Marketing strategic plan for Christopher Farr

Sector value: £335bn

“Christopher Farr exists for the thoughtful who find joy in a beautifully designed space.

With constantly evolving product lines, innovation, flair and meticulous attention to detail stand at the heart of the brand.

Known for their Iconic designs by the world’s best known artists, who honour hand craftsmanship,’ centuries old.

Christopher Farr transcends mere utility. Instead of confining art to a wall, a fabric from CF allows you to live in and amongst it. ”

Choosing the right distribution channels as fast fashion and e-habits are rising.

• Changes in trade barriers since the US withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks is likely to turn the focus to regional agreements.

• Ability to pass on price increases to customers as commodity prices rise.

• Maintaining a clear brand, with consistent messaging across all channels - cementing current position & share in the market.

• We have also moved into a more socially conscious era. It’s not about showing-off; people are finally more interested in delivering quality of life and environmental responsibility. Because of this, clients want to know the origin and chain of custody regarding products and materials sourced for a project – particularly those in the hotel and retail sector as they have to conform to social corporate responsibility agendas and environmental commitments. Sustainability has finally become a priority to conform to legislation and public expectations, therefore branding design will have heritage included.

• Resilient long-term demand, thanks to rising middle classes in emerging markets.
• Strong relationships with existing customers.
• Independent UK printing mill.
• Reputable, well established brand.
• Environmentally friendly with an ethical supply chain, honouring the art of hand craftsmanship.

• More use of man-made fibres – resulting in volatile prices of raw materials cotton & wool.

• Volatile raw material prices & rising wages.
• Changing consumer behaviour – fast fashion.
• Margins stressed by e-commerce activities.
• Luxury home stores providing fabrics & upholstery.
• Not enough distribution channels for evolving consumers.
• Digital printing set to rise by 2020

• Growing social media habits allow access into new markets.
• Incorporate online ordering of fabrics.
• QR Codes on the back of samples could provide reinforce interaction.
• PR events, including exhibitions with upcoming artists ensures good media coverage.
• Cultivate sponsorship deals with building projects and textile exhibitions.
• Registering with global trade & environmental associations to build brand trust amongst consumers.

• Global textile manufacturers; Jab, Romo, Brian Yates, Sahco etc.
• Luxury Home stores providing fabrics & upholstery.
• Interior design studios offering competitor fabrics.
• Synthetic man-made fibre mills offering similar product at lower cost & quality. (Could either dilute or raise the CF brand).

To help Christopher Farr obtain a larger share of the UK/US textile supply industry. To increase brand awareness through every available marketing channel – pinpointing the brand as a modern, innovative luxury fabric designer.

Obtaining large-scale commercial contracts through interior designers and architects as well as highlighting the fantastic unique elements of CF through online channels.

To update the online accessibility of CF; by increasing Google rankings and making our presence consistent, in all spheres of design. 

CF is already ahead of the curve in its sustainable endeavours – such as working within sustainable and ethical parameters. This is an element of utmost growing importance globally, as many designers are now legally obliged to use sustainable materials in new projects, overseen by government regulations.

The art to home aspect of CF products appeal to cultured audiences interested in traditional hand craftsmanship with a modern, relevant and constantly evolving twist.

CF already operates globally in 4 of the world’s most design-led, iconic cities.

A full social media strategy will be created for Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

This will span the entire year. Most of the content can be planned in advance with the use of a social media software programme – HootSuite, which sends out messages automatically on a specific date/time.

A strong online presence is vital if the brand is to grow – as consumer habits are mainly online. Inspirational sites such as Instagram/ Pinterest are the most used sites by designers, as they present quick aesthetic references to ideas. A full range of all CF fabrics should be presented in photo format on Instagram. In this way the platform also works as an online catalogue.

The use of hash tags again allows the brand to soar in other spheres – gaining a wider audience and brand recognition.

Posting content on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter will be daily

1 YouTube video will be made every 3 weeks. This will be an exquisitely filmed and edited piece highlighting different aspects of the business from quality control to glamorous events we organise.

Youtube is another great way to feature interviews from artists we collaborate with, staff at CF and even interviews from our clients who use our product. Word of mouth is probably the strongest form of promotion in the design sphere.

Social media content can also direct traffic to our website and other marketing channels – helping to increase visitors to the website forming a perfect marketing spider web of inter-connecting lines.

I would like to see CF on the 1st page of Google. Research has shown that browsers will click on the first 5 sites that appear on the first page, and rarely visit the 2nd page or even sites lower down on the bottom of the 1st.

The content from social media will help to boost us on a Google search. As well as this I would conduct an in-depth SEO experiment that may last around 3 months.

Using Google Analytics I would run experiments that included search terms that are most used for people looking for incredible fabrics/rugs etc. These special key words can then be injected into the content on the website and social media so that the algorithms on Google detect CF as being relevant to the chosen search term. (This is technical copywriting that I’ve trained in)

These search terms could be; Luxury fabric, upholstered chair, amazing colourful print, sustainable fabric, UK bespoke fabric, buy luxury fabric online…. Etc.

The effectiveness of these experiments can be measured by looking at visitor numbers prior to the ad-words campaign and post campaign. Traffic via the website should increase as well as orders and enquiries. I will also be able to see where these new visitors are coming from, and whether they’re repeat visitors or unique visitors.

This allows us to detect our strongest online influence as well as our weakest!

I would also make it a lot easier to order fabric online, by producing a clear button on the site as well as incorporating an online chat button, so I can answer any queries instantly which come through on the website.

The visual banner on the home page of the website would be changed often to update the look and showcase us a constantly evolving, pro-active brand. New product launches will take precedence on the home page with visuals adorning the site. I would maybe add a button that said “Order free sample” or “Arrange a visit” (This means a visit from CF to a design showroom).

A monthly themed e-mail will be sent to all existing clients promoting our latest collections, invites to any shows etc. This fosters good working relationships with clients and helps cement the brand in their minds.

These email campaigns will coincide with our social media strategy. 

Feature QR codes on a sticker, which can be stuck on the reverse of every free sample we send out. This QR code can be scanned with any smart phone to reveal the fabric in-situ, on an armchair, or sofa, in an airport lounge in Hong Kong or a 5-bedroom town house in London.

Brief facts about the fabric will also be displayed such as washing instructions, fair-trade/sustainability factor, origin, design, stretch, width, uses… etc.

Designers will be able to harness inspiration on the go when creating mood boards and choosing appropriate fabrics for projects with strictly regulated planning codes etc.

This method also directs clients straight to our website to view the in-situ content. Therefore increasing our traffic and ranking on Google – getting us to the 1st page quicker.

Beautifully printed look-books are a quick reference inspirational guide of our products, given to designers to hold in their showrooms. This is also a great place to advertise social media channels for more.

Great attention should be paid to getting CF books in to every well-known interior design showroom. Including Harrods. Most residential homeowners I dealt with travel specifically to Harrods to see the best of the best in home furnishing brands – and then advise their interior designer. Associating with other esteemed brands makes the CF brand glow.

Deals could be made with architects and designers working on building projects to use our fabrics.

Negotiations could be made with estate agents to advertise those design firms with who we’re exclusively working with.

What: Showcase new product lines at prestigious textile trade shows such as the Texfusion, London Textile Fair, Textworld Paris and World Textile Day. Who travel the world showcasing fair trade textile manufacturers.

Attend interior design and architecture shows to acquire new clients and increase reputation amongst the elite of the design world.

Why: Involving the brand in high profile trade only events raises brand awareness in the industry, catapulting CF into the right calibre.

Opportunities for press coverage and great PR at these events/new client acquisition.

Registering with local and international trade associations is vital. It shows collaboration, corporate social responsibility and legitimacy. Sponsorships such as these open a world full of new contacts and possible events to attend giving us wider press coverage.

We can feature the associations logo’s on the website, in the catalogues/look books and on our stand at trade shows. This increases brand trust amongst consumers when ordering and shows us as a well-established reputable brand.

The National Council of Textile Organizations represents the entire U.S. textile sector from fibers to finished products, from machinery manufacturers to power suppliers. It focuses on creating powerful alliances and coalitions to advance the interests of the U.S. textile sector through its four separate councils representing the fiber, fabric, supplier, and yarn industries. It also works for mobilizing global resources to preserve the U.S. textile industry and to establish a balanced and fair trading environment worldwide.

The Textile Society of America, Inc. is an international forum, which facilitates exchange and dissemination of information about textiles from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, and technical perspectives. Its members include museum curators, teachers, historians, artists, students, dealers, and collectors.

Organising pop-up shows at local fairs or within museums to associate the brand with art culture. This also attracts a new crowd and raises the prestige of CF. Visitors who could be anyone from an architect, graphic designer, tailor or a textiles student can learn about the making of the products and the sustainable methods we use – helping future generations.

Free samples can be given to business customers with a special QR code on the reverse, which shows the fabric in situ, in around 4 different ways.

We could aim to present the fabrics in a commercial setting by asking permission to upholster furniture in public spaces of rest, such as Westfield shopping centre rest areas or the sales suites that deal with prestigious architectural projects. We would then be free to advertise the CF name to a massive audience, helping to increase orders of fabric.

Using your connections with up-coming artists to promote the CF brand is a perfect way to pioneer the bridge between home furnishings and the art world. CF has such a wide scope of knowledge in the textile-manufacturing world – from initial sketch to yarn production to hand printing, it is all done independently by one small team.

Showcasing this knowledge in an ‘art-exhibition’ style is a key tactic in highlighting the artists work as well as presenting the new collections.

A database of existing clients can be used to arrange a guest list. These clients can receive look-books, a special discount on ordering within the next month and a preview of the upcoming collections.

New clients can be contacted with a special email marketing campaign and announcement across social media. A buzzing build up to the event will be created to ensure a great turnout and new client generation.

This tactic creates an air of suspense around the launches of new lines – increasing PR opportunities while providing content for social media. It also attracts new audiences eager to attend industry events.

Periodically I would produce an astounding case study of one of our clients who have used our products.

I would use this opportunity to leverage our reputation amongst other designers and showcase the incredible uses of our fabrics/rugs in a space.

This acts as joint promotion for the designer, the building project (if it’s a commercial property) and CF.

Visiting the space also produces further content for social media.

It would be a great idea to equip all showrooms with ipad's to show customers all fabrics in-situ, check stock levels and advise on other ranges quickly and efficiently while consulting. Bespoke ordering could also be done on an ipad that allows a sketch to be made and then sent directly to CF to determine if it can be made or not. E-mail capture is also a priority as it helps when constructing a database for e-mail marketing and show invites.

A further element of personalisation can be added using Instagram. Each showroom in LA, NY, LDN & SF, will each have their own Instagram page, eg. Christopher Farr NY.

As well as the main CF page, these micro pages will appeal personally to their customers who may have different design tastes and needs and therefore a tailored approach to content can be created to make our brand personal and up to date with our clients.