The rise of stiff online competition challenges the position of a true heritage brand
Brand tracking in the lingerie and sex toys categories
The result
The Ann Summers brand had dominated the sex toy industry in the UK for many years. However – the retail and party business was facing new pressures from cut price online suppliers. At the same time the lingerie category was seeing a host of new entrants across all pricepoints and channels. A true understanding of brand equity across these two categories was called for to help resist these multiple pressures.
The solution
Our initial quantitative work leveraged our segmentation analytics to structure the market into discreet tiers of potential value. This was subsequently used both in target prioritisation and to structure a brand tracking research framework that explored both lingerie and toys categories simultaneously.
The challenge
We are currently in our third year of tracking brand KPIs and imagery for Ann Summers. The results have highlighted key strengths to leverage in campaign development, and opportunities to enhance the customer experience. An internal task force was immediately formed after our first presentation to review a specific tactical issue identified by our analysis.
The intelligence we receive from the Brand Tracker helps to inform where we need to focus on our brand, pinpointing areas of strength and opportunities for growth versus a highly relevant competitor set. This research, and the picture it provides over time helps to frame our strategy.
Jo Hyder
Head of Brand & Digital, Ann Summers
