Strategy: VF Markets All of Its Diverse

Strategy: VF

VF markets all of its diverse brands as eco-friendly, sporty, functional products that are useful for its outdoorsy customers. They are meant to leave a light carbon footprint yet also are helpful for consumers who wish to pursue more 'extreme' sports like hiking and trail running. Even its 'Lucy' brand of yoga sportswear is marketed in such a fashion. This fashion-friendly, yet functional marketing strategy seems ideally suited to the demographic likely to use VF clothing. VF consumers are young, but old enough to have established themselves enough financially to participate in pricey sports like skiing, snowboarding, and climbing. Because their sports are played outdoors and because of their age, relative affluence, and education, they are likely to care about the environment. VF fuses these two concerns. Its products are stylish, and suited to the needs of the sport because they are functional and durable. A good example of this is SmartWool, a fabric designed to be warm and waterproof, yet light enough not to encumber the wearer.

VF uses celebrity endorsements judiciously. It does not use them as the first images a consumer sees on the website, as might be the case in a mainstream-marketed product geared at younger adolescents. However, some of its Eastpack bags designs are said to be the result of collaborations with Ozzy Osbourne, The Prodigy and Raf Simons. Vans shoes are known for their strong 'hipster' cred. Image is still important, but image is not stressed to such as degree that the consumer might grow suspicious that the product might not do its job. The socially-minded, active VF customer is likely to be highly responsive to this overall marketing strategy, and its emphasis on green fabric is likely to be of particular value in the future, given the emphasis on green technology, green jobs, and greener sources of energy in the media.

Strategy: Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands encompass many popular food franchises, including KFC and Pizza Hut. According to its website "KFC was the first quick-service restaurant chain to enter China in 1987, the first to bring franchising to China in 1992 and the first to open a drive-through in China in 2002" (Yum! China, 2011, Official Website). KFC was likely selected as the flagship product, given that beef consumption has traditionally been relatively low in China, and fried chicken is thought to be closer to the customary Chinese diet. Franchising as a way of expanding into China seems like an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the entrepreneurial spirit of the expanding Chinese middle class.