Monday, 6 May 2019
Weekly Reflection: Week Commencing 29th April
The Gantt chart below represents the reality of my weeks progress. It's been a very full on week as the last week of my Final Major Project. I was able to complete my handbook quicker than I expected, as I worked hard to write and lay out the design in a quick turnaround. On Wednesday I also factored in the importance of planning ahead to ensure I was on track to complete my research file by assessing what I was missing. On Thursday I wasn't feeling especially motivated to finish the writing elements of my Event Plan so I began to layout the majority of the written content I already had instead. In addition, I realised that it was essential to take images of my FMP printed work for the portfolio before I have to submit it on Tuesday so I spent an impromptu afternoon taking images in the FCP studio on the professional backdrops with a professional camera hired from the photography studios. On Friday and Saturday I had to go home for an ill-timed but unavoidable family commitment so I couldn't get very much done. I did more than originally planned, however, by working on printing additional research elements for my research file.
Sunday, 5 May 2019
Diary Entries: Week Commencing 29th April
Monday 29th April
Today I had a tutorial with Charlie which was a really positive little chat! After that I made my Gantt chart for the week which was helpful as it brought up some issues I had with my initial timings. Having written most of my event plan in the second half of last week, I had been planning on completing that document to submit digitally before beginning my handbook to be printed for a physical submission. After taking account the Bank Holiday Monday which falls a week today, I have found that I need to spend time on my brand handbook first in order to leave enough contingency time as it goes to print. I can then work on the remainder of my event as and when the time becomes available later this week and into the Bank Holiday Monday. As a result of this revelation, I began to write and layout the design of my brand handbook.
Tuesday 30th April
Today I worked hard to complete my brand handbook, having made a turnaround of just two days to complete it. I was pleased that my logical strategy of completing my marketing report first had come to fruition in the sense that the majority of digital and marketing elements within the handbook only needed to be inserted into the handbook with limited adjustments.
Wednesday 1st May
Today was a long day. I woke up at 5am for a 6am-12pm shift at work before going to the library for the day, where I stayed until 11pm. A very long day indeed! Nevertheless, it was productive as I first went to the print bureau to print my event invitation and experiment with different ideas and also discussed the possibilities of getting another quick UV print in time for the deadline. By the end of today I have ruled out this option as I have other more pressing and important aspects of the project to complete. During the rest of the day I have printed out my handbook in rough paper in order to carefully proofread it, corrected these errors and finalised the document ready for printing tomorrow. I have began my digital event plan design, which I'm excited about as I feel that I can become a bit more experimental when I don't have to consider the importance of bleeds/margins/paper types/ink. I also had a quick review of my research folder so that I'm aware of what I need to focus on in the coming days.
Thursday 2nd May
This morning I woke up to get an early start in the print bureau. As I decided at the end of yesterday that I would no longer be UV printing onto a branded paper bag for part of my submission, I quickly mocked-up a branded paper bag on Photoshop and inserted it into my brand handbook document ready for print. I spent a few hours in the print bureau trialling different papers and waiting in a long queue of other students! Then I spent my afternoon doing something a bit different by taking some portfolio-style images of my FMP printed work before I have to submit it. I also spent time laying out more of my event plan as I'm struggling to find the motivation to complete what small amounts of the written/design content I have left to do.
Sunday 5th May
Having taken time out of university work on Thursday and Friday due to unavoidable family commitments, I have suddenly felt very behind and panicked today. Unfortunately a seven hour shift at work meant that I could only get stuck back into my event plan from 10pm onwards. Therefore, I didn't really sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning! :) Nevertheless, plenty of progress was made as I completed all of the layout elements of my Event Plan.
Monday 6th May
Having not really gone to bed last night, today continued to be a very motivated day as I finally completed the elements of my Event Plan which required additional research, such as the timeline and budgeting. After that, I worked on my research file by locating any gaps in annotation or things that are missing which I would like to add. I then prepared for submission by exporting and naming my files and filling out my declaration and submission pages. I uploaded my digital submissions at some point after midnight.
Tuesday 7th May
I spent my morning continuing to work on my research file, as I find that there is almost always a little more research or annotation that can be done. I finally prepared my physical submissions by attaching their declaration forms and dropping off at RSG/103!
Today I had a tutorial with Charlie which was a really positive little chat! After that I made my Gantt chart for the week which was helpful as it brought up some issues I had with my initial timings. Having written most of my event plan in the second half of last week, I had been planning on completing that document to submit digitally before beginning my handbook to be printed for a physical submission. After taking account the Bank Holiday Monday which falls a week today, I have found that I need to spend time on my brand handbook first in order to leave enough contingency time as it goes to print. I can then work on the remainder of my event as and when the time becomes available later this week and into the Bank Holiday Monday. As a result of this revelation, I began to write and layout the design of my brand handbook.
Tuesday 30th April
Today I worked hard to complete my brand handbook, having made a turnaround of just two days to complete it. I was pleased that my logical strategy of completing my marketing report first had come to fruition in the sense that the majority of digital and marketing elements within the handbook only needed to be inserted into the handbook with limited adjustments.
Wednesday 1st May
Today was a long day. I woke up at 5am for a 6am-12pm shift at work before going to the library for the day, where I stayed until 11pm. A very long day indeed! Nevertheless, it was productive as I first went to the print bureau to print my event invitation and experiment with different ideas and also discussed the possibilities of getting another quick UV print in time for the deadline. By the end of today I have ruled out this option as I have other more pressing and important aspects of the project to complete. During the rest of the day I have printed out my handbook in rough paper in order to carefully proofread it, corrected these errors and finalised the document ready for printing tomorrow. I have began my digital event plan design, which I'm excited about as I feel that I can become a bit more experimental when I don't have to consider the importance of bleeds/margins/paper types/ink. I also had a quick review of my research folder so that I'm aware of what I need to focus on in the coming days.
Thursday 2nd May
This morning I woke up to get an early start in the print bureau. As I decided at the end of yesterday that I would no longer be UV printing onto a branded paper bag for part of my submission, I quickly mocked-up a branded paper bag on Photoshop and inserted it into my brand handbook document ready for print. I spent a few hours in the print bureau trialling different papers and waiting in a long queue of other students! Then I spent my afternoon doing something a bit different by taking some portfolio-style images of my FMP printed work before I have to submit it. I also spent time laying out more of my event plan as I'm struggling to find the motivation to complete what small amounts of the written/design content I have left to do.
Sunday 5th May
Having taken time out of university work on Thursday and Friday due to unavoidable family commitments, I have suddenly felt very behind and panicked today. Unfortunately a seven hour shift at work meant that I could only get stuck back into my event plan from 10pm onwards. Therefore, I didn't really sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning! :) Nevertheless, plenty of progress was made as I completed all of the layout elements of my Event Plan.
Monday 6th May
Having not really gone to bed last night, today continued to be a very motivated day as I finally completed the elements of my Event Plan which required additional research, such as the timeline and budgeting. After that, I worked on my research file by locating any gaps in annotation or things that are missing which I would like to add. I then prepared for submission by exporting and naming my files and filling out my declaration and submission pages. I uploaded my digital submissions at some point after midnight.
Tuesday 7th May
I spent my morning continuing to work on my research file, as I find that there is almost always a little more research or annotation that can be done. I finally prepared my physical submissions by attaching their declaration forms and dropping off at RSG/103!
Monday, 29 April 2019
Gantt Chart: Week Commencing 29th April
Sunday, 28 April 2019
Weekly Reflection: Week Commencing 22nd April
The last week has felt very rushed and very stressful! Not usually the type to get too stressed over things, I've actually been struggling to sleep and feeling very overwhelmed at times. Nevertheless, I've made huge achievements this week by printing my lookbook and finalising the majority of my Event Plan. I'm so happy with my lookbook, which arrived so quickly from the company I outsourced it to named The Newspaper Club. I managed extremely successfully to stick to my original Gantt chart this week, which I'm pleased about because I know I'm running out of time to find a contingency if I am not able to meet my own very high expectations. The end is insight and I don't know whether to laugh or cry! :)
Monday 22nd April
Today was a very long day! I spent 12 hours in the library getting my lookbook content finalised. This part took slightly longer than first anticipated but it wasn't an issue as I had deliberately allowed contingency time. I then took the time to print it and proofread, marking all errors which would need to be completed tomorrow.
Tuesday 23rd April
In the morning I made corrections to all of the errors and adjustments in my lookbook before submitting it to be printed through an external company. Then I caught up with my project management by creating this week's Gantt chart a little bit later than usual and catching up on the weekly reflection entry from last week. In the afternoon I began my event plan by starting with the Event Concept section. I've been feeling really worried about the fact I am starting my Event Plan so late but I genuinely haven't had any free time prior to this to begin it.
Wednesday 24th April
Today I completed the Concept section of my event plan, which included the last half of my event concept overview, the guest list, a guest pyramid and the consumer profiles for the target audience of the launch event. I know I am going to have to work myself too hard these next couple of weeks which is worrying me a little bit but unfortunately it is going to have to be done in order to complete everything I've set out to do.
Thursday 25th April
Wednesday 24th April
Today I completed the Concept section of my event plan, which included the last half of my event concept overview, the guest list, a guest pyramid and the consumer profiles for the target audience of the launch event. I know I am going to have to work myself too hard these next couple of weeks which is worrying me a little bit but unfortunately it is going to have to be done in order to complete everything I've set out to do.
Thursday 25th April
Today I began part two of my Event Plan, the promotional strategy. I have written several media storyline ideas which I imagine the press would run with around the time period of my event, as well as written a press release which will inform them prior to the launch day. I have decided to name my event 'Meet the One'. Tired but trying to maintain this momentum!
Friday 26th April
Today I revisited the press release to proof read and edit before designing the external promotional elements of my event which I anticipate passersby and guests will stop to share on social media and be curious enough to enter the store and event. I also formulated a social media strategy for the event and launch which involves certain influencers being gifted Marks and Spencer One and sharing through their social channels throughout the launch period of the label. I also planned ahead (albeit a little bit more last minute than I would have liked) by ordering the physical elements of my invitation and packaging which I will submit physically to Charlie and Guy. I ordered these on Etsy and they should all arrive next week!
Saturday 27th April
I'm writing this from the library at 11:42pm where I am slowly experiencing the feeling of my brain turning to mush. Just getting this diary entry ticked off and then I can finally go home. I'm working hard to stay on track with my weekly Gantt chart as at this point there isn't really any other solution - since there's almost no time left of the project to use as a contingency! Today has been a productive day; I have created several internal advertising leaflets to promote my launch event in-store and constructed the justification and scheduling of my influencer marketing strategy before, during and after the introductory Marks and Spencer One event. Tomorrow I still need to design the Guerrilla-style external advertising for the promotion of the event on the outside of the Marble Arch building (I'm having creative block with this), design a public facing leaflet informing about the British Fashion Council panel discussion, design a tote bag and its contents to act as an event goodie bag and write up the descriptions and justifications for my internal promotional leaflets in support of my Event Plan. It all feels achievable but will need to be managed around a seven hour shift at work.
Friday 26th April
Today I revisited the press release to proof read and edit before designing the external promotional elements of my event which I anticipate passersby and guests will stop to share on social media and be curious enough to enter the store and event. I also formulated a social media strategy for the event and launch which involves certain influencers being gifted Marks and Spencer One and sharing through their social channels throughout the launch period of the label. I also planned ahead (albeit a little bit more last minute than I would have liked) by ordering the physical elements of my invitation and packaging which I will submit physically to Charlie and Guy. I ordered these on Etsy and they should all arrive next week!
Saturday 27th April
I'm writing this from the library at 11:42pm where I am slowly experiencing the feeling of my brain turning to mush. Just getting this diary entry ticked off and then I can finally go home. I'm working hard to stay on track with my weekly Gantt chart as at this point there isn't really any other solution - since there's almost no time left of the project to use as a contingency! Today has been a productive day; I have created several internal advertising leaflets to promote my launch event in-store and constructed the justification and scheduling of my influencer marketing strategy before, during and after the introductory Marks and Spencer One event. Tomorrow I still need to design the Guerrilla-style external advertising for the promotion of the event on the outside of the Marble Arch building (I'm having creative block with this), design a public facing leaflet informing about the British Fashion Council panel discussion, design a tote bag and its contents to act as an event goodie bag and write up the descriptions and justifications for my internal promotional leaflets in support of my Event Plan. It all feels achievable but will need to be managed around a seven hour shift at work.
Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Gantt Chart: Week Commencing 22nd April
This week the Marketing-Communications Plan remained at the forefront of my work as I got on with finalising, proofing and printing. I feel that my expectations this week for the amount of progress I would make went well as I fully expected that the printing process would be a long and draining one. I delayed my initial expectations for printing the marketing plan as I found that I needed an extra day to finalise all of the content and I knew it was important not to rush the proofing stage.
I also was careful to ensure that I factored in the busy Easter Bank Holiday weekend which meant I'd be working more part-time hours in my job too. I finally feel like I've achieved something in this project now that the marketing report is printed and ticked off but I know I still have a long way to go. I wish I had had more time to dedicate to the rest of my project elements but unfortunately that isn't possible now! I plan to spend approximately one week completing my next three elements. Creating the lookbook is a priority as I will need to factor in time to have it printed externally. This takes 2-5 working days to arrive. Early next week I will ensure that I proof read the entire document efficiently just as I did with the marketing-communications plan by printing it and going through it with a fine tooth comb. I'm really looking forward to receiving my final lookbook newspaper.
I also was careful to ensure that I factored in the busy Easter Bank Holiday weekend which meant I'd be working more part-time hours in my job too. I finally feel like I've achieved something in this project now that the marketing report is printed and ticked off but I know I still have a long way to go. I wish I had had more time to dedicate to the rest of my project elements but unfortunately that isn't possible now! I plan to spend approximately one week completing my next three elements. Creating the lookbook is a priority as I will need to factor in time to have it printed externally. This takes 2-5 working days to arrive. Early next week I will ensure that I proof read the entire document efficiently just as I did with the marketing-communications plan by printing it and going through it with a fine tooth comb. I'm really looking forward to receiving my final lookbook newspaper.
Monday, 22 April 2019
Diary Entries: Week Commencing 15th April
Monday 15th April
On Monday I continued to lay out my marketing-communications report. Then I printed the full report in the library to get a feel for the document as a final, physical version and identified all errors, typos and adjustments which need to be made before it goes to print. Printing the report for proofing was a very useful task which I intend to repeat for all other documents created during my Final Major Project.
Wednesday 17th April
Today I completed my marketing report by adding the final touches, the influencer marketing strategy and the final budget performance for the overall campaign. Then I began to lay out my lookbook ahead of sending it to print, ensuring I leave enough time for any contingency if the company I am outsourcing the printing from make any errors the first time round.
Thursday 18th April
Today I went to the print bureau to get my marketing-communications plan printed, before continuing with the layout and design of my lookbook. Printing the marketing-communications plan took a lot longer than I expected, even though I always expect this process to be a lengthy one. I was happy to finally have this part of my FMP ticked off.
Friday 19th April
Today I continued to work on my lookbook, before enjoying a bit of sun for the bank holiday prior to a full weekend working in my part-time job.
Sunday 21st April
Today, after a long day at work, I went to the library to continue laying out my lookbook. I made great progress on it despite being exhausted and hope to complete it tomorrow on Monday 22nd April before sending it off to be printed via at outsourced company.
Friday 19th April
Today I continued to work on my lookbook, before enjoying a bit of sun for the bank holiday prior to a full weekend working in my part-time job.
Sunday 21st April
Today, after a long day at work, I went to the library to continue laying out my lookbook. I made great progress on it despite being exhausted and hope to complete it tomorrow on Monday 22nd April before sending it off to be printed via at outsourced company.
Sunday, 14 April 2019
Gantt Chart: Week Commencing 15th April
Monday 8th April
On Monday I created my advertising content by designing London underground, bus and taxi advertisements, before working on the logistics and costings of these aspects by creating a spreadsheet with all the necessary information.
Tuesday 9th April
On Tuesday I reorganised my research file by creating new sections which are cohesive with the sections of my weekly and whole project Gantt chart, in order to best demonstrate how I have stayed on task and met the criteria throughout this project.
Wednesday 10th April
Today I caught up with my research file by printing, annotating and finding links between my tasks and the project management criteria. While this doesn't sound like such a big task, it is certainly very time consuming yet a necessary task which I need to make more time for over the coming weeks. After that, I created the PR schedules for gifting to both Holly Willoughby and HRH Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge towards my PR strategy within the marketing-communications plan.
Thursday 11th April
Today I finished creating all of my external advertising designs and completed the costings, reach and footfall breakdown to go in my marketing-communications plan. Creating mock-ups on Photoshop is something I really enjoy and was a welcome break from numbers and tables. I also put together my media list for the PR strategy, identifying media contacts who will receive my campaign launch press release ahead of the Marks and Spencer One launch.
Friday 12th April
On Friday I wrote the press release. This is the first large writing piece I have done for the project and I was happy to be doing something a bit different yet familiar to me and comfortable to my strengths. After that, I designed the Metro cover wrap mock-up for my marketing-communications plan.
Saturday 13th April
Today I constructed the schedule for my Marks and Spencer One Instagram posts during the launch week from 14th to 20th April 2020. I then designed a selection of the social media posts to place within my marketing-communications plan.
Sunday 14th April
On Sunday I laid out my marketing report - a task which took all day! I have been careful to consider the type of paper, bleed, margins and costings of the layout as I intend to print my marketing-communications plan. I also reflected on my weekly progress based on the Gantt Chart I originally created before creating a new Gantt chart for this week.
Today I caught up with my research file by printing, annotating and finding links between my tasks and the project management criteria. While this doesn't sound like such a big task, it is certainly very time consuming yet a necessary task which I need to make more time for over the coming weeks. After that, I created the PR schedules for gifting to both Holly Willoughby and HRH Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge towards my PR strategy within the marketing-communications plan.
Thursday 11th April
Today I finished creating all of my external advertising designs and completed the costings, reach and footfall breakdown to go in my marketing-communications plan. Creating mock-ups on Photoshop is something I really enjoy and was a welcome break from numbers and tables. I also put together my media list for the PR strategy, identifying media contacts who will receive my campaign launch press release ahead of the Marks and Spencer One launch.
Friday 12th April
On Friday I wrote the press release. This is the first large writing piece I have done for the project and I was happy to be doing something a bit different yet familiar to me and comfortable to my strengths. After that, I designed the Metro cover wrap mock-up for my marketing-communications plan.
Saturday 13th April
Today I constructed the schedule for my Marks and Spencer One Instagram posts during the launch week from 14th to 20th April 2020. I then designed a selection of the social media posts to place within my marketing-communications plan.
Sunday 14th April
On Sunday I laid out my marketing report - a task which took all day! I have been careful to consider the type of paper, bleed, margins and costings of the layout as I intend to print my marketing-communications plan. I also reflected on my weekly progress based on the Gantt Chart I originally created before creating a new Gantt chart for this week.
Sunday, 7 April 2019
Gantt Chart: Week Commencing 8th April
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Diary Entries: Week Commencing 25th March
Monday 25th March
Today was the day of my long-awaited photoshoot, where I worked hard to attain innovative and creative editorial and commercial-style images for utilisation within my lookbook, handbook, advertising and promotional materials. The day was a success! I really enjoyed collaborating with the photographer in particular, who as a final year student of Fashion Photography, really shared my vision and understood exactly what I wanted from her. By also taking into consideration what she, the two models and the make-up artist would want out of the day, we finished with a lovely variation of commercial, editorial, experimental and head-shot images which will be combined to create some really interesting content for my final strategies! I'm extremely relieved to have completed this task, so that I can now return the clothes I purchased to get my money back (hopefully!) and move on with the more creative side of the project now that I have visual content to work with. On Monday evening I began this returns process and had a well-deserved break.
Tuesday 26th March
Today I attended a drop-in session with Kendra and Jade to ask a few questions but felt a little unprepared given how much time I have needed to invest into shoot preparation over the branding and marketing elements of my project. To ensure I get the most out of these feedback sessions, I am aiming to complete my marketing report and settle on the branding specifics of my Marks and Spencer womenswear label by the time I attend our final drop-in session before Easter next Tuesday. After the drop-in, I made some huge progress with my marketing report by outlining and completing the entirety of Part Three: Marketing Strategy. This has then developed my understanding and plan for the creation of my brand handbook, as several elements of the marketing strategy will feed into this. In the evening, I caught up on my diary entries for this week as well as the weekly reflection of last week which I did not have time to complete on Sunday evening, given the scale of the final preparations for my shoot the next day. In addition, I liaised with my photographer more regarding the images she took yesterday; she sent me a quick preview of all the images and we concluded mutually that she would send 150 final edited images through Wetransfer.
Wednesday 27th March
On Wednesday I spent a lot of time organising the bulk of my returns, being careful to stay organised by creating a system of checking for dirty marks/stains from the photoshoot, packaging it up the way it arrived and ticking it off to ensure nothing is missed. After dropping everything off at the post office, I headed to the library to continue with my marketing report where this day's focus involved implementing and writing aspects of my event plan and Background & Context section. I received my editing images back today so a lot of my schedule involved reviewing and selecting my favourites for the lookbook.
Thursday 28th March
Today I made a plan for the necessary content I will be adding to my research file tomorrow before continuing with my Marketing Report by developing my thoughts and plans for the event section of my launch campaign and refining what I have already written, adding in more rationalisation and justification where necessary.
Friday 29th March
Today I worked on my research file by catching up with the last two week's worth of content, printing it out and annotating it. I only achieved a fraction of the list I had set out to complete, so this task will have to be continued at a later date next week.
Thursday 28th March
Today I made a plan for the necessary content I will be adding to my research file tomorrow before continuing with my Marketing Report by developing my thoughts and plans for the event section of my launch campaign and refining what I have already written, adding in more rationalisation and justification where necessary.
Friday 29th March
Today I worked on my research file by catching up with the last two week's worth of content, printing it out and annotating it. I only achieved a fraction of the list I had set out to complete, so this task will have to be continued at a later date next week.
This Gantt chart represents my the reality of my progress made during the week commencing Monday 18th March, having referred back to it throughout the week to readjust and reschedule elements when necessary.
This week I feel much more positive about the level of progress I made as I was able to have much more realistic expectations regarding the amount of work I would produce. The week has once again largely focussed on preparing for my shoot which is made up of such small but time-consuming tasks and a large level of control over the organisation and management of the project.
On Wednesday I made the decision to continue my marketing report rather than develop my consumer profiles or analyse all of my primary data collectively (tasks which I have been delaying for two weeks now) as I wanted to trust the rhythm I had fallen into while writing up the report in order to get the most out of this task. I have realised that I tried to do my consumer profile and primary data far too early as neither would be beneficial to have completed at this stage; by establishing other areas of my project first, I can inform the consumer profile especially in a much better way.
On Thursday, rather than assisting on Charlotte's half day shoot, I began my PR analysis for the communication element of my marketing report by buying a number of different magazines and newspapers to inform opportunities for PR coverage and advertising content in my launch campaign. I really enjoyed this task, so delayed updating my research file in order to continue with it. Unfortunately I was unable to find time to pick up where I left off with my research file this week, so it will be a necessity to catch up during the week commencing 25th March.
By Friday I felt that I had made substantial progress on my marketing report, so instead focussed my efforts on making final preparations for my photoshoot on Monday 25th March by creating an extremely in-depth booklet of looks and the corresponding locations and props for each which will definitely be beneficial in the organisation of my shoot.
Monday, 18 March 2019
Diary Entries: Week Commencing 18th March
Monday 18th March
Today I began creating a new weekly Gantt chart which proposes my expected progress for the week ahead, being conscious to consider that I learned from the previous week by not underestimating the sometimes lengthy time process involved in completing seemingly small tasks. I then attended a tutorial with Guy where he reviewed my AIDA, SWOT and PESTLE analysis, giving me particular advice on the content of the 'Legal' segment of the PESTLE analysis and discussing things to consider in the 7 Ps section I plan to complete by the end of today. We also discussed again how I can ensure that the existing M&S consumer is not alienated, perhaps by widening my target audience age demographic. I raised the idea of my new vision of M&S womenswear being a suitable brand for Kate Middleton to wear, and so we discussed the logistics of gifting to royalty as opposed to paid promotion and how I would integrate this idea into my marketing strategy. Finally, we discussed the suitability of Holly Willoughby to the Marks and Spencer brand, where Guy suggested I consider taking the brand in the direction of a more up-and-coming public figure. I also pointed out the current disingenuousness of Holly's collaboration with Marks and Spencer's, where she is rarely seen wearing the brand either in her day-to-day life or live daily on This Morning - an opportunity which I feel should be more greatly utilised.
For the rest of the day, I liaised with my photographer by finalising some new mood boards and communicating the logistics of the day with her as well as communicating with my hair and make-up artist. I then continued with my marketing report, based on the feedback I received from Guy.
I also received my feedback for my Feasibility Study today, and was happy with a final grade of 83%. My preliminary research received a particularly high grade, which gives me the confidence to uphold my findings and integrate it more confidently into my marketing plan and branding. I also received a particularly high grade for my project management, and feel confident that I am bettering the management I displayed in the Feasibility Study even more for Part 2 of the project by working with a digital blog-style diary system and visual hands-on Gantt chart system which works well for me.
Tuesday 19th March
Today I arrived at the library early to begin a day of marketing report writing, deciding not to attend the drop-in session with Jade and Kendra in favour of staying focussed on the task ahead. I completed the 7Ps, having now written a generous chunk of the appendices to my report. I then worked on the structure of the report by breaking it down into five relevant chapters and then began writing the Executive Summary, Introduction and Background Information. Finally, I revisited my Aims & Objectives, editing them to reflect the feedback I received yesterday regarding my Feasibility Study. Earlier on in the day, I sourced styling kit essentials across town including masking tape for the bottom of shoes to be returned, double sided tape and safety pins to potentially use to manipulate clothing or bag straps for shots and a disposable camera to capture behind-the-scenes images on the day.
Wednesday 20th March
On Wednesday I sourced the remaining items for my styling kit ahead of my photoshoot next week. I then veered from my proposed plan for the day by continuing with my marketing report rather than focus solely on the data-based analysis of my primary research findings and consumer profiles, mainly due to the fact that I feel confident with what I have been writing in my report and would like to maintain that momentum. I was also feeling quite tired from a 5am start for work, so made the executive decision to avoid anything with numbers as this is not my strong point even with a good night's sleep. I will no longer be assisting on Charlotte's shoot tomorrow so plan to rebalance my work schedule for the week by completing these tasks then.
Thursday 21st March
Today I conducted an in-depth analysis of the many PR and advertising opportunities available to review and discuss in my marketing-communications report. I bought 12 women's weekly and monthly magazines with varying target demographics and reviewed each page, highlighting areas of 'missed opportunity' which the new Marks and Spencer label could utilise promotionally as well as areas where the Marks and Spencer brand is already promoted. This strategy is something I learned during my placement year so it feels good to be implementing it into my final major project strategy! I plan to additionally purchase more monthly magazines, specifically those such as Tatler and Elle.
I had also planned to begin my consumer profiles today, however I feel that this detailed research into media strategy will benefit the development of the consumer profiles to be much more justified and well-researched. By constructing a table of demographics for the target audiences of each magazine and examining all of the content within each magazine (relevant specifically to my project or not), I now have a much clearer vision about the kind of target audience I should construct for my new M&S label. Finally, I took photos of each look with accessories included as I begin to get organised for my photoshoot on Monday.
Friday 22nd March
On Friday I attended the 'True Cost of Fashion' lecture at university, which has informed me of some interesting conversations and arguments surrounding sustainable fashion. This is something that will inform the choices for my project, such as the contradiction of organic cotton and the difficult balance of promoting an 'eco-friendly' garment which may still harbour significant environmental damage. I will need to consider this delicate positioning within the branding of the Marks and Spencer label. After this, I put together a final booklet of the looks which I'll be styling on Monday's photoshoot which I can refer back to throughout the day to ensure I am fully organised.
Sunday 23rd March
Today I undertook the final preparations for my shoot tomorrow morning by gathering up the contents of my styling kit and packing them, as well as ironing and packing each item of clothing - taking great care to ensure that nothing is forgotten and left behind. I then reflected on my week's progress by referring back to my Gantt chart and created my Gantt chart for the following week to measure my performance and project management skills.
Today I began creating a new weekly Gantt chart which proposes my expected progress for the week ahead, being conscious to consider that I learned from the previous week by not underestimating the sometimes lengthy time process involved in completing seemingly small tasks. I then attended a tutorial with Guy where he reviewed my AIDA, SWOT and PESTLE analysis, giving me particular advice on the content of the 'Legal' segment of the PESTLE analysis and discussing things to consider in the 7 Ps section I plan to complete by the end of today. We also discussed again how I can ensure that the existing M&S consumer is not alienated, perhaps by widening my target audience age demographic. I raised the idea of my new vision of M&S womenswear being a suitable brand for Kate Middleton to wear, and so we discussed the logistics of gifting to royalty as opposed to paid promotion and how I would integrate this idea into my marketing strategy. Finally, we discussed the suitability of Holly Willoughby to the Marks and Spencer brand, where Guy suggested I consider taking the brand in the direction of a more up-and-coming public figure. I also pointed out the current disingenuousness of Holly's collaboration with Marks and Spencer's, where she is rarely seen wearing the brand either in her day-to-day life or live daily on This Morning - an opportunity which I feel should be more greatly utilised.
For the rest of the day, I liaised with my photographer by finalising some new mood boards and communicating the logistics of the day with her as well as communicating with my hair and make-up artist. I then continued with my marketing report, based on the feedback I received from Guy.
I also received my feedback for my Feasibility Study today, and was happy with a final grade of 83%. My preliminary research received a particularly high grade, which gives me the confidence to uphold my findings and integrate it more confidently into my marketing plan and branding. I also received a particularly high grade for my project management, and feel confident that I am bettering the management I displayed in the Feasibility Study even more for Part 2 of the project by working with a digital blog-style diary system and visual hands-on Gantt chart system which works well for me.
Tuesday 19th March
Today I arrived at the library early to begin a day of marketing report writing, deciding not to attend the drop-in session with Jade and Kendra in favour of staying focussed on the task ahead. I completed the 7Ps, having now written a generous chunk of the appendices to my report. I then worked on the structure of the report by breaking it down into five relevant chapters and then began writing the Executive Summary, Introduction and Background Information. Finally, I revisited my Aims & Objectives, editing them to reflect the feedback I received yesterday regarding my Feasibility Study. Earlier on in the day, I sourced styling kit essentials across town including masking tape for the bottom of shoes to be returned, double sided tape and safety pins to potentially use to manipulate clothing or bag straps for shots and a disposable camera to capture behind-the-scenes images on the day.
Wednesday 20th March
On Wednesday I sourced the remaining items for my styling kit ahead of my photoshoot next week. I then veered from my proposed plan for the day by continuing with my marketing report rather than focus solely on the data-based analysis of my primary research findings and consumer profiles, mainly due to the fact that I feel confident with what I have been writing in my report and would like to maintain that momentum. I was also feeling quite tired from a 5am start for work, so made the executive decision to avoid anything with numbers as this is not my strong point even with a good night's sleep. I will no longer be assisting on Charlotte's shoot tomorrow so plan to rebalance my work schedule for the week by completing these tasks then.
Thursday 21st March
Today I conducted an in-depth analysis of the many PR and advertising opportunities available to review and discuss in my marketing-communications report. I bought 12 women's weekly and monthly magazines with varying target demographics and reviewed each page, highlighting areas of 'missed opportunity' which the new Marks and Spencer label could utilise promotionally as well as areas where the Marks and Spencer brand is already promoted. This strategy is something I learned during my placement year so it feels good to be implementing it into my final major project strategy! I plan to additionally purchase more monthly magazines, specifically those such as Tatler and Elle.
I had also planned to begin my consumer profiles today, however I feel that this detailed research into media strategy will benefit the development of the consumer profiles to be much more justified and well-researched. By constructing a table of demographics for the target audiences of each magazine and examining all of the content within each magazine (relevant specifically to my project or not), I now have a much clearer vision about the kind of target audience I should construct for my new M&S label. Finally, I took photos of each look with accessories included as I begin to get organised for my photoshoot on Monday.
Friday 22nd March
On Friday I attended the 'True Cost of Fashion' lecture at university, which has informed me of some interesting conversations and arguments surrounding sustainable fashion. This is something that will inform the choices for my project, such as the contradiction of organic cotton and the difficult balance of promoting an 'eco-friendly' garment which may still harbour significant environmental damage. I will need to consider this delicate positioning within the branding of the Marks and Spencer label. After this, I put together a final booklet of the looks which I'll be styling on Monday's photoshoot which I can refer back to throughout the day to ensure I am fully organised.
Sunday 23rd March
Today I undertook the final preparations for my shoot tomorrow morning by gathering up the contents of my styling kit and packing them, as well as ironing and packing each item of clothing - taking great care to ensure that nothing is forgotten and left behind. I then reflected on my week's progress by referring back to my Gantt chart and created my Gantt chart for the following week to measure my performance and project management skills.
This Gantt chart represents my initial expectations for the progress I make during the week commencing Monday 18th March and will be referred back to and monitored throughout the week to ensure that I maintain controlled management of the project.
Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Weekly Reflection: Week Commencing 11th March
This Gantt chart represents my the reality of my progress made during the week commencing Monday 11th March, having referred back to it throughout the week to readjust and reschedule elements when necessary.
On Wednesday, I factored in additional time to organise the clothing which was steadily arriving through the post in anticipation for my photoshoot on Monday 25th March. I underestimated the lengthy process of checking everything had been received, carefully storing packaging for use in returns, creating a spreadsheet to monitor the costings of purchases and maintaining the organisation of all items. As a result of this additional task, I rescheduled the task of updating my research file to be completed the next day.
This then had a knock-on effect into Thursday, where I was unable to schedule enough time into my day to complete a collective review of all of my primary research or brainstorm event ideas - both rather lengthy tasks - and so instead, focussed on the continuation of my marketing report, updating my research file and additionally, liaising with my photoshoot MUA by creating a moodboard, informing them of important information and enquiring about products needed for the day which might need to be purchased.
On Friday, I completed my rescheduled brainstorm of event ideas by creating an in-depth mind map. I also found it necessary to hold a final review of my styled-up looks so that I could establish whether anything was missing in time to order and receive it in plenty of time before my photoshoot day. I also decided to commit more time to my marketing report ahead of my tutorial with Guy, so that I could benefit from his feedback on the marketing side of my project. Because of this, I didn't begin to develop my consumer profiles until the next day where I drew up an initial outline of the consumers as well as created updated moodboards to send to my photographer during the week commencing Monday 18th March.
Finally, on Sunday, I continued with my implementation and writing of my marketing report which I had greatly underestimated the lengthy process of. It was beneficial to work on this element throughout Sunday so that I could be best prepared with plenty of questions and work to show Guy the next day during my tutorial with him.
Overall this week, by instigating the Gantt chart system and comparing my expected progress to my reality, it is clear that I am more inclined to underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete a task. Therefore, I will bear this in mind for the weeks ahead.
This Gantt chart represents my initial expectations for the progress I make during the week commencing Monday 11th March and will be referred back to and monitored throughout the week to ensure that I maintain controlled management of the project.
Monday, 11 March 2019
Diary Entries: Week Commencing 11th March
Monday 11th March
At 9.15, the FCP group met with Charlie to discuss our steps moving forward with Final Major Project after submitting our Feasibility Study Reports and Project Management Documents last week. During this session, we brainstormed the best methods for recording our project management strategies by engaging in group discussion and looking at previous students' work. As a result of this session, I revisited this website - previously used as a digital space for my Critical Journal and Placement Year diary entries - and made some small adjustments (such as the title, description and tab system) in order to tailor it to suit the needs of the project requirements. In this session, I also discussed the idea of creating a 'Rebranding Document' as opposed to a Brand Handbook, as this concept was unfamiliar to me. I concluded between discussion with both Guy and Charlie that a 'Rebranding Handbook' hybrid would be best suited to my project idea.
During this session, I also had a quick five minute chat with both Charlie and Guy about my initial branding brainstorm on a proposed name. This initial idea stemmed from Marks and Spencer's historic St. Michael label, which I feel is especially recognisable to the previous generation of Marks and Spencer consumers based on access to the M&S Archive. By adopting the name 'Saint', I felt that this would acknowledge both the extensive heritage of the brand as well as a more contemporary future ahead. By experimenting with typefaces which emanated the historic label of the Marks and Spencer brand, I attempted to further this way of thinking. Charlie and Guy brought up useful arguments regarding this logo and name idea, such as the name's similarity with the All Saints brand - especially given my plans to align the M&S womenswear label to suit a more premium market positioning - as well as the potential disadvantages to taking inspiration from Marks and Spencer's past strategies.
After lunch, I focused my attention back to sourcing clothing for my photoshoot on Monday 25th March - TWO WEEKS TODAY! 😳 I found it to be quite a time consuming activity as it took up most of the time I had allocated to project work today. To aid my organisation, I set up a powerpoint file on Google Drive which is useful because I can access it anywhere and it is automatically backed up. The styling process firstly involved going through a selection of online brands and organising my clothing selections into each brand with the corresponding web link to revisit the product before purchasing. Then I began to style up the looks by creating new slides with a combination of garments from each brand, ensuring that each look is cohesive by deliberately assigning a model to each look and laying looks side by side. In order to record my purchases, I created a spreadsheet which monitors the costs of each order and the estimated arrival day/time.
As well as focusing on styling today, I continued my search for a hair & make-up artist by sending a couple of follow up messages and liaised with the model booker at J'adore regarding the models' train expenses, booking their trains and sending over the confirmations. I also created a new Gantt chart for this week. I should have done this yesterday but I was too tired after a long shift at my part-time job, so therefore made an executive decision that it could wait one more day!
Tuesday 12th March
Today I saw Kendra and Jade during the drop-in studio session, where we covered topics like event, project management strategies and marketing reports. She showed me her old work and went into detail about the kind of things she included in her marketing report, then went on to discuss the logistics of planning an event. I showed her my new project management system of recording diaries and plans to restructure the way I approach my weekly Gantt chart. I left the session feeling optimistic about where to begin with Part 2.
In the afternoon, Sophie, Charlotte and I went shopping in Leeds to source additional items for our photoshoots. I purchased accessories from Topshop with the intention to return them as soon as possible once my photoshoot is over. From Primark, I purchased a pair of sunglasses and several pairs of earrings which I will not be allowed to return although consideration was taken into my selection as I will most likely choose to wear them myself. In order to keep track of my purchases and returns I will continue to update my styling spreadsheet and keep any receipts and confirmation emails safe.
Wednesday 13th March
On Wednesday I worked from home in order to wait for my many packages to arrive, full of clothing for my upcoming photoshoot on the 25th March. I set about renewing my Gantt chart system by constructing a planner on an A2 foam-board which I can change each week with ease. This visual, hands-on system is much more suited to my way of thinking in comparison to the Excel spreadsheet Gantt system which I trialled during the previous two weeks.
As well as making my Gantt chart for the week commencing 11th March, I revisited my research file by ticking off my 'to-do list' of things to update within it. I also reviewed all of the responses I received to my shopping experience primary research, and gathered useful data from it which I arranged in a collective spreadsheet of all my primary research results. Finally, I began writing my Marketing-Communications Report which Kendra suggested would be a good place to start during our tutorial yesterday. To keep organised, I initially wrote a long to-do list of contents which I will need to cover over the coming weeks within the report before beginning to transfer relevant information from my Feasibility Study and refine it. I also began to update my research file by ticking off the to-do list that I had been writing over the course of the last week. Elements I added included my styled up looks, print outs of order confirmations for clothing and reasoning for my styling choices.
Thursday 14th March
Today I continued developing my research file by making a moodboard for my desired hair and make-up look for the day of my location shoot, which I then also liaised with my hair & make-up artist about. I then focussed my attentions on my marketing report, beginning to write the SWOT, PESTLE, AIDA and 7 Ps analyses.
Friday 15th March
Today, I began by making a final review of my styling for the shoot on Monday 25th March and made my final online orders as a result of identifying missing pieces or opportunities for pieces in the looks. Then I brainstormed event ideas by creating a mindmap and made a distinction between the launch promotion and press elements of my event strategy before continuing with my implementation of PESTLE, AIDA and the 7 Ps analyses.
Sunday 17th March
On Sunday, I completed the first elements of my marketing report - my SWOT, PESTLE, AIDA and 7 Ps analyses - ahead of my tutorial with Guy on Monday morning. I then reviewed my week's progress by revisiting my weekly Gantt chart and readjusting it based on the reality of my working week. I then reflected on this progress in a blog post before creating and uploading a new Gantt chart communicating my aims for the week commencing 18th March.
At 9.15, the FCP group met with Charlie to discuss our steps moving forward with Final Major Project after submitting our Feasibility Study Reports and Project Management Documents last week. During this session, we brainstormed the best methods for recording our project management strategies by engaging in group discussion and looking at previous students' work. As a result of this session, I revisited this website - previously used as a digital space for my Critical Journal and Placement Year diary entries - and made some small adjustments (such as the title, description and tab system) in order to tailor it to suit the needs of the project requirements. In this session, I also discussed the idea of creating a 'Rebranding Document' as opposed to a Brand Handbook, as this concept was unfamiliar to me. I concluded between discussion with both Guy and Charlie that a 'Rebranding Handbook' hybrid would be best suited to my project idea.
During this session, I also had a quick five minute chat with both Charlie and Guy about my initial branding brainstorm on a proposed name. This initial idea stemmed from Marks and Spencer's historic St. Michael label, which I feel is especially recognisable to the previous generation of Marks and Spencer consumers based on access to the M&S Archive. By adopting the name 'Saint', I felt that this would acknowledge both the extensive heritage of the brand as well as a more contemporary future ahead. By experimenting with typefaces which emanated the historic label of the Marks and Spencer brand, I attempted to further this way of thinking. Charlie and Guy brought up useful arguments regarding this logo and name idea, such as the name's similarity with the All Saints brand - especially given my plans to align the M&S womenswear label to suit a more premium market positioning - as well as the potential disadvantages to taking inspiration from Marks and Spencer's past strategies.
After lunch, I focused my attention back to sourcing clothing for my photoshoot on Monday 25th March - TWO WEEKS TODAY! 😳 I found it to be quite a time consuming activity as it took up most of the time I had allocated to project work today. To aid my organisation, I set up a powerpoint file on Google Drive which is useful because I can access it anywhere and it is automatically backed up. The styling process firstly involved going through a selection of online brands and organising my clothing selections into each brand with the corresponding web link to revisit the product before purchasing. Then I began to style up the looks by creating new slides with a combination of garments from each brand, ensuring that each look is cohesive by deliberately assigning a model to each look and laying looks side by side. In order to record my purchases, I created a spreadsheet which monitors the costs of each order and the estimated arrival day/time.
As well as focusing on styling today, I continued my search for a hair & make-up artist by sending a couple of follow up messages and liaised with the model booker at J'adore regarding the models' train expenses, booking their trains and sending over the confirmations. I also created a new Gantt chart for this week. I should have done this yesterday but I was too tired after a long shift at my part-time job, so therefore made an executive decision that it could wait one more day!
Tuesday 12th March
Today I saw Kendra and Jade during the drop-in studio session, where we covered topics like event, project management strategies and marketing reports. She showed me her old work and went into detail about the kind of things she included in her marketing report, then went on to discuss the logistics of planning an event. I showed her my new project management system of recording diaries and plans to restructure the way I approach my weekly Gantt chart. I left the session feeling optimistic about where to begin with Part 2.
In the afternoon, Sophie, Charlotte and I went shopping in Leeds to source additional items for our photoshoots. I purchased accessories from Topshop with the intention to return them as soon as possible once my photoshoot is over. From Primark, I purchased a pair of sunglasses and several pairs of earrings which I will not be allowed to return although consideration was taken into my selection as I will most likely choose to wear them myself. In order to keep track of my purchases and returns I will continue to update my styling spreadsheet and keep any receipts and confirmation emails safe.
Wednesday 13th March
On Wednesday I worked from home in order to wait for my many packages to arrive, full of clothing for my upcoming photoshoot on the 25th March. I set about renewing my Gantt chart system by constructing a planner on an A2 foam-board which I can change each week with ease. This visual, hands-on system is much more suited to my way of thinking in comparison to the Excel spreadsheet Gantt system which I trialled during the previous two weeks.
As well as making my Gantt chart for the week commencing 11th March, I revisited my research file by ticking off my 'to-do list' of things to update within it. I also reviewed all of the responses I received to my shopping experience primary research, and gathered useful data from it which I arranged in a collective spreadsheet of all my primary research results. Finally, I began writing my Marketing-Communications Report which Kendra suggested would be a good place to start during our tutorial yesterday. To keep organised, I initially wrote a long to-do list of contents which I will need to cover over the coming weeks within the report before beginning to transfer relevant information from my Feasibility Study and refine it. I also began to update my research file by ticking off the to-do list that I had been writing over the course of the last week. Elements I added included my styled up looks, print outs of order confirmations for clothing and reasoning for my styling choices.
Thursday 14th March
Today I continued developing my research file by making a moodboard for my desired hair and make-up look for the day of my location shoot, which I then also liaised with my hair & make-up artist about. I then focussed my attentions on my marketing report, beginning to write the SWOT, PESTLE, AIDA and 7 Ps analyses.
Friday 15th March
Today, I began by making a final review of my styling for the shoot on Monday 25th March and made my final online orders as a result of identifying missing pieces or opportunities for pieces in the looks. Then I brainstormed event ideas by creating a mindmap and made a distinction between the launch promotion and press elements of my event strategy before continuing with my implementation of PESTLE, AIDA and the 7 Ps analyses.
Sunday 17th March
On Sunday, I completed the first elements of my marketing report - my SWOT, PESTLE, AIDA and 7 Ps analyses - ahead of my tutorial with Guy on Monday morning. I then reviewed my week's progress by revisiting my weekly Gantt chart and readjusting it based on the reality of my working week. I then reflected on this progress in a blog post before creating and uploading a new Gantt chart communicating my aims for the week commencing 18th March.
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