their purchases when they visit an AE store. My third element that I used was personal selling. I put a picture of two people on a store. One is a sales associate and one is the customer. The sales associate is thanking the consumer for coming to AE and reminds him that he can get 2 shirts for 30 dollars. My last element that I used is public relation. I put an American eagle and let the consumers know that AE is dedicated about going green and recycling resources, etc.
8. Projections
9. 100 words on the long term succes of American Eagle
The way American Eagle can maintain long term success is to maintain their target market and keep on advertising as much as possible. What it comes down to is people will buy stuff as long as they know about it. If you don’t let people know what you have and what your business is about, then people will not spend their hard earned money on you and your company will suffer a loss. Also if they have a successful well thought out marketing plan, and advertise strategically, they would be successful.
8. Projections
American Eagle Outfitters is an apparel company in which teenagers and tweens all around America and all over the country known for their clothing. Personally I do wear American eagle shirts and jeans as well as many people my age. Whether they are male or female, teen or tween, everybody enjoys wearing American eagle. Parents of those who wear American eagle, wears the brand too. American eagle is a brand out of three clothing brands that is currently competing against each other for the right to say that they rule the teenage fashion industry. A & F, and Aereopostale are the other two that are competing alongside American eagle and both are doing really well. But AE has the edge due to the fact that celebrities that are idolized by teens and tweens wear the brand and advertises the brand for AE. Most teens and tweens want to dress like their idols as it has been done for generations and generations. My projection for American eagle products is that it will increase in the year of 2012 because AE is making cologne for Men, always putting out new products out there for the seasons which will always bring success because tweens become teens and with that rate, AE will also produce for adults too as they have been doing in the years past. Since the economy is what it is, since AE has a low price range from their competitors and the behavior of people being that they would always want something for nothing, then AE is the best choice rather than spending a lot of money, and unnecessary time in very long lines on clothing that is pretty much the same. Plus AE has winter products that will carry into the 2012 season and will rake in the business that was left behind by A&F and Aereopostale.
9. 100 words on the long term succes of American Eagle
The way American Eagle can maintain long term success is to maintain their target market and keep on advertising as much as possible. What it comes down to is people will buy stuff as long as they know about it. If you don’t let people know what you have and what your business is about, then people will not spend their hard earned money on you and your company will suffer a loss. Also if they have a successful well thought out marketing plan, and advertise strategically, they would be successful.
