Exclusive Marketing Strategies of ASOS – A Case Study

About Asos

ASOS plc is a British online retailer of fashion and cosmetics. The company was founded in London in 2000, with a primary focus on young adults. The website sells over 850 brands as well as its clothing and accessories, and ships to all 196 countries from fulfillment centers in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.

It is the world’s fourth-largest online fashion store in terms of revenue.

ASOS originally stood for AsSeenOnScreen, with the tagline “Buy what you see on film and TV” because it only sold imitations of clothing from those mediums (for example, Brad Pitt’s red leather jacket from the 1999 film Fight Club). However, it no longer has that meaning and is generally stylized as an uppercase acronym, even though the company’s logo represents it in lowercase.

Headquarters of ASOS in London

The headquarters of ASOS is located at Camden City, Greater London House, Berlin, and Birmingham, with additional offices. Since 2013, its main center, which employs 3,500 people, has been in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Leavesden, near Watford, in the southwest of Hertfordshire, is the customer service department.

What’s new with Asos:

Check out some current news about Asos:

• Every month its website attracts 6 million shoppers and has over 2 million registered customers.
• Its client base increased by 3.1 million to 23.4 million active clients last year.
• In February 2021 ASOS took over from the collapsing Phillip Green Arcadia Group Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and HIIT brands, resulting in global expansion.
• The firm, which owns Topshop, posted a loss of £87.4m in the six months to the end of February, compared to a profit of £14.8m in the same period last year.
• EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: ASOS boss sells his £11.5million 125ft superyacht

Now that we know about Asos, let’s understand the target customers of Asos.

Target Audience of Asos

ASOS, as an online fashion retailer, has traditionally targeted a younger and tech-savvy demographic, primarily catering to millennials and Generation Z. However, it’s important to note that target audiences can evolve based on changes in consumer behavior, fashion trends, and business strategies.

To get a clear understanding have a look at the buyer’s persona of Asos given below:

So let’s look at the marketing strategies of ASOS now that we have understood the company.

Marketing Strategies of Asos

Ask any dealer to name an online retail company they admire and the answer will always be ASOS. For 20 years, ASOS has been an online fashion destination. Its online platform works by selecting the best trendy items from a variety of brands and grouping them with its products.

This strategy has helped ASOS not only to sell its products but has also made it the best online mode destination. The company has collected over 80,000 branded and proprietary products.

How in just a few years has ASOS become a fashion empire? Partly through marketing strategies focusing on brand awareness and popularity such as:

• Fast Fashion – offers trendy collections with a focus on diversity
• ASOS Brand Magazine Publishes High-Quality Content
• Utilization of a Brilliant Influencer Marketing Initiative
• Exceptional emphasis on corporate responsibility—founded the ASOS foundation

People Parameter of Asos

People parameter, in simple terms, refers to the employees, staff, and agents of the company.

Because ASOS is a web-based company, it has far fewer employees than a similar-sized brick-and-mortar store. Employees are hired for management, technical, customer service, and warehousing positions. They now have over 250 employees, up from 47 when they first founded the company.

Process Part of Asos

Process refers to the procedures and steps involved while buying or availing of a product or service.

ASOS’s shopping experience differs from that of a physical store. Because it is an online portal, customers can only view product images and cannot try the product. Once they’ve decided on a product, they can add it to their shopping cart and pay with a credit/debit card or cash on delivery. The product is shipped to their addresses once payment is received.

Physical Evidence Parameter of Asos

People interact with ASOS at their leisure because it is an internet-based company. They physically receive the product with the receipt of the product. The ASOS website and mobile application are very easy to use, and all of the most recent discounts and offers are displayed to customers first so that they can benefit the most. As a result, ASOS’s marketing mix is complete.

Now that we have seen the brand’s marketing mix, let us look at the advertising campaigns of ASOS.

Advertising and Marketing Campaign Strategies of Asos

Advertising campaigns are critical to the success of any business. It not only promotes the product but also communicates with the customer in a meaningful way. Let’s take a look at some ASOS campaigns:

Topshop and Topman Range – An Awareness Campaign of Asos:

ASOS, one of the world’s leading online fashion retailers, launched a multi-million-pound campaign on 22nd Feb, this year targeted at Topshop and Topman customers, letting them know that they can shop their favorite brands on ASOS following their acquisition at the start of the month.

The two-week social-led campaign aimed to raise awareness among clients in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany via YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.

Since February, ASOS has more than doubled the number of Topshop and Topman products available on its website, with plans to double it again in the coming weeks

AySauce Challenge – A TikTok Campaign of Asos

ASOS launched the “AySauceChallenge” TikTok campaign on 24 August last year. This campaign was a huge success because it used a combination of ASOS and creator-commissioned content to drive brand recognition and awareness.

Loren Gray, Jordan Fisher, Michael Le, Holly H, Luke Trotman, the Nefatti brothers, and many others were among the creators. The challenge hashtag received over 1.6 billion views, making ASOS the only European fashion brand to surpass a billion views during the campaign period in 2020.

Adidas x IVY Park – A Product Launch Campaign of Asos

ASOS debuted Beyoncé’s long-awaited Adidas X IVY PARK collaboration in January 2020. Sporty shapes, high-tech materials, and oversized outerwear were featured in the collection.

An ASOS homepage takeover, out-of-home advertising in London and New York, and social assets featuring Queen B were all part of the brand’s collaborative marketing efforts. The best part was that the products were gone in a matter of hours.

Now that we have seen some successful campaigns by the brand, let us take a look at the successful digital marketing strategy of ASOS.

Digital Marketing Strategies of Asos

Digital marketing, also known as online marketing, is the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers via the Internet and other forms of digital communication. As a marketing channel, this comprises not only email, social media, and web-based advertising, but also text and multimedia messages.

ASOS claimed in November 2009 that it had one Twitter follower for every eight Facebook fans and 100 active email subscribers. According to their 2008 report, email marketing could be directly attributed to nearly 10% of sales.

ASOS launched a campaign in 2017 to capitalize on the ‘Instagram Stories’ feature, encouraging users to upload videos of purchased ASOS products. In the United Kingdom, 3 million people interacted with the video. ASOS employs the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe, and any use of the hashtag adds the photos to an ASOS online database.

ASOS’ YouTube channel features fashion influencer-hosted series such as How to Style and Sneakers in 60 Seconds to inspire users’ fashion choices.

Let’s look at the brand’s social media accounts below:

Social Media Presence of Asos

7 million+ followers on Facebook

11 million+ followers on Instagram

1 million+ followers on Instagram

ASOS brings its products to life through these channels. It uses a wide variety of images and stylish displays for building customer engagement. It also concentrates very much on video content. Content is the primary factor that contributes to its successful promotion through the digital platform.

Now that we’ve analyzed the digital marketing strategy, let us look at the SWOT analysis of ASOS and better understand the brand’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.

Competitor Analysis of Asos

Let’s have a look at the competitors of Asos:

1. Zara: It is a Spanish fast fashion retailer known for its quick turnaround time in bringing new designs from the runway to stores. It offers a mix of classic and trendy styles at affordable prices, with a strong emphasis on in-store shopping.
2. H&M (Hennes & Mauritz): It is a global fast fashion retailer based in Sweden. It offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children at competitive prices, with a focus on sustainable fashion.
3. Boohoo: Boohoo is an online fast fashion retailer that targets young and trendy consumers. It gained popularity for its affordability and quick response to fashion trends.
4. A sister brand of Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing focuses on bold and glamorous styles, appealing to young women who want to make a statement with their fashion choices.
5. Missguided offers a diverse range of fashion-forward clothing and accessories aimed at young women who embrace their individuality and want to stand out.

To beat the competition and sustain the changing market trends the marketing strategy of Asos needs to be well-planned. Asos needs to keep up with the new trends.

5 Reasons Behind the Success of Asos:

• The brand offers a wide range of products.
• It publishes high-quality content that attracts customers.
• It promotes products through social media influencers.
• It is an online platform that allows customers to make a purchase easily.
• ASOS has kept a positive brand image.

Example of a Failed Campaign Or Backlash from Users

Twitter as a feedback platform:

• What was the issue?

ASOS takes an unconventional approach by forgoing a traditional review system on their website and instead opting for a modern twist – encouraging customers to air complaints and feedback via Twitter.

• What backlash did the brand face?

This unconventional method holds both its brilliance and its recklessness. Given that 62% of their customer base falls within the 18-34 age bracket – a demographic known for their heavy social media use – ASOS taps into this trend. Allowing customers to vent their frustrations within seconds, whether on a bus, train or even at the gym, perfectly aligns with their audience’s habits. Even in the domain of grievances, ASOS is essentially conveying, “We comprehend you.”

However, this strategy comes with a potential pitfall. Since every tweet is public, each customer’s complaint becomes an open display. This exposes not just ASOS’s most recent misstep but also sheds light on the frequency of their blunders – a less favorable side to their operational pattern.

• What did the brand do in this situation? – Did they take down the campaign or change it as a whole?

Twitter’s playful nature encourages witty exchanges and banter. Public feedback sparks engaging conversations not just between ASOS and customers, but within the wider online community. Retweets, comments, and trending hashtags like #ASOSFails often lead to viral interactions, generating amusing responses and even catching the attention of journalists. This results in effortless and free marketing material for ASOS.

The resulting marketing content is light-hearted and remarkably humorous. ASOS seems comfortable with light-hearted teasing, using an open platform to acknowledge their occasional missteps and apologize. This transparent approach creates a sense of camaraderie, conveying, “We all make mistakes, let’s laugh together.” By embracing Twitter as a feedback channel, ASOS not only showcases transparency but also fuels the success of the #ASOSFail trend, making it a brave and impactful marketing move.

With an excellent marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, and SWOT analysis, the brand has been able to stay at the top of its game, and with this, we have concluded the case study of ASOS. Now let us summarize it in the conclusion section below.

Conclusion

Celebrities, to state the obvious, are always a hot topic. This is most likely why word of the As Seen on Screen campaign spread so quickly. But here’s what ASOS did right: they sold products that could be worn by anyone.

People have different styles, and combining these styles into a single platform is the ideal way to become an ideal e-Commerce site on the other hand, ASOS creates a positive brand image by emphasizing corporate responsibility and informing its customers about who they are assisting. Due to these reasons, ASOS became an all-in-one fashion empire by sharing its platform with hundreds of brands and designers.

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