Promotion strategy - Key promotion strategies

• Hold the gift giving concept Paul Frank Industries didn’t think much about any marketing strategy or advertising. Always, we thought all about make a gift and put a smile on our friend’s face. That is the main strategy of the brand.
• Use the products to speak for the promotion When the company was founded by Hueser with some friends in 1995, they had no marketing budget. Consequently, they had to spread the Paul Frank brand to the mass market creatively via the products. “We just marketed intuitively,” said Heuser. “First and foremost, your product is the best form of marketing you have, so if you make your product undeniable, it will speak for itself.”
• Place the products on the right people The company didn’t want to do any advertisements instead we placed the products on the right people at the right time, including celebrities, athletes, and DJs. For instance, Paul Frank products have been placed in 18 movies from Finding Forrester to the upcoming American Pie 2 as well as numerous TV shows and magazines.
• Create value with implied endorsements PFI makes the products to each activity group and takes the leaders use those products like wrapping the lead guitarist’s guitar with Paul Frank artwork. The consumers will buy the products related to their idol. It is simply than making a lot of advertisements. “A lot of the strategy lies in the subtlety, creating value with implied endorsements. Those speak more to kids than a guy appearing in an ad wearing your clothes.”
• Launch the web site paulfrank.com to promote the brand. The site provides five sections including explore & create, news, products, locations and shop. Paul Frank fans visit and shop on the web site. “I know all this sounds naïve, but this is how it happened, and this is part of the reason we’ve got staying power today,” Heuser said.

Product strategy - Key successful factors

• Hold the gift giving concept when we make the products. "If you're going to make a gift for somebody you're not thinking of any age group or any marketing strategy," Frank said. "All you're thinking about is what's going to put a smile on your friend's face and get them to compliment you. I like to give presents, but I also like people to say, "That's a good job, Paul."
• Make a great product with unique designs, bright colors and wide range of inspired products for people all ages. “The element of discovery was key” Heuser said.
• Tap into people’s emotions by not selling but somewhat bringing them to it. “Making a great product and having people seek it out gave them the feeling they were in the know and part of a secret society.”
• Not follow trends but we do push them. That makes our customers fashionable, chic and stylish. "We're not afraid of pushing trends instead of following them," said company president and co-founder Ryan Heuser. "And our corporate culture mirrors our consumer."
• Young at heart employees who have been inspired by art, music, architecture and entertainment. They always create fun products for their friends. They are as the key of the products. If there are no these employees, there will not be fun products for friends.

Product strategy - Positioning

The company has well known for its unique fun designs, wide range of inspired products, and Julius the monkey icon that made the brand known throughout the world and continues to expand and progress. As we believe in bright, happy colors inspired surroundings, humor, pleasant sarcasm, everyday cleverness, a youthful, fresh approach to just about everything and especially the venerable art of gift giving, that make the products different from the other brands. Therefore, it would be hard to find any companies which are similar to Paul Frank Industries.

Product strategy - Branding

• Brand logo

The brand was built around Julius, the loveable monkey icon. There is no doubt why the most people know Paul Frank brand. Absolutely, they know the brand from that monkey appeared in many places across the globe. It extremely attracts their attention. When people see that monkey icon on T-shirts or other items, they certainly want to know what the brand is or where will they get it. That is the way to build the brand awareness of Paul Frank.

• Brand slogan

The brand motto of Paul Frank Industries is “Paul Frank is your friends”. PFI makes people feel that they are not the custumers but they are friends of Paul Frank via its simple slogan. Moreover, we tap into people’s emotions by not selling the products but bringing to them by gift giving we make. So, that built the loyalty and pride to the brand.

• Brand value

• A conspiracy of fun

A conspiracy of fun as the vision, Paul Frank opened the retail stores in many places around the world focused on the way to stay passionate. We considered about the creativity, fixtures and consumer experience saying, ‘I like this’ and ‘I don’t like this’. The stores combined with color palates, layouts, and staff. Each store has its own characteristics harmonized with its specific area. Therefore, every Paul Frank store acts as a Paul Frank embassy to promote the brand.

  

Product strategy - Target market

 

As the motto "Paul Frank is your friend", the company always makes gifts for our friends. That shows the target group of Paul Frank visibly, “friends” refer to people of all ages. "If you're going to make a gift for somebody you're not thinking of any age group or any marketing strategy," Frank said. Consequently, PFI has a wide range of consumers from the teeniest to their 80-year-old grandmas. Moreover, Paul Frank's core consumer is that hard-to-reach demo, the skeptical X and Y generations, which include the indie, punk, rave, club, street, urban and snowboard and skateboard sub-cultures.

Product strategy - Product lines

Paul Frank Industries creates all about fun products inspired by art, music, architecture and entertainment. What we make is divided into twenty product lines. There are accessories, bikes, boys(clothing), edibles, footwear, girls(clothing), helmets, home, infant & toddler(clothing), infant & toddler accessories, lip balm, men(clothing), optometrics, pet products, plush, stationary, tech and audio, technical outerwear, women(clothing) and zipper pulls.

Product strategy - Logo & Motto

Paul Frank built a sassy-looking monkey icon called Julius to be the brand logo. He got the idea for Julius when he started making purses as a present he gave to his girlfriend. The monkey has no organ grinder adorned all Paul Frank products such as wallets, pajamas, clocks, T-shirts, key chains and other items.Certainly, it appeals to people of all ages and especially does everyone know the brand.

The campy motto, "Paul Frank is your friend" refers to Paul Frank is always their costumers friend as the products we made as gifts for friends. The motto speaks to adults and their children to do fun activities with Paul Frank such as cycling, doing art work, listening to music or even cooking. We have been creating smiles around the world for ten years.