Ch-12. Services and Non Profit Orginization Marketing

Being a new name in the male fashion industry faces many challenges. Promoting your name is one of the largest challenges from the start. Chubbies is still early in their promotional stage being a brand that has only been around for a few years Chubbies has tried to become more of a community brand by promoting themselves through college campuses and by being avid supporters of troops overseas. This marketing strategy ensures that Chubbies is recognized as an active supporter of the military by sending many troops currently deployed free/ discounted clothing they can wear on their off time and also care packages with small comforts from home. This does not qualify Chubbies as a non profit organization because its specific focus is not only active duty soldiers and veterans but it adds to the humbleness Chubbies already has about itself as a brand and gives the men's fashion brand a sense of care and concern other than just making a profit.

Ch. 11- Developing and Managing Products

For Chubbies shorts there is no such thing as seasons. Chubbies releases new shorts year round whether it is hot or cold. Chubbies is always trying to think of not only new shorts but new clothing to introduce into the Chubbies family. When Chubbies initially started they had four different patterns of the same style of short and since then Chubbies has introduced so many new additions to their line. Chubbies has come out with the "sweat-shorts" (sweatpants shorts) the "sub zeros" ( insulated shorts) and countless hoodies, t-shirts, swim trunks and even an expanding selection of women's clothing. Chubbies is skipping no measures to ensure that they have a well rounded product line and want to make sure they have something that would interest every potential buyer. If there is one thing Chubbies is staying true to it is their manifesto and that is to never make pants. Chubbies will continue to come up with as many crazy patterned and printed clothing as they can make that still bares the Chubbies style but they will never make pants.

Ch. 8 Segmenting and Targeting Markets

With today's social media it is possible for almost anyone to start a line of clothing and advertise it and promote it for almost nothing, this increases the amount of new competition targeted towards youth and men's fashion. In order to combat this increased competition geared towards young adults between the ages of 18-40 Chubbies has made sure it targets the crowd at its earliest chance, mostly college students. Chubbies beleif is that they want their products to be timeless and stand out. They broadcast this message well by targeting leaders in each generation. People in their 20's tend to be most influential in a college environment so Chubbies takes to following leaders on big Universities such as athletes, sorority leaders and fraternity leaders. This establishes a target market that can not be overtaken by new competing small fashion brands and projects Chubbies into future styles keeping them relevant. Chubbies had also launched a 'male model search' campaign to gain awareness but it wasn't a typical model search Chubbies encouraged people from all shapes, sizes and looks to take part in their model search. This knocks down the walls and barriers typically put up by those fashion brands that only advertise certian looks making Chubbies target extend beyond what most people believe is a typical white frat kid.

Ch. 15- Marketing Communications

As a new name in the fashion industry you would think Chubbies shorts would try and reach a broad spectrum of customers through marketing channels such as radio, television and billboard advertisement but through their clever strategies on social media and word of mouth sales Chubbies has spent little money on marketing and established a community of followers to communicate their product to others. As a company that is only 4 years old it does not have an established reputation in the fashion industry because Chubbies does not have a prestigious or classic reputation. Their advertisements online and on social media represent their customers more so than their actual product. This kind of favorable publicity through Chubbies wearers has been the driving force for Chubbies sales which no amount of money can buy. Chubbies has a page on their website calling for "college brand ambassadors" that target leaders on college campuses such as fraternity and sorority leaders to promote Chubbies shorts in exchange for free or discounted merchandise. This is a cheap and efficient way of marketing because it uses customers to network with perspective buyers but instead of doing so with a nameless billboard or magazine advertisement Chubbies is marketed through everyday people or people we know creating a more interpersonal approach to the product. Chubbies keeps in mind times of year that their product can be promoted the most such as sporting events, beginning of school and holidays such as Veterans day to establish a promotional period targeted towards those that are spotlighted during those holidays. Examples being the discounts offered towards active duty and veteran soldiers during holidays like Memorial Day or Veterans day to encourage buying and as a recognition for this Chubbies will often highlight active duty service members or veterans wearing Chubbies shorts and thank them for their service on a public platform. Chubbies has essentially created such a personal approach at marketing with its followers it made itself a product that almost sells itself.

Ch. 10- Product Concepts

Chubbies shorts are a newly recognized name in the mens fashion industry. Their clothing line was founded not long ago in 2011 but is becoming increasingly recognized across college campuses. Chubbies is made from fabrics and patterns designed by the founders themselves, made in a factory that also serves as the head quarters of Chubbies and distributed and shipped across the country by a small staff located in San Francisco. There are hundreds of different patterns and styles Chubbies incorporates into its products. Their shirts, shorts and t shirts all boast the flashy and colorful Chubbies designs while all have a small and subtle Chubbies logo located on the pocket. Chubbies originated as men's shorts but have started to expand making a few new shorts available for women. Chubbies follows a very simple way of dividing their lines, their four lines of shorts are simply named "The Originals, The Loungers, The Draw String Shorts and The Sport Shorts". Each of the lines contain varying styles of shorts all named things like "The Great Chillernos". Chubbies keeps its products simple and makes its names welcoming and funny ensuring the welcoming vibe and avoiding any kind of exclusiveness. Chubbies has a signature look that stands out among rival brands and keeps to its beleif that shorts should be short, well fitted and stand out against plain.

 

Ch. 17 Personal Selling

Chubbies wants to make a product that appeals to the everyday 'average joe'. In doing so they  promote their weekend mentality through the advertising done mostly in their online store and also in their one retail outlet in San Francisco. Chubbies constantly holds large sales on a lot of their merchandise because they want to spread their brand among as many people as possible. They offer 20% off military discounts, deals on last seasons styles and promotional sales for newer products. Chubbies new shorts constantly sell out and an issue Chubbies has come across with its popularity is the resale of their product at a higher price through individuals on sites like amazon or ebay. Chubbies concern is not the profit loss but their actual customers who genuinely want  shorts but new shorts are bought in masses for resale. Unlike many luxury brands Chubbies does not want to be exclusive or seen as high end and out of reach. Chubbies likes to establish almost personal relationships with its customers and offers loyal customers free (yet random) gifts and feature them in their website. Chubbies wants to encourage its customers to contact them and provide as much feed back, concerns and complaints that Chubbies personally tends to and addresses through their news letters and emails. Cubbies has overall established a successful personal sale of not only their brand with their customers but their idea of a 'weekender' lifestyle.

Ch. 16 Advertising, Public Relations

Unlike many men's fashion advertisements that feature a 'clean cut' or 'talk dark and handsome' Chubbies is proud to boast that its models are unique and appear to be your 'everyday' real man. Chubbies does this in their advertisements not only to stand out but to put a different approach on whats is expected of the appearance of  male models. Chubbies has yet to develop formal advertising in magazines, newspapers and billboards. Chubbies features most of its advertising across social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Chubbies also hires 'brand ambassadors' across fraternities and sororities to wear and advertise their product at college campuses and social events. Their advertising is fun, eye catching and colorful. Chubbies does not want to portray any idea of luxury or exclusiveness in their ads because they believe that the more the merrier when it comes to the consumer. Chubbies most notable slogans are the 'sky's out thighs out' and 'the weekend has arrived'. Chubbies believes it should relate to the everyday individuals. It is not endorsed by celebrities or featured in any movies or fashion columns.   

Ch. 14 Marketing Channels and Retailing

Chubbies is a small business and independent retailer. Its four founders own and operate a few small stores in the Bay Area, California but generate most of their revenue from online sales. Seeing as Chubbies does not have a physical store location I decided to visit a rival store brand 'Hollister' on Broadway. Upon entering the store I noticed immediately its dimly lit and fragrant atmosphere. It created a warm sense of being at the beach feeling with its videos of the ocean playing on the wall, acoustic music, beach board shutters  and  palm tree plants everywhere. Most clothes were folded neatly on vintage wooden tables and to create a more casual vibe the shirts and other garments where hung up in closet looking spaces that were lit with individual overhead lights along the walls. The stores layout was divided down the middle with men's clothing on one side and women's clothing all on the other side to channel traffic smoothly to either sides of the store. Their newest seasonal clothing were sorted neatly and placed in the front and displayed on mannequins and their older winter clothing were tossed in clearance in bins unsorted towards the back of the store. Employees were scattered throughout the store, most of whom were folding clothes while speaking and greeting customers. Very few were standing with nothing to do. After speaking to employees they said that their dress code must consist of Hollister clothing and must be blue, white and beige. I inquired about the overall scent and they said that throughout the day they have a specific fragrance that they spray on all of their clothing so that when customers pick up clothing they smell the subtle fragrance and it urges them to buy not only the clothing but one of Hollister's fragrances to compliment the clothing. Their prices where above those of a normal retail and their newer clothing was most expensive than most of Chubbies mostly due to its 'trendy' well known name brand status but Hollister still able to be affordable to most with a small income. Hollister is a much bigger, older and more established brand than Chubbies and suggests a similar 'laid back'  theme like Chubbies but the most noticeable difference between the brands would be that of the way Chubbies and Hollister go about promoting their products. The Hollister store follows a much more elaborate and better designed layout but at the same time carries a prestigious atmosphere where as Chubbies retail store, although I have not been to it, has a very simple and formal store front.

Chubbies Store 

Hollister Store 

Ch. 6 Consumer Decision Making

Shorts are available anywhere from bargain department stores to high end designer brands so what makes Chubbies consumers choose Chubbies? In Chubbies philosophy their aim is clear and it is to never produce pants as well as to stick to the style of short well fitted shorts. One of the largest deciding factors in Chubbies consumers is that they know what they will be getting every single time. There are few styles and variations of Chubbies shorts and the consistency is one of Chubbies biggest attractions. The most variety is in the patterns on the shorts themselves.  The need recognition for shorts occurs in most all of us when the weather gets warmer and we have either the want or need for a new pair of shorts. Those who already own a pair of Chubbies have the prior internal information and know what they want and can expect from Chubbies and prefer to stick with the style and attitude Chubbies is known for and those that have yet to purchase Chubbies will with out a doubt be recommended to purchase a pair from another owner in their social circle. To combat the evoked set of alternatives to Chubbies shorts Chubbies sets a standard average price for all shorts and makes sure that consumers shop with the comfort knowing exactly what they are going to get. Chubbies also makes it a point to add new styles to their collections but do so exclusively to create the urge to buy as soon as they are release.

Ch.-5 Developing a Global Vision

Since Chubbies shorts hit the market in 2011 they have expanded from the Bay Area in California to millions of consumers across the country in just a few short years. Chubbies being such a new company is just now beginning to plan the opening of a new stores across the country but has not yet develpoed plans for a global presence. Chubbies does have small international attention from countries such as the UK and Australia being their strongest customer base overseas. The word of Chubbies is spread internationally by its customers who travel and study abroad creating a small yet free way of promoting Chubbies brand. Chubbies does however offer free first class ship internationally!

Ch.4-The Marketing Environment

Chubbies shorts are not exclusive to a certain class, age or ethnicity. Although their target market is typically males between the age of 20-30 usually in college they encourage and try and push the message to wear shorts all the time to everyone. Chubbies is a men's clothing line and does have one pair of shorts available for women but they even encourage women to wear the products and often have many pictures of women wearing Chubbies clothing and managing to add a feminine twist to their style. Chubbies may seem like a 'frat brand' similar to Hollister or Abercrombie but aside from their weekender reputation Chubbies marketing aims find its way into the closest of those with component lifestyles. The diversity of the Chubbies customers ranger from surfers to stock brokers. Chubbies benefits from its open minded and 'up for anything' culture because its market is open to all. The price of Chubbies shorts are moderately higher than a department store but still lower than a designer brand therefor allowing purchasing power to a greater amount of consumers.

Ch. 18- Social Media Marketing

The force that launched a startup clothing line from the Bay Area to a national trend was without a doubt Chubbies social media platform. Since their start in 2011 Chubbies now boasts over a million followers on Facebook 234,000 followers on instagram a youtube channel with over a million views and a twitter with 125,000 followers.

Owned Media- Upon arriving on the Chubbies Website you will see funny and wild pictures and radical names and terms such as "mailing list awesomeness" and "boomshakalaka". Chubbies shorts website is where all of their products are sold and the names and descriptions of their products do not fall short of the "weekend has arrived" mentality that Chubbies promotes. Customers can scroll through their newest arrivals and original products and see names like "the Aloha Fridays", "Chubstocks", "Founding Fajas" and many other cleverly named shorts. Their website is the main way their product is sold therefore it is regularly updated, monitored and always promoting their up and coming or newest products.

 Earned Media - Chubbies promots a culture of being outrageous and wild whilst wearing Chubbies shorts and in return create a culture among customers to display and boast their adventures wearing Chubbies. Chubbies social media platforms are updated daily and Chubbies ensures that its followers remain entertained by adventures and stories told by those who also wear Chubbies. Even on their own website Chubbies has a dedicated section to Chubbies wearers from colleges, some celebrities and Chubbsters alike wearing Chubbies at their wedding, skydiving, on ice burgs and even soldiers deployed overseas take their time to submit a photo of them wearing Chubbies in a foreign combat zone. Chubbies wearers take it upon themselves to promote Chubbies and start a conversation about the radical shorts by sharing their photos and comments about their favorite shorts.

Paid Media- There are few actual paid advertisements in main stream media promoting Chubbies and for a good reason. Along with little cost to Chubbies for advertising most of Chubbies promoting is done via fans, social media and "ambassadors" of the brand throughout the country. Chubbies has a few short commercials but odds are you will find them on their youtube channel as opposed to on television or radio.   

Ch 2- Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Shorts are by no means a new concept so how do you put a new spin on an old concept and still manage to remain relevant? Chubbies being a relatively new brand has followed the approach of knowing its audience and never straying from the beliefs that founded their company; making a line of clothing that represents the weekend no matter when or where you wear it.

S.W.O.T

Strengths of Chubbies would be their impeccable knowledge
of their fans or 'chubbsters'. Chubbies began by attracting a specific crowd and building a sort of fan base via social media. They accumulate followers and most of their advertisements are done through their own customers. This is done by chubbsters submitting photos of themselves wearing Chubbies products and Chubbies uses that as their advertisement.  Chubbies also networks with their target audience by contacting fraternities and sororities primarily and hiring them as brand ambassadors. Chubbies sends their ambassadors free products and they will wear them around at social events and parties and promote the Chubbies name. Chubbies greatest strength is without a doubt their ability to attract a loyal base of customers that promote their product and spread the word for free.

Weaknesses of being such a new name in the world of men's fashion  can also be related to their greatest strength; their fan base. While it is Chubbies target audience that does their promoting for virtually no cost to Chubbies the demographic of chubbsters has a lot to do with how affordable Chubbies are. The majority of the chubbster nation is made up of early to late 20 year old men. Chubbies price from $49-$50 which although may not seem astronomically high compared to designer shorts in department stores it is a pretty penny for a broke college student. Buying two pairs  of shorts for $100 is near the price of competitor brands such as Hollister and Banana Republic who's target audience tends to be those that are older and have steady income.

Opportunities for the brand are quite possibly endless. Since the start of their small company they have pushed their name across the U.S accumulating over a million fans and followers in just a few short years and Chubbies recently had a bid for a free 30 second commercial in the past super bowl. Chubbies does ship internationally and their social media platform does allow them to reach out to fans over seas. As Chubbies grows it will have a greater opportunity to promote through more traditional means of advertising such as magazines, television and online ads. Once Chubbies finds  its way into the mainstream media it will have the potential to grow into a name brand that is as common as Hollister, Abercrombie or Dockers.

Threats Chubbies faces are among the common threat any new and emerging brand. Chubbies only makes shorts, unless you are a resident of Hawaii, Southern California or Florida odds are in the fall and winter you will not be wearing shorts anywhere. Chubbies are a seasonal trend and although they do remain relevant by releasing holiday edition and sweats they are still shorts. Another threat is their promoting strategy of only releasing limited numbers of shorts. This has lead to people ordering their shorts and reselling them at a higher price on Amazon and Ebay. Chubbies knows this resale and has taken action by searching for resellers and attempting to block or hold their orders to prevent their resale.

Ch.1- Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

Chubbies shorts were founded by Kyle Hency, Rainer Castillo, Preston Rutherford and Tom Montgomery in 2011. The four men met at Stanford University and pursued careers in finance and cooperate retail after graduating. They later came back together after going through a number of jobs to start their own company and thus Chubbies shorts were created.  They tested the waters of their new company by making a few pairs of their future shorts and wearing them to a 4th of July party in Lake Tahoe, California. Immediately people demanded to know where they found such flashy and unique shorts.  Soon the four friends began brain storming patterns and designs for their future clothing line. Chubbies was created around the idea that the shorts would represent the weekend for the working man. The founders refuse to ever make pants, cargo shorts or capris and firmly stick to their belief that mens shorts shorts should be short, cropped and fitted making a statement in the world of mens fashion. 

The four founders of Chubbies 

"To us, pants are a necessary evil - built for the work week because your boss just doesn't get it. You see a Chubster in pants or cargo shorts and he looks like a fish out of water; a radical fish that's probably krumping on the beach, but nonetheless OUT OF WATER. But this exact passion for shorts is why Chubbies are so righteous. We don't do pants. We don't do cargos. We don't do capris. We do shorts and only shorts. We have put painstaking effort into these shorts. We have engineered them for the toughest shorts critics - ourselves."