Case
Pia Christensen Furs: Building a niche luxury business through positioning and pricing
“We could use some help to market our brand – we really need to get out there”.
Pia Christensen Furs is a luxury fur business, run by furrier Pia Christensen. The company designs and makes custom-designed fur coats and other fur items to the high-end market. I had met Pia through some mutual friends; she was interested in boosting and cementing the brand in the market but she was unsure how and where to start.
Through initial conversations with Pia it became clear while she had focused on developing superior designs and delivering high-quality, exclusive products to her customers, she had neglected developing the business and the commercial model.
A marketing audit revealed that 1) the company needed to sharpen objectives and goals, 2) there was a big opportunity to leverage the Pia Christensen Fur brand, 3) there was room for upwards adjustment of the prices, 4) the product range was too wide, eating into both profit, brand, and available resources, and 5) workflow and resource allocation needed to be optimized.
In other words, Pia needed to focus her business. Further analytical work including an analysis of the company’s revenue streams and economy validated this.
Consequently, the issue wasn’t so much a matter of simply ‘dialing up the brand’ through market communication and other market presence – a tactic that is often sought out because it seems like the easier option but which doesn’t tackle the root of the problem.
No, it was a matter of making some strategic choices with regards to business scope and operations, positioning, target market, and subsequently about pricing, product range, and how to go to market. Especially the company’s positioning and pricing were critical issues.
On the basis of the marketing audit recommendations, it was decided to focus on 1) marketing strategy and roadmap and 2) structure and resources.
The works took place over the following two months through a combination of further analysis of business and marketing results,stakeholder interviews, and discussions/workshops with the client. Throughout, Pia Christensen had to make a number of hard, strategic choices.
The result was a disciplined marketing strategy for the following 2 years with emphasis on positioning and pricing; a detailed implementation plan with key priorities, concrete goals, KPIs, tasks and timings; tailor-made tools and guidelines for future planning; and clear structure and work allocation to maximise resources.
Tasks
- Marketing audit
- Customer profiling
- Commercial/marketing strategy and roadmap incl. brand positioning
- Portfolio and pricing optimization
- Market communications approach
- Structure and resource allocation.
Outcomes
- Increased business and marketing awareness incl. a clear view of the company’s major areas of gain and loss
- A focused marketing strategic direction enabling decisions on how to strengthen and grow the company
- Improved insight to the market and target customers Internal efficiencies, saving time and effort on a daily basis
- Stronger presence in the market
Quote
“It’s been a great relief to pinpoint, examine, and optimize all the strategic and commercial dimensions of the company. I am very impressed about the plan and tools I got from the process. Helene has been sharp, focused, very good at uncovering key issues and developing direction and concrete initiatives”.
Pia Christensen, CEO and designer, Pia Christensen Furs
Pia Christensen Furs
Pia Christensen Furs is a luxury design fur company based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and run by furrier Pia Christensen. Introduced to the craft by her father who himself is well-known and respected in the industry, Pia is a trained furrier, specialist and perfectionist when it comes to tailored fur. Pia Christensen Furs serves the high-end luxury fur market, has won a number of awards and medals for outstanding work, and Pia herself is a significant figure in the Danish fashion industry.