Brand Marketing Report

The Basics of Report Writing (In an academic Structure)

Structure
-Beginning, middle and end
-Critically, needs to be logical in an order, recommendations are at the ends.
-Needs to critically analyse

Example
-Title Page
-Contents- Whats inside your report
-Introduction- What it's about, what you're writing about
-Mid Section of report- Deals with key issues, any analysis
-Conclusion
-Recommendations (from your report research and findings)
-Bibliography
-Appendices- All the evidence, try to refer this back to the main body (e.g. refer to appendix 5)

Title Page
-Institution Title
 (Title of piece)
-Name BA Hons
The candidate conforms that the work submitted is their own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of other (Date and Month)
-Insert date, month and year
-Word Count (2,700-3,300 Max) abstract or executive summary not included

Contents Page
-List all the things you're discussing in a chronological order

VS
Research Findings
Initial Analysis
Current Brand positioning
Swot (Micro)
-Strengths
-Weaknesses
-Opportunities
-Threats
-PEST (Macro)
-Place
-Product
-Promotion
-Price
-Conclusion
-Recommendations from report
-Bibliography
-Appendices


Introduction
-An overview of what you intend to discuss
-Keep conversation concise
-Discuss the key points of report and intended research
-Give flavour of what you anticipate your findings/research may extract (Fuller overview of your findings
-Theme of the discussion

2,000 Words in the main body

Headers
E.g
2 Victoria's Secret; main header of section discussion
2.1 Research Findings; On the brand
2.2 Initial Analysis; What does this indicate about your brand reflecting on 2.1
2.3 Current Brand Positioning

Conclusion
-Summing up your research findings/report intentions; it rounds the whole piece off touching on the critical aspects of your discussion
-This must be to the point and concise (restrictions of overall word count)

Recommendations
-What issues does your chosen brand have?
-What are they doing or need to do to address this?
-Where is the brand situated, where do you feel (based solidly on research), does the brand need to be?
-How can the brand intervene through its current situation; What can it do to change their fate? (consider market conditions, positioning in the market place, consumer perceptions etc)

Bibliography
-Add all your long referencing through the Bibliography
-Looked at but maybe decided not to use in your report

Appendices
-Can be used to relate any information that connects to your essay context, but would not be put in the essay itself
e.g A sample of a survey that you've constructed
-A full quote which attaches to a segment of a quote used in your main essay, (to give the content further context)

Basic Guide
-Make sure to font is easy to read
-Use paragraphs and punctuation regularly and check grammar, proof read
-Add visuals to your piece which under pin specific written contexts you discuss in the report
-Add quotes to the points you are making
-Add page numbers to the footer of the document; understands referencing
-Add references regularly through your piece (To show where your research came from)
-Use long referencing in your bibliography
-Be objective (Not a subjective view)
-Make sure there is comparison running through your text. E.g. 'When looking at VS's brick and mortar sales compared to Aerie's online sales...'
-Make sure there is a good balance

Plagiarism
-Reference your work regularly (in text) and list all your references from your text in your Bibliography using APA system
-Don't paraphrase too closely to original source- Write all the information in your own words
-Don't copy and paste directly from an original source
-Time Manage properly

REMEMBER
-Who is the intended audience?
-Why is the report needed?
-What do the audience want to find out?
-What sections does your report need?
-When is the deadline?


Writing Styles
-Factual Writing- State the facts exactly as they are
-Descriptive Writing- A detailed account of the characteristics of things
-Explanatory Writing- Make things clear and give reasons for them
-Discursive writing- Investigates things by reasoning or making a reasoned examination
-Analytical Writing- Examines complex things to discover how they work.

Try to avoid things that could be replaced by one word
Due to the fact that= Because
On a daily basis= Daily
Of a complex nature= Complex
In a Fashion studio situation= In the Studio

Voice
-Use passive or active words to avoid using the first person. Use 'WE' not 'I'.
Passive= A concept was selected
Active= We selected a concept
-Be consistent

Tense
-When you are reporting your findings, use the past tense (you are reporting on something that has happened or, describing what you found) e.g We build and tested a runway
-Other peoples research, use present tense (Something that is established knowledge) e.g. Summer clothes are multicoloured

Numbering
1 Main heading
1.1 Secondary heading
1.1.1 Sub-Heading
1.1.2 Secondary Heading
1.2.1 Sub heading
1.2.2. Sub heading
1.2.2.1 Sub sub heading

Other issues to discuss
-Diversity
-Ethics
-Sustainability
-Social Media
-Influencer Marketing

Sales can diminish the perceived value of the brand
Luxury brands are part of exclusivity.

Abstract
Aim
What you're looking at
Results
Competitors