Johnny Cupcakes Essay

insurgent Cupcakes is a multi-million dollar garment nonemark. The spot was founded in 2001 by insurgent Earle. One of insurgents acquired nicknames was grayback cupcakes. He thought it would be funny to constitute a couple random shirts that said greyback Cupcakes on them for the fun of it (Earle, 2012). subsequently massive interest in these shirts, he unconquer sufficient to plow to make frequently and change up the designs. In 2001, Johnny stated, the band I was in, On Broken Wings, fin each(prenominal)y got sign-language(a) to a record adjudicate and we began to tour full time (Earle, 2012). This turn overed up Johnny and his island of Jerseys to a larger crowd of guests in different parts of the country. This boosted the cross offs popularity and Johnny decided to quit the band and focus all of his time, effort, and concern on his t-shirts. Johnny ended up going to conduct shows in Las Vegas and eventually ended up getting carried by shops in Japan, Euro pe, and Canada in addition to a few other US locations (Earle, 2012).Johnny had a turning point moment at that very same trade show later on that year. He realized people didnt like having the same things as others and that they enjoyed anomalousness. At this point Johnny do the decision to pull all his shirts from retail inventorys. Earle 2012 stated that he decided to make all of his t-shirts particular(a) variant and exclusive, only selling them by his website and later on in his own retail stores. As the Johnny Cupcakes brand grew, Johnny opened up stores in Hull, MA Boston, MA Las Angeles, CA and London, England. Johnny states that Above all, Ill continue to focus on enhancing my nodes experiences through my stores, events, website, designs, and package. I go forth never ever sell my brand to investors for all the m hotshoty in the world. I think youll find that things allow for only get more interesting from here (Earle, 2012).The Johnny Cupcakes brand to some can be described as streetwear. Hundreds, 2011 defines streetwear as a genre of contemporary app arl, united between sportswear and military looks, and is one that speaks to a spectrum of subcultures (skateboarding and hip-hop mostly). Some of Johnny Cupcakes major competitors be too streetwear brands such as Us Versus Them, Reason, Benny Gold, Situationormal, Flying Coffin, Clot, Diamond, Fuct, Alife, The Hundreds, A washup Ape, Supreme, and Rebel8 among others. These companies not only produce unique designs and clothing, they have a raw sienna base, and what some might call a cult following. They represent more than fitting a t-shirt. They differentiate themselves by their designs, material, limited edition collections, and the guest experience. Johnny Cupcakes jacket intersection points argon his limited edition t-shirts, but the society overly sells sweatshirts, hats and accessories. One of the things that make JC stand taboo is their packaging. The supplies the company re quire and uses are not well(p) clothing/accessory based, but just as Copernican is their packaging.Johnny Cupcakes uses bakery style boxes with their cupcake and crossbones logo on it. The company also uses specially made tissue paper to put in the bought goodies up in. The tissue paper is also marked with the JC logo. The are dickens major external factors that greatly influence Johnny Cupcakes as a company and those are the economy and trends. Since Johnny Cupcakes offers luxury items (those items that consumers dont need, but rather want), the economy can play a prodigious role in their profits. When times are tough, like in an sparing recession, the majority of people watch their money more closely. These people whitethorn choose to only buy things out of necessity rather than toss on things they want. Another big obstacle that JC has to stay on top of is the trends of their market. Clothing styles and designs come and go, therefore, Johnny Cupcakes needs to stay at the capitulum of what their target market likes otherwise they could easily become extinct.One bureau JC battles these two external factors is making every shirt limited edition. The limited edition status gives the feel of exclusiveness. People not only implore exclusiveness, but will pay top dollar for it. Because theyre collectibles and not just apparel, customers are willing to pay $60 for a Johnny Cupcakes shirtand even stand in line for a current release like kids waiting for concert tickets (Spaeder 2007). This exclusiveness plays off of our cultures friendly classes. Most Americans want to be in a better amicable class. Exclusiveness is a trait that is common in the highest of classes. The limited edition shirts not only sets the standards for someones social status, but also keeps inventory at a low, making sure the products that are produced are sold. Having limited edition shirts erases much of the risks and fears of the ever-changing trends of JCs market. Since there ar e only a fistful of the shirts available, they are long gone in the lead the design and style gets soggy. Also, this allows the company to be very flexible with the changing market.The two major internal factors that impact the organization are how they rise the customer experience and their product packaging. These are two very important factors that help create the Johnny Cupcakes brand. They are part of the JC culture and without them, the brand wouldnt be what it is today. Part of the customer experience lies in JCs three retail store locations. Theyre set up just like bakeries, complete with glass display shelves, employees wearing aprons and the smell of vanilla frosting in the air (Spaeder 2001). During big releases or setting up weekend pop-up stores, Johnny himself will be there to greet and reproof with everyone of the customers that walk through his store. This again is part of the experience and connection he wants his cull outs to feel when they think of the Johnn y Cupcakes brand. Johnny thinks nice packaging sets an experience, a memory, or a safe-keeping that is sometimes just as important as the product itself.Im a sucker for nice packaging (Earle, 2012). When conducting a SWOT analysis of Johnny Cupcakes, some of the companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have already been discussed. JCs major strengths are the exclusiveness it personifies by selling limited edition shirts and the customer experience it provides. One of its major weaknesses is the fact that it only has three retail stores and an online store. If it were to grow (and being a multi-million dollar business it has the resources to do this) it could reach more of a customer base and increase not only its fan following, but its gross revenue as well. A broad opportunity that Johnny Cupcakes has is the fact that it has through several achieverful collaborations with other companies including Nickelodeon and Hello Kitty, which expands its customer and fan b ase. As with all companies, a threat is competition. If JC can stay real to its audience then it will overcome the competition.As stated earlier, since JC is a luxury brand, the economy and trends are another threat. Listening to their market will definitely help subdue these threats. One of Johnny Cupcakes biggest resources and assets are its customers. Johnny Cupcakes has not only been able to acquire customers, but also fans and audiences (which is much more powerful). The reason the JC brand has been able to do this is because of the experience a customer gets when going into a store or a pop-up shop. When a customer sees their Johnny Cupcakes shirt they remember an experience they had when buying the shirt. I personally have two JC shirts (one was minded(p) as a demo so I dont have an experience to abetter _or_ abettor with that but my parents, who bought the shirt for me do). I do have a pictorial recollection of an experience I had when purchasing my first Johnny Cupcake s t-shirt at a pop-up shop on Marthas Vineyard. There was a line of people waiting at a niggling bakery for it to open its doors. eitherone was unsure of what the t-shirts would look like because the designs had not yet been released. non knowing what shirts will be sold definitely gives a wee sense of excitement and surprise and being excited about a brand goes a long way with customer loyalty. The waiting fans were given diner-like menus to see what shirts would be available. This definitely embodies the Johnny Cupcakes culture and experience. Once the doors were open to the bakery only a few people were allowed in at a time. This also gave the impression of exclusiveness. The limited edition shirts available were all Marthas Vineyard related. Not only is MV a huge tourist location, but being a resident of the island I had a sense of pride and being able to wear something relating to the island meant something to me, as I am sure it did to others, whether they were residents or tourists gaining a unique souvenir.After purchasing the shirt and leaving the bakery, I was greeting outside by Johnny Earle himself who not only took a picture with me, but also signed my shirt. My parents had a similar experience, telling me what a meaningful conversation they had with Johnny. Every time I pull out my JC t-shirt, I remember my unique experience of t-shirt buying. Johnny Cupcakes is a differentiation strategy drug user that sells an experience, along with his products. The way the business is run creates fans. JC leverages the companys resources, the customer experience, to create fans and a following of the brand. There are a handful of such loyal fans that fly out to all his releases to be able to experience them and not miss out on any product or show. JC, on a smaller scale, reminds me of the cult following of The appreciative Dead.Deadheads knew each show was unique and didnt want to miss out on any one of them. There are many Johnny Cupcakers who feel the same way. On March 24 of 2011, Johnny Cupcakes went world(prenominal) and opened up a store in London. Johnny had previously tested the waters in London by way of pop-up stores. His store in London was a huge hit, and he plans on a huge one-year celebration. Johnny opened up his store in London the same way he started is brand and opened up his other stores in the USA, with no investors, partnerships, or alliances. He started off small and threw his profits right back into his brand. One of the things Johnny Cupcakes prides itself on is not having to use investors or other companies to grow their brand. Part of this is what makes the brand who and what they are today. By staying authentic and listening to their market, Johnny Cupcakes will be continue to be successful in the years to come. With more years of success under his belt, Johnny may want to further expand his brand in the global market.ReferencesEarle, J. (2012). Story. Retrieved from http//www.johnnycupcakes.comHundreds , B (2011). The 50 Greatest Streetwear Brands. Retrieved from http//http//www.complex.com/style/2011/06/the-50-greatest-streetwear-brandsSpaeder, K. (2007). By Popular Demand. Retrieved From http//www.entrepreneur.com/article/177912