{"id":2062,"date":"2016-03-22T03:05:36","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T03:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2016-03-22T03:09:41","modified_gmt":"2016-03-22T03:09:41","slug":"the-superdry-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/03\/the-superdry-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brand Case Study: The Superdry Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Superdry is an international clothing label of SuperGroup plc., headquartered in \u00a0Cheltenham, UK. This case study looks into the key aspects of branding that heavily influenced the success of this label. Also, we look at how the definition of this brand altered consumer perception. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A couple of\u00a0months back, I was taking a stroll down Princes Street, Edinburgh, which happened to be the week of the Fringe Festival. Had a good time watching the acts but what really caught my attention was the sheer number of people sporting Superdry apparel.<\/p>\n

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The jacket with the Japanese script lettering on its shoulder lining, which happens to be the logo as well, is a ubiquitous sight on any high street in Britain. Imogen succinctly writes in The Guardian – \u201cin London, you are never meant to be more than 6ft away from a rat, even if you can\u2019t see one. Today, in the UK – by my scientific reckoning – you are never more than six feet away from a bit of Superdry.<\/p>\n

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Superdry: who are they?<\/h1>\n

For the uninitiated, Superdry is a fashion label of SuperGroup plc, an international clothing company based out of Cheltenham, UK. Well, it didn\u2019t start out that way but that\u2019s what this case study is all about. It\u2019s about ingenious branding that \"superdry-brand-the-branding-journal-5\"resurrected an almost non existent fashion line of outdoor wear – a transition from car boot sales to high street stores, from oblivion to ubiquity.<\/p>\n

Beckham posed with one, Bieber performed with one, Helena Christensen, anyone? Yes, she was papped with a Superdry triple zip Windcheater. Oh, and did I mention Kate Winslet? You get the picture (excuse the pun). And, ironically, celebrity endorsement wasn\u2019t initiated by SuperGroup and, yet, celebrities in Britain, and the ones across the pond endorse Superdry with their wallet, nevertheless.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brand Identity<\/h1>\n

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They market themselves as a \u201cfashion chain for men and women blending vintage Americana with Japanese and British inspirations.\u201d What\u2019s the Japanese inspiration, I hear you ask. Well, the scripting on the logo, and, yeah, that\u2019s about it. But, boy, did it work! SuperGroup have clearly capitalised on consumer psyche towards anything Japanese. Research has shown that European consumers aspire and exhibit inclination towards Japanese brands and this is reflected in their purchase decisions. Moreover, packaging\/products scripted in Japanese tend to exude a certain degree of quality and \u201cwow\u201d factor in the customer\u2019s perception.<\/p>\n

The fact that Superdry has nothing to do with anything remotely Japanese is evident if you decipher the script. If loosely translated (there\u2019s no literal translation from Japanese), it reads \u201cmaximum dry (do)\u201d, which sounds absolutely nonsensical. James Holder, the brainchild of Superdry reminisces of his obsession with typography and his childhood spent reading Japanese manga comics (known for its Japanese script on the cover). Apparently, the logo was conceived at a Japanese pub by James with a play on English and Japanese typography to loosely convey the meaning of staying dry on a wet day using Superdry.<\/p>\n

The branding genius lies in the logo seamlessly incorporating Japanese and English, and conveying something totally different to what it actually says! Some market experts believe it\u2019s a parody on Japanese clothing brands that often use meaningless English mumbo-jumbo to appear British. Parody or not, SuperGroup ain\u2019t complaining. The logo has elevated Superdry to the point it\u2019s mentioned in the same breath as Uniqlo, Zara, AllSaints and \u00a0Mango – labels that rub shoulders with Superdry.<\/p>\n

The Road Ahead<\/h1>\n

As is usually the case with brands that solely rely on brand identity, Superdry has reached a plateau, in terms of its \u201c\u00fcber-cool\u201d appeal. With brand fatigue setting in, SuperGroup badly needed to infuse some pizzazz into the flailing brand. Well, hope has come cloaked as Idris Elba, yes, \u201cThe Wire\u201d man, who\u2019ll be lending his name for a premium range of Superdry apparel, apparently.<\/p>\n

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The name \u201cIDRIS\u201d has been trademarked and this time (thankfully!) there\u2019s no Japanese script tag\"superdry-brand-the-branding-journal-2\"ging the name. The designers have adopted a rather conservative approach with the new logo, perhaps to appeal to a more mature audience.<\/p>\n

SuperGroup hopes Idris\u2019 mass appeal will help gain lost momentum both at home and the US, one of Superdry\u2019s biggest markets. According to a report in The Guardian, Euan Sutherland, the chief executive believes \u201cSuperdry still appealed to 18-24 year old market, but many shoppers had grown up with the brand\u201d and Elba, 42, would appeal to that older generation as well.\u201d Further, he adds, \u201cIdris Elba is a big man in the US and he will automatically reposition Superdry in people\u2019s minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time that Superdry is betting big on celebrity endorsement. It\u2019s always thrived on celebrity endorsement. Now, though, SuperGroup\u2019s taking it a notch further by launching an entire sub-brand that is Idris Elba. This strategy has worked in the past for many high street brands to plug plummeting sales. Will this work for SuperGroup? What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts.<\/p>\n

References: <\/b>The Guardian<\/a>; Rooms14menswear<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>
\nPictures from:<\/em> <\/b>ManchesterFashion<\/a>; Pinterest<\/a>; Dailymail UK<\/a>, Superdry.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Superdry is an international clothing label of SuperGroup plc., headquartered in \u00a0Cheltenham, UK. This case study looks into…\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"This case study looks into the key aspects of branding that heavily influenced the success of Superdry. 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