Assignment: Faculty of Business and Law

Assessment Information

This assignment is designed to assess the learning outcome:

Conduct a critical review of academic literature surrounding a branding topic and present their findings.

Halcyon Days: Expanding the brand's geographic coverage

Halcyon Days was founded in 1950 as an emporium of antique gifts in Mayfair, London. Today the company has evolved into a strong lifestyle brand, and they continue to create the signature enamel pieces on which their business was founded. They have added in full collections of luxury goods and fashion accessories. Their current product range includes: bangles, tea ware, silk shawls, scented candles, cufflinks and cashmere throws.

They continue to produce hand-crafted signature enamel boxes in their own workshops located in the heart of England. Made by a team of highly skilled artists - using traditional English enamelling techniques handed down through generations - they continue to demonstrate the very best of British craftsmanship. The company's craftsmen and artists take great pride in delivering luxury products of the highest standard such as hand-decorated enamel bangles.

Halcyon Days are proud to be one of only fourteen companies to hold all three Royal Warrants. This important relationship sets the high standard of UK craftsmanship and design; which Halcyon Days is dedicated to maintain.

The United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan are three of the strongest markets for Halcyon Days. Their key global accounts are Harrods and Harrods International, Fortnum & Mason, Scully & Scully in New York, Gumps in San Francisco and Isetan-Mitsukoshi in Tokyo.

They are also represented in Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Singapore, Bermuda and the Caribbean, and they look forward to continued growth and development in other territories across the globe, which is where they would like your branding expertise.

In addition to their craft pieces the company also produces private (bespoke) commissions. For example, the Late Queen Mother commissioned a box depicting her London home, Clarence House. In 1976, Cartier in New York commissioned Halcyon Days to create an enamel box for President Ford to give to The Queen on her official visit to the USA. Coincidentally, she too gifted a Halcyon Days enamel box to the President.

Halcyon Days offers an exceptional service for customers wishing to create their own exclusive piece, whether a hand-painted enamel box or a spectacular freehand-painted porcelain bowl with a unique design. Combining superb craftsmanship and service, Halcyon Days continues to produce bespoke pieces for private clients, and limited editions to commemorate momentous events and partnerships.

Sources:

Parts of this case study are fictional and the factual content is based on information from the following sources:

• http://luxurybritishbrands.com/halcyon-days/
• http://www.halcyondays.co.uk/home-gifts.html

This assignment is an individual assignment. This assignment requires you to:

Write an individual report

Halcyon Days has approached you to work with them as an external branding consultant. The company sells its products online worldwide and through concessions with luxury retailers.

They would like to employ your services as a branding expert to propose a branding strategy to support opening their first store outside the UK.

Focusing on one market of your choice, outside of the UK, address the following three questions. Questions carry equal marks. You are required to:

1. Analyse branding strategies over geographic boundaries to identify which approach in your view Halcyon Days should use to enter your chosen country. Provide recommendations on the brand strategy to support expansion and justify why you have proposed a particular approach.

2. Build a branding approach using the CBBE model for your chosen market.

3. Identify which brand elements to adapt and which to retain and again justify your choices. Support your discussion and recommendations with examples.

Create an individual poster

Your poster needs to present visually your suggested recommendations for Halcyon Days' overseas brand expansion. Your suggestions and recommendations must be supported by two or three key brand building theories. The poster will support your report and demonstrate your ability to fuse theory with a creative approach to branding.

You can use visual images and other means to illustrate your main suggestions (note: if using images from the Internet you must demonstrate that these images are not protected by copyright).

Individual Report Word Count

The word count is 2,000 words (+/- 10%) Maximum: 2200 words. Minimum: 1,800 words.

There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark (after internal moderation) for work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more. The word limit includes quotations, but excludes the bibliography.

Any penalties for not complying with word limits will be in accordance with University and Faculty policy. Ability to produce a coherent case study analysis which answers all given questions within a word limit is an integral part of the assessment.

Poster Presentation:

The poster must be no bigger than the equivalent of one printed A2 Poster, it can be smaller and it does not need to be a standard poster shape. A2 is either ¼ of A0 or ½ of A1 (larger sizes) or 2 x A3 sheets, 4 x A4 sheets. It should be used to creatively support the recommendations in your individual report, which you will display in the lecture and seminar sessions on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March 2017.