Faculty: Faculty of Applied Communication Subject Code: KMC6203 Subject Name: Marketing Communication Strategies Section: FAC1 Assignment: Assignment 1 (40%) Trimester: Trimester 1 2023/2024 (T2410) Chosen Company: chuck’s Lecturer: Dr. Nurafiq Inani Man STUDENT NAME STUDENT ID Anis Fazuien Natasya Binti Muhamad Azhanudin 1211306789 Alya Asyikin Binti Mohd Azmil 1211306152 Muhammad Azwan Bin Mohammed Omar 1211306557 Ahmad Nabil Bin Anuar 1211307557 Submission Date 5 May 2024 (Week 6)
Introduction In the heart of Malaysia’s bustling entrepreneurial landscape, Jane Chuck carved out a niche with Chuck’s, a testament to her comprehensive talent as a social influencer, content creator, and savvy entrepreneur. Since its establishment in 2019, Chuck’s swiftly rose to prominence by redefining Malaysia’s skincare scene with the introduction of a range of products infused with Korean formulas meticulously curated for the discerning local market. Far beyond mere skincare, Chuck’s embodies a philosophy of self-care and self-love, championing the journey towards embracing one's true essence (Teo, 2020). Jane Chuck's visionary approach not only revolutionised skincare routines but also ignited a cultural shift, empowering individuals to cultivate confidence from within through the transformative power of Chuck’s products (TatlerAsia, 2021). As Chuck’s flourished and its community swelled, Jane Chuck recognized an opportunity to extend the brand's reach beyond skincare, delivering the fashion-forward offshoot, "Motherchuckers”. Rooted in Jane's clothing flair and desire for self-expression, Motherchuckers emerged as a vibrant fusion of fashion and identity, mirroring the ethos of Chuck’s in every stitch and seam (Chuck’s, 2023). Each garment serves as a canvas for personal narrative, inviting wearers to explore and amplify their authentic selves through style. More than a mere clothing line, Motherchuckers embodies a movement, where individuals converge to celebrate their uniqueness and assert their individuality boldly. In a world inundated with trends and expectations, Chuck’s and Motherchuckers stand as bastions of authenticity, inspiring a global community to embrace their true essence and live openly. As Chuck’s continues its upward trajectory in the skincare and fashion sectors, its latest achievement comes in the form of physical retail spaces strategically situated at Gardens Mall and Qra, Arcoris, marking a significant leap in the brand's expansion and effective brand marketing endeavours. These tangible storefronts not only serve as retail hubs but also as experiential environments where customers can fully immerse themselves in the essence of Chuck’s brand philosophy (Vusirikala, 2023). Furthermore, demonstrating the brand's innovative approach, Chuck’s introduces vending machine dispensers offering its sought-after skincare products, strategically located at APW, Bangsar, providing a convenient and accessible shopping experience for patrons on the move. These comprehensive initiatives emphasise Chuck’s steadfast commitment to meeting the dynamic demands of its discerning 1
clientele, solidifying its position as a dynamic and influential player within the beauty and fashion domains. Chuck’s utilises a comprehensive digital strategy tailored to its target demographic, using various platforms to engage consumers effectively. Leveraging Instagram and TikTok, the company accurately showcases its diverse range of skincare and fashion offerings, intertwining product promotion with valuable tips and tricks to enrich its audience's lifestyle. Through visually captivating content and interactive engagement, Chuck’s develops a vibrant online community centred around beauty and style. Simultaneously, its dedicated website serves as a seamless e-commerce hub, offering customers a convenient avenue to explore and purchase products while accessing essential company information. By harmonising its online presence across multiple channels, Chuck’s establishes itself as a dynamic brand that not only sells products but also fosters meaningful connections with its audience. 2
The Company Marketing Strategy of the Brand Chuck's implements an interesting and comprehensive marketing strategy centred on leveraging Jane Chuck's influential presence in the fashion and beauty industry. Leveraging through a well-known figure allows the brand to have a far trajectory (James, 2024). Through her extensive following on platforms like Instagram, Jane effectively promotes Chuck's products, showcasing their use in her daily routine and engaging with her audience authentically. This strategy not only drives brand awareness but also cultivates a sense of trust and connection with consumers, who value Jane's genuine endorsement of the products. In addition, with the use of mainstream social media such as TikTok, Chuck’s.co has managed to capture the attention of its target audience which includes millennials, young adults, and teenagers. Central to Chuck's marketing approach is the emphasis on authenticity and positive messaging. By sharing Jane's journey and passion for self-expression and empowerment, the brand resonates with consumers seeking genuine connections and products that align with their values. Authenticity and emotional factors allow the consumer to identify with the brand (Red Pencil Advertising, 2023). Chuck's infuses its marketing content with messages of self-love, confidence, and embracing individual beauty, appealing to a diverse audience of individuals who prioritise holistic well-being and self-care. Through collaborations with influencers, brands, and organisations that share similar values, Chuck's expands its reach, fosters credibility, and introduces its products to new audiences, ensuring sustained growth and relevance in the competitive beauty and fashion market. 3
The Marketing Mix of the Brand Chuck's set of strategies and tactics that are used to promote its brand and products are displayed through their interplay between packaging design of products, brand personality, and the influence of the country of origin of their products on consumer perceptions. Chuck has succeeded in attracting the attention of consumers within their intended audience and has managed to foster a positive brand image for their company with these tactics The packaging and product design choices made by Chuck reflect a keen awareness of the psychology of colour and the impact of logo design on brand perception. Playing upon pastel colours and creatively designed packaging for their products. The psychology of colour and quality logo design frequently make certain items believed to have a good brand personality in the minds of consumers; yet, a product that is badly designed and choosing a low-quality logo colour makes a product considered to have a low personality brand. (Suriadi et al., 2022). Other than that, Chuck’s skincare products are made in Korea. Recently, Korean cosmetics have gained popularity in Asian countries due to their emphasis on skin care products and shared ideals of beauty and skin tone. In summary, Korea has truly established a significant name in the skin care business. (Alaras et al., 2019). The location where a product is manufactured has an effect on consumer’s purchase decision and their perception towards a product. Consumers can use a country's reputation to estimate product quality because it cannot be determined until the product is consumed. When a country has a favourable image in the memory of consumers, the better the perception of quality of the product (Mahri et al., 2024). Thus, as Chuck’s product originates from Korea, potential new customers would have a higher level of trust towards Chuck’s product quality which in turns to them giving Chuck’s product a try. Finally, Chuck’s collaborations with social media influencers play a vital role in the promotion of their brand. One of Chuck’s marketing channels is the usage of social media by actively creating content on their social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Chuck’s would regularly collaborate with social media influencers to increase the engagement for the content they have created. Influencers are third-party advocates who can 4
form attitudes in marketing and their opinions of a brand have an impact on consumers' purchase decisions (Rizomyliotis et al., 2024). In conclusion, Chuck's smart relationships with social media influencers are a cornerstone of their brand marketing efforts, as they use platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to increase their content visibility. Chuck skillfully uses such partnerships to leverage the persuasive power of influencers, whose recommendations have a significant impact on consumer views and purchasing behaviour. 5
The Marketing Communication Strategies Via Situational Analysis Figure 1: chuck’s SWOT analysis First and foremost, Chuck’s standing in the skincare industry is strong. This is because their brand identity and reputation are admirable. Chuck’s focuses on finding the suitable formula to suit most skin types and after careful research, they have their chemists to develop their products. To add to that, chuck’s has branched out to providing lifestyle products as well. Motherchuckers, a lifestyle label under chuck's, provides products ranging from sweatshirts and t-shirts to tote bags and pouches. Being the first local brand that caters to both skincare and lifestyle products, it makes the brand unique and differentiates them with other brands. Other than that, as a local skincare company that has made quite the profit, chuck’s has a big future for them. One of the opportunities that they could have is to expand their business even more. As for an example, releasing a cosmetic line. At the moment, they have only produced a lip product which is called lip jelly and they could be collaborating with other local cosmetic brands such as Syedewa to release lip and face products that are both full of colour but still keeping to their beliefs in using environmentally safe ingredients. To add to that, chuck’s could also be expanding their business to more countries. According to their 6
website, they only ship out to several countries such as Asia and the United Kingdom. While the listed countries are already quite a number, the brand could do a few more in countries such as Spain. Furthermore, all companies have their weaknesses and the first one for chuck’s is that their products are unaffordable to most. In their defence, the prices set for their products are such because of the products used in it. Being made in Korea and the carefully created products are how the prices were set. In addition to that, chuck’s has limited skincare products. With only producing basic skincare lines such as cleanser, toner and moisturiser, chuck’s does not have any other additional products that a customer could add to their skincare regime. Lastly, related to their weakness, chuck’s has been facing criticism as to their prices. However, though the threat is still a constant issue, they’ve managed to handle the issue by addressing that their products are imported and carefully selected. Additionally, similar to any other brand, they face the threats of having competitors that offer more affordable prices. Not only that, but other brands also offer various types of skincare products with affordable prices. Figure 2: chuck’s PESTEL analysis 7
Any person that has a company must abide by the governmental policy. Anything that is as small as something so big must not be taken light heartedly. Besides that, the company must keep in mind the taxes that were set by the government. An example that could be seen in chuck's, they have included taxes in their shipping fees. The brand must provide for the employee's that are working for them. While making sure that the company stays afloat, they must always keep track of their budgeting and they must take into account how many employees they need to pay. Other than that, chuck's must look into the inflation rates as well. As time goes by, prices of the products have increased therefore they must also think of the prices for the products. Lastly, ever since the world was hit with the pandemic, many people's economy could not recover therefore the brand may face issues such as the audience not being able to buy their products. Chuck's aims to cater to those who love skincare no matter the age or gender. This is because they aim to celebrate what makes you extraordinary and make you feel confident in your own skin. Other than that, the lifestyle choices that chuck's has put out for their customers. Ranging from sweatshirts and t-shirts for everyday wear, essential items like tote bags and pouch bags. By this way, chuck's has figured out how they can add to this social aspect. To add to that, understanding the culture of the targeted audience is important. This is because the brand has to cater to the majority of their audience. Originating from a country that has a majority of muslim customers, they must make sure that they produce products that do not go against their beliefs. Technological research includes finding what's best for the brand, for the customers and what the customers want. Besides that, social media is the most effective way to get potential as well as existing customers' attention. Brands that use social media to understand the trends help their brand even more. Lastly, chuck's being accessible is one of the strategies used to maintain their customers. Examples can be seen through their updated website as well as up to date social media. Chuck's products are made in Korea and they have their own product developers. For the environmental aspect, chuck's has made sure that they produce products that include EWG ingredients. In addition to that, environmental management Having a business, every business owner must understand that they must abide by the law. To add to that, they must not ignore the employee rights. 8
Major Competitors of the Product In the competitive scene of the retail market, Chuck's is not an exception as the brand has many competitors, but Muji is a competitor that stands out from other competitors as Muji is a well recognised international brand. Muji and Chuck's are considered as direct competitors since they both provide comparable goods in the same market category which are leisurewear and skincare. As defined by Indeed (2023), a direct competitor is a business that provides similar offerings, thereby potentially substituting the products or services of another company. Additionally, Muji has a visible advantage over Chuck’s due to it having a stronger physical store presence. Muji owns nine physical retail stores, Muji gives their customers accessibility that surpasses Chuck’s singular physical store. While Chuck’s emphasises online sales, Muji's large physical presence gives buyers more opportunities to interact with their products physically. In addition to promoting quick sales, Muji's stores allow customers to browse and make in-store purchases, which cultivates strong client relationships. Studies by Zhang, Chang, and Neslin, S. A. (2021) have indicated that customers who engage deeply with products in physical stores are more likely to develop lasting brand loyalty. Furthermore, Customers who make in-store purchases, particularly of deep product categories, are more inclined to explore related offerings online (Zhang, Chang, and Neslin, S. A. 2021). This advantage of having both offline and online channels not only amplifies Muji's sales potential but also enhances the overall customer experience. In summary, Muji presents itself as a strong rival to Chuck's due to its diverse strategy that makes use of both physical and online channels. Muji uses the unique benefits that come with having physical stores to build a loyal customer base and improve its standing in the fiercely competitive retail sector. 9
The Effectiveness of a Marketing Communication Strategy Implemented by the Brand The effectiveness of marketing communication strategies is a critical consideration for companies in the modern marketplace that want to establish a unique identity and experience long-term growth. This section explores the specifics of Chuck's marketing communication approach and evaluates its efficacy in a variety of areas. Through an analysis of the tactical application of channels, story development, and brand consistency in Chuck's communication plans, we aim to identify whether the company succeeds in accomplishing its goals. According to Ntloko (2023), a marketing communication strategy gives you the opportunity to outline how you intend to attract and hold the interest of customers in the face of hundreds, if not thousands, of competitors in most industries. First of all, Chuck's proficiency in utilising social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok attracts attention. Chuck's creates a sense of community and brand loyalty among its audience by actively engaging with followers and creating meaningful content. The willingness of a brand to show connection and authenticity through its social media presence builds long-term relationships and increases consumer trust. Secondly, Chuck's displays expertise in customised email marketing strategies. The brand is able to customise communications and present a targeted message that appeals to certain interests and behaviours through the utilisation of customer information. This specialised strategy increases the impact and relevance of marketing campaigns, which raises customer engagement and conversion rates. Chuck's strategic partnerships with influencers like Neelofa further highlight its keen awareness of current marketing trends. Through influencer partnerships with values aligned with the brand's identity, Chuck's enhances its visibility and reputation within key consumer categories. Both access to new audiences and genuine brand advocacy are facilitated by this mutually beneficial partnership. Furthermore, Chuck's exhibits flexibility in adjusting to changing consumer tastes and market conditions. By consistently observing market developments, the brand is proactive in adapting its communication strategy to stay significant and current. Chuck's adaptability ensures that it keeps a competitive advantage in a competitive environment. 10
Conclusion In summary, Chuck’s has revolutionised the skincare landscape in Malaysia and introduced a fresh perspective on self-care and individual expression with its inventive skincare products and fashion line. Through a holistic marketing strategy centred on authenticity and harnessing Jane Chuck’s influential presence, Chuck’s has effectively nurtured a devoted following and broadened its reach across various platforms. As Chuck’s continues to progress and adapt, it remains primed to uphold its status as an innovator in the beauty and lifestyle sector, inspiring others to embrace authenticity and empowerment along the way. Chuck's innovative approach to business and customer interaction pushes the business into an exceedingly promising future. Through effective advertising campaigns and compelling marketing techniques, the brand not only draws in customers but also establishes strong bonds with them. By skillfully using its reputation, the company broadens its appeal and guarantees thorough coverage within its intended audience. By means of tactical manoeuvres and impactful branding, the enterprise attains extensive acknowledgement, solidifying its position as a frontrunner in its sector. The company is ready to make a lasting impression on the market and establish new benchmarks for success as long as Chuck's creative approaches to development and expansion keep it moving forward. 11
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