Markham Ignite Book

Markham Ignite Book. Grand Prix First Paper House Art of Design Awards. First in Category. Gold Craft Loerie for Writing.

I loved working on this project. The client was amazing and really and truly believed in what he was doing, and he infected us with that enthusiasm. Writing a book is hard work, as is designing one (I'm sure Kim Macdonald, the designer will confirm this) but the end results were well worth it.

We created a book with the word "Ignite" on the front cover, printed with material similar to what you'd find on the striking pad on a box of matches. The book itself slides out of the box, looking like a box of matches.

The book was compiled from 8 hours of video footage from meetings the senior management at Markham held. They were asked to discuss the new direction they wanted the company to move in, I collated that information into the book. We then applied the thinking we'd discovered in the meetings across the packaging, windows and every other aspect of the brand.

The client enjoyed me reading the copy to them so much, I ended up being the voice over for their TVC's and their 'Whispering Windows'.

	I'M THE MAN - What's Lies Beneath a refreshed brand
	It’s been around for 130 years, Current management took the decision to reinvent the brand, drop the ‘s’ for starters, and overhaul the stores. Markhams got sexy. It’s now Markham. The Marketing Director, Fernando Ventura, spoke to Cindy Lee Moritz. We’ve arranged to meet outside one of the brand spanking new Markham stores, Tyger Valley to be precise. I think the Foschini people do this so they can baby-sit the first in their rollouts; it always seems to be Tyger Valley first. It must be the proximity to The Foschini Group’s head office in Parow. Fernando Ventura waits outside the storefront, anxious as a parent whose child is about to perform on stage. “Let’s go have a cup of coffee first,” he suggests, “then I’ll take you round the store and you’ll have a better understanding of it all.” We head to a nearby coffee shop. Over a cappuccino, there’s no stopping Fernando. His enthusiasm spills over and his obvious zeal for the brand in infectious. I can’t wait to look around the store. Meanwhile, I get the background story. “It came out of a management strategy session held back in November 2002,” he begins. “We decided to reposition Markhams; as the only national men’s retailer in South Africa, we weren’t capturing enough market share. Also, in many areas, the brand stood for different things in the consumer’s mind. Like in Durban it stood for something different than in Cape Town. We decided we needed the brand handwriting to be uniform. Also, the stores were looking a lot like the female retail outlets, so we needed something unique for men, but without alienating women. We had to regain market share.” He slides an intriguing package across the table. “It’s all in there,” he says. I uncover a hardcover book, beautifully presented with an image of redhead matches on the front. Its packaging reads, “Ignite”. I’m getting the picture. I’m holding in my hand the sum of all the parts. I flip to the first page. “The brand is the logo, right?” it says. In bold, black font follows one word, “Wrong”. Then, “The brand is the sum of everything we do from the e-mail we send down the hall, to the ad on TV. A salesperson on the floor is the brand when a customer interacts with him. The brand is not a logo. It is us and everything we do, stand for and believe in.” Fernando fills me in on the menswear retail position. “Firstly, a significant percentage of menswear buying decisions are made by women especially at other unisex retailers. Then, men often are relegated to the back end of the store. We needed to do something dramatically different. We looked around the world, but you can’t find stand-alone menswear retailers. However, we do command a place in the South African retail marketplace … South Africa has a unique way of doing things.” So, I’m understanding, the store experience is going to breathe the brand. He flips to a page in the brand book headed, “We’re going on a brand journey, FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT!” I read somewhere at the bottom of the page, “It’s not just a retailer anymore, it’s a somebody, a damn fine sexy somebody. It’s a club where guys can come and relax, chill out and catch a game. It’s a hardware store with clothes that’ll finally give guys in malls a place to go and be guys. And because this new brand is so well defined, it doesn’t matter how old the customer is or where he comes from. It’s a mindset. A sense of style.” The customer, it looks like, is all-important in this scenario. “Oh yes,” nods Fernando. “Look, we’ve mapped out the customer journey, identifying all the touch points the consumer has with the brand.” It begins with the brand informing the customer by advertising, direct marketing or word of mouth. Then it attracts him, by location, signage and window displays. It welcomes him through the doors and orientates via clear navigation. Browsing is followed by interaction with staff, ending in purchase and finally reassurance through having the brand in hand, telling a friend and membership of the Markham men’s club. “We had to set aside egos in the process,” explains Fernando, “There was a whole team of us working on this. We did it with First Partnership in the UK, which is a brand consultant. We wanted a very objective group without preconceptions and baggage. We decided that the culture had to change. Even how we recruit now is based on the customer journey. Fundamentally, we’ve arrived at a different way of doing things.” Markhams needed to be perceived differently, from the staid formal wear retailer to a trendy fashion store. “We moved away from being a men’s outfitter to a fashion retailer,” says Fernando, “shedding 131 years of baggage.” Now Markham is about a contemporary, sexy, confident guy, someone who Fernando says is, “Always a hero.” The brand book puts it this way: “(These men) live where all Markham people should live – in the trendiest, most impressive apartment imaginable.” The new look store emulates that type of home. And the visual merchandise and point of sale material speak with the voice of this hero: “They got in and drove … no destination and no time limits”, “Danger was his only friend”, and “Don’t mess with fate, she will always win” sets the tone for the kind of guy the brand is relating to. It’s your choice of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Lucas Radebe, Sting, David Beckham or the Benni McCarthy type of guy. Seemingly diverse, but with these things in common: passion, confidence, a sense of style and a hint of mischief. All without being arrogant. It’s the kind of guy you meet and the ‘spark’ of the meeting stays with you. Fernando calls him a ‘hunter’ who’ll seek out the right piece, “he still gets a buzz out of wearing a great suit.” Coffee done, we move to the store. It’s bright, well lit, spacious and vivid. Nothing bland about it. “The passion in store is nothing like what goes at back at the office,” comments Fernando. “We spent an entire week doing the brand book, seven hours of interviewing with our agency, Jupiter Drawing Room, involved throughout. Every step had to ensure value transfer,” he says. “We had the brand vision, identity and language all documented before we designed the store. We’ve ensured that all our partners and agencies have played a key role. We’ve done Corporate Identity manuals for all our overseas partners, manufacturers and trend advisers … we’re big on involvement.” Fernando stresses that while Markham may be pursuing the ultimate in “cool”, they don’t want it to be perceived as “too cool”. “The last thing we want to do its intimidate people like some snobby model. Treat people the way you want to be treated.” And what about affordability? “Price has become more of a differentiator as opposed to brand,” comments Fernando, “and Markham will always be a value retailer, though not price driven. We know we’re perceived to deliver quality at an affordable price,” he says, “so we match product to the consumer’s perceptions.” It’s not a case of dumping suppliers either. Read the black and white in the book: “We want long-term relationships with our suppliers, not some one-night-stand based on prices or trends. If we say we love you today, it means we’ll love you tomorrow. Just don’t forget to do the dishes or you can go live with your mother.” You’d better be joking on the last bit, but the first two sentences have a good ring to them. We like this kind of guy, us girls, and I’ll bet most guys wouldn’t mind being perceived as just like him either. Markham is a significant contributor to The Foschini Group’s profits, so while the brand overhaul is fun, sexy and a bit cheeky, the reality is that it was borne out of a financial and business decision. With 172 stores country wide, Markham can’t afford to have gotten it wrong. My feeling is they’ve got it spot on. How can you argue with, “I am the man”?