Question

this is for my marketing class, please help

What do you think a strong element of the Pepe's brand is (to customers)? (refresh your memory on branding P 180)

Answer 1

The now worldwide popular clothes and accessories brand Pepe Jeans London was founded in the year 1973 in London and was initially owned by three brothers named as Arun Shah, Nitin Shah, and Milan Shah. From its humble beginnings as a rented stall in the Portobello Road in London, the brand is now existent in more than countries. Pepe Group Plc. was later acquired by SEL international investments Corp. The company is now headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

The Strong Element of Pepe Brand to the Customers

The most important element of the Pepe brand and its jeans and other wearables and accessories is good quality and premium feel, which is also supported by a targeted marketing and advertising approach and backed by affordability. It was the first brand and company that emphasized that jeans are streetwear and should not be retailed hung like trousers. Pepe advertisements also teased the traditional mode of advertising at a point of time and challenged the socially acceptable norms. This brought to the brand initial attention and made it popular, especially among the youth. The quality and fitting of its jeanswear provided for better customer retention rates, and Pepe also kept expanding its product lineup.

As per the views of Kotler (1988), brand image is the perception of a brand that customers carry in their mind and the values associated with it. Denim is, in fact, casual and streetwear and Pepe was the first brand to accept and even exploit this rationale. Pepe products not only boast of good quality but are also innovative and contemporary. Other scholars like Ditcher (1985) point out that the holistic image of the brand in the minds of the customer may be even more important than its individual characteristics. Pepe has bold presentations, advertising, and marketing campaigns and also has a wide range of products on offer that well compliments with each other. Apart from Jeanswear, Pepe also offers bags, wallets, belts, shirts, capris, t-shirts, cargos and other accessories and clothes. While the quality of the products helps Pepe compete with the leading and most prominent brands including Lee and Levi's among others, they are also priced aggressively, which provides for even better competitiveness. Pepe brand’s advertising appeals to the rebellious attitude found mostly in youngsters and the youth prefer to align with a brand which is young at heart.

Pepe has positioned its brand as a premium jeans brand, which is inspired by streetwear in London. This is the major POD (Point of Difference) or differentiation ground that Pepe uses to position its products and make them stand apart. The innovative brand also focuses on developing new fabrics as well as silhouettes, which can provide for appealing and better finishes. The brand eyes youth as its major market and also stands with the young. The ads of the company talk about being cool, young, independent, and self-confident and make a style statement that is exclusive and unique. The targeted marketing has worked well for Pepe and it has also established trust with customers by offering good fittings and finishes, innovative fabrics and designs, and premium quality at an affordable cost. Its consistent performance has helped the brand gain customer confidence throughout the world. Increase in urbanization has also favored the brand to enhance its customer base and reach out to new regions. Pepe has set many new trends and is now much more than a jeans company. It may have the best fashion forecasting capability, and the good quality and fit create equity for the brand.