ABOUT YOU is one of Europe’s fastest growing e-commerce companies and one of Germany’s largest online fashion retailers. Their shopping platform’s assortment includes more than 2,000 different brands – a selection that offers something for every style and personality.
Many aspiring brand managers dream of entering the fashion industry. That’s why our 5th semester Brand Management was all the more delighted to be given the unique opportunity to work with ABOUT YOU in a research project led by Prof. Dr. Jörg Igelbrink, in order to apply what they had learned in their studies to practice.
The aim of the project was to research consumers and user attitudes towards the ABOUT YOU brand. In particular, the campaign with influencer Kendall Jenner was analyzed in one research strand and the perception of the ABOUT YOU brand as an employer brand in another.
Using a sequential mixed method design, a social media monitoring was combined with focus group interviews for maximum insight: In the first step, Prof. Dr. Jörg Igelbrink and his student assistant Alexander Hamlescher conducted social media monitoring using tools such as BRANDWATCH and Storyclash. In the second step, the evaluation of their analysis served the brand management students as a basis for targeted focus group interviews and analysis of the data material with MAXQDA.
For this purpose, the students divided into two teams, which investigated the different questions with regard to influencer marketing and employer branding. Based on their qualitative interviews, they gained profound insights into the perception of the ABOUT YOU brand and, drawing on this, developed approaches for possible strategies for future campaigns.
They delved into different creative routes and developed specific suggestions for the selection of influencers, looked at ideas for collections, limited editions, material selection and pricing. Furthermore they worked out communication channels for approaching potential employees.
At the end of the project, the eight students from the fifth semester presented their results to Senior Market Research Manager Kristin Driemeier and Recruiter Sara Kolbe. They scored points with their vibrantly presented proposals and at the end were able to discuss individual aspects with the two experts.
Kristin Driemeier thanked them for the exciting insights and promising approaches. Prof. Dr. Jörg Igelbrink also complimented the students on their successful work and presentations. Afterwards, recruiter Sara Kolbe gave the students a preview of the future prospects that could open up for them in brand marketing at ABOUT YOU after graduation.
Kristin Driemeier: “It was great fun to work with the Brand University students and Prof. Dr. Jörg Igelbrink in this research practice project. The extraordinary performance from the methodology to the qualitative and quantitative results also left a strong impression in the respective departments.”
We would like to thank ABOUT YOU for the great cooperation, which enabled our students to apply what they had learned in five semesters in a practical way to an exciting and inspiring topic, as well as for the prospects of a possible career start at the fashion company.
