PROPOSAL

Mango is a worldwide company founded in 1984 and based in Barcelona. They aim to dress the modern woman for her everyday needs and this is the key to their success. They're also very environmentally conscious and make an active effort to consider the effects of their manufacturing and how they can subsequently reduce these, by cutting the amount of hot water they use etc. 

Mango's prices range from £5.99- £350.

Their typical customer would be aged 28, European, have a strong interest in fashion and culture, with a monthly disposable income of at least £250. 
My customer, Elisa, has a relatively high disposable income, strong social media presence and a desirable lifestyle.

Considering their target market, their website is very minimalistic and savvy, emphasising their current campaigns on the homepage. They're also active on Instagram; updating regularly with new garments and advertorial images. 

To recreate this for my campaign, I want to create at least 2 landscape banner images for the homepage and the top of the campaign page, then 8 other images displaying multiple looks and still lifes from the location. 

Mango uses vast open spaces and natural landscapes for a lot of their campaigns so I want to shoot in the New Forest either early morning or around sunset. 

Because of the location and lighting, I want to get a few shots of the shadows from the trees over my models faces/ the garments as Mango don't really do this, but it can be interesting to look at - and using the natural light works well with their brand. 

Natural shadows

Based on Mango's previous GIFS, I want to create my accessories GIF whilst on location with the background moving slightly and then have shoes moving in the foreground. 

Trial GIF to test movement

I want the shoes to fit with the same colours as my other images, so that the GIF can be placed within the images on the website. 

GIF board

Following on from the location and campaign colours being consistent with each other, I will be using earthy tones and some pattern and splashes of brighter colour - brighter pinks/ yellows to go with the more muted tones. 

Colour scheme for campaign images

2 main SS17 trends will be part of my campaign: Ruffles and sheer fabrics. 

To keep with Mango's style I also want to use similar hair and make-up techniques for my shoot - Natural, youthful and accentuate the natural shapes of the face. 

The models I use will be European looking and aged between 25/35 - similar to the Mango models and relatable to their target market.

From looking at their campaigns, I have considered some of the poses I would like to use for my shoot - they will be natural and not overly posed as this is similar to Mango's aesthetic. 

My website layout is going to be very similar to the Mango site: 

Homepage

When you click my banner image this will take you to the second page.

Collection page

I'm planning on having more than 6 images (possibly 8/10) - this is just the layout of the page. 

The images will have captions underneath of the garments and prices. 

The discover the collection button will lead to the e-commerce images of all the garments. 

Trend research

In order to shoot my campaign, I need to consider the relevant SS17 trends which apply to Mango. 

Since they don't actually follow specific trends for their campaigns, I've looked at trends which could be included and fit their aesthetic.

Ruffles are suitable as they can be done in both floaty and stiff fabrics, and can add an extra dimension to garments. 

Head-to-toe pink could be suitable for my shoot as it could be done in a more muted pale ink, or a vibrant colour for one of the outfits.

Ditsy florals can be used to add pattern to the collection, this would be another way to add splashes of colour into the pallet whilst keeping the rest of the outfits in muted tones. 

Sheer fabrics are very popular at the moment, and can be layered over other garments such as cotton basics or worn alone to create the illusion of showing skin without physically having the skin out - this is a nice transition fabric for Spring to Summer. 

Images from: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/ss17-fashion-trend-report-411237

Competition

Mango's main competition is Zara; they have similar styles and target markets. Both companies were founded in Spain and have become known worldwide as more high end high street brands compared to companies such as New Look or Topshop. 

Zara is one of the most renowned fast-fashion companies - usually a company would update their lines every month or few months, whereas Zara changes their store layout on an almost daily basis and constantly brings in new lines. You can go into a Zara store on a Monday and see a top you like, go back 2 days later to buy it and they will have moved completely or have sold out. 

Mango has majorly upped their social media presence and campaign style in the past few years to become such strong competition for Zara. 

Mango's Instagram

Zara's Instagram

Both companies keep their Instagram feeds simplistic and consistent, featuring their current campaign images and keeping the layout very similar - White borders and minimal captions. One thing which Mango does that Zara doesn't is when they post an image they sometimes post the item codes for the garments in the images so you can type them into the website and find them more easily. 

Something which could benefit both companies would be having an Instagram shop page on their website, which has the images from their instagram where you can just click on the image and it will take you to the garments to buy them. This is becoming very popular with companies - they tend to have the link in their Instagram bio so you can visit the link and be directed to the Instagram shop, rather than the whole e-commerce range to scroll through until you find the garment you liked. 

My website layout idea

In order to get plenty of images which fit with the aesthetic of the Mango website, I've planned out where my images would be shown on their website.

Considering the current homepage, my main campaign image and title would be where their 'Beyond the mirror' banner is. This will then be a clickable link, like theirs, and redirect the viewer to my whole campaign. 

I need to shoot a variety of landscape and portrait images to fit with their brand and current layout. 

My GIF will be in with the campaign images, rather than at the bottom, as Mango have featured theirs throughout their campaign images before. 

My website will also have a 'Discover the collection' button at the bottom which will then lead to the e-commerce images of each garment.

Models

When looking at the Mango website and Instagram pages, you can clearly see that most of their female models are very European looking. 

When casting for my models I need to look for those who fit one of the following ethnicities:

• British
• Scandinavian
• Polish
• Dutch
• Swedish 

Their models all seem to be in their mid 20s to early 30s and have a youthful look to them. This is important to consider when choosing my models as I don't want them to look too young.

I also want models who have natural looking hair, which isn't overly dyed/ processed or damaged. And I'd also like models which suit more natural make-up rather than heavy looks, as this is appropriate for the brand. 

They usually seem to look quite edgy and unique; rather than sexy or typically pretty, although they do still look approachable and relatable. 

Location ideas

From analysing the recent Mango campaigns, you can clearly see that they tend to use natural, open spaces for their shoots which fit the seasons and colours. Occasionally using buildings and studios for some of the images.

As spring/ summer is seen as the regrowth of the plants and animals I think a woodland location would be suitable. 

Since I live on the Isle of Wight there are lots of green areas and fields I could shoot in. However I love the New Forest as it is so vast and has horses, deers and other cattle wandering freely - this could help connote the sense of a new year and season in the horizon of the photos. The New Forest also allows for stunning lighting most of the day. 

Shooting in the New Forest would allow for the use of earthy tones as well as some colour - similar to their current campaign, so will fit the overall aesthetic of their brand and website. 

GIF idea

Mango occasionally uses GIFs on their website, but usually only of landscapes rather than their actual garments. In November 2015 for their 'The great outdoors' campaign they had 2 gifs running alongside their images of a waterfall and some reeds blowing. 

They do use a lot of film for their campaigns; usually in the headers above their advertorial images. 

Since my GIF needs to be of accessories I think Mango would maybe have the location backdrop moving and the accessories staying still. I want to do the opposite - have the backdrop still and the accessories moving as it would help to promote them more. 

My idea is to have heeled shoes and boots in a row with some facing forwards and some facing backwards then the GIF will have them changing direction so you get front and back images of each shoe. The colour scheme will go along with my campaign images so that they look like they are from the same advertorial. 

When filming my actual GIF I want it to film so they turn back around again on a loop - so that they all turn round once, then it goes back the other way, and then repeats. 

Campaigns

Mango usually releases a new campaign each month, which means they have multiple SS/AW campaigns throughout the year - rather than just 2. This means that each month there is a new look which suits the current weather and natural landscapes.

The campaigns are usually shot with a film and then advertorial images below showing other outfits from the season. 

Their current SS17 campaign is 'Beyond the mirror' and features some of their more expensive garments from the newest collection. When you visit the 'discover the collection' page this has all the garments including those which aren't as expensive. The campaign is mainly earthy tones with an 'unpredictable landscape' (Mango's Instagram). 

There isn't a specific SS17 trend in the campaign, however they have managed to create their own look which is almost sci-fi explorer with a bit of colour and pattern thrown in here and there. There's also both casual and dressy looks within the collection and the pieces could be styled differently to fit different tastes and occasions. The company describes the overall look as 'oneiric' (dreamy) which is understandable the location and mirrors juxtapose each other and create an uncanny overall feel. 

On Instagram they often post images which relate to their current campaigns, they have recently posted 3 images which could also be part of the SS17 collection but in a different, more urban location. 

Captions left to right: 'Fawn hints.', 'Just like art.', 'Warm and golden new tones.'

Their campaigns are usually shot in open locations with colours which match the garments. 

One of their AW16 campaigns which was released in November they shot in the highlands which they described on Instagram as 'an imposing landscape' in which you can 'blend into the nature and explore it in its purest form' which related to the styling which they described as 'a polished take on sportswear.' 

Another AW16 campaign which was titled 'The dusk club' and shot with both men and women was released in December featuring more evening looks and garments suitable for the festive period. This also featured shots taken inside the location, although the same applies for the colours of the clothing matching the colours and aesthetics of the surroundings. 

They also did a December edit which featured looks for Christmas and NYE, this was mainly shot in black and white on location, then colour in the studio. 

From looking at their current and past few campaigns, the main things I have noticed are: 

• The locations are very open and natural
• The models seem to be european
• The colours of the clothes match the colours in the locations
• There is a lot of movement 
• The hair and makeup is very relaxed and untamed

Website layout

The Mango website is laid out to appear very minimalistic, similar to their style. The home page has the buttons to navigate the site and then the main page as you scroll has 3 landscape images from their current campaigns (Womens, mens and kids) and then 1 for the sale. This is effective as it gives an overview of the current trends and what to expect from each collection. 

Homepage: http://shop.mango.com/GB (11/02/2017)

If you scroll to the bottom there is all of their social media links, the option to subscribe to email notifications and then other options which you find on other websites. 

When you click on the campaign images on the homepage they lead to the video at the top - this is the same the women's and men's sections, but the kids video is at the bottom;this could be because when you shop for yourself it's more appealing to see how garments move, whereas when shopping for children this is less of a priority. The videos are shot in a way which seems quite candid and very up close and personal. 

Below or above the video is the actual campaign photos which feature still images of the shots from the video, and also some other garments which are part of the collections. The women's images are all landscape and either spread across the entire length of the page or at least over halfway. Although the men's and kids sections have some portrait images. When scrolling down on a laptop the portrait images are won't all fit onto one screen - you have to scroll up/down a little to see the entire image as shown below. 

Then at the very bottom of the page there is a 'view the collection' button which takes you to all the garments and where you can actually buy them with the ecommerce images. 

 This section is laid out similarly to above - either landscape images or 2 portrait images together. 

The images are of the models wearing them, then when you scroll over them it goes to a flatlay image of each garment. This is effective as you get to see how the garments look on as well as a full picture of each. 

Customer profile

Name: Elisa Tothova

Age: 28

Ethnic background: Half Ukrainian, quarter Swedish, quarter British

Characteristics: Shoulder length, choppy and wavy bleach blonde hair, hazel eyes and pastey skin. Strong facial features with prominent cheek bones and bushy eyebrows. Minimal makeup with a strong lip colour. Simplistic style with a muted pallet, featuring some statement pieces which are more graphic or colourful. Usually seen in stone washed denim mom jeans, a nude or white top and leather jacket with court shoes or trainers and delicate layered silver jewellery. 

Current location: Croydon, London

Education: BA Hons Fashion Communication with Business Studies at Brighton University - Graduated in 2011 with a 2.1 - As a foreign student. 

Employment: Currently works in central London as a fashion forecaster for Zara, following on from an internship she undertook at Harvey Nichols. 

Interests: Enjoys eating tapas food and drinking gin and slimline tonics in an evening around central London after work to soak up the culture. Goes to yoga classes on a Saturday morning to socialise with friends and focus on her mind and body. She listens to indie rock music and her favourite band is Arctic Monkeys. Spends days off visiting exhibitions and local markets. Passionate about different cultures and often daydreams about travelling. Reads Harper's Bazaar and Cosmopolitan each month, and romantic novels in an evening before bed. Posts regularly on Instagram and has a large following of over 50K, uses this as a way to show her personal life in a stylish way which seems desirable and aspirational. 

Income before expenses: £27k per annum. 

Disposable income: £825 per month. 

Average spend in Mango per month: £60-£90 based on 3 visits per month. 

Mango history and ethos

Mango was founded in Barcelona during 1984 by brothers Isak and Nahman Andic, the first store was opened in the city of Barcelona and 5 more stores were opened over the following year.

Despite being a Spanish brand and having multiple stores in Madrid, the country with the most stores is actually Istanbul. 

'We can be differentiated for having a highly-defined concept. The MANGO concept is based on an alliance between a quality product, with an original design and a coherent and unified brand image. Dressing the modern, urban women for her daily needs is the formula we have analysed, adapted and applied in all the countries in which MANGO is present: it has been and remains one of the keys to our commercial success and international prestige.'

http://shop.mango.com/iframe.faces?state=she_006_IN

There are currently 2,731 stores in 105 countries across the globe(07,02/2017), and almost 13,500 employees - almost 10% of their employees work at the Hangar design centre in Barcelona. 86% of their staff is female and the average age is 29 which reflects their target market. 

The company has taken steps to help protect the environment by considering the effects of their manufacturing and doing what they can to reduce these. Figures are available at  http://shop.mango.com/iframe.faces?state=she_006_IN 

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