PESTering about

The next stage in the quest for knowledge in the area of Enterprise was learning about PEST analysis which is essentially an acronym for Political, Economical, Social, and Technological analysis which is a structure/framework for strategic management methods. Despite not having a business, or a way in which to market myself or have some sort of product that can actually define me as a person, I think Im going to have to summarise what I have done so far and try to conjure up a situation/product that I could have produced, or is relative to my method of practice.

Recently I have worked on a packaging project that had to work to a set of design principles defined by a corporation, by means of investigative research, and appropriate design decisions that met the needs of the company, and kept within their ethics and uniformity of the brand. Puma were my choice of promotion, as I had an obsession with the brand when I was younger, which is part of the pyramid diagram that was used as an example for marketing strategy, it fits in with physiological, self-esteem, and self-actualisation needs. This is due to the nostalgic affinity with the brand, which comes from the family that have held the brand as a sort of family value (not in its entirety of course) that I associate with my need for acceptance and actualisation of myself in the  instance of the pyramid diagram. But looking at the company as a whole, but focussing on the footwear department, as was the product I was researching and promoting, considering the re-release of some of the company's classic trainers. Anyway back to the analysis...

Demographics of audience :

Trainer enthusiasts, nostalgic football players (pros and amateurs), trendsetters, "young guns", sport enthusiasts, trainer collectors, creative individuals, teens, and brand fanatics.

Who/How are they as people :

Despite the mix/variety of people that have been put into the demographics, I believe there is a few fundamentals that underpin the design/product strategies of Puma as a company that appeal to the subject mass.

Have an understanding of other social contexts beside their own, a degree of intelligence, not one of superiority, but one of understanding, somewhat understated, knowledge on existing products, vague understanding of previous brand achievements/marketing strategies/international events, sense of fun, a nonchalance to other brand superiority, like things to be clear, concise, need things to be put in front of them, and have ease of access to other products within the brand.

Political :

Have a relative understanding of current affairs, look on with liberal eyes, and can have a laugh about the current climate whilst maintaining a level of intelligence. Mixed feelings would be apparent though, due to the nature of the audience/market, the ever changing climate and the variable demographical implications/opinions of each respective individual.

Economical :

Due to the context of the design, the type of imagery such as icons, pictograms, and simplistic visual language works on an international level, as well as a local one. The visual approach used is meant to be universal in terms of who of what financial status can afford, as most brand products eventually go to warehouse outlets such as TK Maxx, making the products eventually available to purchase to people not as "well off". Thus the levels would be variable dependent on the outlet. However, if the place in question was a retail outlet that specialised in new lines, and known publicly to be associated with big name brands, such as size?, schuh or office, then it would be mainly aimed at people with a wider budget, as most trainers now retail at an average of 40-50 pounds.


Social :


I have identified the people who associate/buy Puma related products are once again broad but not endless. The majority of trainer consumers now are essentially obsessed with the style/look/fashion of the trainers, the packaging, the marketing and so on, due to the ever changing social trends that are spawned from the momentous, relentless shift of the ins and outs of cool and not cool, from things such as music, fashion, sport and the creative industries. Trying to produce something that is relative to all these subsubgenres of people have to be unified in a way by the visuals used by Puma. 


Technological :


Almost everyone within the demographic stated, have and regularly use the internet not only as a resource, but as an active social environment, which has a knock on effect of the culture surrounding apparel as a whole. 
Not just the trainer industry and the subsequent designs used by the companies, but they are inevitably dictated by the changing trends, for example now that retro is back and nostalgia is the in thing, the re-release of classic footwear and apparel with new colour schemes and a new label helps to appeal to the new wave generation.
Such examples; online publications, blogs, fansites, trainer magazines, size? monthly, facebook, and other such online social networking sites.




SO. This leads me to conclude that the people that are being targeted are those who live in a place where overexposure to advertising, mass popular culture, subculture, and the relentless wave after wave of new trends, buzzwords, and fashion co-exist with the retail reality of the big cities.